Small and medium-sized enterprises can serve as promising cradles for challenging ideas and pioneering initiatives. That is exactly what is required in order to make progress towards sustainable levels and patterns of production and consumption. Of all the continents of the world, Europe is most likely to lead the way towards a more sustainable relation with the environment. Having been the cradle of the industrialized world as we know it today, Europe again will lead the way in the journey of discovery to sustainable industrial practice, that is, if suitable conditions exist, and engaged and motivated entrepeneurs take the challenge and the role of the pioneer. Essential to these conditions is a set of values regarding the availability and properties of resources, the functioning of products and the impact upon the environment, now and well into the future, in Europe as well as globally. Furthermore, imagination, infor mation and encouragement will be essential. This manual provides ideas, tools, examples and guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that wish to develop products with the environment and the future in mind. It addresses product development and design with consideration for the whole life cycle of the product. This cycle is a process ranging from the identification and formulation of a need at the early stage of product development to the disposal of the product, after repeated usage, at the end of its life. A particular focus has been given to principles and criteria in the design of complex products.

Traditionally the process of design has concentrated on the construction phase itself, with the primary objective being to optimise efficiency and minimise costs during development and construction. With the move towards a more sustainable development comes the need for this short-term approach to be expanded to encompass the entire service life of the structure. This book describes how to optimise the service life of structures, through an optimum integrated life cycle design process. Sustainability and material performance issues are detailed. Integrated Life Cycle Design of Structures provides a comprehensive account of this rapidly emerging field. It is essential reading for civil and structural engineers, designers, architects, contractors, and clients.

This book introduces readers to Life Cycle Approach (LCA)-supported design solutions, through non-geometric-data-driven methodologies, to provide a clear picture of how to optimize individual designs in addressing ecological challenges. By offering LCA, the book gives designers a complimentary set of science-based perspectives and techniques with a focus on high data quality for clarity and public accessibility. While most design solutions and resources are meant to appeal to people by solving everyday problems, this book uses LCA designs to appeal to people through a combination of practicality, accuracy, and the need to decelerate ecological destruction through products offered to marketplace consumers. In essence, the book teaches designers how to craft environmentally responsive designs for their clients at little to no extra cost, but with necessary ecological benefits. The book analyzes the human desire for consumption, and suggests design innovations for promoting "best practices". LCA tools, data, and methodologies are explained and offered as these potential innovations for affecting positive environmental change. As an underlying component of LCA, the book defines the energy essentials related to environmental problems, and how LCA design solutions must address these factors while also appealing to a designated client-base. The book also teaches designers how to consider corporate incentives for trusting LCA designs, such as investor confidence, loyalty, and consumer trust. The book will appeal to a broad range of designers interested in sustainable and data-driven design, and may be utilized by non-LCA specialists in expanding their design perspectives and goals in the marketplace.

This book consists of chapters based on selected papers presented at the EcoDesign2015 symposium (9th International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing). The symposium, taking place in Tokyo in December 2015, has been leading the research and practices of eco-design of products and product-related services since it was first held in 1999. The proceedings of EcoDesign2011 were also published by Springer. Eco-design of products and product-related services (or product life cycle design) are indispensable to realize the circular economy and to increase resource efficiencies of our society. This book covers the state of the art of the research and the practices in eco-design, which are necessary in both developed and developing countries. The chapters of the book, all of which were peer-reviewed, have been contributed by authors from around the world, especially from East Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The features of the book include (1) coverage of the latest topics in the field, e.g., global eco-design management, data usage in eco-design, and social perspectives in eco-design; (2) an increased number of authors from Southeast Asian countries, with a greater emphasis on eco-design in emerging economies; (3) high-quality manuscripts, with the number of chapters less than half of that of the previous book.

Explains how Design for the Environment (SFE) and Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) processes may be integrated into business an dmanufacturing practices. Examines major environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. and Europe, qualitative and quantitative analyses of ""green design"" decision variables, and heuristic search programs for a proactive future in ecological improvement.

This revised second edition of the standard reference for design professionals supplies an arsenal of economic weapons for constructing, operating, and managing buildings at the lowest cost possible. Everything professionals need to put the latest construction-related strategies to work is right here in one convenient, quick reference guide.