A master thesis from Aalborg University
Buildings for Sustainable Development: A Study of Drivers and Barriers for Sustainability in the Minnesota Building Industry
Author(s)
Term
10. term
Education
Publication year
2007
Submitted on
2007-10-25
Pages
87 pages
Abstract
This project presents the analysis of how environmental issues are understood in the building industry. In particular, it concentrates on sustainable building efforts in the State of Minnesota. The project takes its point of departure in the all-encompassing global challenge of climate change. The building industry is clearly identified as a industrial sector with vast possibilities to address its current influence on the environment in effort to mitigate Greenhouse Gases. This then leads to uncovering existing challenges towards green building, identifying regulation and entities such as institutionalization and decentralization as necessary components for successful implementation of sustainable building. The project then takes a critical stance towards sustainable building efforts in the State of Minnesota. In particular, the approach of the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines is of focus, as they appear to differentiate from the nationally recognized US Green Building Council and LEED certification. These two Green building programs are then incorporated in a program and practical analysis of sustainable building in the state of Minnesota. The analysis identifies numerous barriers to green building in the Minnesota building industry. In addition it uncovers a number if issues that could amend green building in the state of Minnesota. In addition, the analysis identifies the need for future endeavors to place efforts towards financial and budgeting challenges and the deed of influencing the growth of green building through a sufficient emphasis of education.
Documents
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