A systems design approach for sustainable affordable housing

grantor: University of TorontoEngineers and scientists are continually searching for more efficient methods of resource management which promote sustainable living and the opportunity for a quality way of life for all people. Global increases in population are fueling the demand for housing, especially in developing nations, therefore the desire to provide an affordable house which utilizes resources in an efficient manner is a concern of civil engineers. By approaching the design of a home from a civil engineering systems perspective, considerable resources may be saved and a better quality product can be produced. A sustainable affordable house design is one which minimize cost and environmental impact while maximizing the social acceptability. Multiple design alternatives which assess the true need of the people, utilize appropriate building materials, consider the physical environment, and utilize methods of industrialization, should be synthesized. A multi-objective evaluation procedure may then be used to evaluate the alternatives based on life cycle cost, material life cycle and the functionality and familiarity of the design. The selected preferred alternative should then be optimized by changing individual design parameters, re-evaluating the design and observing the resulting change in system performance.M.A.Sc