Incorporation of Eco-Efficiency Attributes on Public Buildings in Brazil

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1 International Journal of Engineering & Technology IJCEE-IJENS Vol: 16 No: Incorporation of Eco-Efficiency Attributes on Public Buildings in Brazil Flavio Roitman, Osvaldo Luiz Goncalves Quelhas Abstract -- The world is centered on a period where the current generation is consuming future generation s environmental resources. Buildings construction and use can be considered among the largest natural resources consumers. Public buildings construction should incorporate eco-efficiency s attributes in their projects, which would result in less environmental impacts, more environmental preservation and also save public resources during the period of their operation, use and maintenance. The objective of this study is to identify which of the eco-efficiency s attributes should be an essential part of public buildings, in ways that they could become environmentally sustainable and also meet legislation s requirements. The methodology included literature review and a survey employing questionnaires sent to experts in the fields of architecture and engineering. Statistical analysis of data showed that, out of the 40 attributes of eco efficiency evaluated, 27 were considered essential and 13 were considered important. The essential attributes should be included in public building s projects in Brazil. Index Term -- Eco-efficiency, Public buildings, Sustainable construction. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BUILDINGS AND ENVIRONMENT The world is going through a period in which the current generation is consuming environmental resources of future generations. The world population continues to grow, demanding more resources for their livelihoods, fossil fuels remain the main source of energy, drinking water supplies suffer from outpour of untreated sewage, global warming causes melting of glaciers and other damages to the environment keep happening. Participation of men is necessary to take steps to mitigate, lessen and prevent environmental degradation processes, as well as to find ways to inhabit the planet in a sustainable way. Only then the next generation will inherit an even richer planet in terms of natural and environmental resources. This challenge includes the construction industry, which is the most polluting industrial activity for the environment, and is also one of the activities that consumes more natural resources such as water, wood, fossil fuels and others. The paradigm shift in building design from the current model to a model that incorporates eco-efficiency attributes can play an important role in sustainability and environmental preservation. The theme of sustainable architecture has had a leading role in research, practice and criticism in various centers of excellence in the international arena. The growing recognition of the subject happens both by the government (as seen both in built constructions and legislation) and the appreciation by the real estate market and the construction industry, but this is still a scenario distant from the Brazilian reality. (GONÇALVES and DUARTE, 2006) The construction of public buildings should follow the international trend and incorporate eco-efficiency criteria in their projects, taking into account that such buildings generate less environmental impact and preserve natural resources and considering that the government is legally responsible for promoting sustainable national development, as required by Brazilian law. To illustrate the relevance of the issue, the European Union Directive 2002/91 / EC (EPBD) on the energy performance of buildings has been revised (2010/31 / EU) and approved on by the Parliament and the European Council. Article 9 points to 31/12/2020 as the deadline from which all new buildings should comply with NZEB concept (Nearly Zero Energy Building), being 31/12/2018 the deadline for public buildings. With regard to existing buildings, Article 5 states that from 1/1/2014, every year, 3% of the total floor area of air-conditioned buildings occupied by the respective government administrations must be renewed. (TORGAL, 2013) The Brazilian Federal Government could be considered a great builder. Expenses incurred in 2012 as "Investments Construction and Building Installations" totaled R$ (equivalent to US$ ), as published on the website of the Transparency Portal of the Federal Government. Taking into account the values of these investments, by requiring the incorporation of eco-efficiency attributes in the buildings it occupies, the government would be promoting sustainability in a significant portion of the construction industry and the supply chain of this industry in the country. 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH Public buildings in Brazil do not adopt the principles of ecoefficiency yet, with few exceptions. There is an obligation for public construction to comply with the relevant legislation. However, brazilian legislation pertinent to sustainability in public construction presents only general concepts, for example: protect the environment, provide sustainability practices, consider the environmental impact, compliance with

2 International Journal of Engineering & Technology IJCEE-IJENS Vol: 16 No: environmental protection, formation and recovery of an ecologically balanced environment and others. This research aimed to contribute to answer the following question: what are the attributes of eco-efficiency that should objectively be part of public building design, to make them environmentally sustainable or eco-efficient and also comply with the legislation? The method to advance towards a response was to request, through the application of a survey, an evaluation of experts from the fields of architecture and engineering, of which attributes should be incorporated in public buildings. After verification and statistical validation of the results, the attributes evaluated as essential were identified. 2. FORMULATION OF THE SURVEY The criteria used for the survey were: sampling not probabilistic, convenience, accessibility and professional category. The chosen experts were of higher education in the fields of architecture, civil engineering and engineering of other specialties. The professional categories were of three types: public sector, private sector and academia. The survey was sent to professionals working in the Subsecretariat of Construction and Maintenance of the Federal Regional Court of the 2 nd Region - SMAN / TRF and five virtual groups, requesting the voluntary participation of experts in completing the survey. The selected virtual groups were the following: National Technical Committee of Construction of the Federal Justice - CTO-N; Regional Technical Committee of Construction of the Federal Justice - CTO-R; Environmental Agenda of the Public Administration - A3P; Graduates in Civil Engineering of Fluminense Federal University - UFF, group of former students of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - FAU / UFRJ (1976 class). These groups were selected to participate in the study due to the fact that all their participants are experts who meet the higher education criteria and professional practice established for this work. The professionals at SMAN / TRF who received the survey work in the public sector. The CTO-N is composed of architects and civil engineers, public servants that work in the Federal Justice Council - CJF and the five Federal Regional Courts of the country. The CTO-R consists of architects and civil engineers, civil servants working in the Federal Court of the 2 nd Region, the Judicial Section of Rio de Janeiro State and the Judicial Section of Espírito Santo State. The A3P group is composed of public servants with professional practice and training in several areas, participating in the implementation and operation of the environmental agenda in various public agencies in several states of Brazil. The UFF group consists of engineers and architects attending postgraduate studies with diverse professional activities. The FAU / UFRJ group is composed only by architects with diverse professional activities. The survey was elaborated as a spreadsheet in Microsoft Office Excel. Surveys were sent via electronic mail to the professionals and the groups. The respondents who participated sent their response also via with the completed spreadsheet. It was given a maximum period of 30 days to send the responses. The survey was elaborated in a manner that 40 attributes were listed to be evaluated by the experts. On the worksheet, for each attribute, respondents should fill an X in the corresponding cell to the option that, according to their opinion, would be the most correct of four alternatives: (1) not important; (2) important, but not essential; (3) essential; (4) I do not know / I prefer to not opine. The options used to evaluate the attributes were based on the Content Validity Method by Lawshe (LAWSHE, 1975). The 40 attributes in the spreadsheet form a compilation, selected and adapted by the author, of attributes found in the following environmental certifications and rating systems used in Brazil: LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; AQUA - High Environmental Quality; Casa Azul CAIXA (Blue House); QUALIVERDE - Municipality of Rio de Janeiro; PROCEL BUILDS - National Program for Energy Efficiency in Buildings RTQ-C (commercial, business and public buildings); and the handbook of Sustainability in Buildings and Urban Space of the Laboratory for Energy Efficiency in Buildings at the Federal University of Santa Catarina - LabEEE / UFSC. The attributes were divided into five groups: (A) Sustainability; (B) Eco-efficient Design - Architecture; (C) Energy Efficiency; (D) Water Management; (E) Materials, Waste and Health. The compilation only contemplated the attributes related to the main subject of research: ecoefficiency in public buildings. 3. SURVEY RESEARCH DATA COLLECTION The survey was answered by 49 experts, being 17 architects, 20 civil engineers and 12 engineers from other specialties (electrical, mechanical and other). With regard to the professional category, 35 work professionally in the public sector, 10 in the private sector and 6 in universities. 3.1 LAWSHE METHOD: ANALYSIS OF RESULTS For validation of the answers concerning the 40 attributes in the survey, the method defined by Lawshe was utilized (LAWSHE, 1975). In this method, for each answer is calculated a Content Validity Ratio (CVRcalc), which is the index used to verify the validity of the item (if it is essential or not). For this calculation are used the values of Ne, N and %N, where: Ne = number of respondents who marked the item as "Essential";

3 Attribute B Eco-efficient design - Architecture Attribute A - Sustainability International Journal of Engineering & Technology IJCEE-IJENS Vol: 16 No: N = total number of respondents excluding those who marked "I do not know / I prefer not to opine"; %Ne = percentage of respondents who marked the item as "Essential". The formula for calculation of %Ne = (Ne/N) x 100. To find the value of the calculated CVR, an interpolation must be done with the %Ne data, in such way that a percentage = 0% of Essential answers correspond to a CVR value equal to -1 (minus one) and a percentage = 100% corresponds to a CVR value equal to +1 (plus 1). The calculated CVR (CVRcalc) is then compared to the critical CVR (CVRcrit), which is the minimum CVR value so that the attribute can be considered Essential. Thus, in cases where the CVRcalc value is greater than or equal to the CVRcrit value, this item is considered as statistically "Essential." In order to correct the table of minimum values of Lawshe s CVR, because some results had anomalies, WILSON et al published an article in 2012, with a new table (WILSON et al., 2012), with the N values of 5 to 40. FREITAS expanded the table of minimum values of CVR until N = 100 (Freitas, 2013), from which the values of N from 5 to 49 were partially extracted, for one-tailed significance ratio of 0.25, which is the ratio used in this paper, considering that the total number of respondents was GENERAL RESULTS ACCORDING TO THE LAWSHE METHOD Table 1 shows the results according to the coefficient of Lawshe analysis for each attribute of the survey and the indication of the items considered statistically as "essential". Table I Results according to Lawshe s coefficient of the survey application ATTRIBUTE / ITEM Ne N %Ne CVR calc. 1. The inclusion of eco-efficiency criteria in the projects are: 2. The existence, under brazilian law, of a legal framework to include sustainability and ecoefficiency in building design are: 3. The inclusion of guidelines and specific criteria of eco-efficiency, elaborated according to the reality of Brazilian architecture and building construction, 4. Compliance with the technical standards NBR (thermal performance) and NBR parts 4 and 5 (performance of vertical panels and roof) 5. Adequate implantation of the building on the lot, preserving most of the original configuration of the terrain, avoiding crops and embankments, CVR crít. Decision Essential Essential , Essential Essential Important 6. Adequate orientation of the building Essential 7. Positioning the building with distance from the boundaries Essential 8. Reduction of glazed areas on the façades (PAF - Percentage of Opening in the Facades) Important 9. The projects consider thermal insulation of facades Essential 10. The projects consider shading of the facades Essential 11. The projects consider the color of the facades Important 12. The projects consider the use of special glasses for solar control in the facades Important 13. The projects consider natural ventilation, at least in public areas Essential

4 Attribute E - materials, waste and salubrity Attribute D - Water management Attribute C - Energy Efficiency International Journal of Engineering & Technology IJCEE-IJENS Vol: 16 No: Projects use, preferably, natural ventilation in the bathrooms 15. The projects consider the guarantee of exterior view for users of long-term occupation spaces 16. The projects consider the ease of maintenance and conservation of the building 17. The design consider the durability and adaptability of the construction, in order to facilitate future remodeling 18. The projects consider the use of green roof 19. The projects consider the implementation of bike racks and locker rooms with showers for users 20. The projects consider efficient natural lighting in public areas 21. The projects consider efficient natural lighting in working areas 22. The projects consider the use of energysaving artificial lighting 23. The use of efficient, low energy consumption elevators 24. The use of water saving devices to reduce consumption - registers, 25. The use of water saving devices to reduce consumption flushing, 26. The projects consider the reuse of rainwater 27. The projects consider the reuse and of grey wastewater 28. The projects consider the reuse and of black wastewater 29. The projects consider landscaping with efficient use of non - potable water 30. The projects consider urbanization and landscaping with permeable paving 31. The projects consider the reduction of environmental impacts at the construction site 32. Projects consider adequate compartments for selective garbage collection 33. The projects consider the use of steel construction to replace the concrete 34. The projects consider the use of certified wood 35. The projects consider the use of sustainable building materials 36. The projects consider the use of recycled building materials 37. The projects consider the use of regional building materials from sustainable sources, Important Important Essential Essential Important Important Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Important Important Essential Essential Essential Important , Essential Essential Important Important

5 International Journal of Engineering & Technology IJCEE-IJENS Vol: 16 No: The projects consider the use of lowemission building materials, including during their manufacturing process 39. The projects consider the quality of indoor air 40. The projects consider the use of mechanical equipment with low emission of pollutants Essential Essential 4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The results of data collection through the survey of experts showed that, of the 40 attributes listed, 27 were considered "essential". Thus, it is possible to conclude that, according to the experts consulted, the 27 attributes of eco-efficiency considered essential should be incorporated into the design and construction of all public buildings. The first three attributes of the survey are called "sustainability attributes." The results demonstrate that such attributes are considered essential by the respondents. This fact alone may be regarded as a mirror of the importance that the theme of this article - sustainability in public buildings - have for professionals of both architecture and engineering in Brazil. Making a separate analysis of results for each of these three attributes is possible to reach some conclusions: A) Attribute 1 - The inclusion of eco criteria efficiency in projects is essential - it is possible to observe that the small number of public sector initiatives towards eco-efficient buildings is not aligned with the way of thinking of the architecture and engineering professionals. B) Attribute 2 - The existence, under Brazilian law, of a legal framework to include sustainability and eco-efficiency in building design is essential - it can be inferred that the respondents believe that when the legislation requires the inclusion of sustainability and eco-efficiency in public buildings projects, the public institutions will comply with these laws. It can be deduced that the professionals consulted believe that public institutions need a determining law to act in the direction of sustainability. C) Attribute 3 - The inclusion of guidelines and specific criteria of eco-efficiency, elaborated according to the reality of Brazilian architecture and building construction is essential - it is possible to observe that the respondents consider that environmental certifications imported from other countries need an adaptation in their demands and checklists to the Brazilian reality, culture and local construction practices. According to the results, it is possible to say that is of great importance that the Government engage efforts and start practical actions to make their new buildings ecoefficient. Existing buildings also could be retrofitted, adjusting relevant architectural elements such as the external envelope and roof, as well as building installations, lighting systems, climate control and vertical transportation, to make them more energy efficient, sustainable and eco-efficient. This research has its main focus in public buildings. However, given the results achieved, it is possible to infer that these results could be representative also for wide application in corporate, residential and other buildings. The supply chain of the Brazilian construction industry need to adapt to the sustainability practices that are emerging in this industry, such as the use of steel structures, recycled building materials or originated from sustainable sources. There is room also for the design professionals, architects and engineers, to establish a new way of designing, incorporating attributes of eco-efficiency already in the initial phase of their projects, integrated in the architectural concept. REFERENCES [1] FREITAS, Reinaldo J. Um estudo sobre critérios de avaliação de sucesso na implementação de sistemas ERP. Dissertação de Mestrado, UFF, Niterói, [2] GONÇALVES, Joana C. S.; DUARTE, Denise H. S. Arquitetura sustentável: uma integração entre ambiente, projeto e tecnologia em experiências de pesquisa, prática e ensino. Ambiente Construído, Porto Alegre, v. 6, n. 4, p , out./dez [3] LAWSHE, C. H. A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel psychology, v. 28, n. 4, p , [4] ROITMAN, Flavio. Atributos de eco eficiência em projetos de construção civil: o caso de edificações públicas no Brasil. Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia Civil) Programa de Pós- Graduação em Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal Fluminense UFF, [5] TORGAL, Fernando P. Breve análise da estratégia da união Européia (UE) para a eficiência energética do ambiente construído. Ambiente Construído, Porto Alegre, v. 13, n. 4, p , jul./set [6] WILSON, F. R.; PAN, W.; CHUMSKY, D. Recalculation of the Critical Values for Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, v. 45 n. 3, p , 2012.