Over the past few generations, expectations of comfort, cleanliness and convenience have altered radically, but these dramatic changes have largely gone unnoticed. This intriguing book brings together the sociology of consumption and technology to investigate the evolution of these changes, as well the social meaning of the practices themselves. Homes, offices, domestic appliances and clothes play a crucial role in our lives, but not many of us question exactly how and why we perform so many daily rituals associated with them. Showers, heating, air-conditioning and clothes washing are simply accepted as part of our normal, everyday lives, but clearly this was not always the case. When did the daily shower become de rigueur? What effect has air conditioning had on the siesta at one time an integral part of Mediterranean life and culture? This book interrogates the meaning and supposed normality of these practices and draws disturbing conclusions. There is clear evidence supporting the view that routine consumption is controlled by conceptions of normality and profoundly shaped by cultural and economic forces. Shove maintains that habits are not just changing, but are changing in ways that imply escalating and standardizing patterns of consumption. This shrewd and engrossing analysis shows just how far the social meanings and practices of comfort, cleanliness and convenience have eluded us.

Comfort, cleanliness and conveniencethe social organization ofnormality

The three-pillar conception of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous. With a view of identifying the genesis and theoretical foundations of this conception, this paper reviews and discusses relevant historical sustainability literature. From this we find that there is no single point of origin of this three-pillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social and ecological problems on the part of the United Nations on the other. The popular three circles diagram appears to have been first presented by Barbier (Environ Conserv 14:101, doi: 10.1017/s0376892900011449, 1987), albeit purposed towards developing nations with foci which differ from modern interpretations. The conceptualisation of three pillars seems to predate this, however. Nowhere have we found a theoretically rigorous description of the three pillars. This is thought to be in part due to the nature of the sustainability discourse arising from broadly different schools of thought historically. The absence of such a theoretically solid conception frustrates approaches towards a theoretically rigorous operationalisation of ‘sustainability’.

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Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins

For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Towards Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future

Materials are the stuff of design. From the very beginning of human history, materials have been taken from the natural world and shaped, modified, and adapted for everything from primitive tools to modern electronics. This renowned book by noted materials engineering author Mike Ashby and Industrial designer, Kara Johnson, explores the role of materials and materials processing in product design, with a particular emphasis on creating both desired aesthetics and functionality. The new edition will feature even more of the highly useful "materials profiles," that give critical design, processing, performance and applications criteria for each material in question. The reader will find information ranging from the generic and commercial names of each material, its physical and mechanical properties, its chemical properties, its common uses, how it is typically made and processed, and even its average price. And with improved photographs and drawings, the reader will be taken even more closely to the way real design is done by real designers, selecting the optimum materials for a successful product.
	
	* The best guide ever published on the on the role of materials, past and present, in product development, by noted materials authority Mike Ashby and professional designer Kara Johnson--now with even better photos and drawings on the Design Process
	
	* Significant new section on the use of re-cycled materials in products, and the importance of sustainable design for manufactured goods and services
	
	* Enhanced materials profiles, with addition of new materials types like nanomaterials, advanced plastics and bio-based materials

Materials and Design : The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design 2nd edition Ed. 2

Enhancing environmental sustainability over building life cycles through green BIM: A review

Sustainable BIM-based evaluation of buildings

Maintenance is essential for long-term performance of any building. It enables the simultaneous retention of value in a structure and contributes to a country's gross domestic product. The efficacy of maintenance interventions for historic buildings can be assessed based on cost, conformity to building conservation philosophy and, increasingly, environmental sustainability. Carbon and energy savings in historic buildings are considered difficult to achieve due to limited retrofitting capability. Maintenance is one mechanism by which it may be possible to achieve carbon savings, initiated through necessary proactive and reactive regimes. A model for evaluating the efficacy of maintenance interventions is proposed, utilizing material life cycle data and ‘cradle-to-site’ techniques for embodied CO2 determination. Additionally, formulaic expressions can be used to calculate the relative merits of any selected maintenance intervention over a given timeframe. Internationally, the model represents a framework fo...

Green maintenance for historic masonry buildings: an emerging concept

Models, and in particular diagrams, are frequently used to facilitate the understanding of complex concepts, such as sustainability. Determining the appropriateness of such representations is important if the associated notions are to be understood and related activities to be practically implemented in applicable fields, including the construction industry. An extensive review of existing pictorial models of sustainability was conducted in order to determine their propriety in relation to the sustainability concept. In addition to encompassing the conventional Venn diagram and nested circles depictions, this effort included an inspection of advanced sustainability models. It was determined that none of these diagrammatic representations adequately consider all of the key constituent elements of sustainability, namely: its notional dimensions of environment, society and economy; space and time; and the need for active participation in its implementation. Therefore a synthetic, multi-part visual model was developed to address this perceived deficiency which, when compared with contemporary construction practice, revealed the need for a holistic framework to enable a wider appreciation of sustainability's core principles as applied to the built environment.

/pdf/diagrammatic-representations-of-sustainability-a-review-and-5bpbe1qzlh.pdf

Diagrammatic Representations of Sustainability – a Review and Synthesis

Purpose – The selection of lime mortars for masonry structures can be an important component of a repair or new build project. This selection is considered difficult due to the number of variables to consider during the decision‐making process and the perceived inherent complexity of the materials. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the selection process for determining suitable natural hydraulic lime repair mortars for masonry.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a conceptual and practical framework for the determination of suitable lime mortars for repair and construction of masonry structures, drawing and building on relevant, literature and existing best practice guidance on specification.Findings – The use of various relatively newly produced data sets pertaining to durability can aid in the appropriate selection of lime mortars. These determinants must however, be correlated with traditional evaluation of exposure levels, building detailing and moisture handling performance. Buildin...

A framework for specifying natural hydraulic lime mortars for masonry construction

https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/files/23502587/SEB_2015_Perceived_Comfort_of_Passivhaus.pdf

Kate Carter

Papers

Sustainable BIM-based evaluation of buildings

Green maintenance for historic masonry buildings: an emerging concept

Diagrammatic Representations of Sustainability – a Review and Synthesis

A framework for specifying natural hydraulic lime mortars for masonry construction

Perceived Comfort and Adaptive Process of Passivhaus ‘Participants’