1232658 (Chong). This workshop will be held at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction in Fort Worth, TX, November 7-9, 2012. The purpose of the workshop is to establish the sciences and research agenda around the theme of sustainability quantification for buildings and infrastructure. The workshop will focus on identifying the knowledge and research needs to support the development of the sciences behind sustainability quantification for building and infrastructure design, engineering and construction (S2QBIDEC), and to initiate a platform to support cross-disciplinary sustainability knowledge exchange. The workshop will establish a network of researchers in the area of sustainability quantification for building and infrastructure design, engineering and construction. Academia and industry participants at the workshop will be multi-disciplinary,coming from the fields of social science, mathematics, engineering, urban planning, architecture, and law. The workshop will bridge a cross-disciplinary knowledge gap and foster closer working relationships between academics and industry professionals. The funds from NSF will be used to support travel for younger faculty and students to attend the S2QBIDEC Workshop (part of ICSDEC 2012 conference). Funded faculty and students will be required to submit concept paper(s) to the conference, which will be used to develop the workshop. The concept papers will also be presented at the conference. A website will be established that publishes and documents the workshop.
Background The funding was used to organize a workshop titled "The Sciences behind Sustainability Quantification for Building and Infrastructure Design, Engineering and Construction (S2QBIDEC)". This workshop was held in conjunction with the Second International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction (ICSDEC 2012), on November 7 to 9, 2012 at Fort Worth, Texas Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel. ICSDEC 2012 was held in conjunction with the ASCE Texas Section Conference 2012 and the Construction Institute of ASCE Summit 2012. There were nearly 900 attendees for all three conferences, of which over 300 attendees for ICSDEC 2012. Focus of Workshop S2QBIDEC focused on establishing a network of researchers and industry professionals who are interested in conducting research on sustainability quantification. Academia and industry participants from various disciplines were invited to participate at the workshop. A committee of nine experts was set up to review and select presenters for the workshop, and the workshop was opened to all who attended the three abovementioned conferences. 23 out of 56 proposals were selected to present at the workshop. 29 faculties and students, and eight industrial practitioners were invited to present and serve as panelists at the workshop. The invited participants were grouped into three panels to present their individual proposal and a group proposal, focusing on the followings: 1. Explore the reasons that necessitate a universal approach to quantifying sustainability, develop an understanding of disciplinary-specific needs; and 2. Work towards the creation of S2QBIDEC, a universal and dynamic model for quantifying sustainability. The panels were divided into three groups: a. Metrics Applied to Building and Infrastructures; b. Metrics Applied to Social and Business Factors; and c. Metrics Applied to Infrastructures and Environmental Engineering. The names of the participants are listed in the presentation slides posted on the workshop blog site and website. The reports and concept papers are also posted on the same blog and website. The addresses are as follow: http://s2qbidec.blogspot.com/ http://www2.ku.edu/~sims/S2QBIDEC/S2QBIDEC.html Outcomes The workshop generated 23 individual reports and four presentations. The 23 reports were selected from 56 submittals solicited from the Call for Presenters in July, 2012. The 29 participants were grouped into three panels, and each panel was required to work together to integrate their reports and ideas into a 2.5 hours presentation and discussion session. The panels were also required to develop new ideas and concepts, and present them. Most of the presentations lasted for 1.5 hours, and followed by a 1 hour discussion session. Ideas and concepts generated during the discussion sessions were taken down and rewritten into a concept paper. The concept paper is presented, along with the 24 reports and three presentations, on a blog site (http://s2qbidec.blogspot.com/) in order to continue generating new ideas to further refine the topics, and encourage participants and non-participating researchers to collaborate with one another. The followings are established at the workshop: Intellectual Merits 1. The workshop panelists and participants identified the basic sustainability factors that should be included in various sustainability metrics; 2. The panelists and participants pointed the directions towards the types of metrics and quantification methods that researchers should address by their models; 3. The panelists and participants concluded that more research is needed to address the constraints imposed by these factors, metrics and quantification methods (such as the lack of reliable information etc.); and 4. The panelists and participants identified the research fields that are needed to make this happen, and researchers and industry practitioners from these fields are encouraged to collaborate at all levels. Broader Impacts The panelists and participants concluded that a broader level of participation is needed to develop the sustainability factors, metrics and quantification methods. Future research should focus on identifying the researchers and practitioners from different fields, and understand the gaps in their knowledge. This is critical as these gaps have deterred cross-disciplinary research. A platform should be developed to allow researchers and practitioners from cross-disciplines to understand the knowledge across fields. Conclusion The workshop concluded the need to establish a working platform that allows different disciplines to understand cross-disciplinary knowledge in order to encourage collaborations between cross-disciplines. As a result, the PI has posted all relevant reports and presentation on a blog and website to encourage collaborations between the researchers. In addition, the platform will also connect existing team members with new team members around the world.
