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Section 2
Sustainable Thinking
22
Engineering
Professional
01/04/2013

Additional Engineering Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Systems Thinking
Definition
Build environment is understood as a series of relationships in which each part affects many other parts.
Term
Life Cycle Approach
Definition
Looking at all stages of project, product, or service.
Term
Integrated Processes
Definition
An approach that emphasizes connections and communication among professionals and stakeholders throughout the life of the project.
Term
System
Definition
Assemblage of elements or parts that interact in a series of relationships to form a complex whole that serves a particular function or purpose.
Term
Three major concepts integral to green building and sustainability
Definition
Systems Thinking
Life Cycle Approach
Integrated Processes
Term
True/False: Most systems are actually systems within systems.
Definition
True
Term
Open Systems
Definition
Systems in which materials and resources are constantly brought in from the outside, used in some way, and then released outside the system in some form of waste.
Term
True/False: In nature, there are no open systems.
Definition
True
Term
Closed Systems
Definition
Systems in which passing of materials and resources through the system is slowed. We link elements to mimic a closed system, though there is no such man made system. This is the most sustainable kind of system.
Term
Building Envelope
Definition
The boundary between the exterior and interior elements of a building.
Term
Feedback loops
Definition
The information flows within a system that allow that system to organize itself.
Term
Negative Feedback Loop
Definition
Loop where embedded in the system's response to a change is a signal for the system to stop changing when that response is no longer needed.
Enable a system to self-correct.
Stimulus -> Sensor -> Counteraction
Example: thermostat
Term
Positive Feedback Loop
Definition
Self-enforcing feedback loop where the stimulus causes an effect and the effect produces even more of that same effect. Example: population growth.
Term
True/False: Unchecked, positive feedback loops will not create chaos.
Definition
False
Term
True/False: In nature, positive feedback loops are often checked by stabilizing negative feedback loops.
Definition
True
Term
The Prius Effect
Definition
Delivering real-time energy information in a convenient way by installing meters where operators can act on the information and make changes to use energy more efficiently
Term
Leverage Points
Definition
Places where a small intervention can yield large changes.
Term
Cradle to Grave
Definition
The practice of investigating materials from the point of extraction to their disposal.
Term
Cradle to Cradle
Definition
Term that emphasizes the cyclical aspect of a closed system. There is no waste and all things find purpose at the end of their useful lives.
Term
Embodied Energy
Definition
The total amount of energy used to harvest or extract, manufacture, transport, install, and use a product across its life cycle--alongside performance and adaptability.
Term
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Definition
When life cycle thinking is applied to environmental considerations. Attempts to identify and quantify environmental effects throughout the life of materials, products or buildings.
Term
Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
Definition
When life cycle thinking is applied to cost considerations. Looks at both purchase and operating costs as well as relative savings over the life of the building or product.
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