The green township infrastructure design toolkit : creating eco efficient engineering solutions

Abstract

There is a growing need for co-ordination of design, sustainability, economic and environmental aspects of infrastructure projects. The provision of civil infrastructure has a major impact on the natural environment and on the quality of life.

A literature review conducted highlighted that infrastructure development was focused mainly on the financial and engineering aspects of projects. There is an urgent need to apply technologies and methods that deliver better and more sustainable performance of civil infrastructure as well as a need to establish a standard of measurement for greener infrastructure. The literature review revealed that the existing tools do not adequately rate and monitor civil engineering infrastructure design decisions from concept stage, through to detailed design and implementation.

The objectives of the research were to identify green design technologies that can be used in township infrastructure and to encourage sustainable design on infrastructure township services, at various stages of the project. This would require the development of a green reporting system that incorporates environmentally friendly infrastructure design solutions.

This study identified alternative eco-efficient civil infrastructure design solutions and developed sustainability criteria to analyse the eco-efficiency of infrastructure projects. The study proposed a Green Township Infrastructure Design Toolkit aimed at ensuring high-performance, eco-efficient, economical and environmentally friendly design decisions on stormwater, roads, water and sanitation related to township infrastructure projects. Various case studies were undertaken on a range of infrastructure projects to ensure consistency and reliability of the toolkit. Through a series of green reports, developed for each stage of a project, the toolkit measured the environmental efficiency of the design solutions.

Recommendations suggest that engineering practitioners should endeavour to integrate greener engineering solutions into the traditional method of designing of infrastructure projects. The Green Township Infrastructure Design Toolkit with the use of its green reporting tools ensures the design of sustainable township infrastructure services, by progressively ensuring efficient, affordable, economical and sustainable provision of infrastructure services.