Date of Award

5-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Klotzz, Leidy

Committee Member

Putman, Brad

Committee Member

Heine, Ulrike

Abstract

Materials management in the construction process is a method of controlling resources for a project. This includes the materials selection process, purchasing process, delivery process, and waste management process, which all constitute the materials management plan for the project. While many research projects suggest efforts to reduce overall project cost by managing materials more efficiently, few focus on materials management from a sustainability perspective. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a report on Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead, which details the importance of sustainable materials management practices. This project directly addresses a need defined in the EPA’s report, the need to identify materials management practices for sustainable projects.
The design of a net–zero energy residential building at Clemson University provided for a unique opportunity to study materials management practices and methods for sustainable projects. Specifically, the research applied life-cycle assessment to calculate the estimated changes in the case study project's carbon footprint that are associated with common materials management. Findings from the case study were used to identify transferrable insights for a range of projects.

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