Effects of Green Building on Health and Working Environment - Research Proposal Example

RESEARCH PROPOSAL TITLE EFFECTS OF GREEN BUILDING ON HEALTH AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT RESEARCHER Ms./Mrs./Mr. (insert your names here) Department of (please insert your department here) Faculty of (please insert your faculty here) (Insert your college or university name here) SUPERVISOR Start with his/her title then his/her names (for instance Professor Bob Kelly) Department of (insert the name of the department your supervisor belongs) Faculty of (please insert his/her faculty here) (Insert college or university name here where your supervisor is attached to here) Student number: (insert your number here Lecturer: (insert your lecturer’s names here, remember start with the title) Contents Contents 2 1.0.Introduction 3 2.0.Literature review 5 3.0.Aim and objectives 7 3.1.Aims 7 3.2.Objectives 7 4.0.Research methods and design 8 4.1.Study design 8 4.2.Research setting 8 4.3.Study population 8 4.4.Sampling 9 4.5.Intervention 9 4.6.Assessment 9 4.7.Bias consideration 10 4.8.Data collection 10 4.9.Data analysis 11 4.10.Ethical consideration 11 5.0.Time Frame 11 6.0.References 12 7.0.Appendix 1: 14 1.0. Introduction One important factor is how the concept and stages of design is applied in a building. This is an influential step in the life cycle of project or a construction as this has the largest effect on the performance and cost. Designing environmentally optimal structures (going green) aim at minimising the total impact on workers and occupants. Australian and Queensland Governments drive towards ensuring structures that are efficient (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property, 2006). As Vandenberg (2009) notes, a variation of every design have different efficiencies on the occupant, environment and building owners. With rising costs of energy, tightened rental budgets, increasing populations and diminishing resources, individuals and businesses are now turning their attentions to green buildings. Green or sustainable buildings as defined by Leaman and Bordass (2007) involves creating structures and using materials and processes that are environmentally friendly and are resource-efficient throughout the process of building’s life-cycle. Furthermore, its influence on the overall health and working environment of people has resulted in a number of literatures that can be reviewed. These are just a few issues and questions are still asked about the effects green house on occupants, working environment and overall health of people. This leaves us with interesting areas to be studied. To begin with, there need to be clear understanding of the distribution of benefits of such buildings on tenants and how such has been changing over time. Considering reports and researches cited above, much need to be understood especially on the cost of building green house compared to others. Furthermore, these reports and researches do not explain or evaluate the existing associations between different exposures of effects of non green houses so that it can be understood whether the observed relationships are likely to be causal agents. With this and many other areas that will be explicitly discussed, this research seeks to undertake a study to determine effects of green building on health and working environment. Although effects of green building on health and working environment stands to be the general area of study in this research, analysis of the effects with cohort and case-control studies has failed to contribute to the current knowledge on the ever arising factors implicated on green housing---something this research is going to consider as an interesting area of its pursuit. In summary, the research project intends to explore and investigate the following: It will also present measures that may be of great benefit if introduced when designing and construction of structures. Assessing determinants and levels of knowledge about effects of sustainable building and how non green expose workers to health risks especially among tenants and workers. 2.0. Literature review A summary of the nature of studies on effects of green building on health and working environment has bridged gaps and arguments regarding this field of study. A large body of well documented literary evidence has argued about the on the subject matter. Of course, every presented literary material has some missing links regarding what they actually report and what we see---gaps this report will try to bridge. To begin with, Australian Government Statistics (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property, 2006) indicate that close to 65 percent of Australia’s non-greenhouse gas emissions impact negatively towards the realisation of clean environment. How does this compare with other researches? Recent survey conducted by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Bordass et al., 2007) find that approximately, the cost of building basic green house has been overestimated by 300 percent and in as much, in terms of its effect on environment, there are additional 450 percent that will be incurred. This is contrary with research conducted by Leaman and Bordass (2010) though they are with some of the suggestions above, there is fear that that asthma cases, allergies and other complications arising from green buildings have not been controlled much. Australian case is no different; as seen in buildings such as Trevor Pearcey House in Canberra, there is increased efficiency of the buildings’ envelope. Thomas and Vandenberg (2007) argue that latest structures in Australia ensure there is protection and conservation of water throughout the life of a building. This is a similar case in United States, a survey conducted by the U.S. General Administrative Service (The Cost of Green, 2009), projected how 60% of its raw material in the state are used for building. Furthermore, non-industrial surplus and released green house gas account for 40% and 48% respectively. Foremost concerns being both electricity and water consumption, as they also account for 65% and 12% respectively. Harmonising the above argument, an insight into sustainability as argued by Davis (2008) shows that the cost of building is high and its benefits is overridden by such costs. Economically, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as cited in the Cost of Green (2009); Advisory Council on Intellectual Property (2006); Green Building Council of Australia as cited in Vandenberg (2009) and explain that green building assure durability, reduction of costs for energy and water consumption but operations and construction of the structure tends to be expensive. In fact, research by Environmental Protection Agency (2006) as cited in Vandenberg (2009) indicate that by average, most green house constructions is indeed high but such is Read More