Edited Scholarly Article Summary

In an effort to establish greater sustainable design in today's society, the means of operations and
construction during the planning and designing processes needs to be explored. This study can determine
the most efficient amount of energy possible while using the least amount of materials. According to
Danatzko and Sezen, civil engineering researchers at Ohio State University, there are five methodologies
for sustainable design in engineering;: minimizing material use, minimizing production energy,
minimizing embodied energy, life-cycle analysis/inventory/assessment and maximizing structural
systems.
The goal of sustainable structural design is the production of a structural system that meets the
needs of the owner and user while minimizing the environmental impact and conserving resources where
possible (186). Current ways of thinking and designing dont incorporate the conditions necessary to be
sustainable. Structural engineers must develop innovative methods to address the environmental impact,
energy use, and other sustainability issues faced during planning and design of buildings. The study of the
various methodologies aims to determine which can produce the most sustainable structural designs.
Danatzko and Sezen find that every design method has its positive and negative attributes. Each
methodology strives to achieve the same end goal, however their solutions are accomplished via different
routes that can compete with each other. With all the issues surrounding sustainable design, it was
determined that no one method can solve the problem entirely. However the combination of more than
one methodology has a greater effect overall on the issue of sustainability. The study suggests that the
relationship between the conditions of sustainability and the ultimate sustainable design are vague due to
the fact that it cannot entirely be measured. The use of life-cycle analysis/inventory/assessment models
includes numerous levels of risk and uncertainty that can directly affect project and structural system
sustainability. The accuracy of each analysis threatens the goal of sustainability. The application of any
method depends on the specific designs objective and limitations to which it is applied thus each
occurrence cannot be measured the same.