Author:Joseph, S; John, Maya J; Pothen, LADate:2010Biopolymers from renewable resources have attracted much attention in recent years. Increasing environmental consciousness and demands of legislative authorities have given significant opportunities for improved materials from renewable ...Read more
Author:Wall, KDate:2010"Water problems in South Africa are symptomatic of an emerging gap between national policies and implementation of such policies. For instance, recently the reliability and quality of water supply by municipalities has been receiving attention, ...Read more
Author:Archer, Emma RMDate:2010Science on observed trends in climate and projected future climate change has evolved substantially in the last few years. Different sub-regions of South Africa have shown, and are likely to continue to show, distinct climate changes. Surface ...Read more
Author:Twinomurinzi, H; Phahlamohlaka, Letlibe J; Byrne, EDate:2010This chapter reviews the context of the South African government and its conspicuous inclination to the way of life, Ubuntu. Ubuntu is growing in popularity and is increasingly being applied as an African solution to African problems such as ...Read more
Author:Greeff, M; Engelbrecht, APDate:2010Optimisation problems occur in many situations and aspects of modern life. In reality, many of these problems are dynamic in nature, where changes can occur in the environment that influences the solutions of the optimisation problem. Many ...Read more
Author:Matsebe, O; Namoshe, M; Tlale, NDate:2010The goal of the chapter is to provide an opportunity for researchers who are new to, or interested in, this exciting area of research with the basics, background information, major issues, and the state-of-the-art as well as future challenges ...Read more
Author:De Villiers, ADate:Jan 2010The question addressed by this chapter is: How should advanced walling systems be planned, designed, built, refurbished, and end their useful lives, to classify as smart, sustainable, green or eco-building environments?Read more
Author:Osburn, LDate:Jan 2010The construction industry has turned to energy modelling in order to assist them in reducing the amount of energy consumed by buildings. However, while the energy loads of buildings can be accurately modelled, energy models often under-predict ...Read more
Author:Osburn, LDate:Jan 2010Thermal comfort is influenced by environmental parameters as well as other influences including asymmetric heating and cooling conditions. Additionally, some aspects of thermal comfort may be exploited so as to enable a building to operate ...Read more
Author:Ampofo-Anti, NDate:Jan 2010The environmental rating and certification of products is a voluntary, market-based response by industry and business to the consumer’s perceptions of the importance of the environment. On the one hand, environmental product certification ...Read more
Author:Parsons, SDate:Jan 2010Indoor Environmental Health (IEH) is a comprehensive term that includes the effects of quantity of air, light and noise in a space and the physical, physiological and psychological aspects from colours, aesthetics, services, outdoor climate ...Read more
Author:De Villiers, ADate:Jan 2010The objective of this chapter is to provide sustainability criteria for roof system design that can be used by planners, designers and developers as a planning, design and development guide for sustainable building projects.Read more
Author:Shatalov, MYDate:Jan 2010A study concerning the propagation of free non-axisymmetric waves in a homogeneous piezoelectric cylinder of transversely isotropic material with axial polarization is carried out on the basis of the linear theory of elasticity and linear ...Read more
Author:Ngobeni, Sipho J; Venter, H; Burke, Ivan DDate:Jan 2010Over the past decade, wireless mobile communications technology based on IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) has been adopted worldwide on a massive scale. However, as the number of wireless users has soared, so has the possibility ...Read more
Author:Osburn, LDate:Apr 2010Lighting consumes about 30% of the energy used within commercial office space and about 10% of the energy used in a residential environment. Through conscientious design of the lighting systems, the lighting load can be significantly reduced ...Read more
Author:Van Wyk, Llewellyn VDate:Apr 2010Sub-structure generally refers to those components of the building that are constructed below ground, although there are circumstances when sub-structure can also include components above ground such as supporting columns on steeply sloping ...Read more
Author:Grieve, G; Gouws, SDate:Apr 2010During the manufacture of Portland-type cements, significant emissions of carbon dioxide occur, some of which comes from the burning of fuel in the kiln, and the balance from the chemical dissociation of limestone (CaCO3). In South Africa the ...Read more
Author:Van Wyk, Llewellyn VDate:Apr 2010Ecological building is building in a manner that integrates the ecological, cultural, economic and political elements of social-ecological systems in an effort to define sustainability in a rapidly changing world. Ecological building is ...Read more
Author:Davis, C; Archer, Emma RM; Maserumule, R; Stevens, N; Sinden, LADate:Apr 2010This study will draw on the findings of a significant amount of research that has already taken place in the area. There is a keen desire amongst diverse stakeholders to access global change information (for example, the use of such information ...Read more
Author:Parsons, SADate:Apr 2010Indoor Environmental Health (IEH) is a comprehensive term that includes the effects of quantity of air, light and noise in a space and the physical, physiological and psychological aspects from colours, aesthetics, services, outdoor climate ...Read more