Daniel Castro-Lacouture, Ph.D, PE, professor and chair of the School of Building Construction, in the College of Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology, has co-authored a new book-Sustainability in Engineering Design and Construction.

The book explains the concepts of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility (CSR), the Dow Jones Global Sustainability Index (DJGSI), key performance indicators (KPIs), corporate sustainability, and the triple bottom line (economic, environmental, and social values in design and construction). Relevant to sustainability in every facet of engineering and construction, it also covers life-cycle environmental cost analysis, discusses sustainable engineering and site selection, the economic considerations evaluated when making sustainability decisions, and explains how to measure and quantify sustainable performance and apply these practices in the real world. It also covers project and corporate level sustainability practices, sustainable construction materials and processes, sustainable heavy construction equipment, traditional and alternative energy sources, provides implementation resources for starting and evaluating sustainability programs, and includes a checklist for measuring the sustainability of construction operations.

The text contains detailed information on sustainable construction materials and processes, heavy construction equipment, and traditional and alternative energy sources. It presents information on sustainable designs, selecting sustainable sites, designing for passive survivability, designing for disassembly, and the ISO 14,000 standards. It provides implementation resources for starting and evaluating sustainability programs and a checklist for measuring the sustainability of construction operations In addition, it provides definitions of sustainability terms and expressions, as well as case studies, examples, discussion questions, and a list of supplemental references at the end of each chapter.

Bill Morrison, Vice President, Skanska USA Inc., New York, USA, was enthusiastic about this new book, "… one of the most thorough and comprehensive books on the subject of sustainability in the engineering and construction industry. Sustainability must be viewed in a holistic way, and this book is the first I have seen that truly covers the breadth of our complex and evolving industry."

Sustainability and Sustainable Construction are key elements of several new initiatives within the School of Building Construction and Georgia Tech. Students in the School of BC are currently working with Castro on a "Serve Learn Sustain" course. The course is designed to examine a real world situation and to benefit the community through sustainability, social responsibility, and service. 

About the Authors:

J. K. Yates, PhD, BSCE, is a civil and construction engineering consultant, emeritus professor, and former dean, as well as having been the associate editor of the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Journal for 10 years. Dr. Yates has extensive hands-on experience working both domestically and globally for companies such as Bechtel, Williams Companies, CH2M Hill, and URS (formerly Morrison-Knudsen). A former member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, PMI, and the American Association of Cost Engineers International, Dr. Yates has written and had published eight books and over 50 refereed journal articles on civil and construction engineering, project management, and international engineering and construction.

Daniel Castro-Lacouture, Ph.D, PE, is a professor and chair of the School of Building Construction, in the College of Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. His overall area of interest consists of defining and deploying evaluation protocols for technology innovations in the built environment, focusing on areas affecting the built environment from both operational and sustainability perspectives. Dr. Castro-Lacouture is a registered professional engineer, associate editor of Automation in Construction, and member of the International Green Builder Certification Board. He was chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2014 Construction Research Congress, and has worked in construction engineering and management in both the public and private sectors.