The Natural Edge Project Cents and Sustainability Whole System Design The Natural Advantage of Nations




"It is time that we made a stand and started spreading the message of how important SD is. We see that if our clients don't adopt sustainable principles then they will go out of business. If they go then we go to, enlightened self interest really. I am in wholehearted support of your book (The Natural Advantage of Nations) and see it as timely in its content and message."
Steve Gale, Australasian Sustainable Development Leader, Hatch Engineering





The Engineering Sustainable Solutions Program

Whole Systems Design Suite

 

Funding for the development of the publication 'Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering' has been provided by the Australian Federal Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR) under the Education for Sustainable Development Grants Program.

   
 

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Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering

Whole System Approaches are increasingly being seen as key to the most cost effective reduction in negative environmental impacts for designing everything from cars, motors, lighting systems, to buildings, cities, industry plants, farming and agricultural practices. Indeed, it is now widely acknowledged that all designers - engineers, architects, industrial designers and urban planners - need to become more educated and skilled in how to implement Whole System Approaches to Sustainable Design. Buildings and technologies often have long design lives so it is critical for all designers to ensure that new designs are as sustainable as possible.


Whole System Approaches to Sustainable Design can help to achieve 75 percent (Factor 4) or greater eco-efficiency savings in new designs. This is because “by the time the design for most human artifacts is completed but before they have actually been built, about 80-90 percent of their life-cycle economic and ecological costs have already been made inevitable.”[1] Newly designed buildings and technologies often have long design lives hence it is critical that all designers ensure that new designs are as sustainable as possible.

One of the key conclusions of the Australian Federal Government's 5-year Energy Efficiency Best Practice (EEBP) program run by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, was that Whole System Design Approaches can assist to achieve large eco-efficiency savings in existing built environment and industrial technical systems. Take for instance motor systems that are used in almost every industry. The EEBP found that a Whole System Approach to optimising industrial motor driven applications, when coupled with best practice motor management, can deliver energy savings of between 30-60 percent.

The recently completed Whole System Design Suite provides introductory, technical design teaching material to demonstrate how advances in energy, materials and water efficiency can be achieved through applying a Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design. The suite comprises 10 units of content (explained in detail below), where:


Units 1-5 outline in detail how to implement a ‘Whole System Approach’ to Sustainable Design. These units show how the operational elements of a Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design can enhance a traditional approach.

Units 6-10 focus on demonstrating through worked examples, the application of a Whole System Design Approach to: 1) industrial pumping systems, 2) passenger vehicles, 3) electronics and computer systems, 4) temperature control of buildings, and 5) domestic water systems.

 

Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering

Unit 1 explains the importance and relevance of a Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design in addressing the pressing environmental challenges of the 21st Century. It introduces the main concepts of a Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design and how it complements 'design for environment' and 'design for sustainability' strategies.

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Unit 2 provides an introduction to conventional Systems Engineering, setting the context for Units 3- 5. Unit 2 highlights the similarities and differences between some of the principles and motivations of good Systems Engineering and a Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design.

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Unit 3 illustrates clearly how a Whole System Approach fits into the traditional engineering methodologies of Systems Engineering that are taught in engineering schools all around the world. This unit outlines traditional operational Systems Engineering processes as described in leading Systems Engineering text books and highlights how they can be further enhanced through a Whole System Approach for Sustainable Design.

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Unit 4 presents a 'how-to' of the first 5 of the 10 key elements of Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design. The application of each element for optimal sustainability and competitive advantage is discussed and then demonstrated with case studies.

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Unit 5 presents a 'how-to' of the last 5 of the 10 Key elements of Whole System Approach to Sustainable Design. The application of each element for optimal sustainability and competitive advantage is discussed and then demonstrated with case studies.

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Unit 6 comprises a worked example of a Whole System Approach to the redesign of a single- pipe, single-pump system, focussed on a) reconfiguring the layout for lower head loss and b) considering the effect of many combinations of pipe diameter and pump power on life cycle cost. The WSD system uses 88% less power and has a 79% lower 50-year life cycle cost than the conventional system.

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Appendix A | Appendix B | Appendix C | Appendix D
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Unit 7 comprises a worked example of a Whole System Approach to the redesign of a passenger vehicle focussed on reducing mass by 52% and reducing drag by 55%, which then reduces rolling resistance by 65% and makes a fuel cell propulsion system cost effective. The WSD vehicle is also almost fully recyclable, generates zero operative emissions and has a 95% better fuel-mass- consumption per kilometre than the equivalent conventional vehicle.

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Unit 8 comprises a worked example of a Whole System Approach to the redesign of a computer server focussed on using the right-sized, energy efficient components, which then reduces the heat generated. The WSD server has 60% less mass and uses 84% less power than the equivalent server, which would reduce cooling load in a data centre by 63%.

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Unit 9 comprises a worked example of a Whole System Approach to the redesign of a simple house focussed on: a) optimising the building orientation; b) optimising glazing and shading; and c) using more energy efficient electrical appliances and lamps. While the WSD house has a $3000 greater capital cost than the conventional house, it has a 29% lower cooling load will reduce energy costs by $15,000 over 30 years.

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Unit 10 comprises a worked example of a Whole System Approach to the redesign of a domestic onsite water system focussed on: a) using water efficiency appliances in the house; and b) optimising the onsite wastewater treatment subsystem, which then reduces the capacity and cost of the subsurface drip irrigation subsystem, and reduced the operating and maintenance costs. The WSD system uses 57% less water and has a 29% lower 20-year life cycle cost than the conventional system.

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What people are saying;

I have gone through your Whole System Design Suite and am greatly impressed with what has been accomplished! The material seems to be VERY well organized, quite comprehensive, and quite complete. I like the rather unique approach in your material, addressing ALL categories of systems from a total life-cycle perspective, which facilitates broad application. Congratulations on producing an excellent package. It sounds like an exciting time ahead.

Emeritus Professor Benjamin S. Blanchard, Department of Industrial and System Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Co-author of Systems Engineering and Analysis.

 

The Whole Systems Design (WSD) suite developed by The Natural Edge Project (TNEP) will be an invaluable resource in the near future for the education of systems engineers on matters of sustainability and design. It provides a seamless link between the traditional system engineering design approach and the wider perspective of environmental and social effects that future engineers need to consider. The WSD material is lucid and concise but also has sufficient technical depth to be useful and challenging for all students in the tertiary sector. In particular, the high impact examples and case studies clearly illustrate the new systems thinking. I am already integrating the WSD suite into the systems engineering curriculum of the ANU Engineering undergraduate programme. Students are being introduced to the WSD suite in 2nd year (2007) and the impact, in terms of sustainability awareness and responsibilities for future engineer practice, is immediate. The TNEP material is, therefore, already changing the perspective and thinking of our future engineers and aligning their design skills to address the global environmental challenges.

Dr Paul Compston, Department of Engineering, Australian National University.


The Natural Edge Project’s Whole System Design Suite will provide a valuable resource that can contribute significantly to technical design curriculum in university courses and professional training. I have used a whole system design approach, as is described and demonstrated in the Suite, to improve resource efficiency of products and industrial processes often by a factor of 2 or better. An exciting consequence of applying a whole system design approach is the drastically reduced need for end-of-pipe treatment, both in the local area and potentially in the wider air, soil and waterways. The Suite is the first free resource that I’ve seen that goes into sufficient detail for the reader to comprehensively grasp the concepts involved in a Whole System Design approach. A great attribute of the Suite is that it is not simply a set of a stand-alone ideas – it provides a strong foundation for embedding sustainable design into the popular design process already taught to students and professionals in Australia and around the world. It is evident that a great deal of thought went into ensuring that the ideas in the Suite could be quickly and easily integrated with current practices, and ensuring that the ideas are universally applicable to all engineering and technical design disciplines. I commend The Natural Edge Project for their efforts and the Department of the Environment and Water Resources for supporting the project.

Adjunct Professor Alan Pears, School of Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.


The whole system design suite gives a comprehensive introduction to whole system design approach as the basis for transformative action. Education for Sustainability has to be more than “bolt on” environmental papers in existing programmes, and this is the best example I’ve seen of resources to support sustainability as an integrated and transformative driver.

Associate Professor Samuel Mann, Department of Information Technology, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand.


The Industrial Pumping Systems Unit is nice example that illustrates the point well.

Emeritus Professor Bruce R. Munson, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University.


The Unit on Domestic Water Systems within the Whole Systems Design suite developed by The Natural Edge Project (TNEP) eloquently captures the current household water challenge, that is, achieving both fit-for-purpose and efficient water use, to reduce the water footprint of this sector of the economy. Current data about water consumption, available technology, and cost across the life cycle of the technology; illustrate sensible, simple and appropriate design solutions for engineers looking to understand and implement best-practice water systems engineering. Capital and operating costs are included by TNEP through case studies, to confirm that water efficient design is the only way forward to meet water needs for households, on a least cost basis, and a quality appropriate to purpose. In addition, the Unit will enlighten users on the environmental and economic benefits of moving from linear household water use, treatment and disposal systems, to more enclosed water use systems, through appropriate and sensible engineering design.

Nick Edgerton, AMP Capital Sustainability Fund, formerly of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney.

 

Whole Systems Design Suite reviewed by CSIRO's ECOS: Towards A Sustainable Future magazine (Issue 141, February-March, p 32).

 

TNEP resources listed as learning tools for INCOSE 2008: Systems Engineering for the Planet (18th Annual International Symposium of INCOSE, 6th Biennial European Systems Engineering Conference).

 

Preliminaries

Text Book: In the preparation of any education program, and in particular an introductory course, it is a challenge to cover all possible questions or uncertainties that may arise during delivery of the material. In response to this challenge, this course is supported by the text book developed by our team, namely 'Hargroves, K. and Smith, M.H. (2005) The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century, Earthscan, London'. References and optional reading material is provided for each lecture for those who wish to explore the content in more detail.

Acknowledgements

The development of the Whole System Design Suite has been supported by grants from the Australian Federal Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR) as part of the 2005/06 and 2006/07 Environmental Education Grants Program.

The development of the Engineering Sustainable Solutions Program has been supported by grants from the following organisations:

  • UNESCO, Division of Basic and Engineering Sciences, Natural Sciences Sector (with particular support and mentoring from Tony Marjoram, Senior Programme Specialist - Engineering Sciences, and Françoise Lee).

  • The Institution of Engineers Australia, College of Environmental Engineers (with particular support and mentoring from Martin Dwyer, Director Engineering Practice, and Peter Greenwood, Doug Jones, Andrew Downing, Tim Macoun, Julie Armstrong and Paul Varsanyi).

  • The Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering (with particular support and mentoring from Terrence Jeyaretnam).

  • The Australian Federal Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR) as part of the 2005/06 and 2006/07 Environmental Education Grants Program.

Expert review and mentoring: Expert review and mentoring for the Whole System Design Suite has been received from Benjamin S. Blanchard, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Alan Pears, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology; Paul Compston, The Australian National University; Kazem Abhary, University of South Australia; Lee Luong, University of South Australia; Philip Bangerter, Hatch; Mehdi Toophanpour Rami, University of Adelaide; Angus Simpson, University of Adelaide; Wim Dekkers, Queensland University of Technology; Robert Mierisch, Hydro Tasmania Consulting; Bruce R. Munson, Iowa State University; Colin Kestel, University of Adelaide; Bolle Borkowsky, Worely Parsons; Al Blake, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology; Dylan Lu, University of Sydney; Chandrakant Patel, Hewlett-Packard; Janis Birkeland, Queensland University of Technology; Veronica Soebarto, University of Adelaide; Nick Edgerton, AMP Capital Sustainability Fund (formerly of the University of Technology Sydney Institute of Sustainable Futures).

Citation: Stasinopoulos, P., Smith, M., Hargroves, K. and Desha, C. (2008) Whole System Design - An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering, Earthscan, London, and The Natural Edge Project, Australia.

 

References

[1] Hawken, P. Lovins, A. and Lovins, H. (1999) Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution, Chapter