Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography: Sustainable Engineering

This assignment presents an annotated bibliography and literature review focusing on the field of sustainable engineering. It explores key terms such as renewable resources, source reduction, and resource minimization. The review examines the importance of clear definitions and semantic analysis of these terms to avoid ambiguity, particularly given their widespread use in scientific literature, company reports, and governmental policies. The assignment highlights the need for a hierarchical classification of these terms to enhance understanding in the context of achieving sustainable outcomes in engineering. It addresses the challenges posed by the multiple definitions and usages of these terms, emphasizing the need for clarity and precision in their application. The bibliography references various sources and emphasizes the importance of engineering management in promoting sustainable outcomes. The review also touches on the role of green Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its contribution to dematerialization and energy reduction.

Part A1
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY LITERATURE REVIEW
BY
Course
Tutor
Institution
Location
Date

Part A2
Reference in
Harvard
Format
(Export from
EndNote)
Comment (One or two
sentences about each important
point)
Classification 1 Definition?
(Y/N)
Classification 2
Classification 3
1. i The principles of sustainable
engineering include source
reduction, managing
sustainable processes and use
of sustainable resources.
Energy intensive. Energy
carriers.
Output
processes.
2. ii There are different terms used
in engineering sustainability.
Content and semantic analysis
needs to be done to avoid
confusion.
Resources that
are considered
renewable in
nature.
Resources
that are
considered
continuously
renewable.
Non-
renewable
resources.
3. iii According to the authors, the
future of sustainability in
engineering and science
depends on the solution
agendas made today.
Conservation of
resources.
Resource
reduction.
Cost
saving.
4. iv Ingenuity should be harnessed Economical Renewable Non-

Part A3
by engineering mangers in
order to achieve sustainable
outcomes.
resources. resources. renewable
resources.
5. v Engineering for sustainable
outcomes can be achieved
through embracing green BIM.
Dematerialization Reduction
of materials
to meet user
demands.
Reduction
of energy
to serve
economic
purposes.
Introduction paragraph
The number of terms in the field of engineering sustainable development continues to
rapidly grow hence the importance of terminology. There are various definitions of terms that are
used by different scholars and authors in regard to engineering sustainability. Consequently, the
clarification of ambiguity through classification and clarification of key terms used in this
sustainability field is quite important. The field of engineering sustainability has embraced key
terms such as sustainable and renewable resources, minimization of resource usage and source
reduction among other terms. A renewable resource which is a term that was first formulated to
refer to the excessive emissions of carbon dioxide refers to resources that are renewable in nature
(Glavič and Lukman, 2007). Source reduction on the other hand refers to the reduction of waste
from a particular source (Miller et al., 2014). Minimizing usage is simply defined as
conservation of resources (Wong et al., 2015). These terms are in common use in monographs,
scientific papers, annual company reports, and media and even in governmental policy usage. It
should be noted that the application of these terms wholly depends on their recognition and

Part A4
designation rather than the dominance of their concepts.
Building on various reports on engineering sustainability, it is evident that the existence
of multiple information sources on this field increases the spread, use, and definition of these
terms. However, very little referencing and attention have been given on the semantic meanings
and definitions of these terms. Given the fact that the meanings and definitions of most of these
terms tend to be diverse, similar and sloppy, they tend to be very confusing more so as regards
their usage. Another important aspect about these terms used in the field of engineering
sustainability is that they tend to be units of multi-words hence they are not available in
dictionaries. Clear content and semantic analysis are fundamental as it helps researchers better
understand and describe the different concepts and terms in sustainable development as regards
engineering. As a result, a hierarchal relationship and classification of key terms need to be
formulated with a view to achieving an easier and better understanding of these terms in
engineering for sustainable outcomes.

iE-education.psu.edu. 2018. 1.4 Principles of Sustainable Engineering | EME 807:. [online] Available
at: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme807/node/688 [Accessed 16 Nov. 2018].
iiGlavič, P. and Lukman, R., 2007. Review of sustainability terms and their definitions. Journal of
cleaner production, 15(18), pp.1875-1885.
iiiMiller, T.R., Wiek, A., Sarewitz, D., Robinson, J., Olsson, L., Kriebel, D. and Loorbach, D., 2014.
The future of sustainability science: a solutions-oriented research agenda. Sustainability science, 9(2),
pp.239-246.
ivNAE Website. 2018. Harnessing Ingenuity for Sustainable Outcomes. [online] Available at:
https://www.nae.edu/19582/Bridge/SustainabilityEngineering/HarnessingIngenuityforSustainableOutco
mes.aspx [Accessed 16 Nov. 2018].
vWong, J.K.W. and Zhou, J., 2015. Enhancing environmental sustainability over building life cycles
through green BIM: A review. Automation in Construction, 57, pp.156-165.