Zainab Al-Baldawi Lecture (2) Design for Environment

Design For Environment (DFE)

With the increasing concern for the negative impact of many of the products
that are associated with human development, environmental constraints are
becoming tighter and more forcefully imposed by the many agencies concerned
with environmental that established guidelines for environmental friendly
design or green design or design for environment (DFE).
Environmental impacts of a product may include energy consumption, natural
resource depletion, liquid discharges, gaseous emissions, and solid waste
generation. It is during the early stages of the product development process that
conscious material use, energy efficiency, and waste avoidance can be specified
to minimize or eliminate such environmental impacts.
The following list explains some of the environmental impacts:-
1- Global warming ‫االحتجبط انحشاسي‬:- the temperature of the earth is gradually
increasing as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases and water
vapor in the upper atmosphere.
2- ‫تضداد دسجخ حشاسح األسض تذسٌجٍب َتٍجخ تشاكى غبصاد ٔثخبس انًبء فً انغالف انجٕي انؼهٕي‬
3- Resource depletion ٍّ‫ َفبر انًٕاسد انطجٍؼ‬: Many of the raw materials used for
production, such as iron ore, gas, oil, and coal, are non-renewable and
supplies are limited. .
4- Solid waste ّ‫َفبٌبد صهج‬. Products may generate solid waste Some of this waste
is recycled, but most is disposed in incinerators (generate air pollution
and toxic ash) or landfills(create concentrations of toxic substances,
generate methane gas (CH4).
5- Water pollution ِ‫ تهٕث انًٍب‬: The most common sources of water pollution are
discharges from industrial processes, which may include heavy metals,
fertilizers, solvents, oils, synthetic substances, acids, and suspended
solids. Waterborne pollutants may affect groundwater and drinking
water.
6- Air pollution ‫تهٕث انٕٓاء‬: Sources of air pollution include emissions from
factories, power generating plants, incinerators, residential and
commercial buildings, and motor vehicles. Typical pollutants include
CO2, NOx ٍٍ‫ أكبعٍذ انُتٍتشٔج‬, sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3).

7- Land degradation ً‫ تذْٕس االساض‬: Land degradation concerns the negative

effects of extraction and production of raw material, such as mining,
farming, and forestry, have on the environment. The effects include
reduced soil fertility, soil erosion, salinity of land and water, and
deforestation
8- Biodiversity ً‫انتُٕع انجٍئ‬: Biodiversity concerns the variety of plant and animal
species, and is affected by land clearing for urban development, mining,
and other industrial activities.

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Zainab Al-Baldawi Lecture (2) Design for Environment

9- Ozone depletion:ٌٔ‫ اعتُفبر طجمّ االٔص‬The ozone layer protects the earth against
the harmful effects of the sun’s radiation. It is degraded by reactions with
nitric acid (created by the burning of fossil fuels) and chlorine
compounds ‫يشكجبد انكهٕس‬

Some of these guidelines for DFE are:

• Design the components to be reusable or recyclable (use if possible

recycled materials).
• Minimize the number of parts for ease of disassembly.
• Reduce the number of fasteners to reduce the disassembly time.
• Use modular design and standardize components as much as possible.
• Select materials that have lower impact on the environment.
• Reduce the number of materials in the product and choose materials that
are compatible and can be recycled together.
• Avoid the use of materials or production aids that are toxic or harmful to
the environment (hazardous materials).
• If possible, avoid the use of materials that are difficult to recycle. These
include FRP, laminated materials, galvanized steels, thermosetting
plastics, and ceramics.
• Riveted or permanently joined assemblies that are made of different
materials are difficult to recycle.
• Design must meet regulations and standards.

DFE aims for designing and producing products that have no, or minimum,
negative impact on the environment by considering the environmental aspects
during the life cycle of the product starting with the materials and processes
used in manufacturing it, the energy and emissions it produces during its useful
life, and how it is disposed of when it is no longer needed. The general
principles of environmental friendly design include the following:

‫ إنى تصًٍى ٔإَتبج يُتجبد نٍظ نٓب تأثٍش عهجً ضئٍم أ نٍظ نٓب تبثٍش‬، ‫ٌٓذف انتصًٍى انصذٌك نهجٍئٍخ‬
‫ػهى انجٍئخ يٍ خالل يشاػبح انجٕاَت انجٍئٍخ خالل دٔسح حٍبح انًُتج ثذءا يٍ انًٕاد ٔانؼًهٍبد‬
ٍ‫ ٔكٍف ٌتى انتخهص ي‬، ‫ ٔانطبلخ ٔاالَجؼبثبد انتً ٌُتجٓب خالل ػًش انًُتج‬، ّ‫انًغتخذيخ فً تصٍُؼ‬
ً‫تتضًٍ انًجبدئ انؼبيخ نهتصًٍى انًغتذاو يب ٌه‬. ّ‫انًُتج ػُذ اَتفبء انحبجّ ن‬
• Select materials that come from renewable resources, require less energy to
process, can be recycled, and are nontoxic to the environment.
• Employ manufacturing processes that require less energy, minimize waste of
materials, and do not produce toxic waste products.
• Ensure maximum thermal efficiency to reduce energy consumption when
using the product and, whenever possible, use energy from renewable
resources.

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Zainab Al-Baldawi Lecture (2) Design for Environment

• Consider ease of repair and replacement of parts in order to prolong the

useful life of the product.
• Improve recyclability by minimizing the number of different materials used
in making the product and ensuring ease of disassembly of components at
the end of their useful life.

Materials and industrial design

The requirements pyramid. The lower part of the pyramid tends to be called
‘‘technical design’’, the upper part, ‘‘Industrial design’’.
Functionality (technical design), pyramid base: the product must work properly,
be safe and economical. Functionality alone is not enough also usability is
important, the product must be easy to understand, operate and use by
customers for higher customers satisfaction.
The value of a product is a measure of the degree to which it meets (or exceeds)
the expectation of the consumer in all three of these—functionality, usability,
and satisfaction.

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Zainab Al-Baldawi Lecture (2) Design for Environment

Product character

In the center is information about the PRODUCT itself: the basic design
requirements, its function, its features. The context is set by the answers to the
questions: Who? Where? When? Why? Consider the first of these: Who? A
designer seeking to create a product attractive to women will make choices that
differ from those for a product intended for children, or for elderly people, or
for sportsmen. Where? A product for use in the home requires a different choice
of material and form than one to be used in a school or hospital. When, product
for formal or informal use? Used all the time. Why? A product that fill basic
needs or meet an aspiration (ِ‫)يتطهجبد يحذد‬.

On the left of PRODUCTٔ information about the MATERIALS and the

PROCESSES used to shape, join, and finish it) they are the families, classes,
and members that we have already met ( .
On the right, information, the lower one—USABILITY—characterizes the
ways in which the product communicates ( )‫ (ٌتٕاصم‬with the user: the interaction
with their sensory, cognitive, and motor functions ٍّ‫انتفبػم يغ انٕظبئف انحغٍّ ٔانحشكٍّ ٔانًؼشف‬
.‫ نهًغتخذو‬Products success requires a mode of operation that, is easy its response to

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Zainab Al-Baldawi Lecture (2) Design for Environment

user action by visible, acoustic, or tactile response, many products fail in meet
all users requirements, so designers try to design products that can be used by
a larger spectrum of the population.
.‫لبثهٍخ االعتخذاو – تؼًُ انطشق انتً ٌتٕاصم ثٓب انًُتج يغ انًغتخذو يٍ خالل انتفبػم يغ ٔظبئفٓى انحغٍخ ٔانًؼشفٍخ ٔانحشكٍخ‬
‫ تفشم‬، ‫ٌتطهت َجبح انًُتجبد أعهٕة تشغٍم ٌغٓم اعتجبثتّ نّ إجشاء انًغتخذو يٍ خالل االعتجبثخ انًشئٍخ أٔ انصٕتٍخ أٔ انهًغٍخ‬
‫ نزنك ٌحبٔل انًصًًٌٕ تصًٍى يُتجبد ًٌكٍ اعتخذايٓب يٍ لجم يجًٕػخ‬، ٍٍ‫انؼذٌذ يٍ انًُتجبد فً تهجٍخ جًٍغ يتطهجبد انًغتخذي‬
ٌ‫أكجش يٍ انغكب‬

PERSONALITY is the personality of the product, which distinguishes the

product from its special features of shape, color and appearance that stimulate
the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell (color, shape, texture,
feeling, smell, and sound).
، ‫ ٔانغًغ‬، ‫ انجصش‬:‫شخصٍخ انًُتج اي يبًٌٍض انًُتج يٍ يٍضاد خبصّ ثّ يٍ شكم ٔنٌٕ ٔيظٓش ٔانتً تحفض انحٕاط انخًظ‬
.‫ ٔانصٕد‬، ‫ ٔانشائحخ‬، ‫ ٔانشؼٕس‬، ‫ ٔانًهًظ‬، ‫ ٔانشكم‬، ٌٕ‫ ٔانشى (انه‬، ‫ ٔانزٔق‬، ‫ٔانهًظ‬