Quantifying the Environmental and Economic Performance of Remote Communities

Abstract

Remote communities such as oil production sites, post-disaster housing camps, and military forwardoperating bases (FOB) are often detached from established infrastructure grids, requiring a constantresupply of resources. In one instance, a 600-person FOB required 22 trucks per day to delivernecessary fuel and water and remove generated wastes. This logistical burden produces negativeenvironmental impacts and increases operational costs. To minimize these consequences,construction planners can implement sustainability measures such as renewable energy systems,improved waste management practices, and energy-efficient equipment. However, integration ofsuch upgrades can increase construction costs, presenting the need for a tool that identifies tradeoffsamong conflicting criteria. To assist planners in these efforts, this paper presents the development ofa novel remote site sustainability assessment model capable of quantifying the environmental andeconomic performance of a set of infrastructure alternatives. Through field data and literatureestimates, a hypothetical FOB is designed and evaluated to demonstrate the model’s distinctivecapability to accurately and efficiently assess construction alternatives. The proposed model willenable construction planners to maximize the sustainability of remote communities, creating sitesthat are more self-sufficient with reduced environmental impacts.Keywords: Sustainability, infrastructure, remote communities