Academic Building Research Articles

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ОБЛІКУ ТА АНАЛІЗУ ДЕРЖАВНОГО НЕРУХОМОГО МАЙНА ЗАКЛАДІВ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ В УКРАЇНІ

The purpose of this article is to determine the state of material and technical support of the higher education institutions (HEIs) managed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the context of the armed aggression of the russian federation in Ukraine. The information base for the analytical research was based on the legal acts regulating the accounting of property under martial law, instructions, methodological recommendations, information from the Automated System "Legal Entities", and open data from the Unified State Electronic Database on Education. In the course of the study, the authors identified the subjects of education and science involved in the formation of the Unified Register of State Property administered by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine; systematized and built a scheme of information flows between subjects; improved and optimized the procedure for users of the HEIs to generate quarterly reports; outlined the risks arising from the military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine and affecting the process of accounting for state property and its integrity, accuracy, and completeness of information in the database. The calculated indicators make it possible to estimate by region the number of academic buildings and dormitories, their total area and the residual value of state real estate remaining in the temporarily occupied territories. The HEIs that have provided shelter to temporarily displaced institutions from the occupied territories and areas of hostilities are also identified. The article presents information on the number of higher education students who studied at temporarily displaced institutions at the cost of the budgetary funds and under contract as of October 1, 2021, and 2022, by region. The subject of further research should be the development of methodological principles for monitoring and verification of the main indicators of the Automated System "Legal entities"; improvement of data collection and processing technology; creation of a reliable system for notifying responsible persons about detected errors in reports and their correction in the information base as soon as possible; ensuring the sustainability of the information system under martial law in Ukraine.

Analysis of Centimeter and Millimeter-Wave Path Loss at Emergency Exit

The path loss model for indoor emergency stairs has yet to get enough attention in the literature. Large-scale (LS) path loss models for a stairwell in a 10-stair academic building are the focus of this investigation. We measured the received power with three different links with sophisticated devices and preprocessed it to find the path loss. LS empirical models can be used to determine the path loss in closed environments as the LS models yield the path loss without considering the details of the environmental configurations. Therefore, this study finds LS models—close-in (CI), alpha-beta (AB), and close-in with a frequency-weighted path loss exponent (CIF), alpha-beta-gamma (ABG), when identifying the best LS models from the measured dataset. The parameters of LS models were justified by validating with the previously reported parameters. The path loss exponents extracted from the measured dataset were slightly lower than those reported in the previous investigations. The AB model showed the minimum standard deviations for the three measurement scenarios of the four LS models studied.

Post-Occupancy Evaluation through University Campuses: Case Studies of Two Large Academic Buildings

Post-Occupancy Evaluation through University Campuses: Case Studies of Two Large Academic Buildings

Analyzing the effects of passive design strategies on building ventilation performance and thermal comfort using simulation-based approach

One of the sustainable approaches to improving indoor thermal comfort and building ventilation efficiency, particularly in developing and populated countries, is to implement the optimum passive design solutions. However, the interaction between ventilation performance, indoor thermal comfort, and passive design features of buildings is scarcely studied in the domain of airflow modeling. Therefore, this study aims at assessing the ventilation performance and indoor thermal comfort with regards to passive design strategies, specifically, opening characteristics such as the Opening to Wall ratio (OWR) and Window to Wall ratio (WWR) in a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) environment. The CFD simulations run is found pivotal for determining the spatial variation of Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) to gauge thermal comfort and the natural ventilation performance in terms of air change rate per hour (ACH). The proposed methodology is implemented in classroom spaces of an academic building located in a warm and humid region. In the study, a field investigation is carried out to collect precise temperature and air velocity data needed to validate the resulting CFD model. The findings show that increasing OWR and WWR percentages can enhance ventilation efficiency and indoor thermal comfort.

Geospatial Data Acquisition Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas)

The Rivers State University campus in Portharcourt is one of the university campuses in the city of Portharcourt, Nigeria covering over 21 square kilometers and housing a variety of academic, residential, administrative and other support buildings. The University Campus has seen significant transformation in recent years, including the rehabilitation of old facilities, the construction of new academic facilities and the most recent update on the creation of new collages, faculties and departments. The current view of the transformations done within the University Campus is missing from several available maps of the university. Numerous facilities have been constructed on the University Campus that are not represented on these maps as well as the qualities associated with these facilities. Existing information on the various landscapes on the map is outdated and it needs to be streamlined in light of recent changes to the University's facilities and departments. This research article aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in geospatial data collection for physical planning and mapping of infrastructures at the Rivers State University Port Harcourt campus by developing a UAS-based digital map and tour guide for RSU's main campus covering all collages, faculties and departments and this offers visitors, staff and students with location and attribute information within the campus.Methodologically, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were deployed to obtain current visible images of the campus following the growth and increasing infrastructural development. At a flying height of 76.2m (250 ft), a DJI Phantom 4 Pro UAS equipped with a 20-megapixel visible camera was flown around the campus, generating imagery with 1.69cm spatial resolution per pixel. To obtain 3D modeling capabilities, visible imagery was acquired using the flight-planning software DroneDeploy with a near nadir angle and 75 percent front and side overlap.Vertical positions were linked to the World Geodetic System 1984 and horizontal positions to the 1984 World Geodetic Datum universal transverse Mercator (UTM) (WGS 84). To match the UAS data, GCPs were transformed to UTM zone 32 north.Finally, dense point clouds, DSM, and an orthomosaic which is a geometrically corrected aerial image that provides an accurate representation of an area and can be used to determine true distances, were among the UAS-derived deliverables.Keywords; UAS, Geospatial, Acquisition, Orthophoto, Mosaic, Flying –Height.

The Imperatives of Academic Collaboration in Africa, Asia and Latin America

A multitude of intentions drives institutions to engage in academic collaborations, mainly dictated by necessity. The imperatives of academic collaboration are many and varied and include generating resources, developing academic capacity, exchanging experiences, and enhancing the institutional profile. Institutions also engage in collaboration to pursue mega initiatives (such as human genome projects) and tackle major global challenges (like climate change and diseases such as COVID-19). Such endeavours mainly take place within the framework of North-North and, to certain extent, North-South collaboration. South-South collaboration has been less evident, although this trend appears to be changing steadily with growing interest, focus and drive in these regions. For decades, academic collaboration has been touted as a positive force in knowledge creation and capacity building, particularly in the South. However, this conception has largely been framed in the context and perspective of the North. Given growing calls for a shift from traditional North-South collaborations, this article explores the imperatives of academic collaboration in the context of South-South partnerships and examines the critical factors that shape such collaboration in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It explores the intention, nature, scope and modalities of academic collaborations in the context of academic exchange, joint research/projects, joint programmes, capacity building and other relevant engagements on these continents in the post-COVID-19 era.

Academic Capacity Building for Teachers as a Determinant of Student's Performance in Public Secondary in Kenya

Academic Capacity Building for Teachers as a Determinant of Student's Performance in Public Secondary in Kenya

Impact of the COVID-19 on electricity consumption of open university campus buildings – The case of Twente University in the Netherlands

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the restrictive policies enacted by countries in response to the epidemic have led to changes in the movement of people in public places, which has had a direct impact on the use and energy consumption of various public buildings. This study was based on electricity consumption data for 25 on-campus public buildings at 1-hour intervals between January 2020 and June 2022 at Tewnte University in the Netherlands, and after the data were climate-corrected by multiple regression analysis, the changes in EU and EUI for various types of buildings were compared for different restriction periods using ANOVA, LSD and t-tests. And additionally, further analyzed the changes and reasons for the electricity consumption of various public buildings on campus and customers' electricity consumption behavior in a period of time after the lifting of the epidemic restriction policy. The results of ANOVA analysis show that the restriction policy has a significant effect on teaching, sports, and cultural buildings, and the electricity intensity of the three types of buildings is reduced by 0.28, 0.09, and 0.07 kwh/m2/day respectively under the strict restriction policy; The t-test results show that during the restriction period, all building types, except for living and academic buildings, show a significant decreasing trend, with the teaching buildings having the greatest energy saving potential, with an average daily EU reduction of 1088kwh/day and an EUI reduction of 0.075kwh/ m2/day. The above findings provide a case study of a complete cycle of energy consumption changes in university buildings under similar epidemic restriction policies before and after the epidemic restriction, and inform the electricity allocation policies of university and government energy management authorities.

Bim-based energy analysis and optimization using insight 360 (case study)

Building information modeling (BIM) is a modern data information platform and management tool that promotes the development of green buildings. In Pakistan, the building sector consumes more than 50 % of total energy consumption and it is growing at annual rates of 4.7 % and 2.5 % in household and commercial sectors, respectively. The energy problem is the biggest single economic drag on Pakistan, the Pakistan BIM Council (PBC) is attempting to implement BIM adoption in the construction industry. Using Autodesk Insight 360 and Green Building Studio, an energy analysis and optimization case study of A-Block COMSATS Abbottabad, Pakistan is chosen. This study explores the energy performance of an academic building as a case study in order to optimize energy use by rotating the building 360 degrees at 45-degree intervals and utilizing BIM to install energy-efficient construction materials. Existing academic buildings have lower energy use and annual cost savings. The annual energy and financial savings are 585.10 kWh and 550 $, respectively. Applying factors to energy analysis can result in improved conceptual design with good environmental effectiveness, thus assisting in the pursuit of environmental sustainability.

Optimal Operation of Chillers Plant in Academic Building by using Linear Programming Approach

Optimal Operation of Chillers Plant in Academic Building by using Linear Programming Approach

Unpacking Motivational Culture: Diverging Emphasis on Communality and Agency Across STEM Domains.

The current research examined whether life sciences vs. engineering/physical sciences vary in the visibility and value of communality and agency. Overall, we find an emphasis on agency in engineering/physical sciences and a greater balance between communality and agency in the life sciences. We examine motivational culture as represented in environmental structures (Study 1), in signals sent and received in academic displays (Studies 2A-B), and in individual-level motives and cognitions (Studies 3-4). Study 1 analyzed archival course data to find that courses (N=11,222) in engineering/physical sciences included fewer collaborative assignments than courses in life sciences. Study 2A's content analysis documented that bulletin boards (N=68) in engineering/physical sciences academic buildings conveyed less communal purpose, and Study 2B found that participants (N=44) perceived greater communal purpose when viewing novel bulletin boards experimentally manipulated to include the cues identified in Study 2A. In Studies 3 (N=326) and 4 (N=110), engineering/physical science majors reported a strong agentic focus, compared to life science majors' more balanced focus. Further, the strong agentic focus of engineering/physical science students waned over time. This investigation of motivational cultures highlights the daily practices and institutional contexts that can shape individual-level motives and cognition related to engagement in STEM, both within and across different STEM pathways.

Dynamic Behavior of Connected Structures

The effect of connected structureonSMK Bukit Tinggibuildingwas investigatedbased ontheirdynamic behaviour. The structure was constructed with four main buildings are interconnected. Ambient vibration testing (AVT) was used to predict the dynamic response and characteristics by using triaxial 1Hz seismometer and CityShark data logger. The AVT signals were analysed using GEOPSY software for Fourier Amplitude Spectral(FAS). All predominant frequencies (fo) and mode shapes were identified and verified with previous research finding using similar testing approach on the same building, but with different instrument of accelerometer sensorand ARTeMIS software processing tool. Five modes of fo were found from the FAS curves from this research, but only four fo were obtained from ARTeMIS analysis. The highest deviation percentage was indicated at the 5thmode of building frequency at 9.5 %, but 0 to 2.5% to the rest frequencies mode (1st to 4th frequencies mode). Ununiformed buildings response behaviour was believed to contribute, and initiate active progressive shear cracking on the slab panels, columns, beam and at the reentrant corners between laboratory and academic buildingsof Building C. It worst when the buildings were struck by several earthquakes’ series. The unsynchronised oscillation between adjacent buildings to Building C had induced couple lateral and torsional deformations. Thestructural and non-structural damages mostly concentrated at the reentrant corners and mid-span of the building, which identical to the location of maximum deflection amplitudes. In conclusion, strict attention must be emphasized on the fo and mode shapes based on their dynamic response and characteristics analyses, which could be altered by the presence of connected structures.

Forecasting delay-time model for Saudi construction projects using DEMATEL–SD technique

Construction delays are common in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to develop a simulation forecasting model for the delay time in Saudi projects by considering ten previously identified factors. This study employs a systematic, integrated approach of the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology and system dynamics (SD) to reflect the ten factors that impact project delay. The DEMATEL technique is used in this study to solve the difficulty of systematically developing a causal loop diagram within the SD modelling process. The developed SD model is tested for consistency and extreme conditions. It is then validated and applied using three case studies (an academic building, administrative building, and infrastructure project) in Saudi Arabia by comparing the actual and fitted progress curves of each case study. The results show that the proposed model can be a respectable aid to project managers in forecasting Saudi projects wherein the actual monthly progress follows an S-curve. In this regard, three satisfaction conditions are introduced to check the project progress in the S-curves. In addition, this study provides a systematic approach combining the DEMATEL and SD techniques, which can simplify the SD modelling process in the future. Furthermore, the study methodology can be repeated in other countries.

The architecture of academic libraries in Israel: Knowledge and prestige

The accepted definition of the academic library states its primary purpose of supporting the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students; however, the essence of the academic library as embodied in its architecture is much more intricate. Academic libraries in Israel are unique in having more intellectual planning processes and more financial support and funding resources.This paper examines the architecture of stand-alone academic library buildings in Israel and their development and evolution over time, especially in the decades after the establishment of the State in 1948. The research investigates their appearance and conceptual reflections, inquiring whether they integrate with the surroundings physically and conceptually or are considered ‘ivory towers.’ Moreover, this paper scrutinizes the influences that affected the architectural environment these libraries came to embody.The discussion on the architecture of academic libraries analyzes the changing influences of Israeli politics and society upon the architectural discourse. Architects were searching for new methods in design, which led to the transition in the architecture of academic libraries: from modesty to complexity in design.

‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak?’: systemic unknown-knowns for ergonomics in India

While the worldwide ergonomics community increases its sophistication in solving global problems, specific systemic challenges still plague Indians in urban mega-cities such as Mumbai. This paper aims to highlight the gaps using the knowns-unknowns framework, which exists in the Indian ergonomics community’s capability to address such systemic challenges. Within this framework, the epistemological category of ‘unknown-knowns’ is explicated further using a case study of urban accidental deaths and injuries in Mumbai, India. These systemic casualties are essential to note because they are not only hidden from public awareness but can be avoided by proper ergonomics interventions. The article concludes with four main directions for the Indian ergonomics community in solving systemic problems in terms of, (a) capacity-building, (b) advocacy; (c) developing all realms of ergonomics with particular emphasis on complex systems; (d) developing India-centric pathways for ergonomics as a discipline. Practitioner’s summary: This paper aims to highlight gaps in the academic Indian ergonomics community’s capacity to solve public systemic problems. An India-centric way forward for awareness, engagement, and academic capacity building is suggested to develop a comprehensive national ergonomics mission.

Computational Analysis of VAWT Micro Wind Farm Potential for Urban Rooftops

Renewable energy resources are promising in power generation due to their sustainability aspect and environment friendliness as they are means of pollution free power production. Wind energy.y is utilized for power production with the help of wind turbines. The offshore and onshore windfarms consisting of horizontal axis wind turbines are major contributors in the wind energy. However, this type of turbine is not domestically viable mainly due to limitations of directionality and noise. Vertical axis wind turbines do not have these constraints and may blend in the urban environments. In built environments, the wind flow is quite complex due to large scale effects and turbulence. In this paper, the academic building of a university is studied as a possible platform for harnessing the wind energy resources. This case study is performed on academic blocks of University of Gujrat. These building environments were modeled and analyzed with computational fluid dynamic software to model the wind behavior on the building roof top. These results show that there is potential in setting up micro windfarms for the academic environments. The simulation for single building showed a potential for 61.8kW whereas this potential decreased substantially when terrain effects are considered using the circular arrangement for the simulation.

Year-round and techno-economic feasibility analyses on integration of absorption based mobile thermochemical energy storage with building cooling system in tropical climate

In recent years, growth in urbanization resulted in increased global energy demand. It is projected that by 2050, 45% of overall energy demand is through air conditioning/building space cooling applications. To meet the above-mentioned energy demand, there is a need for thermal energy management of the cooling system by utilizing waste heat from the industries. Thus, mobile/portable thermochemical energy storage (MTES) came into existence to utilize waste heat for building space cooling applications. In the present investigation, a case study on year-round and techno-economic feasibility of MTES system in district energy network, by extracting waste heat from Rourkela Steel Plant and transporting it to the NIT Rourkela academic building space cooling system is analyzed by developing a thermal model. For this case study, the capacity of the cooling system, the distance between the steel plant to the admin building, steam temperature through which thermal energy is generated and mass flow rate of steam are chosen as 1055 kW (300 Ton of Refrigeration), 7.4 km, 500 °C, and 25 tons/hr., respectively. Lithium Chloride is taken as molecular/thermochemical energy storage material or liquid desiccant. The required quantity of absorption material for each trip, no. of trips between the plant and building per day, device storage capacity, amount of heat dissipated to the surroundings for each trip, and location of the waste heat utilization unit in the steel plant are taken as techno-economic evaluation parameters. Then, MTES system performance and techno-economic feasibility studies for the year 2020 is carried out in accordance with the tropical climatic conditions of Rourkela, India. From this analysis, it is observed that during peak sunny day, heat dissipation from charging station to discharging station is about 927.24 MJ whereas from discharging station to charging station is about 145.76 MJ. The energy and round-trip efficiencies ratio which are the ratio of useful cooling output to the waste heat input and the ratio of heat dissipated to the surroundings during transit from charging station to discharging station to the waste heat provided at the charging station are observed to be 4.51 and 52%, respectively. Moreover, to make the system more economic and dependent upon renewable sources, the efficacy and profit incurred by diesel trucks, solar-powered trucks, and hybrid trucks are also assessed and compared in detail.

Analysis of solid waste composition and its treatment potentials in University of Nigeria Enugu State, Nigeria.

The aim of the study is to determine the quantity, composition and treatment potentials of solid waste generated in University of Nigeria Nsukka campus. To achieve these, solid waste was sampled for 1 week from Nine (9) academic buildings, sixty-two (62) academic departments administrative offices, eight (8) corridors, and three (3) cafeterias giving a total of 82 waste sampling points. In total, 4821.1kg/week of waste were separated at University of Nigeria. The total quantity of solid waste at collection points were buildings (1034.9 kg/week), corridor (910.7 kg/week), cafeteria (502.5kg/week) and departmental offices (2373 kg/week). The mean quantities of waste generated at collection points were 114.99kg/week, 113.84kg/week, 167.57kg/week and 38.27kg/week for building, corridors, cafeteria and departmental offices respectively. This shows that on the average that the highest quantity of waste is generated from cafeteria. The weighted average amount of solid waste generated in University of Nigeria Nsukka Campus per sampling point is 58.79kg/week. The weighted average percentage of the waste fractions for university of Nigeria Nsukka Campus is 37.66%, 20.23%, 6.65%, 24.86%, 3.33% and 7.28% for paper, plastic, metal, organic, glass and others respectively. The waste fractions are generated in a decreasing order as follows: paper (37.66%), organic (24.86%), plastic (20.23%). metal (6.65%), others (7.28%) and glass (3.33%). The estimated waste generation rate for the university campus was 0.019kg/capita/day from the four sources analyzed based on current student population of 36000 and weekly generation of 4821.1kg. 28.35% of the waste is compostable while 64.49 % is recyclable and these sums up to 92.84% indicating that only a small proportion that is 7.16% of generated waste which can neither be composted or recycled will be diverted to landfill. Therefore, recovery of resources and recycling call for segregation of waste at the source, through providing separate waste containers for different waste types.

Development and Application of Energy-Saving System for Academic Buildings

Through the active investigation of load conditions and energy consumption of most academic buildings, combined with the characteristics of routine use of academic buildings, we designed and developed an energy-saving system for academic buildings. This project uses a microcontroller as the control chip to control the energy saving of the lighting system and temperature and humidity control system in the classrooms and hallways of the teaching building. Under the premise of meeting the daily needs of teaching and normal operation, the wasteful status of unoccupied lights and long-lasting lights is reduced. Experiments show that the design runs stably and causes a beneficial energy-saving effect, realizing energy-saving control in other stages of the teaching building.

Black maternal health scholars on fire: Building a network for collaboration and activism.

Black maternal health scholars on fire: Building a network for collaboration and activism.