Apartment Buildings Research Articles

Affordable housing design in response to sociocultural context. A comparative study in Koya City

ABSTRACT Affordable housing design should respond to the socio-cultural context using adequate housing types. This study develops a theoretical framework for designing sustainable, affordable housing in Iraq based on learning from traditional architecture. It examines this framework by exploring famous traditional and modern types of affordable housing: type1 courtyard housing and type2 apartment buildings. Different values of sustainability are discussed, and three are elected: social qualities (safety and privacy), environmental qualities, and economic qualities (Compactness and Densification). An empirical study was conducted on the said types of affordable housing in Koya City to examine the proposed framework. The study results show that courtyard houses achieve sustainability values more than apartments. Traditional housing types can provide a sustainable environment with limited resources and simple manners. The paper’s main finding is that distributing inner outdoor spaces all over the housing area is critical to designing affordable housing for sustainability.

Effect of steel fiber reinforced concrete on the heavy-weight floor impact sound performance

ABSTRACT In South Korea, where apartment buildings in which the slabs of each unit are shared by the upper and lower floor units have become common, noises due to the floor impact sound from slabs between upper and lower floor units are coming to the fore as a serious social problem. The purpose of this study is to develop a method to improve the heavy- weight impact sound performance by increasing the stiffness of structural members using steel fiber reinforced concrete in order to reduce the impact sound of building floor slabs. Steel fiber reinforced concrete can increase the effective stiffness compared to ordinary reinforced concrete by suppressing cracks under the service load and is expected to reduce the heavy-weight impact sound in proportion to the stiffness through the foregoing. In this study, heavy-weight floor impact sound experiments were conducted using the compressive strength of concrete, the shape and amount of steel fibers included, and whether cracks occurred in the slab or not as variables, and the effects of the variables were analyzed. A total of nine slab specimens were fabricated, and floor impact sound experiments were conducted twice with each specimen, once before cracks occurred and once after cracks were caused by applying the service load. Therefore, a total of 18 floor impact sound experiments were conducted. As a result of the experiments, the inclusion of steel fibers was evaluated to enable the suppression of cracks under the service load, and the resultant increase in the effective stiffness was evaluated to enable the reduction of the heavy-weight impact sound of the bare slabs by up to 2 dB. The results of this study are judged to be a more efficient construction method than the existing method that increases the slab thickness, which is generally used as a method for reducing the heavy-weight floor impact sound of buildings.

China's newest design of apartment buildings with modernized façade: A comparative evaluation of its energy performance in five major climate zones

Many studies have indicated that the energy efficiency of residential buildings can greatly mitigate energy shortages and environmental problems. High window-to-wall ratio, flat geometric shape, and open space layout are the key characteristics of apartment buildings with modernized façade (ABMF), and the major design trend dominating China's housing market. This study aims to understand the isolated effects of these three design factors on the energy performance of ABMF in five major climate zones using a parametric performance design method. Three important findings were concluded: 1) the energy use intensity (EUI) of ABMF showed a positive relationship to the window-to-wall ratio in five climate zones. Qingdao in Cold Region (2.12 kWh/m2) and Kunming in Temperate Region (1.04 kWh/m2) exhibited lowest average increase in EUI; 2) the reduction of EUI was twice as much in Kunming than in the other four cities, when the aspect ratio of ABMF changed from 1.75 to 0.95; 3) the ‘exterior-side hall’ was the most energy-efficient layout in the five cities. This study is the first to investigate the energy performance of the newest apartment design and hopefully can attract more studies to explore the suitability of ABMF for the sustainable development of China's housing market.

Domesticating Property: Moral Economies of Post‐Socialist Homeownership Through Rental and Neighbour Relations

This article analyses property relations in post‐socialism through the analytical lens of housing studies and moral economy, specifically in the context of rental and neighbour relations in urban apartment buildings. It draws on 50 in‐depth residential biographies of residents of St. Petersburg, Russia, collected between 2017 and 2021. The interviews represent a diversity of tenures, as well as direct and indirect voices of homeowners and non‐owners. The article begins by introducing the socio‐historical context of the privatisation and commodification of housing in post‐socialist Russia. Then, based on the stories of the origin of property and the intensity of attachment to it, I analyse owners’ homemaking through daily interactions with other owners and non‐owners who act as their tenants and neighbours. Focusing on privatised, mortgaged, and inherited residential property, I identify three trajectories of complex relationships between owners and non‐owners in urban buildings and modes of homemaking, at the intersection of monetary and non‐monetary relations and imaginaries of counterparts. I argue that despite everyday interactions in the housing market and in apartment blocks, both the owners of privatised Soviet property and new owner‐occupiers tend to avoid the total commercialisation of the home and to challenge the dominance of homeownership as the only socially sanctioned tenure.

Assessment of indoor radon levels at multiple floors of an apartment building in the historic center of Rome (Italy): a comprehensive study

The urbanized area of Rome is largely built over volcanic deposits, characterized by a significant radionuclides content and consequently a high radon emanation potential. An accurate monitoring of workplaces and residential dwellings constitutes a first step towards mitigating the indoor radon exposure. Since radon diffusion dynamics involves complex interactions among many environmental parameters on different time scales, a proper assessment of radon concentration variations can be better achieved by means of active monitoring approaches. We present here the results of 1 year of continuous measurements conducted in six premises (five apartments and a basement) at different floors of the same building in the Esquilino district, in the historical center of Rome. Collecting annual series of radon concentration enables us to identify fluctuations over a seasonal scale, with radon generally decreasing in the warm season. The simultaneous tracking of different floors should cancel the influence of geogenic radon and of building characteristics like age, typology, and construction materials. While the basement shows the highest radon concentration, indicating a major contribution from the ground, we observe indoor radon levels comparable at all the upper floors, questioning the common belief that high-risk exposure be limited to the lowest storeys. The use of active devices makes it possible to discriminate between average indoor radon measured during the day and overnight, when residents are more likely to be at home. Our analysis provides the characterization of the dynamics of the gas emanation and transport inside the buildings and of its temporal fluctuations, in relation to the environmental and meteorological conditions. Since the experiment was performed in the Roman urban contest, we cannot ignore the specificity of the retrieved data, affected not only by endogenous factors like life habits relative to ventilation and conditioning of the apartments, but also by exogenous factors, among which the warmer microclimate compared to the surrounding suburban and rural areas, due to the effects of urbanization (urban heat island effect).

The Role and Impact of Rooftop Photovoltaics in the Norwegian Energy System under Different Energy Transition Pathways

This study focuses on investigating the impact and cost‐competitiveness of solar power in a highly hydropower‐driven northern energy system. The goal is to assess the role of rooftop photovoltaics (PV) in the Norwegian energy system toward 2050 under different energy transition pathways. Energy system analysis is conducted using the IFE‐TIMES‐Norway model, with an integrated detailed representation of rooftop PV based on the tilt and azimuth of existing rooftops in Norway. A thorough sensitivity analysis is conducted to illustrate how investment in rooftop PV varies under different system and parameter conditions and to disclose important barriers for PV in similar energy systems. The results show that when PV investments are facilitated, solar power can potentially stand for 56% of all new investments, resulting in a share of 10% of the total electricity generation. With less competition from onshore wind power and favorable investment parameters, especially lowering the demand for the rate of return, the investments in PV will be four times higher and reach their full potential in commercial and apartment buildings by 2050. Additionally, the results highlight that the cost parameter functions as a barrier to other solutions that facilitate increased PV investments, such as flexibility and energy storage.

A LSTM algorithm-driven deep learning approach to estimating repair and maintenance costs of apartment buildings

PurposeThis study proposes a deep learning algorithm-based model to predict the repair and maintenance costs of apartment buildings, by collecting repair and maintenance cost data that were incurred in an actual apartment complex. More specifically, a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm was adopted to develop the prediction model, while the robustness of the model was verified by recurrent neural networks (RNN) and gated recurrent units (GRU) models.Design/methodology/approachRepair and maintenance cost data incurred in actual apartment complexes is collected, along with various input variables, such as repair and maintenance timing (calendar year), usage types, building ages, temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity and solar radiation. Then, the LSTM algorithm is employed to predict the costs, while two other learning models (RNN and GRU) are taught to validate the robustness of the LSTM model based on R-squared values, mean absolute errors and root mean square errors.FindingsThe LSTM model’s learning is more accurate and reliable to predict repair and maintenance costs of apartment complex, compared to the RNN and GRU models’ learning performance. The proposed model provides a valuable tool that can contribute to mitigating financial management risks and reducing losses in forthcoming apartment construction projects.Originality/valueGathering a real-world high-quality data set of apartment’s repair and maintenance costs, this study provides a highly reliable prediction model that can respond to various scenarios to help apartment complex managers plan resources more efficiently, and manage the budget required for repair and maintenance more effectively.

Noise reduction and visual disturbance performances of horizontal facade profiles for a multi-story high-rise apartment building

This paper simulates the noise reduction performance of horizontal profiles installed on the façade to reduce the external noise in high-rise residential buildings. The simulation used commercial software based on the ray tracing method and evaluated the performance by modeling a representative rectangular-shaped 30-story apartment building in South Korea. The simulation assumed a four-lane road traffic noise source parallel to the front of the apartment. The key simulation values were cited from configurations derived in previous studies. The sound absorption points were set at the center of each living room on every floor, and windows facing the road were considered for ventilation, being set to be partially open. Horizontal profiles for noise reduction were placed on the exterior of the building, starting from the 20th floor, with protrusion height and vertical spacing as variables. These profiles were combined with noise barriers to assess their impact. As a result, it was confirmed that the noise barrier only reduced the noise in the lower floors, while the horizontal profiles on the upper part of the building could also reduce noise in the upper floors. Additionally, the paper discusses the visual disturbance of the horizontal facade profiles visible from the living rooms.

Recycled plastics based impact noise resilient layer development

Sustainability and the carbon footprint reduction is commonly associated with recycling and secondary use of materials, for example also in the building construction industry. For decades, experts have been dealing with this topic across the entire spectrum of the development of building structures. One of the areas where soft recycled materials find suitable application is the area of building acoustics with a focus on impact noise attenuation. This contribution focuses on resilient layers dedicated for lightweight floating floors. This type of flooring is very often used in the reconstruction of apartments in apartment buildings. There is usually no possibility to realize heavy floating floors or for static reasons or reasons of the structural height of rooms or door openings. The work focuses on the development of floor underlayer mats based on recycled material in several variants. These were experimentally compared with conventional materials used in practice as the so-called impact sound insulation layers under laminate floors in terms of improving the impact noise insulation as well as the dynamic stiffness and the loss factor.

Case-study analysis of traffic noise at Vesterbrogade, Aarhus, Denmark

This paper analyses the livability, concerning traffic noise, in apartment buildings along one of the most heavily trafficked streets in Aarhus, Denmark. The case-study site is analyzed with noise prediction models and different improvements on the sound environment are proposed through qualitative aspects. The analyses are conducted using two different noise prediction models, opeNoise in QGIS and SoundPLAN. OpeNoise uses the noise prediction method CNOSSOS and SoundPLAN uses Nord2000. Noise maps 1,5 m above the terrain and facade noise levels are calculated. The results show noise levels on the facade far above WHO's limit, of . The noise pollution in the open space next to the roads also shows noise levels far above the recommendations, while the inner courtyard shows acceptable noise levels. Several subjective improvements of the sound environment are proposed, such as vegetation between the road and the building. Furthermore, different designs were proposed to reduce the amount of noise-polluted facades. This research work emphasizes the importance of considering qualitative parameters simultaneously with the noise prediction models.

Comparison of community response to road traffic noise by housing category

In 2023, a socio-acoustic survey on community response to road traffic noise was conducted in residential areas along several arterial roads in Kanagawa Prefecture as part of the Kanagawa University Cross-disciplinary Research Promotion Project. The survey targeted residents living in detached houses and apartment buildings. A questionnaire used for the survey was designed based on new findings from a survey conducted in 2021 using the Image Grid Method. Factors we focused were economic burden due to increased use of air conditioner, harmful impact of noise on family members, and importance of measures reducing noise. Regarding the noise exposure, we estimated Lden using noise maps, which were created for the survey. This paper presented the frequency distribution of the importance of measures reducing noise. In addition, applying multiple logistic regression analysis to individual data, we developed the exposure-response function for economic burden and harmful impact as well as listening disturbance and annoyance. Based on the results obtained, we discussed the importance of measures reducing noise and difference in exposure-response function between housing categories.

Ruin and Knowledge in Pera: Discovering Istanbul’s Genoese Heritage at the Moment of Its Destruction

Abstract The 1860s and 1870s saw a massive campaign of reordering of Galata and Pera’s urban space, led by the newly founded district municipality of Altıncı Daire-i Belediye (the Sixth District)—the model municipal organization for the rest of the Ottoman Empire. The most striking and widespread part of this campaign was the destruction of the district’s medieval Genoese walls, dating back to the fourteenth century. The walls and the attached moats were replaced by wider streets and modern apartment buildings, owned mostly by the local elites. This episode in the history of Istanbul has conventionally been narrated as a careless – albeit necessary—case of urban modernization, often in relation to the similar and roughly contemporary destruction of city walls in European cities. In this article, I rather argue that the destruction of the city walls was actually framed as a project of heritage and knowledge production from the very start. I trace how the history of the Genoese Pera was produced in the popular and scientific circles amidst the destruction of its most important physical manifestation, by concentrating especially on the central role played by the municipal archivist Victor-Marie de Launay. Launay’s later collaborations with Osman Hamdi Bey are relatively well known, but his contributions to the history of the district and an early discourse on urban heritage and archaeology are underappreciated, and, I argue, critical to understanding how the ruins of the district’s past were instrumentalized in making of a space for historical expertise. Launay was a central figure in the emergent antiquarian and archaeological networks in the Ottoman capital in the second half of the nineteenth century, the scholarly output produced in these circles had a lingering effect on the modern history-writing of Pera that has conventionally underlined its “European” heritage at the expense of its Ottoman past.

Towards circular renovation: a comparative review of circular economy integration in sustainable building rating systems

ABSTRACT Building renovation is widely considered an effective strategy for reducing the environmental impact of urban housing stock. In recent years, interest in ‘circular renovation’ – the application of Circular Economy approaches to building renovation – has grown but implementation pathways for circular renovations are still lacking. This study investigates Sustainable Building Rating Systems (SBRS) as an effective method to implement circular renovation by conducting a rigorous comparative analysis of residential SBRS against the established ReSOLVE framework's circularity principles (Regenerate, Share, Optimize, Loop, Virtualize, Exchange). The study focuses on apartment buildings dgiven their importance to urban housing stock and employs a qualitative content analysis on three SBRS (Living Building Challenge, Green Star Buildings, Building Sustainability Index) applicable to renovation. The research revealed that SBRS are progressing towards circularity but to varying extents and with different approaches. While Regenerate, Optimize, and Exchange principles are prominent, Share, Virtualize, and Loop need further integration in SBRS to facilitate circular renovation. The research also highlighted the potential social gaps of ReSOLVE. Although limited to three SBRS, the findings provide valid insights into Circular Economy integration in SBRS, thus synthesizing SBRS and Circular Economy knowledge and its implementation in apartment building renovation and beyond

Ghosts of Urban Past, Present, and Future in Ulaanbaatar

Ger districts, informal neighborhoods where residents live in traditional yurts, continue to house much of the Mongolian capital’s population. Government redevelopment plans, in an echo of socialist-era urbanization, call for moving inhabitants to new apartment buildings. The ger districts are often blamed for causing air pollution, poverty, and crime. But many residents are skeptical of the “apartmentalization” scheme and prefer to stay in the ger districts, even though they must provide for their own basic needs, like heat and water, since the state has not provided the necessary infrastructure.

Use of Vertical Greenery Systems for the domestic scale treatment of greywaters for fit-for-purpose reuse. Applicability and future prospects.

Abstract Only less than 1% of the Earth’s water is fit for human activities. Domestic consumption accounts for roughly 20% of all uses of water, adding pressure to the increasing water scarcity stress. Water intakes of residential buildings for all everyday uses are constituted by a high-quality resource, which is either costly to produce or conspicuous in amounts to withdraw from natural sources. The present proposal aims to test the feasibility of the application of decentralized greywater treatment strategies, based on the use of vertical greenery systems integrated into residential buildings to assess both the optimal scale of application in residential settlements and a comparative analysis on reclaimed water resource savings. The aim is to promote the circular use of water resources by allowing for fit-for-purpose employment, thus reducing the overall intake due to the residential sector. The methodology hereby proposed has been developed using as a case study the most widespread residential typologies in the Southern Italian context, such as single detachment, row houses, low and medium-rise apartment buildings. The result is the proposition for each residential typology of a retrofitting strategy that employs the integration of a green infrastructure inside the residential spaces. Until now, the Mediterranean context has been characterized by limited use of strategies directed towards the efficient employment of water resources, since the mild climatic conditions have always provided for an adequate amount of freshwater. Therefore, limited studies have been carried out on the application of those strategies in Mediterranean landscapes. However, the rapid shift in precipitation patterns due to climate change has defined the need to quickly embrace new strategies, systems, and technical solutions for improving water use efficiency and promoting reuse.

Multilayer prefabrication in practice

Pre-cast reinforced concrete walls manufacturing is still associated in Poland with large-panel construction, all the advantages of which have been crossed out by technological imperfection, terrible workmanship and boring, repetitive architecture. Meanwhile, modern large-panel prefabrication provides almost unlimited creative possibilities and ensures much better quality than traditional construction. The article describes application of modern multi-layer pre-cast elements made of reinforced concrete and light-weight expanded clay concrete in construction with the incorporation of BIM technology. It presents the advantages of prefabricated construction on specific examples at various scales - from single-family houses to large residential and apartment buildings. It also presents in detail the implementation process from design, through BIM modelling, production and quality control of elements and assembly.

Comparative assessment of simple and detailed energy performance models for urban energy modelling based on digital twin and statistical typology database for the renovation of existing building stock

The renovation wave calls for an integrated, participatory, and neighbourhood to neighbourhood approach tailored to the local environments. This can be hindered by the lack of geometric and performance input data about the existing building stock. A parametric digital urban building energy modelling (UBEM) tool was developed for local municipalities to automate calculations for comprehensive renovation strategies utilizing public databases specifically at the neighbourhood level. This article compares the accuracy of two energy performance calculation models (seasonal heat balance method and hourly resistance–capacitance method) used within the tool to detailed energy simulation software and measured energy consumption data of existing group of residential buildings in a same neighbourhood. The accuracy for estimating the total primary energy demand was roughly below 10 % for both simplified models. The seasonal calculation method showed consistent overestimation of space heating, depending on building characteristics. Solar and internal heat gains significantly affect the accuracy of simplified heat balance calculations, particularly in well-insulated buildings, while the more detailed 5R1C lumped capacitance hourly method provides improved accuracy for space heating demand. The comparison of uniform (proportional) and project based window area distribution used in the calculation models showed only marginal difference. The study validated simple seasonal and 5R1C hourly calculation methods using data from an apartment building neighbourhood with 22 apartment buildings. Despite larger deviations in the case of individual buildings, the average deviation from measured heating demand was only around 3 %, the seasonal method slightly overestimating and the 5R1C hourly method slightly underestimating the measured values. The primary energy demand including typical values of domestic hot water and household electricity was overestimated by both simplified methods due to lower electricity and water consumption in reality although the difference was below 7 % for the entire district. This concludes that pooling the building envelope heat loss calculation on a district level improves accuracy on average allowing better assessment of comparative renovation strategies.

Indoor Air Quality Management in Dubai: Assessing the Efficacy of Air Purifiers, Photocatalysts, and Window Ventilation in Reducing HCHO

This study investigates the characteristics of formaldehyde (HCHO) concentration and its reduction in newly constructed apartment buildings in Dubai. It addresses the significant health risks of high HCHO levels due to poor ventilation and extensive use of VOC-emitting materials. The research explores the effectiveness of various mitigation strategies, including air purifiers, photocatalyst applications, and window ventilation, in the living room, master bedroom (MBR), Room 1, and Room 2. HCHO concentrations were measured under different conditions: sealed windows, operation of an air purifier with a VOCs filter, and the application of a photocatalyst. The study followed a quantitative approach, recording real-time HCHO levels over 24 h. Results indicated that sealing windows led to HCHO concentrations surpassing the domestic standard of 0.1 ppm, with the MBR recording the highest concentration at 0.73 ppm. The air purifier showed minimal impact within the first 8 h but achieved an 18% reduction after 24 h of operation. Applying a photocatalyst to room surfaces resulted in a 50% reduction in HCHO levels. Ventilation through window openings significantly improved air exchange rates, with the air exchange per hour (ACH) increasing proportionally with window opening size. Smaller rooms with larger window-to-volume ratios, such as Room 1 and Room 2, maintained HCHO concentrations below the WHO standard of 0.1 ppm with partial window openings. The study concludes that window ventilation is the most effective strategy for reducing HCHO concentrations, highlighting the importance of integrating comprehensive ventilation designs in modern residential buildings to ensure healthier indoor environments in Dubai.

Framework for assessing the smart buildings intelligence degree

Assessing the intelligence degree of smart buildings is a complex challenge that has aroused researchers’ interest. In the researched literature, many indicators and factors used to assess building intelligence are generic and give rise to different interpretations. Furthermore, few studies establish criteria for measuring indicators, most of which are difficult to measure. Aiming to contribute to filling this gap, we proposed a framework for evaluating the intelligence degree of smart buildings and their systems, formed by indicators identified from extensive and detailed bibliographical research, which meets the premises of being easy to use, reducing the complexity of the evaluation process and enable a single interpretation by evaluators. The framework was organized by considering 91 indicators grouped into 11 sets relating to smart building systems, and it allows for the evaluation of the intelligence degree of four types of buildings: commercial, corporate, office, and apartment. We also propose a way to operate the framework through an electronic spreadsheet, mainly because electronic spreadsheets are commonly used and because the framework’s table format was easily translatable into an electronic spreadsheet. The results showed that all indicators were assessed as relevant, corroborating the view of the researchers who published on the topic. Also, the indicators were considered most relevant for commercial buildings, followed by corporate buildings, office buildings, and apartment buildings. They also show that the respondents considered the instrument adequate.

Neighborhood housing design using fifth generation manifesto towards nearly zero energy urban developments

Abstract Since cities are growing faster than ever before, this paper traces directly that the fifth generation of sustainable city dimensions is not a prosperous idea or a welfare mode of sustainability but a vital effective way to adapt to Climate change, provide energy production, increase carbon reduction, and enhance pedestrian-occupant thermal comfort. It is a systematic method to alleviate urban canyon temperatures, maximize shading in summer, enhance energy production, and minimize heat transfer. It shows better results than designing apartment buildings with parcel planning with its four wall surfaces absorbing heat all day long. Early from schematic design, the emphasis is based on freehand sketching, adjusting urban aspect ratio, courtyard housing closure ratio, compactness degree, and microclimatic orientation, then adding a layer of humanization with green corridors, and tree species numerically modeled based on microclimate with courtyarded passive housing clusters, moving towards detailed design execution with SCEB bearing wall construction having the majority of its mixture of clay which enhances thermal mass insulation, climate adaptation, indoor thermal comfort, and a green job opportunity. Afterward adding energy plus BIPV on the whole constructed microclimatic-based roof to twist the neighborhood into a power bank saving energy consumption, and to work as a double roof shading. It shows on the other urbanism coin side walkability, sequential visual order, urban identity, and architectural character. Numerical outdoor-indoor coupled simulations took place using Envi-met and DesignBuilder while meteorological and biometeorological parameters were measured. The new recipe ignites a sense of harmonizing results in enhancing environmental sustainability measures.