Apartment Buildings Research Articles

대구시 신천변 공동주택 입면 색채 분석

대구시 신천변 공동주택 입면 색채 분석

Problems of mortgage housing lending in conditions of economic instability and prospects for its development

This article analyzes the problems of mortgage housing lending in the Russian Federation. Such an indicator as the dynamics of housing commissioning is considered, the dynamics of the commissioning of apartment buildings (MCD) and individual housing construction (IHS) are compared, and trend methods for forecasting the prospects for the development of the housing mortgage lending market based on a time series are proposed.

Post-occupancy evaluation of residential properties: a case study on an organizational multistorey apartment building

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an exemplary application of an indicative post-occupancy evaluation (POE) on an organizational multistorey residential apartment building.Design/methodology/approachThis research comprises of mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches. The methodology commences with a review of the recent literature, identification of performance elements, conduct of walk-through, distribution and collection of users' surveys and the development of short and long-term recommendations, where an adequate sample of users were approached for conducting a focus group interview session.FindingsThe research identifies 74 performance elements that were clustered into technical, namely (thermal, acoustic and visual comforts, indoor air quality and safety and security), functional, namely (design adequacy, finishing, furnishing, fittings and equipment and building surroundings) dimensions and behavioral, namely (apartment building attributes and managerial and logistical support). The questionnaire survey aimed to solicit users' opinions upon the occupied case study residential facility.Originality/valueThe research identifies areas of occupants' satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a typical multistorey residential building, as a part of a community housings for a mega organization, located in Saudi Arabia. The identification of these areas serves as a lesson learned for future developments, design considerations and implications. Hence, improving the well-being and comfort of its employees.

Acquaintances or Familiar Strangers? How Similarity and Spatial Proximity Shape Neighbour Relations within Residential Buildings

ABSTRACT While scholars have long established that city dwellers choose with whom to develop relationships on the basis of social proximity, spatial proximity remains the basis for neighbour relations involving greetings, social conversation, and the exchange of services. Few studies have systematically compared the respective roles of spatial and social proximity in neighbour relations. In this paper, we investigate these two factors through statistical analysis of four social network datasets representing relationships within four rented apartment buildings in Geneva, Switzerland. Using a measure of distance that takes into account how the layout and materiality of buildings shape relationships through accessibility, visibility and audibility, we compare the effects of spatial proximity with the effects of individual determinants and similarity. Our study also breaks new ground by comparing weak ties – between people who interact regularly – and “invisible ties”, or ties to familiar strangers. Our study confirms that spatial proximity increases the likelihood of weak ties and questions the underlying mechanisms. It also shows that in addition to sociability, familiarity and anonymity are constitutive dimensions of neighbouring, even at the scale of buildings.

Passive Window Energy Performance in Buildings: Modeling of Apartment Buildings in Indonesia

Along with urban growth in urban areas and energy consumption, which continues to increase every year, the selection of windows in the initial design is essential to obtain buildings that are not energy intensive. Selecting the correct window in the blueprint design reduces building energy consumption. Smart windows, especially thermochromic windows, are one of the most promising window technologies because they are the most economical and have passive control with zero energy input, which holds good promise for energy-saving applications. Apart from that, double-glazing windows are also frequently used in energy-saving applications. Therefore, a study compared the energy-saving potential of thermochromic and double-glazing windows to clear glass windows, using computer modeling through EnergyPlus, in high-rise apartment buildings in cities throughout Indonesia's diverse climates. From the modeling results, total energy consumption can be reduced by around 8.91% to 10.96% of total building energy consumption by replacing the conventional clear glass with double-glazing windows or more able to reduce about 20.22% to 24.19% by replacing the conventional clear glass with thermochromic windows. Furthermore, this potential varies depending on geometric shapes, materials, building facades, local climate, and building orientation. Nevertheless, considering the potential benefits, these windows are highly suitable for application in buildings seeking to reduce their energy consumption and improve energy efficiency.

Statistical parametric and non-parametric control charts for monitoring residential water consumption

The adoption of strategies for monitoring water consumption is essential for water resources management, contributing to the promotion of the sustainability in the water sector. Statistical process control (SPC) charts, which are widely used in the industrial sector, are statistical methods developed to improve the quality of products and processes. The application of this method has reached other areas over the last decades and has recently been identified as an option for environmental monitoring. In this context, the application of SPC charts emerges as an option for water consumption monitoring, whether in a building or an urban scale. Thus, this article aims to analyze the application of statistical process control charts in the monitoring of water consumption of two housing compounds in Joinville, southern Brazil. The methodological procedures include the use of the Shewhart and the EWMA control charts in addition to the non-parametric alternative, the EWMA-SN, assessing the effectiveness of these techniques in detecting water leaks in residential apartment buildings. The data sets, obtained through a telemetry metering system from the water utility, represent a period of 243 days. The results show that control charts are a powerful tool in identifying changes in water consumption patterns, with the EWMA chart flagging the leaks sooner.

Understanding the Challenges of Implementing Green Roofs in Multi-Family Apartment Buildings: A Case Study in Khulna

Green roofs are widely recognized for their multifaceted benefits to the environment, economy, and society, constituting the fundamental pillars of sustainability. These roofs contribute to the enhancement of bio-physical diversity, provision of food resources, regulation of temperature and rainfall-runoff patterns, creation of wildlife habitats, and augmentation of aesthetic and recreational value. While Bangladesh, with its favourable climatic conditions and rapid urbanization, possesses immense potential for harnessing the advantages of green roofs, their adoption remains limited in both research and practical applications within the country. Addressing this research gap, the present study aims to investigate the barriers impeding the implementation of green roofs in existing or new multi-family apartment buildings, focusing specifically on the city of Khulna. Through a combination of case studies and a comprehensive questionnaire survey administered to diverse stakeholders including apartment dwellers/owners, architects, developers, and government officials with varying levels of expertise, this research sheds light on the obstacles hindering Green Roof Implementation (GRI). The identified barriers encompass a lack of governmental policies, inadequate technological advancements, inaccurate estimation of economic benefits, and individual resistance. In light of the perspectives of various GRI stakeholders, strategic proposals encompassing policy, technical, economic, and social dimensions are presented to surmount these barriers. The outcomes of this study contribute to the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the impediments to GRI implementation, thereby inspiring further research endeavours and enabling decision-makers to formulate robust policies facilitating the widespread adoption of green roofs.

Energy justice in heat metering: Findings from a Danish experiment of metering and distribution in residential apartment buildings

According to EU regulations on heat metering, households should be metered individually and pay accordingly. However, in apartment blocks, heating is often provided for the whole building, and different ways of distributing costs are used. In Denmark, an investigation has been carried out into new ways of distributing costs, using indoor climate measurements of temperature, CO2 and humidity. Incorporating these three types of measurements in payment distribution can create an incentive to encourage residents to pursue a healthier indoor climate with lower energy consumption. This paper reports on qualitative interviews with residents as well as housing staff taking part in the experiment, relating empirical findings to questions of justice and ethics raised in the literature. Analysis reveals differing levels of understanding among residents concerning metering systems and rationales, including in relation to cost distribution and questions of justice. The experiment was carried out in social housing blocks where some residents could be categorised as vulnerable in terms of limited income and specific heating needs. Furthermore, issues of global climate and justice from an intergenerational perspective are also considered. This paper therefore draws on wider discussions about energy justice and vulnerability related to types of heat metering, and shows how these issues are interlinked with the socio-material context and the interplay with socio-technical constructions of comfort norms. The relevance of country-specific insights are thus demonstrated at a European level and beyond.

Space Efficiency in Finnish Mid-Rise Timber Apartment Buildings

As in many other building types, space efficiency in mid-rise timber apartment buildings is one of the critical design parameters to make a project feasible. Space efficiency depends on varying selection criteria related to construction materials, construction methods, and proper planning. To date, no study provides a comprehensive understanding of space efficiency in mid-rise timber apartment buildings. This paper examined data from 55 Finnish mid-rise timber apartment buildings built between 2018 and 2022 under the Finnish Land Use and Building Act to increase the understanding of which factors and design parameters influence the space efficiency of mid-rise timber apartment buildings. The main findings of this study indicated that: (1) among the case studies, the space efficiency ranged from 77.8% to 87.9%, and the average was 83%; (2) the mean values of the ratios of structural wall area to gross floor area, vertical circulation area to gross floor area, and technical spaces (including shafts) to gross floor area were found to be 12.9%, 2.6%, and 1.5%, respectively; (3) construction methods or shear wall materials make no significant difference in terms of space efficiency, and there is no scientific correlation between the number of stories and space efficiency; (4) the best average space efficiency was achieved with central core type, followed by peripheral core arrangement. This research will contribute to design guidelines for clients, developers, architects, and other construction professionals of mid-rise timber apartment building projects.

The moscow courtyards of the eastern patriarchates and their struggle for the "property of the entire greek nation" after the revolution of 1917

The article examines the situation of the farmsteads of the four Eastern Patriarchates in post-revolutionary Moscow. Special attention is paid to the struggle of the official representatives of the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Jerusalem for their Moscow apartment houses reflected in correspondence with various Soviet authorities. Responding to the attempts motivated by the decrees of the Soviet authorities to nationalize the households of the farmsteads, their abbots used a wide range of arguments, up to the declared concern for the Middle Eastern proletariat. At first they tried to justify the inviolability of their property by the charitable nature of the use of the income received from it, then they shifted the emphasis to the secularism of the institutions they represent (the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Jerusalem) and, finally, they began to assert the impossibility of nationalizing what, in their opinion, has already been nationalized by the Greek nation. The fluctuations of representatives of various Soviet bodies, to which the abbots of Greek farmsteads, including the Moscow Soviet and the NKID of the RSFSR, applied with their petitions, are shown. In fact, the end of the question was put at the beginning of 1919 by the chairman of the VIII Liquidation Department of the NKYU, P.A. Krasikov, who had no doubt what policy regarding religious organizations should be carried out in Soviet Russia (a policy ensuring their complete early liquidation). The seizure of apartment buildings foreshadowed the subsequent termination of the activities of the Moscow farmsteads of the Eastern Patriarchates, although attempts were made to revive it until the second half of the 1920s, and Constantinople - even until the second half of the 1930s.

Colorful low-emissivity paints for space heating and cooling energy savings

Space heating and cooling consume ~13% of global energy every year. The development of advanced materials that promote energy savings in heating and cooling is gaining increasing attention. To thermally isolate the space of concern and minimize the heat exchange with the outside environment has been recognized as one effective solution. To this end, here, we develop a universal category of colorful low-emissivity paints to form bilayer coatings consisting of an infrared (IR)-reflective bottom layer and an IR-transparent top layer in colors. The colorful visual appearance ensures the aesthetical effect comparable to conventional paints. High mid-infrared reflectance (up to ~80%) is achieved, which is more than 10 times as conventional paints in the same colors, efficiently reducing both heat gain and loss from/to the outside environment. The high near-IR reflectance also benefits reducing solar heat gain in hot days. The advantageous features of these paints strike a balance between energy savings and penalties for heating and cooling throughout the year, providing a comprehensive year-round energy-saving solution adaptable to a wide variety of climatic zones. Taking a typical midrise apartment building as an example, the application of our colorful low-emissivity paints can realize positive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning energy saving, up to 27.24 MJ/m2/y (corresponding to the 7.4% saving ratio). Moreover, the versatility of the paint, along with its applicability to diverse surfaces of various shapes and materials, makes the paints extensively useful in a range of scenarios, including building envelopes, transportation, and storage.

What are the energy and greenhouse gas benefits of repurposing non-residential buildings into apartments?

This study examines the potential strategies for reducing embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions through adaptive reuse of non-residential buildings for residential purposes, as compared to new construction of apartment buildings. Such an approach can address housing crises in urban areas with an abundance of underutilized non-residential buildings, promoting sustainable housing growth. A comprehensive assessment of repurposing in California reveals approximately 510 million m² of floor space across 230,000 non-residential buildings in the current building stock. The potential reduction in embodied energy and CO2eq emissions ranges from 0.14 to 1.4 billion GJ and 5.0–70 million metric tons for the state, respectively, contingent upon the percentage of repurposed floor space (10–100%) and adaptive reuse scenario (retaining structural components and façade or solely the structure). A repurposed building avoids about 56% of embodied energy, 34-48% of CO2 eq emissions, and 72% of materials by mass compared to building a new apartment building. However, various technical, financial, and regulatory challenges may hinder emissions reductions, necessitating proactive policy measures. Cities can potentially expedite the process by streamlining approvals for mixed-use adaptive reuse projects involving both commercial and residential spaces.

The reaction to the war which came: an examination of a cold war shelter from the 1960s and the Swedish response to the war in Ukraine

ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of the relationship between civilians and politicians towards cold war air-raid shelters in Sweden, and how the encounter between Russia and Ukraine might affect how individuals perceive what was previously considered obsolete relics of the cold war. The study makes use of the air-raid shelter at Halvtumsgatan 3 in Gothenburg and interviews are conducted with its tenants, the landlord of the apartment building, as well as a local politician currently part of the municipality council. The text applies a theoretical framework based on post-colonial theories such as Homi Bhabha’s Encounter and Third-Space theories, and it is stressed that a change in the relationship between civilians, the shelter and Sweden’s national foreign policy is the result of the encounter between both Ukraine and Russia. This result is attained by focusing on the case study Halvtumsgatan 3, through interviews, and observing policy changes from the Swedish government.

Estimation of energy demand and greenhouse gas emission reduction effect of cross-laminated timber (CLT) hybrid wall using life cycle assessment for urban residential planning

The building and construction sector accounted for 36% of final energy use and 37% of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2020. According to a recent study, if the global population grows to 9.3 billion by 2050, new infrastructure development will cause approximately 350 Gt of CO2 emissions, corresponding to 35–60% of the remaining carbon budget available up to 2050 if the average temperature increase is to be limited to 2 °C. Material substitution is one way to reduce embodied energy and CO2 emissions. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), a bio-based material, can be an alternative to concrete and steel, which are the most energy- and carbon-intensive materials. However, there is a limit to the immediate application of CLT to the entire building. This study confirmed greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy consumption reductions when CLT was applied to the exterior walls of 52 apartment building types. Substituting CLT for concrete in the exterior walls resulted in a 44.6% savings in GHG emissions and 49.3% in energy demand. GHG emissions per floor were reduced by −16,906 kg CO2-eq, while energy consumption per floor was reduced by −256,896 MJ. If CLT is used in 30% of the exterior walls of the 800,000 houses planned to be constructed in Seoul by 2030, the energy savings and GHG reduction effect are expected to be −11,495 TJ and −0.86 Mt CO2-eq, respectively.

Корпоративный подход к решению государственных задач: отраслевой аспект

The article provides a critical analysis of the content of corporate governance, which is a system of management actions fixed by the internal documents of the corporation and aimed at achieving its goals, and the corporate approach to business process management, the main difference of which is the interest of all participants in business projects, regardless of the form of ownership of capital. The role of the corporate approach in solving state tasks is defined, the basis of which is determined by the state’s presence in the implementation of individual projects, performing the functions of a co-owner of resources, coordinating the activities of all participants, and controlling the results of the project, including intermediate ones. Monitoring of the condition of life-support facilities in the cities of the Donetsk People’s Republic was carried out, the results of which indicate large-scale destruction of social and industrial infrastructure and housing stock. The results of the study of the state and dynamics of the restoration work allowed us to draw conclusions about the heterogeneity of damaged objects in terms of the degree of damage, the period of destruction, and the prospects for restoration. The study of the dynamics of certain types of construction work indicates the need for the active participation of the state in the restoration of both infrastructure facilities and apartment buildings. The problems of carrying out restoration work are formulated, which consist of the need for the state to participate in the engineering and project support of restoration work, especially at certain significant facilities, the provision of complex special equipment, and the high resource intensity of the projects being implemented.

A feasibility analysis of waste concrete powder recycling market establishment: Hong Kong case

The construction industry has been focused on sustainability, particularly with regards to reducing CO2 emissions and recycling construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This study focuses on the alternative technology adaptation of carbonized pavement compact production by using waste concrete powder (WCP) which can be a substitute material to concrete and also able to absorb CO2. While material scientists embraced and developed this technological application, the financial perspective for adopting this technology has yet to be properly addressed. This paper conducts a feasibility assessment, which includes technical, environmental, social, and financial factors, from different stakeholders' perspectives (government, construction contractors, and material manufacturers) to launch the production of carbonized pavement compact by utilizing WCP. The benefit-cost analysis underlies the Evolutionary Game Model functions' formulation, which emphasizes not only the obvious financial benefits from WCP or its carbonized compacts sale but the benefits from the absorption of CO2 during the compacts production and avoiding WCP disposal at a landfill. The results based on a Hong Kong case (typical multistorey apartment building) identify promising scenarios where a minimum of 2300t of WCP is required for stakeholder interest in recycling, and a WCP wholesale price of 150HKD/t is suitable for the C&D contractor to participate in the recycling market. The study also estimates a cost-effective selling price of finished carbonized WCP compacts, which is competitive with similar products on the market. Important insights are drawn to initiate the WCP market and consequently increase the sustainability of the C&D recycling market.

Highlighting of the Interwar identity of the Fokionos Negri street-linear park.

The Greek legal framework for the protection of the architectural heritage of the center of Athens promotes, for historical-political reasons, its archaeological wealth and neoclassical interpretation, neglecting the protection and promotion of important buildings and open spaces of the 20th century which, as modern monuments, complete the city’s image and identity, interpreting its evolution mechanisms and the way that people appropriate it in the everyday life. Our research project aims to study the historic urban landscape of the Fokionos Negri street- linear park that has been formed during the first half of the 20th century and hosts many buildings characteristic of "Athenian modernism", an area of significant importance for the functional and social evolution of the wider center of Athens. The research goals have a triple approach, architecture, landscape and social. One of the main goals is the presentation and analysis of the notable morphological and typological features of the interwar apartment buildings on the street, but also of the history of their people. This approach is presented in the issue we created for one of the Interwar apartment buildings and landmark of the area, the Lanaras family’s apartment building. The project aims to contribute both to the documentation of the interwar architectural heritage of Athens and to the production of a broad framework of knowledge that may be the basis for how to understand and appreciate the historic urban landscape in Greece, in order to elaborate the criteria of its protection and prudent management.

Effects of adsorption and filtration processes on greywater microbiological contamination and the potential human health risk reduction

Abstract Recycling treated greywater (GW) for onsite, non-potable applications can reduce the potable water demand typically used for non-potable purposes. The conventional methods for GW treatment are limited in their ability to remove wide-ranging pollutants in ways that are inexpensive and use low energy. For this reason, effective and low-cost onsite treatment options are in demand. This study examines the effectiveness of sand filtration (SF), granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), and activated carbon (AC) in the treatment of GW from a residential apartment building in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The study relies on four different pilot-scale experimental setups to investigate the effectiveness of SF, AC, and GBFS in treating microorganisms from GW and evaluate the microbial risk reduction using these treatment processes. A quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach is used for risk assessment. Results show that GBFS achieves a higher reduction of total coliform (TC) (0.54–2.05 log removal) and fecal coliform (FC) (1.96–2.30 log removal) than AC. SF improves reduction by 0.13–3.39 log removal and 1.11–3.68 log removal for TC and FC, respectively. The study also reveals substantial FC and Escherichia coli risk reduction by SF, AC and GBFS.

Legality of reducing the regulatory provision of apartment buildings with parking spaces as a subject of prosecutor’s supervision

The article considers the role of the prosecutors office in ensuring the legality of decisions of authorized authorities that allow interested parties (in particular, developers) to reduce the number of equipped parking spaces during the construction of apartment buildings in relation to the regulatory parameter provided for by the urban planning regulations of the territorial zone in which the developed area is located. The issue of lack of free parking spaces has always been one of the urgent problems of any metropolis. In this regard, the proper implementation of the law when issuing permits for deviations from the maximum parameters of permitted construction requires special attention from the prosecutors office. The article substantiates that these permits, despite the lack of clarity of legal regulation, cannot be accepted solely on the basis of the discretion of the authorized body, without establishing legal conditions. Sometimes compliance with the public procedure for discussing the issue of granting an appropriate permit is mistakenly considered as a sufficient basis for issuing it. Therefore, when checking the implementation of the law, the prosecution authorities should not be limited only to studying documents confirming compliance with the procedural regulations for the actions of the authorized body, but also evaluate the actions of the supervised person in terms of the completeness of the study by him of the presence of special characteristics of the land plot that do not allow fulfilling the regulatory parameter as required the number of parking spaces.

Energy retrofit alternatives for three apartment buildings in Kosovo

AbstractThe need to decrease energy use represents a challenge particularly in developing countries, including Kosovo, considering the unsustainable, insufficient, and inconsistent energy supply. This contribution presents a simplified yet comprehensive approach to evaluate the energy performance improvement potential of three selected multi-family residential buildings using building energy models generated from calibrated and simplified input parameters. To this end, alternative retrofit measures were tested via a simulation-based parametric study. The energy benefit of each retrofit alternative was estimated and analyzed. Results are expected to provide valuable information towards outlining design guidelines for energy-efficient residential buildings in Kosovo.