Architectural Building Research Articles

Thresholds of Architectural Morphology of Yoruba Buildings in Southwest Nigeria till the Millenia

The literary materials on Yoruba architecture that are more common are descriptive. They dwell mostly on the massing of units, individual configurations within buildings and cultural patterns in ornamentation. The direct links between the living spaces and their socio-cultural implications are emphasized to explain the origin of the forms. The morphological chronology in the building patterns is regarded as vernacularisation processes especially from the traditional patterns to the vernacular traditions. There are hardly any publications of Yoruba architectural buildings beyond the later vernacular patterns like the Afro-Brazilian style. While these volumes of literature are mostly limited to the traditional and vernacular styles, the ethno-acculturation of more contemporary and foreign building patterns like the "international" and the "postmodern" styles into the body of indigenous architectural building patterns of the Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria are not being investigated and published. The culture of a people is preserved in their architecture. If the culture of the Yoruba is preserved in their buildings, the cross-pollination of the Yoruba culture with different inputs from foreign cultures should be evident in the new indigenous buildings that are evolving up till the end of the twentieth century. This chapter material has organized the different lines of thought in the morphology of indigenous architectural building patterns of the Yoruba into a continuum that extends beyond the limits of the current body of literature on the topic. It attempts to decipher the new forms and elements of the buildings of later Yoruba indigenous architecture up till the turn of the twentieth century. The emphasis is on the definition of newer building patterns that can be termed as "indigenous" to the Yoruba culture in Southwest Nigeria. Having increased the ambit of the Yoruba architecture concerning the building patterns beyond the exposition of the previous publications, the current surcease on the morphology of Yoruba architecture in print can be broken to open up more research and publications on contemporary thresholds of the indigenous Yoruba architecture. The chapter is concluded with a guide on the identity of buildings of indigenous architecture of the Yoruba even within the morass of foreign building patterns that crowd the Yoruba towns in Southwest Nigeria.

Structures incorporating damping devices: Are we correct in our design thinking?

The use of discrete damping devices in New Zealand buildings is increasing as designers seek to limit damage to both architectural and structural building elements in moderate earthquakes. The overall damping of the structure becomes a combination of inherent material damping, hysteretic damping from yielding of building elements at specific locations and damping from discrete devices. For over 60 years, engineers have used simplified analysis procedures (e.g., modal response spectrum analysis) to predict building response under seismic actions. The design of structures incorporating viscous dampers requires a paradigm shift in approach as the force each damper resists is a function of the relative velocity between its ends. Popular pseudo-static design methodologies promote the use of a viscous strut in the analysis model to represent them. However, it is incorrect to use elastic, mode-based analysis for a structure incorporating damping devices and relying on significant inelastic behaviour. This paper elucidates the complex mechanics of damper-structure interaction by reviewing some of the established classical, modal‑based, simplified analysis techniques used in seismic design. A series of numerical investigations demonstrate how these techniques are usually invalid for structures that incorporate viscous dampers because they violate the laws of physics. The reason why mode-based techniques are invalid is explored with reference to the imaginary components of the natural modes of vibration and the effect on them of significant inelasticity within the structure. The dynamic characteristics of viscous dampers challenge conventional design approaches such as displacement-based design. This paper establishes that nonlinear time-history analysis is the only meaningful way of predicting the dynamic response of a structure incorporating viscous dampers when significant inelastic behaviour of the structure is expected.

Development of the Reed Industry Group Through Training in Financial Management, Management and Sustainable Architectural Building Design

Industry plays a vital role in reducing poverty in developing countries. In Bali, the creative industry has developed rapidly, although initially, it was still small. The alang-alang roofing industry, which focuses on producing and using roofing from alang-alang leaves, is a significant sector in the construction and property development industry. This material is used in traditional buildings and modern, environmentally friendly building designs. A case study of the "Tegal Wangi" thatched roof industry in Lodtunduh Village, Ubud, shows that financial management and risk management are essential for the success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Financial education through simple bookkeeping is essential to provide in-depth understanding for business owners and managers. In addition, risks in this industry include competition, changes in customer demand and quality, and fluctuations in raw material prices. Solutions like product diversification and flexible marketing strategies can help manage these risks. Sustainable architectural building design is also a crucial factor. Collaboration between architects and industrial owners can create functional, aesthetic buildings resistant to extreme weather. Using sustainably sourced reeds and following environmentally friendly farming practices are essential steps in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.

Public meeting building in Tomsk: Problems of restoration

The article discusses one of the first large buildings built by K.K. Lygin in Tomsk. It is the Public Meeting building at 50, Lenin Ave. New information is given about the history of its construction. The building is analyzed in the historical and architectural context. The planning and architectural space and its analysis describe the building in various historical periods. Chronological events of the building's existence are presented herein. New information complements the creative biography of the architect, expands knowledge about the Public Meeting building as a significant and unique architectural building in Tomsk.

SOCIAL PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF SPACE: STUDY OF PUBLIC-MARKET IN BANDUNG, INDONESIA

This paper aims to examine the role of architecture in social production and consumption of space, using public markets –architectural artifacts with rich social contents– as cases. This research adopts Low’s (2017) concept of social production of space and Dovey’s (2010) social constructivism of place to uncover the social production and consumption of public markets’ space. Cihapit and Pamoyanan market in Bandung, Indonesia, are selected as research cases, due to their cultural contents, appealing to consumers from middle to upper class society. It is found several roles of architecture in social production and consumption of public market space: building typology and morphology signifies historical context of development; architectural buildings contributes to formalize trading activities and elevating social class of market traders; commodities zoning is organized based on functional and socio-historical consideration; spatial intensity is determined by access and commodities zoning; informal atmosphere emerges as a distinctive advantage of public markets; and spatial quality is relative depends on governance capacity. Although normative criteria for good design can be formulated, in practice, spatial quality of public market is relative and depends on its capacity for spatial governmentality. By exploring social production and consumption of space and place provides broader perspective on the social practices of architecture, emphasizing its contribution for social and humanity studies.

An Efficient Hybrid Deep Learning Accelerator for Compact and Heterogeneous CNNs

Resource-efficient Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are gaining more attention. These CNNs have relatively low computational and memory requirements. A common denominator among such CNNs is having more heterogeneity than traditional CNNs. This heterogeneity is present at two levels: intra-layer type and inter-layer type. Generic accelerators do not capture these levels of heterogeneity, which harms their efficiency. Consequently, researchers have proposed model-specific accelerators with dedicated engines. When designing an accelerator with dedicated engines, one option is to dedicate one engine per CNN layer. We refer to accelerators designed with this approach as single-engine single-layer (SESL). This approach enables optimizing each engine for its specific layer. However, such accelerators are resource-demanding and unscalable. Another option is to design a minimal number of dedicated engines such that each engine handles all layers of one type. We refer to these accelerators as single-engine multiple-layer (SEML). SEML accelerators capture the inter-layer-type but not the intra-layer-type heterogeneity. We propose the Fixed Budget Hybrid CNN Accelerator (FiBHA), a hybrid accelerator composed of an SESL part and an SEML part, each processing a subset of CNN layers. FiBHA captures more heterogeneity than SEML while being more resource-aware and scalable than SESL. Moreover, we propose a novel module, Fused Inverted Residual Bottleneck (FIRB), a fine-grained and memory-light SESL architecture building block. The proposed architecture is implemented and evaluated using high-level synthesis (HLS) on different Field Programmable Gate Arrays representing various resource budgets. Our evaluation shows that FiBHA improves the throughput by up to 4 x and 2.5 x compared to state-of-the-art SESL and SEML accelerators, respectively. Moreover, FiBHA reduces memory and energy consumption compared to an SEML accelerator. The evaluation also shows that FIRB reduces the required memory by up to 54%, and energy requirements by up to 35% compared to traditional pipelining.

DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUAL REALITY APPLICATION FOR A HISTORIC VILLA AND THREE CONSTRUCTION PHASES

Abstract. The use of Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming increasingly important and popular. This technology is widely used in various fields such as industry, construction, architecture, medicine and scientific research. With the rapid development of VR technology, the cost of the required hardware is decreasing, making this technology available to a wider range of users. VR applications offer many opportunities to present different topics in a novel and informative way. This paper presents the development of a VR application for the "Villa Michaelsen" (hosting the Falkenstein Doll Museum) in Hamburg, Germany for the 100 years anniversary. It offers the possibility to move in and around the architectural historic building, designed and built 1923 by the architect Karl Schneider, a representative of the New Building Movement, and to look at different information, photos as well as construction phases and drafts.

NEURAL RADIANCE FIELDS (NERF) FOR MULTI-SCALE 3D MODELING OF CULTURAL HERITAGE ARTIFACTS

Abstract. This research aims to assess the adaptability of Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) for the digital documentation of cultural heritage objects of varying size and complexity. We discuss the influence of object size, desired scale of representation, and level of detail on the choice to use NeRF for cultural heritage documentation, providing insights for practitioners in the field. Case studies range from historic pavements to architectural elements or buildings, representing diverse and multi-scale scenarios encountered in heritage documentation procedures. The findings suggest that NeRFs perform well in scenarios with homogeneous textures, variable lighting conditions, reflective surfaces, and fine details. However, they exhibit higher noise and lower texture quality compared to other consolidated image-based techniques as photogrammetry, especially in case of small-scale artifacts.

African Traditional Arts and Ornamentation in the Architecture of the Cultural Centre Ibadan

Art and architecture have been intertwined throughout history. Art in its various forms has played a vital role in the lives of African people as evident in their architecture. The paper reviewed the African visual culture with respect to ornamentation in the built environment as well as the variations of cultural heritage in the anthropogenic sense. The study adopted a qualitative approach using the case study method with the selection of the Cultural Centre Ibadan. The 1977 Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) held in Lagos, Nigeria inspired the architecture of the National Theatre in Lagos, and other cultural centres in other cities in Nigeria including the Cultural Centre, Ibadan which exemplified African arts and ornamentation in its façade and spaces. The Cultural Centre Ibadan is a significant masterpiece adorned with African traditional arts and ornamentation. It embodies a bold fusion of art and architecture evident in the intricate sculptural reliefs that beautify its walls, the wooden and metal ornamentation embellishing its halls and lobbies, the luscious blend of geometrical forms and shapes in its façade, its harmony with the undulating landscape and the concrete anthropomorphic sculptural pieces that welcome guests into the entrance quadrangle. The themes of the arts and ornamentation of the Cultural Centre Ibadan reflect traditional Yoruba cultural festivals, philosophical and religious motifs that has transformed the building into a cultural heritage. Artfully embellished architecture with symbolic meanings like the Cultural Centre Ibadan affords the dividends of cultural emancipation, cultural renaissance and cultural preservation. The interweaving of art and architecture in public buildings should be promoted.

BIM-based multi-objective optimization framework for volumetric analysis of building projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a building information modelling (BIM)-based multi-objective optimization (MOO) framework for volumetric analysis of buildings during early design stages. The objective is to optimize volumetric spaces (3D) instead of 2D spaces to enhance space utilization, thermal comfort, constructability and rental value of buildings Design/methodology/approach The integration of two fundamental concepts – BIM and MOO, forms the basis of proposed framework. In the early design phases of a project, BIM is used to generate precise building volume data. The non-sorting genetic algorithm-II, a MOO algorithm, is then used to optimize extracted volume data from 3D BIM models, considering four objectives: space utilization, thermal comfort, rental value and construction cost. The framework is implemented in context of a school of architecture building project. Findings The findings of case study demonstrate significant improvements resulting from MOO of building volumes. Space utilization increased by 30%, while thermal comfort improved by 20%, and construction costs were reduced by 10%. Furthermore, rental value of the case study building increased by 33%. Practical implications The proposed framework offers practical implications by enabling project teams to generate optimal building floor layouts during early design stages, thereby avoiding late costly changes during construction phase of project. Originality/value The integration of BIM and MOO in this study provides a unique approach to optimize building volumes considering multiple factors during early design stages of a project

Revealing the features of international secondary education systems and their influence on the architecture of buildings of educational organizations (on the example of India)

Secondary education is compulsory all over the world. The implementation of this educational level takes place in school buildings of various sizes and types. It seems appropriate to study the features of the educational systems of the largest countries and their impact on the architecture of the school building with the subsequent systematization of similar and distinctive features with the Russian typology of school buildings in order to find the best options for its transformation in response to changes in external influencing factors. The article discusses the features of the development of the education system in India with an emphasis on the middle level. The current regulatory documents are analyzed, the most typical examples of school buildings are given. The issue of the development of digital education in the country is highlighted.

Analisis Penerapan Konsep Desain Arsitektur Tropis pada Hotel Alila Seminyak, Bali

Title: Implementation’s Analysis of Tropical Architectural Design Concepts at Alila Seminyak Hotel, Bali Tropical architecture is born from efforts to adjust to the climate in the tropics. Tropical architectural design always shows the form of adaptation of buildings to the environment. Traditional Balinese houses that function as community residential units are one of the tropical architectural typologies with the main advantage of thermal comfort, especially on air circulation flow that flows well throughout the building. However, when reviewing further commercial buildings in Bali, especially star hotels, the implementation of tropical architecture is a theme that requires deep design thinking. Adjustment to Balinese regional regulations on buildings is very binding; limited sites and demands for comfort and suitability of building functions are challenging for architects to design an accommodation building with a tropical architectural concept. Alila Seminyak Hotel is one of the five-star hotels outside the ITDC Nusa Dua area, which tries to form a tropical architectural identity as the main attraction. This qualitative descriptive research takes the case study of Alila Seminyak Hotel. Assessment analysis was carried out on the physical form of the hotel building, which was then appropriated and compared with tropical architectural theory. The results of this study show that the implementation of tropical architecture in the Alila Seminyak hotel building can be classified into several main elements, namely, first is the form of laying the building period on-site, second is the orientation pattern of the building, and third is The physical design of the building emphasizes, that this building have three main concept designs, it is namely insulation, shading, and cross ventilation.

A case study of industrial heritage buildings at the Rjukan and Notodden site in Norway

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) site of Rjukan and Notodden in Norway consists of unique industrial heritage values because of its architecture and engineering from the first decades of the twentieth century. During this period, construction technology experienced speedy developments in Norway, and many different building systems influenced the construction industry. Today, the preserved site with 24 selected industrial buildings offers great insight into the diversity of industrial heritage but bears also substantial conservation challenges. This presents a unique research opportunity, and this case study, which is part of a larger research project, aims to establish an overview of industrial building systems and architecture. The study revealed that industrial and high-rise structures have many commonalities despite very different architectural expressions and functions. Progression from craft-driven to prefabricated mass construction was not an isolated incident but a result of global industrialisation. This affected construction technology and influenced the evolution of both building typologies. Studying and analysing how case buildings resist loads and how that relates to system development helps understand the industrial heritage of this site. Through findings, this research intends to support heritage conservation schemes where practising architects, engineers and contractors can apply them for forthcoming project work.

The WUJUD BANGUNAN ARSITEKTUR BALE SAKENEM

Bale Sakenem is one of the many buildings of traditional Balinese architecture which function to accommodate traditional ceremonial activities. Its specific function is to prepare and carry out religious ceremonies for Hindus. Basically, this architectural building has a wall structure that has six pillars or six saka, therefore this architectural bulding is named Bale Sakenem. The contruction ans structure of this building uses wood materials. Bale Sakenem is owned by all residents’ houses in the Panglipuran Tourism Village, Kubu District, Bangli Regency, Bali. Basically, it still maintains itsshape, structure, contruction and ornaments, but there are changes that have occuredin the materials. This reseach uses a qualitative descriptive method with an ase study approach. Research data was obtained from direct observation in the Panglipuran Tourism Village. The research conclusion shows that the materials used in the Bale Sakenem architectural buildings still use wood materials with changes in wood types nowadays.

Exaptation in Transitional Urban Morphologies: First Notes on the Dynamics of Urban Form Read through the Theories of Natural Evolution

Studying the dynamics of urban form means questioning the processes of evolution of the form in general. The current discussion on the architecture of buildings and urban spaces has drawn the concept of adaptation from theories of natural evolution. These notes propose a reflection on the opposite and controverse concept of exaptation as it was proposed by the biologist and paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould in 1982. Through some examples (the different transformations of some Roman amphitheaters of the imperial age and the metamorphoses that occurred in the 20th century to some Chinese urban fabrics, originally made by courtyard houses), it is possible to extend to urban forms the idea of the casual co-optation for new uses of organs and anatomical parts developed for other reasons. This kind of reflection opens up innovative considerations on the potential of transitional urban analysis and its repercussions on evolutive urban transformation processes.

The Influence of Dai-Traditional Ethnic Culture on Local Bamboo Building Architecture--Taking Xishuangbanna as an Example

By analyzing the overall structure and basic uses of Dai bamboo buildings, the paper discusses the relationship between Dai bamboo buildings and Dai People’s Daily life, religious beliefs, family concepts and the relationship with nature, etc., and produces a more in-depth study and exploration of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Starting from the structure of the Dai bamboo building, this paper provides basic knowledge of bamboo building from three aspects: building materials, overall structure, and basic functions. Secondly, it discusses in detail from the perspectives of religious belief, family concepts, respect for nature, and social and entertainment. It puts forward that the bamboo tower is the bearer of the specific lifestyle of Dai people in Xishuangbanna and contains their group philosophy. Finally, it is believed that the bamboo tower is the bearer of the Dai people’s culture and the result of its unique cultural comprehensive influence.

Bitcoin Layer Two Scaling Solutions: Lightening Payment Channels Network Comprehensive Review, Mechanisms, Challenges, Open Issues and Future Research Directions

Blockchain technology era is triggered due to current advancement in the decentralized paradigms via facilitating secure collaboration among untrusted entities consequently superseding the necessity for the trusted third parties’ existence. Notwithstanding its potential, blockchain scalability faces severe limitations such as low throughput, high fees, and confirmation time latency. Several scaling solutions have been proposed, including layer one solutions that substantially require fundamentally amending blockchain underlying infrastructure resulted in further scalability complications. Layer two solutions, specifically Lightning Network, is a successful cryptographic layer built atop of the Bitcoin blockchain that aims to alleviate these implications by deporting transaction processing outside blockchain while ensuring security and consensus inherited from blockchain without compromising its infrastructure. Payment channels form the core of the lightning network, facilitating fast and secure transactions between participants. However, the network encounters substantial obstacles associated with transaction amounts that exceed the current channel capacity, leading to payment failures and limiting its effectiveness. Payment Channel Networks (PCN) have been risen as an evolved replacement that solves payment channel’s issues, seeking to enhance transaction throughput and reduce confirmation delays by solving limited capacities shortages. This paper thoroughly examines PCN efficiency impacting factors that hinder its current adoption growth and avoiding its widespread employment. Additionally, existing solutions are reviewed and categorized based on the PCN building architecture. The research concludes by outlining potential research avenues and future directions to improve the efficiency and practicality of the Lightning Network PCN. This research contribution aids the advent of blockchain layer two technology and participates in its integration into real-world applications.

The Future of Smart Buildings: Integration of IoT in Construction Engineering

Internet of Things isn’t always approximately about the things themselves; it’s approximately being clever. IoT is real and helpful because of its ability to apply intelligence to sense facts, especially in the context of construction engineering. A smart building’s architecture is a great place to start as IoT is reshaping every aspect of a building, from design to occupancy to maintenance. The experience of workers, control, and tenants is being optimized through the use of IoT data to inform decision-making. Better facilities may simplify corporate processes and increase revenue in smarter homes. The goal of intelligent houses is sustainability. There are several methods for automating tasks with the Internet of Things. It is necessary to address every single facet of the building architecture. This article discusses the problems and technologies of IoT-based smart building architecture. The Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded systems provide the foundation of the “Smart Building” idea. Together with smart lighting in smart buildings and seismic detection, the model that is being shown has several features. When the smart lighting system turns on and off, it is determined by the amount of natural light available and the presence of people within the building. In order to reduce the amount of maintenance needed, smart dustbins that open up when they sense a person are available. Watering systems that are designed to measure the moisture content of the soil are extremely useful for the maintenance of lawns. A seismic activity detection module allows for early warnings of earthquakes and other seismic activity that may occur in the future. It has been successfully developed a smart building concept that uses Arduino and a cloud server to analyze the data gathered from the smart building.

An Analysis of the Typology of Architectural Structures in Contemporary Iranian Mosques (Case Study: Mosques in the Cities of Sanandaj and Isfahan)

The architecture of a land such as Iran, with its distinctive shapes, forms, and designs, has manifested with both similarities and differences in various periods and regions. This phenomenon is most evident in the embodiment of the most important religious building after Islam, the mosque, which reflects the art and architecture of the people. Therefore, examining and analyzing Iranian mosques from the perspective of architectural structure (form and function) can reveal the features and distinctions among them, thus contributing to the development and enhancement of this type of architecture and, more broadly, to the architecture of contemporary religious buildings. The aim of this study is to identify the spatial and structural characteristics of these buildings and to classify the typology of mosques, particularly in the cities of Sanandaj and Isfahan, in line with the research objectives. This research employs a descriptive-historical-analytical typology and identifies the criteria for mosque construction to explain the types, categorize them, and examine case studies. Field investigations and library studies have also been utilized in this process. Ultimately, the findings indicate that the iwan-courtyard and domed types represent the most frequent examples in these regions. Additionally, the columned iwan, domed chamber, courtyard, and surrounding corridors are key elements in the architectural structure of mosques in these areas. Indeed, by focusing on these architectural elements and promoting their development and expansion in national architecture, the position of mosque architecture can be significantly enhanced at both national and international levels. Moreover, these elements can be innovatively incorporated into the architectural structure of other contemporary buildings.

THE OLD AND NEW CASTLES IN THE TOWN OF ROHATYN: DEVELOPMENT OF PLANNING STRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTURE

According to historical documents, the city of Rohatyn was one of the most developed and well-fortified cities in Ukraine during the 16th and 17th centuries. From the city's founding, two structural parts were planned: the town center (sredmiste) and the castle. The development of the town center and its urban structure has been analyzed in several of our previous scholarly works. Despite significant destruction during the First and Second World Wars, the town center has retained its historical layout and part of its architecture. The city's fortifications, however, have been irretrievably lost. On the site where the castle once stood, no structures have survived, and today, the city authorities plan to develop residential quarters in this area as part of urban planning projects. The aim of our publication is to illustrate what the architectural complex of the Rohatyn castle was like and to create scientific prerequisites for archaeological research and for revising the plans for the use of this territory. The castle, its history, and its architecture remain largely unexplored. By the end of the 17th century, the castle consisted of two parts: the Old Castle and the New Castle. Three unidentified buildings from the New Castle have survived to this day. As for the Old Castle, researchers have only determined its location. The scientific literature does not provide detailed coverage of the layout and architecture of both castles during the 15th-18th centuries. In our article on this subject, published in issue 10 of this journal (Nr. 10, pp. 17-29: Notes on the History and Architectural- Planning Reconstruction of the Rohatyn Castle), we presented materials on the location, territorial configuration, and general layout of the castle complex. It was established that the complex consisted of two adjacent parts connected to each other. Based on newly acquired materials, we can now conduct a deeper analysis of the castle's history, particularly using the texts of the castle's inspections from 1663 and 1725, and employ the 1666 drawing of the church and castle as an iconographic source. From the analysis of these sources, we attempt to determine which objects constituted the castle complex and the elements that made up the structure of its fortifications. By systematizing information from maps and two inventory descriptions, we reconstruct the stages of development and architecture of the castle buildings and offer a hypothetical graphic reconstruction of the Old Castle's layout, the layout of thepalace building, and the hypothetical appearance of the castle's northern façade during the late 17th to early 18th century. Based on the results of the investigation, a hypothetical graphic reconstruction of the planning structure of the Old and New Castles was performed. The planning structure of the palace as at the tiime of the beginning of the 18th century has been reproduced. On the basis of a schematic drawing from the 17th century, we performed a graphic reconstruction of the appearance of the defensive walls and buildings of the Old Castle from the north side.