Concept Of Building Research Articles

Exercising a Process of Incorporated Self‐Reflexivity and Co‐Reflexivity: Conducting Research on Chinese Family Caregivers of End‐of‐Life Patients

ABSTRACTThere are considerable methodological and emotional challenges conducting research on family caregivers of end‐of‐life patients. In this article, we identified the major challenges encountered while studying a group of Chinese immigrant family caregivers of terminally ill patients. Drawing upon the concept of reflexivity and building on the previous literature, two types of reflexivity, self‐reflexivity and co‐reflexivity, were introduced and incorporated into a research process. It is argued that co‐reflexivity, where co‐researchers engaging in reflexive dialogues, can be an essential component to a process of reflexive activities, in addition to self‐reflexivity. During the journey of designing and applying this incorporated process, we were able to manage ethical, methodological and emotional challenges, to gain in‐depth and critical interpretations of the participant's narratives, to mitigate researcher biases, and to inspire new ideas for future research. We argue this process may serve as a working structure for exercising reflexivity within a small multidisciplinary/cross‐functional research team. It can be an unfinalized research method tool open for other researchers to adapt, revise and re‐create for their own implementation.

PENGUKURAN EKSISTING BANGUNAN BALI DENGAN KETINGGIAN TERTENTU MELALUI METODE MODUL MATERIAL BANGUNAN, PHYTAGORAS DAN 3D MODELING STUDI KASUS BANGUNAN BALE BANJAR TENGANAN, BALI

Balinese building concepts such as nawa sanga, tri mandala, Tri Angga and others are the basic concepts for Balinese buildings in the past and present. One concept that is often found in Balinese buildings is the tri angga concept, this concept reflects the feet, body and head of the building. Balinese buildings always have feet (foundation), body (wall) and head (roof) in each building, this has also become an official regulation of the Balinese government requiring buildings that want to have a building permit must have the Tri Angga concept. Many old Balinese buildings have the tri angga concept, but it is very unfortunate that old Balinese buildings have begun to be abandoned, dismantled and renovated to the current era. This problem is caused by the existing old Balinese buildings not having technical drawing data that can be used as a basis for buildings to be renovated. People prefer buildings to be dismantled and replaced with new buildings because it will be easier to build new buildings than to renovate old buildings without technical drawings. The problem of why old buildings do not have technical drawings is because the building measurement process requires many people and must be measured manually to the top of the building. Many costs will be incurred for one building resulting in this measurement process not being carried out. This problem becomes the mindset of the purpose of this research. The purpose of this research is to find the development of measurement methods, from manual methods to easy-to-do measurement coding systems. In this study, quantitative methods will be used with the help of material modules, Pythagorean formulas and 3D methods. The results of this study found that old Balinese buildings can be measured from the angle of the building, using material modules can calculate the distance from the structure, and the Pythagorean geometry formula is the key to this measurement scheme.

Effectiveness of Using Ludo Game-Based Learning Media to Improve Understanding of Spatial Building Concepts in Elementary School Students: Literature Review

Understanding the concept of spatial structures is a significant challenge in elementary school mathematics education due to its abstract nature. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Ludo game-based learning media in enhancing students' understanding of spatial concepts. This research uses a literature review method to analyze various previous studies using game-based media to teach spatial concepts. The findings indicate that Ludo games significantly improve students’ cognitive understanding by visualizing abstract concepts more concretely, fostering active and interactive learning, and reinforcing concepts through repetition. Additionally, this medium enhances students' learning motivation and spatial skills. However, its implementation faces challenges, such as diverse student abilities, limited classroom time, and the need for teacher training to integrate the games into the curriculum. These findings highlight the substantial potential of Ludo games in addressing difficulties in mathematics education, particularly in understanding spatial concepts. This study recommends integrating game-based media into teaching strategies to create a more engaging and effective learning environment.

Structural equation modelling of the critical barriers influencing the adoption of green building concepts and technologies in Ghana

Purpose In Ghana, the adoption and application of green building concepts and technologies have not been fully explored. The study aimed to look into the key barriers and how they affect this. Design/methodology/approach Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select a total of 292 construction industry stakeholders in Ghana who provided information via a questionnaire survey used for the data collection. Exploratory factor analysis and Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used for computing the data analyses. Findings According to the study findings, the top five most critical barriers to the uptake of green building concepts and technologies (GBCs and Ts) in Ghana are: lack of government incentives/supports for implementing green building technologies (GBTs), lack of knowledge and awareness of GBTs and their benefits, lack of GBTs databases and information, Lack of green building (GB) expertise/skilled labour and Higher costs of GBTs. Principal Component Factor Analysis was used to further analyse the data, which allowed for the reduction of the 27 (27) factors to just four (4) underlying critical barriers: (1) government and knowledge-associated barriers, (2) technical barriers, (3) cost and finance barriers and (4) stakeholders’ attitude barriers. PLS-SEM techniques were used to analyse this collection of barriers, and the results showed that stakeholders’ attitude-associated barriers and cost and finance-related barriers have a significant negative influence on the uptake of GBCs and Ts in Ghana. This study’s findings have provided empirical evidence of the critical barriers to the uptake of GBCs and Ts from all stakeholders. Stakeholders desirous of implementing GBCs and Ts would work against the negative influences on the uptake of GBCs and TS. Originality/value Although there has been an abundance of research to examine the critical barriers to GB, however, the uniqueness of this study is nested in modelling the influence of the barriers on the adoption of GBCs and Ts using the PLS-SEM path modelling.

Meeting Global Trends in Nigerian Architectural Education: A Case for The Green Building Concept

The teaching of architecture as a course of study in a Nigerian Institutions dates back to the 1960s’. Although slight changes were being effected in the ensuing years, the curriculum on architectural education has largely remained the same. With the advent of globalization in more recent times however, architecture has been presented with new opportunities, challenges and trends. This paper identifies one of such contemporary issues as the green building concept. The concept, developed as a reaction to global outcry on the negative impact of buildings on the environment, imbibes eco-friendliness as its prime design philosophy. This paper however observes that although the green building concept currently attracts a tremendous amount of attention at the global level, the concept has not been commensurately reflected in the curriculum of architectural education in Nigeria. The paper therefore recommends a review of the curriculum to meet the new challenges and opportunities been presented by the green building concept. This it believes will keep architectural education in Nigeria abreast with an issue of current global interest and consequently enhance the global relevance of the Nigerian graduate architect.

BENDRUOMENĖS KŪRIMOSI SVARBA IR NAUDA GYVENAMOJOJE VIETOVĖJE: X MIESTO ATVEJIS

Community building is an important macro and micro phenomenon. This means that the community is economically important in terms of the state's financial resources, their improvement, and growth. The micro-scale is extremely important when it comes to social factors that affect every resident. Therefore, the main goal of this article is to analyze the importance and benefits of community building in the case of X city. The literature section provides insights into the benefits and importance of community building. The concept of community building is analyzed. The study found that the importance and benefits of community building in a residential area include three of the most important and beneficial factors: economic, social, and health connections. During the research, it was revealed that in the presence of a community, the economic factors of the residents became much higher: increasing the awareness of new and small businesses, establishing long-term relationships, promoting business. Social connections are another extremely important phenomenon, thanks to which communities are created. Members of the community make new acquaintances more easily, it is easy for the settlers to get involved in the activities of the community, it promotes the quality of life and safety. Health connections and the interconnectedness of the benefits and importance of community building are another population influencer. It is extremely significant in terms of health, due to the constantly held competitions, which promote the active life of community members, and as a result, the quality of health.

Global digital political economy and its concerns: is digital imperialism the elephant in the room?

Digitalisation has become so pervasive in contemporary life as to almost define it. Digitalisation is underlined by the myriad ways in which daily life and living in the last 30 years has become decidedly entangled in digital artefacts, infrastructure and networks. The latest COVID-19 pandemic provides the most recent empirical, incontrovertibly global and demonstrable snapshot of this reality. This commentary concerns itself with what all of this means for Africa’s and, by extension, the Global South’s place in the scheme of global power mediated by the era of digitalisation by focusing on the idea of digital imperialism. While the idea of digital imperialism has been introduced in the burgeoning literature on digitalisation, it has been undertheorised and therefore egregiously neglected. Drawing insights from the fields of techno-politics, science and technology studies (STS), development studies and international relations, the commentary offers some conceptual building blocks wound around the idea of digital imperialism as a starting point for catalysing understanding about Africa and the power dynamics of the digitalisation turn in the global political economy.

A study on the design and concept of Guilin Landscape Building in Shang Kuo based on the Beaux-Arts system

ABSTRACT The Beaux-Arts system, once an important international architectural design method, represents a significant and challenging area of research when considering its localization in China. Shang Kuo, a Chinese architect influenced by the Beaux-Arts concept, demonstrates the heritage and development of the Beaux-Arts system through his landscape buildings in Guilin. This study selects six representative cases from Shang Kuo’s landscape buildings in Guilin and analyzes them based on the Beaux-Arts system. The analysis focuses on four aspects: plan composition, spatial composition, facade composition, and the formal aesthetic laws of composition. The research reveals that Shang Kuo’s works exhibit three balanced choices of axis composition in their plans. He innovatively incorporates elements such as residential buildings, garden architecture, traditional Chinese art, and natural elements into the composition of his buildings, while emphasizing the harmonious integration of interiors and facades and adhering to the principles of aesthetic form. This study shows the way of localizing Beaux-Arts architecture through Shang Kuo’s landscape buildings in Guilin and contributes to the understanding of the development of modern Chinese architecture.

Impact of layout strategy and sector-coupling on the multi-criteria assessment of energy technology concepts for residential buildings

Energy system transformation needs decentralisation, decarbonisation and sector-coupling. Local energy systems are often customarily designed using heuristics for the technology layout. However, optimisation of the technology layout and operation is considered a powerful tool. Therefore, we investigate the influence of an optimised layout and the coupling of the electricity and heat sector on economic, ecological and technological criteria. The criteria comprise the annual costs, CO2 emissions, and the energy performance in terms of self-sufficiency and self-consumption. We consider typical energy technology concepts with fixed technology combinations for the heat and electricity supply of residential buildings. The optimisation is performed using a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming under the objective of minimal costs. The assessment is done using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. An optimised layout is found to reduce costs at the expense of emissions and energy performance. In comparison to the heuristic layout, especially the storage sizes differ among the layout strategies. Sector-coupling leads to CO2 emission savings and a higher self-consumption of the PV energy produced within the system. The multi-criteria assessment reveals higher performance scores for heuristically laid out concepts under a local sensitivity analysis of the criteria weights.

The Casco concept as an enabler for interdisciplinary design: Designing with flood risk in Venice, Italy

ABSTRACT The environmental crisis demands for an interdisciplinary design of urban infrastructure to increase resilience to climate change. Interdisciplinary design is about integration of data, concepts, ambitions and goals by bridging instrumental differences between engineering and spatial design. This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary design study that deals with persistent flood issues in the Venice lagoon (Italy). The study illustrates how the differences in languages, methods and tools of the disciplines can be overcome by interdisciplinary collaboration directed towards the designing of spatial and technical solutions. Two design proposals are instrumentally described through the lens of the Casco and the Open Building concepts; both advocate the creation of an overarching frame as the basic condition for adaptive design. The paper gives insights on how to cooperate in interdisciplinary design settings in educational environments and builds knowledge on the collaboration between fields that might be relevant also for professional figures.

Post-Soviet Ethnodemographic Dynamics as a Factor of National Building in Kazakhstan

The study’s relevance lies in understanding how changes in the population composition of Kazakhstan affect the development of Kazakh national identity. The purpose of the work is to cover the problem of the influence of the ethnodemographic situation in post-Soviet Kazakhstan on the process of national building. The study employed a range of analytical techniques, including content analysis of policy documents and media reports, structured interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and comparative analysis of ethnodemographic data from multiple cities. These methods were supported by a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2021–2022. The article explores Kazakhstan’s national building concept, comparing ethnodemographic shifts from the Soviet era to independence. The article is valuable for researchers studying how demographic changes affect Kazakh national identity and domestic politics in a multiethnic context.

Evaluation and Implementation of Green Building in Office Building (Case Study: Munara 99 Sabilulungan Building)

Green Building concept is the concept of building planning to fulfill a better life for the next generation. A building can be classified as a green building if it meets the requirements and has green building certification. The purpose of this research is to analyze and evaluate the existing building criteria, namely the Munara 99 Sabilulungan building through the calculation of Greenship GBCI v1.2 assessment points because there is no green building assessment and rating from GBCI so that an evaluation of green building assessment is needed. A descriptive method with an evaluative approach was chosen to describe and compare the existing condition of the building with the greenship assessment tool for new buildings v1.2. The GBCI greenship assessment for new buildings v1.2 consists of 6 categories, namely land use suitability, energy efficiency and conservation, water conservation, material sources and cycles, space health and comfort, and building environmental management. To support the GBCI greenship assessment, the data used are building shop drawings, Bill of Quantity (Boq), interview results and field observations. Based on the results of the green building assessment, the Munara 99 Sabilulungan building received a GBCI bronze rating with a score of 44 points. To improve the green building rating to a gold rating, the Munara 99 Sabilulungan building is recommended to improve several categories so that it can get a gold rating with a value of 67 points and for improvements to increase the rating requires a cost of Rp 1,790,085,000, -.

Optimizing cooling setpoint using adaptive thermal comfort concept for school building in desert climates under current and future climates

Optimizing cooling setpoint using adaptive thermal comfort concept for school building in desert climates under current and future climates

Applying the concept of zero-energy buildings in the design of cultural centers through interaction with the user

Applying the concept of zero-energy buildings in the design of cultural centers through interaction with the user

Unleashing the Power of Civil Society: Examining the Impact of the Saudi Green Building Forum in Advancing Eco-friendly Construction in Saudi Arabia

This paper delves into the role of civil society in propelling green building practices, one key to a sustainable future. It focuses on the Saudi Green Building Forum (SGBF) “in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, since 2017” as a case study that illuminates how civil society organizations contribute to environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic prosperity in the construction sector. The concept of green building is traced from its origins through its global development, explicitly emphasizing notable examples from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Saudi Arabia. The paper reassures the audience by outlining the unique and robust alignment of SGBF’s initiatives and its support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring its commitment to global sustainability. The study presents a descriptive analysis based on desktop research, illustrating the transformative impact of civil society in promoting sustainable construction practices through the SGBF. Key aspects covered include the historical evolution of the green building movement, successful implementations of green building standards, and the activation of civil society institutions and organizations in driving sustainability. The paper showcases SGBF’s strategies and projects as exemplary models of civil society’s contribution to greening the built environment and fostering a sustainable future in Saudi Arabia and beyond. The objective is to inspire by highlighting civil society’s far-reaching impact on the construction sector’s environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development.

Sustainability assessment with the green retrofitting concept for building: A study case in the Gresik regency, Indonesia

In green construction, sustainable resources are essential. One such material is copper, which is widely utilized in electronics, transportation, manufacturing, and residential buildings. As a very useful material, it has many beneficial impacts on human life. Observed from the recent demand spike is in line with the overall trend and the current growing smelter construction in Indonesia. Researchers intend to adapt the existing Copper Smelting Plant Building into an environmentally friendly building as a part of the production chain, in addition to reducing public and environmental concerns about the consequences of this development. We have identified a disparity in cost, where the high cost of green buildings is an obstacle to its implementation to enhance the cost performance with increased renewable energy of the Smelter Construction Building, this study investigates the application of LEED parameters to evaluate green retrofit approaches through system dynamics. The most relevant features of the participant assessments were identified using the SEM-PLS approach, which is used to build and test statistical models of causal models. We have results for this Green Retrofitting study following significant variables according to the following guidelines: innovation, low-emission materials, renewable energy, daylighting, reducing indoor water usage, rainwater management, and access to quality transit.

An Adaptive Energy Orchestrator for Cyberphysical Systems Using Multiagent Reinforcement Learning

Reducing carbon emissions is a critical issue for the near future as climate change is an imminent reality. To reduce our carbon footprint, society must change its habits and behaviours to optimise energy consumption, and the current progress in embedded systems and artificial intelligence has the potential to make this easier. The smart building concept and intelligent energy management are key points to increase the use of renewable sources of energy as opposed to fossil fuels. In addition, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) provide an abstraction of the management of services that allows the integration of both virtual and physical systems in a seamless control architecture. In this paper, we propose to use multiagent reinforcement learning (MARL) to model the CPS services control plane in a smart house, with the purpose of minimising, by shifting or shutdown services, the use of non-renewable energy (fuel generator) by exploiting solar production and batteries. Furthermore, our proposal dynamically adapts its behaviour in real time according to current and historic energy production, thus being able to handle occasional changes in energy production due to meteorological phenomena or unexpected energy consumption. In order to evaluate our proposal, we have developed an open-source smart building energy simulator and deployed our use case. Finally, several simulations with different configurations are evaluated to verify the performance. The simulation results show that the reinforcement learning solution outperformed the priority-based and the heuristic-based solutions in both power consumption and adaptability in all configurations.

Research and scholarly methods: Research collaboration

AbstractThe pursuit of research and scholarly productivity is critical for clinician scientists, yet achieving impactful outcomes often necessitates collaboration within a well‐structured team. This review explores the foundational elements of team building that support sustained research productivity among health care professionals and academicians. Drawing on principles from team science, the importance of establishing a shared vision and mission, fostering authentic relationships, and creating an efficient infrastructure to enhance and sustain collaborative efforts is discussed. The four stages of team development—forming, storming, norming, and performing—are examined to provide insights into the dynamic nature of teamwork. Emphasizing the need for intentional practices, we highlight methods for identifying and integrating team members, managing conflicts, and leveraging diverse skill sets to achieve collective goals. Best practices for sustaining research teams, including the implementation of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Time‐related) goals, regular retreats, and strategic alignment of activities to maximize output are also discussed. Two collaborative teams are used as exemplars to illustrate the successful application of these principles, resulting in significant scholarly output. By understanding and applying the concepts of team building, clinician scientists can enhance their research output, contribute to the advancement of health care, and achieve a fulfilling and sustainable career.

The Value of ‘Modernization of Common Prosperity for All’ and its Practical Path

The realization of common prosperity is not only the ardent aspiration of the people as a whole, but also the essential requirement of Chinese modernization and the unremitting goal of the Communist Party of China. Over the past hundred years, the CPC has, in the course of practical exploration of Chinese modernization, realized a critical transcendence of capitalism's modernization of material expansion, and created a modernization path of common prosperity for all people. The practice of common prosperity reveals the inherent spirit of the Chinese road, showing the values that are different from those of Western-style modernization: affluence, justice, harmony and development. From the perspective of historical materialism, the modernization path of the common prosperity of all the people rejects the logic of social division of capital, adheres to the concept of building and sharing, and effectively promotes social justice, which is in line with the criteria of social progress and the value orientation of human historical development.

FoCa – Free of Carbon Architecture –an educational and informational online platform supporting the decarbonization of the construction sector in Poland and Turkey

Wrocław University of Science and Technology, in consortium with the Polish Association of Ecological Buildings (PLGBC), the Institute of Building Technology (ITB) and research and scientific units from Turkey, started the international project FoCA – Free of Carbon Architecture. Its aim is to create a publicly available tool – an interactive internet platform providing information on the environmental properties of construction materials and products available in Poland and Turkey. The platform allows users to compare and evaluate the environmental impact of selected building materials. As part of the platform's development, information is collected about building materials or products available on local markets, in the form of data describing their selected environmental impacts (GWPfossil, GWPbiogenic, GWPtotal, TRPE, TNRPE, WD). The platform allows to compare building materials and perform analyzes for conceptual building designs. In addition, producers of building materials can also benefit from the project because they will receive information about the environmental properties of some of their products. The platform will be available in the second half of 2024.