Building Design Research Articles

The design of neighbourhood open spaces to improve mental health: a critical review of restorative spatial characteristics and their applicability in design practice

ABSTRACT As urbanisation continues to increase, a rising prevalence of individuals dealing with stress-related mental health issues can be observed. Psychological restoration research can teach designers which spatial characteristics should be implemented in neighbourhood open spaces to enhance psychological restoration and improve citizens’ mental health. Unfortunately, this information is scattered across different fields, and it is unclear if the research results can be applied in design practice. Therefore, this study aims to identify restorative spatial characteristics and their applicability in neighbourhood open space design to improve citizens’ mental health, and critically reflect upon the current literature to guide future research and design practice. A scoping literature review (N = 62) resulted in 32 restorative spatial characteristics that can be applied in design practice. According to the literature, designers should focus on a variety of vegetation, consider the position of design elements, and optimise the design of adjacent buildings to enhance restorative potential. Although more research is needed into the applicability of the currently available information in real-life settings and for a variety of participant groups, this study is a first step in bringing together research of different fields on the design of neighbourhood open spaces that improve mental health of all citizens.

Evaluating the response modification factor (R) for reinforced concrete and steel structures equipped with TADAS devices designed for high seismic hazard in Colombia

Colombia is a country with high seismic activity due to its location at the convergence of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, making structural safety a key priority in the design, construction, and retrofit of buildings. Currently, one of the most used seismic resistance systems are moment-resisting frames, due to their easy construction and good behavior under vertical loads, however, they are susceptible to structural damage when subjected to moderate to high-intensity earthquakes, which makes the use of seismic protection systems an adequate alternative to prevent damage during seismic events. The Colombian seismic design code NSR-10 proposes a design methodology using a linear structure that represents a non-linear behavior of the building when the expected design earthquake occurs through the response modification factor R. However, the NSR-10 seismic design code does not contemplate the response modification factor for structures with seismic protection systems. Therefore, in this research, a design procedure was configured for buildings with moment-resisting frames of reinforced concrete and steel equipped with TADAS (triangular-plate added damping and stiffness) dampers. The procedure evaluated the developed response modification factor of structures located in high seismic hazard areas in Colombia and considered regular buildings with varying numbers of stories and special energy dissipation capacity. The capacity of the structures was evaluated through nonlinear static analysis using the Pushover method in SAP2000 software. Finally, the response modification factors were calculated for regular buildings with moment-resisting frames and different numbers of stories.

Glass a Scarce Commodity

The adoption of glass reuse in construction faces challenges due to higher costs and more perceived risks compared to new glass. This conflicts with the goal of a circular economy. To challenge this status quo, this article explores a hypothetical scenario where glass becomes a scarce commodity. What if the float glass production process ceases to exist due to energy resource depletion, raw material scarcity, or carbon budget constraints? In such a context, glass reuse will be crucial. This article discusses the design, logistics and quality related challenges of reusing float glass, including structural integrity and energy performance considerations. Additionally, this article investigates the potential for glass reuse by analysing ongoing and future research, supply-demand dynamics, innovative building design, the concept of the future glass factory, and the re-evaluation and promotion of regulatory frameworks. To promote glass reuse, the article emphasizes customization over standardization. Considering the diverse dynamics of projects, from high-rise buildings to terraced houses, and varying regional construction requirements, solutions must be specific and adaptable, rather than standardized.

Referentna vrijednost za novu drvenu zgradu s gotovo nultom potrošnjom energije u Europi

To mitigate dangerous climate change, a drastic reduction of CO2 emissions is needed by 2030. Buildings contribute significantly to emissions, with the use phase of existing buildings being responsible for the majority of energy consumption. In addition, environmental problems associated with the production of raw materials, construction, and the end of life of buildings are serious concerns that require urgent solutions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and the EU-recommended Environmental Footprint (EF) are widely accepted tools to measure environmental impacts throughout a product life cycle. However, assessing the environmental performance of wooden buildings remains a challenge. This study presents a benchmark for an average new European wooden building fulfilling the European nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) requirement. The benchmark utilizes the recommended EU EF impact categories with normalization and weighting, allowing for easy and quick comparisons. The results communicate the average environmental impact per square meter of floor area over one year. This benchmark is a suitable comparison point for new wooden building designs and is used as an effective tool for architects and designers during the initial planning stages of wooden buildings. By using this benchmark, the environmental performance of the building can be improved, and the communication and interpretation of LCA results can be facilitated for customers and other relevant stakeholders.

Factors affecting evacuation in intellectually disabled children: An experimental study

Children with intellectual disabilities are considered a vulnerable group in evacuations during emergencies, yet their evacuation needs have not received sufficient attention. To bridge this gap, this study provides one of the very few experimental analyses of the evacuation of intellectually disabled children. Therefore, this study aimed to gather unique evacuation data for intellectually disabled children and identify factors influencing their evacuation process. Two evacuation experiments were conducted on 49 intellectually disabled children aged 7 to 16 from a special education school. Data collected through video recordings include recognition time, response time, pre-movement time, indoor travel speed, horizontal travel speed, and vertical travel speed. This study explored whether and how several key factors (e.g., drill announcement status, sex, age, floor level, and students' dependency behavior) affect the evacuation of intellectually disabled children. Results indicate that drill announcement status significantly affected the recognition time and pre-movement time in intellectually disabled children but did not impact their response time or travel speed. The floor level on which children were located significantly influenced their evacuation process, with children on higher floors showing longer response and pre-movement time and slower indoor travel speed and horizontal travel speed compared to those on the first floor. Additionally, the dependency behavior of these children on teachers significantly influenced their recognition time. Moreover, this dependency behavior tended to be prevalent among intellectually disabled children during emergency evacuations. These findings provide valuable insights for the design of educational buildings tailored to the needs of special populations, evacuation simulation modeling, and the development of building regulations.

Thermal-Responsive Smart Windows with Passive Dimming and Thermal Energy Storage.

Chromogenic smart windows are one of the key components in improving the building energy efficiency. By simulation of the three-dimensional network of polymer hydrogels, thermal-responsive phase change materials (TRPCMs) are manufactured for energy-saving windows. For simulated polymer hydrogels, tetradecanol (TD) and a color changing dye (CCD) are filled in situ in poly(n-butyl isobutyrate) (PBB) networks. TRPCMs convert solar energy into thermal energy through a dark blue CCD. The TD phase change material (PCM) absorbs heat energy to become a transparent liquid. Simultaneously, the CCD changes from blue to colorless and transparent at around 45 °C. As a result, as-prepared TRPCMs transform from an opaque state at room temperature to a high-transparency state after melting (74.5%). TRPCMs also show a good thermal storage capacity, with a phase transition enthalpy exceeding 161.9 J g-1. As-prepared smart materials can simultaneously achieve photothermal conversion, thermal energy diffusion, latent heat storage, and resistance to liquid leakage at the phase interface between opaque and transparent states, providing more options for the design of energy-saving buildings.

A Perceptual Assessment of the Physical Environment in Teaching Buildings and Its Influence on Students’ Mental Well-Being

Numerous studies have examined the impact of the built environment on mental health, yet there remains an underexplored area concerning how microenvironments within educational buildings affect students’ mental well-being from a physical environment standpoint. This paper fills this gap by utilizing data from 440 valid questionnaires to develop regression models that assess students’ perceptions of physical environment factors in college teaching buildings and their impact on anxiety likelihood. This study examined the physical environment of the teaching building’s interior, courtyard, and semi-outdoor areas. Findings indicate that students’ perceptions of specific physical environment factors—such as classroom ventilation (p < 0.01, OR = 0.330), lighting (p < 0.01, OR = 0.444), noise conditions (p < 0.01, OR = 0.415), courtyard thermal comfort (p < 0.01, OR = 0.504), and the views from semi-outdoor areas (p < 0.01, OR = 2.779)—significantly influence the likelihood of experiencing anxiety. Optimal physical conditions are linked to reduced student anxiety. The suitability of the physical environment of teaching buildings is interrelated, and it is urgently necessary to address issues related to unsuitable lighting in window areas of classrooms, as well as problems with ventilation, lighting, and noise caused by the corridor layout within teaching buildings. These insights are crucial for the design and renovation of academic buildings to enhance students’ mental well-being.

Optimization testing for the modeling and characterization of three-dimensional elements to enhance interoperability from building information modeling (BIM) to building energy modeling (BEM)

The principal aim of the different authors regarding the issues concerning the interoperability between Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Building Energy Modelling (BEM) platforms is focused on workflow automation. This article aims to focus on the modeling practices, by suggesting practical modeling recommendations for BIM modelers, which improve the exportation results to BEM platforms. The project followed a two-phase methodology consisting first of the proposal of a line of modeling recommendations based on a literature review, and second of the application of the recommendations, using an experimental model. At the outset, the authors recompiled research papers, software tutorials, and the main author's usage (by tool testing). The recommendations were organized by categories and fields of implementation. For the second phase, a single-family housing project was assigned for the testing procedures. The project was modeled with the two main BIM platforms available for the research (Autodesk Revit and Graphisoft Archicad). The testing procedures included the implementation of the recommendations by categories, and each category was evaluated by two premises: the geometrical consistency of the exported model with the project (by using the Aragog gbXML viewer tool), and the utility of the imported model on a BEM platform (by using Design Builder software with EnergyPlus). The results of each tested model were contrasted and analyzed, to determine if the implemented recommendations were successful for improving the exportation process. In conclusion, it was found that the recommendations improved the geometrical consistency and the elements characterization with the building systems, and an energy analytic simulation was successfully fulfilled with the optimized model imported from both BIM software. Although the recommendations made small improvements from the base to the optimized model, the result for each exported model was a successful energy analytic simulation.

INVESTIGATING THE HIDDEN GEOMETRY SYSTEM AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE HISTORICAL HOUSES OF KASHAN FROM THE QAJAR PERIOD TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PAHLAVI PERIOD

Geometry is one of the most important aspects hidden in the design of historical buildings in a way, it can be said that architecture without the presence of geometry is meaningless and lacks functional validity. The ratio and proportion that can be seen in the entrance and front facade of the historical houses of Kashan is a function of geometry, which is named hidden geometry in this research. The geometric system at the entrance of historical houses is one of the most important topics that help to better understand the historical building. The findings show that the entrance design of the houses is under the hidden geometry system, and five types of geometric systems are used to shape it, including symmetry, Fibonacci in golden triangles, Fibonacci in golden rectangles, dynamic rectangles, and regular polygons.

A Simulation-Based Study on the Impact of Parametric Design on Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Urban Overheating

Under the current energy crisis and climate change, sustainable urban planning and building design are a priority to achieve a net-zero future, as energy use in buildings for thermal comfort is one of the major carbon emission contributors. To adapt to a rapidly growing and stringent urban environment, where buildings are causing more emissions due to more frequent and severe extreme hot weather events, the parametric design approach has great potential and flexibility in providing a sustainable solution by simulating different design scenarios. This study aims to analyse urban geometry and identify the impact of various built environment scenarios on outdoor thermal comfort under certain climates. The Grasshopper program was used along with the Ladybugs plug-in to provide visualised outcomes of outdoor thermal comfort, with simulation models on Rhinoceros 3D Version 7 SR37 (7.37.24107.1500). Comparing the thermal comfort performance of different design scenarios, based on building height, orientation and urban geometry, helps to identify which factors are more impactful on building design. This study demonstrates the workflow of parametric design in analysing the microclimate pattern and outdoor thermal comfort performance of the existing built environment in Melbourne, Australia, to provide an insight for stakeholders and builders to inform better decision-making in urban planning and building design in order to achieve a zero-emission future.

Flow regimes in emptying–filling boxes with two buoyancy sources of differing strengths and elevations

Emptying–filling boxes have been studied in a wide range of configurations for decades, but the flow created in the box by two plumes rising from sources of arbitrary strength and elevation was previously unsolved. Guided by experiments and simplified analytical modelling, we reveal a rich array of two- and three-layer stratifications across seven possible flow regimes. The governing equations for these regimes show how the prevailing regime and stratification properties vary with three key parameters: the relative strength of the plumes, the height difference between their sources and a parameter characterising the resistance of the box to emptying. We observe and explain new behaviours not described in previous studies that are crucial to understanding emptying–filling boxes with multiple plumes. In particular, we demonstrate that the oft-assumed premise that $n$ plumes leads to a stratification with $n+1$ layers is not necessarily true, even in the absence of mixing. Two emptying–filling box models are developed: an analytical model addressing all combinations of the governing parameters and an extended model for three-layer stratifications that incorporates two mixing processes observed in the experiments. The predictions of these two models are in generally excellent agreement with measurements from the experimental campaign covering 69 combinations of the governing parameters. This study improves our understanding of emptying–filling boxes and could facilitate improvements to natural ventilation building design, as demonstrated by an example scenario in which occupants feel cooler upon the addition of a second source of heat.

Numerical simulation of a pioneering cool roof system for Asia's roofing system reformation: The alternative cooling measure

The existing roofing system in tropical climates is not adapting to the worsening climate, along with the demand for sustainable building design; this study introduced a pioneering cool roof system to reform the traditional roofing system. The pioneering cool roof system is composed of white reflective coating, hollow foamed concrete roof (HFCR) tile, and a sustainable active reflective insulation (RI) system. Despite the complex integrated roof technologies, the study adopted 3D CFD numerical simulation for an in-depth and frontier thermal distribution analysis and fluid flow presentation. The outcomes of the numerical model were compared with field measurements for validation purposes, which resulted in just a 3.31% error. The internal attic was 35.64 °C despite the roof exterior achieving 54.59 °C after receiving an average 680 W/m2 solar radiation source. After the heat flux was hugely terminated by the HFCR tile and sustainable active RI system, the heat flux magnitude attained in the internal attic was 1.0822 W/m2, and the active RI system removed 96.29% of heat flux excellently. Meanwhile, the proposed roofing design's energy-saving performance was 27.5%.

Developing the Songtsam Laigu Lodge

Summary Building construction accounts for a large part of the cost of developing any new hotel, but it is only part of the process that must be worked through to establish and launch the property. As explained in the case, the method of construction adopted has a big impact on the time, cost, and quality of the finished hotel and greatly affects the other steps involved (e.g. the initial building design work and how the room fit outs and other pre-opening works are done). As the Songtsam Laigu Lodge mixed traditional in situ and more modern prefabricated construction methods, it very effectively illustrates the trade-offs involved. Information © The Authors 2024

Developing the Huma Island Resort and Spa

Summary Building construction accounts for a large part of the cost for developing any new tropical island resort, but it is only part of the process that must be worked through to establish and launch the property. As explained in the case, the method of construction adopted has a big impact on the time, cost, and quality of the finished property and greatly affects the other steps involved (e.g. the initial building design work and how the room fit outs and other pre-opening work is done). Because Huma Island Resort and Spa mixed traditional in situ and more modern prefabricated construction methods, it very effectively illustrates the trade-offs involved. Information © The Authors 2024

Mind the gap: Facilitating early design stage building life cycle assessment through a co-production approach

Despite the transition towards a circular economy (CE) being a significant element in achieving the decarbonisation of the built environment, a clear and common pathway to applying CE principles to building design is still lacking in both industry practice and academia. The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has the potential to enable the identification of feasible pathways to increase circularity. This study aims to investigate its practical use to facilitate the application of circular economy principles at the early stage of building design via using LCA-based BIM plugins. Within this aim, the paper centres on a co-production approach and presents a gap analysis by identifying gaps in knowledge and implementation as well as addressing the pressing needs of the current practice in the UK. A series of semi-structured interviews with expert practitioners in the field were conducted for data collection, contributing to the following phases of the co-production by allowing for an in-depth investigation and reflection of the practice. The findings have revealed that: (a) there is still an insufficient level of contextual awareness and readiness in the implementation of CE principles in the built environment and LCA understanding and (b) the adoption of BIM at the early stages of building design is still limited in the current practice; BIM models with sufficient level of data details and quality to enable circularity assessment are rarely produced. Thus, the paper highlights the need for enabling mechanisms, including the introduction of legislative instruments, the involvement and commitment of the industry and key stakeholders, the support for training and skills improvement, and the establishment of effective communication and implementation process management frameworks. Future research agenda points to the need of formulation of a BIM protocol to enable integration of BIM and LCA to promote CE principles in the building design process.

Optimal Load Factors for Seismic Design of Buildings

This paper reviews the load combinations for the design of buildings established in the Federal District Building Regulations (RCDF-2004) and its Complementary Technical Standards (NTC-2004). New load factors are proposed to be specified in the next version of the RCDF. The combination of gravity load (dead load plus live load) and the combination of earthquake load (dead load, live load and earthquake load) are revised. A methodology is proposed to establish optimal load factors and combinations that guarantee the minimum expected total cost during the lifetime of the structure and that the probability of failure is at least equal to that implied in the RCDF-2004. Artificial Neural Networks are used to estimate structural reliability.

Static and dynamic glazing integration for enhanced building efficiency and indoor comfort with thermochromic and electrochromic windows

Effective building energy efficiency requires understanding fenestration’s role in regulating indoor temperatures. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of integrating static glazing with dynamic coatings on building energy efficiency and indoor comfort in a lightweight structure situated in a semi-arid climate. Employing a comprehensive numerical model developed using EnergyPlus and Radiance tools, various static commercial glass window configurations are evaluated to assess their effects on energy consumption, thermal and visual comfort, and economic and environmental considerations. This analysis includes assessments of thermal comfort using PMV and PPD indicators and evaluations of visual comfort based on daylighting and glare metrics. The findings highlight the advantages of incorporating thermochromic and electrochromic films, demonstrating significant improvements in building energy efficiency and interior thermal and visual comfort. Notably, double glazing emerges as the most economically efficient and environmentally viable option, resulting in a reduction of emissions by 1522.38 kgCO2/year, with a payback period of 12.86 years. Furthermore, combining thermochromic and electrochromic coatings with optimal static glazing leads to a remarkable 26 % reduction in energy consumption. These results underscore the potential of dynamic coatings to enhance building energy performance while ensuring occupant comfort. This research approach provides valuable insights into sustainable building design, emphasizing the integrated impact of glazing solutions on energy use, comfort, and environmental sustainability.

Comprehensive assessment of PCM integrated roof for passive building design: A study in energo-economics

There has been a notable surge in energy demand within the building sector of developing nations, particularly in the context of space cooling and heating, which constitute significant portions of energy consumption. The thermal performance of a building’s roof slab plays a crucial role in determining these heating and cooling requirements. To address this, the utilization of Phase Change Material (PCM) to enhance the building’s thermal energy storage capacity has emerged as an innovative strategy for reducing energy demand. This study assesses the thermal behavior of a building envelope integrated with macroencapsulated PCM in a real subtropical environment. Experimental setups include both a conventional slab unit (Ref–SU) devoid of PCM and a PCM (OM37) integrated slab unit (Exp–SU). Analysis entails examining variations in temperature, heat flow, thermal loadings, and maximum heat gain reduction. Economic metrics, such as electricity savings, simple payback periods, and CO2 emissions savings, are also scrutinized. The investigation aims to elucidate the efficacy and underlying parameters governing the PCM’s performance in reducing thermal loads in the Indian city of Rupnagar. Findings indicate that the Exp–SU configuration reduces indoor temperatures by 4.0 °C during sunny hours, resulting in 33.33 % more electricity savings for space cooling compared to heating, with a simple payback period of 5.7 years. Additionally, the heat flux in Exp–SU is reduced by 60.6 % compared to Ref–SU and thermal load by up to 49.8 %. Furthermore, Exp–SU achieves a 44.24 % reduction in CO2 emissions for space cooling compared to heating with a maximum heat gain reduction of 40.3 %.

Implementation of an Automated Code Checking Algorithm Based on Site Analysis

To date, BIM has been primarily utilized in cost and schedule management, an interference check between architectural and structural models and systems based on geometric data in the process of the construction life cycle. However, there is a lack of research that utilizes the information contained in the BIM model to review whether the proposed architectural model is appropriately designed in accordance with each country’s building regulations or building codes or that proposes a model optimized for laws and standards. ‘Building code checking’ is the step of reviewing whether a building designed based on the building codes is suitable for being constructed as a building. However, this process consumes significant time and money and leads to human errors due to the manual review process. This study included implementation of an algorithm based on the Korean building code. In this study, there was the process of selection of codes when architects interpret building codes in common and implementation based on the codes selected. Next, modeling based on DXF files from NGII (National Geographic Information Institute) was applied to the algorithm developed in this study. Last, it includes case studies that compare the outputs of the algorithm with the real buildings, which had received real code checking, to make sure the algorithm in this paper is working properly. The implementation of such an automated system has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the building design and construction process. It can help architects to quickly and accurately identify potential legal issues and provide alternative solutions that meet regulatory requirements. This, in turn, can lead to reduced project costs, improved quality of designs, and faster project delivery times.

Life cycle techno-economic-environmental optimization for capacity design and operation strategy of grid-connected building distributed multi-energy system

Distributed multi-energy systems (DMS) have received increasing attention. Many studies have optimized the capacity and operation strategies of DMS based on multiple objectives, but these studies must discuss the weights of different objectives and have not considered the internal coupling between different objectives. Besides, existing studies have not considered the changes in the actual value of environmental impacts. To address these shortcomings, this paper constructs a technology-economic-environmental optimization model by mixed-integer linear programming. Based on life-cycle assessment, the model quantifies the value of system life-cycle environmental impacts by introducing carbon price. The case results show that the proposed optimization model can reduce the total cost by 28.83 % and the life cycle environmental cost by 3.39 % compared to the traditional model. To reduce the strain on the grid, a new operation pattern (The grid provides fixed electricity to the system throughout the year.) is proposed. The electricity interaction of the system with the grid under the new operation pattern is more than 70 % lower than the system without electricity purchased quantity constraint. Sensitivity analysis shows the total system cost is more sensitive to natural gas and electricity price than carbon price. But carbon price volatility helps reduce system carbon emissions.