Inside Buildings Research Articles

Physical and mechanical properties of cement board made from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre: A review

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre has been introduced to replace current materials mainly such as wood fibre that was not encouraged to be used as a construction sourced due to the sustainability of wood fibres and prevents the high demand of forest resources. In Malaysia, the cultivation and use of the oil palm and its products have increased because of high market demand, and this has resulted in the abundant availability of the empty fruit bunch (EFB). The EFB fibre geometry and particle size in the EFB cement bonded boards have their own mechanical and physical properties. The fibre to cement ratios are also different to boards made out of wood fibres. This experimental research work has been conducted by other researchers. The larger the particle size, the better the compaction of EFB-CB effects of cement setting by much larger surface on the board area. Short particles lead to low values of modulus of elasticity (MOE), caused by inadequate of empty fruit bunch (EFB) particles to cement substances. Nevertheless, short particles avoid large void spaces and irregularities towards cement board. Using different Cement-EFB fibre ratio has direct influence on thickness swelling (TS), modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE). Strength of EFB-CB depends on the bonding between fibre and cement composites. The pre-treatment fibre was indicated where the EFB fibre composite were dimensionally stable for bonding mechanisms and could be used for both interior and exterior building utilizations based on the tested physical and mechanical properties on cement-boards.

A review of the usage of highly viscous fluids in industrial applications

Highly viscous fluids (HVF) are used in food sector as raw materials (melted vegetable, animal fats) or finished products (chocolate, sorbets), in construction sector as liquid state of Phase Change Materials (PCM) used to store thermal energy inside building structure or building materials such as liquid concrete, bitumen and tar, in automotive industry as PCMs used to passively cool batteries, and many others. Some applications are rather new and lot of research has been done, in the last decade, to find mathematical models for predicting HVF behaviour, in heat and mass transfer processes in scraped surface heat exchangers, in vegetable fat melters and in waxy crude oil transport pipelines. Better results could be obtained by enhancing HVF thermal properties such as increasing the thermal conductivity of PCMs by adding metallic powders, or by finding new natural materials (vegetable fats) which can replace more expensive and harmful ones (waxes) for PCMs. This study was performed to shortly present the main applications in which HFVs are being used, the main advances and findings made in the last years and the current challenges and research possibilities which are likely to be explored in the future.

ExteriorTag: Automatic Semantic Annotation of BIM Building Exterior Via Voxel Index Analysis.

The growing demand for building information modeling (BIM) data and ubiquitous applications make it increasingly necessary to establish a reliable way to share the models on lightweight devices. Building scenes have strong occlusion features and the building exterior plays an important role in digital devices with limited computational resources. This allows the possibility to reduce the resource consumption while roaming in outdoor scenes by culling away the interior building data. This article addresses the task of automatic annotation of BIM building exterior via voxel index analysis. We showcase the research of using industry foundation classes (IFC) and other mainstream formats as our input data and proposed an automatic algorithm for annotating the building exterior. Afterward, a practical and accurate voxel index analysis procedure is designed for frequently flawed models. The annotation can be added directly into the original data file under the same IFC standard, avoiding the complex procedure and information loss in semantics mapping between different standards. The final examinations show the robustness of our algorithm and the capability of handling large BIM building models.

Investigation of the Ceiling Fixtures Design Evolution and LED Light Bar Alternative Concept Design Formation

The purpose of the work is to study the development of concepts and technologies for the manufacture of ceiling fixtures to light the interior of buildings – office, public and administrative ones, etc. It is known that fluorescent lamps have long been used for interior lighting. Massive diffusers made of matte polycarbonate sheets were used to smooth the light intensity curve of such luminaires and bring it to the cosine light distribution. Due to the matte coating of the diffuser, the luminous part of the light fixtures acquired, with a fairly good approximation, the properties of an equally bright surface. Such surfaces are known to have a cosine light distribution and are very convenient for lighting. In the early 2000s, the problem of energy saving worsened, which led to a significant reduction in the number of luminaires of this type. These changes have also affected the approaches to the design of indoor light fixtures. The major difference of the new modifications of fluorescent fixtures is the absence of a matte reflector, which is very uneconomical in terms of energy saving, since it significantly decreased the luminous flux. The refusal to use the diffuser led to the emergence of fluorescent fixtures with a specular reflection system and shutters, which limited the dazzling effect of such lamps. However, with the parallel development of LED technology, the concept of choosing a light source in indoor lighting fixtures began tochange. In grille fixtures, LEDs were gradually replacing fluorescent ones. Nowadays, manufacturers' websites offer a fairly wide selection of LED fixtures. They differ in the price, quality of LEDs used, design and technological solutions. Recently, the volume of production and range of LED light bars has been increasing. The article presents an attempt to consider which fixtures offered on the modern market are the most balanced in terms of engineering solution in the context of lighting, operational, pricing, technological and certification characteristics. Based on the analysis of fixtures of different types and modifications, the authors concluded that the most optimal engineering solution is ceiling LED light bars and developed a method of their design and certification.

Permeable Learning Environments: How Developing Permeability in Library Spaces Fosters Student Learning and Engagement

The term ‘permeability’ has morphed from is primarily technical origins into the lexicon of architecture as architects (and other professionals) sought better language to describe the relationships of spaces to their environments and other spaces and to the interactions of users with spaces. In higher education, permeability incorporates aspects of campus spaces surrounding buildings as well as the building envelope and interior spaces themselves. In these spaces, permeability may be manifested by physical characteristics as well as how the spaces are used. Documenting uses of permeability in higher education contexts reveals design elements and potential user interactions that, combined with research findings, show that academic libraries incorporating permeable spaces and features may positively influence student engagement and learning. These factors can then lead to measurable change in student success metrics which are vitally important to campus administrators and which may raise the visibility and value of libraries to their campuses.

Preliminary Proposal for an Alternative Wall Lining Panel Based on Molded Recycled Cellulose and Designed for Home Wiring Refurbishment of Building Interior Partitions

Old dwellings usually have shortfalls in insulation, acoustic and thermal, and in security of electrical services in the interior partition walls. A common building solution is to add a wall lining with a laminate base gypsum board that improves both acoustic and thermal insulation and facilitates a new invisible cable layout without demolition. Conventional solutions have had limited success because of time consumption, environmental impact and cost. This research aimed to create an integrated building system to carry out these interior building refurbishment works quickly, cleanly and with low inconvenience and environmental impact. The research specifically focused on incorporating new molded materials that have a low environmental impact and improving the handling and future modification of the wall lining system. In response to the above goals, the product development methodology was applied to the design of an internal panel to be inserted between the existing partition wall and the closure wallboard, which is usually laminated base gypsum board (LGB). The proposed internalpanel is molded with recycled cellulose pulp (Biprocel) and has adequate relief designed to improve cable layout tasks and better join the laminate base gypsum board to the existing wall face. The development resulted from collaboration between the public administration, university researchers and undergraduate students in the co-design process. This research contributes to improving the applications of recycled cellulose fibers in molded panels for the building industry, particularly in refurbishment activities.

Building Layout Tomographic Reconstruction via Commercial WiFi Signals

Recently, wireless communication signals are not only used for information transmission but other possibilities are being developed, such as human body state estimation, wireless sensing, etc. In this article, the radio tomographic reconstruction of building layout and interior object is considered only utilizing the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of commercial WiFi signals. Specifically, first, an electromagnetic transmission energy attenuation model is introduced, which considers the case for scanning the entire unknown area using two wireless nodes. Then, we propose a novel algebraic iterative reconstruction method, which takes into account the constraint of prior knowledge and designs a more reasonable initial iteration factor. Finally, a variety of scenarios with different structures is built, and the reconstruction of the multimedia scenario is achieved for the first time with RSSI information. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method has better performance than current state-of-the-art algorithms in both the single-medium scenario and multimedia scenario.

Quantification of Air Change Rate by Selected Methods in a Typical Apartment Building

An important parameter that affects indoor climate of buildings and also ventilation heat losses and gains is the speed of air change between the outdoor environment and the interior of buildings. Indoor air quality is therefore significantly associated with ventilation. Quantification of air change rate is complicated, because it is impacted by many parameters, the most variable of which is air flow. This study focuses on the determination and comparison of air change rate values in two methods by quantification of the aerodynamic coefficient Cp = Cpe − Cpi, so-called “aerodynamic quantification of the building” and the methodology based on “experimental measurements of carbon dioxide”. The study describes and takes into account the effect of wind, building parameters and air permeability for the building using “aerodynamic quantification of the building”. The paper compares these calculated results with the values obtained from experimental measurements method of carbon dioxide in a selected reference room in apartment building and evaluates the accuracy of the prediction of the air exchange rate obtained by these methods. At higher wind speeds the values of air change rate with considering the effect of openings are closer to the values obtained based on experimental measurements of carbon dioxide and the difference between the values without considering the effect of openings increases significantly.

Impact of air quality on students’ behavior in the Educational Centers

Air pollution of indoor and outdoor environments is one of the most important environmental problems in metropolises and industrial cities. The study explores the effects of air quality on the well-being of students at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. The sampling of the particles was carried out in four seasons in 2017–2018. The concentration of PM≥11, PM7-11, PM4.7–7, PM3.3–4.7, PM2.1–3.3, PM1.1–2.1, PM0.7–1.1, PM0.4–0.7 and PM≤0.4 in inside and outside building was evaluated simultaneously using a direct measurement device. The length of each collection period varied from 6 to 72 h. The samples were studied by SEM/EDS and imaging was performed and the surface of particles. The effects of air quality on students were collected using a questionnaire. Based on the results, there was cough, throat irritation and psychological problems for students, especially those with asthma and respiratory problems. There were more symptoms during the summer and autumn. The life of the building, the use of natural ventilation and inadequate cooling devices are the main factor in increasing the concentration of indoor particles in the educational building. According to the result of sampling in the outside environment, the highest concentration of the particles occurred in summer and the lowest concentration in spring and winter. Due to the presence of natural ventilation in the spring and summer seasons, the trend of variation of the concentration inside the building was similar to the outside.

Analysis and comparison of thermal conductance and indoor air temperature on industrial slag with conventional bricks

Wastes from industries and agriculture are on the increase, while the availability of natural resources is getting depleted worldwide the maximum being from the construction industry. Causes of heat gain through the building envelope are exposed wall and roof element, thermal conductivity and temperature difference between interior and exterior of the building. Hence, an alternative building material having less U-value helps in doubling up its potential as an efficient building material. In this research, two model rooms were constructed: one with industrial slag, phosphogypsum and fly ash (spaash) bricks and the other with conventional bricks (CB), and various parameters of the rooms for about six months were analysed. Spaash bricks performed better than CB with an average indoor temperature difference varying between 1.8°C and 2.1°C, a time lag of one hour and also reduced heat flow energy into the building interior by 50% through wall and 32.71% through roof.

Current State of Indoor Air Phytoremediation Using Potted Plants and Green Walls

Urban civilization has a high impact on the environment and human health. The pollution level of indoor air can be 2–5 times higher than the outdoor air pollution, and sometimes it reaches up to 100 times or more in natural/mechanical ventilated buildings. Even though people spend about 90% of their time indoors, the importance of indoor air quality is less noticed. Indoor air pollution can be treated with techniques such as chemical purification, ventilation, isolation, and removing pollutions by plants (phytoremediation). Among these techniques, phytoremediation is not given proper attention and, therefore, is the focus of our review paper. Phytoremediation is an affordable and more environmentally friendly means to purify polluted indoor air. Furthermore, studies show that indoor plants can be used to regulate building temperature, decrease noise levels, and alleviate social stress. Sources of indoor air pollutants and their impact on human health are briefly discussed in this paper. The available literature on phytoremediation, including experimental works for removing volatile organic compound (VOC) and particulate matter from the indoor air and associated challenges and opportunities, are reviewed. Phytoremediation of indoor air depends on the physical properties of plants such as interfacial areas, the moisture content, and the type (hydrophobicity) as well as pollutant characteristics such as the size of particulate matter (PM). A comprehensive summary of plant species that can remove pollutants such as VOCs and PM is provided. Sources of indoor air pollutants, as well as their impact on human health, are described. Phytoremediation and its mechanism of cleaning indoor air are discussed. The potential role of green walls and potted-plants for improving indoor air quality is examined. A list of plant species suitable for indoor air phytoremediation is proposed. This review will help in making informed decisions about integrating plants into the interior building design.

The experience of the university’s interiors decorating with monumental painting as an integral art space

The interiors of the educational buildings of the Irkutsk National Research Technical University (IRNITU) are a kind of active art museum that solves both educational and aesthetic tasks. The exhibits of this unusual museum are represented by mosaics, paintings, stained-glass windows, textiles, volumetric and spatial compositions. All of them are the works of monumental and decorative painting graduates, performed at the department, founded more than twenty-five years ago by the Professor V G Smagin, who had the honorary title of People’s Artist of Russia. The article discusses in detail the issues of zoning and the organization of the spatial environment by objects of monumental painting. The choice of materials, techniques, compositional and semantic decisions is substantiated for interiors with different functional loads. There is discussed the problem of preserving the artistic integrity of the spatial environment of the university, as well as the possible loss of works of monumental painting during future reconstructions or constructive renovation of buildings.

Research on Interior Scene Design Based on Cinema4d Technology

This paper completes the 3D virtual interior scene modeling and design based on Cinema4d software technology. Through a full range of simulation analysis, to select environmentally friendly materials, match reasonable space structures, make full use of the space, and improve the utilization of indoor space. By making models of various parts of the interior design and building walls and windows, the entire interior space is designed. Finally, the interior design was rendered through lighting to ensure the expected design effect. Experiments show that the realism of 3D indoor scene design is higher than other similar methods, and it is suitable for 3D virtual scene design. It is hoped that the research in this article can provide some reference on feasibility for interior scene design.

Smart Indoor Navigation System: INCREDISCOPE

The paper presents a newly developed, innovative idea on a global scale system for indoor navigation INCREDISCOPE. The system is fully autonomic, and it is based on e-paper displays technology. The original positioning and navigation system for people inside buildings gives the possibility to intuitively and naturally lead a person to the desired destination. The paper consists of four parts. In the beginning, the short introduction and basic assumptions about indoor navigation and positioning are given. Then the core idea of the system and basic assumptions are introduced. In the third section, some technical information of prepared software is presented. Three different applications were prepared – intended for the system administrator; designated for e-paper displays and a mobile application for users who move inside buildings with their smartphones. The recognition of the users is based on Bluetooth technology. In the paper, two versions of the administrator interface were presented (Admin 1.0 and Admin 2.0). The operation logic of each version is completely different. The first one was too time-consuming during relations table creation. The second one is more intuitive. The last part of the article includes conclusions and prospects for further development of the system.

Seismic behaviour of multi-storey gravity-controlled rocking braced-frame buildings including floor vertical response

Gravity-controlled rocking braced frames (G-CBRFs) are cost-effective low-damage self-centring lateral force resisting systems that allow the reduction of the seismic force demands in structures subjected to earthquakes, while relying only on the gravity loads they carry to ensure self-centring. Due to column uplift, significant masses are mobilized, thus activating vertical fundamental modes of vibration that affect the overall seismic behaviour of the structures. This article presents an examination of the seismic response of G-CBRF structures, including the response of the roof and floor framing systems. Twenty-two buildings were designed for this study, with various combinations of building heights (2-, 4-, and 8-storeys), building locations (eastern and western Canada), site classes (soil C and E), and location of the braced frame within the building (interior or exterior column lines). For each design, two framing configurations were studied, with secondary beams parallel or perpendicular to the braced frames. Non-linear response history analyses were performed using representative ground motions selected and scaled according to the National Building Code of Canada requirements. Effects of the vertical component of the ground motions and energy dissipated through friction in beam-to-column connections were also of focus. Incremental dynamic analyses were performed to generate fragility curves for collapse due to overturning of the studied structures. The results show that peak drifts can be accurately predicted. Peak axial loads in frame members are increased due to the vertical inertia forces induced upon rocking. The fragility curves show that acceptable margins against collapse by overturning is achieved for G-CRBFs.

Feasibility of solar air conditioning system for Afghanistan’s climate

Among the broad varieties of power supply in Afghanistan such as city power produced from water dams, fuel generators, and imported electricity from neighboring countries, solar energy production is growing at a noticeable pace. Its preference is because of cost and sustainability perimeters. Given the climate of the country air conditioning inside buildings is required throughout the year, which is an important requirement for the comfort of its residents. Because it requires a great amount of energy, therefore, most companies are working on different principles to provide new products of solar air conditioning systems. The solar air conditioning system provides heating and cooling by utilizing solar energy. Recently, climate change and air pollution proved to be a major challenge for humans, and the current rate of resource consumption will result in a total depletion of natural energy resources in the earth. In this paper, we are assessing the feasibility study of solar-powered air conditioner technology in Afghanistan. Considering the weather of the country, there exists enormous potential for solar energy production. Afghanistan receives 4 – 6.5 kWh/m2 /day solar insolation on average with 300 sunny days a year. In conclusion, the air conditioning complication which can be addressed by solar energy production is sustainable, cost-effective, and environment-friendly manner in Afghanistan.

SYSTEMATIZATION OF APPROACHES TO THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM OF ENERGY SAVING IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The information on existing energy-efficient building materials and constructions on the basis of the accumulated experience of operation is analyzed; collected and systematized according to certain priorities requirements for building materials and structures, the order of their design and operation; the classification of energy saving methods is formulated, substantiated and offered for use; recommended a number of technical solutions to achieve energy savings in the construction of residential and public buildings. Possibilities of using highly effective foreign additives in concretes prepared with the use of local materials are considered, features of preservation of properties of concrete mix during transportation, time after laying of concrete in a timbering in various temperature conditions (summer, winter and off-season), use of vacuum processing are studied and investigated. which is aimed at further improvement of organizational and technological solutions for the construction of load-bearing structures of monolithic buildings. The recommendations on regulation of technological parameters of erection of responsible bearing designs, reduction of terms of construction, labor intensity and cost of works are reduced. Imperfect design solutions, outdated standards, defects in construction and operation lead to excessive heat loss in buildings. Architectural and construction systems of the new generation provide ample opportunities for organizing the interior of residential buildings, hygienic quality, safety and comfort of housing, as well as increasing energy efficiency and reducing material consumption of construction through technical re-equipment of existing housing and creating new production technologies.

Smart Thermally Switchable Liquid Crystal Window

Global warming, due to the consumption of fossil energy, is one of the biggest challenges in recent days. Air conditioning (cooling and heating) of office and residential buildings is one of the largest energy consumptions. One way to reduce the energy consumption is to use switchable architectural windows, which can control radiant energy flow. Herein, a smart thermally switchable window with transmittance sensitive to ambient temperature is reported. This smart window is based on a liquid crystal (LC) whose orientation varies with temperature. At temperatures lower than a low threshold temperature, such as in winter, the LC orients perpendicular to the window substrate, and the window is transparent and lets sunlight pass it to warm interiors of buildings. At temperatures higher than a high threshold temperature, such as in summer, the LC orients parallel to the substrate. The window becomes absorbing and blocks sunlight, resulting in a reduction of the solar heating. When temperature varies between these two thresholds, the window has gray‐level transmittances. It does not use electricity and is very energy‐saving, and has an immense potential in applications of smart architectural and vehicle windows.

Short-term analysis of residential lighting: A pilot study

Lighting is one of the environmental elements that facilitates people to maintain their lives. With light people can collect visual cues about their environments in which they can perform visual tasks safely and comfortably. Exploring the lighting systems and conditions in residential interiors is important for introducing new concepts concerning human visual comfort. The study aimed to collect data and conduct a short-term analysis about residential lighting which will be a part of a more comprehensive research. The study focused on day- and artificial lighting systems, conditions and people’s assessments in interiors of residential buildings. An internet-based survey was distributed in July-August 2020 through Google Survey across Poland, Turkey, the U.K. and Sweden in the native languages of each country. 29 adult females and 31 adult males voluntarily participated in the present study. The study identified several interconnected factors related to residential lighting and explored them in detail. Large percentage of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with daylighting quality in summer (86.7%) and artificial lighting quality (78.4%) in their living areas. The amount and uniformity of lighting were the most effective cues connected with the respondents’ satisfaction. Reasonable and promising outcomes that were found can be used in generating new and comprehensive data about lighting quality in residential buildings.

Assessment of radon radiological hazards in some ophiolite rocks, North Eastern Desert, Egypt

The natural stones are commonly used as interior and exterior building material. The accessory minerals of some rocks can generate a high amount of radon in the atmosphere. Ophiolitic rocks including serpentinites, metagabbros, gabbros metabasalts, metabasaltic-andesites, meta-andesites, Dokhan andesites, dacites, rhyolites, quartz diorites, tonalites, granodiorites, monzogranites and syenogranites. From the Eastern Desert of Egypt were analyzed for radon. The annual effective dose values of all studied rocks are higher than the world average due to the high radon content in the samples. The studied rocks are not recommended to be used as construction material.