Renovation Of Buildings Research Articles

Exploring Traditional Nepalese Building Techniques and Timber’s Role Structural Integrity

This paper aims to explore traditional Nepalese building construction techniques and the significant role of timber in enhancing the structural integrity and longevity of these buildings. With a long history of utilizing materials that are readily available locally, particularly wood, clay, stone, Nepal a country renowned for its rich architectural legacy has built buildings employing these resources. The study delves into the various traditional building techniques employed in Nepal, including the intricate craftsmanship and cultural significance associated with them. Additionally, it investigates the unique properties of timber that make it an ideal choice for construction in the Nepalese context. The finding talks about the construction of buildings various techniques which are employed to assemble structures. This includes information, on building materials, functional space allocation and the terminologies used in building construction. These terminologies hold value as they are derived from our tradition, in building construction technology. The findings of this research can serve as a valuable resource for architects, engineers, conservationists, and policymakers involved in the restoration and sustainable development of traditional Nepalese buildings.

Investigating daylighting quality in educational spaces following building renovation

Abstract Daylighting is essential to the well-being of occupants in educational spaces. It increases students’ performance and provides an opportunity for achieving energy efficiency, as well as indoor visual and thermal comfort. However, daylight performance is rarely accounted for when taking decisions attributed to building renovation. This results in increased or decreased daylighting lighting levels and glare which jeopardizes the functional requirements of the space. Hence, this study adopted a mixed qualitative/quantitative approach to compare two recently renovated educational spaces (architectural design studio drawing halls) in terms of the effect of renovation activities on daylighting and visual comfort, noting that both spaces were located in the same building and subject to similar prevailing climatic conditions. This included a sequence of site measurements, surveys and simulations. The results showed great variation between both studied spaces in terms of daylight efficiency and visual comfort. Some design proposals were tested in order to deduct learnt lessons for proper accounting of daylight during building renovation plans.

Održiva sveobuhvatna obnova zgrada: studija slučaja iz Švicarske

Renovation is a pivotal element in realising sustainability objectives in the construction industry, as established by the EU Commission. By analysing a real-life case study in Switzerland, this study provides insights into strategies and measures crucial not only for attaining an energy-efficient building state but also for achieving broader sustainability goals encompassing social and economic aspects. In addition, a general decision-making framework for residential building renovations is provided. The presented case study may serve as a role model for the successful sustainable renovation of other similar residential buildings and stimulate further research that facilitates effective holistic sustainable renovation.

Chemical, Mineralogical, and Petrographic Analysis of the Mud Mortar from Fort Ikoma Historical Building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

The restoration of historical buildings especially the Fort Ikoma in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania requires knowing the material properties used in their construction by characterizing the composition and properties of the mortar to inform the sustainable restoration strategies. Hence, the objective of this paper was to investigate the chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic analysis of the mud mortar from the Fort Ikoma historical building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania using appropriate standard methods. The results indicated predominant compositions by weight of mud mortar through chemical analysis were silica (59.82%), alumina (20.42%), and Iron (III) oxide (11.07%), which contributed to the higher pozzolanic activity (91.31%) and cementitious properties (Cementitious Index of 46.76) of the historical mud mortar. Mineralogical analysis revealed that a high amount of quartz (38%), nacrite (17%), and other materials such as albite, chlorite, and nepheline put up the ability of mud mortar to resist environmental pressures. The findings contribute to awareness of historical building materials and provide the technical basis for restoring the Fort Ikoma historical building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and similar historical buildings.

Actions to improve energy efficiency on the example of selected historic buildings in Poland in the context of European Union guidelines

The article presents, in the context of the guidelines of the "Long-Term Strategy for Renovation of Buildings" valid until 2050, examples of renovations of historic buildings carried out in Poland in 2018-2021, which serve as public facilities. They were designed and constructed in a manner consistent with the guidelines for the transformation of a climate-neutral economy, which stem from Article 2a of Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 19, 2010. The purpose of the article is a comparative analysis of selected Polish examples of revaluation of public buildings from the point of view of the Architecture of these objects. These are: the Wagner Villa in Kostrzyn on Oder, the railway station in Białystok, the Teodor Sixt Villa in Bielsko-Biała, the office building of the Forestry Commission in Elbląg, the building of the Savings Bank in Ropczyce and the former granary in Żukowo. Also cited are the current financial tools available and the basic measures needed to ensure high energy efficiency and low-carbon performance of public buildings in the run up to 2050.

Взаимодействие стейкхолдеров при формировании и управлении децентрализованными фондами капитального ремонта жилищно-коммунального хозяйства

Introduction. The purpose of this study is a systematic analysis of the stakeholder relations on the issue of the formation and management of decentralized capital repair funds. The high social significance of capital repairs of residential real estate, coupled with a high degree of wear and tear, determines the need for coordinated and effective stakeholder interaction, the involvement of public authorities in co-financing expenses and the development of effective mechanisms for the rational allocation of funds from decentralized capital repair funds formed in special accounts in banking organizations and protecting them from inflationary processes.Materials and methods. The authors explore institutional factors in the implementation of major renovations of apartment buildings, identify the key stakeholders of these processes, their interests and risks, and reveal the presence of an agency problem. Based on statistical data and regulations, the authors conduct economic modeling of the formation of a decentralized capital repair fund using the example of an existing homeowners' association, and calculate target indicators for the efficiency of capital repair fund management.Results. The conducted research revealed inconsistency of the current management approaches and the impossibility of forming major overhaul funds in sufficient size to replace elevator equipment after the shelf life expiry without external financing. The authors conduct a study of the agency problem that arises when managing funds placed in special accounts for major overhaul, and identify the presence of informal institutional factors that prevent the formation of a "mature real estate owner".Discussion. Based on the results of the study, the authors proposed regulatory measures that could positively affect the effectiveness of relations on the issue of formation and management of decentralized capital repair funds. In addition to regulatory measures, the authors consider it necessary to involve municipal deputies in awareness-raising activities aimed at creating a “mature property owner.” The scientific novelty of this study consists in the development of management and regulation methods for the formation of decentralized capital repair funds on the basis of the synthesis of stakeholder and institutional approaches.

Solar chimney design in rural areas of Anhui, China: CFD simulation, energy and carbon footprint assessment

China is currently undergoing a large-scale renovation of rural buildings. The solar chimney, a passive solar system, emerges as a cost-effective and easily implementable solution, particularly suitable for rural regions. This study designs a solar chimney in the Hui architectural style for renovating residential buildings in rural areas of Anhui province. A selected pilot building serves as the testbed for the solar chimney implementation, with plans to extend the design to other local renovation projects. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are employed to compare various solar chimney configurations and identify the optimal design for the case study. Results from the CFD simulations highlight the optimal configurations for the pilot building's solar chimney design. Additionally, a comparative analysis of heating and cooling energy consumption is conducted between buildings with and without solar chimneys to assess the energy-saving potential. Furthermore, a life cycle assessment evaluates the environmental impacts of solar chimney construction and the environmental benefits during operation. It is revealed that the solar chimney can reduce building energy consumption. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with solar chimney construction can be offset within one year. The study presents an effect diagram illustrating the renovated building with a solar chimney. This study provides valuable insights into the application of solar chimneys in developing rural areas to enhance indoor comfort and promote energy savings. Additionally, it offers guidance for exploring optimal solar chimney configurations for specific geographical regions areas.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Documentation of Recreation Areas Within The Scope Of Cultural Heritage: The Example of The Ancient City Of Kilistra

Historical buildings have been damaged by natural events and human hands for centuries. For this reason, the importance of studies on the preservation, documentation and restoration of historical buildings is increasing all over the world. In addition, the use of technological opportunities is also becoming important in order to carry out more comprehensive studies on the sustainability of historical buildings. Studies on modeling many cultural heritage (CH) works around the world continue. In order to evaluate these models in reconstruction studies, precise data about the structure must be obtained. In parallel with technological developments, the measurement sensitivity of the devices used in this field has also increased. In addition, different technological tools that will assist in measurement activities are entering our lives day by day. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems are one of them. 3D data obtained from UAVs and photogrammetric systems are sensitive data obtained quickly and at low cost. This data provides the opportunity to be used in interdisciplinary studies. This study investigates the use of UAVs in the digital documentation study of the Ancient City of Kilistra in Konya/Gökyurt. The results of the study showed that UAVs are much more practical and effective than traditional measurement techniques. It has been revealed that, if appropriate conditions are provided, UAVs can be a suitable alternative in terms of time and cost in documenting recreational CH sites. Finally, it has been determined that the high-resolution digital maps obtained not only speed up the process of documenting large areas, but also provide advantages in terms of accuracy and precision.

Building Renovation by Using Maximum Edge Distance Method

Building Renovation by Using Maximum Edge Distance Method

Material Flow Analysis-Based Sustainability Assessment for Circular Economy Scenarios of Urban Building Stock of Vienna

Urban buildings consume raw material and energy, and they produce waste and greenhouse gasses. Sustainable urban development strategies aim to reduce these. Using the case study of buildings in Vienna, this article evaluates the impact of a defined urban development pathway on the heating energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and total material requirement of buildings in Vienna for 2021–2050. Furthermore, the impact of recycling to reduce the total material requirement and to increase the circular material use rate is evaluated. The results show that the heating energy demand can be reduced to meet the targets of Vienna’s sustainable development strategy. The same does not count for greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the targets for the latter, the renovation of old buildings by thermal insulation should be expanded and heating systems substituted. With respect to the total material requirement, the recycling of demolition waste from buildings in Vienna to produce secondary raw materials for buildings in Vienna can help to achieve the reduction targets of Vienna’s sustainable development strategy so that in the year 2050, the material footprint is only 44% of the value of the year 2019. Since there is a contradiction between the total material requirement and the circular material use rate, the latter has to be discussed for its use as a circular economy indicator, since the aim of circular economy is not to produce as much recycling materials as possible, but to reduce resource consumption to a sustainable level.

Application of a cost-effective methodology for the refurbishment of DOCOMOMO buildings. A case study in Northern Spain

The energy rehabilitation of listed buildings guaranteeing heritage values but allowing a use that contributes to their conservation, supposes a challenge with the need of a holistic approach. Buildings of the Modern Movement, many of which are registered as DOCOMOMO (DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the MOdern Movement), are a particular case since many of them are not yet listed or are under unclear requirements. This paper explores the inclusion of a cost-effective methodology as part of the decision-making in the energy rehabilitation of these DOCOMOMO buildings, applying it to the case study of an office building located in the north of Spain. Different scenarios were studied balancing cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency and rehabilitation requirements. In this case study, the analysis may allow policymakers to have supportive arguments to subsidize certain elements (as e.g., steel frames), or allow the use of alternative options with similar aesthetic characteristics, but at a much lower cost. This second option will constitute the unique cost-effective scenario, with energy savings of between 25.36 % and 38.8 %. The inclusion of a cost-effective methodology as part of the mechanics for decision-making in the energy refurbishment of DOCOMOMO buildings permits the optimisation of the intervention guaranteeing their use and the conservation of heritage values.

PENINGKATAN KUALITAS HUNIAN PADA PERMUKIMAN PADAT DI RW 02, KELURAHAN KRENDANG, JAKARTA BARAT

The settlement in RW 02, Krendang sub-district, Tambora district, West Jakarta, is a dense and unorganized urban settlement resulting from an unplanned incremental growth process. Apart from poor environmental sanitation conditions, this settlement has a low quality of residential space with very limited natural lighting and ventilation due to the closeness of the buildings and the lack of open space. This settlement is the location for implementing a community service program which aims to help the West Jakarta government deal with the city's slum problem by involving community participation to improve the quality of residential space. The initial program in 2023 aims to open people's minds about the importance of healthy residential spaces, and to make this happen can be done using simple, low-cost methods. In the next stage, sustainable programs will be continued until a model of healthy, low-cost housing is realized in this settlement. A series of community service activities have been carried out with the culmination of counseling activities for social treatment to build collective insight and awareness among residents. The counseling took place at the community hall, attended by RW administrators as well as RT representatives and community leaders within RW 02. The counselor team used pictures of simulation designs for the renovation of multi-purpose buildings and pre-school children's education in RW 02 as counseling aids. Based on pre-test and post-test data through filling out questionnaires by participants, it shows a significant increase in collective awareness regarding the program objectives.

Exploring occupant behaviors and interactions in buildings with energy-efficient renovations: A hybrid virtual-physical experimental approach

Energy-efficient renovations significantly affect how people use buildings, and these occupant behaviors, in turn, influence the effectiveness of building renovations. Exploring interactions between occupants and renovations is essential for implementing building energy-efficient renovation. However, physical experiments for this purpose require extensive setups in the laboratory to observe occupant behaviors under various renovations. Immersive virtual environment (IVE) experiments as an emerging method still need to adequately incorporate thermal stimuli, essential for studying occupant behaviors, building renovations, and related interactions.Therefore, this study proposes a novel approach that integrates virtual and physical environments in experiments to explore occupant behaviors and their interactions with building renovations. The interactive and immersive capabilities of IVE experiments allow for effective simulation of various renovations and occupant behaviors. By incorporating thermal stimuli from physical experiments, this approach overcomes previous limitations in studying thermal-related occupant behaviors. In a field study, an office building looking for renovation is used to explore occupant behaviors and their interactions with building renovations. It is found that energy-efficient renovation impacts personal heater use and door opening behaviors, but not clothing behaviors; such changes in heater use subsequently impact the energy performance of building renovation. In further analysis, obvious correlations are revealed between personal heater use and renovation scenarios, thermal perception, and times of day. The proposed approach is validated as a novel method to engage the occupants in achieving occupant-centric building energy-efficient transitions.

Designing with building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV): A pathway to decarbonize residential buildings

The ambitious targets set for greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency by 2050 demand a critical increase of building renovation rates. This challenge is shared by most Western nations, including Europe and Switzerland, where the current annual renovation rate stands at a mere 0.6 %. In this context, designing renovation strategies using building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) components as a new building material is one of the most promising ways to achieve decarbonization of the building stock in an economical and environmentally efficient manner. To this end, building design teams are key, especially in promoting BIPV-based projects to their clients and taking this approach into account from the initial design phase where pivotal decisions with significant impact are made. This article illustrates the potential impact of specific choices in renovation processes on the overall building performance, considering a Life-Cycle Analysis/Cost (LCA/LCC) and multi-criteria analysis. It uses a 1970's residential building as case study, examining different refurbishment scenarios. Findings reveal that scenarios integrating BIPV can significantly enhance energy savings, achieving up to 122 % in energy efficiency gains, and can meet the 2050 targets for cumulative energy demand (CED) and global warming potential (GWP). Additionally, the most effective BIPV scenarios demonstrate economic viability with a payback period of 14–18 years and internal rates of return (IRR) between 5.3 % and 5.9 %. These results underscore the economic and environmental benefits of BIPV in building renovations and advocate for its broader adoption to achieve national and international climate goals.

Research on the yingzao chi restoration of palace buildings sans dougong in Ming and Qing Dynasties: a case study of Chongqing

As a unit of measurement for Chinese ancient construction, the yingzao chi (yingzaochi 营造尺) is of great significance to study long-term transformation of culture, construction skills, and the scale design rule of Chinese regional architectural heritage. But few scholars study the restoration method of the yingzao chi of palace buildings sans dougong (斗拱) in Chinese Ming and Qing Dynasties. Based on the yingzao chi theory, this paper studies and improves a theoretical method to help restore the yingzao chi of palace buildings sans dougong in Ming and Qing Dynasties. This method is not limited by the lack of reference of vernacular chi (xiangchi 乡尺) and can restore the yingzao chi of a single building through surveying data, and there is a smaller error in the calculation process. Three typical palace buildings without dougong in Ming and Qing Dynasties in Chongqing are selected as examples. The results show that the restored yingzao chi of these three buildings is highly similar, most likely 320.7–323.6 mm, which can verify the reliability of this method. This study can help to improve the research of yingzao chi and provide theoretical support for the protection of this kind of architectural heritage. Besides, the restoration of the yingzao chi provides a potential opportunity to explore how the technological and cultural of palace architecture spread, develop and blend.

New robust multi-criteria decision-making framework for thermal insulation of buildings under conflicting stakeholder interests

The choice of thermal insulation technology for existing building retrofit can be a complex multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem characterized by multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests. The conflicting interests of the building owners and the policymakers could negatively influence the adoption of low-carbon energy retrofit measures by building possessors, slowing down the progress toward sustainable development. The investigation of this issue is, therefore, crucial to support more informed decisions and offer policymakers useful insights to develop future economic incentives for energy refurbishment of buildings. Most of the existing MCDM studies on the subject do not emphasize the differences among different stakeholders nor consider the outcomes' robustness. To overcome this gap, this paper integrates multi-stakeholder analyses and robustness assessments to provide broad-spectrum and reliable results. An innovative robust MCDM framework for building thermal insulation under conflicting stakeholder interests is proposed and tested on a real case study building (located in Southern Italy) using building dynamic energy simulation. Several alternatives of thermal insulation are evaluated under environmental, energy, and economic key performance indicators (KPIs). The Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to define criteria weights for conflicting decision-makers representing collectivity (policymakers) and private interests. TOPSIS, VIKOR, WASPAS, and MULTIMOORA methods are integrated to perform initial rankings of the alternatives. A rank similarity analysis is performed to evaluate the consensus between MCDM methods, and an ensemble ranking is obtained for each decision-maker using an approach based on the half-quadratic theory. A Confidence Index and a Trust Level are used to evaluate the agreement among the MCDM approaches, verifying the reliability of the final ensemble ranking. The robustness of the framework is attained by complying with well-established literature guidance. The hybrid MCDM analysis showed that porous materials like expanded clay and expanded perlite lead to better results under the KPIs investigated. The worst performances are attained by vacuum insulation panels and aerogel, mainly due to high values of embodied CO2 emissions and long payback periods. Insights upon the performance of different thermal insulating alternatives are also highlighted by the study and a stakeholder comparative analysis demonstrates that global rankings obtained for the different decision-makers show some similarities, but also important deviations, and a full compromise solution is not achieved.

Automated architectural spatial composition via multi-agent deep reinforcement learning for building renovation

This paper focuses on utilizing deep reinforcement learning technology to explore how to achieve automated architectural space composition under established built environment conditions to address the extensive demands of old building renovation. A reinforcement learning platform has been develop0065d, centered around the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) algorithm. The paper leverages functional blocks as agents within Grasshopper to simulate existing architectural structures and their interactions, establishing a task-based reward system to guide the design process. Furthermore, data exchange between algorithmic and modeling software is facilitated through UDP communication. Training results using typical frame structure spaces indicate a significant increase in cumulative rewards around the 650,000th training step, effectively achieving the given design tasks. The paper demonstrates the potential of automated architectural space composition methods, based on deep reinforcement learning, to enhance design efficiency, optimize spatial arrangements, and promote human-machine collaborative design in building renovations.

Multi-objective optimization of rural residential envelopes in cold regions of China based on performance and economic efficiency

Building envelope renovation solutions are critical to building performance and post-renovation economics. Building renovation is easier to carry out if the impacts of building envelope renovation solutions on building performance and post-renovation economic efficiency can be foreseen and a more sustainable and efficient renovation design can be achieved. This paper explores the optimal design of building envelope renovation using genetic optimization algorithms and statistical analysis methods, taking the performance of the renovated building and the economic efficiency of the renovation solution as the starting points. In Qingdao, a cold region of China, a survey was carried out on typical rural areas in seven regions. The selected design variables include the external wall and roof insulation material type(TWall, TRoof), external wall and roof insulation thickness(δWall, δRoof), type of window construction(TWc), and area radio of the window to the wall(WWR). Minimization of total building energy consumption(E) and renovation cost(COSTRE) and after renovation maximization of the combined incremental cost-benefit ratio over a 20-year life cycle(CICBR20-year life-cycle), effective natural daylighting illuminance(UDI), and percentage of time spent in indoor comfort(PTC) were considered in the optimization of the envelope. The results show that in cold regions, different envelope renovation solutions affect the optimization objectives to different degrees; changing the south-facing window-to-wall ratio(S_WWR) has a bigger effect on E, PTC, and UDI; and choosing different TRoof has a bigger effect on COSTRE and CICBR20-year life-cycle. Renovation of the selected typical rural residence with the optimal solution results in an energy-saving rate(Re) of 53.08 %, an increase of 940.86 h/year in annual indoor comfort hours(HIC) and 377.00 h/year in annual effective natural lighting hours(HUDI).

Thermal Performance Optimization of Building Envelopes in a Low-Cost and Energy-Saving Rural Dwelling in Severe Cold Region—Taking Central Area of Liaoning as an Example

The thermal performance of rural building envelopes is mostly non-standardized in Northern China, resulting in significant heat loss. In this study, we take, as an example, the central area of Liaoning province, with the objective of proposing some low-cost and energy-efficient solutions. Through our investigations, we found that heating energy consumption was reduced by 20% and construction costs increased by less than CNY 8000 (USD 1108), which can be accepted by rural residents. In order to achieve this target, the NSGA-II algorithm integrated with Rhino + Grasshopper and EnergyPlus simulation kernel was used to establish a thermal performance optimization model for the heat transfer of rural building envelopes in this severe cold region. Among the above-calculated Pareto optimal solutions, the recommended thickness of insulation layers for room floors, roofs, and external walls was about 70 mm, 50 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. Furthermore, we tried to reduce the window-to-wall ratio as much as possible. Finally, based on both the lower building renovation cost and energy-saving rate, three technical solutions from which rural residents could select, according to their specific needs, are put forward.

Hygrothermal risk assessment tool for brick walls in a changing climate

Due to the heritage value of historical buildings, external facades can often not be modified. Therefore, in heritage buildings interior insulation is often considered when undergoing an energy renovation. However, interior retrofitting drastically changes the hygrothermal behaviour of a wall and can potentially cause moisture-related problems. Besides an interior retrofit, a changing climate might also trigger some of these damage mechanisms as parameters such as temperature and precipitation will change over time. Hygrothermal models can provide relevant insights into the risk of deterioration associated with these damage phenomena. However, these Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) tools are commercially available but rarely used in the building industry to study deterioration risks. Translating research into practical tools and guidelines is a challenge across the whole field of building renovation. This paper aims to tackle that challenge, by means of creating a hygrothermal risk assessment tool based on 48,384 HAM-simulations for the climate of Brussels, Belgium. Seven different performance criteria are addressed and discussed: freeze-thaw damage, mould growth, wood rot, corrosion, moisture accumulation, salt efflorescence and bio-colonisation. Subsequent to a sensitivity analysis, the study further explains how these results can be translated into practice, providing building practitioners the most suitable insights and recommendations. The development of an interactive web tool to assess hygrothermal risks is demonstrated and its use and benefits are further elaborated.