Building Research Articles

Refined simulation and verification of blast loads on curved shells

Terrorist attacks and accidental explosions pose significant challenges to the security of public buildings. This study combines detailed test data from three different curved shells to simulate different blast scenarios, effectively validating the simulation of blast loads and blast waves. Based on dynamic time warping and blast damage criteria, a similarity algorithm for blast loads based on overpressure histories of multi-gauge is proposed, and the similarity of blast loads on curved shells under four different scenarios is systematically evaluated. The spatiotemporal distribution of blast pressure around curved shells is analyzed based on simulation results. This paper provides a convenient tool for predicting blast loads on complex building shapes and optimizing blast-resistant designs.

Assessment of Potential Risks Related to Mass Movement Hazards along the Southern Escarpment of the Bamileke Plateau (West-Cameroon Highlands)

The South Escarpment of the Bamileke Plateaus (SEBP) is located on the CVL and is part of the WCH. It is subject to risks related to mass movements. This region has significant potential for agro-pastoral many activities. It is for this reason that the demographic explosion is important there. The population in place practices many activities and owns several assets. This is the essence of the vulnerability to mass movements in this region. This vulnerability is human and material. Assessing the risk of mass movement also requires an assessment of vulnerability. Field campaigns have made it possible to identify the various vulnerable sites. Falling rocks, landslides and subsidence are the main mass movements in the region. The mass movement density map and probable area map highlight these mass movements. By questioning the populations and using the documents, we estimated the losses. The population is estimated at around 195.181 inhabitants. The estimated loss of agro-pastoral activities is 62.251.150 FCFA or 115.455.96 USD. The ESPB is covered by approximately 279.0335 km of road. It is full of many homes and public buildings. The estimated loss of buildings and properties amounts to 2778509.700 FCFA or 5151001.33 USD. By questioning the populations and using the documents, we estimated the losses. The population is estimated at around 195,181 inhabitants. The estimated loss of agro-pastoral activities is 62.251.150 FCFA or 115.455.96 USD. The SEBP is covered by approximately 279.0335 km of road. It is full of many homes and public buildings. The estimated loss of buildings and properties amounts to 2778509.700 FCFA or 5151001.33 USD. By questioning the populations and using the documents, we estimated the losses. The population is estimated at around 195,181 inhabitants. The estimated loss of agro-pastoral activities is 62.251.150 FCFA or 115.455.96 USD. The SEBP is covered by approximately 279.0335 km of road. It is full of many homes and public buildings. The estimated loss of buildings and properties amounts to 2778509.700 FCFA or 5151001.33 USD

Material stock-service and circularity prospects of buildings in Singapore

Estimates of city-scale building material stocks and flows can contribute towards resource circularity opportunities. A bottom-up material flow analysis is carried out to track concrete, steel and embodied carbon in all Singapore buildings, from 2010 to 2020. Most inflows were directed to residential buildings, while the largest outflow originated from the demolition of private industrial buildings. In 2020, 472 million tonnes of concrete and steel stocks were embodied in buildings. Embodied carbon in public residential buildings is the highest (58.4 MtCO2e) among all building types. Resource efficiency of residential and industrial buildings, in terms of material use per service index, remained flat over the past decade, while that for commercial buildings rose. The cumulative outflows for the next 10 years can meet 17 % of projected material demand and deliver significant emissions savings. Efforts to promote material reuse and recycling can help deliver a low-carbon and circular built environment.

Carbon emission reduction in public buildings of extreme cold regions: A study on enclosure structure and HVAC system parameter optimization

AbstractThe implementation of strategies aimed at curtailing energy consumption and carbon emissions in buildings is of paramount importance. Priority should be accorded to the reduction of embodied carbon emissions from construction materials and operational carbon emissions during the usage phase. A public building situated in an extremely cold region is chosen as the subject of this study. An initial investigation is conducted into the impact of various enclosure structure materials on embodied carbon. The impact of different heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on the total carbon emissions of public buildings are studied as well. The findings indicate that the amalgamation of W3 + R + G4 + H4 culminates in the least total carbon emissions. Upon establishing the foundational scheme for the public building, an optimization (nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II [NSGA II] and Criteria Importance Through Intercrieria Correlation [CRITIC]) of the enclosure structure parameters is initiated to examine the optimal parameters of the public building's enclosure structure. The findings reveal that a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient could trigger an increase in total carbon emissions. This is attributed to the fact that the carbon emissions embodied in the production process of these materials could potentially outweigh the reduction observed in operational carbon emissions. Further adjustments were also made to the parameters of the HVAC system in the buildings. The findings indicate that within the context of public buildings, given the presence of optimal parameters and an HVAC system that utilizes solar energy for both heating and cooling in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air‐Conditioning Engineers, Inc. 6 A climatic zone, the efficiency of the cooling system can exert a significant influence on the operations carbon emissions reduction.

Factors Influencing Public Building Energy Consumption: A Case Study of Changjiang River Administration of Navigation Affairs in China

Based on the energy consumption data of the Changjiang River Administration of Navigation Affairs public building located in Wuhan, China, this paper analyzes the energy consumption characteristics of public buildings. Using the DesignBuilder energy simulation software (v7.0.0.096), various factors influencing building energy consumption are investigated. Furthermore, SPSS (v26.0.0.0) is employed to conduct correlation analyses between measured and simulated energy consumption data. The results indicate that the most significant factors affecting energy consumption are outdoor temperature, office equipment usage time, anticipated room temperature settings, boiler usage time, and per capita daily water consumption. By exploring the factors influencing energy consumption in public buildings, this study contributes novel insights into setting targets, adjusting schemes, and achieving energy-saving effects.

Behaviour of Machine Learning algorithms in the classification of energy consumption in school buildings

Abstract The significance of energy efficiency in the development of smart cities cannot be overstated. It is essential to have a clear understanding of the current energy consumption (EC) patterns in both public and private buildings. One way to achieve this is by employing machine learning classification algorithms, which offer a broader perspective on the factors influencing EC. These algorithms can be applied to real data from databases, making them valuable tools for smart city applications. In this paper, our focus is specifically on the EC of public schools in a Portuguese city, as this plays a crucial role in designing a Smart City. By utilizing a comprehensive dataset on school EC, we thoroughly evaluate multiple ML algorithms. The objective is to identify the most effective algorithm for classifying average EC patterns. The outcomes of this study hold significant value for school administrators and facility managers. By leveraging the predictions generated from the selected algorithm, they can optimize energy usage and, consequently, reduce costs. The use of a comprehensive dataset ensures the reliability and accuracy of our evaluations of various ML algorithms for EC classification.

ФОРМА І ЗАДАЧІ ФОРМОТВОРЕННЯ В АРХІТЕКТУРІЙ КОМПОЗИЦІЇ

This paper examines the concept of architectural form as the boundaries of external and internal characteristics of the form, its role in the structure of the compositional image and the disclosure of certain aspects of forming, characteristic of different types of materials, their assortment and typification. In writing the article, general scientific and special methods of scientific research were used. The article also examines the state of research on the concept of architectural form, determining that building materials are the material basis that allows the architectural form proposed by an architect and designer to be realized as an architectural object. The main part of the objects currently under construction are residential and public buildings, mainly frame, monolithic-frame, monolithic or panel, with different number of storeys and comfort level. Such diversity leads to a significant variety of objects under construction, requires the study and use of compositional and constructive methods and means in architectural design. The practical value of the work is that the results of this study can be used by architects in the process of sketching and conceptual design of architectural objects. After all, every architect should be able to navigate the theoretical provisions of architectural composition, master the tools for building architectural forms, identify ways to create their own arsenal of creative tools in various design situations, select materials for specific purposes in accordance with the planning structure and tectonics of the architectural form; perform a feasibility study of options for architectural and urban planning design solutions.

INCLUSIVE TECHNIQUES OF COLOR HARMONIZATION OF THE INTERIOR SPACE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS

The work, based on systematized theoretical and practical experience, defines the main inclusive techniques of color harmonization of the interior space of public buildings in the aspect of comfortable perception of the architectural environment by groups of the population with limited mobility and people with special needs: the technique of using contrasting colors, the technique of using a color coding system, the technique of using Braille and tactile elements, the technique of application of light signals, the technique of using neutral colors for the floor and walls, the technique of using audiovisual signals, the technique of providing touch accessibility, the technique of color indicators of doors and entrance area, the technique of color coding of infrastructure. During the study of inclusive techniques of harmonizing the internal space of public buildings, several aspects that need improvement were identified. The introduction of tactile and sound indicators, effective use of contrasts and a color scheme allowed to create an environment that takes into account the needs of people with visual impairments. For the further development of inclusive spaces, it is recommended to take into account the needs of the community and use the latest research methods. The integration of tactile and sound indicators, the development of multimodal information systems and the application of technological innovations are important elements of increasing the effectiveness of inclusive design.

Introducing WALKER – Safeguarding Cultural Heritage through Evacuation Run Maps

The crisis management cycle contains the step Preparedness, in which the development of disaster plans takes place. Run plans for fire fighters are a well-established means for enhancing preparedness in public buildings. A wide array of plans is available, serving to aid firefighters in swiftly orienting themselves during emergency situations on-site. These plans may also include detailed information as needed, providing tactical insights into critical elements within the building. In this practitioner paper, we present the adaptation of run plans to the realm of cultural heritage preservation. We utilize the existing format for the communication of information about the safe handling of cultural heritage to the command staff and the fire fighters. These cultural heritage escape plans offer guidance on the safe handling, evacuation procedures, and the prioritization of cultural heritage items in the case of an emergency and can be added to the existing tactical firefighting plans in public cultural heritage institutions. The evacuation plan format has been developed by the Munich County Fire Fighters and was manually implemented for all cultural heritage objects of the Bavarian Palace Department. The format has proven beneficial. With this format, we aim to enhance the preparedness of cultural heritage sites against natural disasters. Given the inherent sensitivity of cultural heritage objects, which require careful handling, these escape plans encompass instructions for the secure dismantling and evacuation of these items to designated safe areas. Furthermore, we introduce the software WALKER, a specialized tool designed for the creation of evacuation plans tailored to cultural heritage contexts. WALKER has been deployed for test usage for cultural heritage institutions for testing and evaluation of its potential. Both evacuation maps and WALKER are part of an integrated crisis management for cultural heritage and can be classified as part of the Preparedness step in the crisis management cycle. Furthermore, when the plans are implemented during the response, they can also be considered part of the phase Response.

A method for building extraction in remote sensing images based on swintransformer

ABSTRACT Remote sensing image building segmentation, which is essential in land use and urban planning, is evolving with advancements in deep learning. Conventional methods using convolutional neural networks face limitations in integrating local and global information and establishing long-range dependencies, resulting in suboptimal segmentation in complex scenarios. This paper proposes LMSwin_PNet, a novel segmentation network that addresses the SwinTransformer encoder's deficiency in local information processing through a local feature extraction module. Additionally, it features a multiscale nonparametric merging attention module to enhance feature-channel correlations. The network also incorporates the pyramid large-kernel convolution module, replacing the traditional 3 × 3 convolution in the decoder with multibranch large-kernel convolution, thereby achieving a large receptive field and detailed information capture. Comparative analyses on three public building datasets demonstrated the model's superior segmentation performance and robustness. The results show that LMSwin_PNet produced outputs closely matching labels, showing its potential for broader application in remote sensing image segmentation tasks. It achieved achieving an IoU of 72.35% on the Massachusetts Building Dataset, 91.30% on the WHU Building Dataset, and 78.99% on the Inria aerial-image building dataset. The source code will be freely available at https://github.com/ziyanpeng/pzy.

Developing fuzzy-based earned value analysis model for estimating the performance of construction projects. A case of selected public building projects in Ethiopia

Developing fuzzy-based earned value analysis model for estimating the performance of construction projects. A case of selected public building projects in Ethiopia

Research on the Energy Consumption Influence Mechanism and Prediction for the Early Design Stage of University Public Teaching Buildings in Beijing

The public teaching buildings of universities have a large flow of people, high lighting requirements, and large energy consumption, which present significant potential for energy saving. The greatest opportunity for integrating “green” architectural design strategies lies in the design phase, especially the early stage of architectural design. However, current designers often rely on experience or qualitative judgment for decision-making. Thus, there is a pressing need for rational and quantitative green architectural design theories and techniques to guide and support decision-making for the design parameters of teaching buildings. This study, based on field surveys of 40 teaching buildings, constructs building archetypes regarding energy consumption including 28 typical values. Based on the “Rectangle”, “L”, “U”, and “Courtyard” archetypes, through batch energy consumption simulation and multiple regression methods, the influence mechanisms of nine energy consumption influencing factors on four types of building energy consumptions were explored, and energy consumption prediction models were derived. The findings of this research can serve as factor evaluation and selection in the early stage of architectural design for public teaching buildings at universities, and the prediction model can assist in the early estimation of energy consumption. This aims to enrich and supplement green architectural design methods by supporting the design of green public teaching buildings and providing reference and application for relevant engineering practices.

Comparative analysis of track damping effect of structure jointly constructed by subway tunnels and high-rise buildings

The joint construction of subways and other public buildings is a relatively newer type of construction. There is little research experience in the vibration characteristics and track damping design for this type of structure. In this study, a field test was adopted to conduct site measurement analysis on the vibration response of the joint construction project consisting of a subway tunnel and a building with typical frame structures. Numerical simulation methods were also adopted to, respectively, assume the use of ordinary tracks and steel-spring floating slab tracks for the subway for the situation where the Cologne-egg high-elastic fasteners were used on the track for damping purposes. Comparisons were performed to analyze the difference in the system vibration response between three different types of track. The results showed that the high-elastic fastener track and floating slab track both have a certain degree of damping effect compared with an ordinary track. Specifically speaking, the former has a damping advantage for frequency bands below 20 Hz, while the latter has the advantage for frequency bands above 20 Hz under the impact of the structural vibration characteristics for this joint construction. For this jointly construction structure, affected by the natural vibration characteristics of the structure, the natural frequency of the floating slab track is within 4 ∼ 10 Hz, and the similar vibration reduction effect can be achieved. This indicates that the structural vibration characteristic of the jointly constructed structure is an important factor determining the appropriate natural frequency of the floating slab track.

Strength design of built-up radially battened columns subject to axial compression and arbitrary directional bending moment

Built-up radially battened columns (RBCs), comprising several identical circular steel tubes interconnected by multiple radial-shaped battens, represent an innovative column design that combines aesthetic appeal with exceptional load-bearing capacity. This makes them well-suited for architectural applications in large public buildings such as stations and airports. The axial compressive strength design methods for the built-up RBC have been extensively explored in the authors' prior studies. However, in real-world engineering applications, built-up RBCs may experience simultaneous axial compression and varying directional bending moments, particularly when considering potential eccentric compression or wind and earthquake loads in public buildings. Currently, strength design methods for this loading condition are still lacking. To address this deficiency, this paper primarily delves into the failure mechanism and strength design methods for built-up RBCs experiencing combined axial compression and arbitrary directional bending moments. Initially, the sectional strength of the built-up RBC is investigated by using a shell finite element model (FEM) for the built-up RBC. It is revealed that the compression-bending sectional strength of the built-up RBC exhibits significant differences with varying bending directions and tube numbers. Moreover, in some bending directions, the M-N sectional strength curve of the built-up RBC exhibits convexity. By integrating theoretically derived equations grounded in the principles of materials mechanics with FEM numerical calculations, concise and practical design equations are proposed for accurately predicting the sectional strength of the built-up RBC under combined axial compression and arbitrary directional bending moments. Subsequently, The buckling strength of the built-up RBC is studied using the FEM, considering initial geometrical imperfections consistent with first-order flexural buckling and accounting for geometric nonlinearity. It is noted that the bending direction of the built-up RBC may deviate during loading. Besides, the M-N buckling strength curve of the built-up RBC is not as convex as its M-N sectional strength curve. Based on calculations from numerous examples, practical design equations for predicting the buckling strength for the built-up RBC under axial compression and any directional bending moments are introduced. The key findings of this paper contribute to the compression-bending strength design of RBCs, enriching RBC design theory and promoting the widespread application of built-up RBCs in actual engineering projects.

The influence of the application of glass curtain walls on architectural style and architectural facade design techniques

In recent years, with the increasingly rapid development of the glass curtain wall and its gradually mature use in architecture, many designers choose to use glass curtain walls when designing buildings in order to get the desired building facade effect. As a result, there are many new architectural styles and building facade effects. Against this background, this paper discusses how glass curtain wall is applied in architecture and how it helps and influences architectural design styles and techniques. To conclude, the glass curtain wall has been widely used in the design of high-rise buildings and public buildings at this stage, and it also helps designers to more conveniently adjust the virtual-real relationship of building facades and the overall architectural style. The use of large-area glass curtain walls in the design of facades can achieve special effects that cannot be replaced by other materials. At the same time, the application of glass facades also promotes the process of architectural design modernization.

Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Rzeszów in 2023.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of severe pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. The case fatality rate in this disease is 5-10%. People with various comorbidities, smokers and the elderly are at greater risk of developing the disease. The aim of the work is to present the results of an epidemiological investigation into the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that occurred in the city of Rzeszów and the surrounding area in August and September 2023 and to present the threat related to the presence of Legionella bacteria in water supply installations and networks. The material for this publication was data from an epidemiological investigation conducted in the outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Rzeszów in 2023. Epidemiological investigation revealed 165 cases of Legionnaires' disease in the outbreak, including 152 confirmed cases and 13 probable cases. The case fatality rate in a legionellosis outbreak was 15%. Environmental tests were carried out in residential and public buildings and industrial installations during the investigation. As part of environmental tests, 187 water samples were collected, including 87 warm water samples. The outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the city of Rzeszów draws attention to the potential threat from the Legionella bacteria to the health and life of especially elderly people suffering from chronic diseases. The environmental tests carried out confirmed the highest number of Legionella bacteria at medium and high levels in water samples taken in the private apartments of sick people. Despite the lack of strict legal regulations clearly specifying the obligations regarding periodic disinfection of internal hot water supply installations, cooperation with their owners should be undertaken to enforce plans and actions in this area.

Environmental Design on Site-Specific Energy Solidary Communities around Public High Schools in the Metropolitan Area of Naples (Italy)

Renewable energy communities (RECs) around photovoltaic systems on public buildings are optimal solutions to counter energy poverty, ensuring all stakeholders access to cheap, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy systems. As the neighborhood is the minimum suitable unit for the implementation of highly sustainable settlements, this article discusses the potential and criticality of RECs at this scale in southern Italy. Starting with the concept of RECs, this study presents a methodology to size sustainable urban communities around school buildings. It integrates practical energy indicators with those defining performance in vegetation and water management. The impact of these factors is analyzed to identify the ideal community size in terms of energy efficiency, economic value, and social cohesion. An interactive scorecard ranks high school sites suitable for transformation into community hubs, taking into consideration the scale of substation distribution. The findings provide empirically validated operational guidelines and best practices to support the transition to smart, efficient, and socially inclusive communities. At the urban scale, the analysis evaluates different urban morphologies, microclimates, characteristics and density of buildings, and population around each assumed community hub. The study provides valuable guidance to local designers, planners, and administrators for the implementation of sustainable technologies by preparing a map of potential RECs.

The Cathay Pacific Incident under Public Opinion Monitoring: A Case Study of Discrimination against Mainland Passengers and Public Opinion Leadership

This thesis analyzes the Cathay Pacific Airways incident in depth, and reveals the important role of public opinion monitoring in corporate crisis management in the new media era through a detailed analysis of the background of the incident, the mechanism of public opinion monitoring, and the response of the enterprise, with a view to providing theoretical guidance and inspiration for the practice of public opinion monitoring in the future through an in-depth analysis of the case. Through the revelation and reflection of the incident, the thesis emphasizes the positive impact of public opinion monitoring on corporate information transparency, public relations team building and staff training. The Cathay Pacific incident provides valuable experience for enterprises, emphasizing the importance of strengthening interaction with the public, responding quickly, and building a professional team in crisis management. In the era of new media, the power of public opinion monitoring cannot be ignored. Enterprises need to treat the public opinion environment with prudence and continuously improve their crisis management level in order to ensure sound public relations and sustainable development of the enterprise.

Assessment of the Potential Contribution of the Urban Green System to the Carbon Balance of Cities

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a crucial challenge in urban areas characterized by high energy consumption and reduced exposure to nature. In this context, the urban green system could play a pivotal role. In the literature, scholars have analyzed both the ability of species-specific and layout-specific green infrastructure to increase carbon sequestration and the best location sites for new green infrastructure to increase the provision of overall ecosystem services. There is a lack of studies helping green urban planners and designers choose where and which green infrastructure to implement based on vegetation species-specific performance and the local carbon emissions of city components. This paper uses tree inventory data from a medium-sized city in central Italy (Perugia) to develop a spatial analysis of urban park performance in carbon sequestration. Then, the method evaluates the carbon emission of a public city building to generate a spatialized balance between building demand and tree supply to support local decisions about the best locations for new green infrastructure and the choice between species. The paper contributes to GIS-based tools that vary the recommended location sites and species for new green infrastructure based on the demanded ecosystem service.

Decreasing the energy demand in public buildings using nature-based solutions: case studies from Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia)

BackgroundNature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas offer an opportunity to improve environmental conditions and to reduce CO2 emissions towards establishing climate-neutral cities in the next few decades. Furthermore, the implementation of NBSs—vertical or horizontal green infrastructures on public facilities—could in particular improve both climate, including outdoor thermal conditions on a micro-scale (especially during the summer season) and the energy demand of buildings as well as save heating energy during the winter period.ResultsOn both selected buildings, extensive green roofs were implemented as an NBS intervention. The analysed data were obtained using the monitoring systems (from 2019 to 2022) installed on two public buildings in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) and Osijek (Republic of Croatia), with a focus on climate/bioclimate characteristics and thermal transmission capacities. Four automatic weather stations (AWS) were used for microclimate monitoring, along with the heat flow meter (HFM) method, to measure the alterations in the thermal transmittance (U value) of a flat concrete roof before and after energy refurbishment and the installation of a green roof. The outcomes of this study show that the air temperatures (Ta) and globe temperatures (Tg) near the green roof are lower by 0–3 °C for Ta and by 0–16.5 °C for Tg than the values captured by the AWSs at other locations. An even more interesting fact is that the green roof has a constant cooling potential during tropical nights, and based upon this research, the cooling value is around 2 °C for Tg (the Ta value is not distinct). The thermal transmittance results show that more savings can be achieved by applying a green roof with an 8 cm thick substrate: U values decreased by 50–69%, as measured by two different heat flux sensors.ConclusionsNature-based solutions, such as the implementation of an extensive green roof, have positive effects on diverse aspects of urban environments and building energy savings, which are particularly evident in extreme seasons, both summer and winter. Applying the proposed monitoring and assessment system could help local communities in their efforts to reduce carbon-based emissions. This paper provides a good example of the implementation of NBSs on a local- and a micro-scale.