Built Environment Research Articles

Hygienic problems of using terahertz electromagnetic radiation (literature review)

The purpose of the work is to review and analyze domestic and foreign scientific works, systematize the scope of application of terahertz electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to determine hygienic problems in the field of health risk prevention in the development and use of modern radioelectronic devices. The literature search was conducted on the databases: eLibrary, Web of Science, and fifty. During the study of scientific literature, from over fifty works were analyzed, there 36 sources were selected 36 sources corresponded to the purpose of the study. Today, the urgent tasks are to predict the parameters of a complex electromagnetic environment in open areas and inside buildings using mobile communication standards 4, 5 and 6G, scientific justification of hygienic standards for the combined effects of the electromagnetic factor, methodological approaches to monitoring EMR levels, including the development of domestic selective EMR meters in a wide range of frequencies (radio frequency and terahertz ranges)

LiDAR and CAD Reconstruction of Queen's University Ontario Hall

The emergence of highly accurate LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology has opened new avenues for engaging with and understanding cultural heritage sites. How do we convert buildings like Ontario Hall into editable 3D models to engage various stakeholders in a campus setting? This initiative developed from the goal of MobArch (Queen's Mobile Laboratory for the study of Architecture and the Built Environment) to use non-invasive visualization technologies to understand the social, developmental, and environmental impacts upon our built environment and architectural past. Current initiatives involving LiDAR for heritage conservation investigate hidden aspects of sites or address structural disrepair. The Ontario Hall project uniquely documents the state of a heritage building before structural concerns arise. This project creates an accurate digital record of Ontario Hall for future infrastructure initiatives and cultural preservation. In addition, this project tests the limits of LiDAR with 3D reconstruction in CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. This project used the Leica RTC360 3D Laser Scanner to create over 300 scans with a point cloud density of 6mm. The resulting cloud was optimized using Leica Cyclone Register 360 Plus software and was imported to Sketch Up where a 3D model was manually reconstructed based on the cloud data. The result of this project is a SKP file containing the 3D model, and the point cloud. The cloud is a highly accurate resource for future infrastructure projects. The 3D model contains room volumes, windows, staircases, and external architectural elements in a more edit-friendly software environment allowing diverse stakeholders to creatively reimagine Ontario Hall. The model can be integrated into archives, websites, games, and VR. Heritage architecture can contribute to the marketing appeal and visual identity of Queen’s. Moreover, awareness of community heritage improves social wellbeing and addresses the need to connect with our built history.

3D Cementitious composites printing with pretreated recycled crumb rubber: mechanical and acoustic insulation properties

ABSTRACT Cementitious materials incorporating recycled crumb rubber have become a common sustainable resolution in diverse building environments to achieve various functions in terms of lightweight, ductility, as well as energy absorption. This study explored the 3D printed rubberised cementitious composites (3DPRC) in two aspects: examining the effects of crumb rubber pretreatment conditions on compressive properties; conducting experimental and numerical analysis on the acoustic dissipation characteristics of 3DPRC. Fine crumb rubber granules (3-5 mm) replaced 10%, 20%, and 30% of river sand in the composites. Uniaxial compression tests indicated that the compressive strength of 3DPRC decreased with the increase of crumb rubber content and introduced anisotropic behaviour. Impedance tube tests were conducted to evaluate the sound absorption and insulation capabilities of 3DPRC. An optimal Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.35 was achieved with 30% crumb rubber. The sound insulation properties depend strongly on the mass density and porosity of the 3DPRC. Additionally, it is proved that the volume of built-in air gap has positive effects on both sound absorption and insulation properties. The results from Finite Element Method (FEM) numerical simulations correlated well with experimental data, proving the efficiency of the simulation and validating the experimental results.

Digital Twins in 3D Printing Processes Using Artificial Intelligence

Digital twins (DTs) provide accurate, data-driven, real-time modeling to create a digital representation of the physical world. The integration of new technologies, such as virtual/mixed reality, artificial intelligence, and DTs, enables modeling and research into ways to achieve better sustainability, greater efficiency, and improved safety in Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies. This paper discusses concepts, limitations, future trends, and potential research directions to provide the infrastructure and underlying intelligence for large-scale semi-automated DT building environments. Grouping these technologies along these lines allows for a better consideration of their individual risk factors and use of available data, resulting in an approach to generate holistic virtual representations (DTs) to facilitate predictive analyses in industrial practices. Artificial intelligence-based DTs are becoming a new tool for monitoring, simulating, and optimizing systems, and the widespread implementation and mastery of this technology will lead to significant improvements in performance, reliability, and profitability. Despite advances, the aforementioned technology still requires research, improvement, and investment. This article’s contribution is a concept that, if adopted instead of the traditional approach, can become standard practice rather than an advanced operation and can accelerate this development.

Closing the City Cycle: An Approach for Defining Cross-Sectoral Circular Actions to Be Included in a Circular Urban Plan

The topic of the circular economy and its potential applications to urban areas is currently widely discussed as it is seen as a possible solution to the state of environmental, economic, and social unsustainability resulting from the previous consumption model. However, although many contributions focus on one or more key sectors affecting the urban environment (Mobility, Waste, Built Environment, Water, Energy, and Food), few attempts address the topic comprehensively, promoting a broad vision that encompasses all sectors and evaluates their interrelation. This paper aims to meet this need by first providing an overview of the topic of circular cities, best practices, and circular actions, and subsequently defining a synergistic methodological framework of intersectoral circular actions that considers the interrelation of the various key sectors and that can be used as a tool to contribute to the overall closure of the urban cycle of a city. The city of Genoa is proposed as a case study for a first application. This research should be incorporated into a possible Urban Circular Action Plan aimed at implementing current international strategies.

Inclusivity in Physical and Digital Theater Environments

Today, there is a problem with the organization of inclusivity in theatrical institutions, which becomes very significant for groups of people with increased needs, when the lack of certain solutions and the inability, for one reason or another, directly affects the attendance of people with limited mobility.Purpose: The aim of this work is to explore the possibility and methods of organizing inclusivity in theatrical space using up-to-date technologies such as VR, AR, metauniverse, etc. Methodology: The analysis of modern research projects related to reorientation of design and construction to the inclusivity and well-being of the architectural environment of buildings and identification of the main criteria, tools and alternative solutions. The use of high technologies in theaters are considered using real-life projects.Research findings: The main criteria are identified for reorientation of design to architecture that consider increased needs of citizens. Focusing on existing theater projects, the possibility of using virtual and augmented reality technologies and metaverses, is determined for the theater space.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Emerging Technologies on Student Learning, Engagement, and Employability in Built Environment Education

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the impact of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and gamification on student engagement, learning outcomes, and employability in Built Environment (BE) education. This review covers studies conducted between 2013 and 2023, utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. From an initial pool of 626 studies, 61 were identified and rigorously analyzed. The findings reveal that these technologies significantly enhance student engagement by providing immersive and interactive learning experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Furthermore, their use is shown to improve learning outcomes by facilitating a deeper understanding of complex concepts and increasing student motivation. In terms of employability, the integration of digital tools into BE education equips students with the requisite skills that are increasingly demanded in the modern workplace. However, the study also identifies several challenges, including high costs, limited resources, and the need for extensive faculty training, which act as barriers to the effective implementation of these technologies. Despite these challenges, this review underscores the transformative potential of digital technologies in BE education. This study is significant as it synthesizes recent evidence to highlight the critical role of digital technologies in reshaping BE education. It offers practical recommendations for educators and policymakers to enhance teaching and learning practices. Providing pathways for integrating these technologies into BE curricula, this study aims to inform future research and pedagogical strategies, ultimately contributing to the development of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce.

A Framework for Measuring Neighborhood Walkability for Older Adults-A Delphi Consensus Study.

While mobility in older age is of crucial importance for health and well-being, it is worth noting that currently, there is no German language framework for measuring walkability for older adults that also considers the functional status of a person. Therefore, we combined the results of an expert workshop, a literature review, and a Delphi consensus survey. Through this, we identified and rated indicators relevant for walkability for older adults, additionally focusing on their functional status. The expert workshop and the review led to an extensive list of potential indicators, which we hope will be useful in future research. Those indicators were then adapted and rated in a three-stage Delphi expert survey. A fourth additional Delphi round was conducted to assess the relevance of each indicator for the different frailty levels, namely "robust," "pre-frail," and "frail." Between 20 and 28 experts participated in each round of the Delphi survey. The Delphi process resulted in a list of 72 indicators deemed relevant for walkability in older age groups, grouped into three main categories: "Built environment and transport infrastructure," "Accessibility and meeting places," and "Attractiveness and sense of security." For 35 of those indicators, it was suggested that functional status should be additionally considered. This framework represents a significant step forward in comprehensively covering indicators for subjective and objective walkability in older age, while also incorporating aspects of functioning relevant to older adults. It would be beneficial to test and apply the indicator set in a community setting.

Association between Built Environment and Bus Usage among Older Adults: Urban–Rural Differences in the Nonlinearities

Public transport improves mobility and well-being for the rapidly aging population. However, few planning interventions have addressed the urban–rural disparity in bus usage among older adults. Using data from Zhongshan, China, this study adopts the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model to examine urban–rural differences in the nonlinear relationship between built environment and daily bus usage among elderly adults. The results indicate nonlinearities across all built environment variables and stronger effects of the built environment in rural areas. Distance to transit contributes the most in urban neighborhoods but least in rural ones. Furthermore, dwelling unit density and green space accessibility play the biggest roles in the rural context. Additionally, the most effective ranges of intersection density, land use mixture, and CBD accessibility are greater in rural areas. The findings facilitate fine-grained and diversified planning interventions to facilitate bus usage among older adults in both urban and rural areas.

The Best Practices for Designing Built Environments to Promote Healthy Food Access and Dietary Behaviors in Low-Income and Underserved Communities

Background: The built environment can influence health outcomes, including access to good dietary options. Aims: The current study intends to thoroughly evaluate the literature on best practices for building environments that promote healthy food access and nutritional behaviors in low-income and underserved communities in Indonesia. Method: To discover relevant studies on this topic, a thorough literature review was done using databases from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus extracting. Result: The final analysis included 32 studies after removing duplicates and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Extracting and assessing data from the chosen research and thematic synthesis was applied. The data was extracted and processed into a detailed narrative that provided an overview of the best practices. Conclusion: According to the findings of the literature study, built environment design can have a considerable impact on healthy food availability and eating patterns in Indonesian communities. It might be possible to develop effective interventions that enhance health outcomes for all Indonesians by addressing these gaps in the evidence.

Built Environment at Fifty: Perspectives, Landmarks, and Prospects

<i>Built Environment</i> at Fifty: Perspectives, Landmarks, and Prospects

Psychological Needs in the Built Environment

We assume that the built space—as part of the physical environment—has the power to affect basic human need fulfillment. Accordingly, we investigated how design features of the built space within a physical environment contribute to this effect. In two studies, we used computer-aided design to manipulate the degree of privacy, clutter, and biophilia as well as color temperature of the environment in study spaces, then measured need fulfillment (total N = 314). In Study 1A, participants (N = 260) felt more inclined to enter private study environments than nonprivate ones and felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in private environments. Some participants (n = 227) continued on to Study 1B, in which they preferred to enter warm, cluttered, biophilic environments and felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in warm and cluttered environments. In Study 2 (N = 54), we investigated the effects in a virtual reality office setting. The participants indicated that they felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in more cluttered environments than in empty ones. At the same time, they felt more related to others in biophilic environments compared to nonbiophilic environments. The findings provide the first evidence that the built environment affects need fulfillment.

Investigating the Spatiotemporal Pattern between Street Vitality in Historic Cities and Built Environments Using Multisource Data in Chaozhou, China

Investigating the Spatiotemporal Pattern between Street Vitality in Historic Cities and Built Environments Using Multisource Data in Chaozhou, China

Abstract P362: The Associations of Neighborhood Social and Built Environments with Ambulatory Blood Pressures in Young Adults of the Georgia Stress and Heart Cohort

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is an assessment method in which BP measurements are taken at regular intervals when individuals are awake and asleep, during a typical 24-hour period. Thus, ABPM is an accurate and effective way to measure BP. Neighborhood social and built environments play an important role in health, which were previously associated with cardiovascular risk factors. However, the effects of neighborhood social and built environments on ABPM is understudied, particularly among young adults and African Americans. The current study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional associations between neighborhood social and built environments and ABPM in our Georgia Stress and Heart Cohort consisting of 543 participants, aged 29.1 ± 3.6 years, 49.7% African American and 51.2% female. There were found to be consistent positive associations of neighborhood social and built environments with 24-hour systolic BP (SBP), 24-hour diastolic BP (DBP), daytime SBP, daytime DBP, nighttime SBP, and nighttime DBP ( p ≤0.01, respectively), after the adjustment for age, race and sex. Neighborhood factors such as Median Household Income and College Graduation held the negative associations with measurements of 24-hour SBP, 24-hour DBP daytime SBP, daytime DBP, nighttime SBP, nighttime DBP, and 24-hour SBP ( p ≤0.01, respectively). This study is one of the first to report the relationship between neighborhood social and built environments and ABP, particularly in young adults and African Americans residing in the US southeastern region. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further support the findings of the current study.

Achieving Integration between Wooden Claddings and Architecture to Enhance the Interior Environment of Buildings

Achieving Integration between Wooden Claddings and Architecture to Enhance the Interior Environment of Buildings

Multi-sensor fault detection and correction for automated IAQ monitoring in smart buildings through attention-aware autoencoders with spatial prediction module

The integration of interconnected monitoring and control devices has significantly enhanced the management of indoor building environments, notably in underground subway stations. In these sophisticated settings, the accuracy of monitoring systems is critical, as data-driven control systems rely extensively on sensor feedback. However, sensor faults arising from hardware damage, wear, and cyberattacks compromise the reliability of these complex systems. Despite extensive efforts, existing methods still face challenges in accurately detecting and reconstructing faults, particularly when dealing with multiple sensor failures. This study introduces a hybrid sensor validation framework that combines a multi-head attention-based denoising autoencoder (AE) with a deep learning prediction module. The performance assessment of the proposed gated recurrent unit (GRU) integrated attention-based fault detection, and reconstruction network (GADRN) shows a significant 33 % and 21 % improvement in critical success index compared to Independent Component Analysis and GRU-AE frameworks. GADRN consistently identified faulty sensors across various fault periods, achieving the lowest false alarm rate of 11 % against several conventional and machine learning-based models. A ventilation control analysis highlights the significance of incorporating a sensor validation framework in modern buildings. The outputs by the GADRN led to a 22.5 % decrease in energy consumption by preventing unnecessary resource use attributed to sensor faults.

A two-year dataset of energy, environment, and system operations for an ultra-low energy office building

This paper describes a two-year high-fidelity dataset for an ultra-low energy office building and living laboratory called HouseZero®. The building integrates multiple low-energy technologies, such as natural ventilation with automatic windows, ground source heat pump, and thermally activated building systems. The building’s performance is continuously monitored with an extensive sensor network. The dataset consists of breakdown energy end uses, photovoltaic (PV) production, zone-level indoor environment including indoor air temperature, CO2 concentration, and relative humidity, micro-climatical conditions, building façade temperature, and detailed system operations including zone-level BTU meter, valve status, slab temperature, window/skylight opening status, heat pump, and geothermal well operations. The data can be used to support data analytics of ultra-low-energy building operations, and data-driven modeling of low-energy building systems.

Indoor Environment Design and Energy Saving Analysis of Sustainable Development Integrated with Green Building

Modern architectural design has gradually distanced itself from the actual living needs of urban residents in the process of pursuing the integration of architecture and nature. To achieve the perfect combination of sustainable ecological concepts and effective energy utilization, green buildings have become an actively pursued design concept. Unlike relying solely on high-tech means, the core goal of green buildings is to build an environmentally friendly building environment by achieving sustainable and efficient utilization of energy and resources. In the design phase, green buildings should focus on functionality and economy, and be tailored to the local economic conditions, regional characteristics, natural resources, and climate conditions of the building's location to create green buildings with unique architectural and regional characteristics. This article endeavors to furnish both theoretical underpinnings and practical directives for the indoor environment design and energy conservation efforts of green buildings. By delving into the pivotal role of indoor environments as an essential architectural component, it integrates sustainable development principles with green building practices and delves into the intricate relationship between indoor environment design and energy efficiency, thus offering valuable insights and guidance for achieving sustainable and energy-efficient indoor spaces. In this process, this article examines the energy and resource utilization benefits that green building design can achieve, as well as the specific impact of indoor environment improvement on the quality of life of residents. Through an in-depth analysis of these aspects, this article aims to provide substantial contributions to achieving the sustainable development goals of green buildings. The experimental comparison results show that in terms of natural ventilation design, compared to mechanical ventilation, the proposed scheme can achieve an annual energy cost savings of 20%.

Using Indoor and Outdoor Measurements to Understand Building Protectiveness against Wildfire, Atmospheric Inversion, and Firework PM2.5 Pollution Events

The world has seen an increase in the frequency and severity of elevated outdoor pollution events exacerbated by the rise in distant polluting events (i.e., wildfires). We examined the intersection between indoor and outdoor air quality in an urban area using research-grade sensors to explore PM2.5 infiltration across a variety of pollution events by testing two separate indoor environments within the same building. We confirmed prior work suggesting that indoor environments in buildings are most protective during wintertime inversion events and less so during fireworks and wildfire events. The building indoor environment protectiveness varies notably during different pollution episodes, especially those that have traveled longer distances (e.g., wildfires), and we found evidence of varied infiltration rates across PM2.5 types. Inversion events have the lowest infiltration rates (13–22%), followed by fireworks (53–58%), and wildfires have the highest infiltration rates (62–70%), with distant wildfire events persisting longer and, therefore, infiltrating for greater durations than local-wildfire-related particle matter. The differences in PM infiltration rates were likely due to the combined effects of several factors, including varying particle size, concentration, and chemistry. Subsequently, the local wildfires had different temporal air quality impacts than distant wildfire pollution in this case. Based on these findings, indoor air quality appears more conducive to protective action and policies than outdoor air quality because the built environment may serve to shield individuals from outdoor air.

Machine Learning for Real-Time Building Outdoor Wind Environment Prediction Framework in Preliminary Design: Taking Xinjiekou Area of Nanjing, China as the Case

The incorporation of physical environmental performance as a primary consideration in building design can facilitate the harmonization of the built environment with the surrounding site and climate, enhance the building’s environmental adaptability and environmental friendliness, and contribute to the achievement of energy-saving and emission-reduction objectives through the integration of natural lighting and ventilation. General computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can help architects make accurate predictions and effectively control the building’s wind environment. However, CFD integration into the design workflow in the preliminary stages is frequently challenging due to program uncertainty, intricate parameter settings, and substantial computational expenses. This study offers a methodology and framework based on machine learning to overcome the complexity and computational cost barriers in simulating outdoor wind environments of buildings. In this framework, the machine learning model is trained using an automated CFD simulation system based on Butterfly and implemented within the Rhino and Grasshopper environment. This framework provides real-time simulation feedback within the design software and exhibits promising accuracy, with a Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) ranging from 90–97% on a training dataset of 1200 unique urban geometries in Xinjiekou Area of Nanjing, China. Furthermore, we programmatically integrate various parts of the simulation and computation process to automate multiscenario CFD simulations and computations. This automation saves a significant amount of time in producing machine-learning training sets. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed working framework in the design process through a case study. Although our approach cannot replace CFD simulation computation in the later design stages, it can support architects in making design decisions in the preliminary stages with minimal effort and immediate performance feedback.