Construction Phase Research Articles

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Homestays on Chongming Island: A Systemic Analysis in the Context of World-Class Eco-Island Development

As the development of world-class eco-islands progresses, the homestay sector on Chongming Island has burgeoned, emerging as a pivotal catalyst for rural tourism and economic prosperity. This study, leveraging Chongming Island as a case study, systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal distribution of homestays across island-wide, township, and village scales, employing methodologies such as the spatiotemporal evolutionary tree model. It delves into the intricate systemic framework underpinning homestay development, elucidating the dynamics of interaction mechanisms. Furthermore, it examines the evolving roles of diverse stakeholders throughout various developmental phases, grounded in stakeholder theory. The study reveals that (1) Chongming’s homestays on the island, townships, and village scales show very obvious agglomeration characteristics, mainly concentrated in the A-level scenic spots and in and out of the island traffic junction. (2) The growth of homestays in Chongming shows an increasing trend year by year, with the growth rate slowing down after 2020, and can be divided into four main phases, which are closely related to the construction phase of the eco-island. (3) The evolution of Chongming Island’s homestay is a multifaceted natural–human system intricately shaped by a confluence of five interdependent subsystems: natural ecology, social culture, multiple stakeholders, geographical location, and transport infrastructure. At different stages of development, under the synergistic effect of multiple stakeholders, the homestays on Chongming Island eventually formed a governance structure led by the government and co-managed by the development company, external entrepreneurs, and local villagers. These insights not only augment the scholarly discourse on stakeholder dynamics within the homestay industry but also offer pragmatic enlightenment for strategic planning and the advancement of holistic urban–rural integration in Chongming and the broader Shanghai region.

Symmetry Analysis in Construction Two Dynamic Lightweight S-Boxes Based on the 2D Tinkerbell Map and the 2D Duffing Map

The lack of an S-Box in some lightweight cryptography algorithms, like Speck and Tiny Encryption Algorithm, or the presence of a fixed S-Box in others, like Advanced Encryption Standard, makes them more vulnerable to attacks. This proposal presents a novel approach to creating two dynamic 8-bit S-Boxes (16 × 16). The generation process for each S-Box consists of two phases. Initially, the number initialization phase involves generating sequence numbers 1, sequence numbers 2, and shift values for S-Box1 using the 2D Tinkerbell map. Additionally, sequence numbers 3, sequence numbers 4, and shift values for S-Box2 are generated using the 2D Duffing map. Subsequently, the S-Box construction phase involves the construction of S-Box1 and S-Box2. The effectiveness of the newly proposed S-Boxes was evaluated based on various criteria, including the bijective property, balance, fixed points, and strict avalanche criteria. It was observed that S-Box1 achieved a remarkable linear and differential branch number of 4, surpassing any previous studies. Furthermore, it exhibited a non-linearity of 105.50, a differential uniformity of 12, and an algebraic degree of 7. Similarly, S-Box2 also achieved a linear and differential branch number of 4, a non-linearity of 105.25, a differential uniformity of 14, and an algebraic degree of 7. Moreover, the reduction in the number of linear and nonlinear operations for both S-Boxes makes them suitable for lightweight algorithms. The architecture of the proposed S-Boxes demonstrates robustness, with a total of 3.35 × 10504 possible S-Boxes, providing protection against algebraic attacks.

Design of a Stormwater Management System in Lady Irene Campus

This project aimed to design an efficient drainage system for Ndejje University's Lady Irene Campus, addressing issues of erosion and flooding exacerbated by recent construction projects. The goal was to create a hydraulic conveyance system that balances environmental protection with structural integrity and affordability. The project involved field reconnaissance, data collection, and analysis of the campus's landscape, soil types, and development trends to inform the design. Methodologically, the project used GPS surveying to create topographical maps and obtained rainfall data to size drainage facilities using the rational method. The peak runoff was calculated considering land use characteristics, while Manning’s formula was applied to design drainage channels and culverts. The design aimed to ensure high hydraulic capacity and prevent erosion with specific slope and material choices. An Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted, addressing noise, dust, water quality, waste management, and ecological impacts. Mitigation measures were recommended to minimize adverse effects during the construction and operation phases. Despite challenges such as limited access to surveying equipment and data, the project concluded with a comprehensive stormwater management plan. Recommendations include rehabilitating the university’s weather station and establishing a project database to support future planning and research. The project underscores the importance of integrating sustainable practices in urban development to safeguard environmental and infrastructural integrity.

The earliest evidence of the Phoenician presence in Lisbon: the Sommer Warehouses interventions (Rua Cais de Santarém, Lisbon)

Archaeological excavations carried out at the ancient Sommer Warehouses, in Lisbon (Portugal), have allowed the identification of a complex phasing related to the Iron Age occupation, incorporating distinct construction phases. In this study, architectural, stratigraphic, and material data from the earliest moments of this occupation (phases II to IV) are analysed. Their chronology seems to span from the second half of the 8th century BC to the beginning of the following century. Elements of both defensive and port-related character were identified. The associated archaeological material is significant, including handmade ceramics and wheel-thrown vessels, with possibly an exogenous origin for the latter. This constitutes a body of evidence of great importance in the context of urban archaeology in Lisbon, allowing for a characterization of the early moments of Iron Age occupation.

Dynamic control method of construction cost based on fuzzy neural network

For improving the dynamic management performance of construction cost, the dynamic control model of cost of construction based on fuzzy neural network is studied. Consider the effect of resource allocation, construction progress and construction quality on the cost of project in construction stage, and build the cost control index for the project in stage of construction. The fuzzy logic model is used in selecting the main cost related indicators from project cost control index system at the construction stage as input neurons of the BP NN, and the BP neural network is employed to output the results of prediction of cost at the construction stage. The project cost prediction results are set as the data basis for the dynamic control of the project cost, determine the most optimistic cost, the most probable cost and the most pessimistic cost of project cost in stage of construction through key chain method, and set buffers to realize dynamic control of project cost in stages of construction. The evaluation results prove that the developed method will be able to accurately predict the project cost in stages of construction, and the cost saved in the construction phase of the project is more than 300000 yuan.

Air Quality Predictions through Mathematical Modeling for Iron Ore Mine Project

Mathematical modeling was deployed to predict air quality during the construction and operation phases of an iron ore mine project in Maharashtra, India. A survey of different models revealed that the ISCST3 model was the most applicable one to predict the air quality parameters, particularly the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and coarse particulate matter (PM10). Baseline air quality data, emission rates, local meteorology, and terrain information were used to simulate the ground-level concentrations. The simulation predicted SPM and PM10 peaks of 172 µg/m3 and 44 µg/m3, respectively. The prediction was within the prescribed limits of the national standards of 200 µg/m3 and 100 µg/m3, respectively, near the source, with minor exceedances in total SPM in two nearby villages and an impact on air quality due to proposed mining. Accordingly, mitigation strategies towards such villages were recommended and implemented. Later, the monitoring in the operation phase revealed that particulate matter could be controlled effectively with mitigation strategies and ensured compliance with air quality standards. The analysis also revealed strong correlations between the particulate matter and the distance of the localities and SPM and PM10. Continuous monitoring and adaptive mitigation based on real-time data were thus emphasized for long-term sustainability and responsible mining practices.

The Interplay between Citizen Activities and Space across Different Official Memorial Landscape Construction Phases: Disaster Risk Reduction in Ishinomaki, Japan

Memorial facilities are one of the crucial places where citizens conduct activities facilitating disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, previous studies have primarily focused on the post-construction phase of official memorial facilities, neglecting the citizen activities collaborating with the official memorial construction process before and during the construction process. This research gap is important considering the urgency of disaster-affected regions to recover from spatial, social, and psychological voids while working towards the goal of DRR, including the efforts of citizens in the official efforts. This study addresses this gap by examining the case of the official memorial park in Ishinomaki, Tohoku region, following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Here, local citizens actively participated in activities before, during, and after park construction, engaging with official efforts. Data were gathered from various online sources to capture activity, space, and management information. Employing a mixed methods research approach, we conducted both quantitative analysis, counting labels of structural coding, and qualitative description of original texts. Our findings reveal that fostering mutual respect built on communication and collaborative tree-planting activities were crucial for maintaining the pre-existing citizen activities and collaborative construction during the official construction period. Additionally, the implementation of a collaborative regulation system was vital for integrating and managing spontaneous citizen activities to achieve the park’s intended objectives post-opening. In conclusion, we highlighted a framework elucidating the mechanisms through which these processes contribute to DRR across key phases of disaster risk management: preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery (PPRR). These insights are important in guiding efforts to engage citizens in DRR initiatives through recovery and reconstruction facilitated by memorial facilities.

The implementation of Public-Private Partnership in China: A sustainable pathway?

The organizational forms of infrastructure in China are divided into two categories, the traditional Public Procurement Model (PUB) model and Public-Private Partnership(PPP) model. The main difference is the separation or binding of the construction and operation phases. A systematic understanding is needed of how Chinese local governments choose between these two models. In this paper, we take public capital congestion and local government objectives as the entry point to study the effects of both on PPP choice. Firstly, by constructing an endogenous economic growth model under the PPP model, and comparing it with the model under the PUB model, this paper initially explains how the rise in public capital congestion affects the choice of the PPP by growth-oriented local governments. Then the data from prefecture-level cities from 2009-2018 are utilized to conduct empirical tests. We find that urban economic growth pressures have a positive effect on the choice of PPP when the congestion of public capital increases. Furthermore, the implementation of PPP is indeed conducive to economic performance, and its core mechanism is to provide more infrastructure (like roads) rather than tax competition. The PPP model is more sustainable. We are the first to employ both modeling approach and the empirical research to address the implementation of Public-Private Partnership in China. And we have systematically analyzed the conditions and results of PPP selection by local governments. It formulates the Chinese PPP theory.

Evaluation of Life Cycle CO2 Emissions for the LDR-50 Nuclear District Heating Reactor

The LDR-50 low-temperature nuclear reactor is designed for the Finnish and European district heating markets, as an environmentally sustainable heating option for the 2030s. While the carbon footprint of conventional electricity-producing reactors is known to be small, there have been no comprehensive studies on the emission reduction potential when the technology is applied to the heating sector. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by means of life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis. The carbon footprint of the LDR-50 heating plant is evaluated, and compared to conventional heating fuels, direct electric heating, and heat pumps. The results of the analysis show that the life cycle CO2 emissions are low, although there are still significant uncertainties related to the construction phase, due to missing data. In addition to carbon footprint, the analysis is also extended to other adverse environmental impacts. It is concluded that significant reductions in CO2 emissions can be achieved by replacing fossil heating fuels with nuclear energy. The technology is considered a viable option alongside biofuels and heat pumps. The overall environmental impacts are low, and the production does not compete for low-carbon electricity or scarce natural resources.

Torrent Barrier Under Climatic Extreme Load Events – Forensic Analysis of the Fracture and Failure Processes

Following heavy precipitation in the catchment area of the Pinnisbach torrent in Austria in 2015, a torrent barrier was significantly damaged due to extraordinary water levels and intense bedload transport. The bedload transport triggered by the barrier breach was partly captured in the downstream retention basin and partially diverted into the cone channel. To address this failure, the reverse engineering approach was applied. A failure analysis was performed to better understand the displacement process and quantify the overall load on the barrier structure. A detailed reconstruction of the failure mechanism employing advanced techniques like on-site inspections, numerical methods, and specific monitoring of the region area was conducted. The analysis revealed that the load initially assumed during the design and construction phase of the barrier was underestimated by 40% in certain areas, mainly due to an underestimation of water and debris load. Consequently, a more precise estimation of the applied load and considerations for the most severe scenario combinations are essential for ensuring structural safety. A rigorous analysis and assessment of this type of failure contribute to better implementing the findings into future risk mitigation strategies for similar structures and scenarios.

The impact of motorways and public transport construction on residents’ satisfaction with neighbourhoods

Transport infrastructures serve as pathways to employment, amenities, and services, contributing to the economic development of societies and the broader landscape. Development projects are usually measured on economic metrics; however, they can have short-term and long-term impacts on wellbeing due to disruptions during construction and changes in accessibility after construction. This study investigates the impact of transport construction projects on the residents’ satisfaction with surrounding neighbourhoods. This study uses the longitudinal survey of Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia (HILDA) from 2002 to 2019 to monitor and model satisfaction with neighbourhoods for residents living in the vicinity of 11 major transport construction projects in Sydney, Australia. The variations in residents’ satisfaction with neighbourhoods are investigated at macro and micro levels. At the macro level, average satisfaction before during and after construction are compared against each other. At the micro level, two random effect ordered logit models are developed to explain satisfaction while controlling for residents’ sociodemographic attributes and major life events. Both highway and underground projects have been shown to improve overall satisfaction among all residents. However, during the construction phase for underground, satisfaction with neighbourhoods tends to decrease. The highway projects exhibit a positive effect on residents even during the construction phase, with a higher positive effect for permanent residents.

Employment generation potentials in the implementation of a rural drinking water supply program: evidence from India's Jal Jeevan Mission

ABSTRACT Policymakers in India are finding it challenging to generate adequate employment to meet the requirements of growing population. An avenue consistently used is to invest in large-scale public infrastructure projects. In 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched with the aim of providing potable drinking water to every rural household in India. Underscoring the large investments in infrastructure development, the mission holds significant potential to create employment. The evidence base of studies assessing the effect of rural development programs on employment was weak. Against this backdrop, we assessed the employment generation potential of JJM at various phases of its implementation. We utilized secondary and scheme-level primary data across states of India and used the input-output model and ratio method to assess employment prospects. Our results suggest that JJM has the potential to generate an average of 5.99 million person-year of direct and 22.25 million person-year of indirect employment during the construction phase, and 1.11 million person-year of additional direct employment annually during the maintenance phase. Our study highlights the spillover effects of public investments in the form of employment generation and indicates that the impact of JJM is likely to be substantial once the program is complete and operational.

A study of automated intelligent monitoring of scaffolding safety for construction projects

ABSTRACT In recent years, scaffolding has been widely used in construction in advanced industrial countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia as a temporary facility for new construction and demolition projects. However, in the complex environment of a construction site, temporary facilities such as scaffolding are only managed by the governments of these various countries via the legal system and are inspected through manual observation, resulting in numerous occupational hazards. Today, the lack of attention to temporary structures such as multi-degree-of-freedom discrete structures (e.g. scaffolding) has resulted in a failure to effectively improve the safety, quality, and performance of scaffolded temporary structures. In this study, the scaffolding system of a costly construction site in Taiwan is used as a case study. A BIM model of scaffolding is built based on the unique geographical location of Taiwan and external factors such as earthquakes and typhoons. The study even uses ETABS structural software to identify the structure of scaffolding and analyze the important monitoring points in order to establish a ’scaffolding intelligent monitoring system’ to effectively control the hazards of scaffolding as a medium, thus achieving the goal of construction safety during construction phase.

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Empty Fruit Bunches for Electricity Generation in Malaysia: A Life Cycle Perspective

Abstract Empty fruit bunches (EFB) constitute a significant residual byproduct of the palm oil mill industry in Malaysia, representing approximately 22% of the weight of every fresh fruit bunch. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with electricity generation utilizing EFB as a primary fuel through a cradle – to – grave life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The system boundary encompasses the power plant construction, fuel preparation, electricity generation and all transportation activities throughout its life cycle. The EFBs are sourced from seven palm mills situated within a 50-kilometer radius of the plant. SimaPro 9.4.02 software integrated with Ecoinvent 3.8 database was employed to quantify the magnitudes of significant environmental indicators, such as global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion potential (ODP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), and photochemical oxidant creation potential (POCP), based on a functional unit of 1 kWh of electricity produced. The emission rate for the biomass plant stands at – 5.31 kgCO2eq/kWh, signifying a net carbon sink. The electricity generation process accounts for a substantial 96.48% of the total CO2eq/kWh emissions, thus bearing the greatest environmental burden. The construction phase of the biomass plant contributes approximately 3.06% of the total emissions, while the EFB transportation to the power plant represents a minor 0.19% of the overall emissions. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the plant’s efficiency across fiscal years 2018 to 2021 and its corresponding global warming impacts. In 2021, the plant’s operations resulted in the most significant carbon avoidance, given the combustion of a high volume of EFB (188 kilotons) to produce 49.3GWh of electricity. The findings from this study serve as a valuable benchmark for evaluating emissions in the context of the empty fruit bunch-based plant in Peninsular Malaysia, hence offering profound insights into the environmental sustainability of the palm oil industry.

Life Cycle Assessment of Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Plant based in Malaysia

Abstract A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) has been performed on a Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic (LSSPV) plant based in Peninsular Malaysia to study the detailed environmental impact of its life cycle. The LSSPV, with a capacity of 78 MWdc, is currently one of Malaysia’s largest solar power plants. The different life cycle phases of the LSSPV, starting from resource manufacturing and transportation, through plant construction and electricity generation, and to decommissioning of the plant, were assessed using the SimaPro software with the Ecoinvent v3.8 database. Results show that the overall emission rate for the LSSPV is 0.0309 kgCO2eq/kWh. It is estimated that the construction phase of the power plant, which includes activities such as infrastructure works and production of PV modules and Balance of System, yields the largest amount of kgCO2eq/kWh emission at 85.7% and imposes the highest environmental impact as compared to the other phases. The second biggest contributor is attributed to the transportation phase, contributing to 14.0% of the total kgCO2eq/kWh emission, of which most of the emission is emitted during the sea freight transportation of PV components from China port to Malaysia port (12.4%). A sensitivity analysis was performed to compare the environmental impact between open ground installation and the slanted roof installation mounting system of LSSPV. The findings from LCA proposed that open-ground installation has a greater negative impact on the environment because it involves additional land clearing and infrastructure transformation. The findings from this study serve as a benchmark for the LSSPV system in Malaysia and present technical perspectives for the future development of PV projects considering environmental impacts across the project lifetime.

Modeling of material and energy inputs in the life cycle of a vehicle

The paper focuses on the analysis of the environmental impacts related to the production, operation, decommissioning of vehicles as well as servicing and repairs of cars in real conditions of their use. The authors’ presented mathematical model that was implemented in original numerical program EN-VEHICLE that enables the analysis of energy consumption and emission loads related to material inputs in the entire life cycle of a passenger car. It is a tool from the Life Cycle Assessment category that aims at the effective inclusion of environmental impacts in the decision-making process. The developed program allows for a quantitative interpretation of the calculation results in terms of the environmental safety in each of the phases and throughout the life cycle of the vehicle, taking into account the possibility of supplying the vehicle system with additional material streams derived from recycling and recovery, and introduced both during the construction phase and during the car operation phase. In the presented tool, linear algebra and matrix analysis were used in modeling the vehicle life cycle system. The results of the implementation of the mathematical model were presented in the form of a regression function that allows for approximation of selected empirical data. The regression analysis was used to verify the material characteristics. The tool can be used for a comprehensive comparative assessment of the environmental impact of a passenger car from different production periods. In addition, it can be used to forecast the environmental effects of changes in the material structure determining the production technology and, consequently, having a significant impact on the entire life cycle of the vehicle as well as energy and ecological parameters.

BIM Legal: Implementation of a standard for Cadastral Registration of Apartment Complexes in 3D

Abstract. The potential of Building Information Models (BIM) to establish rights and responsibilities for multi-level building complexes in cadastral registrations has been explored in many previous researches. However, the implementation of BIM-based cadastral registrations in practice remains limited due to the complex interplay between technical potentials and legal implications as well as uncertainty about the additional complexity of a BIM model and the extra work that will be required to generate the BIM Legal model. In collaboration with Netherlands Kadaster, we have investigated the data requirements for a BIM Legal model that will support the 3D cadastral registration of apartment complexes and that aligns with BIM creation processes in practice. The BIM Legal model aims to visualise the spatial aspects of apartment complexes and to align the cadastral registration to the 3D data that is generated in the design and construction phase of new buildings. The BIM Legal file will be submitted when an apartment complex is being registered and is based on IFC, the open standard established by BuildingSMART International and used in the BIM domain. To make the implementation of BIM Legal feasible legally, technically, and economically, we apply a 3-phase approach. This paper presents the BIM Legal model as defined in Phase 1, which enables to generate a BIM Legal model compliant with current legislation frameworks with no/minimal manual interaction from BIM models as commonly generated in design processes. The paper describes the 3-phase approach, the context of Phase 1, the data requirement analyses, the defined BIM Legal data model, as well the questions that emerged during the specification process that need to be answered to further improve the implementation of Phase 1 and to further develop BIM Legal for Phases 2 and 3.

Extending the Physical Functionality of Bioactive Blends of Astrocaryum Pulp and Kernel Oils from Guyana

Natural lipids with nutritional or therapeutic benefits that also provide desired texture, melting and organoleptic appeal (mouthfeel, skin feel) are difficult to procure for the food and cosmetics industries. Natural Astrocaryum pulp oil (AVP) and kernel fat (AVK) from Guyana were blended without further modification to study the potential of extending the physical functionality of the blends beyond that of crude AVK and AVP. An evaluation of non-lipid components by ESI-MS indicated twenty-four (24) bioactive molecules, mainly carotenoids (90%), polyphenols (9%) and sterols (1%) in AVP, indicating important health and therapeutic benefits. Only trace-to-negligible amounts of these compounds were detected in AVK. The thermal transition phase behavior, solid fat content (SFC), microstructure and textural properties of five AVP/AVL blends were used to construct phase diagrams of the AVK/AVP binary system. Binary phase diagrams constructed from the cooling and heating DSC thermograms of the mixtures and description of the liquidus line indicated a mixing behavior close to ideal with a tendency for order, with no phase separation. Melting onsets, solid fat content and measurements of solid-like texture all predictively increased with increasing AVK content. The descriptive decay parameters obtained for SFC, crystal size, hardness, firmness and spreadability were similar and predictive and indicate the way the binary system structure approaches that of a liquid or a functional solid. The bioactive content of the blends was accurately calculated; the work provides a blueprint for the blending of AVP and AVK to deliver targeted bioactive content, stability, spreadability, texture, melting profile, organoleptic appeal and solid content. SFCs at 20 °C ranged from 9.1% to 39.1%, melting onset from −17.5 °C to 27.8 °C, hardness from 0.1 N to 3.5 N and spreadability from 3.3 N·s to 147.1 N·s; indicating a useful dynamic range of physical properties suitable for bioactive oils to bioactive butters.

Archaeological excavations at Sarūq al‐Ḥadīd‐2022–2023 season: stratigraphy and new absolute chronological sequence of Area G

AbstractThe 3‐month excavation conducted in Area G at Sarūq al‐Ḥadīd yielded novel insights into the historical occupation, abandonment and utilisation patterns of the site. The archaeological strata unearthed during our excavation dating span a significant timeframe, ranging from the fourth to the first millennium BC. Employing a stratigraphical approach, we systematically established a relative chronological sequence for the area supported by C14 absolute dating. This methodological framework enabled us to discern the temporal evolution of the site, unveiling pertinent information regarding the nature of occupation, the construction phase of the well and its temporal utilisation and the occurrences of natural phenomena such as climatic disruption, alluvial processes and sand accumulation.

Innowacyjne podejście metodologiczne do badania starożytnej zaprawy hydroizolacyjnej cystern zamku Sagunto

In this work, we present the results of the chemical, mineralogical and colorimetric characterization of the waterproofing mortars from the ancient cisterns of the Sagunto Castle (Valencia, Spain). The fortress presents 2500 years of human occupation and, given the lack of natural water sources, collecting and storing rain water was mandatory ever since. Nowadays, several cisterns are found in the hill, and thus the application of analytical approaches can help in characterizing each layer within the cultural phases of the Castle’s history (Iberian, Punic, Roman, Islamic, Medieval, Modern or Contemporary). Mineralogical analyses were carried out employing X-ray diffractometry and mid-infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy, and, on the other hand, the portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was employed to obtain the concentrations of major and minor chemical elements. Colour features of the samples were identified by smartphone photo processing to observe possible relation between colour and waterproofing mortar compounds. Last, Raman spectroscopy was employed to analyze the different phases present in the samples. Multivariate statistics were employed to identify different waterproofing mortar layers and develop hypotheses concerning different construction phases and compare their manufacturing processes. Analytical results allowed to find common patterns among different cisterns and mortar layers, and colorimetric analyses showed good potential as an additional fast, cheap and non-destructive source of information for studying these types of samples.