Conventional Building Research Articles

Experimental response of full‐scale steel‐aluminium foam‐steel sandwich panels in bending

AbstractThe introduction of metal foams into the building market represents a significant opportunity to increase the use of metal in construction. Developing new structural products made of metal foams and steel could improve conventional buildings' performances in terms of stiffness and resistance. Steel or aluminium foams are characterised by mechanical properties similar to glulam timber, combined with a high energy dissipation capacity. These peculiarities allow conceiving new composites with features typical of the bio‐mimetic materials: lightness, compactness, dissipation, resistance and stiffness. The first structural applications of these materials have already shown the potentialities of composites made of foam and steel, verifying the possibility to realise mono‐dimensional and bi‐dimensional elements with exceptionally high resistance‐weight ratios. Reducing the structural weight can represent a significant advantage in many cases, such as for buildings in the seismic zone or for infrastructures. Within this framework, this preliminary work paper aims to analyse the response of full‐scale metallurgically bonded sandwich panels made of steel and aluminium foam with three‐point bending tests. From the testing, it was confirmed that the metallurgically bonded sandwich panels reach the full‐plastic strength that is computed from the rigid‐plastic material assumption. Moreover, the sandwich panel's bending stiffness can be easily calculated according to the Navier hypotheses. The ultimate limit state of the sandwich panel was determined by the plastic hinge formation of the panel section; fracture between the aluminium foam and the steel sheet was not observed (except the layer where the it was initially detached). The potential performance of the metallurgically bonded sandwich panel that can be used for the civil engineering application was verified from this testing.

IS SUSTAINABILITY COSTLY? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BUILT PROJECTS

ABSTRACT The affordability of sustainable building remains a significant challenge; developers, building owners, and design teams often point to high construction costs as the primary obstacle hindering the uptake of sustainable building. Because of a lack of clarity, empirical studies and evidence supporting the claim of sustainable building as expensive are inadequate, thus the perceived high cost of sustainable building is still debatable. This study has a three-pronged approach: (1) to collect actual construction costs of certified sustainable buildings, (2) to take a deep dive into construction cost using empirical data and analyze the correlation between the level of sustainability and the construction cost, and (3) to examine the influence of cost components on the total construction cost. Data from 72 LEED buildings was collected and included in the analysis. The findings show the following: (a) the construction costs of the studied sustainable buildings are comparable to those of conventional buildings (even lower); (b) the correlation between the level of sustainability and the construction cost is inconclusive; and (c) soft costs, especially the design cost, have a similar level of influence on the total construction cost as those of hard costs.

From existing conventional building towards LEED certified green building: case study in Bangladesh

Green Building refers to the planning, design, construction, and operation of buildings considering indoor environment quality, occupant health, using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing waste, pollution, and the overall environmental impact. Among the Green Building guidelines, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) offers a certification and rating system by which buildings are certified in different categories. The LEED rating system is used to rate an existing building how much it is fulfilling the criteria of Green Building (GB) or not. This research explored how an existing conventional building can be retrofitted to satisfy green building standards. An academic building of KUET has been selected for the study. A field survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (i.e., Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII)) were used for the data collection and then the data was analyzed by comparative analysis concerning the LEED 2009 rating system for assessing the building. The New Academic building receives 31 points out of 110 and so cannot earn any certification level. The lacking for which the points were not gained is identified and the installation of water and energy efficiency features, rooftop gardening is suggested as retrofitting options to earn the green building certification level.

Machine learning for embodied carbon life cycle assessment of buildings

This paper addresses the significant issue of embodied carbon in buildings and presents a comprehensive approach to its assessment. A machine learning model is proposed, leveraging authentic databases and supervised learning techniques to estimate the environmental impacts of embodied carbon throughout the building life cycle. Validation of the model revealed average percentage errors of approximately 15.71% across different countries. The study also introduces a standardized algorithmic protocol and guidelines for assessing embodied carbon, demonstrated through a case study in Morocco. Results indicate that conventional residential buildings of 120 m2 emit 34.7 tons of embodied carbon, with floors contributing 55%, structure 27%, envelope 14%, and openings 4%. Notably, insulation accounts for 37.0% of the total embodied carbon. Recommendations include incorporating additional databases for learning, considering transportation emissions and primary materials sources, and training the model for different life cycle stages to enhance accuracy. This research provides valuable insights for reducing embodied carbon in buildings and promoting sustainable construction practices.

A comparison of green and conventional buildings in selected office nodes in Gauteng province, South Africa

ABSTRACT This study investigates the economic characteristics of green and conventional office buildings in selected nodes in Gauteng Province in South Africa. We estimated the gross rent, net rent and operating cost per square meter elasticities using hedonic regression models. Contrary to international research, which points to tenants willing to pay rent premiums and enjoy cost savings for green, compared to conventional buildings, our results show that in some nodes, green and conventional buildings of similar quality were not differentiable based on rents and operating costs. In one node, 3-star rated green buildings rented at a premium and their operating costs were higher, compared to conventional buildings of similar quality. Only in one node were 4-star rated green buildings characterized by rent premium and lower operating cost advantages for tenants. Differences in the attractiveness of nodes imply that tenants may forgo the expected cost savings from renting green offices in addition to paying a rent premium if the location is right. Since the dataset is archival, findings may not reflect market conditions caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In addition, the relatively limited size of the dataset may inhibit applicability of the insights across the South African office market.

Paper-based building envelopes – Environmental and performance assessment of original and literature-based designs

Building walls are responsible for the highest share of environmental impact among other building elements and the whole building envelope is linked to nearly half of the energy embodied in the building. One of the sustainable materials that may be applied in building envelopes to reduce their impact is paper, e.g. corrugated cardboard or paperboard. Although environmental qualities are considered the key advantage of paper, the environmental properties of previously proposed designs were rarely assessed nor compared to conventional building envelopes. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyse the performance and environmental impact of selected paper-based envelopes, compare them with conventional alternatives based on steel and timber, and indicate key factors influencing their environmental performance. Moreover, the article proposes two original paper-based envelopes with favourable environmental characteristics. The environmental analysis was conducted via Life Cycle Assessment, using the midpoint CML method and the endpoint ReCiPe method with a single indicator. LCA was based on the Ecoinvent 3.8 database and supplemented with sensitivity analysis. LCA results were compared with performance assessment. It has been shown, that replacement of conventional envelopes with paper-based ones, especially in buildings with a limited lifespan, may reduce their environmental impact and the amount of waste generated. In conclusion, a series of recommendations for sustainable paper-based envelope designs are formulated.

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Healthcare Buildings: A Policy Framework

The healthcare industry significantly impacts the environment due to its high usage of energy and natural resources and the associated waste generation. This study applied a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach to assess the environmental and social life cycles of public hospitals. One hundred twenty-four public hospitals were selected for the current study; their sustainability performance was compared with those certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The comparison revealed several factors contributing to the poor sustainability performance of public hospitals. These include inadequate management, substandard planning, political interference, insufficient staffing and funding, high energy consumption, high expenses, inconsistent healthcare policies, and conventional building designs. System thinking was leveraged, and a causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to visualize the interdependency of the identified indicators of LCSA. Based on the findings of the study, a policy framework is proposed to guide the development of sustainable healthcare buildings. The framework includes using eco-friendly materials and techniques in construction, harnessing solar energy, improving hospital management practices, promoting public awareness about sustainability, conserving energy and water, and adopting sustainable waste management and transportation. Additionally, it emphasizes addressing social issues such as improving indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, patient safety, and security and ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and affordable. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable healthcare buildings by providing a practical policy framework for achieving sustainability in the healthcare sector.

Experimental investigation of eco-friendly building blocks utilizing coconut shells

In the construction of structures, cement is commonly utilized as a construction material. The high cost of conventional building materials has a significant impact on the structure's economy. Synthetic lightweight aggregate manufactured from environmental trash is a potential new source of structural aggregate material, as concerns about the over use of natural aggregates develop. As more natural resources from the earth's surface are used, they are becoming deficient. Alccofine is a new generation micro fine concrete material for high Strength which is important in respect of workability as well as strength. As a result, the coconut shell is being investigated as a partial substitute for coarse aggregate in building blocks then cast it. The compressive strength, slump, and density of concrete are all evaluated. In the concrete building blocks, the replacement of cement with an Alccofine by 5% and the replacement of coarse aggregate with coconut shell by 0%, 50%, 100%. As the percentage of replacement increased, it was seen that the slump was getting worse. The density also drops as the proportion of replacement rises. The compressive strength is demonstrated to decline as the percentage replacement increases.

Building Occupants, Their Behavior and the Resulting Impact on Energy Use in Campus Buildings: A Literature Review with Focus on Smart Building Systems

In the light of global climate change and the current energy crisis, it is crucial to target sustainable energy use in all sectors. Buildings still remain one of the most energy-demanding sectors. Campus buildings and higher educational buildings are important to target due to their high and increasing energy demand. This building segment also represents a research gap, as mostly office or domestic buildings have been studied previously. In the quest for thermal comfort, a key stakeholder in building energy demand is the building occupant. It is therefore crucial to promote energy-aware behaviors. The building systems are another key factor to consider. As conventional building systems are replaced with smart building systems, the entire scenario is redrawn for how building occupants interact with the building and its systems. This study argues that behavior is evolving with the smartness of building systems. By means of a semi-systematic literature review, this study presents key findings from peer-reviewed research that deal with building occupant behavior, building systems and energy use in campus buildings. The literature review was an iterative process based on six predefined research questions. Two key results are presented: a graph of reported energy-saving potentials and a conceptual framework to evaluate building occupants impact on building energy use. Furthermore, based on the identified research gaps in the selected literature, areas for future research are proposed.

Exploring UAE's transition towards circular economy through construction and demolition waste management in the pre-construction stage–A case study approach

PurposeThis paper aims to explore UAE's transition towards circular economy (CE) through construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in the pre-construction stage. The extent of circularity is assessed by five key aspects of CE, such as policies and strategic frameworks, design for waste prevention, design for disassembly or deconstruction, use of prefabricated elements and CDW management plans.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case studies were conducted in the context of the Dubai construction industry (UAE). Three significant and unique construction projects were selected as the cases. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect data, and the thematic analysis technique and NVIVO 12 software were used for data analysis.FindingsFindings reveal several positive initiatives towards CE in the UAE context; yet it is identified that the transition is still at the initial stage. Selected case studies, the best-case scenarios of UAE (i.e. influential cases), demonstrated adequate measures in relation to four key CE aspects out of five. For instance, (a) policies and strategic frameworks such as lean standards, green building standards and standards developed by the local authorities, (b) design for waste prevention (e.g. adherence to the 3R principle, and construction planning with BIM), (c) use of prefabricated elements and application of innovative construction technologies (e.g. 3DPC, DfMA) and (d) CDW management planning such as 3R principle were evident. However, the selected cases hardly showcase designing for disassembly or deconstruction.Research limitations/implicationsThe existing CDW practices are mostly conventional, as most constructions in UAE are procured through conventional building materials and methods. Therefore, there is a necessity of encouraging CE principles in CDW management. Even though the transition towards CE was evident in four key CE aspects out of five, the UAE construction industry has yet to adopt more effective CE-based CDW management practices to accelerate the circularity. Hence, it is necessary to enforce standard waste management guidelines, including the 3R principle, to standardise CDW management in UAE and encourage construction practitioners to adhere to CE principles.Originality/valueThe findings of this study provide valuable insights for decision-making processes around CDW management towards a CE. This paper contributes to the literature by bridging the CE concept with CDW management in the pre-construction stage. The study provides insights for industry practitioners for planning CE in terms of policies and strategic frameworks, CDW management planning, construction planning and application of innovative construction technologies.

The influence of sustainable building of gated communities on the natural environment and the user: the case of Madinaty city

Nowadays, the world is facing a global issue as a result of the depletion of the environment’s natural resources. This is a consequence of conventional building techniques that exploit these resources without considering the negative consequences on the environment and the future. This is the reason why there is an urge to preserve these resources for the sake of future generations. Sustainability’s main aim is to preserve the environment’s natural resources, like water and energy, to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Based on this, the United Nations initiated a global trend to face this challenge through sustainable building. This paper investigates the positive impact of sustainable building on the environment and the users in order to provide a better quality of life. The case study investigates Madinaty city, which is a gated community situated to the east of Cairo city center. Initially, sustainability is analyzed based on global and local criteria, and its impact on the environment and user is evaluated. Based on the global assessment, the results show that Madinaty has succeeded in achieving sustainable design; however, some issues need to be improved such as housing affordability, availability of services, and preserving the cultural heritage. On the local level, all criteria are met except for the balance between supply and demand. When evaluating these results, it is concluded that Madinaty has succeeded in having a positive impact on the environment and the users, eventually providing a better quality of life.

Comparative Study Between Pre-Engineered Building and Conventional Steel Building

Comparative Study Between Pre-Engineered Building and Conventional Steel Building

A Study Performance of Conventional Structure and Outrigger Structure with Dampers in Seismic Zone IV and V

This study compares the seismic performance of a conventional high-rise building, designed following standard codes, with an outrigger structural system featuring additional lateral resisting elements like outriggers and friction dampers. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of the outrigger system in reducing seismic forces in high seismic zone IV, zone V and enhancing overall building performance. Through seismic analysis using ETABS and comparing in storey displacement results. The findings will offer valuable insights to aid engineers in making informed decisions for seismic-prone regions, leading to safer and more resilient high-rise structures. Key Words: conventional structure, outrigger structure, friction dampers, static and dynamic analysis (Response spectrum method)

Comparative Study of Analysis, Design and Total Cost Differences between Monolithic Structure and Conventional Structure

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the behavior of conventional buildings featuring non-structural walls as AAC blocks and all the remaining things same, with monolithic structure buildings constructed using tunnel formwork. To compare the design steel and total cost between these two types of structures subjected to seismic loads, as defined by the IS codes. To achieve this, a comprehensive seismic analysis was conducted using the Linear Dynamic Response Spectrum Method in ETABS 2020 software.

Energy Forecasting in Buildings Using Deep Neural Networks

Abstract The building sector is responsible for the largest portion of the total energy consumption in the United States. Conventional physics-based building energy models (BEMs) consider all of the building characteristics in order to accurately simulate their energy usage, requiring an extensive, complex, and costly process, particularly for existing buildings. In recent years, data-driven models have emerged as an additional path toward the prediction of energy consumption in buildings. The purpose of this work is to present a methodology for predicting the energy consumption of buildings using deep neural networks (NNs). Three machine learning algorithms, including a linear regression model, a multilayer perceptron NN, and a convolutional NN (CNN) model, are proposed to solve an energy consumption regression problem using outside dry-bulb temperature as the only input. To assess these methods, a building in Melbourne, FL, is considered and modeled in EnergyPlus. Ten years of data were used as inputs to the EnergyPlus model, and the energy consumption was calculated accordingly. The input to the machine learning algorithm (average daily dry-bulb temperature) and the output (daily total energy consumption) are used for training. Cross-validation was performed on the trained model using actual weather data measured onsite at the building location. The results showed that all three proposed machine learning algorithms were trained successfully and were able to solve the regression problem with high accuracy. However, the CNN model provided the best results when compared with the other two methods. This work also investigates different data filtering techniques that provide the best positive correlation between inputs and outputs for a similar type of problem. Results from this work aim to be used toward accurate energy forecasting that facilitates achieving higher energy efficiency in the building sector. The presented framework provides a readily simple model that allows accurate prediction of outputs when supplied with new inputs and can be used by a wide range of end users.

Proposing a Green Model of a Conventional Building by Evaluating Energy-Efficient Design Alternatives using Autodesk Insight

Abstract: This paper is based on contemporary green infrastructure construction technology, which has a substantial influence on the conservation and appropriate usage of resources such as land, energy, water, air, and material, consequently decreasing the total cost of construction as well as the negative effects of climate change by renovating a conventional building into a green building that uses natural resources to the greatest extent possible during construction and operation. The primary focus of the study is to advance knowledge on the implementation of green conceptsin the design of buildings. Green building technology is an umbrella word for any innovation that incorporates natural resources and facilitates economic and social growth. These technologies seek to provide a sustainable product while substantially reducing environmental and ecological concerns. This study will focus on the implementation of new and improved concepts in the design and construction of Conventional buildings in India

Comparative Study to Assess the Thermal Behaviour of Sandwich Roof Panels with Coconut Fibre as an Alternative Core Material to Polyurethane

Sandwich panels (modular panels) promote optimal solutions to some major issues prevailing in the construction industry such as increased energy consumption by building elements, excessive disposal of constructional waste and unproductive time spent during construction. Hence, the inclination towards sandwich elements has been increased vastly deviating from conventional building construction materials and methods. However, the potentiality of using locally available natural materials for the development of sandwich panels is a salient sustainable approach that needs to be addressed. This study evaluates the current and potential materials used in modular panels and key properties of sandwich panels including mechanical, thermal insulation, and sound insulation properties. Moreover, various test methods followed, and standards specified to investigate the mechanical, thermal and acoustic insulation properties are also discussed. The possibility of using coconut fibre as a locally available natural alternative core material to polyurethane core of sandwich panels has been evaluated using simulations based on the material properties obtained from literature. The study identifies coconut fibre as a potential alternative core material for sandwich roof panels as it reflects nearly similar thermal behaviour to polyurethane.

Evaluation of Bottle Bricks Walls Using Polyethylene Terephthalate (pet) Bottle as Bricks

There has been a considerable imbalance between the availability of conventional building materials and their demand in the recent past. On the other hand, the plastic waste is abundantly available and the disposal of waste Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastics (PET) is a big challenge, as repeated recycling of PET bottles poses a potential danger of being transformed and only a small proportion of PET bottles are being recycled. In this work an attempt has been made to access material for building walls in term of using pet bottles bricks in respect to using different filer material and test their suitability and also experimenting their compressive strength. This research identifies the various suitable materials for making bottles brick and make use of reviewed paper, relevant literature, archival data and material inspection as a method of study. The solution to finding the physical properties of bottle brick was carried out through collecting data and information through scrutinize material inspection and literature reviewing. This research concerns with subjective assessment of attitudes, qualities and behaviour of different material filled in PET bottles for making PET bottle brick walls. Also these suitable samples were collected and analyzed by experimenting the compressive strength of each of material filled in each PET bottle. At the end, it concluded that different factor affects the use of suitable filler such as availability of the material, cost of material among others. PET bottle brick has advantages such as high strength, low cost, load capacity, reducing waste and energy efficiency, PET bottle bricks can be more effective compared to some conventional wall building materials such as brick, sandcrete block and ceramic block.

Reduced CO2 footprint of buildings in agro-industrial communities in Qatar with improved insulation standards and solar cooling

Food production in arid countries like Qatar is strongly linked to water and energy resources to grow plants or rear cattle in a protected and controlled environment. The high energy demand for air conditioning in agro-industrial communities leads to significant CO2 emissions. In a case-study on buildings that are typical in the agro-industrial sector, the reduction potential for these emissions is investigated. Therefore, greenhouses and community buildings with an insulation according to the Passivhaus standard and solar cooling with photovoltaic driven compression chillers are compared to conventional buildings.An innovative solar cooling system is developed: Power is generated in hybrid photovoltaic / thermal collectors to enhance the electric efficiency of the photovoltaic cells and to deliver heat for food processing or other purposes at a high temperature level. A compression chiller model is designed, that is based on the experimentally determined performance of the refrigeration cycle for the harsh operating conditions in Qatar. Different refrigerants are compared regarding their cycle performance and Global Warming Potential.A result of the study at hand is that greenhouses are very well suited for solar cooling since their cooling load is nearly congruent to photovoltaic power generation due to their low thermal inertia and radiative cooling during the night.The case study reveals that an insulation according to the Passivhaus standard combined with the proposed solar cooling system reduces the CO2 emissions caused by the air conditioning of greenhouses by 98% and of residential buildings by 94.7% compared to conventional buildings and air conditioning systems.

Experimental investigation on cooling surface heat transfer behavior of a thermally activated building system in warm and humid zones

Thermally Activated Building System (TABS), is one of the alternative cooling methodology, due to the numerous advantages it provides the building industry. This system consists of encapsulated pipes within the building structure to control the surface temperature, which helps to remove the sensible heat from the indoor. The objective of this investigation is to experimentally evaluate the influence of cooling surface area and the effect of cooling water inlet flow velocities on the TABS performance in the warm and humid zone under natural ventilation, and the experimental results were compared with the conventional building (CB), which does not have any cooling arrangements. An increase in water inlet velocity from 0.35 to 1.5 m/s substantially removes the thermal energy stored in the TABS, and reduces the average indoor temperature by 3 °C. In a CB, the average heat gain of all surfaces varies from −3 W/m2 to 13 W/m2. Moreover, in all surface cooling (ASC), it varied from −2 W/m2 to 24 W/m2. This resulted in increased surface cooling, which increased the surface heat gain and indoor cooling capacity. There are no significant thermal behaviour and heat transfer variations at 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s of inlet water flow velocities.