Entire Building Research Articles

Research on integration technology of architectural CAD and budget estimate

It is particularly important to integrate architectural CAD and budget integration technology in the field of modern construction project management. Faced with the increasing complexity of construction projects, the method of separating design and budget in the past is no longer suitable for the standards of efficient management. Starting from the basic concepts and core technologies of architectural CAD, this article studies the difficulties in data transmission and conversion, as well as the strong demand for integration technology throughout the entire building lifecycle. Analyzing the implementation methods of integrating architectural CAD and budget technology, including data docking, the application of BIM technology, and collaborative work modes, this article explains the positive role of this integration in enhancing the unity of design and budget, improving change response speed, and reducing costs, providing reference for the information development of the construction industry.

Modelling reinforced masonry buildings by a mechanics‐based macroelement approach

AbstractThe seismic behaviour of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings is frequently modelled using macroelements, in the framework of an equivalent‐frame schematisation of the walls. Although the advantages of this modelling technique, mainly related to the compromise between computational burden and accuracy of the results, appear to be valid also in the case of reinforced masonry (RM) buildings, few attempts have been made to extend its applicability to RM. This work proposes a mechanics‐based macroelement approach to simulate the in‐plane nonlinear response of RM piers, starting from a macroelement model widely adopted for URM and implemented in the TREMURI software. The strategy consists of discretising a masonry pier into sub‐macroelements, representative of masonry and horizontal reinforcement, with nonlinear beams representing vertical reinforcement. Experimental tests performed on clay blocks RM piers were simulated to test the efficiency of this model in capturing the strength and cyclic behaviour associated with different damage mechanisms. More complex structures were then studied, starting from assemblies of piers, up to entire buildings. Even in these cases, the modelling approach proved to be able to model the nonlinear cyclic behaviour. Finally, the model was used to compare the response of two buildings in their unreinforced and reinforced configurations, through nonlinear static and dynamic analyses.

Investigating envelope retrofitting potential and resilience of Australian residential buildings − A stock modelling approach

Residential buildings consume around 24 percent of overall electricity use in Australia. Though the energy efficiency of new buildings is progressively increasing, there are around 10 million existing homes most with poor thermal and energy performance. Improving these existing homes are imperative for Australia to reach its target of net zero by 2050. This paper adopts a stock modelling approach using real designs of more than two hundred thousand detached dwellings and apartments submitted for certification in eight states and territories across Australia to investigate envelope retrofitting potential of the housing stock. The performance of the existing housing stock was assessed and the effect of various levels of envelope improvements on energy efficiency and overheating were analysed for current and future climatic conditions. With improvements in 10% of the entire building stock, 3.14 Mt, 3.52 Mt and 7.2 Mt CO2 emission reductions per year respectively were estimated with Rehab, Refurb and Renov improvements. Both detached dwellings and apartments experienced overheating across all the states and territories for the current and future climatic conditions. Though envelope improvement caused some reduction in the overheating, it was not significant. The high average overheating hours in Queensland come from nighttime overheating in the bedrooms, whereas in most other states daytime overheating constitute the majority. Various improvements in the building envelope were effective in reducing daytime overheating reductions rather than nighttime overheating, though the impact was marginal. The results from this study provided guidance on policy and regulatory mechanisms that can be introduced for developing decarbonization pathways for buildings at a national level.

Development and implementation of supply-based feedback controls for energy-efficient and grid-interactive cooling management over entire building daily cycle

Development and implementation of supply-based feedback controls for energy-efficient and grid-interactive cooling management over entire building daily cycle

ANALIZA PRELIMINARĂ DE VALORIFICARE A SISTEMELOR FOTOVOLTAICE INTEGRATE ÎN CLĂDIRI LA ÎNTREPRINDERILE TERMOENERGETICE

The research carried out in this paper focuses on the study of the integration of photovoltaic panels into buildings, a solution known as BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics), which represents a new form of solar energy use: these are building materials, but these also facilitate the generation of solar electricity on additional surfaces and allow an optimisation of the overall operation as a main source of electricity and can also be seamlessly integrated into the building envelope and its components. In the paper, the opportunities for development of building-integrated photovoltaic systems at thermal power enterprises were analysed, using concrete data of the JSC "CET-Nord" in the Republic of Moldova as an example for further research, as well as determining the potential photovoltaic capacity of administrative and production buildings of the enterprise. This will help to improve the understanding of the impact of BIPV systems on the energy transition of cities and on the notion of near-zero energy cities in Europe, by identifying possible future approaches to BIPV that can be used by energy specialists as well as architects and urban planners to assess how much of the energy used by buildings could be provided by BIPV systems when implemented as building envelope materials across the entire building envelope.

LCA-based environmental impacts outlook towards the future of construction in emerging countries

Abstract The construction sector is globally acknowledged as carbon-intensive, prompting urgent action especially in BRICS countries due to the high-contribute and continuous urban growth. Here, advocating for sustainable practices throughout the entire building life cycle is imperative, for extending building lifespans without locking in operational energy inefficiencies and using construction materials and techniques geared to resource efficiency and circularity. Following the hotspots prioritization, life cycle perspective and stepwise approach, the paper offers thus a preliminary exploration on low-carbon projection scenarios for the construction value chain, focusing on China as leading CO2 emitter. Top priority is directed towards cement/concrete supply chain, delving into the increasing recycled material content during production, the implementation of prefabrication construction, and the adoption of environmentally responsible practice for managing waste at the end of life. The percentage shares on the global carbon emissions make evidence of potential for reducing environmental impacts by switching from standard to the basic sustainable practices commonly pursued to achieve carbon neutrality targets. Findings do not pretend to be exhaustive (detailed analysis are needed), but rather prompt action towards the shift in mindset and market transition, notifying increased responsibility to stakeholders and LCA as a powerful decision-making support.

The Arena Liga Portugal: aiming for SMART design

The new Portuguese Football League headquarters – Arena Liga Portugal – is a high-profile, prestigious project located in the city of Porto. LAIII was presented with a brief to deliver the architectural vision of a 'floating' cube against a challenging programme, incorporating a diverse range of uses, including office space, auditorium, museum, sports hall, and a vast green podium. The result is a striking head office whose structural design, detailing and complexity are masked by the simplicity of its concept. As engineers, we see ourselves as more than just designers. We believe true value can only be delivered if we share common drivers with other stakeholders and work together to create answers that balance our overall goals, to arrive at the most suitable solutions possible. Throughout the design process, our main goal was to ensure we reached a cost-effective solution for Arena Liga Portugal, by balancing design drivers; in particular, we sought to avoid jeopardising the project vision in any way. This mindset was particularly important during the early stages of the design process. At this point, not only are the opportunities to create an impact the greatest, and the ideas the most abundant, but the exploration of these is the most rewarding. The challenge was to find the 'best' design options for the project. The best structural design is something that is very difficult to define and achieve, since every stakeholder has its own definition of 'best'. Some might define it as the most efficient in terms of cost and time/programme, while others judge it in terms of performance or sustainability credentials. There is not a single correct definition. The best solution is the one that gathers the most value among all the stakeholders for a given project. The entire building aims to be a fluid and open space, with strong links to the city and the local community. Arena Liga Portugal HQ will be an urban beacon, visible day and night. Expected to be completed by the end of 2024 as a landmark institutional building that is simultaneously a sports, cultural and leisure facility. it will raise the profile of an area of the city that is sometimes forgotten.

Demountable structures: evaluation of a circular design approach through life cycle assessment

Abstract The demand to reduce the use of raw materials, construction waste, and the negative environmental impacts of the construction sector is constantly increasing. New circular design strategies, such as Design for Disassembly, are intended to meet these challenges. Furthermore, circular strategies facilitate the easy and quick replacement of building components during end-of-life phases, as well as the efficient and waste-free deconstruction of entire buildings for subsequent reuse. However, building structures developed according to these strategies can have a higher environmental burden in the production or use phase of their life cycle. To confirm the actual environmental benefits of circular constructions, the paper utilizes the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method as a vital tool for the environmental evaluation of circular structures. As a case study, fully demountable and conventional masonry building façade systems with insulation are analyzed through a cradle-to-cradle approach over 2 life cycles. Several End-of-Life scenarios, as well as reuse and the benefits it provides, were considered during the assessment. Examining eight environmental indicators, the comparative analysis of linear and circular facade design approaches in the chosen case studies provides insights into efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.

EU building stock characterization for whole life cycle assessment: Data challenges and key insights

Abstract The building sector plays an important role in achieving the climate objectives of the EU Green Deal. While prioritizing measures to reduce operational energy and GHG emissions has proven beneficial, it has shifted burdens by increasing embodied emissions. Quantifying and regulating emissions throughout the entire building life cycle is therefore crucial. An ongoing DG GROW project is investigating strategies to reduce life cycle GHG emissions within the EU. Various steps are being carried out to achieve the research goals: identification of data needs and sources, baseline analysis of the existing whole life carbon emissions of the EU building stock, modelling of future scenarios. This paper elaborates on the building stock characterization, demonstrating innovation through its level of granularity. Firstly, key data sources are chosen to provide the desired granularity. Secondly, archetypes are defined based on the data sources. Thirdly, attributes are chosen to describe the building stock in terms of geometry, building element composition, energy use, etc. The paper concludes by discussing challenges related to collecting attribute information and managing data gaps. The insights derived offer valuable recommendations for establishing a future data repository dedicated to environmental LCA of the EU building stock.

LCA and economic cradle-to-gate analysis on the reuse of a temporary building.

In recent decades, the significant negative environmental impacts of the construction industry have caused a lot of concern, especially from the large number of temporary buildings required for mega projects. Reusing building components can help reduce pollution and preserve resources, but the economic and environmental effects are not well understood. This study has addressed the economic and environmental effects of reusing temporary building elements using life cycle assessment (LCA). The product system and functional unit in the current study is an office building equipment workshop with an area of 80 m2 and the system boundary is from cradle to gate. Life cycle assessment was accomplished using Simapro software and several life cycle assessment methods such as CML-la Baseline, BEES + , and IPCC was used to verify the results. The findings show that reusing disassembled building parts can reduce environmental damage by 79% and environmental damage costs by 77%. These results are important for construction managers seeking to make sustainable decisions that minimize environmental harm. Future research should expand the system boundary to include the entire building life cycle and apply the methodology to a wider range of building types and climates. Developing design guidelines for disassembly and reuse would also help promote sustainable construction practices. Overall, this study provides a robust framework for assessing the environmental and economic impacts of reusing building components, which is crucial for achieving sustainable development in the construction industry.

Drift when applying biocides to control crawling and flying insects on walls

BackgroundInsecticides are sprayed on external building walls for treatments against crawling and flying insects. These applications can lead to drift into non-target areas and thus to undesirable environmental pollution. This emission pathway needs to be considered during exposure assessments within product authorisations to assess potential environmental risks. However, now, there is only one default value for deposition that is used in all calculations based on the Emission Scenario Document of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development at a distance of 50 cm to the treatment area. This is not sufficient for a risk assessment.ResultsWhen applying a chemical barrier of 50 cm at the bottom of the building wall, wind direction had the greatest influence on drift, while changing the nozzle type had no significant effect. Compared with the measured ground sediments, the OECD default value was deemed to be realistic at a distance of 57 cm from the treatment area. When treating the entire building wall, the wind direction as well as the nozzle used show significant influence on the measured values of drift. The default value for deposition proposed for modelling environmental exposure in OECD document ESD PT18 No. 18 was exceeded. Thus, the exposure estimation might not be protective enough.ConclusionDrift values used for the environmental exposure assessment of biocidal products during treatments of building walls should be adapted. This is especially relevant for treatments of entire building walls, where the current default value was exceeded for all distances from the building wall. Wind direction and nozzle type can reduce environmental impact. This finding can be used as a measure to reduce unnecessary exposure in the environment in the future.

An experimental case study of escooter fire in a four-story building

Driven by the necessity to understand the fire and smoke dispersion characteristics of electric bicycle (escooter) fires and their effects on residents’ safety in rural houses, this study was conducted to perform full-scale fire experiments in a village house in Hainan, People’s Republic of China. The tested building is a typical multi-story building representative of rural houses in southern China. It is found that an escooter fire grows rapidly once its lithium-ion battery is overcharged to ignite. Inside the stairwell where the escooters are parked, a significant increase in temperature over 60°C across all floors is observed and the maximum temperature reaches up to 800°C on the first floor. Furthermore, the propagation of smoke is fast, reaching the upper floors within 5 minutes and filling the entire building within 7 minutes. Due to stack effect, carbon monoxide concentration is the highest on the fourth floor, notably higher than the other floors. Closing the doors of rooms where occupants are typically present is found to effectively block heat and smoke transfer. Thus, in case an escooter’s lithium-ion battery undergoes explosion combustion, it is better that residents stay in rooms by closing or even sealing the doors, waiting for help during most of the fire period. However, in case the lithium-ion battery has not been burning, there still are chances for evacuation or putting out the flame.

Simplified Assessment of Deterioration in Old Industrial Buildings: A Case Study of Jiaxing Metallurgical Machinery Factory

Under the background of the national policy of revitalizing old industrial areas by shutting down two-thirds of outdated factories, a significant number of aged industrial facilities are poised for adaptive reuse. Determining whether these old industrial buildings and their ancillary structures need to be "retained, renovated, or demolished" before reuse is a critical step in heritage conservation. The assessment of structural integrity is a prerequisite for evaluating whether to retain or demolish old buildings, which typically involves considerable time, effort, and high costs. In order to save costs and enhance the efficiency of inspections for each building, a simplified assessment method is employed to evaluate the integrity of buildings. Fuzzy evaluation method is utilized to assess the structural integrity of entire buildings, while the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied to determine the weights of the main load-bearing structures (slabs, beams, columns) and enclosing structures (exterior walls). Taking the Jiaxing Metallurgical Machinery Factory as a case study, the degree of deterioration of 61 buildings within the factory area is evaluated and ranked to provide technical support for subsequent demolition or preservation.

Noise control for curtain wall construction in residential buildings - a retrofit solution

In modern high-rise residential buildings, designers and architects utilize curtain wall construction either for the entire building or a portion of the building to achieve the desired visual impact in an urban setting. This poses significant challenges to satisfy the building code acoustical requirement (e,g., sound transmission class) between residential suites on adjacent floors. Apparent sound transmission class tests were completed after the curtain wall system was installed and concluded non-compliance with the Ontario Building Code acoustical requirement. A retrofit noise mitigation option was proposed and implemented. The ASTC field test was repeated and concluded compliance with the building code acoustical requirement.

Energy efficient and sustainable design of a multi-story building based on embodied energy and cost

Sustainable multi-story building designs are gaining increasing attention in light of the green development of the building industry. Recently, many studies have been conducted to determine the optimized embodied energy considering size of structural members and materials strength using a single objective function. In this context, the current study adopted a multi-objective function based on cost and Embodied Energy (EE) for the sustainable design of the entire multi-story building. A BuildingEnergy computer program is used to assess the energy consumption performance of a multi-story reinforcement cement concrete building. Based on the proposed method, an analysis is carried out to compare the optimal solutions for multi-story building. Furthermore, a detailed parametric study was conducted to explore the main factors for energy-efficient column and beam design. The results revealed that with a comparison of the most “carbon-friendly” and “cost-friendly” solutions, an added cost of 6–7% can contribute up to a 13% emission reduction. The sectional dimensions, steel rebar, concrete strengths, cost ratio, building height, and eccentricity remarkably influence sustainable design, cost optimization, and minimum carbon emission. Overall, this study could help to define cost-effective and energy-efficient structural members. Eventually, the EE is confirmed to be a feasible parameter for designing more sustainable multi-story RCC buildings.

Determining the carbon footprint reduction of reusing lightweight exterior infill walls: A case study of a school building in the United Kingdom

The global construction sector consumes 40 billion tonnes of raw materials and is responsible for considerable CO2 emissions. With growing awareness of its environmental impact, the construction sector is looking to transition from a linear economy “take-make-waste” scenario towards more circular economy principles. Lightweight exterior infill walls are built between floors of primary structural frames to provide building façades. The design of these components is usually based on the current linear economic model. While lightweight exterior infill walls are becoming increasingly common in building construction in the UK, no studies have investigated the potential environmental benefits of designing them with circularity in mind. This means there's a lack of research on both the carbon footprint of these walls and the potential environmental benefits of reusing them. Thus, this article assesses the significance of the carbon emissions from lightweight exterior infill walls and examines whether there is any carbon reduction when lightweight exterior infill walls are demounted from the building frames and reused. This paper first examines the construction process of lightweight exterior infill walls and explores the opportunity to demount and reuse them. Then, the environmental impacts of the lightweight exterior infill walls are analysed using a lifecycle assessment framework. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses are also conducted. The results demonstrate that (i) the embodied carbon of the lightweight exterior infill walls over their lifecycle represents approximately 22% of the embodied carbon of the entire building, and (ii) the disassembly and reuse of infill walls can reduce a building's embodied carbon over its typical lifetime by about 6% compared to the linear scenario where the walls were not reused.

Building renovation between CAM and Superbonus: limitations and prospects for mass retrofitting

This paper reflects on the results of the recent technical policy for energy requalification in Italy, focusing on both the European objectives of decarbonisation, circularity and industrialisation of the sector, and the size and characteristics of demand. Starting from the comparison between the two main models of efficiency of the public and private building stock, based respectively on the Minimum Environmental Criteria and the Superbonus, the study examines the effectiveness and limitations of the measures for private construction, which constitutes the majority share of the entire Italian building stock. The study identifies the Energiesprong model as a possible way to improve the management and quality of energy requalification interventions capable of expanding their effectiveness beyond the environmental point of view.

TECHNOLOGIES AND ORGANIZATION OF DISMANTLING COLUMNS DESTROYED, DAMAGED AND THOSE THAT LOST STABILITY AND BEARING CAPACITY AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION

The technologies and organization of the dismantling of destroyed, damaged columns and those that have lost stability and bearing capacity as a result of dynamic loads during an explosion is a very relevant topic, since these events have become extremely frequent in the modern world, and almost always cause damage to buildings and structures, such as civil and industrial infrastructure. The dismantling of such structures is a necessary stage in the demolition of old buildings for the construction of new ones, as well as the restoration and reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure. The development and improvement of technological methods and ways of dismantling damaged columns, the development of new mechanisms and devices is of great practical importance in the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure facilities. The purpose of the article is to study the methodology for the selection of effective OTD, which ensure the intensification of dismantling works and the reduction of the period of reconstruction and restoration of buildings and structures. The object of research: technological processes that occur during the dismantling of modern structures. The subject of the study: technological parameters and technical and economic indicators of technological processes, which must be performed during the dismantling of modern structures, based on the capabilities of the Ukrainian construction industry. Presentation of the material. To achieve the goal of the study, the following tasks were performed: it was analyzed what part of the volume of the entire building is occupied by reinforced concrete and metal columns; specific examples of the real use of various methods of dismantling columns damaged or destroyed by an explosion were found; the frequency of use of various methods of dismantling columns was analyzed; the key factors affecting the choice of column dismantling method are determined. The result of the study will allow to choose the most effective OTD that ensures the intensification of dismantling works and shortening the period of reconstruction and restoration of buildings and structures.

Evaluating novel building products through a building design-oriented LCA approach: Example of VIPs in terrace applications

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The construction industry is considered conservative in adopting new products/technologies, and environmental characteristics are one of the most important features of novel solutions. In this context, our study aims to present a building design-oriented assessment of a novel building product by extending the functional unit scope and involving multiple realistic building design scenarios. The task will be performed using the example of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), a superinsulation product that can be used in various building applications. The study will focus on terrace insulation applications, where VIPs are an attractive solution for building designers due to the possibility of barrier-free floor design. However, they lack environmental evaluation. METHOD: A life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis is performed on two hypothetical buildings located in Ljubljana (Slovenia) for the cradle-to-gate and operational energy life cycle stages (A1-A3 + B6 according to EN 15978). A whole-year dynamic thermal response simulation was executed using the Design Builder software. Five barrier-free terrace design scenarios that influence the embodied and operational carbon footprint (while maintaining the functional and architectural integrity of the building design) were examined. RESULTS: The study showed that although EPS insulation showed a smaller embodied carbon footprint on the product level, the building level analysis showed that using VIPs in terrace applications leads to favourable or comparable environmental impact. CONCLUSIONS: Building products can be evaluated on three functional unit levels: product, application and building. By extending the boundaries from the product/application level to the entire building level, the study provides an example of a building design-oriented approach to LCA. The complexity increases by upgrading the functional unit scope to the building level, while the results become more case-specific and less general. Ideally, a novel building product should show environmental superiority on all three levels. However, as there are almost countless design possibilities in buildings, environmental superiority (or inferiority) on the product level does not necessarily indicate superiority (or inferiority) on the building level.

Analysing the Impact of Simulation-Based Design Processes on Structural Performance Optimization: A Research Inquiry

With the recent advancement of several technologies and software, the simulation-based design processes for optimizing the structural strength of various erections have become very effortless. This software is an advanced version of the human mind possessed to have solutions for complex problems in real-time. However, this software lacks the creativity, broader understanding, and intuition that characterize the human mind. This paper is a research study on some computer-aided software and their efficiency in finding the structural strength of complex residential buildings. This software reduces the need for time-consuming and costly physical testing. This paper also gives compiled information about issues of simulation software, trends in optimization studies, and the effectiveness of these tools. Factors such as model simplification, material property calibration, and validation against real-world performance data are critically processed to ensure the reliability and applicability of the proposed design solutions. In addition to these, this paper is composed of a holistic approach to structural optimization with a Building Information Modelling platform within the context of the entire building lifecycle. Emphasizing sustainability and environmental considerations, the study examines how simulation-based design processes can contribute to reducing energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact, and achieving compliance with green building standards. Primarily this research inquiry provides insights and recommendations that can inform the development of best practices for optimizing the structural strength of complex residential buildings.