Wall Finish Research Articles

Environmental Sustainability of Building Materials in Turkey: Reference Information Recommendations for European Green Deal Declarations

This study provides weight and normalization reference information for declaring the environmental information of building materials produced and exported in Turkey. Reference information was first determined for the global warming potential based on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is the subject of the European Union Green Deal Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). For a more holistic approach, reference information is also recommended for environmental impact categories acidification, air pollution, ecological toxicity, eutrophication, fossil fuel depletion, human health, indoor air quality, land use, ozone depletion, photochemical smog formation, and water depletion, in addition to GHG emissions. Reference information is determined based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology defined in the international standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. Semi-structured interviews were held with twenty-one industry stakeholders in Turkey to determine the weight reference values. The results obtained from the semi-structured interviews were combined using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Normalization reference information was determined by compiling Turkey’s national emission values. The suggested reference information has been tested using a case study. Total environmental impact scores were calculated for floor coverings and exterior wall finishes, including global warming potentials based on GHG emissions, and eleven other environmental impact categories. The findings support the need to use regional reference information in Turkey. The reference information recommended in this study can be used both in declarations within the scope of the EU Green Deal and in other possible environmental impact declarations resulting from building materials.

Life cycle assessment of hemp-lime concrete wall constructions: The impact of wall finish type and renewal regimes

Using sustainable building materials is one of the key methods for minimising the negative environmental impacts of the global construction industry. Bio-based buildings building materials, such as hemp-lime concrete, are considered more sustainable, as they make use of a renewable raw material and can sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. Studies have shown that hemp-lime concrete can have a favourable global warming potential, though the life cycle of building materials affects a wide variety of negative environmental phenomena that should also be considered. Studies examining the life cycle of hemp-lime concrete have so far primarily focused on the material itself. Though the exterior surface of a hemp-lime concrete wall needs to be protected and have a finish applied to it, few studies have considered the environmental impacts of coated hemp-lime concrete wall constructions. Using life cycle assessment methodology, through a wide range of environmental impact categories, the study analysed the environmental impacts of applying lime putty and sand coatings to a hemp-lime concrete wall in pessimistic, average and optimistic scenarios, It also compared the environmental impacts of four types of appropriate wall finishes and the impacts of applying varying finish renewal regimes in the use phase. It was found that applying lime putty and sand finishes to the exterior and interior surface of a hemp lime concrete wall increased the total global warming potential by 19.054–30.793 kgCO2eq and had a noticeable effect on all other impact categories. It was found that while no one finish type could be considered globally superior to the others, in a majority of circumstances applying lime-based coatings resulted in lower embodied environmental impacts, than applying a ventilated façade with timber cladding.

Fire performance, toxicity, and thermal diffusivity of wastepaper mixed with magnesium hydroxide, depending on the particle size of expandable graphite

As the construction of high-rise buildings increases to solve residential spaces caused by high density population concentration, the occurrence of fire accidents in high-rise buildings is also increasing. The primary cause of fire damage in high-rise buildings is the spread of fire caused by exterior wall finishes. Therefore, it is essential to develop semi-non-combustible finishes that can be applied to high-rise buildings to prevent the spread of fire due to exterior wall finishes. To address this issue, numerous studies are being conducted to develop flame retardant finishing materials that reduce heat release rate and total heat release. A double flame retardant mixed waste paper with expandable graphite and magnesium hydroxide was manufactured to improve the fire performance of cellulose building finishing materials. Total heat release (THR), CO, and CO2 Generation changes were measured using a cone calorimeter, and thermal diffusion rate was measured through the LFA 1000 experiment. The correlation of total heat release, CO generation, CO2 generation, and mass reduction rate by variation of expandable graphite's mesh size at double flame-retardant waste paper were secured through a cone calorimeter test. The thermal diffusion rate data of the specimen were secured through the LFA 1000 experiment. Through experiments, it has been confirmed that specimens using specific expandable graphite particles can be utilized as fire-resistant finishing materials in construction, ensuring fire resistance performance.

Proposal of a correction factor for predicting the thermal transmittance of building envelopes in existing buildings accounting for aging and environmental conditions

Thermal transmittance is often considered a constant value in building design and assessment of building performance. However, the thermal transmittance of the building envelope changes as a result of aging and environmental parameters. To accurately evaluate the energy performance of existing buildings, it is important to define the degradation of the thermal performance of the entire wall composition. This study proposes a simple method of calculating the thermal transmittance of a building's envelope, accounting for age and environmental conditions, by applying a correction coefficient to the initial thermal transmittance rather than conducting in-situ measurements. In-situ measurements of wall thermal transmittance were conducted in 40 older buildings using visual observation and the heat flow meter method. By examining the environmental factors that affect deterioration in the performance of insulation in an exterior wall through linear regression analysis, the study found that the correction factor has a high correlation with the type of exterior wall finish, color, surface finishing, pollution source, sea exposure, and the presence or absence of adjacent buildings. Three scenarios are proposed to quantify the correction factor, with the goal of obtaining an optimized model that can predict the thermal transmittance of building envelopes. These scenarios are reviewed based on ISO 15686 and regression analysis, and the scenario with the correction factor that best estimated the measured value is adopted. The thermal transmittance of the walls of older buildings, as estimated by the simple method proposed in this study, shows the best match with the on-site measured results.

Comparison of construction cost of residential buildings in Sri Lanka: offsite vs onsite

Offsite construction (OSC) entails the planning, designing, manufacturing, transportation, and assembly of prefabricated building components at the construction site. As recommended in previous studies, the offsite construction technique can be considered a high-quality and cost-effective construction method that consumes less time and labour while delivering higher productivity. Consequently, it is recognized as a sustainable solution compared to existing onsite structures in countries like Sri Lanka, given the restriction on the availability of resources and high constructional cost. However, this technique is underutilized in the Sri Lankan construction industry, creating a significant void that must be addressed with sufficient cost data and broader access to knowledge regarding the positive impacts of the technique. This research seeks to evaluate current OSC practices together with a comparison of the cost of two similar-natured onsite and offsite residential projects to determine the economic feasibility of OSC in Sri Lanka. The required cost data were extracted through semi-structured interviews with the professionals who engaged in building projects and document reviews. The comparative analysis indicated that beams, columns, masonry walls, and wall finishes (plastering) are contributing to 100% cost-saving in offsite projects compared to onsite projects due to the offsite concrete wall. Further, concrete walls, stairs and ramps, roofs, and floor slab shows 25%, 16%, 12%, and 8% cost saving for the off-site project compared to an onsite project, respectively. Hence, the adoption of off-site elements would enable construction clients and investors to achieve substantial savings in the construction cost of buildings.

Assessment of Acoustic Properties of Lecture Theatres in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Acoustic design is an important consideration in the design of lecture theaters (LTs); it has a significant impact on communication between students and instructors, their hearing comfort levels, lecture outputs and their overall performance. However, despite the significant role acoustic design plays in LTs, it has not received a significant attention both in design and literature in the developing countries especially Nigeria. This study is hence aimed at assessing the acoustic properties of lecture theaters in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso with a view to establishing the design requirements for effective acoustic comfort in lecture theatres in Nigeria. Seven (58.33%) lecture theaters were randomly selected out of a total of 12 available in the study area and were objectively analysed. Shape of the lecture theaters, wall, floor, ceiling and furniture surface finishes were physically observed and their sound absorbing coefficients were evaluated and compared with data obtained from the Bureau of standards for the sound absorption coefficients, ISO 354 and literature. The total surface absorption coefficients of materials and surface area were used to calculate the Reverberation Time (RT) using Wallace Sabine model and results was compared with RT standard of between 0.5 and 1.0s recommended by scholars Odoh and Urenyang for LTs in Nigeria. The study observed that walls, floor and ceiling surfaces were treated with materials of low sound absorbing coefficients while only the ceilings were treated with high coefficient materials, the effect was observed in the RT values obtained. It was observed that only 3 (42.86%) LTs have their RTs within the recommended standards and hence are capable of providing good acoustic comfort for users while 4 (57.14%) LTs have excessive RT implying likely acoustic discomfort. The study recommended that materials with high sound absorbing coefficients be used for building component finishes and acoustic decisions should be taken right from design inception stage.

Decisive design and building construction technologies vis-à-vis embodied water consumption assessment in conventional masonry houses: Case of Jammu, India

The study assesses the embodied water (EW) of conventional masonry houses in Jammu, India. The research uses material inventory, site investigations, and hybrid EW coefficients in the hybrid process-based ISO 14046 LCA study. It carries improvised system boundary analysis to infer the disaggregated, aggregated results using descriptive statistics (frequency analysis) and regression. The study finds high aggregated EW at 43.7 KL/m2 with materials EW (EWMAT.), in-direct water (IDW), and direct water (DW) components of 51.26%, 40.34%, and 8.38%. The study infers (i) EW is equally important (97%) as the operational water, (ii) sand, aggregates, DW, and finishing materials impact EW more than typical cement, brick, and steel (iii) The unprioritized labor meals and DW are significant and seeks construction management (iv) off-site (pre-cast) construction, and transportation is not a barrier to EW as energy-related EW is negligible. The results identify EW as a multi-faceted issue requiring a collaborative stakeholders' approach than Architecture + Design (A+D) and construction optimizations. The analysis implies the importance of load-bearing constructions in low-rise houses, exposed masonry, alternatives to wall finishes and aggregates, adaptive reuse, and RCC reduction-based A+D. The four houses based solitary study breakthrough a canvas of issues to capitalize EW agenda further.

Calibrating geometrical acoustics models of non-diffuse rooms

A case study is presented for the challenging case in which a conference room with a strongly non-diffuse impulse response is measured, and geometrical acoustics models are built and calibrated using two separate software packages simultaneously. Both software packages are able to reproduce the measured flutter echoes, although with surprising input scattering coefficients, particularly for parallel stainless steel wall finishes. Caution is advised concerning common assumptions about scattering coefficients for operable partitions. Furthermore, the authors suggest that benchmarking for acoustics simulation software be performed in strongly non-diffuse rooms, in addition to the existing round robin studies that have traditionally been held using more normal or diffuse rooms.

Investigation of the Visual Environment of Railway Station Stairs Using Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation Methods

A qualitative evaluation was performed by comprehensively considering the lighting environment of each staircase of 20 railway stations in Tokyo, the width of the stairs, the type of ceiling, wall lighting fixtures, and the color. As a result of the quantitative evaluation of 20 stairs, it was found that a difference of up to 400 lx occurred in the measurement results of the entrance, exit, and middle landing, even for the same stairs. As a result of qualitative evaluation, it was found that the quantitative evaluation result and the simple proportional relationship were not established. It was found that simply physically brightening a space cannot make a comfortable and safe space, and in some cases, glare is likely to occur. As a result of the analysis of variance and correlation analysis, it was found that the characteristics of the space, especially the material of the wall and the location of the lighting equipment, had a large effect on the impression of the space. As a result of simulation analysis, it was found that the performance varied greatly depending on the installation location of the lighting. In particular, the method of installing the line light source close to the ground was effective. In designing stair lighting for public facilities in the future, it is considered that qualitative factors such as the finishing of walls and ceilings, installation positions, and angles of lighting fixtures, which are environmental components other than lighting, should also be considered.

Evaluation of Frost Impact on Traditional Ceramic Building Materials Utilized in Facing Walls.

This paper takes into consideration the performance of traditional bricks as part of a building exterior wall finish. Exterior wall materials change their properties when exposed to external environment. This process is extended over time and its intensity is closely related to microstructure, moisture and freeze–thaw cycles. Two methods of freeze–thaw durability tests were used in this study: standard and defined by the authors. The authors’ method incorporated the actual conditions of masonry unit function in exterior wall finish, i.e., cyclical effects of precipitation water, changes in temperature and air humidity. The laboratory test study included 50 freeze–thaw cycles. Three characteristic ranges of pore dimensions were indicated in the analysis: below 0.1 µm, between 0.1 and 3.0 µm and above 3 µm. Based on the method of freeze–thaw durability testing, the areas of microstructure changes were determined. The obtained results were related to the absorption of ceramic building materials. The authors’ method confirms the usage of traditional ceramic building materials designed for use in protected walls against water penetration in unprotected exterior wall finish. The critical water saturation method of masonry units (standard) based on extreme environmental conditions generates significant changes in porosity distribution that do not reflect real, i.e., moderate, conditions. This method is appropriate for masonry units operating in severe conditions, i.e., F2. The aim of this study is to suggest a methodology for durability tests of traditional ceramic masonry units to cyclic freezing and thawing, which are only exposed to F1 (moderate) conditions during operation. Changes in the microstructure of the ceramic building materials were used as the primary evaluation criterion. In order to determine the effect of cyclic temperature changes, the freeze–thaw durability test was performed according to generally accepted standard procedures and in-house methodology. The purpose of the study is to point out the individual approach for the analysis of the material–environment system. At the same time, it should inspire researchers to innovative methods which use external conditions in a laboratory environment.

Aesthetic Impact of Wall Finishes on Interior Spaces of Residential Buildings in Akure, Nigeria

This paper aims at understanding the impact and value of aesthetics on wall finishes of interior spaces in residential buildings. Two estates were examined within this study in Akure Nigeria; they are Alagbaka and Oba-Afunbiowo estates. Twenty (20) residential buildings were investigated to achieve convenient results about interior residential spaces in Akure. Two types of data analysis were conducted; first, all qualitative data were analyzed by following the thematic analysis protocol, thereafter the assessment of the interior spaces, the analyzed data were obtained from the questionnaires that were administered. The results show that most users apply paints and wall papers on interior walls, while other types of finishes were barely used. The study found that users are not aware of other wall finishes and do not know the impact these materials would create by having them in private living spaces. Keywords: Aesthetics, Architecture, Building materials, Finishes, Interior design DOI: 10.7176/CER/14-4-06 Publication date: June 30 th 2022

Analysis of the optimization of the construction process of ecological brick compared to ceramic brick

The brick is composed of water, soil and cement, having an easy manufacturing process, with short construction and low cost is not subjected to burning is manufactured by a very different process from ceramic blocks, the same goes through a hydraulic press. This type of brick has characteristics that provide quality, sustainability, beauty, and above all savings in the total cost of the work. When used in construction are eliminated some steps and the execution time in the work. A block wall or ceramic brick will need roughcast, sketch, plaster, seamer and painting, besides considering the cost of these materials can not forget the labor that corresponds to an average 50% of the value of the work. But the great advantage over the other bricks is its construction system, once raised the wall this is ready, does not need finishing, and the pillar structure and beams are ready with it. Electrical and Hydraulic Installations are easily installed without the need for breakage and waste. These bricks do not require the use of mortars for laying, coatings such as plastering for regularization and finishing of walls, in addition to accelerating the work with their fittings that facilitate the alignment and plumb of the walls. The objective of this work is present through a literature review of optimization processes that involve the ecological brick. in addition to accelerating the work with their fittings that facilitate the alignment and plumb of the walls. The objective of this work is present through a literature re-view of optimization processes that involve the ecological brick. in addition to accelerating the work with their fittings that facilitate the alignment and plumb of the walls. The objective of this work is present through a literature review of optimization processes that involve the ecological brick.

The Application of Balinese Tri Hita Karana and Tri Loka Concept in Children’s Creativity Hub in Kuta, Bali

Balinese cosmological beliefs have become a very important foundation in Balinese lives, including architecture. Balinese architecture does not simply consist of physical and natural materials, it also seeks balance and propriety. It needs to be in a harmonious balance relationship between humans with humans, humans with their natural surroundings, and humans with God or known as Tri Hita Karana. This study tries to apply this concept that is usually used in architecture, within an interior space with a children’s creativity hub in Kuta, Bali as a study case through the qualitative method. The result of this study proposed a design concept ‘Jelajah Riang’ a concept that is suitable for the function of the space and can be embedded with Tri Hita Karana as well as Tri Loka concept, with three rooms used as a sample; the break room, dancing studio as well as painting and drawing studio. In these three rooms, not only the activities designed suitable to those concepts but also the interior elements, such as wall and floor finishes, lighting, ventilation, and so on

KAJIAN PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN SEMEN EKSPOS SEBAGAI FINISHING DINDING INTERIOR TERHADAP PSIKOLOGIS PENGGUNA RUANG

The use of exposed cement materials as wall finishing lately is in great demand and is becoming a designtrend at the moment. Many property buildings ranging from commercial buildings such as cafes, restaurants,to hotels to residential buildings such as houses, apartments and condos use exposed cement as one ofthe interior wall finishing. Exposed cement as wall finishing is usually associated with industrial designstyles. In Indonesia, exposed cement is applied as finishing material after bricks. Using exposed cementas wall finish that nowadays has been trending in architecture and interior applicants gives a differentambience of space, home or building yet still economically acceptable. The using of exposed cement aswall finish are close to the using of industrial style. As known, industrial style is an interior architecturedesign style that adopting industries elements such as the using of metal, bricks and pipe material thenbe exposed on purpose. Industrial style has color palette such as black and greyish. Therefore the usingof exposed cement as wall finish often used in industrial design style. However with the popular use ofexposed cement as wall finish does not mean that it can freely acceptable in all situations, because it canaffect the comfort of the room user.

Characterization of Arctic Driftwood as Naturally Modified Material. Part 1: Machinability

Arctic driftwood has reached the coast of Iceland for centuries. This material was used by the inhabitants of the island as a building material for houses, boats, churches and pasture fences. Nowadays, the driftwood is used in the furniture industry, for the finishing of internal and external walls of buildings and also by artists. The properties of driftwood differ to that of original resource due the long-term effects of exposure to Arctic Sea water and ice. This process can be considered as a natural modification, even if its effect on various wood properties and the potential use of driftwood are not yet fully understand. This research is focused on the comparison of cutting forces measured for Siberian larch (Larix sibirica L.) from Siberia provenance and driftwood found on the coast of Iceland. The cutting forces were determined directly from the cutting power signal that was recorded during the frame sawing process. A new procedure for compensation of the late/early wood ratio variation within annual rings is proposed to homogenize mechanical properties of wood. It allows a direct comparison of machinability for both types of larch wood investigated (driftwood and natural). Noticeable differences of normalized cutting force values were noticed for both wood types, which were statistically significant for two set values of feed per tooth. These results provide a new understanding of the effect of the drifting process in the Arctic Sea (natural modification) on mechanical and physical properties of wood. Such a natural modification may influence transformation processes of driftwood as well as performance of the coating systems applied on its surface.

A scientific study on the role of organic lime mortars of Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thuckalay, Tamilnadu, India

This research aims at providing the scientific evidence of ancient construction practice and production technology on the use locally available geoearth materials and natural herbs, namely kadukkai (Terminalia Chebula), neelamari (Indigofera tinctoria), hibiscus (Rosa sinensis), palm jaggery (Borassus flabellifer), aloe vera (Aloe barbadenis) as specified in ancient palm leaf texts which were adopted at Padmanabhapuram Palace, India for preparing the traditional lime mortars. Six mortar samples of three different mortar typologies (wall, bedding and floor finish) were taken from the Padmanabhapuram Palace for the study. The sampled mortars were characterized using physiochemical analysis as well as modern analytical techniques including XRD, TG-DTA, FT-IR and FESEM-EDX methods. Different binder-to-aggregate ratios was proportioned for wall plaster (1:3), bedding mortar (1:2) and floor finish (1:1) and was confirmed through acid loss analysis. Wall plaster samples indicated the presence of organic protein and polysaccharide spectral peaks substantiated by FT-IR analysis. Organics have played a significant role in the formation of calcium aluminate silicates and carbonate polymorphs to enhance the crystalline hydrated phases observed through XRD and FESEM analyses. The thermal investigation substantiated that calcite decarbonation mostly occurred between 705 and 730 °C. The results apprised the wide use of hydraulic lime with fine-grained aggregate particles, added with fermented organics to produce an environmentally friendly organic mortar to restore the structure.

303 外装仕上げ層の耐久設計法に関する研究 その 2 : 外壁構成材料の物性がサーマルムーブメントに及ぼす影響

303 外装仕上げ層の耐久設計法に関する研究 その 2 : 外壁構成材料の物性がサーマルムーブメントに及ぼす影響

218 可撓性を持つ外装用有機接着材に関する開発・研究 : 性能と屋外暴露試験

218 可撓性を持つ外装用有機接着材に関する開発・研究 : 性能と屋外暴露試験

Application of Passive Cooling Technologies in Commercial Buildings

World over building sector is largest consumer of electrical energy. Energy requirement for air cooling and refrigeration is found to be 40 % of total consumption of electrical energy used in building sector. Passive cooling technologies used in building have good potential of indoor air cooling many building built on these principles are showing reduction in energy requirements. In present work, passive cooling technologies such as planform, shading devices, garden trap bond, fenestration, air ducts, earth berming, and indoor gypsum wall finishes, false ceiling etc. had been integrated into building design of a commercial building at Tuljapur in the hot and dry climatic zone of India. Field experimentation work of measurement of temperatures in indoor and outdoor locations of the building had been conducted to assess the cooling potential of these technologies. It was found that average temperature reduction in indoor atmosphere was archived as 3°C except the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor atmosphere. This was a cumulative effect of above mentioned passive cooling technologies integrated in building design.

АНАЛІЗ ПРОТИПОЖЕЖНИХ ЗАХОДІВ У КОНСТРУКЦІЯХ ЗОВНІШНІХ СТІН ІЗ ФАСАДНОЮ ТЕПЛОІЗОЛЯЦІЄЮ ТА ОПОРЯДЖЕННЯМ ШТУКАТУРКОЮ

Метою роботи є аналіз протипожежних заходів у конструкціях зовнішніх стін із фасадною теплоізоляцією та опорядженням штукатуркою, а також аналіз особливостей їх облаштування, враховуючи досвід інших країн. Розглянуто та проаналізовано види, конструктивні особливості, призначення та функції протипожежних поясів та обрамлення віконних (дверних) прорізів, виконаних з негорючих матеріалів, які влаштовуються в конструкціях зовнішніх стін із фасадною теплоізоляцією та опорядженням штукатуркою. Наголошено на значну роль протипожежних поясів та обрамлення віконних (дверних) прорізів із негорючих плит з мінеральної вати у забезпеченні пожежної безпеки будівельних об’єктів. Зроблено висновки про те, що в Україні на національному рівні в нормативних документах процедура облаштування протипожежних поясів та обрамлення навколо віконних та дверних прорізів недостатньо технічно описана (розкрита), що призводить до випадків неправильного трактування цих вимог або взагалі їх нехтування.