High-rise Residential Buildings Research Articles

Relationship between the Maintenance Management Problems and the Maintenance Performance of High-Rise Residential Buildings

Building maintenance is the practice to retain the property habitable and functioning as it is designed for. However, the effectiveness of maintenance management appears to be the issue in housing context. Many maintenance management problems still exist up to date. They are likely to influence the service quality and resident satisfaction. Therefore, the objective of this research is to establish the relationship between the maintenance management problems and the maintenance performance. The research adopted quantitative approach to achieve the research aim. The approach comprised of literature review, questionnaire survey using google form that included both close-ended and open-ended questions. Based on the literature review, fourteen (14) maintenance management problems of high-rise residential buildings are identified. From the correlation analysis result, two (2) significance correlations are determined. The maintenance budget overrun is significantly correlated with the ratio of actual maintenance spent to planned maintenance cost (cost variance) of high-rise residential building, and a significant correlation occurs between unavailability of spare parts and ratio of actual to planned maintenance downtime (equipment effectiveness) of high-rise residential building. Besides, the opinions and strategies on solving the maintenance management problems were provided, including educating the residents about the Strata Management Act 2013, selecting qualified maintenance contractor, outsourcing the maintenance services, implementation of preventive maintenance (PM), hiring specialist to perform special maintenance work, providing training for maintenance staffs, formulating the building maintenance regulation, ensuring transparency of financial account, and setting up maintenance policy.

REVIEW OF AIR POLLUTION RESEARCH RESULTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF TBILISI

Background: Air pollution is one of the significant environmental challenges facing modern humanity. Atmospheric air is polluted with harmful substances emitted from anthropogenic and natural sources. Aim: The presented paper provides an overview of monitoring results conducted in the Capital of Georgia for 2023. Results from air quality monitoring sensors show that particulate matter, sulfur, and nitrogen dioxide represent problematic pollutants in different city areas. Methods: The research was carried out through sensors installed in different districts of Tbilisi. The investigation was carried out within the NATO SPS program project REACT. Results: Atmospheric air pollution was monitored at four stationary sensor sets on K. Cholokashvili, Nutsubidze Street, Chavchavadze Avenues, and the Old Tbilisi area. The results are presented in the article in the form of tables. Discussion: Average indexes of sulfur dioxide and PM particles were observed in all areas. Nitrogen dioxide indices were both low and medium. Conclusions: Based on the data obtained, it can be assumed that the air in most districts of Tbilisi is moderately polluted, and in some cases, the data exceeds the maximum allowable norm. There may be several reasons for this.: 1. Unauthorized slashing of Green islands and massive construction of high-rise residential buildings on their place in Tbilisi. 2. Malfunctioning vehicles, the technical inspection of which has recently been made stringent. However, some vehicles still pollute the air. 3. Emissions produced by mini factories and enterprises.

Efficiency Analysis of the Photovoltaic Shading and Vertical Farming System by Employing the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Method

Productive facades, consisting of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems, have been proposed as a means to improve the thermal and visual status of residential buildings while also maintaining energy performance and providing vegetables. However, how to quickly and accurately predict electricity and vegetable output during the numerous influencing architectural and environmental factors is one of the key issues in the early stages of design, and few studies have investigated the impact of such structures on both indoor environmental qualities and production performance. In this paper, we present a novel prediction method that uses experimental data to train and test an artificial neural network (ANN). The results indicated that using the Bipolar Sigmoid activation function to process the experimental data input to the artificial neuron network gives more accurate predicted results both in the yield of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems. In addition, this prediction method was applied to a typical high-rise residential building in Singapore to assess the self-sufficiency potential of high-rise residential buildings integrated with productive facades. The results indicated that the upper part of the building can meet 20.0–23.1% of the annual household electricity demand of a family of four in a four-room residential unit in Singapore and almost the entire year’s vegetable demand, while the middle part can meet 18.4–21.2% and 89.1%, respectively. The results demonstrated the importance of a productive facade in reducing energy demand, enhancing food security, and improving indoor visual and thermal comfort.

Implication of Shading Passive Strategies in Buildings of Hot and Humid Climates for Energy Optimization: Lessons from Vernacular Dwellings in Nigeria

Residential buildings consume approximately 30% to 40% of total primary energy, representing a significant share of the world's energy consumption. The contemporary designs of residential high-rise buildings in Nigeria borrow from different climates and adapt to Nigeria's hot and humid climate. Shading is an effective strategy for reducing solar heat gain and improving cooling conditions in hot and humid climates. This study tries to explore the most effective and most adaptable shading elements in the study area to be implicit in the contemporary design of high-rise residences. This study has a particular emphasis on shading techniques; hence, it will examine and present existing literature on shading devices and strategies. The aim of this research is to minimize energy consumption in residential buildings in Nigeria. Therefore, the research investigates the most effective shading strategies in the vernacular buildings that can be utilized as design criteria in future buildings. The findings led to identifying the effective and adaptable shading strategies found in vernacular architecture, which can be utilized in contemporary high-rise residential buildings in Nigeria for energy optimization. Finally, the research suggests guidelines to support architects in reducing energy usage in high-rise residential buildings in Nigeria.

Study on flow characteristics of exhaust shaft with parallel fans in high-rise residential buildings

The exhaust shaft is often used to centrally extract cooking fumes captured by parallel fans on each floor of high-rise buildings. Inadequate airflow rate and excessive pressure in the exhaust shaft lead to poor ventilation and unsatisfactory air quality in kitchens. This issue is made worse by mixed installations of exhaust fans with different dynamic performances. In this study, the flow characteristics in the exhaust shaft with parallel fans are investigated by full-scale experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Based on the orthogonal experimental design, the cross-sectional area, concurrent operating rate, operating position distribution, and P-Q curves are key factors affecting the flow rate distribution significantly. Mixed installation of fans deteriorates the uniformity of the flow distribution along the shaft by even 62.6%. The competition for flow rate between different types of fans is obeying the Matthew effect. Concentration at the bottom and more simultaneous operations exacerbate this problem. An 28% enlargement in the shaft size increases the flow rate by 28.9% and improves the uniformity of the flow distribution by 50%. The stack effect is positive and unstable, with up to a 6.49% increase in system flow rate as a function of the cooking heat intensity. This work can provide guidance for the design of centralized exhaust systems in high-rise residential buildings.

High-Rise Residential Timber Buildings: Emerging Architectural and Structural Design Trends

High-rise residential timber buildings (≥8 stories) are an emerging and promising domain, primarily owing to their capacity to deliver notable environmental and economic benefits over the entire span of their existence. However, it is worth noting that the current body of scholarly work falls short in providing a thorough examination of the key aspects related to architectural and structural design for these environmentally sustainable towers. In an effort to bridge this knowledge gap and deepen our comprehension of the evolving worldwide trends, this research delved into data collected from 55 case studies conducted across the globe. The primary findings unveiled the following: (1) Europe, particularly Nordic countries, stood out as the region boasting the highest number of high-rise residential timber buildings, with North America and the United Kingdom following suit; (2) central cores were the prevailing choice for the core configuration, with the peripheral type following as the second most common option; (3) prismatic forms were the most commonly favored design choices; (4) widespread prevalence of employing pure timber was observed, followed by timber and concrete composite combinations; and (5) structural systems were predominantly characterized by the utilization of shear walled frame and shear wall systems. This research aims to reveal the current attributes of high-rise residential timber buildings, with the expectation that it will offer architects valuable knowledge to assist and steer them in planning and implementing forthcoming sustainable projects within this domain.

Occurrence of myxomycetes in selected elevated urban residential gardens in Metro Manila, Philippines

Roof-top gardens in low- and high-rise urban residential buildings are common in many urban cities for their aesthetic value and perceived health benefits for the building occupants. Leaf litter from plant communities in these gardens offer suitable microclimate conditions and substrates that can support growth and development of myxomycetes. Myxomycetes, also called slime molds, play a role in maintaining the soil microbiome, and can influence the microbial communities in these residential gardens. In this study, 204 ground leaf litter samples of ornamental woody shrubs and herbaceous flowering plants were collected from elevated gardens in eight low-to-high rise buildings for the preparation of moist chambers (MC). A total of 14 species of myxomycetes belonging to nine genera were recorded and identified in this study: Arcyria cinerea, Collaria arcyrionema, Diachea leucopodia, Diderma effusum, Diderma hemisphaericum, Didymium nigripes, Didymium sp., Didymium squamulosum, Ophiotheca chrysosperma, Perichaena cf. corticalis, Perichaena depressa, Physarum album, Physarum cinereum, and Stemonitis cf. pallida. Overall MC productivity ranged from 43 to 45%. In terms of species abundance, Arcyria cinerea and Perichaena depressa were among the most recorded myxomycetes. The study provided evidence of rooftop gardens as suitable habitats for myxomycetes.

Spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration around high-rise residential buildings during peak traffic hours in autumn and winter seasons

This research aimed to investigate the spatial distribution of PM2.5 in residential areas near major urban roads during the autumn and winter seasons. A traffic pollution distribution model was developed using ENVI-met software to predict the distribution of pollution in and around the residential area. The experimental results indicated that during peak hours, the concentration of PM2.5 inside the residential area exceeded 140 μg/m3. The simulations indicated a horizontal diffusion range of traffic pollution up to 300 m, with the most significant effects observed within a radius of 20 m where the pollutant concentration decreased from 131.6 μg/m3 to 93.5 μg/m3. The vertical diffusion of traffic pollution extended to approximately 100 m, with the highest impact observed within a distance of 22.5 m (7 floors). Furthermore, pollution diffused up to a height of 47.5 m near major urban roads, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of PM2.5 from 140 μg/m3 to 70 μg/m3. Quantitative comparisons showed that street pollution was higher in autumn than in winter, whereas pollution outside buildings near the street was higher in winter compared to autumn. Simultaneously, the impact of pollutants on human health was evaluated using the decrease in life expectancy (DLE) index. The results revealed a DLE of 13.16 years in areas with the highest pollution levels, while most residential areas had a DLE ranging between 3.2 and 3.88 years. These findings are significant in terms of raising awareness and providing valuable references for the development and planning of urban health initiatives.

Perception of Green Roof Users with Their Mental Well-Being

Green roofs have grown popular in developing nations as an additional green space in a city when most of the land is being considered for new building construction but it has received less attention in Malaysia. Green roofs are also publicly accessible which provides a pleasant experience in recreational places that can relieve stress and soothe mind. Thus, this paper aims to determine the level of awareness of green roof adaptation among residents in high-rise residential buildings, as well as to investigate the relationship between intensive green roofs and mental health among residents in green residential buildings. It began by studying the literature on prior research, then collected data from a survey questionnaire on the target population. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27 will use to record and analyse the results of this study’s attempt to address the subject. According to the findings of the studies, the majority of residents are aware of the characteristics of an intensive green roof that influence their feelings. A minority of residents have mental health issues and they prefer five personal controls to keep their minds healthy based on their feelings. The essential conclusion is that a green roof may help in ensuring the preservation of a healthy mental state.

A study on how to apply improvements to standards for measurement elevator noise in high-rise residential buildings

Elevators are essential equipment in high-rise buildings. In addition to residential buildings, elevator noise that can occur in high-rise buildings such as hotels, hospitals, and offices affects residants as noise. ISO 16032 is the current international standard for elevator noise measurement methods. Through many previous studies, the elevator noise measurement method was continuously studied. In particular, problems that are difficult to apply to high-rise buildings, in the case of high-rise apartments in Korea, have been verified. In order to solve these problems, previous studies have set items that need improvement. In addition, improvement plans were proposed through various experiments in apartment houses in Korea. In this study, I try to determine whether the improvement plan can be appropriately applied to the improvement of the current standard, and to find out what needs to be discussed in future research.

Study on the design values of windows for high-rise residential buildings on street level based on Odeon simulation calculations

With the development of road traffic, the surrounding residents are inevitably disturbed by the increasing noise. Long-term exposure to noise can affect the daily lives of residents. Installing sound-insulating windows is a reliable way to reduce indoor noise, so it is vital to choose the right one. However, the weighted sound insulation measured in the laboratory cannot be used directly in predictive calculations of indoor noise. This study uses Odeon to simulate the outdoor and indoor sound fields. The simulated data is analyzed based on the formulae in the Beijing Local Standards. The results show a correction of -1.3 to 0.6 dBA for window design values in indoor rough decoration condition and -0.6 to 1.3 dBA in indoor fine decoration condition. This study provides a useful method and reference for environmental assessment work.

Implementing Construction Noise Mitigation Management Framework to Achieve Quiet Building Demolition in Urban Environment of Hong Kong: A Case Study on Demolition of a Multi-storey Carpark Building

Hong Kong is a compact city. Construction noise impact from noisy construction activities such as building demolition work in urban areas, if not properly handled, could easily arouse concern from neighbouring residents. Tremendous efforts in planning and implementation of noise mitigation measures are usually required for developing infrastructure projects in Hong Kong. The Central Kowloon Route project was one of the mega projects to construct a 4.7 km long trunk road across urban districts in Hong Kong. Under this project, a Multi-storey Carpark Building, which was built atop an existing heavily trafficked flyover and situated in a densely populated area with less than 20 m away from the nearest high-rise residential building, was required to be demolished atop the existing flyover without interfering its operation or causing unacceptable noise impact to the nearby residents. This paper presents the successful implementation of the construction noise mitigation management framework of the Central Kowloon Route project to achieve quiet demolition of the Multi-storey Carpark Building, including the relevant Construction Noise Mitigation Measure Plan, Contract Specifications on adopting quieter measures and Community Engagement Plan. The paper also analyzes the actual noise performance of the quieter measures adopted and nearby public responses when the demolition of the carpark building is actively pursuing.

Calibration strategies for long-term strain forecasting in high-rise building columns

Concrete exhibits long-term time-dependent behavior due to creep and shrinkage that impacts the safety and serviceability of high-rise buildings. These rheological effects are difficult to predict due to their random nature, dependence on environmental conditions, and loading history. Current methods include the use of creep and shrinkage tests of structure-specific concrete samples to update compliance and shrinkage, and sophisticated numerical models for prediction of the long-term structural behavior. However, creep and shrinkage tests are time-consuming, and simulation requires reliable numerical models and often proprietary solvers that are not available to the structural health monitoring (SHM) practitioner. Further, uncertainty propagation in complex numerical models is rarely seen in the relevant literature. In contrast, data-driven prediction methods using SHM data and simplified analytical models have shown to be successful for prestressed concrete bridges. In this work, we investigate calibration strategies of creep and shrinkage models using SHM data toward data-driven forecasting of long-term time-dependent behavior of high-rise buildings. A calibration strategy is identified that enables significant and consistent improvement of forecasting of long-term time-dependent behavior. It is also shown that continuous calibration can provide good predictions at least 30 days ahead. First-order analytical uncertainty propagation formulas are also provided. The calibration strategies are evaluated on data from two residential high-rise buildings in Singapore. Recommendations to the SHM practitioners are also given.

Relationship between Ra-226 activity concentration in building materials and indoor radon concentration: An example of Russian high-rise residential buildings

The worldwide trend toward the construction of high-rise buildings with high energy efficiency highlights the role of building materials as a source of indoor radon in the modern urban environment. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between the Ra-226 activity concentration in building materials and indoor radon concentration using the example of multi-story buildings in Ekaterinburg. Measurements of the activity concentration of natural radionuclides in building materials were carried out using a new non-destructive method. A radon survey conducted early provided the data on indoor radon concentrations in the same apartments. The obtained Ra-226 activity concentrations in building materials in high-rise buildings were found to be relatively low, ranging from 9.1 to 51 Bq/kg. The typical radon entry rate by diffusion from building materials for modern Russian multi-story buildings can be accepted as equal to 0.5 Bq/(m3∙h) per 1 Bq/kg of Ra-226 activity concentration. Ra-226 in building materials has been shown to be a primary source of indoor radon in modern high-rise buildings, where this factor can cause indoor radon concentrations above the reference level of 100 Bq/m3 at low air exchange rates. The activity concentration of Ra-226 in building materials should be considered a separate parameter for regulation within the national radiation protection systems.

Wall and air conditioner combination for the best energy and economic performance: Methodology demonstration for high-rise residential buildings

Enhancing energy efficiency of any system with affordable measures is always a ‘win-win’ option, specifically for systems consuming large amount of energy. With increasing population and economic growth, rapid urbanization is inevitable, more so in developing countries. Due to higher population density and scarcity of available land, high-rise residential and commercial buildings are now increasing in big cities. Building energy efficiency has eventually emerged as a critical issue for such high-rise buildings. Space cooling consumes a huge amount of energy for high-rise buildings in tropical countries. Selection of masonry materials for exterior walls with matching air conditioners should be optimized for the best energy efficiency vis-à-vis least cost for high-rise buildings. Such a study to determine the optimized solution is reported using data of ten typical high-rise residential buildings in the warm-humid climate of Kolkata, India. The methodology followed is an integrated iterative process involving whole building energy simulation to determine the optimum performance out of different possible combinations of building walls (i.e., passive measure) and selection of corresponding air conditioners (i.e., active measure) for simultaneous best energy efficiency and minimum costing. Results show that the combination of autoclaved aerated concrete block wall and 5-star split air conditioner emerges as the optimum, being 37.53% more energy efficient and 24.27% more cost effective than the typically practiced baseline option. The required 29.47% higher capital investment is well compensated for lower annual expenditure for operational energy when fifteen years’ cash flow is considered. The study shows an integrated methodology for deciding the optimum combination of passive and active measures for the possible best energy performance at a minimum cost at the early design stage of high-rise buildings.

Correlation of AC energy consumption and passive thermal comfort with floor levels in tropical high-rise residential dwellings

The relationship between thermal comfort, building floor levels, and HVAC energy consumption in tropical high-rise residential buildings remains unclear. These buildings face heavy cooling demands due to their immense height and volume, as well as hot-humid weather found in the tropics. Architects and building developers understand that an increase in a building's floor count increases its energy requirements, but the impact on occupant thermal requirements and AC energy consumption needs further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between passive thermal comfort, AC energy consumption, and floor levels in tropical high-rise residential buildings through survey and experimental methods. The results showed a significant relationship between thermal sensation votes and building floor levels, as well as AC energy consumption and floor levels. The study also found a strong correlation between thermal sensation votes and predicted mean votes, AC energy use, and predicted people dissatisfied. The optimal cut-off floors for thermal dissatisfaction according to (TSV) are 22nd floor and 8th floor in summer and monsoon seasons respectively. With a 90% sensitivity and 92% specificity. This research highlights the importance of addressing thermal comfort in high-rise buildings to improve energy efficiency and thermal comfort in tropical climates.

Optimizing window ventilation strategies for high-rise residential buildings with U-shaped lightwell: Simulating gaseous pollutant cross-room transmission

The lightwell structure widely used in high-rise residential buildings becomes a pathway for the cross-room transmission of gaseous pollutants. In order to devise effective strategies for window ventilation, it is necessary to conduct research on the transmission characteristics of pollutants in the lightwell. The unsteady-state characteristic of the temperature in natural conditions is represented using a sine function. The transmission of pollutants in the lightwell during the 24 h was simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) employing the RNG k-ε turbulence model and continuous phase model. Three pollution sources were considered at three typical building heights: low floor (5 floors), middle floor (18 floors), and high floor (32 floors). Moreover, the window ventilation time was accurately determined by calculating the room's re-entry ratio near the pollution sources. The results show that the day (24 h) can be divided into three time periods based on the airflow pattern in the lightwell: the downward airflow time (17:00 to 2:30), the upward airflow time (5:00 to 15:00), and the transition time (2:30 to 5:00 and 15:00 to 17:00). During the transition time, pollutant is transmitted both horizontally and vertically, and all rooms around the pollution source are unsuitable for window ventilation.

Economic and performance analysis of ground source heat pump system for high-rise residential buildings considering practical applications

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems are being applied in various buildings to achieve carbon neutrality and zero energy building. Large-scale residential buildings have seen limited use of GSHP systems due to the absence of design guidelines and established operation methods. While design guides for general buildings are available from associations or institutes, there is a scarcity of designs and operation guides that consider dynamic simulations with occupant conditions and detailed load conditions. Generally, it is crucial for the economic analysis to optimally design suitable system capacity and accurately predict the performance. Therefore, in this study, the dynamic energy simulation model was constructed by considering the condition of the occupants and system operation and quantitively analyzed economic feasibility and system performance. Furthermore, the sensitive analysis based on the practical range of operation was conducted for comparison with conventional systems, district heating (DH) and electric heat pump (EHP) system. The heat pump's performance improved by up to 12.6% based on GSHP system design factors. Although the initial investment cost of the GSHP system was 51.5–84.7% higher than DH and EHP systems, its annual operating cost was 20.8–33.1% lower. The ground source heat exchanger had the most significant impact on performance, while the thermal storage tank's capacity had the largest impact on annual operating costs, aligning with previous research findings. In terms of carbon emissions, the annual CO2 emissions of the GSHP system were 49.1% lower than those of the existing system. The study highlights that GSHP systems can achieve high performance, economic efficiency, and low CO2 emissions based on the design approach. Additionally, the study provides valuable insights into GSHP system design, offers quantitative feasibility data, and compares them to traditional heating and cooling systems, taking practical cost considerations into account.

Sustainability concepts in global high-rise residential buildings: a scientometric and systematic review

PurposeSustainability has been the subject of several scientific investigations. Many researchers in the construction industry have also examined a range of sustainability-related studies. However, few studies have thoroughly reviewed implementing sustainability concepts in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs).Design/methodology/approachBy adopting scientometrics and systematic review (SR), this study seeks to map out recent sustainability trends and concepts in the design, development and operation of HRRBs worldwide and in Hong Kong. With a focus on bibliographic records from the Web of Science (WoS) database, 1,395 journal articles from 2013 to 2022 were analysed. Furthermore, thirteen studies were systematically reviewed.FindingsThe SR indicated that sustainable practices in developing Hong Kong's HRRBs emphasised zero-carbon buildings, reduced energy usage and energy-efficient retrofitting. Likewise, terms such as BIM, urban density, life cycle assessment and system dynamics are strongly connected with clusters that include “residential buildings”, “high-rise buildings” and “high-rise residential buildings”. The study identified significant themes in establishing HRRBs by combining sustainable practices, emphasising urban governance and policy management, building performance and thermal comfort, energy and design optimisation, occupant behaviour and sensitivity analysis. Core sustainability ideas have improved resource management, air quality management and knowledge of user behaviour in HRRBs.Originality/valueThe study allows researchers and practitioners to explore future research directions in the built environment per the application of sustainable concepts in the development of HRRBs from design, construction and post-construction phases.

Keberkesanan Taman Poket dalam Meningkatkan Kualiti Hidup Penduduk Bandar di Kawasan Perumahan Bertingkat Kos Rendah di Malaysia

Issues and problems regarding the allocation of open space in high-rise residential buildings that have been determined by the Local Authority (PBT) do not match the population is a problem that has been going on for a long time and has been debated but has not yet been fully addressed even though various strategic measures have been identified and taken to reduce the problem this. Rapidly developing cities have long struggled with the issue of green space requirements. Adding green areas such as pocket parks is one of the actions that can be taken to reduce the effects of rapid urbanization. Research on the effectiveness of pocket parks in improving the quality of life of urban residents in Malaysia has been studied in this study. The main aim of this study is to identify the allocation of pocket park design guidelines by Local Authorities (PBT) for high-rise houses/low-rise apartments in Malaysia and to identify the effectiveness of pocket parks in improving the quality of life of low-cost housing residents in Selangor. To achieve the objective, a questionnaire survey was conducted involving 108 respondents who stayed in three low-cost multi-storey housing. This questionnaire survey discusses the issue of pocket parks in Selangor as well as the role of pocket parks in improving the quality of life of residents. Findings from the analysis of the questionnaire are divided into three parts, which are the demographics of the respondents, the understanding of the pocket park, and the suggestions and improvements of the respondents regarding the effectiveness of the pocket park in improving the quality of life of the people in Selangor. The results of this study show that there are several factors that contribute to the effectiveness of pocket gardens in high-rise residential buildings. The majority of the respondents agreed that the pocket park facilities provided as a whole improve the quality of life of the residents.