Housing Model Research Articles

Simulating the electrical demand variations of air-source heat pumps in Canadian single-family housing

Heat pumps offer an efficient electrification of space heating but can significantly vary the magnitude and duration of house-level electrical demand, especially when replacing fuel-fired heating systems. This paper uses a simulation-based approach to simulate the electrical demand variations of air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) in six Canadian cities (Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Whitehorse) when replacing natural gas or electric baseboard heating. Detailed housing models (including a highly zoned model capturing room-based baseboard controls) are combined with a series of custom non-HVAC load profiles and an enhanced data-driven ASHP model to assess the variation that occupancy, climate, and type of heat pump integration can have on electrical demand. ASHPs are shown to increase the magnitude and duration of electrical demand when replacing natural gas furnaces, although selection of climate-appropriate systems (e.g. cold climate units in colder climates) may reduce the magnitude and coincidence of this demand. Where heat pumps replace electric baseboards, HVAC demand may decrease by up to 3.4 kW during ASHP operating periods and remain equal when the ambient temperatures are below the ASHP cutoff. A study of simple mitigation measures through varying temperature setpoints demonstrates the ability of proper controls to reduce electrical demand during high-demand periods.

Sustainability strategies focused on thermal comfort and embodied energy of emerging housing in the Andean Region of Ecuador

Faced with the constant natural disasters in the Andean regions of Ecuador, several housing solutions have been proposed. However, these do not consider the user’s thermal comfort or the environmental impact they generate. This research addresses this issue from a bioclimatic perspective through an emerging housing model in an Andean climate, oriented to ensuring thermal comfort and reducing the environmental impact of the construction. The analysis focuses on indoor temperature and the Total Embodied Energy (EET) of the housing model. The methodology is divided into the definition of the model and strategies, on one hand, and, on the other, the analysis of these parameters through simulations and calculations. In addition, a comparative analysis with other studies is carried out. The strategies defined were solar gain, thermal mass, compactness, local-recycled materials, and modulation. The results show that the proposed model passively reaches comfort temperatures, and that the EET (2135.38 MJ/m2) is lower than that of other social housing.

Beneficiary Expectation from Low-Income Housing Projects: A Post-Occupancy Evaluation Study from Punjab, Pakistan

The Pakistani government has been promoting affordable housing projects for low-income households for the last thirty years. It is important to appraise the low-income housing projects from the perceptions of beneficiaries being the ultimate users of such facilities in urban settings. This paper presents an analytical study on the experiences of beneficiaries from the application process to possession of housing units in two different models of affordable housing in the Punjab region, Pakistan. It is challenging to link their experiences as post occupancy evaluation (POE) regarding the application process, living experience, and governance of such housing projects. Analysis was done using inductive reasoning by data collection through focus group discussions. The findings show and confirm that quality of life in a low-income housing environment is a combination of multiple factors which influence the mind of households from the inception of projects till the possession and continue in the post-occupancy phase as well. The funding and execution of projects need to consider the end user demand by the inclusion of targeted beneficiaries in the planning, design, and regulation of the housing projects to ensure the resident’s housing satisfaction in terms of provision of all allied facilities, infrastructure, experience, and quality of living.

Numerical Strength Analysis of Laser-Welded Differential Housing and Gear Considering Residual Stress.

In order to avoid slackening of differential housing and gear joined by bolts, the laser-welding process is proposed in this paper, and the strength of a connecting joint was estimated by numerical analysis with consideration of welding residual stress. The process parameters of laser welding for dissimilar materials QT600 cast iron and 20MnCr5 structural alloy steel were introduced, and chemical composition analysis and microstructure analysis were conducted on the welded joints. The finite element model of laser-welded differential housing and gear was established to obtain the welding residual stress by applying a moving heat source. To verify the accuracy of the simulated result, static pressing tests were employed. The maximum tensile residual stress was 319.4 MPa, located at the same point as the maximum temperature. The simulated stress agreed well with the experimental data. Finally, the dynamic strength of laser-welded differential housing and gear under forward, reverse, and start-up conditions was assessed by regarding welding residual stress as the initial stress field, which showed that all safety factors were greater than 1.4.

A Case Study on the Baba Housing Exhibition Estate as a Model of Modern Middle Class Housing

A Case Study on the Baba Housing Exhibition Estate as a Model of Modern Middle Class Housing

Proton and Redox Couple Synergized Strategy for Aqueous Low Voltage-Driven WO3 Electrochromic Devices.

Aqueous electrolytes possess non-combustible and eco-friendly features compared to organic electrolytes, leading them to be more suitable for application in smart windows for daily use. However, limited by the narrow electrochemical window of water (1.23 V), its use in conventional electrochromic devices (ECDs) would result in irreversible performance loss, which arises from decomposition caused by high voltage. Here, we propose a synergistic scheme combining a redox couple-catalytic counter electrode (RC-CCE) strategy with protons as guest ions. With the help of the intelligent matching of the reaction potentials of the RC and amorphous WO3 electrochromic electrodes and the highly active and fast kinetic features of protons, it successfully reduces the working voltage range of the device to 1.1 V. The assembled HClO4-ECD can possess an overall modulation rate (350-1200 nm) of 0.43 and 0.94 at -0.1 and -0.7 V, respectively, and a modulation of 66.8% at 600 nm at -0.7 V. Moreover, compared with other guest ions, the proton-based ECD exhibits higher coloration efficiency, a broader color modulation capability, and better stability. In addition, the house model equipped with the proton-based ECD effectively blocks solar radiation, which provides a potential solution for the design of aqueous smart windows.

ЖИТЛОВА ПОЛІТИКА ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКИХ КРАЇН. ОГЛЯД МІСЬКИХ ПРАКТИК

Housing policy is one of the most relevant topics in the study of today's world. Ukraine currently lacks regulation of housing development as a state policy, which creates a gap between legislative and regulatory regulation of this aspect. The resulting gap creates ample opportunities for the private real estate market and at the same time alienates the end user, the resident, from his or her right to housing. In European countries, the "right for a home" has a similar status to the Ukrainian one, but the "housing issue" is one of the key issues in the policies of the states. Generally, housing policies in European countries are focused on social support of their citizens. This is where the main difference in the form of "social housing" arises, which can have a different form, model or even name, depending on the specifics of the country. In the current Ukrainian context, the housing issue is a direct aspect of the post-war reconstruction of the country. The article examines the housing policies of European countries and urban practices of forming local housing policies. The analysis focuses on the development and functioning of housing models in European cities. The study also includes the architectural and social aspects of housing models. The article considers external sources and studies, in particular Griffith, Jepma and Savini (2022), Glaser, (2017), Schindler, (2021), Förster and Menking (2017), Altreiter and Litschauer, (2022), Hamiduddin and Gallent (2016), Bican (2020), and analyzes local programs (policies), analytical reports on housing construction and statistics on the quantitative characteristics of housing stocks. The review of housing policies of the studied countries provides an opportunity to analyze the current context of the housing issue in the European space. Most of these countries have common features of the housing sector. For example, most of the policies reviewed have a common process of policy-making. In all cases, the influence of local authorities in shaping local housing policy is significant. All of the examples reviewed have in common the advocacy of the quality of architecture and, as a result, the living environment and the widespread use of architectural competitions. It should be noted that the housing policies of the studied countries demonstrate the importance of a joint and comprehensive approach to housing issues, based on common socially oriented principles.

The Fragment of a Model of a Tower House from Kom el-Gir, Central Northwestern Delta

This article discusses a fragment of a model of a tower house found on the surface at Kom el-Gir in the central northwestern Delta. The settlement of Kom el-Gir, which was used at least from the Ptolemaic to the Late Roman Periods, showed a dense occupation of tower houses, based on magnetic prospection. A reconstruction of what the house model may have looked like is suggested and the possible uses of such house models are discussed. [Formula: see text]

Rain Gutters in Ancient Egyptian Private Houses: Papyrological and Archaeological Evidence

The subject of this study is a papyrus containing interesting information about drainage – namely the so-called ‘Legal Code of Hermopolis West’, known in both Demotic (P. Mattha – third century BC) and Greek versions (P.Oxy. XLVI 3285 – second century AD) – and the terminology contained therein in relation to water drains. It aims to determine what type of water these regulations applied to. To this end, the information obtained from papyrological sources is juxtaposed with what we know about drainage thanks to archaeology, especially models of houses (from the Middle Kingdom). This comparison reveals that ancient Egypt had a centuries-old tradition of draining rainwater through long, open, U-shaped gutters, even if their existence might seem unnecessary in this country at first glance.

Investigation of Spatial and Cultural Features in Contemporary Qatari Housing

Housing is a basic human need and a fundamental component of settlement status. The architectural form and spatial provisions of housing evolve in line with—and transform to meet—a specific era’s needs. Globalization has been responsible for changing the nature of housing in Qatar over the last thirty years. It has led to a standardization of construction methods and built form, representing a dramatic departure from past models of vernacular residential architecture. In light of these challenges, the ultimate purpose of this study is to explore the spatial and cultural features in a small sample of contemporary housing in Qatar. It explores the spatial layout of four Qatari residential villas to assess the social and cultural roles in contemporary housing models against the background of previous research. In the study, the authors utilized space syntax as an analytical tool to demonstrate patterns of visibility and room relations in the samples to understand occupants’ system of activities in the contemporary domestic setting, deploying visibility graph analysis (VGA) and relational graphs. Key findings include the interpretation of the probable relation to socio-cultural factors such as gender roles, hospitality, and privacy. Hence, this study fills gaps in knowledge about Qatari and Middle Eastern housing today.

다양한 유형의 고령자를 위한 주거정책의 방향

In the case of Korea, as the entry into a super-aged society becomes a reality, various policies targeting the elderly are being implemented. In this dissertation, I have examined from what perspective it is rational to set the direction of housing policy, among various policies for the elderly. The main contents are summarized as follows. First, the supply entity of public (rental) housing should be diversified, and policies should be implemented to manage and quickly supplement aging housing.
 Second, rather than separating only the elderly and providing an integrated legal basis, it may be more appropriate to design and implement various types of housing models in each law in cooperation with related government agencies. Third, it is necessary to develop various types of housing models for the elderly. Fourth, it is necessary to allow the elderly to receive various services while living at home, and for the elderly in rural areas in poor conditions, it is necessary to ease the conditions of service. Fifth, in the case of housing renovation services for the elderly, it is necessary to establish a policy by receiving universal services rather than limiting the eligibility for application.

청년층의 공공분양주택 선호 연구

In order to solve the housing problem of young people, the government announced a plan to supply public housing for sale that combine affordable housing prices and groundbreaking mortgage support. In this study, a survey was conducted to understand the young people's preference for the newly proposed public housing for sale, and the housing perception and demographic characteristics of young people who prefer public housing for sale were analyzed. In addition, through a survey on the policy direction and detailed conditions, it was intended to propose a model of public housing for sale that young people want. The results of analysis are summarized as follows. First, as a result of the survey, 49.8% of the respondents preferred public housing for sale, and such a high preference indicates the need to expand the supply of affordable public housing for sale. Second, since there are differences of opinion on the detailed conditions related to the benefits and restrictions of public housing for sale, it is necessary to set reasonable standards. Third, for young people with relatively lower assets, it is essential to provide cheonsei loans and public rental housing support to secure the current residential stability. Fourth, it is important to supply public housing with high-quality residential and educational environments for young people planning to marry and give birth. The results of the study are meaningful in that they clarify whether public housing for sale can serve as an alternative to solving the housing problem of young people, and present guidelines such as policy direction and detailed conditions.

Comparative Study of Mediterranean Courtyard Houses and the Bioclimate Impact on Their Design from Four Axes: Historical, Environmental, Social and Geometry

As a result of the many efforts made in recent decades to implement bioclimatic criteria and passive house models in Mediterranean areas, traditional architectural typologies can play a role in the contemporary environmental architectural framework. The interactive and adaptive relationship between climate, site, and building is a fundamental rule in the climate-responsive approach to reducing environmental impacts. Lately, this idea has been extended to include protecting the cultural identities of places. Many cases in the Mediterranean Basin show that conventional courtyard houses can provide high adaptability, sustainability, and functionality. Mediterranean courtyard houses are founded on a set of adaptable and sustainable standards derived from a combination of active and passive design approaches. This paper presents a comparative study of courtyard houses in five Mediterranean countries: Spain, Türkiye, Greece, Libya, and Palestine, addressing four areas of interest: history, environment, society and geometry. Considering the bioclimatic approach as a critical component in reorienting the construction process, the study’s goal is to compare and evaluate the inner courtyards of these Mediterranean countries, analysing the most important constant factors and modification paths. The study concludes that the courtyard morphology is a shared human legacy with a past and future as it meets its inhabitants’ physical and sociocultural requirements. Furthermore, despite the differences in some aspects, courtyard houses were constructed throughout the Mediterranean with a common meaning of heaven on earth; this could imply that the courtyard garden is the world’s meaning.

Towards an optimized design for an elevated cyclonic home using numerical simulations and active learning framework

This research presents a general optimization workflow and a geometrical parametric study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses in conjunction with a Kriging-based active learning strategy. Motivated by the concept of a wind-resistant “cyclonic home”, the present work conducts a systematic numerical wind study for a typical gable-roof elevated house structure across a parameter space consisting of varying incident wind directions and roof pitch angles. The house model is fully parametrized such that geometrical and mesh generation are automatically performed to facilitate the deployment of active learning for establishing a surrogate model of wind-induced forces. A wind force map is produced which reveals the relationship between the incident wind angle and roof pitch. From this, statistical analysis exposes which roof pitch angles offer greater wind-resistance, i.e., a roof pitch of θ=32.9° is found to provide the lowest mean force across all possible wind angles, whereas roof pitches of θ=12.7° and θ=45.0° yield the largest forces. The influence of the overhanging eave, a typical feature of such houses, is varied to understand its role on overall roof performance. Quartering winds are found to provide a greater contribution to overall roof forces as the eave length is extended. In contrast, for winds perpendicular to the roof ridge, its extension provides a relatively stable total force. These findings can assist a variety of stakeholders from engineering and risk assessment disciplines in pursuit of buildings resilient to high-winds due to tropical cyclones.

An all-natural fire-resistant bioinspired cellulose-based structural material by external force-induced assembly

Natural wood is a widely used structural building material because of its light weight and high strength, yet it is limited by the ignitability. Traditional top-down strategies can delay the burning time of wood-derived materials but hardly reach incombustible performance. Here, we develop a bottom-up external force-induced assembly strategy to fabricate nonburning nacre-mimetic structural materials based on the shear-thinning behavior of cellulose nanofibers, the main component of wood. The highly ordered brick-and-mortar structure endows the structural material with excellent comprehensive mechanical properties and oxygen insulation, giving it better specific flexural strength [143 MPa/(Mg m−3)] and limit oxygen index (100%) than various natural woods. Furthermore, the house model, made of bioinspired structural materials, does not burn or collapse even in a butane blowtorch flame (more than 1100 °C), demonstrating its great potential as a sustainable, lightweight, strong, and safe structural building material.

THE «HOUSEHOLD OF CERAMIST 2» COMPLEX ON THE TRIPOLIAN GIANT-SETTLEMENT TALIANKI

The Tripolian archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine during 2018—2019, 2021—2022 explored a separate planographic unit of the settlement-giant Talianki which was named «Household of ceramist 2». The complex consists of five ground dwellings, one pottery kiln (G) and a place from a possible kiln, two large objects («pit-paddocks») and other objects of various purposes (small depressions, workplaces).
 Dwellings 54—56 consisted of two parts — a smaller entrance and a large residential one. The interior of the residential part is standard; the entrance framed with decor. Building 53 is characterized by its larger dimensions with an additional third room. The southernmost building 57 was much smaller, interior details almost not survived. At the lower floor of the building floor greases or pavements (buildings 53, 57), and depressions are found.
 The kiln «G» was located outside the residential area of the settlement near the northwestern part of pit 3. The kiln shape is close to rectangular with rounded corners. Kiln is two-chamber with vertically connected joints. The combustion chamber is separated from the burning compartment by a grid and coupled to warm air vents. This kiln is built of stones, clay and a significant number of pottery fragments. The geomagnetic anomaly corresponding to the characteristics of the kiln was located near the western side of pit 4. No visible remains of the kiln found at this location.
 Large pits 3, 4 were located on the line of deepened
 objects, which runs parallel to the line of ground buildings already outside the residential zone of the settlement. Each of the pits consisted of two depressions. Several stages of use recorded: selection of local clay for construction («toloka» / pit-paddock), use as dugout, repeated disposal of waste (debris of furnace vaults, defective products, ash and utility waste).
 A large number of ceramic fragments, bone and stone tools, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, fragments of models of houses, sledges, etc. are found inside and around the sites. The mass finding of ceramic items in pit 4 deserves special attention. These are 494 whole and fragmented clay items. In addition to the impressive amount of these items in one object, special attention is drawn to unfinished or damaged figurines, as well as prepared individual parts of future products and flattened lumps of clay. Given the large amount of this kind of «production waste», this complex may be considered as a workshop for the production of clay-plastics, and perhaps as a place of study.
 The discovered complex ought to be reconstructed as a place of residence for a large family group consisting of 4 small families, or a separate polygamous family. This social group specialized in the production of ceramic wares, serving a much larger social group.

Sustainable Vernacular Architecture: The Renovation of a Traditional House on Stara Planina Mountain in Serbia

In the last few years, Stara planina (the Balkan Mountains) and its surroundings have been improving their tourist offer. The area is protected by law, as a nature park, and the construction of new buildings requires a complex administrative procedure. Renovation of country houses is part of the usual construction procedures and is easier to carry out. Typical renovation solutions involve application of industrial materials with significant impact on the environment from the process of their production and further on. The traditional houses found in many mountains across Serbia and the Balkans are constructed using natural materials. Hence, this paper tackles the problem of renovating such dwellings by application of natural materials to improve their usability and reduce their energy and carbon footprint. An analysis is performed on a case study model of a typical house from Stara planina. The advantages of using natural materials in the process of renovating a traditional house are analysed. By using TRNSYS software, the total amount of energy demands of the house during a typical meteorological year with four scenarios (current state, walls isolated with sheep and hemp wool panels and EPS) was simulated. These materials were further analysed for their environmental impact by means of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). In the synthesis of the research, the best results were brought into connection with the sustainable development of the architectural heritage. The results prove that natural products provide the necessary thermal comfort and have a significantly more positive impact on the environment than artificial materials. Based on this study, recommendations were created for the sustainable renovation of vernacular architecture in Serbia. The goal of the paper is to create scientific and professional evidence that local and natural materials must be used to reduce the impact of climate change and that such sustainable renovation is in accordance with modern architectural design and thermal comfort. The goal is also to fill the gap in renovation methods in Serbia, according to the principles of sustainable design.

Engineering Structural Janus MXene-nanofibrils Aerogels for Season-Adaptive Radiative Thermal Regulation.

Aerogels have provided a significant platform for passive radiation-enabled thermal regulation, arousing extensive interest due to their capabilities of radiative cooling or heating. However, there still remains challenge of developing functionally integrated aerogels for sustainable thermal regulation in both hot and cold environment. Here, Janus structured MXene-nanofibrils aerogel (JMNA) is rationally designed via a facile and efficient way. The achieved aerogel presents the characteristic of high porosity (≈98.2%), good mechanical strength (tensile stress of ≈2MPa, compressive stress of ≈115kPa), and macroscopic shaping property. Based on the asymmetric structure, the JMNA with switchable functional layers can alternatively enable passive radiative heating and cooling in winter and summer, respectively. As a proof of concept, JMNA can function as a switchable thermal-regulated roof to effectively enable the inner house model to maintain >25°C in winter and <30°C in hot summer. This design of Janus structured aerogels with compatible and expandable capabilities is promising to widely benefit the low-energy thermal regulation in changeable climate.

Analysis of Various Models for House Price Prediction based on Machine Learning

The real estate prices prediction is a relatively popular data analysis problem. With the gradual increase in the competitiveness of the housing trading platform in recent years, and the basic model of house prices predicted is different from the factual transaction price. Therefore, it is necessary to design more accurate house prices prediction models. This article will adopt different linear regression models and machine learning models. By training these models of training Set, through the accuracy algorithm of Kaggle, the accuracy of each model is obtained. According to the analysis, this article finally discovered that the accuracy of the new model is improved than the accuracy of the basic model (i.e., new model predicts house price more precision), but it can be improved in the case of less data in the real environment. The reason may be related to economic and public opinion effects. Overall, these results shed light on guiding further exploration of house price.

Evaluating the Possibility of Intergenerational Home-Sharing in Shanghai and the Potential Benefits for both the Young and the Old Generation

This article explores the new housing model of intergenerational home-sharing, a concept first introduced in European countries to deal with the impending aging society. Empty-nest seniors lent their additional rooms to young people for lower rent in large cities, while young people offer companionship and doing the housework for the senior. The aging population in Shanghai is increasing, as estate prices soar during the recent years, bringing tremendous pressure to the opportunity – seeking young. This paper aims to discuss the likelihood of implementing such concept in Shanghai by interviewing with local seniors and community service workers and analyzing the willingness of young people and seniors using anonymous questionnaires.