Multi-storey Residential Buildings Research Articles

Building material reuse: An optimization framework for sourcing new and reclaimed building materials

The process of sourcing Reclaimed Construction Materials (RCMs) is predominantly manual and hindered by the limited digital presence of RCMs. However, the advancing technological landscape provides an opportunity to create a modular framework that can assess the value proposition of New Construction Materials (NCMs) and RCMs for a project before acquiring them. A field study in the Kitchener/Waterloo region inspired the development of a framework that has three underlying systems encompassing digital tools for data collection and analysis: (1) The Real Environment uses 3D scanners and a spreadsheet software, (2) The Model Environment uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) software and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool, and (3) The Core Engine uses an optimization program. Real-world data collected from RCM stores (The Habitat for Humanity) and NCM stores (The Home Depot) are used for a realistic demonstration of the framework. By practically applying the framework to source window and door components for a modeled multi-residential building design, an integrated selection of 35% RCMs and 65% NCMs was proposed for the building design. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is also performed for validation. The framework may disrupt the ongoing building design practices that deem material reuse problematic by enabling flexible sourcing of used and new building materials. A modular and iterative framework for facilitating reuse is thus contributed.

Renovation Strategies for Energy Conservation in Multi-Story Residential Buildings in Turkey

Renovation Strategies for Energy Conservation in Multi-Story Residential Buildings in Turkey

Implementing resilience in sustainable building design: Testing selected resilience criteria in a case study

Abstract Climate change is causing unprecedented changes in precipitation, extreme temperatures, and weather-related threats. Without effective intervention, these changes are expected to escalate in the coming years, potentially causing substantial damage to buildings. Paradoxically, the buildings themselves possess the potential to both exacerbate and alleviate climate change. To achieve a balance, the design of the building must adhere to minimal sustainability standards, taking into account resilience. Popular building rating systems, currently skewed towards sustainability, often neglect resilience principles. This paper aims to assess five selected resilience criteria from a new module incorporated into an existing building certification system, SBToolCZ. Validation occurs through a multi-residential building case study in Prague, evaluating the effectiveness of the criteria in terms of feasibility, accuracy, consistency, and time/data requirements. The results of this criteria test determine the clarity, achievability, and informativeness of the selected criteria. If gathering information and meeting benchmarks within a specific time frame proves challenging, adjustments to the criteria may be necessary for attainability and specificity. Integrating resilience features into sustainability rating systems, typically used in the early stages of design, can encourage designers to incorporate resilience into their projects. This proactive approach could lead to long-term reductions in environmental, social, and economic impacts, especially during weather-related hazards.

Older adults’ decisions regarding mobility to age in place in medium- and high-rise multi-storey residential buildings in urban settings: A case study of South East Queensland, Australia

Population ageing and urbanisation requires a more thorough understanding and monitoring of older adult residential mobility trends. Many older adults move to urban areas and previous studies have been carried out on ageing in place in traditional low-rise residential buildings. However, there is little in the literature about the important push and pull factors influencing older adult moves to medium- and high-rise multi-storey residential buildings in urban areas as they age. This case study research considered the housing migration model of push and pull factors used in elderly residential mobility and investigated the older adults' decision-making regarding mobility to age in place in medium- and high-rise multi-storey residential buildings in South East Queensland, Australia. The study revealed how the older adults expressed a desire to age in place in multi-storey residential buildings in urban areas and identified it as an important element of quality of life. Many older adults chose to move house to high density urban areas from low density urban areas between the ages of 65 and 84. The ‘pull’ factor to significantly influence the decisions of movers was a low maintenance property and lifestyle change from a large suburban home whereas the ‘push’ factor was upkeep difficulties of the house related to old age. This study makes empirical contributions to knowledge in ageing residential mobility trends in urban areas and concludes by providing policy recommendations for developing more effective housing, public spaces, transportation, and community activities and services for older adults, including highlighting a number of recommendations for future research.

Seismic Design and Analysis of a Cold-Formed Steel Exoskeleton for the Retrofit of an RC Multi-Story Residential Building

Seismic Design and Analysis of a Cold-Formed Steel Exoskeleton for the Retrofit of an RC Multi-Story Residential Building

Increased Understanding of Building Operational Performance Through Occupant-Centric Key Performance Indicators

This article introduces a novel framework for Occupant-Centric Key Performance Indicators (OC KPIs) which aims to increase the understanding of building performance by aligning with occupant presence during the operational phase. Unlike traditional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), OC KPIs can better emphasize the usefulness of energy use in the building to provide services and indoor comfort to occupants when they are actually present. Within this framework, the study explores 52 traditional KPIs and OC KPIs focusing on heating use, electricity use, domestic hot and cold water use, thermal comfort, and air quality. The study case is a multi-story residential low-energy building located in Denmark (five apartments, 16 rooms). The findings suggest that incorporating occupancy data in the OC KPI calculations enables a deeper understanding of energy-related occupant behavior and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). These include 1) the potential for installing a more advanced heating control algorithm by analyzing occupancy over time in relation to heating use, and 2) the identification of significant appliance-related behavior in correspondence with load matching, which can be used for predictive maintenance or personalized energy use feedback. Furthermore, OC KPIs show the potential to help detect insufficient IEQ, energy use inefficiencies due to system anomalies/faults and/or occupant behavior, and guide towards savings opportunities. Finally, this article discusses the practical implementation of OC KPIs, and compares the latter with traditional KPIs, thus supporting a paradigm shift towards a more occupant-centric assessment of building performance.

ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ ПОЖАРНОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ МНОГОЭТАЖНЫХ ЗДАНИЙ ИЗ ДЕРЕВЯННЫХ КОНСТРУКЦИЙ

Проведен обзор современного деревянного домостроения в России и за рубежом. Проанализированы результаты испытаний строительных материалов из древесины на пожарную опасность, а также деревянных строительных конструкций различных типов на огнестойкость и пожарную опасность как без огнезащиты, так и с огнезащитой различных видов. Разработаны предложения в нормативные документы. Намечены направления дополнительных исследований пожарной опасности зданий из деревянных конструкций. The paper considers the issues of ensuring fire safety of multi-storey buildings made of timber frame construction. At present, wooden houses in Russia are built mainly in the individual housing sector and account for 22% of the total construction volume, while industrial wooden houses account for no more than 3% of the wooden houses built annually. Abroad, wood is also widely used in the construction of buildings of various functional purposes: hotels, sports facilities, public and administrative buildings, low-rise and multi-storey buildings. The achievements of science, technology and engineering in the field of timber construction make it possible to design and build buildings of any type and purpose. Modern technology makes it possible to build high-rise timber houses. For example, high-strength composite materials based on wood are used for the construction of multi-storey buildings, in particular LVL beams and CLT panels. Numerous tests carried out at VNIIPO on load-bearing elements made of solid wood (frames, beams) and load-bearing structures made of CLT panels (walls, ceilings) have shown that they provide a significant limit of fire resistance in terms of load-bearing capacity. It is well known that wood is a highly flammable material (G4). This circumstance significantly complicates the use of various building structures in construction from the point of view of ensuring fire safety requirements, including in multi-storey buildings. A set of necessary engineering, technical and organisational measures to ensure fire safety has been developed for buildings with wooden structures up to 4 storeys. Based on the results of these tests, there have been developed proposals to include fire technical parameters in the regulatory requirements for buildings of classes I–III of fire resistance and structural fire hazard class C3. Further research is necessary to develop proposals for inclusion in the regulatory documents for fire safety of multi-storey residential and public buildings made of timber structures up to 28 metres in height.

Impact of balcony geometry on the performance of rubberized concrete structures against progressive collapse

PurposeEvaluate the performance of progressive collapse of full-scale three-dimensional structure (3D) beam-slab substructures with and without the presence of reinforced concrete (RC) balconies using two concrete mixes [normal concrete (NC) and rubberized concrete (RuC)].Design/methodology/approachThis study examines two concrete mixes to evaluate the progressive collapse performance of full-scale 3D beam-slab substructures with and without the presence of RC balconies using the finite element (FE) method.FindingsThe results showed that the vertical loads that affect the structures of the specimens after including the balconies in the modeling increased by an average of 29.3% compared with those of the specimens without balconies. The specimens with balconies exhibited higher resistance to progressive collapse in comparison with the specimens without balconies. Moreover, the RuC specimens performed very efficiently during the catenary stage, which significantly enhanced robustness to substantial deformation to delay or mitigate the progressive collapse risk.Originality/valueAll the experimental and numerical studies of the RC beam-slab substructures under progressive collapse scenarios are limited and do not consider the balcony’s presence in the building. Although balconies represent a common feature of multistory residential buildings, their presence in the building has more likely caused the failure of this building compared with a building without balconies. However, balconies are an external extension of RC slabs, which can provide extra resistance through tensile membrane action (TMA) or compressive membrane action (CMA). All those gaps have not been investigated yet.

Performance Evaluation of Foamed Concrete with Lightweight Aggregate: Strength, Shrinkage, and Thermal Conductivity.

Lightweight concrete offers numerous advantages for modular construction, including easier construction planning and logistics, and the ability to offset additional dead loads induced by double-wall and double-slab features. In a previous study, authors proposed incorporating lightweight aggregate into foamed concrete instead of adding extra foam to achieve lower density, resulting in lightweight concrete with an excellent strength-to-density ratio. This paper further investigated the performance aspects of foamed concrete with lightweight aggregate beyond mechanical strength. To evaluate the effect of aggregate type and foam content, three mix compositions were designed for the lightweight concrete. Specimens were prepared for experimental tests on thermal conductivity and drying shrinkage of lightweight concrete. Results showed that while both the increase in foam volume and the incorporation of lightweight aggregate led to higher drying shrinkage, they also contributed to improved insulating properties and reduced potential of cracking. Using typical multi-storey modular residential buildings in Hong Kong and three other Chinese cities as case studies, simulations were performed to assess potential savings in annual cooling and heating loads by employing the proposed lightweight concrete. These findings demonstrate the practical benefits of using foamed concrete with lightweight aggregate in modular construction and provide valuable insights for further optimization and implementation.

Energy optimization algorithms for multi-residential buildings: A model predictive control application

This study presents an optimization algorithm for Model Predictive Control (MPC) of the HVAC systems in multi-family residential buildings assessing the performance of four objective functions. Implemented in C++, using the free OR-Tools optimization library, the model is formulated a Mixed Integer-Linear Programming (MILP) problem. The study analyses the results of tests conducted on a 20-dwelling block in Switzerland across various weather and occupancy conditions, resulting in a parametric study of 64 cases.The models developed for the MPC are Grey-box type for the interconnected energy systems: the building, thermal storage tanks, a heat pump, the ventilation system and PV collectors, highlighting a radiant wall heating system integrated into the building facade. The tanks and the heat pump models were informed with manufacturer data, while for the building a R3C3 thermal-electrical equivalent model was developed, calibrated using TRNSYS simulations with a root mean square error of 1.7%.Findings demonstrate how the algorithm optimizes the operation according to the desired criteria, while ensuring indoor comfort with a 15-minute time resolution. The time execution of the majority of cases is under 3 min in a low-specs computer, affirming its practical viability for real-world implementation.

A Review paper Advancements in Shear Wall Design for Seismic Resistance in Residential Buildings: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review synthesizes diverse studies, providing valuable insights into the advancements, challenges, and future directions in shear wall design for seismic resistance in multi-story residential buildings. It serves as a reference for researchers, engineers, and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of shear wall dynamics in the context of structural stability and seismic resilience. Shear walls are a prevalent feature in multi-story constructions as they effectively counteract horizontal forces and offer substantial rigidity and durability within the same plane. This unique quality allows them to carry both significant horizontal loads and provide support for vertical or gravitational loads, thereby presenting a valuable asset in the realm of structural engineering applications. The location and arrangement of shear walls in a building are important factors in their effectiveness in resisting seismic loads. Studies have shown that shear walls arranged in the form of a core at the center of the building are the most effective in reducing top-story displacement during earthquakes. Corrugated steel plate shear walls (CPSW) have been introduced as an alternative to flat steel plate shear walls (FPSW) due to their advantages in terms of stiffness, strength, and ductility. Double layer corrugated steel plate shear walls (DCPSW) have been found to have the highest inelastic deformations, which can be considered an advantage over CPSWs. End shear walls in tall buildings have been shown to decrease maximum inter-story drift and improve seismic performance. Keywords: Shear walls, multi-story residential buildings, lateral support, seismic performance, structural integrity, retrofitting, literature review

FEASIBILITY STUDY OF RETROFITTING ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE MULTI-STOREY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS: A CASE STUDY OF CHINA

The construction industry is one of the primary sources of carbon emissions. In the context of the global response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change,China implements the Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutralisation policy. The policy vigorously promotes energy conservation and emission reduction in the construction industry, particularly housing. Due to the large stock of existing old multi-storey residential buildings in China, most of which are not energy-saving, and the lack of a sustainable assessment framework to retrofit such buildings, it is deemed essential to analyse the shortcomings of the current assessment standards and frameworks and formulate a better alternative. Therefore, this paper aims to provide the rationale for proposing a sustainability assessment framework for retrofitting old multi-storey residential buildings in China. It first explains the concepts of sustainable development and housing, then combs the current Chinese government’s commitments to sustainable housing agenda. The unsustainable state of this housing type is then reviewed, followed by the issues and gaps in the existing sustainable building assessment standards in China and overseas to justify the necessity of developing a sustainability assessment framework for retrofitting multistorey residential buildings in China. This framework would assist the retrofit of old multistorey residential buildings in reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency and achieving sustainable development. It also contributes to the body of knowledge in sustainable building assessments and helps in the planning and design processes within the public and private sectors related to the construction industry.

Modern Heating Systems for Multi-Story Residential Buildings

Modern Heating Systems for Multi-Story Residential Buildings

ANALYSIS OF DESTRUCTIONS AND STRENGTHENING METHODS OF PRECAST REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR PANELS

Currently, there is a high demand in Ukraine for the rapid restoration of buildings destroyed and damaged as a result of Russian armed aggression, as most people, despite active shelling of cities (especially those close to combat zones) and consequent constant danger, want to return to their homes. Due to military aggression to over 160,000 buildings in Ukraine got extensive damage, with nearly 20,000 high-rise residential structures being built using large-panel construction. The challenges of restoration include unpredictable structural failures and the economic feasibility of repair methods.Recent studies on building restoration in Ukraine due to military damage have emerged only in recent years, with a focus on panel buildings being notably absent in international literature. Given the current situation, domestic research primarily addresses the inspection methodologies and classification of war-related damages, offering preliminary assessments but limited restoration recommendations. In this paper, the authors focused on the panel construction of Kharkiv city, as these buildings account for the most destruction among residential buildings. The assessment of damage to panel slabs of multi-story residential buildings focusing on the heavily affected North Saltivka district due to artillery shelling and rocket strikes is discussed. Despite occupying only 9 % of the area, residential buildings in North Saltivka sustained significant damage, with 70 % affected. Construction in the area consists mainly of precast concrete panel buildings of various heights and designs. Damage severity varies, ranging from minor cracks to complete structural failure, influencing repair and reinforcement strategies. The assessment involves on-site inspections and categorizes damage levels to determine the buildings' suitability for repair or replacement. Based on numerous inspections of panel buildings, in which the authors of the article directly participated, it was possible to identify a gradation of the degree of damage to the panels of multi-storey buildings. As a result of summarizing the obtained information, three categories of panels with acceptable damage for restoration were identified. An analysis of existing methods for reinforcing such structures allowed the selection of a prototype for detailed development of a structural solution to restore the load-bearing capacity of such panels. In the future, the authors of the article will focus on improving the described structural solution and developing a step-by-step technology for its implementation.

Seismic Performance of Cross-Shaped Partially Encased Steel–Concrete Composite Columns: Experimental and Numerical Investigations

Special-shaped partially encased steel–concrete composite (PEC) columns could not only improve the aesthetic effect and room space use efficiency, but also exhibit good mechanical performance under static load when used in multi-story residential and office buildings. However, research on the seismic performance of special-shaped PEC columns is insufficient and urgently needed. To investigate the seismic performance of cross-shaped partially encased steel–concrete composite (CPEC) columns, three CPEC columns were designed and tested under combined constant axial load and lateral cyclic load. The test results show that the CPEC columns had good load capacity and ductility, and that the columns failed because of concrete crushing and steel flange buckling after the yielding of the steel flange. The plump hysteresis loops indicated that the CPEC column also had good energy dissipation capacity. Due to the constraint of hydraulic jacks, increasing the load ratio would decrease the effective length, thereby increasing the load capacity of the CPEC column and decreasing the ductility. A finite element model was also established to simulate the response of the CPEC columns, and the simulated results agree well with the experimental results. Thereafter, an extensive parametric analysis was performed to study the influences of different parameters on the seismic performance of CPEC columns. For the CPEC column with an ideal hinged boundary condition at the top, its lateral load capacity gradually decreases with the growth of the load ratio and link spacing and increases with the rise of the steel yield strength, concrete compressive strength, flange and web thickness, and sectional aspect ratio. This research could provide a basis for future theoretical analyses and engineering application.

Whole Life Carbon Assessment of Buildings: The Process to Define Czech National Benchmarks

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in addressing human-induced impacts on the environment, with a particular focus on transitioning to sustainability and achieving carbon neutrality. However, the current implementation of Whole Life Carbon (WLC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the construction sector in the Czech Republic is hindered by several challenges. These include gaps in stakeholders’ knowledge, limited availability of LCA data on construction products and buildings, insufficient market incentives, and low institutional capacity. This study, conducted as part of the INDICATE project, aims to streamline the process of WLC calculation and establish a consistent national assessment method specific to the Czech context. The project encompasses various phases, i.e., a case study collection of office, multi-family, single-family, education, and logistic hall buildings, followed by the development of a comprehensive unified materials database, classification of building parts and uniform work with the bill of quantities, stakeholder engagement, an LCA of case studies with a sensitivity analysis, and WLC policy suggestions, including the quality of the project data, simplifications, and a benchmarks definition. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is calculated throughout the entire life cycle of each considered building, utilizing the EU Level(s) methodology incorporated in the OneClick LCA software. By adhering to these newly developed methodological steps, benchmarks for multi-residential buildings are shown. The same methodology could be replicated by stakeholders in other countries to enhance their evaluation processes and ensure consistent results across their projects.

Tensile behavior of novel column-to-column connection for modular steel construction using high-strength bolts

As an important aspect of the city upgrade plan, installing the elevators for existing multi-story residential buildings means a lot to the residents of the higher floors, especially for old people. To minimize the site disruption and overcome the space limitation of installation, the modular elevator shafts have been widely adopted. The external wall decoration panels are normally pre-installed on the elevator shaft frame elements in the workshop, which makes it difficult for the connection between upper and lower segments using the high-strength bolts due to very limited space for applying the pre-tension. A novel column-to-column connection is presented in this study, consisting of an end plate, web opening of column web and strengthening plate at each of the column end. The tensile behavior of the proposed connection is first investigated through an experiment. Subsequently, a detailed finite element model is built and verified using the test results, with which a parametric study is conducted with the main parameters considered. Finally, a simple analytical solution for predicting the design load of the proposed connection is developed employing the yield line theory. Comparisons with the finite element results indicate the high accuracy of the proposed solution. The presented connection is believed to be a good solution for the on-site connection between H-columns of highly assembled modular structures, not limited to the elevator shafts.

Analysis and Design of Multistorey Residential Building with Response Spectrum Analysis Using SAP2000

Analysis and Design of Multistorey Residential Building with Response Spectrum Analysis Using SAP2000

THE PROCEDURE FOR INSTALLING SECURE AND EFFICIENT STUTTERS

This paper introduces a novel conceptualization of the chimney in a heating boiler for multi-storey residential buildings. It also examines the safety and efficiency aspects associated with the utilization of these chimneys in high-rise apartments

A BIM-based tool for embodied carbon assessment using a Construction Classification System

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is widely accepted for evaluating a building's environmental footprint. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become the go-to strategy for LCA during design. Still, despite BIM-LCA automating detailed quantity extraction, challenges persist, such as a lack of standardised geometry modelling and information management, as well as a common language between LCA and BIM data.This study proposes a method to assess embodied carbon from BIM models classified using a construction classification system that provides a data structure, maps BIM objects and environmental impacts in LCA databases, and matches different levels of development (LoD) in BIM models. The method was tested on real-world models, resulting in 375 kgCO2e/m2 for the single residential and 426 kgCO2e/m2 for the multi-residential building. These findings revealed its ability to adapt to different LoD and modelling techniques, expedite assessing different design options, and potentially save up to 20 hours of work remodelling.