Multifamily Housing Research Articles

Strategies of Design Concepts and Energy Systems for Nearly Zero-Energy Container Buildings (NZECBs) in Different Climates

Container-based lightweight buildings offer a high ecologic and economic potential when they are designed as nearly zero-energy container buildings (NZECBs). Thus, they are relevant to energy transition in achieving an almost climate-neutral building stock. This paper describes and applies design strategies for suitable building concepts and energy systems to be used in NZECBs for different climates. Therefore, different applications in representative climatic zones were selected. Initially, the global climate zones were characterized and analyzed with regard to their potential for self-sufficiency and renewable energies in buildings. The design strategies were further developed and demonstrated for three cases: a single-family house in Sweden, a multi-family house in Germany, and a small school building in rural Ethiopia. For each case, design guidelines were derived and building concepts were developed. On the basis of these input data, various energy concepts were developed in which solar and wind energy, as well as biomass, were integrated as renewable energy sources. All the concepts were simulated and analyzed with the Polysun® software. The various approaches were compared and evaluated, particularly with regard to energy self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency rates up to 80% were achieved. Finally, the influence of different climate zones on the energy efficiency of the single-family house was studied as well as the influence of the size of battery storage and insulation.

Factors Affecting the Intention of Multi-Family House Residents to Age in Place in a Potential Naturally Occurring Retirement Community of Seoul in South Korea

This study reveals residents’ willingness to live in their current homes and communities and analyzes the factors related to their willingness to age in place in South Korea. Using a questionnaire survey method, data of 289 residents aged 55 or older were collected in apartment areas with the potential to become naturally occurring senior communities in Seoul. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation tests, t-test, ANOVA, factor analysis, and regression analysis by SPSS 26.0, and the findings were followed up. Housing services are very important in aging communities. Physical environment-oriented residential services promote a safe walking environment, facilities to support the elderly, a secure complex environment, a home-safety accident-prevention diagnosis service, home improvement, and home improvement support. Multiple regression analysis showed that residential services or elderly education and activity support services influence aging in place, which is a novel finding revealed in this study.

The Impact of U.S. Housing Type and Residential Living Situations on Mental Health during COVID-19.

Residential environments could be associated with the mental health of residents, in general, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, limited studies have investigated the relationship between these two. This study used data from the Household Pulse Survey, collected between 23 April 2020 and 23 November 2020 to explore the relationship between mental health status as perceived by the residents and housing tenure (own or rent), building type, and the number of household members, while accounting for sociodemographic characteristics, general health-related variables, and week-specific unobserved heterogeneities. The findings suggest that renters had higher odds of experiencing mental health issues than homeowners. Residents in multifamily housing units had higher odds of experiencing mental health problems than single-family units. Further, more people in the household were associated with lower odds of experiencing mental health episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prediction of Climate Change Effect on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Region

Climate change and expected weather patterns in the long-term threaten the livelihood inside oases settlements in arid lands, particularly under the recurring heat waves during the harsh months. This paper investigates the impact of climate change on the outdoor thermal comfort within a multifamily housing neighborhood that is considered the most common residential archetype in Algerian Sahara, under extreme weather conditions in the summer season, in the long-term. It focuses on assessing the outdoor thermal comfort in the long-term, based on the Perceived Temperature index (PT), using simulation software ENVI-met and calculation model RayMan. Three different stations in situ were conducted and combined with TMY weather datasets for 2020 and the IPCC future projections: A1B, A2, B1 for 2050, and 2080. The results are performed from two different perspectives: to investigate how heat stress evolution undergoes climate change from 2020 till 2080; and for the development of a mathematical algorithm to predict the outdoor thermal comfort values in short-term, medium-term and long-term durations. The results indicate a gradual increase in PT index values, starting from 2020 and progressively elevated to 2080 during the summer season, which refers to an extreme thermal heat-stress level with differences in PT index averages between 2020 and 2050 (+5.9 °C), and 2080 (+7.7 °C), meaning no comfortable thermal stress zone expected during 2080. This study gives urban climate researchers, architects, designers and urban planners several insights into predicted climate circumstances and their impacts on outdoor thermal comfort for the long-term under extreme weather conditions, in order to take preventive measures for the cities’ planning in the arid regions.

Cohousing: viabilidad socioeconómica del modelo en Lima

El problema de insatisfacción de la vivienda posiciona a la ciudad de Lima en el último lugar de América Latina y el Caribe; asimismo, solo el 55,7% de los limeños afirma sentirse satisfecho con su vivienda. El objetivo de la investigación es determinar la viabilidad socioeconómica del modelo cohousing en Lima como alternativa a la oferta inmobiliaria tradicional frente a la problemática actual de insatisfacción. Se han empleado encuestas representativas para identificar los factores que influyen en la intención de compra de una vivienda, se realizaron focus group para valorar aspectos cualitativos del cohousing presentándolo como modelo competitivo y se llevó a cabo un análisis comparativo económico-financiero con respecto a un proyecto de vivienda multifamiliar tradicional. Los resultados de la investigación confirman la viabilidad del modelo cohousing en Lima al reconocer un público interesado en sus beneficios económicos y sociales. El modelo podría abrir nuevas oportunidades de cambio e innovación para el mercado inmobiliario, así como la posibilidad de formular nuevos programas de vivienda por parte de Estado.

Changes in the Spatial Development of a Satellite Town under the Impact of a Metropolitan City—Evidence from Pruszcz Gdański (Poland)

Nowadays, large cities are becoming troublesome to live in in many respects. Due to the high prices of real estate, they are not attractive to young people. The literature often presents analyses of the phenomenon of urban sprawl to suburbia, but the subject of the impact of a metropolitan city on the functioning and changes in spatial development of satellite towns is rarely discussed. This study attempts to describe and to determine factors conducive to this process by identifying, through participant observation, the potential phenomenon of the influence of Gdańsk as a city with metropolitan functions on Pruszcz Gdański, a town directly adjacent to it. The article uses two main groups of methods: (a) a comparative analysis of orthophotomaps from 2005–2020 which allowed for recreating the dynamics of housing development, supported by land mapping as part of field research; (b) a structured internet survey on a sample of 393 residents which allowed identifying the factors influencing the spatial development of Pruszcz Gdański and the perception of this phenomenon, as well as an in-depth interview with a group of 6 residents which allowed obtaining detailed information on the quality of life in Pruszcz Gdański and the factors that determine living in this town. The proximity of both cities and much lower real estate prices in Pruszcz Gdański, which still has most of the functions of an independent town, is beneficial to settling down of migrants from the core of the metropolis. This process particularly applies to young people of working age who cannot afford to buy a new flat in Gdańsk. Building new multi-family housing estates close to the border with Gdańsk has created a kind of new service band or, in a sense, a “town within a town”.

A model to support long-term building maintenance planning for multifamily housing

The authors put forward an optimization model to assist condominium managers in defining the sequence of maintenance and improvement measures to be executed within a predefined planning horizon to achieve predefined levels of the building performance. The required input are: results of the building elements survey, the desired criteria-wise measures of building performance, and the proposals of maintenance/improvement measures to select from, with the assumption that at least some of them are complementary and must be conducted in certain order to avoid rework. The product of the analysis is a schedule: a selection of technically justified and financially viable sequences of repair/improvement activities and their allocation to consecutive periods of the planning horizon. The optimization module of the model, being the focus of the paper, bases on the mixed integer linear programming. Its unique feature is the approach to constraints. The model operation is illustrated by a numerical example. Using the model, the planner is able to assess how the settings (target performance levels and the scale of the planning horizon) affect the choice and schedule of maintenance/improvement measures and the scale of the sinking fund to be systematically collected from the flat owners. The relative simplicity of the model makes it a practical tool for developing long-term maintenance plans for residential buildings as well as justifying maintenance fees.

The residential property value premium of the proximity to carsharing and bikesharing services: Evidence from New York City

While significant existing scholarship has confirmed that accessibility to “macro” transportation systems, such as transit, creates some value for real estate, few studies have examined the capitalized effect of “micro” transportation modes on property values. Even, despite the increased ridership and market shares of carsharing and bikesharing services, empirical evidence on its property value capitalization effects of the emerging transportation services remains far less limited. In this context, this research examines the residential value uplift induced from the proximity to carsharing (Zipcar) and bikesharing (CitiBike) services in New York City by employing Spatial Durbin Models with sales transaction data that are reported in the New York City Department of Finance in 2018. The results indicate that all else equal, single-family housing near CitiBike station sold at higher prices; a 10 percent decrease in distance was associated with a 4.1 percent increase in its value. The proximity to Zipcar and CitiBike services were positively valued in the multi-family housing market. Specifically, a 10 percent decrease in distance was associated with a 1.1 and 3.5 percent increase in the value of the housing, respectively.

3D Spatial Analysis of Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0) and Gaseous Pollutants (H2S, SO2 and VOC) in Urban Areas Surrounding a Large Heat and Power Plant

In many regions of the world, the winter period is a time of poor air quality, due primarily to the increased use of individual and district heating systems. As a consequence, the atmospheric air contains increased concentrations of both particulate matter and gaseous pollutants (as a result of “low” emissions at altitudes of up to 40 m and “high” emissions more than 40 m above ground level). In winter, the increased pollution is very often exacerbated by meteorological conditions, including air temperature, pressure, air speed, wind direction, and thermal inversion. Here, we analyze the concentrations of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0) and gaseous pollutants (H2S, SO2, and VOC) in the immediate vicinity of a large solid fuel-fired heat and power plant located in an urban agglomeration. Two locations were selected for analysis. The first was close to an air quality measurement station in the center of a multi-family housing estate. The second was the intersection of two main communication routes. To determine the impact of “low” and “high” emissions on air quality, the selected pollutants were measured at heights of between 2 and 50 m using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The results were compared with permissible standards for the concentration of pollutants. Temperature inversion was found to have a strong influence on the level of pollutants at various heights, with higher concentrations of particulate matter registered at altitudes above 40 m. The source of PM, H2S, and SO2 pollutants was confirmed to be “low emission” from local transport, industrial plant areas, and the housing estate comprising detached houses located in the vicinity of the measuring points. “High emission” was found to be responsible for the high concentrations of VOC at altitudes of more than 40 m above the intersection and in the area of the housing estate.

Real-time model for unit-level heating and cooling energy prediction in multi-family residential housing

In this paper, we introduce a real-time modelling approach to predict the heating and cooling energy consumption of each housing unit in multi-family residential buildings. We first present measured yearly heating and cooling energy use data from an actual building and introduce the eco-feedback design and associated modelling challenges. Subsequently, we present a real-time parameter learning-based modelling approach. The model has a state-space structure while state filtering and parameter estimation are simultaneously executed through particle filter with sequential Bayesian update. The housing unit-level model is coupled with a probabilistic model of the heating and cooling system by using thermostat, power metre, and mechanical system catalogue data through a Bayesian approach. The results show that the median power prediction of the model deviates less than 3.1% from measurements while the model learns seasonal parameters such as the cooling efficiency coefficient through sequential Bayesian update.

Material flows and GHG emissions from housing stock evolution in US counties, 2020–60

The evolution of housing stocks determines demand for construction materials and energy, and associated emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs). The contribution of construction to building life-cycle emissions is growing as buildings become more energy efficient and the energy supply decarbonizes. A housing stock model is developed for counties in the United States using dynamic vacancy rates which endogenously influence stock out- and inflows. Stocks of three house types and 10 construction cohorts are projected for all contiguous US counties for the period 2020–60. Inflows and outflows of construction materials are then estimated along with GHG emissions associated with material production and construction activities in scenarios defined by stock turnover rates, population share by house type, and floor area characteristics of new houses. The results provide new insights into the drivers of construction-related emissions at local and national levels, and identify opportunities for their reduction. Demolition material flows grow in relation to construction material flows over the analysis period. Increasing the stock turnover rate increases future floor area per person, material requirements, and emissions from construction. Scenarios with reduced floor area and more multifamily homes in new construction have lower floor area growth, material requirements, and emissions from construction. <em><strong>Policy relevance</strong></em> Housing construction constitutes an important share of annual residential GHG emissions in the US. The characteristics of new construction also influence residential energy use over longer time periods. Increasing the share of multifamily housing in construction and reducing the average size of new single-family homes by eliminating very large homes are two strategies that can reliably and substantially reduce the environmental burdens of new construction. These same strategies would limit or, if combined, reverse the growth of residential floor area per person, enabling reductions of energy-related emissions. Policymakers can therefore reduce residential sector emissions in the short and long terms by encouraging the supply of multifamily homes and smaller housing typologies, and limiting construction of large homes. <strong>Publisher’s Note:</strong> A correction article relating to this paper has been published and can be found at <a href="/articles/10.5334/bc.150/">https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/10.5334/bc.150/</a>.

Techno-economic analysis of combined heat pump and solar PV system for multi-family houses: An Austrian case study

With the increasing amount of building renovations in Austria, the potential increases for replacing conventional national gas heating systems with heat pumps (HP) and thereby reduce CO2 emissions particularly when combined with solar photovoltaics (PV). The Austrian subsidization scheme for HP and PV systems are different for every state, creating confusion and inconstancy for potential adopters. This study provides a parametric techno-economic analysis of PV + HP systems to identify the critical economic parameters on profitability and make policy recommendations. A case study in Vienna is modelled using demand from the Building Model Generator and black box efficiency models for the HP and PV simulated with hourly time steps. The results show that both air-source and ground source heat pumps are currently profitable with PV under current subsidy schemes. The benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) is highly influenced by capital costs and subsidies, however natural gas prices have the greatest influence. Increasing natural gas prices by 0.01 €/kWh, or 17%, is enough to replace all other complicated subsidies for both HP and PV. This is equivalent to a carbon emissions price of 33 €/ton and could result in a reduction of CO2 emissions in multi-family houses by approximately 45%–60%.

A Study on the Influence Factors of Assessment Ratio on Multi-Family Housing Using the Quantile Regression

본 연구는 공동주택의 과세평가율에 영향을 미치는 요인을 지역요인과 개별요인(세대요인 및 단지요인)으로 구분하여 OLS에 기초한 회귀분석과 분위회귀분석을 통해 분석하였다. 분석결과는 첫째, OLS 회귀분석과 분위회귀분석 모두에서 과세평가율에 전반적으로 유의한 영향을 미치는 변수는 평균 실거래가, 동부산권, 서부산권(지역요인), 전용면적, 층수비율, 1층, 최고층, 공시가격, 실거래가 편차(세대요인), 경과년수, 30년 이상 더미, 세대수, 소규모단지, 현관구조, 주상복합(단지요인)으로 나타났다. 둘째, OLS 회귀분석에서 오차항의 등분산성을 검정하기 위해 Breusch-Pagan-Godfrey 검정을 실시한 결과 1% 유의수준에서 이분산성이 존재하는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 OLS 회귀분석에 비해 분위회귀분석이 계수값의 추정에 좀더 효율적임을 알 수 있다. 셋째, 통계적으로 유의한 설명변수들이라고 하더라도 분위별 회귀계수들은 과세평가율에 영향을 미치는 정도에 차이가 있음을 알 수 있다. 과세평가율의 분위가 높아짐에 따라 과세평가율에 미치는 영향이 일관성 있는 패턴을 보이는 변수도 있였지만, 모든 분위에서 일정한 영향을 보이거나 일관성 있는 패턴을 보이지 않는 변수도 있었다. 이러한 연구결과는 지역, 실거래가 수준, 공동주택 단지 규모 등에 따른 과세평가의 균형성을 확보하는데 도움이 될 것으로 사료된다.

부동산 유형에 따른 중개사무소 입지분석 연구 - 부동산 실거래가격을 중심으로 -

This study aims to promote real estate brokerage business in accordance with the government's first basic plan for real estate service industry promotion. And it was implemented as part of an effort to lay the academic foundation for the promotion of the real estate service industry in Korea. In this study, a research model was prepared by using statistics by towns and villages using previous studies, real estate real estate transaction price information in 2019, and address information of brokerage offices nationwide in December 2019. And sets up three hypotheses, and hedonic model was prepared and implemented for each eup, myeon and dong agency office. As a result of the verification, the first hypothesis that the number of brokerage offices will be affected by the real estate transaction volume was adopted. And the second hypothesis was also adopted that the number of brokerage offices would be affected differently depending on the type of real estate traded. However, the third hypothesis that the influence of real estate transaction volume on brokerage offices will vary depending on region was partially adopted. In addition, the results were derived by synthesizing and analyzing the contents of the analysis in the hypothesis verification process and the actual transaction price statistics for each town, town, and village. In order to foster the real estate brokerage business in Korea, the government's policy direction was suggested to induce brokerage offices distributed in the single-family housing market or the multi-family housing market with a potential fee of only 10 million won to a large land market with a potential fee of 90 million won.

Analysis of Energy Consumption By End-Use Based on Measurement Data of Low-Density Multi-Family Housing Complex

Analysis of Energy Consumption By End-Use Based on Measurement Data of Low-Density Multi-Family Housing Complex

A Study on the Vertical Equity of the Assessed Value of Multi-family Housing Using Quantile Regression Analysis

본 연구에서는 공동주택 공시가격의 수직적 형평성에 관한 선행연구를 살펴보고, 2020년 부산광역시 공동주택 공시가격의 수직적 공평성에 대해 분석하였다. 전통적인 회귀분석(OLS)과 달리 분위회귀분석을 통한 검증방법은 오차항의 이분산성이 존재하는 경우에도 활용할 수 있고 조건부 분포 전체를 고려하기에 정확한 계수값을 추정할 수 있고 분위별 검증결과까지 세밀하게 추정할 수 있는 장점을 가지고 있다. 분위회귀분석을 통한 공동주택 공시가격의 수직적 공평성 검증결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, Clapp 모형을 기준으로 하면, 분위회귀분석에서는 전반적으로 누진적인 수직적 불공평성이 존재하는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 실거래가가 낮은 공동주택보다 실거래가가 높은 공동주택의 공시가격을 상대적으로 덜 상향조정하는 방안을 모색할 필요가 있다. 둘째, 분위별로는 분위가 커짐에 따라 역진적 불공평성에서 누진적 불공평성, 다시 역진적 불공평성으로의 전환이 있음을 나타남을 알 수 있었다. 또한 이러한 전환의 양태는 구·군별로 차이가 있음을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 공동주택 실거래가의 분위 및 지역에 따라 공동주택 공시가격의 수직적 불공평성의 방향과 정도를 정확히 파악하고 공동주택 공시가격의 현실화율을 제고하는 방안을 도모해야 할 것이다.

Housing Affordability Crisis and Inequities of Land Use Change

Problem, research strategy, and findings Many fast-growing metropolitan regions face a housing affordability crisis that necessitates cities change their land use policies to address this problem. How do cities in metropolitan regions change their land use policies to equitably address the region’s housing needs? We focused on 180 cities in the Southern California region, which has a shortage of housing for all income groups and a severe shortage of affordable housing. We first examined the region-wide distribution of land uses and evaluated whether land use portfolios of cities are associated with their populations’ socioeconomic characteristics using cluster analysis and one-way analysis of variance. Next, we examined land use change by cities and measured the “weakening” (a reduction in cities’ share of residential land use for multifamily housing from 2008 to 2016) and “exclusiveness” (cities’ share of residential land use for single-family housing in 2016) of their land use portfolios. We revealed inequities in the region-wide distribution of multifamily land use, found an association between land use portfolios of cities and their populations’ socioeconomic characteristics, and thus conclude that land use change by cities inequitably addresses the region’s housing needs. We did not, however, examine the effects of land use change on housing production or affordability, which could provide further insights. Takeaway for practice Our findings suggest that a) California’s state government should require cities to reform their land use policies to mitigate the region-wide inequities in the distribution of multifamily housing and to equitably address the housing affordability crisis and b) researchers could similarly evaluate land use portfolios of cities in other metropolitan regions to suggest how to equitably address the region’s housing needs.

VR 청감실험을 통한 층간소음 인식 영향요인 조사 : 외부 음환경, 시간환경, 소음민감도를 중심으로

This laboratory study investigated whether and how individuals’ perception of indoor noise was affected by the surrounding visual and acoustic environments. In particular, the study examined how participants" annoyance response to the noise stimulus (i.e., a child"s running noise coming from upstairs) changed when the surrounding environments were changed visually (e.g., day-time vs. night-time) and acoustically (e.g., no outdoor sound vs. road traffic noise). First, a survey was conducted to list the major components of living rooms in multi-family housing. The findings of the survey were used to build a 360-degree virtual living room. A total of 14 VR clips were made, in which different visual and acoustic elements were presented. The participants viewed each clip via VR-HMD and rated the annoyance response to the noise stimuli. The results showed that the surrounding visual and acoustic environments partially affected the annoyance. It was also found that individuals’ noise sensitivity had significant effects on the response. The study was able to explore the benefits and disadvantages of utilizing VR to carry out laboratory experiments on noise perception.

A comparative study on changes in the use of heat-not-burn tobacco products based on whether apartment buildings have designated non-smoking areas.

INTRODUCTIONSince 2016, multi-family housing developments in South Korea can designate public areas such as staircases, elevator, corridors, and underground parking lots as non-smoking areas if at least half of the households residing in the development agree. This study investigated whether there were changes in the use of heat-not-burn tobacco products (HnB) based on whether non-smoking areas were introduced in multi-family housing developments.METHODSAn online survey of 1200 apartment residents (599 men and 601 women) in seven metropolitan cities in South Korea was conducted from 10 to 18 October 2018.RESULTSAmong the 1200 people who completed the survey, 493 were smokers (351 men and 142 women), of whom 287 (195 men and 92 women) were currently using HnB. In total, 51.5% (n=148) of the HnB users reported that their smoking frequency inside (n=75) or outside (n=73) the apartment building increased after using HnB, whereas the smoking frequency of 27.5% (n=79) decreased and that of 20.9% (n=6) remained unchanged. Of the HnB users, 25.4% (n=73) were currently living in non-smoking apartments, of whom 39.7% reported that the smoking frequency outside the apartment building increased. On the other hand, of 214 people who did not currently reside in non-smoking apartments, 30.4% reported that the smoking frequency in the apartment increased.CONCLUSIONSFor smokers to quit smoking, the expansion of non-smoking areas should be accompanied by the facilitation of a smoke-free atmosphere and a smoking-cessation service for smokers.

Evaluating and Assessing Radon Testing in Multifamily Housing.

To determine if radon mitigation is needed to protect occupants of multifamily housing, reliable testing procedures are needed. Yet, protocols on how many ground-contact housing units must be tested vary from 10% to 25% to 100%. To estimate the probability of failing to identify a building containing at least one unit with elevated radon level when all ground-contact units are not tested. Retrospective analysis of previously collected data from licensed (ie, certified) radon measurement professionals using hypergeometric and Monte Carlo statistical methods to estimate the confidence that there are no units with radon levels of 4 picoCuries/liter of air (pCi/L) or more based on various testing percentages. Testing data were obtained from 29 US states for 7892 ground-contact units in 687 multifamily buildings, primarily 5 to 20 units per building. Probability of failing to identify elevated radon levels in untested units. About 15% (n = 1163) of the units had radon levels of more than 4 pCi/L (the EPA action level); 59 units had more than 20 pCi/L (maximum of 96 pCi/L). For building sizes of 5 to 20 ground-contact units, the 2018 federal testing protocols that currently require testing of 10% and 25% of ground-contact units in each building failed to identify 47%-69% and 32%-46% of the units, respectively, depending on building size. Measurement of 90% of the ground-contact units in buildings with 5 to 20 ground-contact units results in up to 4% of the units with elevated radon levels being missed. To achieve 95% confidence that no units in the building have radon levels of 4 pCi/L or more in buildings up to 20 units, 100% sampling is required. For the vast majority of multifamily buildings, all ground-contact units in multifamily buildings should be tested for radon.