Multi-storey Apartment Buildings Research Articles

Feasibility of Using Lightweight Load-Bearing Panel Systems in Duplex Apartments of Tall Buildings

As an inevitable result of the growing population in recent times, the requirements of housing facilities, land scarcity, and overexploitation of natural resources have created many problems. One solution for the lack of land is to have multi-storey apartment buildings. Hence, over the last few decades, the number of tall buildings has seen an exponential increase. The apartment spread over two floors, is considered upmarket due to the larger floor area. However, one factor that has been a huge obstruction to promoting duplex apartments is the higher cost. In this study, a novel concept is introduced where a proper load-bearing floor is needed only once on two floors. The duplex is double-height, using lightweight concrete panels supporting lightweight concrete floors. Recycled expanded polystyrene (REPS) based light-weight panels are used as the load-bearing walls, and the NERD slab system is introduced for the intermediate floor. The structural performance was assessed using the comparison of two finite element models for duplex and conventional concepts. It was observed that the duplex concept is structurally feasible in comparison with the conventional concept. The study emphasises that an approximately 30% dead load reduction in typical floor levels has occurred due to the lightweight beam slab system in between floors.

The effectiveness of using the bearing capacity of piles in the formation of the pile field of the slab pile foundation of a 21-storey apartment building

This article is aimed at studying methods for optimizing the pile field in order to ensure the greatest use of the bearing capacity of piles, adopted in the project, considering the most unfavorable design combinations of forces. The object of the study is a multi-storey apartment building on a slab-pile foundation with a regular grid of piles, which clearly shows the imperfection of the calculation methods, due to the incomplete use of the bearing capacity of a significant number of piles, but the methods described in the article are also applicable to other buildings on slab-pile foundations, especially the difference between the original scheme and the optimized scheme will be clearly visible on the example with longer piles in less bearing soils, spread over the entire depth of the foundation. The purpose of this study is to study methods for optimizing a pile field, to study the methodology for using these methods on a specific example and compare them in terms of the parameters of using the bearing capacity of piles: the absolute and relative value of the minimum load on the pile, the absolute and relative value of the maximum load on the pile, the absolute and relative value average load per pile, as well as their comparison of economic efficiency. In the course of the article, numerical modeling was used, using the finite element method and analysis of the results of multivariate calculation. The result of this article is the application of pile field optimization methods to the multi-storey building on a slab-pile foundation, the evaluation of each of the methods and their comparison according to these indicators, as well as an understanding of the further development of this topic.

Post-occupancy evaluation of residential properties: a case study on an organizational multistorey apartment building

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an exemplary application of an indicative post-occupancy evaluation (POE) on an organizational multistorey residential apartment building.Design/methodology/approachThis research comprises of mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches. The methodology commences with a review of the recent literature, identification of performance elements, conduct of walk-through, distribution and collection of users' surveys and the development of short and long-term recommendations, where an adequate sample of users were approached for conducting a focus group interview session.FindingsThe research identifies 74 performance elements that were clustered into technical, namely (thermal, acoustic and visual comforts, indoor air quality and safety and security), functional, namely (design adequacy, finishing, furnishing, fittings and equipment and building surroundings) dimensions and behavioral, namely (apartment building attributes and managerial and logistical support). The questionnaire survey aimed to solicit users' opinions upon the occupied case study residential facility.Originality/valueThe research identifies areas of occupants' satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a typical multistorey residential building, as a part of a community housings for a mega organization, located in Saudi Arabia. The identification of these areas serves as a lesson learned for future developments, design considerations and implications. Hence, improving the well-being and comfort of its employees.

A feasibility analysis of waste concrete powder recycling market establishment: Hong Kong case

The construction industry has been focused on sustainability, particularly with regards to reducing CO2 emissions and recycling construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This study focuses on the alternative technology adaptation of carbonized pavement compact production by using waste concrete powder (WCP) which can be a substitute material to concrete and also able to absorb CO2. While material scientists embraced and developed this technological application, the financial perspective for adopting this technology has yet to be properly addressed. This paper conducts a feasibility assessment, which includes technical, environmental, social, and financial factors, from different stakeholders' perspectives (government, construction contractors, and material manufacturers) to launch the production of carbonized pavement compact by utilizing WCP. The benefit-cost analysis underlies the Evolutionary Game Model functions' formulation, which emphasizes not only the obvious financial benefits from WCP or its carbonized compacts sale but the benefits from the absorption of CO2 during the compacts production and avoiding WCP disposal at a landfill. The results based on a Hong Kong case (typical multistorey apartment building) identify promising scenarios where a minimum of 2300t of WCP is required for stakeholder interest in recycling, and a WCP wholesale price of 150HKD/t is suitable for the C&D contractor to participate in the recycling market. The study also estimates a cost-effective selling price of finished carbonized WCP compacts, which is competitive with similar products on the market. Important insights are drawn to initiate the WCP market and consequently increase the sustainability of the C&D recycling market.

Assessing coastline recession for adaptation planning: sea level rise versus storm erosion

The Sixth Assessment report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states with high confidence that most sandy coasts around the world will experience an increase in coastal erosion over the twenty-first century. An increase in long term coastal erosion (coastline recession) along sandy coasts can translate into massive socio-economic impacts, unless appropriate adaptation measures are implemented in the next few decades. To adequately inform adaptation measures, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the relative importance of the physical processes driving coastline recession, as well as of linkages between consideration (or not) of certain processes and the level of risk tolerance; understandings that are hitherto lacking. Here, we apply the multi-scale Probabilistic Coastline Recession (PCR) model to two end-member sandy coastal types (swell dominated and storm dominated), to investigate where and when coastline recession projections are dominated by the differential contributions from Sea Level Rise (SLR) and storm erosion. Results show that SLR substantially increases the projected end-century recession at both types of coasts and that projected changes in the wave climate have only a marginal impact. An analysis of the Process Dominance Ratio (PDR), introduced here, shows that the dominance of storm erosion over SLR (and vice versa) on total recession by 2100 depends on both the type of the beach and the risk tolerance levels. For moderately risk-averse decisions (i.e. decisions accounting only for high exceedance probability recessions and hence do not account for very high amounts of potential recession—for example, the placement of temporary summer beach cabins), additional erosion due to SLR can be considered as the dominant driver of end-century recession at both types of beaches. However, for more risk-averse decisions that would typically account for higher potential recession (i.e. lower exceedance probability recessions), such as the placement of coastal infrastructure, multi-storey apartment buildings etc., storm erosion becomes the dominant process. The results of this study provide new insights on which physical processes need to be considered when and where in terms of numerical modelling efforts needed for supporting different management decisions, potentially enabling more streamlined and comprehensive assessments of the efficacy of coastal adaptation measures.

MODELING and justification of indoor radon prevention and remediation measures in multi-storey apartment buildings

In multi-storey buildings, Ra-226 in building materials is the main source of radon entry. Under low air exchange rate (e.g. in energy efficient buildings), radon concentration may exceed reference levels used for radiation protection purposes. Prevention and remediation measures of protection against indoor radon in situation when building materials are the main source of radon entry requires further development. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of various radon prevention and mitigation measures in multi-storey buildings under different climatic conditions. On the basis of a dynamic model of indoor radon entry and removing, the following measures were simulated: control over of Ra-226 content in building materials, increasing uncontrolled air infiltration, extending the duration of controlled ventilation, equipping the building with mechanical ventilation, increasing the air exchange rate in non-living premises of the building, and reducing air exchange between living rooms and non-livings premises. The costs of energy for heating associated with different radon prevention and remediation measures were estimated. The conclusion about the potential effectiveness of various measures was drawn by achievement of optimized level of radiation protection, degree of reduction in the radon exposure risk, and cost of heating.

New patterns in residential burglary: The method of deadbolt lock picking

This article examines the adaptability of burglars and tactical displacement in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, as part of an ‘arms race’ escalating in response to the sophistication of offensive and preventive measures. It describes the current method of picking deadbolt locks on steel doors inside apartment buildings, a procedure requiring a more complicated and collaborative effort. Following a Bourdieusian criminological reading determining the script and resources of a group of active offenders that function as criminal capital, this article reveals that recently, residential burglary has been displaced from the ‘outside’ to the ‘inside’ of multi-storey apartment buildings due to the proliferation of CCTV, alarm systems and spotlights. Ethnographic findings suggest that a decade ago burgling a residence was far easier for most offenders than it would be today, with numerous similarities in the script of offenders in the non-Western and Western contexts.

Correlation between sound insulation and occupants’ perception – Proposal of alternative single number rating of impact sound, Part III

Through a series of Swedish research projects carried out over twelve years, the relation between the measured impact sound insulation and the corresponding subjective rating given by residents of multi-storey apartment buildings has been studied. Previous results, based on a limited number of building cases, suggested the need to include frequencies below 50 Hz in a frequency weighted single number quantity to get a reasonable correlation with the subjective ratings.The purpose of this paper is to include an extended amount of data compared to the previous studies to secure more substantiated results. Data has been examined for 38 building cases, including a variety of lightweight and heavy constructions. More than 1200 questionnaire responses form the basis for comprehensive statistical analyses.The results confirm the conclusions of the previous parts (I, II), stating that frequencies below 50 Hz are of importance when evaluating impact sound insulation, primarily in lightweight buildings. The correlation between measured weighted single number quantities and annoyance ratings increases significantly when the frequency range is extended down to 25 Hz. The strongest correlation was obtained when evaluating the impact sound insulation, again from 25 Hz, when using the weighted single number quantity LnT,w + CI,25–2500 where the CI-term is evaluated according to ISO 717-2 amended to the extended frequency range 25–2500 Hz. It is also suggested that in the lowest one-third octave bands, 25–40 Hz, there is no need to normalize the impact sound pressure levels with respect to the reverberation time.

Assessment of radon levels in multistory buildings on example of eight Russian cities

In this work, the results of radon concentration measurements in samples of multi-storey apartment buildings in eight large cities of Russia are analyzed. Two samples, depending on the year of construction of the building – before and after 2000, were formed in each city on the basis of a quasi-random approach. Radon concentration measurements were performed using radon radiometers equipped with the CR-39 solid-state nuclear track detector. In the flats of multi-storey buildings, two radiometers were installed and flat’s average radon concentration was calculated. The exposure period for the radon radiometers was three months. To estimate the average annual radon concentration, seasonal coefficients calculated for the primary radon entry from building materials were used. In total, radon concentration measurements were carried out in 1032 flats. It was assumed that the combined sample for the cities of Ekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, and Chelyabinsk is representative for the multi-storey buildings in non-capital cities of Russia. The following arithmetic mean annual radon concentrations were obtained in samples of houses built up before and after 2000, respectively: Moscow – 17 and 21 Bq/m3; St. Petersburg – 15 and 25 Bq/ m3, the group of non-capital cities – 25 and 31 Bq/m3. Taking into account the contribution of each group of buildings to the general urban housing stock, the parameters characterizing the radon concentration in multi-storey multi-apartment urban buildings in Russia were calculated as follows: arithmetic mean 25 Bq/ m3; geometric mean 21 Bq/m3; the geometric standard deviation is 1.81. In general, exposure to indoor radon in multi-storey urban buildings in Russia is low both in terms of average value and range of concentrations. There is a tendency towards an increase in indoor radon exposure of the population in new buildings, which is associated with the introduction of construction technologies that increase the energy efficiency of buildings.

Visual processing of green zones in shared courtyards during renting decisions: An eye-tracking study

We used an eye-tracking technique to investigate the effect of green zones and car ownership on the attractiveness of the courtyards of multistorey apartment buildings. Two interest groups—20 people who owned a car and 20 people who did not a car—observed 36 images of courtyards. Images were digitally modified to manipulate the spatial arrangement of key courtyard elements: green zones, parking lots, and children’s playgrounds. The participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of courtyards during hypothetical renting decisions. Overall, we investigated whether visual exploration and appraisal of courtyards differed between people who owned a car and those who did not.The participants in both interest groups gazed longer at perceptually salient playgrounds and parking lots than at greenery. We also observed that participants gazed significantly longer at the greenery in courtyards rated as most attractive than those rated as least attractive. They gazed significantly longer at parking lots in courtyards rated as least attractive than those rated as most attractive. Using regression analysis, we further investigated the relationship between gaze fixations on courtyard elements and the attractiveness ratings of courtyards. The model confirmed a significant positive relationship between the number and duration of fixations on greenery and the attractiveness estimates of courtyards, while the model showed an opposite relationship for the duration of fixations on parking lots. Interestingly, the positive association between fixations on greenery and the attractiveness of courtyards was significantly stronger for participants who owned cars than for those who did not. These findings confirmed that the more people pay attention to green areas, the more positively they evaluate urban areas. The results also indicate that urban greenery may differentially affect the preferences of interest groups.

Energy performance and scenario analyses of a multistorey apartment building in Norway

Plus Energy Buildings are perceived as a strategy in the energy transition and to promote decarbonization of the building stock. This paper presents the design development of a plus energy demonstration project based on building performance simulations performed with IDA-ICE for energy strategies and future scenarios. The objective of the design strategies was to reduce the primary energy consumption, while ensuring a satisfactory indoor environment. Future scenarios for climate change, user behavior, and energy flexibility were developed to analyze the impact on the building's energy performance. Results from the analyses reveal the expected building performance with respect to energy and indoor environment standards, and robustness with respect to meeting the standards under different scenarios for occupant behavior and climate conditions. According to the simulation results, the building design is robust and can adapt to changes in exterior conditions.

Research on the Restrictive Conditions of Elevator Installation to Existing Multi-storey Apartment Buildings in China

During 1970s-1990s large amount of multi-storey buildings have been built without elevators in the cities of China. It is a great social demand that the elevator installation will effectively improve the living quality for aging. However, there are many technical restrictive conditions on site, which may cause costly or unavailable implementation in real project of elevator installation. This paper investigates over 3491 cases online and 66 cases in field survey in Beijing. Through discusses two pairs of comparison of elevator installation, it shows that the HALF elevator is more probability than ALIGN installation to meet the condition of the existing buildings, and the percentage of the ATTACHED elevator is higher than BRIDGED.

The shading effects of Green Infrastructure in private residential areas: Building Performance Simulation to support urban planning

Over the past decades, intense urbanization processes have produced built environments with a low energy efficiency and a severe lack of green spaces, which represent the main providers of ecosystem services in cities and play a relevant role in regulating the local microclimate. Among the different natural processes involved in climate regulation, a fundamental role is played by the shading effects of urban vegetation on buildings and built environment.Consequently, urban planning strategies aimed at designing a Green Infrastructure (GI) can have significant impacts on reducing the summer-time energy demand of cities while providing new green spaces for the local community. This is particularly relevant in high density settlements, where urban morphology types such as multi-storey apartment buildings represent an important percentage of the entire built environment. For these morphology types, the implementation of the GI depends on the different possibilities and limitation offered by private open spaces around residential buildings. Despite its importance, the implementation of a GI from public administrations must often challenge the lack of economic resources to acquire and manage private land to be set as new urban green spaces.This article investigates the potential energy savings for multi-storey apartment buildings that can be achieved by shading effect of trees. Particularly, building performance simulations are carried out considering different configurations of key parameters, such as trees species, distance to buildings, orientations of buildings and actual room of open spaces beside buildings where to plant new trees. The simulations are run for a real urban case study located in the metropolitan area of Catania in southern Italy, characterized by different types of urban morphologies. Simulations of shading effect consider three species of trees and 41 different spatial configurations depending on actual availability of open spaces around buildings.Results show that relevant energy savings can be obtained when the entire façades of buildings are shaded. The range of reduction of cooling loads of buildings varies between 2% and 50%, depending on the species and configurations: for half of considered 41 configurations 15% of average reduction is obtained. From an urban design point of view, results also suggest that the distance of trees from buildings and the actual availability of room for trees are key aspects to consider when designing where and how to plant new trees. Not in all configurations simulated, planting trees can result in a significant reduction of cooling energy loads. Findings of this work support urban planning for the choice of different scenarios and alternatives of GI to better balance public and private costs and generate wider benefits for the local communities.

Heat-mass exchange processes dynamics forecasting in fires in typical multistorey apartment buildings

Heat-mass exchange dynamics forecasting in fires in typical multistorey buildings allows to prove the need and determine organizational and technical solutions parameters aimed to increasing such buildings residents safe evacuation probability, which is an urgent problem according to statistics on the deceased persons number of this population category as a result of fires. On the numerical studies results basis, the characteristic time changes regularities of critically dangerous fire factors for humans are established; the most dangerous factor according to the people safe evacuation possibility from these buildings is the optical smoke concentration level. A method for determining the critical smoke time for safe evacuation has been proposed. It is proposed to equip mass construction 5–9 storey apartment buildings with early fire detection and warning systems.

Thermal Surface Analysis of Multi-storey Apartment Buildings in Penang, Malaysia

Thermal Surface Analysis of Multi-storey Apartment Buildings in Penang, Malaysia

Could house-like apartments improve the residential quality of a city? The case of Niš, Serbia

The concept of a peaceful, individual home surrounded by greenery, built in a multistorey apartment building—a synthesis of a villa from the suburbs and an apartment in the city—is a theme very rich in possibilities for future urban development. By recognizing the positive characteristics of family houses and their application in apartment buildings, usual housing in apartment buildings gains an alternative. The first part of the paper is an analysis of the characteristics of house-like apartments: access to the apartment, private open space, three-dimensional spatial organization and visual identity. It continues with a questionnaire survey carried out among occupants living in apartment buildings in Nis, Serbia, regarding which characteristics of house-like apartments they recognize in their own apartments, if any, and how important they consider them to be for the general residential quality. It is interesting that occupants assess as significant only some basic forms of this type of apartment, while other, less obvious forms are considered to be irrelevant for the quality of housing. The results of this study include design recommendations and recommendations for the redefinition of standards that regulate the field of designing apartment buildings, in order to improve the quality of housing in the city.

How well are energy performance objectives being achieved in renovated apartment buildings in Estonia?

In Estonia, the majority of multi-storey apartment buildings were built during the period between 1960 and 1990. Systematic refurbishment of residential buildings on an energy-efficiency basis began in the 2000s, when the energy performance regulation came into force, although the main reason was to save on energy costs.From 2010, the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication fund, KredEx, started supporting the renovation of apartment buildings. A grant scheme which was established in 2015 is related to targeted energy performance certificate classes.In this study, we analyse how well the energy performance targets are being reached following major energy efficiency-related refurbishment work on buildings and how big the performance gap is between measured and calculated energy consumption levels, along with an analysis of the reasons for any differences. The analysis is based on collected energy consumption levels and indoor measurements. In order to analyse heating energy consumption levels, we have constructed simulations of indoor climate and energy use in fifteen renovated apartment buildings.We found that in most cases, the calculated heating energy consumption levels in the design phase were much lower than the measured values have shown. In addition, we discovered that re-simulated values with the same thermal transmittance values are, in most cases, up to 50% larger than heating-related energy consumption levels in the design stage. From this knowledge, we can say that predictions for energy performance levels following refurbishment are too optimistic. For the future, we recommend calculating heating energy consumption levels with the use of a multi-zone simulation tool or by developing a better simplified calculation tool for renovated apartment buildings. In addition, we found out that the reason for heating energy consumption levels being higher following refurbishment work is due to higher indoor temperatures.

On the question of reducing deformability of subsiding soils in construction of multi-storey apartment buildings

The article deals with the method of reducing the compressibility of the subsidence soil under the bottom of a slab foundation of a multi-storey apartment building by reinforcing the soil with rigid elements, which are concrete piles in rolled wells. This method is effective because it eliminates the subsidence properties of the soil and significantly increases the deformation modulus, which causes a decrease in the amount of precipitation of the foundations of the designed object. An example of the use of this method for a multi-storey apartment building and the results of field plate load tests of artificially improved soil are given.

A comparative life cycle study of alternative materials for Australian multi-storey apartment building frame constructions: Environmental and economic perspective

The building construction sector contributes to a quarter of the total Australian Greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are mainly attributed to the use of energy intensive materials. To achieve better environmental benefits and cost saving, the utilisation of wood-based construction materials is currently attracting attention. However, the manufacturing of engineered wood products consumes large quantities of chemicals and energy, which may have adverse environmental impacts. Therefore, a life cycle study was conducted to compare various materials for constructing the structural frame of a 4-storey apartment building compliant with the Australian building codes. Five alternatives were assessed: Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) manufactured from early to mid-rotation hardwood plantation logs (LVLm), LVL manufactured from mature hardwood plantations (LVLh), LVL manufactured from mature softwood plantations (LVLs), concrete and steel. The functional unit was defined as the whole building structural frame. Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification, Eutrophication, Fossil Depletion, Human-toxicity Potential (HTP) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) were evaluated. The LVL generally performed better than concrete and steel structural products. Particularly, LVLm had the lowest GWP (2.84E4±233 kg-CO2-eq) and LCC ($128,855 ± 2797), which were less than a quarter of the concrete option. However, the usage of chemical preservatives and phenol-formaldehyde adhesive during the LVL production and treatment caused the HTP impact to be higher than the steel option. Monte Carlo Analysis showed that while the LVL options presented a higher sensitivity to the combined uncertainties, the overall ranking of the five options remained the same. Therefore, the inclusion of wood-based material in structural elements may significantly contribute to reduce the environmental impacts and the LCC of the construction sector.

Natural ventilation strategies for indoor thermal comfort in Mediterranean apartments

Natural ventilation strategies as effective low energy refurbishment solutions are identified within this research study, for an existing urban multi-storey apartment building in Athens, representative of over four-million Greek urban residential buildings. Retrofit strategies were evaluated using occupant comfort criteria and the existing ventilation strategy, for a single apartment using dynamic thermal simulations. These strategies included individual day and night ventilation, a wind-catcher and a dynamic facade. Suitable openings operation in response to environmental parameters provided sufficient day and night ventilation and occupant comfort. The inclusion of a wind-catcher yielded very little improvement to the ventilation performance. However, the combined operation of the wind-catcher and the dynamic facade delivered operative temperature reductions of up to 7 °C below the base-case strategy, and acceptable ventilation rates for up to 65% of the cooling period. The successful performance of the proposed strategies highlights their potential for reducing energy consumption and improving thermal comfort in a large number of buildings in hot climates.