Neighboring Buildings Research Articles

Analysis of the ground vibration induced by high dam flood discharge using the cross wavelet transform method

As flood is discharged in the high dam, vibrations are generated and transmitted to the surrounding ground, causing vibrations in adjacent structures. The vibration can sometimes reach such a high level that can be harmful to the neighboring residents and buildings, which is an undesirable phenomenon and should be prevented. In this study, an attempt has been made to identify the vibration sources, analyze the law of vibration propagation, and establish the relationship between the vibration sources and ground vibration using the Time-Wavelet Power Spectrum and the Cross Wavelet Transform techniques. The results reveal that the flow fluctuating loads generated by different discharge structures are the main cause of the ground vibration. The contribution from each vibration source as well as its attenuation during propagation is different, based on the ways of flood discharge and composition of the grounds. The results lay a good foundation for controlling the ground vibration induced by flood discharge of high dams in the future.

Optimal design of hybrid control system for new and old neighboring buildings

New configuration of control system for optimal seismic performance of the new and old neighboring buildings is proposed in this study. For practical implementation, the proposed approach takes into account the limitations on installation of additional control system in the old existing building. The active control devices to exert large control forces are only allowed in the new building and the damper links between two buildings are limited to be minimum. In order to deal with simultaneous optimization of the device distribution and the corresponding capacities, the genetic algorithm is employed. Illustrative example for a system of 12-story new and 9-story old buildings is taken into account where typical active control system and newly-proposed control system are optimally designed for comparison purpose. The comparative results obtained from numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed system can be a performance-efficient and cost-effective solution in reducing the contiguous buildings׳ responses under the seismic excitations.

Wind tunnel tests of wind action on a high-rise building

The paper summarizes the results of wind tunnel tests of a wind action on a high-rise building design in Warsaw. Measurements were accomplished in Wind Engineering Laboratory of Cracow University of Technology. Wind pressures on external surfaces of the building model were acquired. A study of the character of the wind action on a tower of the building was the main aim of the paper. A triangle shape with rounded corners of the cross section of the tower and a complex group of neighbor buildings support aerodynamic analysis in a wind tunnel. Wind pressure coefficients on the external building surfaces and the global horizontal wind action on the building tower on full scale were analyzed.

Environmental impact of blasting at Drenovac limestone quarry (Serbia)

In present paper, the blast-induced ground motion and its effect on the neighboring structures are analyzed at the limestone quarry "Drenovac" in central part of Serbia. Ground motion is examined by means of existing conventional predictors, with scaled distance as a main influential parameter, which gave satisfying prediction accuracy (R > 0.8), except in the case of Ambraseys–Hendron predictor. In the next step of the analysis, a feed-forward three-layer back-propagation neural network is developed, with three input units (total charge, maximum charge per delay and distance from explosive charge to monitoring point) and only one output unit (peak particle velocity). The network is tested for the cases with different number of hidden nodes. The obtained results indicate that the model with six hidden nodes gives reasonable predictive precision (R ≈ 0.9), but with much lower values of mean-squared error in comparison to conventional predictors. In order to predict the influence level to the neighboring buildings, recorded peak particle velocities and frequency values were evaluated according to United States Bureau of Mines, USSR standard, German DIN4150, Australian standard, Indian DMGS circular 7 and Chinese safety regulations for blasting. Using the best conventional predictor, the relationship between the allowable amount of explosive and distance from explosive charge is determined for every vibration standard. Furthermore, the effect of air-blast overpressure is analyzed according to domestic regulations, with construction of a blasting chart for the permissible amount of explosive as a function of distance, for the allowable value of air-blast overpressure (200 Pa). The performed analysis indicates only small number of recordings above the upper allowable limit according to DIN4150 and DMGS standard, while, for all other vibration codes the registered values of ground velocity are within the permissible limits. As for the air-blast overpressure, no damage is expected to occur.

Interference effects of a neighboring building on wind loads on scaffolding

This study investigates the interference effects of a neighboring building on wind loads on scaffolding. Wind tunnel experiments were carried out on scaffolding with nonporous cladding. Three scaffolding geometries were considered. Effects of neighboring building location, neighboring building height ratio and principal building opening ratio were studied, and mean panel force coefficients were determined. Based on experimental data, wind forces acting on tie members were estimated, and the largest peak tensile force among all tie members was evaluated. Interference factors were determined. When the neighboring building was located in front of the measured scaffolding, the interference effects on both the largest positive and largest negative mean panel force coefficients were dramatic. The largest positive wind loads on the scaffolding become larger when the neighboring building was located on the left or right side of the measured scaffolding. Interference factors were determined by the largest peak tensile forces in tie members. The largest interference factors were found when the neighboring building was located in front of the scaffolding for a building distance 1.5 times the building depth. When the neighboring building was located on the left or right side of the measured scaffolding, the interference factors were always larger than 1. The neighboring building height ratio had significant effects on the largest mean panel force coefficient but only slight effects on interference factors. The neighboring building had less effect on the wind direction causing the largest peak tensile force in the tie members.

Study on Influencing Factor of Ground Deformation Induced by Shield Tunneling

The complex construction behavior inevitably disturb surrounding environment, even when the tunneling goes through building, which may be wrecked. The security issues of the subway project stems from ground movement and structure dynamic interaction. So it is academic and application good value for study on construction influences of shield tunnel excavation to the neighboring buildings. This paper focuses on the shield tunnel construction strata deformation factors. The results provided the theory basis for safety construction.

Telling the Story of Urbanization

Telling the Story of Urbanization Elizabeth Byrd Wood (bio) It's probably a safe bet that city living today, if you take away Starbucks and Subway, is not too different from city living a century ago. People crowding the sidewalk on their way to work, shopping, or school; a mélange of grime, odors, and noise, crime (both big-time and merely annoying); and an ever-changing grab bag of people representing different cultures, races, ages, religions, languages, and income levels. What is the best way to tell the story of cities and the people who lived there? A story that is both uplifting and shameful, a story of optimism and defeat, a story of grand visions and failed experiments. A story that continues to evolve today as cities absorb newcomers from all corners of the world. Across the country, a handful of museums are using the power of place to tell the stories of urbanization. More than just cultural centers, these museums link the history of urban dwellers with the city where they settled. At the same time, these museums are creatively involving residents in telling their stories. These museums— housed in former tenements, hotels, and apartments—are bringing life to urban centers, reflecting the generational stories of residents, and giving them a sense of pride in their history and their city. This article looks at three museums in three different cities— the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City, and the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago—to explore their role in telling the complex stories of our nation's big cities. History from the Heart Most historic house museums have expanded their interpretation programs to tell a multi-layered version of the events that took place there. They have learned that today's visitors are equally interested—and maybe more so—in life below the stairs, or in the alley, or in the factory, as they are in life in the plantation house, [End Page 37] or the industrialist's mansion. Particularly in the case of these three urban museums, they are helping visitors understand the experiences of the working poor and immigrant families—their fears, their dreams, and their successes—the quintessential American story. Often museums are turning to the source and collecting the oral histories of the people who once lived there, and in some cases, who still live there. The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle's Chinatown-International District uses personal recollections to tell the stories of hardship and struggles with identity and acceptance. The museum is located in a former hotel where countless immigrants from Asia found a place of refuge. Interviews with former residents have revealed stories both poignant and at the same time uplifting. Debbie Louie relates the story of growing up in an apartment along the small alley that ran between the hotel and the neighboring building. As a girl she was invited to a sleepover, and the next day, when the mother offered to drive her home, Debbie says that she was too embarrassed to admit that she lived in an apartment in an alley and asked to be let off at the end of the street. Today, however, she can now say proudly that her home is a museum, and that her story is worth telling. The term "public housing" means many things to many people. Former residents of these housing projects have rich stories to tell about growing up and living in these urban apartments. In Chicago, The National Public Housing Museum, which tells the story of subsidized housing, hasn't had its official opening yet, but its founders and the museum president are moving ahead full steam. Keith Magee, president and chief executive officer of the museum, explains that the idea for a museum jelled about 16 years ago, when the City of Chicago proposed demolishing a number of the city's public housing projects and replacing them with mixed-income neighborhoods. In the eyes of the city leaders, large public housing projects were part of the city's history they would just as soon forget...

Constructing Community: Experiences of Identity, Economic Opportunity, and Institution Building at Boston’s African Meeting House

The African Meeting House in Boston became a center of the city’s free black community during the nineteenth century. Archaeological excavations at this site recovered material from the Meeting House backlot and a neighboring apartment building occupied by black tenants. These artifacts reveal strategies the community used to negotiate a place for themselves, create economic opportunities, and build community institutions. The Meeting House helped foster community success and became a powerful center for African American action on abolition, educational equality, and military integration. The present study argues that the archaeological and historical evidence from the African Meeting House demonstrates the power of the actions of individuals in the black community to counter widespread racial inequality with personal and community success.

Business case evaluations for LTE network offloading with cognitive femtocells

Mobile networks are increasingly becoming capacity limited such that more base stations and smaller cells or more spectrum are required to serve the subscribers’ increasing data usage. Among several challenges, the establishment of new base station sites becomes challenging and expensive. This study proposes and analyzes critical aspects of a business case where a mobile operator offloads its mobile LTE network by deploying cognitive femtocells. When aided by a sensor network the cognitive femtocell will be able to use frequencies other than the mobile network and hence increase its power to cover outdoor areas and neighbour buildings. This cognitive femtocell strategy will be compared with an alternative strategy where an operator deploys conventional femtocells and has to build additional base stations to meet the traffic demands. The business case analysis illustrates that there is a potential for cost savings when offloading the mobile network with cognitive femtocells when compared to the alternative strategy. It must be emphasized that the studied concept is innovative and that the business case period starts in 2017, hence, parameter assumptions are uncertain. Therefore, as the most important message of this work, sensitivity analysis is used to reveal the most critical aspects of the cognitive femtocell business case. It is found that the most critical parameters regarding the cognitive femtocell are the price for backhauling, the number of users supported and the coverage. Furthermore, an optimal coverage radius for the cognitive femtocell for lowest possible costs is found. Costs related to the fixed sensor network are found to be less critical since sensors are embedded in the cognitive femtocells. Sensitivity analysis is also presented for spectral efficiency, cognitive and conventional femtocell offloading gain, sensor density and price, customer density and price for base station site establishment.

Control Standard of Ground Surface Settlement Induced by Running Tunnel Construction in Beijing Subway

Ground settlement, especially the ground surface settlement induced by subway tunneling is an important issue. However, there is no an agreed standard for controlling ground surface settlement during the subway construction at present. The control standard of ground surface settlement was studied using the methods of statistical analysis and numerical simulation based on the running tunnel in Beijing subway. According to the research results, a conclusion could be obtained that the ground surface settlement can be controlled within 40 mm using the general construction measures in Beijing subway running tunnel construction, and furthermore, the settlement of 40mm will not damage the existing nearby structures and utilities including neighboring buildings, bridges and pipelines, etc. So the control valve of 40 mm is rational, which can be adopted as the control standard of ground surface settlement induced by running tunnel construction in Beijing subway.

카메라 영상을 이용한 연기 및 화염의 조기 감지 최신 연구 동향

시대가 발전함에 따라 초고층 건물들이 도처에 세워지고 밀집되어 있다. 이러한 건물에 화재가 발생되면 발화지점 근처로 불이번지면서 대형화재의 위험성이 높아지고 이에 따른 인명 및 재산 피해가 증가한다. 따라서 이런 대형화재를 예방하고 피해를 최소화하기 위해서 화재를 미연에 감지하는 화재감지 기술에 대한 필요성이 높아지고 있다. 화재를 감지하기 위해 열감지기, 연기감지기, 불꽃감지기 등을 사용하는 방법이 있으나 본 논문에서는 감시 카메라에서 들어오는 입력 영상을 분석하여 화염과 연기를 초기에 감지하는 화재감지 시스템의 최근 연구 동향을 알아보고자 한다. 또한 이러한 화염과 연기 감지 알고리즘들을 다양한 형태의 동영상을 이용하여 구현 및 성능을 평가하였다. With the rapid development of technology, skyscrapers are widely spread and they are tightly coupled. If fire occurs in a building, it is easily spread to neighboring buildings, resulting in the large number of victims and property damages. To remove fire disasters, the need for early fire detection techniques is increasing. To detect fire, detecting devices for heat, smoke, and flame have been used widely. However, this paper surveys and presents the latest research which focuses on early smoke and flame detection algorithms and systems with camera's input images. In addition, this paper implements and evaluates the performance of these flame and smoke detection algorithms with several types of movies.

URBANSCAPE CONFIGURATION AS DETERMINED BY THE SURFACE COMPLEXITY OF STATION BUILDING IN CENTRAL TOKYO

This paper attempts to clarify elevational aspects of urban space in the center of Tokyo from the point of view of continuity in configuration and articulation of station buildings' surfaces. Initially, the continuity of station buidings' surfaces is analyzed in terms of two aspects of comparative scale with neighbor buildings. One is comparative scale in terms of actual height and width of the buildings themselves. The other is the comparative articulated width of the station buildings' surfaces. Secondly, the fundamental mode and conditions of surface continuity of station building in urban space were determined by collating these two aspects. Thirdly, the characteristics of the surface complexity of station building are categorized in terms of models. One paradigm and three fundamental models were isolated by deploying the above-mentioned data, which may be said to represent one aspect of the urban form of contemporary Tokyo, and which afford one possibly useful way of describing the urban spatial character Tokyo today.

An Hedonic Valuation of Landmark Factors on Super High-Rise Residential Building Prices in Seoul (Republic of Korea)

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of landmark factors on the price of super high-rise residential buildings. The level of influence is analyzed by means of an hedonic pricing model.In this paper the height and area are identified as landmark factors in analyzing the landmark's influence quantitatively. Also, the concept of relative quantity is introduced regarding the height and area because the landmark factors involve comparisons with neighboring buildings rather than by the building's absolute characteristics alone. Relative height and relative area derived by such an approach were established as independent variables for the hedonic pricing model, along with conventional price-determining factors. Samples subjected to this analysis included thirty super high-rise residential buildings each containing at least thirty stories and all located in Seoul. Results from a linear regression model and a semi-log regression model revealed that p-values were less than 0.05, indicating that the regression coefficients of relative height and relative number of stories are significant.

Earthquake-induced poundings of a seismically isolated building with adjacent structures

Past earthquakes have revealed detrimental effects of pounding on the seismic performance of conventional fixed-supported buildings, ranging from light local damage to more severe structural failure. However, the potential consequences of earthquake-induced poundings on seismically isolated buildings can be much more substantial, and, thus, should be assessed. This paper investigates, through numerical simulations, the effects of potential pounding incidences on the seismic response of a typical seismically isolated building. Such impact events may occur either with the surrounding moat wall at the building’s base or against an adjacent building that may stand at a very close distance. A specialized software application has been developed in order to efficiently perform numerical simulations and parametric studies of this problem. The effects of certain parameters, such as the size of the separation distance, the characteristics of the adjacent structures and the earthquake characteristics, have been investigated using the developed software. The simulations have revealed that even if a sufficient gap is provided, with which poundings with the surrounding moat wall at the base of the building could be avoided, this does not ensure that the building will not eventually collide with neighboring buildings due to the deformations of their superstructures.

Mortars and Stones of the Damascus Citadel (Syria)

Some buildings of the Damascus Citadel (Tower 12, Tower 8, Ayyubid Hall, and a neighboring building) have been investigated in the frame of the Italian Home Ministry collaboration and a Syrian Italian Cooperation Project. The petrography, mineralogy, and chemistry of several joint and repair mortars and stones and their degradation conditions were investigated with the aim of collecting information before planning conservative interventions. The following techniques were used in the study: X-ray powder diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy associated with energy dispersive system microanalysis, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP) for chemical analysis. Different types of mortars, which were used in different times, have been identified on the basis of their mineral constituents and relative amounts: 1) gypsum; 2) quartz, calcite, and gypsum, in decreasing amounts; 3) quartz and calcite, both in high amounts; 4) calcite and subordinate quartz; and 5) calcite with very low content of quartz. Mortars suffered variable degradation (mostly powdering), depending on their original composition. All the rocks used during the building of the Citadel (fine-grained carbonate, cherty carbonate, nodular carbonate, and carbonate breccias, subordinately basalts), extracted in areas not far from Damascus. The stone surface presents powder deposits, concretions and black crusts. They suffer different kind of decay: erosion, cracking, surface flaking, dissolution, biodeterioration (vegetation and guano), and, more rarely, sulfation. Mineral dissolution–deposition processes generated stone surface deposits of calcium carbonate and, rarely, halite, carbonate, and niter.

안양시 야간경관 조명환경 개선방향에 관한 연구

본 연구에서는 먼저 도시적 특성의 분석을 토대로 안양시를 6개 지역으로 구분하였으며 지역별 구분에 따른 야간의 조도ㆍ휘도의 실측조사 및 야간이용자 패턴 조사를 통하여 야간경관의 문제점을 도출하였다. 야간경관 연출 개념으로는 지역별 문제점 분석에 따른 개선방안과 예술적 가치를 창출하는 개념을 적용하여 예술도시로서의 안양의 이미지를 고양시키고자 하였으며 야간조명의 균형과 통일성 확보를 위해 지역별 점진적 변화를 빛의 조닝의 개념으로 선정하였다. 특히, 건축물의 높이에 따른 건축물 기준선을 통해 주변 건축물과 조화된 단계적인 스카이라인을 연출하여 자연경관 등과 조화로운 조망권을 확보하도록 하였으며 지역 특성에 따라 가로등 및 가로시설물의 조도, 높이, 램프형태, 배열방식 등의 야간 조명환경의 개선방향을 추가로 제시하였다.

The effect of a tall tower on flow and dispersion through a model urban neighborhood : Part 2. Pollutant dispersion

This article is the second in a two-paper series presenting results from wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of flow and dispersion in an idealized model urban neighborhood. Pollutant dispersion results are presented and discussed for a model neighborhood that was characterized by regular city blocks of three-story row houses with a single 12-story tower located at the downwind edge of one of these blocks. The tower had three significant effects on pollutant dispersion in the surrounding street canyons: drawing the plume laterally towards the tower, greatly enhancing the vertical dispersion of the plume in the wake of the tower, and significantly decreasing the residence time of pollutants in the wake of the tower. In the wind tunnel, tracer gas released in the avenue lee of the tower, but several blocks away laterally, was pulled towards the tower and lifted in the wake of the tower. The same lateral movement of the pollutant was seen in the next avenue, which was approximately 2.5 tower heights downwind of the tower. The tower also served to ventilate the street canyon directly in its wake more rapidly than the surrounding areas. This was evidenced by CFD simulations of concentration decay where the residence time of pollutants lee of the 12-story tower was found to be less than half the residence time behind a neighboring three-story building. This same phenomenon of rapid vertical dispersion lee of a tower among an array of smaller buildings was also demonstrated in a separate set of wind tunnel experiments using an array of cubical blocks. A similar decrease in the residence time was observed when the height of one block was increased.

Dampness Problems in a Historic House in İzmir, Turkey

The study, as a preliminary stage of the restoration work of a historic house from Levantine ages of İzmir in the nineteenth century, involves the examination of the dampness basement problems. Moisture contents and temperature of the wall surfaces were monitored by non-destructive techniques, such as direct measurements of electrical conductivity and infrared thermography. The results were evaluated in the light of physical properties, moisture, and soluble salt types and contents in the materials, outdoor, and indoor climatic conditions, layout of the site, and architectural features of the building. In addition to rising damp and lack of sufficient ventilation for years, some faulty details along the intersections with the terraces of the neighbor buildings, and intersection with the asphalt coated street and the basement windows that gave way for rainwater leaks were the other sources of dampness. Some cool but relatively dry parts of the walls were found to be potential zones for dampness problem through condensation between midnight and early mornings, especially in winter.

Synthesis, Structure and DNA Binding Properties of [Cu2(heae)(SCN)2] n · nH2O the First One-Dimensional Polymeric Copper(II) Complex Bridged Alternately by Oxamidate and Double End-to-End Thiocyanate Ligands

A new one-dimensional polymeric copper(II) complex, [Cu2(heae)(SCN)2] n · nH2O [H2heae is N,N′-bis(N-hydroxyethylaminoethyl)oxamide], has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity measurement, IR and electronic spectra studies, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of the complex exhibits a neutral one-dimensional polymeric copper(II) zigzag chain [Cu2(heae)(SCN)2] n constructed by μ-trans-heae and double μ-1,3-thiocyanate ligands. The environment about copper can be described as a square-pyramid. The neighboring second building units (SBUs), [Cu(trans-heae)Cu]2+, are unequal with Cu···Cu separations of 5.287 and 5.273 A for Cu1···Cu1i and Cu2···Cu2ii, respectively. The double thiocyanate ligands function as μ(1,3)-bridges to link these unequal SBUs thereby forming zigzag chains with a Cu1···Cu2 separation of 5.454 A. The hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure self-assemble the one-dimensional chains into a three-dimensional supramolecular structure. The interaction of the polymeric copper(II) complex with herring sperm DNA (HS-DNA) has been investigated by using absorption and emission spectra, electrochemical techniques and viscometry. The results reveal that the polymeric copper(II) complex interacts with HS-DNA via a groove binding mode with the intrinsic binding constant of 1.38 × 104 M−1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example about the structure and DNA-bonding studies of a one-dimensional polymeric copper(II) complex that is bridged alternately by trans-oxamidate and double-thiocyanate ligands.

Environmental impacts of ground vibration induced by blasting at different rock units on the Kadikoy–Kartal metro tunnel

This paper presents the results of ground vibration analysis induced by blasting during the construction of the Istanbul Kadıköy–Kartal metro tunnel. Different rock formations in this tunnel route were encountered during the excavation with blasting. As a first stage, the test site is divided into 6 main regions with respect to lithology changes in the rock units and Hoek's Geological Strength Index value of these rock units. During the excavation, a total of 659 events were recorded in 260 shots by vibration monitors. Scaled distance and peak particle velocity data pairs belonging to these shots were carefully recorded and analyzed statistically. As a result of this analysis, empirical relationships between scaled distance and peak particle velocity were established with higher correlation coefficients specific to each region. Finally, the particle velocities and frequency values of all blast events were evaluated according to Turkish Environmental Regulation, the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) and the German DIN 4150 Norms in order to predict the influence level to the neighboring buildings and structures.