Ordinary Buildings Research Articles

Asymptotics of Weil-Petersson volumes and two-dimensional quantum gravities

We propose a refined expression for the large genus asymptotics of the Weil-Petersson volumes of the moduli space of super-Riemann surfaces with an arbitrary number of boundaries. Our formula leverages the connection between JT supergravity and its matrix model definition, utilizing some basic tools of resurgence theory. The final result holds for arbitrary boundary lengths and preserves the polynomial structure of the super-volumes. As a byproduct we also obtain a prediction for the large genus asymptotics of generalized \ThetaΘ-class intersection numbers. We extend our proposal to the case of the quantum volumes relevant for the Virasoro minimal string/Liouville gravity. Performing the classical limit on the quantum volumes, we recover a formula for the ordinary Weil-Petersson building blocks of JT gravity.

Valorization of Wastes from Wine Industry in the Production of Lightweight Clay Bricks

Lightweight clay brick is an idea that arose from the need to reduce waste by giving grape pomace, a waste product from the Portuguese wine sector, a new use, promoting a circular economy. Compared to ordinary building clay bricks, lightweight clay bricks have higher porosity, and consequently lower density and lower thermal conductivity, while maintaining good mechanical strength, allowing them to be used to build the inner walls in buildings. The production process for this brick, from obtaining the raw materials to manufacturing the brick itself, was studied using process simulation and an economic analysis. The latter led to the conclusion that the project is economically viable and profitable, with each tonne of bricks selling for €57.96.

Performance investigation of a building-integrated collector based on spectrum splitting technology

Based on solar spectrum splitting technology, a novel concentrating photovoltaic/thermal (CPV/T) solar collector is proposed, which primarily composed of six Fresnel collector units with separate photovoltaic and photothermal modules. The compact overall structure is optimally designed that can be effectively integrated with ordinary buildings while supply both electrical and thermal energy. The proposed collector achieves the maximum annual average optical efficiency when installed north–south axially with a tilt angle approximately equal to the installation latitude, as a 64.97 % in Nanjing (32°N). Simulation analysis shows that the main influencing factors of the system performance are direct solar irradiance, working medium mass flow, and optical efficiency, the theoretical outlet working medium temperature can reach 150 °C while the photovoltaic and photothermal efficiencies are 12.37 % and 39.74 % when the normalized temperature difference T* is 0.06. Further, to verify the theoretical/simulation analysis results, the outdoor experimental tests are conducted and show that the optimal inlet working medium mass flow is 10.8 kg/h, while the efficiencies are 5.99 % and 27.59 %, respectively, that is, the proposed system comprehensive thermal efficiency can reach 43.35 %. The comparative analysis of theoretical research and experimental tests shows that the proposed system has rationality and practical value, which can provide guidance for practical engineering.

Thermal analysis and optimization of data center building envelope insulation in different climate zones

The discrepancy in occupancy between ordinary buildings and data centers requires a unique methodology to achieve more effective cooling load reduction. This paper proposes using net heat flow through the building envelope as a control metric, considering the unique requirements of data centers. A corresponding optimization approach is developed to adjust the insulation thickness accordingly. Using the proposed method, five representative cities from different climate zones are analyzed and compared with the current standards. The orientation of roof insulation design for data centers should be contrary to that of ordinary buildings in all five climate zones. In addition to regions with extremely cold and cold climates, the insulation design orientation of the walls surrounding the data center should also be opposite that of ordinary buildings. Lower cooling load is observed at least 50% of time in a year when using the proposed method among climate zones. This article provides an alternative to using natural cooling sources through a building envelope designed specifically for data centers that have greater climate adaptability.

Integrating Sonic Pulse Velocity Tests with Masonry Classification for Heritage Conservation: An Insight from On-Site Diagnostic Campaigns

ABSTRACT The preservation of architectural heritage relies on a comprehensive understanding assisted by diagnostic procedures. Among non-destructive techniques, the Sonic Pulse Velocity Test (SPVT) qualifies the compactness of a masonry wall through elastic wave transmission. However, it does not directly estimate any mechanical parameters. This study presents findings from a database of 346 direct SPVTs carried out over thirteen years on both listed and ordinary buildings. Results were categorized based on masonry type according to the Italian building code, to derive information about construction quality and relate SPV with building features. Tests performed on 37 masonry panels strengthened by grout injections also confirmed the validity of SPVT in evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. Furthermore, the Masonry Quality Index (MQI) method permitted to refine the masonry type definition through the judgment of the units’ arrangement. MQI and SPVT results were also combined by statistical analysis. These findings aim to increase comprehension of the different types of existing masonry capacity and contribute to engineering assessments for ensuring the structural safety of historical buildings.

Asphalt for underground and multi-storey car parks

Underground car parks and multi-storey car parks are not ordinary buildings, but demanding engineering structures that require special knowledge of those involved in the construction in planning, execution and monitoring. Car parks and underground garages require a permanent seal or a functioning surface protection system to protect against damage from moisture, chloride-containing de-icing agents and dynamic loads. The mastic asphalts used meet all the requirements placed on the surfaces of underground car parks and multi-storey car parks, but the asphalt concrete layers used in special construction methods can also meet these requirements.

A 3D Parameterized BIM-Modeling Method for Complex Engineering Structures in Building Construction Projects

The structural components of large-scale public construction projects are more complex than those of ordinary residential buildings, with irregular and diverse components, as well as a large number of repetitive structural elements, which increase the difficulty of BIM-modeling operations. Additionally, there is a significant amount of inherent parameter information in the construction process, which puts forward higher requirements for the application and management capabilities of BIM technology. However, the current BIM software still has deficiencies in the parameterization of complex and irregular structural components, fine modeling, and project management information. To address these issues, this paper takes Grasshopper as the core parametric tool and Revit as the carrier of component attribute information. It investigates the parametric modeling logic of Grasshopper and combines the concepts of parameterization, modularization, standardization, and engineering practicality to create a series of parametric programs for complex structural components in building projects. This approach mainly addresses intricate challenges pertaining to the parametric structural shapes (including batch processing) and parametric structural attributes (including the batch processing of diverse attribute parameters), thereby ensuring the efficiency in BIM modeling throughout the design and construction phases of complex building projects.

ATP-EMTP simulation of lightning protection system for multi-storey building

Multi-storey buildings with occupied highly technological instruments have more attraction possibilities of a lightning stroke than ordinary residential buildings. A protection system against lightning is necessary for these buildings and the level of the protection system performance is an issue to be examined. In this study, a protection system for a three-storey building is simulated in Alternative Transient Program-Electromagnetic Transients Program (ATP-EMTP). Distributed-parameter line models are used for the conductors of the protective system by modelling vertical conductors as nonuniform lines. The currents flowing in the critical conductors and the voltages at some critical points resulting by a lightning stroke are computed. The conventional lighting parameters required for structural protection such as lightning peak current, current rise time and time interval for the current flowing are determined. The effect of the radius of conductors in the protection system on the surge response is investigated.

Development of mechanics-based fragility curves for the Italian masonry school asset

This article presents the derivation of a fragility model for the Italian masonry school building asset, comprising 265 sets of fragility curves for as many building types, classified on the basis of few parameters: construction age, number of stories, plan area, and type of masonry (i.e. with regular or irregular pattern). The fragility assessment was carried out by means of parametric analyses, generating more than 7500 samples which were then analyzed through the mechanics-based procedure Vulnus. Sample fragilities were then linearly combined to obtain fragility curves consistent with the adopted taxonomy based on few parameters. A macroseismic–heuristic model from the literature was used to extend the fragility model to five damage states, according to the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS98). The proposed model was compared to empirical information in terms of observed damage on three existing schools and fragility curves recently derived by processing data of school damaged by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, showing a satisfactory agreement. In addition, a comparison with fragility sets for residential buildings was carried out. Both fragility models were developed with the same procedure, so as to point out differences between schools and ordinary buildings. Similar fragilities were observed for schools and residential buildings built before 1945, whereas for later periods, schools showed a higher fragility than the residential asset. Finally, seismic damage maps were developed at national scale showing the distribution of expected damage as a possible application of the derived model.

A framework for multi-risk assessment in a historical area of Lisbon

Historic areas have faced escalating risks due to population growth, urbanization, climate change, and increasing public awareness. Existing risk assessment methods often focus on individual hazards, necessitating a more integrated approach. This research introduces a comprehensive multi-risk model to assess the potential impacts of rainfall and earthquakes on Lisbon's historic city centre. The model considers key risk components – hazard, exposure, and vulnerability – providing a detailed evaluation. Pluvial flood hazards for different return periods were analysed using a proper hydrological model, and seismic hazards were estimated based on PGA values (0.035g–0.25g) with a 10 % exceedance probability over 50 years. Concerning the exposure, the paper integrates spatial distribution data acquired through satellite remote sensing and GIS tools, along with census data. Vulnerability assessments for ordinary unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) used the Risk-UE method and flood stage-damage curves. The results obtained through a multi-exposure and multi-vulnerability framework provide insight into the expected building losses: for a 475/500-year return period, the estimated losses are approximately 1150 M€ for earthquakes and 22 M€ for floods. The higher losses for earthquakes are attributed to structural damage, whereas flood losses are predominantly associated with indirect impacts and loss of contents. This study marks a novelty in the application of risk assessment methodologies in Portugal addressing multiple hazards and highlights the protection of the built environment to mitigate economic and human losses. The paper serves as a starting point for further assessments, offering an overview of the influence of multiple risks on urban settings.

A numerical simulation-based solution for enhancing the safety evacuation of the high-rise complex in geriatric hospital

Due to the vulnerability of the elderly population and the specificity of the treatment environment, geriatric hospitals face more serious fire safety issues than ordinary medical buildings. Existing conclusions are mostly one-sided as researchers have mainly ignored the diversity of geriatric patients and the types of functional rooms in the buildings. To make the findings in this field completer and more adequate, a geriatric hospital high-rise was employed as a case study and simulated in Pathfinder software. This model evaluated the efficacy of hierarchical organization of evacuating crowds, modification of vertical functional zoning, and specific congestion mitigation measures. The synthesized outcomes from these evaluations informed the development of an integrated evacuation strategy. Output parameters were used in place of control variables to verify repeatability. Crowd prioritization improve evacuation efficiency by optimizing the evacuation sequence and reducing the crossing of people; vertical functional zoning modification avoid congestion by locating high-risk departments near the bottom, for example; and blockage point evacuation enhance evacuation speed by adjusting the location of exits and improving the design of staircases. This comprehensive strategy successfully reduces evacuation time by 28.8 % and can be used as a guideline for a generic evacuation optimization system for similar buildings.

Performance analysis on a wood-color thermal catalytic Trombe wall in wood buildings

The wood buildings had huge advantages such as high thermal insulation performance and carbon fixation. While the indoor air pollution caused by the release from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the artificial boards in wood buildings creates huge threat on human health. Considering architectural aesthetics and solar building-integration principles, this article proposed a novel thermal catalytic Trombe wall with wood-color thermal catalysts that realized heating and air purification. Firstly, the color difference between thermal catalysts and wood board was analyzed. Secondly, the heat and mass transfer model of the wood building with Trombe wall was developed and verified. Thirdly, the thermal and purification performance under different occupancy ratios of Trombe wall to whole wall (RT) and wood species were discussed. The main results were: (1) The color difference between thermal catalysts and wood was 0.97, which was similar and acceptable to meet architectural aesthetics; (2) Compared to ordinary wood building, the indoor temperature increased by 18 ℃ when combined with Trombe wall. The average thermal efficiency, purification efficiency and generated clean air were 26.91 %, 94.34 % and 385.58 m3, respectively. (3) With the increase of RT, the formaldehyde degradation performance and indoor air temperature increased from 73.52 % to 94.34 %, 25 to 38 ℃, respectively. (4) When considering natural running in daytime and forced running in nighttime, more than 90 % of indoor formaldehyde was degraded for five wood boards with different formaldehyde emission rates. The indoor formaldehyde concentration would be below 80 ppb for the release rate of 0.98 and 1.40 mg/L.

Правовой режим малоэтажного жилищного фонда в России

The article is devoted to very acute issue of legal regulation of the low-rise private housing fund, since the latter is one of the most prioritized and rapidly growing areas of territorial development in the Russian Federation, which rises the disputes over the legal regime of various types of lowrise housing stock, the legal status of owners and users of the corresponding residential premises, the nature of the emerging housing relations. The relevance of these problems is seen through the important changes in the housing and construction legislation of the Russian Federation, introduced in 2022. The purpose of this study is to identify common features and peculiarities of the legal regime of private low–rise housing stock, the nature of housing and other legal relations arising during the construction, commissioning and subsequent use of low-rise residential buildings. For this purpose, the features of the legal regime of an ordinary low-rise residential building, a blocked residential building, a low-rise residential complex, low-rise apartment buildings are analyzed. Having conducted a comparative analysis of the legislation fixing the features of the legal regime of various types of low-rise residential buildings, the practice of its application, the author comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to expand the application of the analogy of the law in resolving disputes concerning low-rise housing stock.

Condition assessment of timber in the old built heritage - a case study

Where the rehabilitation and repair of ancient buildings is prevalent, the primary focus is on preserving existing materials and construction techniques. To achieve this, it is crucial that technicians have the expertise and tools to assess the value of traditional materials. This article introduces a practical methodology for identifying and evaluating the physical-mechanical properties of wood in ancient ordinary buildings. The study is grounded in the latest technical-scientific guidelines at the European level and adheres to grading rules defined by European regulations, which have been adapted for structures in service. The methodology also addresses the assessment of widespread biological degradation. The study provides a robust foundation for the technical implementation of in-service inspection actions for wooden structures in built heritage in Portugal and Europe, but its findings can be extrapolated to other countries as well. As a practical illustration, we present and discuss the assessment of a beam representative of a 19th-century ordinary building's wooden floor structure. In this case study, we applied a practical and viable assessment strategy, supported by an on-site inspection procedure. We conclude that inspection work is fundamental to underpinning a well-structured project and that equipping technicians with experience in working with ancient buildings and a practical and straightforward methodology is key to successful condition monitoring. This work forms part of the research activity conducted at Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS) and has been funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) as part of project UIDB/04625/2020.

Changen2: Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Generative Change Foundation Model.

Our understanding of the temporal dynamics of the Earth's surface has been significantly advanced by deep vision models, which often require a massive amount of labeled multi-temporal images for training. However, collecting, preprocessing, and annotating multi-temporal remote sensing images at scale is non-trivial since it is expensive and knowledge-intensive. In this paper, we present scalable multi-temporal change data generators based on generative models, which are cheap and automatic, alleviating these data problems. Our main idea is to simulate a stochastic change process over time. We describe the stochastic change process as a probabilistic graphical model, namely the generative probabilistic change model (GPCM), which factorizes the complex simulation problem into two more tractable sub-problems, i.e., condition-level change event simulation and image-level semantic change synthesis. To solve these two problems, we present Changen2, a GPCM implemented with a resolution-scalable diffusion transformer which can generate time series of remote sensing images and corresponding semantic and change labels from labeled and even unlabeled single-temporal images. Changen2 is a "generative change foundation model" that can be trained at scale via self-supervision, and is capable of producing change supervisory signals from unlabeled single-temporal images. Unlike existing "foundation models", our generative change foundation model synthesizes change data to train task-specific foundation models for change detection. The resulting model possesses inherent zero-shot change detection capabilities and excellent transferability. Comprehensive experiments suggest Changen2 has superior spatiotemporal scalability in data generation, e.g., Changen2 model trained on 256 2 pixel single-temporal images can yield time series of any length and resolutions of 1,024 2 pixels. Changen2 pre-trained models exhibit superior zero-shot performance (narrowing the performance gap to 3% on LEVIR-CD and approximately 10% on both S2Looking and SECOND, compared to fully supervised counterpart) and transferability across multiple types of change tasks, including ordinary and off-nadir building change, land-use/land-cover change, and disaster assessment. The model and datasets are available at https://github.com/Z-Zheng/pytorch-change-models.

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Damaged Buildings in Historic Benghazi City

The primary focus of the study is to assess and classify the damage in the old Benghazi City. Specifically, it aims to evaluate buildings within a designated area, which is bordered by Omar Ibn Al-Aas Street to the south, Omar Al-Mukhtar Street to the north, Ben Issa Street to the east, and the extension of Gamal Abdel Nasser Street to the west. The main objective is to gather valuable insights and data that can support effective rehabilitation or reconstruction efforts. By comprehending the extent of the damage and categorizing it accordingly, the study seeks to provide essential information for decision-making processes and determine the most appropriate approach for restoration. The ultimate aim is to ensure the safe return of residents to the affected area. In addition to this, the restoration process aims to preserve and revitalize the city' s religious, historical, and distinctive features. This includes safeguarding religious structures, landmarks, and elements that contribute to the city' s unique identity. To achieve this, the study proposes separate rehabilitation schemes tailored for ordinary buildings and historic buildings.

High-damping fiber-reinforced elastomeric seismic isolator in different boundary conditions: An experimental insight

Seismic isolation reduces structural vulnerability and is an effective retrofitting solution. The commonly used steel-reinforced elastomeric isolators (SREIs) consist of several rubber pads interspersed with steel laminas for vertical reinforcement. However, SREIs are expensive, making them economically-unjustified for ordinary residential buildings, especially in developing countries. Fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREIs) offer a lighter alternative with thin fiber layers instead of steel laminas. FREIs can be applied to the structure in bonded (traditional), unbonded, or partially bonded configurations. Unbonded FREIs (UFREIs) are cost-effective as they are not bonded or fastened to thick connection steel plates. Furthermore, they are inherently more flexible in lateral directions and thus require relatively less rubber material to offer the same seismic isolation performance as traditional elastomeric isolators. However, UFREIs cannot resist tensile forces and may slip under certain loads, limiting their use in situations with overturning or high vertical accelerations. To address these limitations, partially bonded applications (PBFREIs) bond only a reduced area of the rubber device to the connection steel plates. PBFREIs retain beneficial characteristics of both unbonded and bonded applications, such as improved lateral flexibility, and resistance to uplift forces and slip. The possibility of UFREI applications remains promising, particularly in developing countries, due to their low cost, ease of fabrication and installation. This paper proposes a FREI made of high-damping rubber and glass fiber fabrics, and examines its performance in bonded, partially bonded, and unbonded applications. As a unique feature, the material and geometrical characteristics of the FREIs are identical. A comparative analysis, including experimental testing, highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each application typology. The paper also provides a detailed explanation of the design process, encompassing rubber compound development, fabrication, and experimental characterization of the device.

Accumulated Deformations of the Historical Development of St. Petersburg

An analysis of the deformations of the ordinary historical buildings of St. Petersburg, accumulated over the past 150–200 years, is presented. An effective way to assess the accumulated unevenness of sediments and rolls of historical buildings is proposed, which makes it possible to obtain a reliable idea of the shape of the deformation of the building. On the example of a representative sample of buildings from two central parts of the city, it is shown which forms of deformations prevail in the historical center. It was revealed that in half of the cases deformations occur in the form of bending in the longitudinal direction and roll of the facade walls outward in the cross section, which is most dangerous for buildings. The dependences of the relative unevenness of the settlement of historical buildings on the ratios of their length and width to height are given. The reasons for the formation of a characteristic type of deformations in the form of a bend are noted. The results of the assessment of the accumulated relative unevenness of sediments that buildings received in the course of their existence made it possible to establish that the accumulated deformations are more than an order of magnitude higher than the maximum permissible values for similar structures of new construction. At the same time, the operational suitability of buildings is maintained, which indicates their durability under the condition of constant maintenance and regular repairs. It is proposed to take into account the accumulated unevenness of settlement when assessing the category of technical condition of historical buildings and monuments. On the basis of on the conducted research, proposals are made to clarify the requirements of the current norms regarding the appointment of maximum additional deformations of brick historical buildings and cultural heritage sites.

«Gedächtniskirche à la carte». Notes on the Political Fortunes of a «Pile of Stones»

The life-cycle of an ordinary building typically begins with a plan and ends with a quiet process of decay. Not so, when national interests are at stake, as is the case with Berlin’s Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church, consecrated in 1895). In such cases, a building’s collapse, especially if caused by deliberate ruination, tends to entail either a radical damnatio memoriae or a second life in the form of its physical reconstruction (a process ominously demonstrated in the demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the Berliner Schloss 1951- 2023). In the present case, what happened was the monumentalization of the remains that document its downfall. The essay tries to highlight some moments in that process. That the Gedächtniskirche’s long history roughly coincides with the growth and decline of the illustrated postcard as a means of mass communication is perhaps a coincidence. Yet if what one may call the political symbolism of a building is the result of complex dynamics of production and reception, then the magnitude of the visual archive left behind by postcards, “the first world-wide social network” (Lydia Pyne, 2021), turns out to be a stunningly vivid visual record of such processes. Especially so in the case of the Memorial Church, given its key position in Germany’s troubled history of imperial ambitions and subsequent self-awakening as a modern Western democracy.

Seismic risk assessment of residential buildings by the Heuristic vulnerability model: influence of fragility curve models and inventory scale

AbstractTypological-observational methods still constitute one of the most commonly applied tools for evaluation of the seismic risk and vulnerability of the existing building stock. Their efficiency is mainly related to the effectiveness of the procedure for deriving fragility curves, and the reliability and completeness of the database that describes the building stock. This paper presents a comparison between the vulnerability and damage distribution assessment provided by fragility curves used in the Macroseismic and Heuristic methods, and a comparison of exposure evaluation methodologies according to two different approaches, namely a compartment- and a building-scale survey. An application to the case study of the residential building stock in the historic center of Alcamo, a town of 45,000 inhabitants in Western Sicily (Italy), shows the major reduction in fragility provided by recalibration of the masonry buildings’ ductility values that characterize the Heuristic method. Moreover, the efficiency of the compartment scale survey approach, based on the CARTIS typological-structural characterization method of ordinary buildings in urban areas, is underlined.