Original Building Research Articles

Clay-Based Products Sustainable Development: Some Applications

Clay has a low environmental impact and can develop into many different products. The research presents two different case studies. In the first, the clay is the binder of raw earth doughs in order to produce clay-bricks. We investigate the effects of natural fibrous reinforcements (rice straws and basalt fibers) in four different mixtures. From the comparison with a mix without reinforcements, it is possible to affirm that the 0.40% of basalt fibers reduce the shrinkage by about 25% and increase the compressive strength by about 30%. Future studies will focus on identifying the fibrous effects on tensile strength and elastic modulus, as well as the optimal percentage of fibers. In the second study, the clay, in form of brick powder (“cocciopesto”), gives high alkaline resistance and breathability performance, as well as rendering and color to the plaster. The latter does not have artificial additives. The plaster respects the cultural instance of the original building. The research underlines how the use of a local (and traditional) material such as clay can be a promoter of sustainability in the contemporary building sector. Future studies must investigate further possible uses of clay as well as a proper regulatory framework.

A hybrid approach to building simplification with an evaluator from a backpropagation neural network

ABSTRACT Research has developed numerous algorithms to simplify building data. Each algorithm has strengths and weaknesses in addressing shape characteristics, but no single algorithm can appropriately simplify all buildings. This study proposes a hybrid approach that identifies the best simplified representation of a building among four existing algorithms. The proposed approach applies the four algorithms to generate simplification candidates. With a backpropagation neural network, an evaluator is built through supervised learning based on measurements describing the changes in position, size, orientation, and shape between the original building and the candidates of its simplified representations. The evaluator determines the most appropriate candidate. Experiments on buildings from residential and commercial areas in Shenzhen city show that the hybrid approach can combine the advantages of different algorithms. The percentages of unreasonable simplified buildings in the results obtained using the hybrid algorithm are 3.8% in the residential area and 0 in the commercial area, respectively, which are significantly lower than those in the results of standalone applications of the four algorithms. Furthermore, comparison with the simplification algorithm in the popular software, ArcGIS, confirms that our approach shows better results in terms of corner squaring and maintaining the regional characteristics of buildings.

An approach for the reconstruction of a traditional masonry-wooden building located in an archeological area. Part II: Building reconstruction

ABSTRACT The study, which consists of a pair of articles, covers the reconstruction process of a traditional masonry-wooden mansion structure, which was built based on the Turkish house typology on the historical peninsula of Istanbul in the 1880s, and was then intentionally demolished in 1948. The paper, which constitutes the second part of the study, presents reconstruction operation in the location of the demolished building. In this context, the construction is carried out with a new approach in which the building load was transferred to the retaining system in order to protect the cultural layer in the construction area. In the reconstruction, steel frame system is preferred instead of the original wooden construction system and material. In contrast, the construction gauge and plan scheme of the original building was taken as a basis in reconstruction. It is concluded that the presented approach is suitable as a new construction technique considering the parameters such as seismic effect, archeological ruins, building–environment relationships and needs analysis in reconstruction of the demolished historical buildings.

The First Cathedral on America\u2019s Pacific Coast

New research dispels the idea that Panamá Viejo was initially founded one-half mile from the site of its visible present-day ruins. The archaeological and historical evidence, subjected to interdisciplinary analysis, demonstrates that the city remained on the same main plaza next to its natural port from its founding 500 years ago until its destruction in 1671. The data reconsidered and newly uncovered also suggest reasons for previous misinterpretations of the city’s early foundational history. Unlike many colonial cities and towns, Panamá Viejo did not move during its first century of existence. However, its main church, which became the bishopric’s cathedral in 1524, did relocate after 1541. The new evidence establishes and confirms the original location of the first cathedral on America’s Pacific Ocean to the south of Panamá Viejo’s main plaza and explains its move to an elevated, rocky area on the eastern side of the same plaza over 20 years later. Excavations undertaken in 2018 have confirmed the original building’s location a mere 50 m from the visible ruins of the cathedral, the tower of which remains a symbol of Panamanian identity today.

1951–1958 ГОДЫ – ВРЕМЯ ПЕРВЫХ: У ИСТОКОВ СОЗДАНИЯ МАТЕРИАЛЬНОЙ БАЗЫ ФИЛИАЛА КУЙБЫШЕВСКОГО ИНДУСТРИАЛЬНОГО ИНСТИТУТА ПРИ КУЙБЫШЕВГИДРОСТРОЕ В СТАВРОПОЛЕ (ТОЛЬЯТТИ)

The paper analyzes the role of the city forming construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station (KGS) on the Volga and opening in a small town of Stavropol a branch of Kuibyshev Industrial Institute (KII) affiliated to Kuibyshevgidrostroy (since 2001 – Togliatti State University). The research is focused on historical and pedagogical analysis of the processes which influenced the university formation and development, its facility development in the first years of the university history. The paper considers the aspects of the planned construction of the university buildings in the Central District in the new town of Stavropol, and the projects that were not implemented, or built and functioned for a short time. The analysis is focused on the initial stages of the improvement of university premises and territory. Based on the analysis of archival data and museum expositions an imaginary route of an excursion over the territory of the university of that period was recreated. For the first time, two-stage plan for the reconstruction of the compact accommodation for students of the KII branch is published. The first stage of the study covers the period from 1951 to 1953, during which the infrastructure of the university was created for its temporary operation until the city of Stavropol was totally flooded. The results of the second stage of the study (the period of the construction of the hydroelectric power station from 1954 (after the flooding of the historical territory of the city of Stavropol) till 1958) made it possible to reconstruct the university infrastructure in the new territory of the city. The original buildings were almost completely lost – buildings for a different use were erected in their place. Therefore, recognition of the earliest existing territories that are part of the university infrastructure is of particular value. It has been established that an important role in the creation of the university facilities was played by the government, city authorities and the management of the construction site of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station. The formation of the first higher school in Stavropol, which later grew into Togliatti State University, contributed to the rapid development of the entire urban infrastructure. It was revealed that for the period of the KGS construction the university facilities and resources provided the opportunity for high-quality training of engineering personnel that met international standards.

Полициркульная площадь в Твери как образец эволюции объёмно-пространственной композиции екатерининского времени

The present paper considers on the basis of numeral sources an architectural ensemble of one of the main squares of the central part of Tver. Organized in 1760-es it is a bright example of medieval city planning structure transformation on the ground of “regular” town-planning principles laid into the background of many Russian cities’ reformation in the times of Catherine the Second. In this respect Tver was actually a pioneer for it became the first city after Saint Petersburg where new planning standards were approbated. After a period of a relative calm in the renewal of city constructions, the Semicircular Square had gradually started to change its image since 1840-es. An increase of storeys’ number of the buildings situated there had started since the late of the 19th century, and this process didn’t stop until the middle of the 20th century. This process ran parallel to the modification of stylistics of all the constructions of the square. Along with this process new architectural and decorative forms not all the time were used in the original buildings because some constructions of the times of Catherine the Great gave place to buildings of later time. But in spite of such cardinal changes in architectural image of the square buildings the town-planning significance of this ensemble still remains rather relevant one in the context of historical centre of the capital of the Upper Volga region.

A homályos látás pontossága : Két torony a szolnoki vár helyén

When reconstructing historic buildings,especially castles, accurate details regarding the original building are hard to come by. Often somewhat romantic ideas, based upon hearsay, or naive paintings form the direction a project might take. The architects for this project have managed to, as close as reasonably possible, recreate one castle tower whilst creating a new abstracted tower based upon "signs of the past". The latter being extruded upwards from a known floor plan to create a new castle tower.

Регенерация исторической деревянной городской среды: практика реставрации и перемещения объекта культурного наследия

Irkutsk is a city where an original wooden building of the 19th–early 20th centuries have been pre-served. Wooden streets and entire city blocks are a cultural heritage that increases interest in the capi-tal of Eastern Siberia from historical and architectural perspectives. However, the life span of wooden structures is short. Thus, wooden development, characteristic of Siberian cities for decades, is on the verge of extinction. At present, the preservation and restoration of such architectural monuments have become increasingly important. The paper discusses the problems of restoration and relocation of a wooden house, previously located in Irkutsk, Gavrilov street, 3. This building is on the List of Immova-ble Cultural Monuments, which can only be transferred to another site in exceptional cases following the existing legislation. We considered the stages of project development, the cultural and historical context in history and archives research, restoration methods necessary to reproduce the original ap-pearance of a wooden heritage object, its transportation to the historical block. The analysis of restora-tion and relocation of the historical and cultural monument built in the early 20th century allows us to draw the following conclusion. In this particular situation, the only correct decision for saving the his-toric monument was its transfer to the related environment of the regenerated 130 Kvartal in Irkutsk.

Impact of Changing the Surrounding Urban Context on Sustainable Design of Historic Buildings

Research aims are to explain the impact of the built environment on the efficiency of sustainability of historical buildings. The most vital factor of sustainability in hot and semi-dry climates is the thermal efficiency of inner spaces. The conventional building materials used in historic buildings in Mosul have high thermal efficiency, but it works with the surrounding built environment as an integrated thermal system. This surrounding built environment could be exposed to dramatic changes within the efforts of reconstruction of Mosul city. Al-Aghawat mosque was selected as a case study due to its surrounding urban context and original conventional building materials. This research adopts ENVImet analysis method. Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) index was assumed to be the indicator for thermal comfort in hot and semi-dry weather. ENVI-met program applied for simulation of two cases at the hottest day in the summer of 2019-2020 through climatic data. The first case estimates the air temperature in the inner and open spaces of the mosque with its original surrounding context and then checks the air temperature of the same spaces after removing the surrounding context. The results reveal changes in thermal efficiency within the two cases. In order to conserve the thermal efficiency of the historic buildings, the researchers recommended adopting a conservation strategy of the surrounding context.

Energy-saving design of office buildings considering light environment and thermal environment

Abstract The energy consumption of office buildings is analysed, and the influential factors to be considered in architectural design that affect the light and heat environment of office buildings are summarised. The original building model was established by Ecotect, and variable methods were adopted to simulate the influence of different influencing factors on the light and thermal environment, and to quantitatively evaluate the importance of different factors on energy consumption of buildings. This analysis provides an important basis for optimised energy saving design, and finally puts forward the optimal design strategy for energy saving, so as to build harmonious light and heat architectural environment.

The defences of the Roman legionary fortress at Novae (Lower Moesia) and coin finds from the latest excavations “Per lineam munitionum”: numismatic and archaeological interpretation

This paper aims to present the results of archaeological works carried out within the framework of a post-excavation project, “Per lineam munitionum”, between 2005–2016 around the fortification system of the Roman legionary fortress and the late Roman and early Byzantine town of Novae. The research concentrated generally on completing and recording old trenches as well as recording remains of the original building substance, stratigraphy and other archaeological remains using modern technologies and precise geodetic equipment. The archaeological data and stratigraphical observations were compared with the numismatic findings in an effort to improve the final interpretation and the reconstruction of the main construction phases.

Heritage Values and Rehabilitation: Architectural Intervention in the Archaeological Museum of Seville (Spain)

The present investigation examines the role of museum buildings in their consideration as heritage institutions. A particular interest in rehabilitation processes and conversion of international exhibition pavilions into museums will be assessed. The Archaeological Museum of Seville will be taken as a case study. The Ibero-American Exhibition of Seville (1929) was a paramount event in the city, with a vast development of the southern area of the city as well as a display of flourishing regionalist architecture. Its powerful image has transcended from this temporary event, embracing relevant institutions over decades, such as the Archeological Museum. Plus, historical preservation has enhanced its heritage value. Within the grounds of the historic María Luisa Park, the museum has undergone a remarkable evolution as an institution that requires a new relationship with its building, together with an adequation to new museological perspectives. During the lifetime of the museum, the former exhibition pavilion has experienced a succession of rehabilitation processes in the 20th century, always searching for a continuity with the concept of the original building. However, the evolution of the institution faces new challenges for the 21st century: display of the collection, technological issues, public and community services, network affiliation, etc. A series of cultural heritage protection measures that affect the property and its collections, its immediate environment, and the urban environment in which it is located, condition the building and its urban context. Nowadays, a new architectural intervention is in process, with the main goal of putting together all these requirements. The project also deals with the production of a new architecture of representation, respecting and rehabilitating the original regionalist building but also creating a contemporary image for the institution. The relevance of the museum, together with its urban role, make the Archeological Museum of Seville an important agent of cultural requalification. In conclusion, this paper will show how urban culture has been renewed, experiencing a decisive transformation of public spaces and cultural facilities, for leisure, education, or tourism. A new reconsideration of the Cultural Property in question is an experience that can be extrapolated to other museum experiences that emerged in the 20th century and that are currently undergoing a comprehensive reexamination.

Preserving heritage through new narratives

The following article describes the ongoing interior design project that accommodates a guesthouse in a historical building located in the city of Coimbra in Portugal. It focuses on the importance of generating new narratives to maintain the original nineteenth century building’s essence, when changing the architectural program, from a pharmacy on the ground floor and residences in the upper floors into a single guesthouse. We present the design-led methodology focused on the importance of generating narratives as a foundation to achieve a common goal while working in a cross-disciplinary team. In this context, the designer not only has the role of the form-giver, but also becomes the mediator between matter and form, the team leader, and the forecaster of the user’s emotional experiences. When adapting client’s brief into a tangible outcome within a team that crosses various areas of expertise (in this case: architecture, design, engineering, archaeology, conservation, and restoration), the importance of generating an open concept that can adapt to the evolving context, becomes key to meet client’s expectations. This article intends to contribute to the discussion of the designer’s elastic mindset as a binding tool between actors and contexts, towards an outcome that acknowledges the importance of the contribution of each one when looking for enriched results. Therefore, it questions what is gained and what is lost by setting aside the classic design fundamental principles and by focusing on design as a managing tool between data and the involved actors for an enriched outcome. As a main conclusion, it underlines the importance of generating a strong narrative with an open outcome to bind all stakeholders to a common goal through the designer as a project leader.

Study of Adaptive-Reuse Application in Rumah Atsiri (Ex. Citronella Factory), Karanganyar

Abandoned and unused old buildings are often seen as a waste of land. One of the ways that old buildings can be reused is to use the adaptive-reuse concept, which is an attempt to reuse an old, unused building into a different function from the original function while maintaining the original building values. The purpose of this research is to understand how the Adaptive Reuse concept is applied in Rumah Atsiri Indonesia. Firstly, the data has been collected through literature survey and field survey. Then, analyzed the elements of Rumah Atsiri Indonesia that can be categorized as adaptive reuse examples and have been investigated in the light of the de?ned factors. At the end, according to the result we can find what kind of work that has been done in Rumah Atsiri Indonesia that makes it as a sample of adaptive reuse projects. Rumah Atsiri that we see today is the result of the revitalization of an old factory building with a touch of modern architecture. Revitalization is carried out while maintaining the authenticity of the design of the building. The contrass of materials makes visitors able to distinguish which of the old buildings and which buildings and new elements are added by looking at the materials used.

Analytical characterization of the almohad rammed-earth wall of Cáceres, Spain

The aim of this work is to characterize the Rammed-Earth from the Almohad wall of Cáceres, Spain. Since the knowledge on the mechanical and physical properties of this historical structure is scarce, despite the significance of this archaeological ensemble, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, this work contributes with the knowledge of the construction mode of the Rammed-Earth, providing useful information about the original building techniques, the raw materials and the production technology used in this defensive structure built eight centuries ago. An advanced knowledge of the materials state used in the construction of this historical wall is required for a possible reliable restoration and preservation in which compatible materials may be used. For this purpose, an experimental campaign was carried out on the constituent materials of this monument, mainly composed by Rammed-Earth. In this work 12 different zones of the old city wall of Cáceres were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, compressive strength and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The results, presented and discussed, showed that this Rammed-Earth can be considered like an authentic concrete, made of lime and siliceous aggregates, mainly coming from granites and quartzites fragments, abundant local geomaterials, and that their good physical and mechanical properties are comparables to other ancient concretes. With this work, it is possible to fill the gap that exists in this field, characterizing the materials used in this ancient rampart, never previously studied.

Geotechnical interpretation of cedar piles at the Mietsu Naval Facility World Heritage Site

The Mietsu Naval Facility (MNF) was established as a Western-style military facility by the Saga Clan in 1858. The aim of the present study was to examine the purpose and installation method of cedar logs preserved in the Small Boat Dock (SBD) section of the MNF. In order to restore the scale and shape of the superstructure at the SBD to those at the time of its construction, it was necessary to determine the role of the cedar logs. The movement of the soil particles in a laboratory model, made of Kawasaki clay and penetrated by a foundation pile, was examined in order to simulate the deformation behavior around the cedar logs. The deformation around the pile, caused by the pile penetration, increased within the range of the pile diameter. The changes in the natural water content and the undrained shear strength around several piles in the SBD were measured. The model test results revealed that the cedar logs were driven piles, and thus, not posts of the building. Based on this knowledge and additional research into architectural history, it was possible to determine the scale and shape of the superstructure, potentially leading to the restoration of the original buildings and remains.

An Analysis on the Ministry of Health Building in the Early Republican Era

Başkent Ankara’da, Bakanlık yapıları, siyasi gücün temsiliyetini üstlenen sembolik yapılardır. Cumhuriyetin ilanının ardından inşa süreci başlayan bu yapılar günümüz Ankara’sında halen varlığını sürdürmektedir. Yapıların bazıları inşa edildiği tarihten bu yana aynı işleve hizmet ederken bazıları ise farklı işlevlere devredilmiş veya boşaltılmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında Erken Cumhuriyet döneminde inşa edilen ve dönemi konu edinen araştırmalarda ilk “modern” yapı olarak karşımıza çıkan Sağlık Bakanlığı binası ele alınmaktadır. Yapı, Cumhuriyet döneminde inşa edilen ilk modern yapı olarak anılsa da mevcut yazında yapıya ilişkin detaylı bir araştırma bulunmamaktadır. Çalışma hem bu duruma dikkat çekmeyi hem de yapının mevcut durumunu, Modern Mimarlık Mirası’nın korunmasına ilişkin yazın kapsamında, tartışmayı amaçlamaktadır. Avusturyalı mimar Theodor Jost tarafından tasarlanan yapı hem mimari üslup bakımından Uluslararası mimarinin Türkiye’deki ilk örneği olması hem de 90 yılı aşan geçmişiyle önemli bir değerdir. Kültürel ve tarihi belleğin sürdürülebilmesi adına modern mimari yapıların korunarak geleceğe aktarılması önem arz etmektedir. Bu amaçla yapının 2009 yılında geçirdiği yenileme projeleri ile birlikte mevcut iç mekânı değerlendirmeye alınmış ve bu veriler uluslararası tüzük ve anlaşmalarda öne çıkan noktalar doğrultusunda belirlenen ölçütler çerçevesinde irdelenmiştir.

Microstructural Characterization and Mechanical Properties of Volcanic Tuff (Malatya, Turkey) Used as Building Stone for the Restoring Cultural Heritage

Old stone buildings constitute a significant percentage of the residential buildings in many countries. These structures are highly vulnerable, and important losses in masonry structures occur even in moderate earthquakes. Therefore, safety evaluations of these structures have gained significant attention in recent years. In this study, the mechanical, physical and microstructural characteristics of tuff samples used in the old buildings were investigated in Battalgazi within the boundaries of Malatya Province during the Seljuk time. The characteristics of the building materials were examined in detail using in-situ and laboratory tests. Because adequate samples could not be obtained from the historical buildings, quarry areas with the same characteristics were identified. First, original building stone (OBS) used in construction was taken from fallen and unusable blocks. Then, the properties of the restoration building stones (RBS) brought from the quarries were investigated. The RBS samples were also examined using in the laboratory, and the mechanical and microstructural properties of the building components were determined. The dynamic and static moduli of elasticity were determined using ultrasonic pulse velocity and uniaxial compression test. The OBS and RBS samples yielded similar results after the microstructural analyses. Our results showed that the dynamic elastic modulus value was higher than the static elastic modulus value. The results revealed by both methods showed that the static and dynamic elastic moduli were closely linked. The OBS and RBS samples exhibited microlitic porphyritic and vesicular textures and nearly the same mineralogical and textural characteristics.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Heterocyclic Fluoroquinolone Citrate Conjugates as Potential Inhibitors of Topoisomerase IV: A Computational Molecular Modeling Study.

A facile and efficient method for the synthesis of novel derivatives of FQ citrate conjugates with 1,2,4-triazoles and 1,3,4-oxadiazole scaffolds 8-11 using conventional, as well as microwave irradiation methods, was reported. Based on these original building blocks, the new derivatives of 3, 7-disubstituted fluoroquinolones bearing the oxadiazolyl-triazole groups were obtained. These invaluable derivatives are of great interest in medicinal and pharmaceutical studies because of their important biological properties. All the reactions were examined under conventional as well as microwave mediated conditions. The structures of obtained compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR HRMS spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of these compounds were screened against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungal stains by the agar well diffusion method. Cytotoxic assay of the title compounds was evaluated against cervical carcinoma cell line (HeLa) by using the MTT assay. The crystal structure of the Quinolone-DNA cleavage complex of type IV topoisomerase from S. pneumoniae (PDB ID: 3RAE) complex was obtained from the Protein Database (PDB, http:// www.rcsb.org). Molecular properties prediction-drug likeness was studied by Molinspiration and Molsoft software, while lipophilicity and solubility parameters were studied using the Osiris program. A novel approach for the synthesis of benzylthio-1,2,4-triazole and 1,3,4-oxadiazoles core with regioisomeric norfloxacin citrate conjugates was developed. Among the title compounds, 11b, 10a reveal pronounced activity against S. pneumoniae with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.89, 0.96 mg/mL and MBCs of 2.95, 2.80 mg/mL, respectively. Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) has been determined for each compound against two fungal strains. Compound 11b showed maximum anti-cancer activity against HeLa cell line with IC50 value 11.3 ± 0.41 comparable to standard drug DXN. For binding mode, active site residues and docking energies (ΔG =-7.9 Kcal/mol) for ligand 9b exhibited the highest hydrogen bonding (3.59274 A˚), Pi- Alkyl (5.14468 A˚) interactions with amino acid LEU479 of 3RAE protein. The compounds following the Lipinski 'Rule of five' were synthesized for antimicrobial and anti-cancer screening as oral bioavailable drugs/leads. Maximum drug likeness model score 1.52, 1.41 was found for compounds 10d, 11b. The present work, through simple synthetic approaches, led to the development of novel hybrids of fluoroquinolone containing citrate-triazole-oxadiazole pharmacophores that exhibited remarkable biological activities against different microorganisms and cell lines. The compounds showed suitable druglike properties and are expected to present good bioavailability profile. An efficient combination of molecular modeling and biological activity provided an insight into QSAR guidelines that could aid in further development and optimization of the norfloxacin derivatives.

Geomatic measurement of “New Aniene” and “Claudia” roman aqueducts for flows estimation

The aqueducts are the most impressive and original building of the ancient Rome. The aqueducts moved water only by gravity, being constructed with a slight downward slope, within conduits of stone, brick or concrete. All along valleys or plains, the conduit was supported by buildings with arches, or its contents were placed to pressure in lead, ceramic or stone pipes. The aim of this work is to study and determine the slope and so to evaluate the actual flows, considering also that the area is interested by crustal movements. To evaluate it a geomatic survey of a part of the New Aniene and Claudia roman aqueducts was realised. The measured average slopes have values close to the value of 2 %« described in ancient texts that report the details of the realization of the Roman works. From the slopes through a hydraulic model the flow rate has been calculated. The general lowering of the study area was also highlighted through the comparison of reconstructed lines slope and those realized in 1917, approximately equal to 0.45 m.