Building Quality Research Articles

Public works, urban development, common goods

The role taken by public works requires us to use them to address the need to govern the complexity of the contemporary city, focusing its development and physical transformations on shared goals. The combination of urban regeneration and public works finds an outlet in intervention strategies for the quality of public space, public buildings, and architecture of civic value. In order to make public works an opportunity for shared regeneration, planning actions should aim at framing individual works within a broader strategic vision, dealing with the management of services (cultural, educational, social) to involve communities and stakeholders in organising urban enhancement methods. The construction of the ‘public city’ oriented to the common good should constitute a continuous path that allows neither pauses nor retreats. It should activate decision-making and governance processes that enhance citizens’ participation and develop synergies with private subjects, focusing on the social dynamics of the world of work, dwelling and culture.

Modelling of Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Passive Buildings Subjected to External Warm Climate Conditions

Air renewal rate is an important parameter for both indoor air quality and thermal comfort. However, to improve indoor thermal comfort, the air renewal rate to be used, in general, will depend on the outdoor air temperature values. This article presents the modelling of indoor air quality and thermal comfort for occupants of a passive building subject to a climate with warm conditions. The ventilation and shading strategies implemented for the interior spaces are then considered, as well as the use of an underground space for storing cooled air. The indoor air quality is evaluated using the carbon dioxide concentration, and thermal comfort is evaluated using the Predicted Mean Vote index. The geometry of the passive building, with complex topology, is generated using a numerical model. The simulation is performed by Building Thermal Response software, considering the building’s geometry and materials, ventilation, and occupancy, among others. The building studied is a circular auditorium. The auditorium is divided into four semi-circular auditoriums and a central circular space, with vertical glazed windows and horizontal shading devices on its entire outer surface. Typical summer conditions existing in a Mediterranean-type environment were considered. In this work, two cases were simulated: in Case 1, the occupation is verified in the central space and the four semi-circular auditoriums and all spaces are considered as one; in Case 2, the occupation is verified only in each semi-circular auditorium and each one works independently. For both cases, three strategies were applied: A, without shading and geothermal devices; B, with a geothermal device and without a shading device; and C, with both shading and geothermal devices. The airflow rate contributes to improving indoor air quality throughout the day and thermal comfort for occupants, especially in the morning. The geothermal and shading devices improve the thermal comfort level, mainly in the afternoon.

Adaptation of Post-fortress Buildings as an Enrichment of the Functional Programme of a Housing Estate on the Example of Fort VIII Służew in Warsaw

The article refers to the problem of adaptation of post-fortress objects from the 19th century located in the strict urban tissue in Poland. The authors of the text analyse the example of adaptation of Fort VIII Służew in Warsaw as a way of making common spaces in housing estates more attractive. The rapid demilitarisation of fortresses from this period caused by the development of the art of war and the subsequent dynamic development of urban planning after the Second World War resulted in the degradation and disappearance of these valuable monuments. The Russian ring fortress of Warsaw is now entirely within the urban fabric. Introducing additions and new utility functions is becoming a way of protecting the existing stock of often degraded spaces left behind by former forts. On the example of Fort VIII Służew, a number of activities related to adaptation, revitalisation and revalorisation of the existing urbanised residential space in Ursynów district are presented. The analysed object together with its surroundings is an example of a way to use post-fortress spaces for both utilitarian and cognitive purposes while respecting historic values. Age-old fortifications, so well preserved in Poland, significantly define and shape urban layouts. The research carried out by the authors of this text shows that appropriate use of the potential of post-fortress buildings from the 19th century can significantly improve the quality and character of colonial buildings and highlight the values associated with this type of specific monument.

Interpretable reduced-order optimization research for improving indoor environmental quality in buildings based on dimensional analysis and surrogate-based optimization

Implementing large-scale optimization designs and identifying optimal design variables in fields such as architectural engineering is crucial for improving indoor environmental quality. However, the high-dimensional nonlinear characteristics complicate the understanding of the optimization process and increase the difficulty of finding optimal solutions. This study proposes an interpretable reduced-order optimization (ROO) method based on dimensional analysis, which integrates numerous variables into a single reduced-order coefficient through a power form. The goal is to develop a reduced-order and approximately one-dimensional nonlinear relationship during the optimization process and to reveal the mechanisms of single-objective and multi-objective optimization, thereby enhancing the interpretability of the optimization process. The reliability of the ROO is validated through single-objective optimization of building thermal bridges and multi-objective optimization of squirrel cage fans. The study shows that the power in the reduced-order coefficient can be used to determine the sensitivity and impact of design variables on optimization targets. The nonlinear relationship between the composite structural parameters of the building thermal bridge and the total heat flux can be reduced to an approximately one-dimensional linear relationship, significantly reducing the total heat flux of the thermal bridge by 10.3 %. The ROO accurately describes the aerodynamic performance of the fan and its high-dimensional nonlinear relationship with eight design variables, eliminating optimization conflicts among multiple operating conditions and significantly enhancing the aerodynamic performance. The ROO method proposed in this study offers a new approach to making the optimization process more interpretable, playing a crucial role in optimization design and revealing optimization mechanisms in engineering applications.

Adaptive fusion graph convolutional network based interpretable fault diagnosis method for HVAC systems enhanced by unlabeled data

Fault diagnosis is critical in maintaining the operational stability and reliability of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, which are crucial for ensuring indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency in buildings. However, traditional fault diagnosis methodologies face substantial challenges in accurately capturing the dynamic interactions within these systems and effectively utilizing unlabeled data. To overcome these limitations, an innovative fault diagnosis approach utilizing the Adaptive Fusion Graph Convolution Network (AFGCN) is proposed in this paper. This method significantly enhances the model's learning and inference abilities, particularly in scenarios with limited labeled data, by adaptively integrating the associative graph features of both unlabeled and labeled data. Furthermore, to augment the transparency and trustworthiness of the diagnostic outcomes, this paper introduces an interpretability analysis module. This module is designed to quantify the contribution of each sensor node in the fault diagnosis process. Experimental evaluations using the ASHRAE RP-1043, actual building operating chillers datasets, and LBNL FDD Data Sets_SDAHU indicate that this method offers substantial performance improvements in diagnosing faults in HVAC systems.

Exploring Current Techniques for Improving the Properties of New Concrete

In modern construction, the properties of new concrete are crucial for building quality and structural performance. Recent technological advancements have led to significant progress in enhancing the properties of new concrete. This study employs theoretical and experimental methods to explore the connection among shear stress and shear strain rate under vibration, the impact of aggregate substitution on concrete performance, and the rheological properties of moist shotcrete. The findings suggest that adjusting mix proportions and using additives can significantly improve concrete's strength, durability, and workability. This research provides engineers with a theoretical foundation for optimizing concrete mixtures and construction techniques, thereby improving overall building quality and construction efficiency. The findings suggest that sustainable materials can be used without compromising structural integrity, making the construction process more environmentally friendly while maintaining high performance standards. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of understanding concrete behavior under various conditions to develop more resilient and long-lasting structures.

Case study: structural feasibility analysis for a reinforced concrete building

Currently, the residential building sector in Brazil is experiencing continuous growth, despite the adverse impacts caused by 2 years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, there is a demand for structural projects that enable the execution of these works from a structure that is viable from the point of view of safety, good conditions of use, comfort and economy. Technical and practical knowledge is a fundamental requirement for a good project, combined with skill in a technological analysis and sizing tool. Having said that, the present work proposed to develop the analysis and structural design, with the help of the Brazilian software TQS®, of a multi-family residential building in reinforced concrete, using both linear and nonlinear static analyses. The central motivation was to address structural challenges and ensure that the design complies with Brazilian standards, thereby improving the quality and safety of residential buildings. The work sought to follow all the design steps of a structure in order to meet the requirements recommended by Brazilian standards. Based on the analyses, it was possible to adopt solutions for the various structural problems that arose during the design and, finally, obtain the final document with all the details of the structure.

Application of a multi-criteria decision technique to assignation of acoustic classes

Acoustic performance evaluation of buildings prior to the acoustic classification, requires consideration of a number of factors with the corresponding quantitative criteria to be satisfied. It is of question how much the deviations can be compensated and whether all performance factors are equally important. This paper presents the results of a study on assigning priorities for each acoustic factor by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) - a multi-criteria decision technique - based on the expert evaluations. Eleven acoustic consultants rated seven acoustic factors, i.e. regulatory criteria of sound insulation, sound level and reverberation time, in pairwise comparisons. The data were aggregated after a consistency check and weights of each acoustic factor were calculated as well as weights of six acoustic performance classes ranging from A to F. The outcomes of this study resulted in a decision matrix, named as "acoustic scorecard" which can be used to obtain a single-number rating index for acoustic quality of buildings.

Innovative strategies for time-release PCE design and cement paste flowability control

Extending the retention time of cement paste flowability with the addition of admixtures containing slow-release components is standard practice for ensuring the continued building quality of cement-based materials. This study aims to control the release rate of PCE and enhance its time-varying dispersion effect in fresh cement paste by utilizing Time-dependent Release PCEs (TRPCEs) with varying side-chain structures. The structural characterization of the synthesized TRPCEs was investigated using GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), and 1H NMR (Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. Furthermore, experiments were carried out on time-varying flowability with different dosages of TRPCEs to investigate the flowability changes under the time-varying release effect. The influence of TRPCEs on cement hydration was examined using isothermal calorimetry by measuring the early hydration heat of cement paste. The time-dependent adsorption behaviors of TRPCEs were also examined using a TOC (Total Organic Carbon) analyzer. The findings show that TRPCEs have a minor effect on the cement hydration process's rapid reaction period but little effect on its induction and acceleration periods because of variations in the initial dispersion effect. Additionally, the adsorption behaviors of TRPCEs on cement particles vary significantly due to the hydrolysis of slow-release groups. The varying adsorption and consumption of TRPCEs on cement particles and hydration products in different hydration phases are key controlling factors for the time-varying flowability changes in cement paste. Finally, this innovative approach offers a novel perspective for designing and preparing new types of PCEs with a strong capability for time-varying flowability retention.

Optimising indoor environmental quality: Development of a benchmarking tool for valuing performance in office buildings

A novel benchmarking tool, the Building Office Benchmark (BOB) tool, has been developed to evaluate the economic benefit of increased work performance by upgrading the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in office buildings. Utilising post occupancy evaluations in Danish and Greenlandic office buildings (26 buildings in Denmark and 22 buildings in Greenland comprising a total of 153 offices), a database comprising registration of building properties, measurements of IEQ parameters and occupant responses has been established. This may be used not only to benchmark the indoor environment in office buildings but also to identify suboptimal conditions and, based on this, quantify the economic benefits of indoor environment upgrades.Informed by literature review findings, the tool's IEQ domains and weightings of different IEQ domains and parameters align with existing certification schemes. The tool may be used to outline the economic advantages of IEQ improvements, presented straightforwardly to building owners and tenants. Overall, the tool presents a framework for assessing and improving IEQ in office environments.

Factors Affecting the Indoor Air Quality and Occupants’ Thermal Comfort in Urban Agglomeration Regions in the Hot and Humid Climate of Pakistan

The World Air Quality Index indicates that Pakistan ranks as the third most polluted country, regarding the average (Particulate Matter) PM2.5 concentration, which is 14.2 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guideline. It is crucial to implement a program aimed at reducing PM2.5 levels in Pakistan’s urban areas. This review paper highlights the importance of indoor air pollution in urban regions such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, and Karachi, while also considering the effects of outdoor air temperature on occupants’ thermal comfort. The study aims to evaluate past methodological approaches to enhance indoor air quality in buildings. The main research question is to address whether there are statistical correlations between the PM2.5 and the operative air temperature and whether other indoor climatic variables have an impact on the thermal comfort assessment in densely built urban agglomeration regions in Pakistan. A systematic review analysis method was employed to investigate the effects of particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon oxides (COx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on residents’ health. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) protocol guided the identification of key terms and the extraction of cited studies. The literature review incorporated a combination of descriptive research methods to inform the research context regarding both ambient and indoor air quality, providing a theoretical and methodological framework for understanding air pollution and its mitigation in various global contexts. The study found a marginally significant relationship between the PM2.5 operative air temperature and occupants’ overall temperature satisfaction, Ordinal Regression (OR) = 0.958 (95%—Confidence Interval (CI) [0.918, 1.000]), p = 0.050, Nagelkerke − Regression (R2) = 0.042. The study contributes to research on the development of an evidence-based thermal comfort assessment benchmark criteria for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Global Thermal Comfort Database version 2.1.

An Investigation into Building Functional Failures in Akure South Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria

Functional failures and faults are regular occurrences in buildings and construction industries. The rate of building collapse in Nigeria has increased dramatically over the last decade and shows no signs of abating which has led to massive losses causing loss of physical properties, destruction of movable properties, injury, and loss of life. Beyond this, building collapse always has far-reaching economic, financial, psychological, and sociological implications. This study reported the causes of functional failures of buildings in Akure South Local Government Area, Nigeria. As a result, this study aimed to investigate the causes of functional failures in buildings and their impact on the quality and functionality of a building to build a theoretical framework that can help address the functional failures in buildings. The study utilized a questionnaire-based survey in the Akure South Local Government area. Data was collected from residents occupying the buildings. Information obtained includes the type of building and the current physical condition of the houses they live in, and 90 responses were collected and analyzed. The analysis identified six factors of functional failures in buildings investigated; damp 30%, cracks 50%, poor plumbing 45%, poor electrical wiring 35%, roofing defects 25% and Inadequate maintenance 70% and four causes of building failures; poor construction materials 32.7%, human errors 20.7%, natural disasters 12.4%, and a combination of the three factors 34.2%. Based on the findings, the results showed that the combination of the three factors was the most significant cause of building functional failures in the Akure South LGA, while natural disasters were the least significant cause. To mitigate the functional failures in buildings, it is important to enforce stringent regulations and standards by involving Governmental bodies (architectural Engineers and structural Engineers) to check building drawings and structural analysis report properly and correctly before design approvals, conduct regular inspections and internal audits, to help detect and rectify errors and maintaining standards throughout the construction process in order to enhance the quality, safety, and resilience of buildings, ensuring their functionality and longevity.

A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock

A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock

Impact of buildings’ configuration in an urban context on the spread pattern of NO2 and indoor air quality: A CFD simulation

The influence of the building’s configuration on the air flow pattern and the amount of pollutant entering the buildings was investigated. Six common forms of low-rise buildings in Shiraz City were evaluated as investigated patterns. Each of these forms were placed in four rotation modes (24 case studies in total) in an urban regular pavilion-shaped context, placed in the vicinity of an urban highway (as a source of pollutant production) and were simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In this research, air velocity and NO2 concentration were considered as the air quality parameters. Steady 3-dimensional flow was used to simulate these cases using the SST k-[Formula: see text] turbulence model, which was numerically solved based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The CFD software used in this research was validated in comparison with wind tunnel tests and acceptable results were found. The TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making method was used to choose the best case based on increasing the air velocity and decreasing amount of pollutant inside the building. The results show that the best and worst building forms are related to the step-shaped and the L-shaped form, respectively. The results of this research provide design solutions for architects and urban designers to improve the ventilation quality of buildings.

Built-In Environmental Construction Mechanism and Sustainable Renewal Strategies of Traditional Qiang Dwellings in Western China

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a significant impact on human health, as people spend 90% of their time in various indoor environments. Therefore, research on IAQ is extremely necessary. However, current research on traditional Qiang residences in western Sichuan mainly focuses on the indoor thermal environment and heritage protection, with relatively little attention paid to IAQ. This study investigates the IAQ of traditional Qiang residences in western Sichuan, which have open fire pits as the core of daily life, exploring the impact of passive renovation strategies on the indoor air quality. Using simulation methods, this study employs passive strategies, such as increasing the size of windward windows, changing ventilation methods, relocating the fire pit, and enlarging interior partition openings, to improve and optimize the IAQ through natural ventilation. The results show that when the windward window sizes are 0.8 m × 1.9 m and 0.7 m × 1.55 m, the reduction in the indoor CO2 concentration is the greatest, with a maximum decrease of 0.024% at the 1.5 m plane. This paper proposes passive renovation strategies to improve the indoor air quality of Qiang residences in western Sichuan. These strategies effectively enhance the indoor air quality of Qiang residences and address the research gap on indoor air quality in regional Qiang residences in western Sichuan. The insights and methods presented contribute to the improvement of the indoor air quality in traditional buildings and support the sustainable development of traditional architecture.

Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings

With the improvement of living standards and the enhancement of health awareness, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has become a hot topic of concern for the public and researchers [...]

Sustainable Performance of Industrialised Building Systems in the Construction Phase

The Industrialised Building System (IBS) is a construction method where components are manufactured in controlled environments, either on-site or offsite, before being assembled into construction works. Over the past several decades, it has garnered growing interest as a method to promote sustainable building. This study identified sustainable indicators through literature reviews, extracting sixteen indicators for a sustainability evaluation. A survey was conducted among developers, designers, civil and structure (C&S) consultants, mechanical and electrical (M&E) consultants, manufacturers, and contractors in North Malaysia, focusing on Kedah state, to identify their perceptions on the sustainable indicator performance of IBS construction. The participants had experience in both IBS and conventional construction. The data collected from the questionnaires were analysed for the mean and Relative Importance Index (RII). The results revealed significant changes in IBS construction compared with conventional construction across all indicators. The top three indicators were reducing the amount of formwork, labour availability, and reducing site disruption. Next, the analysis of the within-group comparison using Intra-class Correlation (ICC) of the indicators revealed that contractors, developers and manufacturers possessed moderate similarity within the same group of organisations. This research gives an overview of the present perspectives of performance of sustainable indicators across key stakeholders in the Kedah construction sector. This is especially beneficial because IBS has grown in popularity and popularity owing to its ability to enhance the building environment, quality, and productivity.

Analysis of the Impact of Renewable Energy Application on the Cost of Green Building Projects

Green building is a sustainable ecological building, and the application of renewable energy to green buildings can protect the ecological environment and reduce energy consumption to a certain extent, so this paper makes an in-depth analysis of the impact of renewable energy application on the cost of green building projects. Firstly, the grey correlation analysis was used to analyze the characteristic indicators of renewable energy applied to the cost of green building projects, and the estimation index system of green building projects was constructed. Then, the improved genetic algorithm was used to construct the explanatory variables and control variables of green building project cost control, the variation factors of green building project cost control were analyzed through principal component analysis, and the elastic modulus and regression discriminant method were combined to complete the impact analysis of renewable energy application to green building project cost. The simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce the economic cost of green buildings, ensure the quality of buildings, and protect the natural ecological environment.

Development and validation of a fully coupled thermo-mechanical model for in-situ micro-rolling in laser-directed energy deposition: Single-track multi-layer case

Directed Energy Deposition (DED) has recently been hybridised with in-situ rolling, providing elevated temperature deformations and enhancing build quality. Analysing the thermo-mechanical aspects of deformations with sufficient fidelity can not be achieved experimentally. So, a fully coupled thermo-mechanical model for a multi-layer case using the finite element method has been developed to capture the thermal and mechanical facets of the deposition and rolling processes. Modelling features a hybrid active and quiet element activation strategy that mitigates convergence issues from activating a newly deposited layer over previously rolled ones. The model's predictions have been validated with reasonable accuracy against temperature history and rolling load measurements in an experimental case study using IN718. These predictions provide insights into the in-situ rolling effects with their quantification, including the impact on the thermal and stress-strain fields and histories. For instance, the temperature at the rolling location and the local temperature drop increase with the number of layers. The thermal stress induced by deposition overshadows the influence of in-situ rolling. The rolling deformation penetrates till the third preceding layer, and deposition leads to above the recrystallisation temperature reheating till the fourth layer. These predictions can be used for parametric optimisation with metallurgical criteria.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY MONITORING IN DWELLINGS: CASE STUDIES IN MADRID, SPAIN

ABSTRACT The quality of the indoor environment has evolved into a vital parameter for dwellings due to the increasing number of home-based jobs, with more people spending most of their time at home. Generally, the design and evaluation of indoor air quality in buildings depend on guidelines and recommendations from national and international standards. In a building stock in which mechanical ventilation is not mainstream, it is necessary to evaluate the natural ventilation habits and their impact on indoor air quality. This article describes a methodology to assess indoor air quality using four case studies in which habits and occupancy are representative samples of dwellings in Madrid, Spain. Temperature, relative humidity, formaldehyde, particle matter (PM), and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been measured over several months. The analysis of these values leads to conclusions that each pollutant has a different source. For example, Formaldehyde concentration depends mostly on indoor finishes and materials; indoor activities impact PM concentrations. The results showed high formaldehyde concentrations in the case study decorated with oil paintings, whereas bedrooms with insufficient ventilation showed consistently high CO2 concentrations. Finally, well-ventilated rooms showed high PM concentrations due to the smoking habits and pets that live with the family.