Renovation Work Research Articles

Assessment of the Technical Condition of the Kossak Manor Granary Building in Górki Wielkie

The article presents an assessment of the technical condition of the Manor Granary Barn of Zofia Kossak in Górki Wielkie. Due to its architectural value, the building holds special significance for the local community. Proper verification of the technical condition was crucial for the planned renovation and reconstruction in the next stage. It is planned that the Granary building will be transformed into an office and service complex with gastronomic and cultural elements as part of the "Kossak Educational and Cultural Center" project in the future. The history of the granary building dates back to the 18th century when it was part of an estate or manor, mainly serving as a warehouse for agricultural produce and other valuable goods. The assessment of the technical condition of the building was carried out with regard to the planned change of function to create various spaces such as exhibition halls, a café, or office spaces, which are intended to serve the organization of cultural and educational events. The implementation of the project will require a comprehensive technical analysis enabling the proper planning of renovation and modernization works. The scope of works will be related to necessary repairs of the roof, walls, ceilings, and facade, as well as adapting the interiors to the new needs of users. The transformation of the Granary into an office and service facility with gastronomic and cultural functions represents a significant step towards restoring life and functionality to this historic place.

Legal conditions for renovation works of cultural heritage structures

Preservation, protection, renovation of the historical and cultural heritage items, and furthermore, transmitting them to our later generations in intact is regarded as a priority in the government policies as far as they stand as material monuments of specific characteristics of the nation and its independence. It was not a mere incident that Mongolian government had enacted the Preservation and Protection of Old Items Rules in 1924 right after promulgation of the first Mongolian Constitution as an independent State. Later in 1970, ‘Cultural Monument Protection Law’ was adopted, and then Historical and Cultural Monument Item Renovation Agency was established in 1973 under the Ministry of Culture. Although laws and regulations related with cultural heritage, which are in force today, are comparatively adequate, there are still numerous problems to be solved in their implementations, and particularly in practices of renovation works, preservation and protection of cultural heritage items and constructions. This article deals with some research outcomes on laws and regulations related with renovations of historical and cultural monument structures, and their implementations. Түүх, соёлын дурсгалт барилгыг сэргээн засварлах үйл ажиллагааны эрх зүйн орчин Хураангуй: Түүх соёлын дурсгалт зүйлс нь улс орны үндэсний өвөрмөц онцлогийн илэрхийлэл, тусгаар тогтнолыг батлах хөдөлшгүй нэг баримт болдог тул тэдгээрийг хайрлан хамгаалах, сэргээн завсарлах, хойч үедээ уламжлан өвлүүлэх нь төр засгийн бодлогын чухал зорилт болж ирсэн. Монгол Улс анхны үндсэн хуулиа баталж, тусгаар тогтнолоо тунхагласан 1924 онд соёлын өвийг сэргээн засварлахтай холбоотой харилцааг зохицуулах “Хуучин зүйлийг сахин хамгаалах дүрэм”-ийг баталсан байдаг нь тохиолдлын зүйл биш юм. Энэ үеэс салбарын хууль эрх зүйн орчин бүрдэх үйл авц эхэлсэн бөгөөд 1970 онд “Соёлын дурсгалт зүйлийг хамгаалах хууль” батлагдаж, 1973 онд Соёлын яамны харьяанд Түүх, соёлын дурсгалт зүйлийн засварын газар байгуулагджээ. Өнөөгийн байдлаар салбарын хууль эрх зүйн орчин харьцангуй сайн бүрдээд байгаа боловч соёлын дурсгалт зүйлс, барилга байгууламжийг сэргээн засварлах ажил үйлчилгээний одоогийн практик, хууль тогтоомж, дүрэм журмын хэрэгжилтэд тулгарч буй шийдвэрлэвэл зохих цөөнгүй асуудлууд байсаар байна. Энэхүү өгүүллэгт соёлын дурсгалт барилга байгууламжийг сэргээн засварлах үйл ажиллагааны хууль эрх зүйн зохицуулалт, тэдгээрийн хэрэгжилтийн байдлыг судалсан зарим үр дүнг тусган авч үзсэн болно. Түлхүүр үгс: архитектурын өв, сэргээн засварлалт, хууль эрх зүйн зохицуулалт, эзэмшигч болон өмчлөгчийн эрх, үүрэг

Renovating Post-First-Energy-Regulation Housing: Achieving Nearly Zero-Energy buildings under typical and extreme warm conditions in a temperate European city

Decarbonising the built environment is essential for achieving the 2050 European objectives. Multi-family buildings comprise nearly half of Europe’s building stock, yet there is no regulation mandating all housing renovations to be Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs). This paper highlights the role of NZEB renovation for residential buildings constructed between the first energy regulations, after the first oil crisis, and the EPBD 2002 implementation (post-first-energy-regulation housing), as a pivotal factor towards energy transition. In Spain, this period (1980–2006) encompasses approximately 45% of existing dwellings. A case study was conducted in a city with a Cfb temperate climate, focusing on the most representative residential typology of the target period: the linear block. The study evaluates its current state and defines potential measures to meet NZEB requirements, achieving zero consumption when renovation of thermal envelope is combined with heat recovery systems, heat pumps, and PV panels.This research is based on energy simulations for two climate scenarios: the typical meteorological year (TMY, official series 1970–2000) and the most extreme warm year (EWY, 2022) in Spain. Results indicate active cooling systems are necessary for NZEB renovations in Spanish Cfb climates. Furthermore, low-temperature radiators significantly reduce heating consumption, while splits are the most suitable cooling systems. This study shows Spain is not adequately preparing its housing stock to face climate change, as most typical renovation works are based on official weather files that need updating to reflect harsher summer conditions. Finally, the study aims to encourage new policies and enhance existing regulations to address rising temperatures and heatwaves.

Renovating Traditional Craft

This review article evaluates theories and on the entanglement of matter and meaning, elaborating and exploring the potential outcomes of craft in research processes. Exemplified through a collaborative exploration between me as a silversmith and programmers at the Mechatronic Innovation Lab (MIL) in Grimstad, Norway, I explore, through these theories, how renovation work served as a diffraction apparatus in exploring the relation between traditional craft and emerging mechatronic technologies in light of the concept of sustainability. Renovation work is, in this setting, understood as cutting, filing, grinding and polishing, often the final but nevertheless essential step in a production process. This type of surface work accentuates here how it is possible to not only see traditional crafts as carriers of intangible value linked to identity but also as a type of knowledge powerful of providing insights into the entanglement of matter and meaning. Through uniting different knowledge systems, like the subjective knowledge in the situated understanding of material, tools, setting and processes, and more objective knowledge, typically for observation, readings and purely cognitive activities, renovation work exposed, in this case, some of the limitations of automation and provided unexpected findings on the relationship between body and machine.

Integrating effects of overheating on human health into buildings’ life cycle assessment

PurposeDue to climate change, the severity and length of heat waves are increasing, and this trend is likely to continue while mitigation efforts are insufficient. These climatic events cause overheating inside buildings, which increases mortality. Adaptation measures reduce overheating but induce environmental impacts, including on human health. This study aims to integrate the overheating-related effects on human health in building LCA to provide a design aid combining mitigation and adaptation.MethodsIn a novel approach, an existing building LCA tool is utilised to evaluate life cycle impacts, including damage to human health expressed in DALYs. The overheating risk is then evaluated using an existing dynamic thermal simulation (DTS) tool and prospective climatic data. Overheating is expressed as a degree-hour (DH) indicator, which integrates both the severity (temperature degrees over a comfort threshold) and the duration (hours). By assuming proportionality between DALYs and DH × area in a first step, the 2003 heat wave mortality data, 2003 climatic data, and a simplified model of the national residential building stock were used to identify a characterisation factor, which can then be used to evaluate DALYs corresponding to any building using DH obtained by thermal simulation.ResultsThe proposed overheating model not only allows to derive a characterisation factor for overheating to be used in building LCA but also provides practical insights. The first estimation of the characterisation factor is 1.35E-8DALY. DH-1.m-2. The method was tested in a case study corresponding to a social housing apartment building in France built in 1969 without insulation. The thickness of insulation implemented in the renovation works was varied. For this specific case study, the contribution of overheating is significant, ranging from 1.1E-5DALY.m-2.y-1 to 2.2E-5DALY.m-2.y-1, comparable to the contribution of heating. DTS and LCA results found an optimal thickness, minimising the human health indicator in DALYs. This underscores the potential of active cooling to reduce human health impacts, especially if it consumes electricity produced by a photovoltaic system integrated in the building.ConclusionCombining DTS and LCA makes it possible to evaluate damage indicators on human health, including building life cycles (e.g., material and energy) and overheating-related impacts. An application on a case study shows this method’s feasibility and gives a first order of magnitude of overheating health impacts induced by buildings. A more sophisticated model could replace the assumed proportionality between DALYs and DH.

The Renovation Scheme of Historical and Cultural Blocks in the City--Taking Yongqing Fang of Guangzhou as an Example

Since 2006, Guangzhou has started the old city renovation work on the Enning Road plot, and the transformation planning has been discussed for more than ten years, it finally changed from "large-scale relocation, large-scale demolition and large-scale construction" to "protection, renewal and utilization", and put forward the urban renewal model of "micro-transformation" in 2016. The renovation was relatively successful, turning Yongqing Fang into a famous scenic spot in Guangzhou and adding huge commercial value. Therefore, the researchers decided to study the value of the "micro-renovation" case of Yongqing Fang in Guangzhou for the renovation plan of historical and cultural blocks in the city. The method of field investigation was adopted in this study. Data and pictures were obtained from field shooting and measurement, as well as some from the official office of Yongqingfang and academic literature. The results show that the "micro transformation" model proposed in the renovation of Yongqing Fang is of innovative significance, which provides a new idea and perspective for the renovation of historical and cultural blocks in the city.

The Partial Collapse of the Italia Viaduct

On 2 March 2015, one span of the so-called “Italia Viaduct”, the second highest bridge in Europe, collapsed during some renovation works, killing one worker. This article describes in detail the forensic investigations developed by the authors acting as technical consultants (i.e. expert witnesses) to the Public Prosecutor. In cases similar to that under study, it is very common that the collapse is disproportionate to the original cause. Hence, in the investigation, a clear distinction between the triggering cause and the causes of the damage evolution was made. The purpose of the investigations was not only to determine the causes of such a collapse but also to give the Public Prosecutor sufficient data to identify the parties responsible. The aim of the article is also to discuss the methodology used for the investigations and the relevant results in order to trace general criteria useful for forensic structural investigations.

Establishing a Geo-Database for Drinking Water and Its Delivery and Storage Components with an Object-Based Approach

Infrastructure facilities that serve the city as a whole and should be considered as a whole should be built in an orderly and planned manner, just as cities are. Infrastructure facilities become obsolete over time. Aging infrastructure facilities may become unserviceable over time. When the need for maintenance and repair arises, it is mandatory to renew or replace infrastructure facilities. In this case, necessary maintenance/repair and renovation works should be completed as soon as possible. These infrastructure facilities may not be transferred to maps in the digital environment and may often be managed with person-oriented information, not institutional. There is a problem for decision makers, namely, that the construction, maintenance, repair and governance of infrastructure facilities cannot be carried out systematically, on time and effectively. The only way to provide such a service is through the combined use of today’s informatics, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies, unlike the classical methods of the past. The aim of the study is to effectively manage the scarce resource of drinking water and its facilities, which are an important component of infrastructure facilities, with a method that uses current mapping technologies and informatics facilities. Especially after Infrastructure for Spatial Information (INSPIRE) and the transformation of Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard, Turkish National Geographic Information System (TNGIS) studies and many academic studies carried out in Türkiye have been modelled with Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams in accordance with LADM. Similarly, within the scope of this study, UML diagrams were prepared, and then a GIS database was established. Thanks to field workers, chiefs, engineers and others working on water pipelines, all necessary data, classic, as-built and digital, were gathered. These were collected in different ways in order to conduct spatial and non-spatial analysis in the study area of Trabzon. The most important result from the study is that the entire drinking water infrastructure of Trabzon has been transferred to the system in a structure that allows spatial queries, ensuring that damage detection on water components, maintenance and repair processes are carried out in the shortest time and at the lowest cost. The investigation and application of a sensor-integrated GIS-aided system, making it possible to control and monitor the use of lost and illegal water to be controlled as well as inform consumers who will be affected by possible maintenance and repair, is recommended.

From ‘village tanks’ to ‘evaporating pans’: Colonial and Post-colonial responses to ancient village tanks in Sri Lanka

Village tanks, prevalent since ancient times, were an integrated part of the irrigation system in Sri Lanka (‘Ceylon’ till 1972). It was under these village tanks that paddy cultivation took place, and they were a part of the socially, technologically, and ecologically cohesive way of village life. The colonial authorities, who tried to renovate that ancient system, perceived village tanks as technically inefficient due to excessive evaporation and uneconomical land use. However, for several reasons, that perception could not be materialized during their renovation works. During the post-colonial period, with the implementation of the land colonization schemes in the 1930’s and the multipurpose river valley development schemes in the 1960’s, the scenario took a different shape. The technically perceived inferiority of the village tanks was brought into the new water management policies and the engineering designs. As a result, many of the village tanks were demolished, and those lands were converted to the farmlands. Instead of water availabilities assured through village tanks, canal irrigation became prominent. The socio-technical bondage between the village tanks and the village communities was not considered, presenting a classic case study for the consequences of neglecting social component of the technology. This paper discusses the social, political, and technical implications of these moves and their influence on shaping the present irrigation setup in the island.

Sustainable Redevelopment by Reuse and Recycle of C&D Waste in Mumbai

Solid waste that is generated due to demolition or alteration, any renovation work, structure repairing work is known as Construction and demolition waste (C&D). This waste is considered low risk waste but found in high volume. This waste can be used as resource for recycling and reusing. Due to increase in C&D waste environmental concerns and public health concerns are also increased. This causes necessity for recycling and reusing of C&D waste. If proper waste materials are managed, cleaned and sieved in industrial crushing plants materials can be reused. In spite of this demolition waste is dumped into dumping grounds of Mumbai. Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has nine municipal corporations which has area of 4,355sq.km. Under 74th Constitutional Amendment, Municipal Corporations in India are mandated to have solid waste management. In MMR all municipal corporations have centralized waste management that is dumped into nearby landfills. There are multiple players including informal sectors who are merging in managing C&D waste to decentralized the process. Due to increase in C&D waste in dumping grounds of Mumbai necessity to develop waste management plan is important. Working towards achieving this will help to reduce hazardous effect on humans and environment. This study highlights the need of reusing and recycling of C&D waste with proper management for sustainable development in city of Mumbai.

Cilician Amphorae from the Tarsus Zeytin Pazarı Excavation

Rescue excavations were carried out in and around the remains of the Roman reservoir uncovered during the renovation works of the Zeytin Pazarı in the north of the city center of Tarsus. In particular, piles of ceramic sherds were recovered from the fill inside the reservoir remains, and commercial amphorae constitute the most dense group among these finds. Spread over a long period of time during the Roman Period and Late Antiquity, the amphora also includes types from different geographical regions. Among these, amphorae, which were apparently imported from the cities of the Cilicia Region, were categorized. In this way, information was obtained about the regional trade connections of Tarsus in the above-mentioned period. The amphorae, which have been handled with the names commonly accepted in the literature, have been typologically defined and dated by analogy method. Thus, Pompei V and Agora G 198 amphorae from Aigeai were dated to the 1st-2nd centuries AD, Zemer 41 amphorae from Bıçkıcı, Antiochia ad Cragum and Syedra to the 1st-3rd centuries AD and Proto Late Roman 1 amphorae from Elaiussa Sebaste to the second half of the 4th century AD.

FACTORS IDENTIFICATION AFFECTING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY SYSTEM USING DELPHI METHOD AT INDONESIA REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL BUILDING

Negligence in carrying out renovation work by the contractor, namely elevator fire incidents or events at the Indonesia Representative Council Building can disrupt the productivity and continuity of legislative activities. Implementation of OHSMS is a preventive action for incidents that could result in fatality in the workplace. The impact is the postponement of important agendas. This research aims to analyze the factors that influence the OHSMS in Indonesia Representative Council Building. Qualitative approach is used with questionnaires, in-depth interviews and document analysis as data collection methods. The results identified a number of key factors that influence the implementation of the OHSMS in the Indonesia Representative Council Building. Competency, regulations, participation, commitment, and supervision are the factors that used for developing OHSMS, also already validated by experts. These factors are interrelated and contribute to creating a safe and healthy work environment in the Indonesia Representative Council Building. The results of this research have important implications in improving OHS in the Indonesia Representative Council Building and may be applied in similar organizational contexts. All of this research results can be use for develop occupational health and safety management system by building a strategy for reducing accident at work environment.

INVESTMENT FEASIBILITY COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GREEN BUILDING AND CONVENTIONAL IN DKI JAKARTA

Sustainable buildings generally demonstrate a friendly environment, save energy and reduce operational costs, thus opening up significant investment opportunities in green buildings of the office property type. It is a shame that currently there are still very few office building developers who apply the green building concept, meanwhile the green building concept provides 31% greater profits than conventional buildings. This study aims to analyze the financial feasibility of four office buildings which are divided into two categories, namely category one (building 1 and Building 3) with a grade A building type and category two (building 2 and building 4) with a grade B building type. Building 1 and building 2 has received green building certification issued by GBCI. Building 2 and building 4 are buildings with a conventional concept. Calculation analysis is carried out using the Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Payback Period (PP) methods. Based on the results of the analysis, from the two categories of building types, the results showed that the NPV of each building was said to be financially feasible with an NPV ratio of 294% (category 1) and 162% (category 2). The IRR obtained exceeds the MARR value, with a comparison of 54% (category 1) and 21% (category 2). The payback period is less than the project investment period, namely 20 years, with a difference of 5 years (category 1) and 3 years (category 2). The office buildings with the highest and best NPV are Building 1 and Building 3 (category 1), so that even though the construction costs and green building design planning costs incurred are higher, in the research object of each building there are quite significant differences in NPV and IRR and It is hoped that all new construction and renovation work carried out by developers can apply the green building concept.

Risk assessment of mold growth across the US due to weather variations

Mold growth in residential and commercial buildings poses a serious problem to various communities. There are several facets of the problem, the most prominent of which are chronic public health risks, business losses, and monetary and labor resources needed for mold containment and mitigation. In addition, there may be severe renovation work needed if the problem is left unattended. This paper describes a probabilistic framework for mold growth risk assessment on various construction materials and shows its application across a variety of climate conditions. Mold growth is contingent upon three ingredients: temperature, moisture, and nutrients. A specific construction material of interest represents the latter, while the other two are modeled through Monte-Carlo simulations. Mold growth is characterized by the mold growth index, which is tracked over ten years, with hourly time resolution. Analysis of the temperature and relative humidity empirical data revealed that these quantities are statistically dependent. Accounting for these interdependencies is crucial for realistic simulations of temperature and humidity and were numerically reproduced in the developed method. The developed framework allowed for realistic assessment of mold growth risk. It was applied across 60 US metropolitan areas in different climatological zones to quantify mold growth risk. The proposed framework allows for quantitative risk assessment of mold growth in different climatological conditions. Such a capability is needed for decision makers for timely mold mitigation, preventing health hazards, and avoiding large financial losses for emergency mold remediation and building repair.

A distributed collaborative platform for multi-stakeholder multi-level management of renovation projects

To meet European energy-saving and decarbonisation goals, the annual renovation rate of buildings requires to be at least twice its current level; an aspiration to which the use of innovative and automated solutions can contribute. This paper presents such a solution, the RINNO Retrofitting Manager (RRM) which is part of a large, ambitious research and development project (RINNO) that aims to provide an augmented intelligence-enabled framework for deep, energy-focused retrofitting of buildings. The RRM uses web-service technologies to rationalise the retrofitting process and optimise the delivery of renovation works, while making data readily accessible through an integrated set of role-based user interfaces. The RRM is designed and developed as an open distributed system, that is extensible and portable, by implementing a collaborative research and development approach. The RRM platform implements a multi-level, multi-stakeholder planning approach. It addresses the dearth, insufficiency, and isolation of existing renovation tools by enhancing collaboration, interoperability, and data security, and avoiding information loss and misunderstanding. Employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, tests conducted with users from independent construction organisations confirmed the RRM's satisfactory performance, ease of deployment, and overall suitability for the management of renovation projects. While this research provides a free collaborative platform for managing renovation projects that can be used by all building retrofit stakeholders in Europe, it also introduces a set of web-services that can be easily reused by third-party developers and integrated into their software tools.

Low carbon emission renovation of historical residential buildings

The urgency of renovating residential buildings in heritage conservation areas while addressing carbon emission reduction and energy performance has become a concern in the context of climate change. European directives stress the importance of enhancing existing buildings to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. An approximately 100-year-old wooden apartment building in the heritage conservation area in Võru, Estonia, was designed as a nearly zero-energy building (nZEB). This study examined the impact of different renovation scenarios, considering both embodied and operational carbon emissions. During the study, the technical requirements of the National Heritage Board were developed in several aspects. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to renovate buildings in heritage conservation areas and achieve great energy performance. In addition to improving energy performance, it is possible to make the restoration of a significantly damaged exterior with intermediate repairs more cost-effective for the owner. Deep renovation of a historical wooden building decreases its carbon footprint as it leads to more energy-efficient renovation solutions. This is because operational emissions dominate over embodied emissions in a cold climate. From an environmental perspective, it is more feasible to renovate historically valuable buildings more deeply than it is to upgrade the external appearance of buildings. Renovation work to achieve an nZEB building should include insulating the thermal envelope while restoring the historical appearance and preserving the original building profile. In conclusion, this study offers a comprehensive analysis of various scenarios, including carbon footprint, energy performance, and cost optimality, related to different renovation strategies for buildings located in heritage conservation areas. There is a need to align heritage board technical requirements with the environmental perspective. Given that major renovation is more cost-effective and better at preserving the exterior appearance compared to staged renovation, the former should be preferred to ensure the owner's willingness to pay.

Rock engineering evaluation of existing and planned Salang Tunnels with high overburden through Hindukush Mountains, Afghanistan

The Kabul – Mazar Highway connects Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to northern provinces of the country, and further extends into Central Asian countries through the Hindukush mountains. The Salang Tunnel, which is 2600 m long, was designed by Soviet engineers in 1958 and constructed using conventional techniques in 1964. During its construction, the tunnel ranked the distinction of being the highest-altitude tunnel at 3400 m. The socioeconomic importance of the tunnel is exceptionally high, as the Hindukush Mountain range to the east and south of the country is crossed by it. Since 1964, there has been a significant increase in traffic volume. Due to the narrowness of the existing tunnel, the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) of Afghanistan has planned the construction of new twin-tube tunnels. Although there have been rehabilitation and enlargement efforts for the existing tunnel, none of these renovation works have been proven effective, and challenges persist. In 2008, the MOPW initiated a pre-feasibility study for new tunnels, which was finalized in 2012, presenting various options. Subsequently, in early 2018, the MOPW commenced feasibility and detailed studies, leading to the proposal of new twin-tube tunnels, which are designated as the planned tunnels in this paper. In this study, the available geotechnical and environmental data are used to evaluate the rock engineering aspects of the tunnels, including an assessment of the in-situ stress state. A particular emphasis is placed on the reassessment and design of the support system for both the existing and planned tunnels according to RMQR and another system, respectively. The evaluation of the response and stability of the tunnels is concluded, and the implications are subsequently discussed.

Will Allotment Gardening Save Us Again? Allotment Gardens during a COVID-19 Pandemic in a City with a Shortage of Plots

Allotment gardening as element of green infrastructure and integral part of urban agriculture supports the city’s sustainable development and builds urban resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to revisit allotment gardening in a situation of unprecedented health crisis. Therefore, this study aims to recognise the importance of allotment gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poznań (Poland), a city with a ‘famine of plots’ observed for years. A survey was conducted among allotment holders who had acquired plots during the course of the pandemic and in-depth interviews were conducted with the president of the Polish Allotment Federation of Poznań and the managers of the allotment gardens wherein we had identified the highest proportion of new allotment holders. Information was collected during field research, also using available statistical data. The methods used included desk research and a case study, interviews and a survey. The results of the study show that the pandemic caused a renaissance in allotment gardening. The increased interest in allotments triggered an increase in their price, thus further restricting access. A generational change in the allotment community was also noted, with young people appearing on allotments. However, the survey showed no change in the use of allotments: recreation is still their dominant function, with allotment holders focusing on cleaning and renovation work. For new allotment holders, the plot was a green refuge in times of isolation, a place for contact with nature, loved ones and family, and a safe space for relaxation. Our research indicates that allotment holders also appreciated its positive impact on their physical and mental health.. Moreover, the study indicates that despite the long-standing shortage of allotments in the city, only restorative allotment gardens are being created.

The development of priority decision model for old urban community renovation in China

Old urban community renovation is an important task of urban renewal in China. In order to ensure the quality and efficiency of renovation work, the government requires a method to assess the priority for old urban community renovation. This paper proposes an evaluation model from a more comprehensive perspective. It establishes the evaluation index system with CIPP model. The method of Cloud-VIKOR is selected to construct the evaluation model. Finally, selects nine case communities to verify the evaluation model. The results show that the evaluation index system covers the whole process of renovation project and the evaluation indexes proposed in the existing research. The priority decision result of 9 case communities is basically consistent with the actual renovation sequence and does not change greatly due to the fluctuation of decision-making mechanism coefficient or the evaluation index weight. This evaluation model can help decision-makers diagnose and optimize the renovation project.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of Two General-Purpose Cement-Lime Mortars Prepared Based on Air Lime.

It is believed that the use of mortars based on air lime in the construction and renovation of brick buildings has a number of advantages, especially those closely related to the durability and strength of the structure. However, there is still a noticeable difference in the mechanical properties of these materials. This research investigated the mechanical characteristics of a mixed cement-lime mortar with the two most popular proportions of an air lime, cement, and sand mix: 1:1:6 and 1:2:9 (by volume). Mechanical tests were performed on standard and non-standard samples to assess compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, and fracture energy. The obtained results indicate the possibility of using these mixtures in modern masonry construction, as well as in the aspect of sustainable development. Additionally, lime mortar with a higher lime content can be used in non-load-bearing walls and in renovation and repair works.