Traditional Construction Research Articles

Heritage, reinterpretation or imitation? – contemporary inspirations from traditional soft limestone architecture in the Uniejów region

This paper focuses on the possibility of the continuity of traditional values through the architecture’s formal, constructional, and plastic character, based on the analyses of a dozen or so buildings from the Uniejów region in the central part of Poland. A common feature of these structures constructed over the last 20 years was the use of soft limestone. The authors aimed to determine whether and to what extent these structures are consistent with regional rural architecture. In the analyzed area, from the second half of the 19th century to the end of the 1960s, construction based on locally exploited deposits of limestone developed dynamically, unusually in terms of materials for this part of the country. The analysis in this article covered primarily such features of the objects as the area of origin of the stone material, its purpose, the stonemasonry techniques used, the functional program of the object, and its architectural features. The article also discusses whether such contemporary architectural implementations can contribute to the popularization of abandoned stone material in the region and, at the same time, result in more effective protection of traditional construction made of local stone. It is an example of disappearing architectural heritage due to ongoing modernization or demolition

Promoting environmental sustainability in construction: exploring implemented solutions through case studies

It is imperative to take pro-ecological actions that are beneficial to health, as well as adopt sustainable development practices in the face of the current environmental challenges facing humanity. It is crucial that environmental protection is implemented by all people on Earth, because the future is worrying – especially for what will be left for future generations. Green building solutions are being implemented worldwide, but not always in an appropriate manner. All green architecture integrates sustainable development and conservation, regardless of location. This article summarises and characterises the concept of the 6E (economic, energy-efficient, ecological, elastic, aesthetic, ergonomic) ecological building concept and the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) principle. It also presents an analysis of two ecological buildings in Poland. The first is a wooden building located in the village of Podgać, which serves as an example of combining modern design and ecology. It was built in harmony with nature and blends in with the natural environment of the forest. A half-timbered house in the village of Jarzębia Łąka is the second example where traditional construction, modern technical solutions and environmental protection come together. The presented project examples were examined in terms of ecological building principles and then compared with the 6E concept and the 3R principle. This paper presents a comprehensive study of two distinct eco-friendly building structures. The investigation covers technical characterisation, compliance with the 6E concept, comparison of ecological efficiency, and conclusions with recommendations. The Dom Baby Jagi [Baba Jaga House] in the village Podgać showcases a harmonious blend of simplicity, functionality, and economy, utilising wood with insulation for year-round habitation. It integrates renewable energy sources and rainwater harvesting, contributing to its ecological sustainability. Meanwhile, the half-timbered building in Jarzębia Łąka employs clay-straw bricks for construction, emphasising economic and environmental benefits with vapour-permeable walls and efficient insulation. Both structures exemplify ergonomic design, eco-friendly construction practices, and aesthetic integration with their natural surroundings. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating environmentally conscious solutions in modern architecture to address contemporary environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.

Artificial Intelligence Technology for Interactive Mobile Devices and Its Application in 3D Visual Design

The use of visual rationality in planning and designing indoor 3D spaces can effectively enhance the quality of environmental art design. For the rational planning and design of 3D spaces, it is essential to assign attribute values to the rational evaluation index of 3D space planning, determine the weight vector of rational evaluation factors for indoor 3D space planning, and accomplish the visual rationality planning and design of indoor 3D spaces. 3D reconstruction is one of the primary objectives and focal points of machine vision research. The principle is to extract 3D information from the 2D image captured by the machine’s sensors in order to reconstruct a 3D scene model. The traditional method constructs the evaluation index system for indoor 3D space planning to determine the weight of the evaluation index for alternative points. However, it overlooks the weight vector of the evaluation factors, leading to low accuracy in rational planning. This paper optimizes the effect of structured light reconstruction using photometric stereo vision. Firstly, the text delves into the impact of light sources on the 3D reconstruction effect. Subsequently, a fusion algorithm combining 3D and structured light reconstruction methods is introduced, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Experimental results show that this algorithm has a superior 3D reconstruction effect.

Exploring the Barriers to Managing Green Building Construction Projects and Proposed Solutions

Sustainability has gained importance in the building design/construction industry due to the increase in the need for energy, the extensive use of non-renewable resources, and therefore the damage caused to the environment by traditional building design and construction. The concept of green building was developed for this reason. Green buildings can be defined as structures that consume less water, energy, and other resources while emphasizing human health and protecting the environment. While green buildings have these advantages over traditional buildings, the rate of green building production is less than expected because many barriers are encountered during the design and production of green buildings, despite the recent attention paid to sustainable practices. This research focuses on exploring the barriers encountered during green building production in Turkiye and the possible solutions for overcoming these barriers. According to the data obtained through a questionnaire survey, the most important difficulties encountered in Turkiye include the lack of government subsidies, the lack of green building regulations, the public’s indifference to green building technologies, and education and technology deficiencies. According to the respondents, the possible solutions involve government incentives, adoption of national standards and best practices, educating the public and the design/construction professionals about green buildings, and the development of novel green building technologies. The major contribution of the findings is that it highlights the fact that the stakeholders of green building projects (i.e., owners, designers, constructors, and facility managers) face important barriers and lets stakeholders recognize that solutions to overcome these barriers are available. The major implication is that the stakeholders in green building projects will likely be better prepared to deal with any barrier before undertaking green building projects in Turkiye and countries with similar socio-economic conditions.

Multi-objective optimization method for medium and long-term power supply and demand balance considering the spatiotemporal correlation of source and load

The medium and long-term supply-demand imbalance of the power system in the context of the new power system is becoming more and more prominent due to the fluctuation and intermittency brought about by the high proportion of new energy sources connected to the grid. In this regard, a multi-objective power supply-demand balance optimization method considering the spatiotemporal correlation of source and load is proposed in this work. First, the autocorrelation and inter-correlation characteristics of source and load are analyzed. On this basis, a multi-dimensional scenario set construction method considering the spatiotemporal correlation of source and load is proposed. Then, the planning capacity of each regional power source and the system operation under each scenario are taken as the optimization variables. Renewable energy electricity curtailment, equivalent annual total cost, and inter-region transmission electricity are taken as the optimization objectives. Various constraints such as power source planning and operation, power balance, inter-region power transmission, and renewable energy power curtailment rate are considered comprehensively. The optimization method for the medium and long-term power supply and demand balance is proposed. Finally, the method is applied to Hunan Province, China to guide power planning. The results show that compared with traditional multi-dimensional correlation scene construction methods, the average probability density functions error of wind turbine output, photovoltaic output, and load constructed in this work decrease by 44.08 %, 73.64 %, and 57.54 %, respectively. It takes into account the regional, temporal, temporal autocorrelation, and inter-correlation of the source and load, and has similar characteristics to historical data. Compared with traditional planning that only considers economy, the optimization plan for power supply and demand balance in this work reduces electricity curtailment and inter-region transmission by 97.04 % and 72.71 %, respectively, balancing renewable energy consumption, economy, and regional independent balancing indicators.

Use of BIM with Modular Construction in Future Construction Techniques

Modular construction technology and applications are rapidly evolving. Modular construction is a process in which entire rooms or sections of rooms are built in a factory setting along with electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work and then transported to a final site for assembly. With modular construction, a building is built off-site, under controlled facility conditions, with the same materials and to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities, but in half the time. The modular construction method is used to build various types of buildings (whether they are apartment houses, office buildings, or hotels). This construction method is used for both permanent and relocatable projects. These projects can be built with two types of modules. These are 2D panels or 3D modules. These can be combined to form a third type, hybrid modular construction. Each has its advantages. 2D panels offer easy logistics and flexibility in building design and are mounted on site. Factory productivity is increased by using 3D volumetric solutions. They only need to be installed once they are delivered. The hybrid modular structure has the advantages of the previous two. With the recent development of Building Information Modeling (BIM), the use of modular construction methods in conjunction with BIM becomes more common. As with any method, this one has advantages as well as disadvantages. Disadvantages of this method, such as a higher number of complex decisions, front-loaded design, etc., can be solved with BIM. Furthermore, the BIM platform can resolve the disadvantages of traditional construction methods, such as the difficulty of pre-project planning and coordination among members of interdisciplinary professions. With BIM and the modular construction method, physical conflicts between the structural system and its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems can be easily identified early in the design process, and resolution can be expedited. This article includes general information about the modular construction method, future application scenarios, use, and advantages of BIM. The document analysis method, one of the qualitative methods, was used, and in the light of the data obtained, comments and scenarios were tried to be created about the future of BIM and modular construction techniques. What distinguishes this study is that the concept of quality is examined in detail by using these two methods together.

Construction of regional multi-scenario spatially balanced ecological security pattern based on self-organizing feature map: A case study of Guangzhou, China

Constructing ecological security patterns (ESPs) is the ecological basis for achieving sustainable regional development. This study explored a framework of spatially balanced ESPs suitable for rapidly urbanizing areas to address the issues of overreliance on ecological land and subjective parameter settings in traditional ESP construction methods. Three ecosystem service bundles (product supply, water conservation, and habitat maintenance) were identified in Guangzhou using the self-organizing feature map method. These bundles were then used to identify multifunctional sources. The minimum size of the ecological source was determined to be 10 km2 through the “structure-pattern-function” framework, and a total of 19 ecological sources from three ecological functions were extracted. In these three scenarios, the 102 ecological corridors were classified into five categories based on their connected sources. Ecological node parameters were set based on local planning and dominant species characteristics, enhancing the explanatory power of the circuit theory. The multi-scenario ESP framework proposed in this study achieved a spatially balanced distribution of the entire region at the point, line, and surface levels, as confirmed by the ecological network assessment results. Future planning in Guangzhou should value the ecological functions of non-conventional ecological land, such as cropland and urban green spaces, while considering the impact of human activities on the environment and promptly modifying crucial node areas.

Structural Analysis of Unreinforced Masonary and Reinforced Masonary Structu

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the structural analysis of unreinforced masonry (URM) and reinforced masonry (RM) structures, tracing the evolution from traditional construction techniques to modern engineering practices. Historically, the focus of structural design in ancient buildings was largely on geometry and material form. With the advent of steel and concrete, this focus shifted to the strength and resilience of materials. Utilizing both experimental data and computational modeling, this study compares the structural performance of URM and RM, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each method. The findings indicate that reinforced masonry structures exhibit superior strength and stability, making them more suitable for seismic regions, while unreinforced masonry can still be viable under specific conditions. The study concludes with recommendations for integrating traditional construction techniques with modern materials to enhance building safety and resilience.

COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND TIME-LAG IN RESIDENTIAL APARTMENTS IN AMMAN

This exploration investigates the potential of enhancing energy efficiency in residential structures in Amman, Jordan, by introducing an innovative material termed "Phase Transition Substance with Fungal Integration (PTSF)." Through computational simulations using Autodesk-Revit, the analysis evaluates the thermal efficiency of a standard residential building, contrasting traditional construction materials with PTSF. The study centers on three crucial elements: outer walls (W.01), roof (R.01), and ground level slab (S.01), all initially not meeting prescribed thermal conductivity regulations. Integration of PTSF notably improves the thermal efficacy of the building's shell, aligning with Jordanian standards for thermal insulation. Furthermore, a systematic examination explores the time delay of materials within the residential envelope, revealing an average lag of approximately 8 hours. This lag implies that, with the incorporation of the PTSF layer, the envelope requires 8 hours to transmit external temperatures (e.g., 30°C) to attain the interior's peak temperature, underscoring the material's potential in curbing energy consumption.

Carbon Emission Measurement of Prefabricated Buildings Based on LCA and Research on Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Strategy of Renewable Energy

In the face of diverse quantification methods for building carbon emissions, this article delves into the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to comprehensively measure the carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings throughout their lifespan. It meticulously identifies the carbon emission sources in prefabricated buildings and analyzes the measurement models relevant to their emissions in both physical and chemical stages. Prefabricated buildings hold profound implications for transforming the construction industry and advancing its sustainable development path. Examining the energy-saving characteristics and emission reduction potential of prefabricated buildings from a life-cycle perspective, this article analyzes the carbon emission measurement model during the prefabricated building transformation stage. This comprehensive analysis of the building atomization path and influential carbon emission factors lays a theoretical foundation for transitioning prefabricated buildings towards energy-saving and emission reduction strategies. Using the LCA method, carbon emissions were calculated, revealing a positive correlation with building size. Notably, through the prefabricated construction method detailed in this article, carbon emissions were significantly reduced by 30% compared to traditional construction methods.

Integrating Bayesian networks and ontology to improve safety knowledge management in construction behavior: A conceptual framework

Addressing the challenges of intelligent decision support within traditional management approaches, this study presents a novel conceptual framework for enhancing sustainability in construction behavioral safety management. By integrating Bayesian network (BN) modeling and ontology, our framework enables robust decision-making and fosters knowledge sharing. Key to our approach is the encoding and storage of BN-modeled properties within the ontology, facilitating a formal representation of behavioral safety knowledge. Leveraging SWRL rules for reasoning and judgment, our study effectively elucidates causal relationships and interactions within the behavioral safety system. Rigorous verification, including consistency checks and task evaluations, ensures the reliability and validity of our ontology. Ultimately, our framework facilitates seamless communication and retrieval of traditional construction behavioral safety knowledge, underpinning sustainability efforts through the integrated BN model and ontology storage and sharing mechanism.

Key Portfolio Selection Criteria for Sustainable Construction

Selecting the best projects and programs is of paramount importance to the success of organizations in the construction industry for the employer, clients, and developers. The existing selection criteria in the literature are tailored toward traditional construction projects. However, with the current move toward sustainable construction, there is a need to incorporate sustainability-specific criteria in the process portfolio selection. This study aims to identify and evaluate the sustainability-specific project selection criteria for construction organizations from the client’s perspective; this research topic is significant because developers/clients do not always consider sustainability criteria when selecting their portfolio of projects. The research methodology of this study consists of a literature review, identifying the sustainability criteria into an integrated list, and a survey to weight and rank the criteria. Sixteen criteria were identified through an extensive review of the related literature. These criteria were categorized based on three sustainability pillars: environmental, social, and economic. The environmental pillar includes six selection criteria, which are energy use, material use, water use, land use, pollution, and waste management. The social pillar consists of five selection criteria, which include health and safety, employee training and education, improvement in infrastructure, relation with local communities, and alternative transportation. The economic pillar consists of five selection criteria, which include life cycle cost, contribution to GDP, employment creation, innovation and technology, and use of national suppliers. A survey was developed and circulated to specialists in the construction industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The weights for the sustainability selection criteria were assessed by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results show that the environmental group is the most important group among the pillars of sustainability, with a weight of 0.520, compared with the social and the economic pillars, which had weights of 0.214 and 0.266, respectively.

A Longitudinal Examination of HIV Risk Perception Accuracy among Sexual Minority Men with History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) with history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at high risk for HIV acquisition. One reason is posttraumatic responses compromise ability to accurately appraise risk for danger/vulnerability. Health behavior change models and related interventions assume risk perception can be changed in an enduring manner. Given paucity of studies examining how risk perception changes or sustains over time post-intervention, this underlying assumption is not confirmed. Among this particularly high-risk group who struggle with perceiving risk due to trauma-related cognitions, it may be accuracy of risk perception is fluid. The study primarily aimed to examine accuracy of HIV risk perception over time post-HIV prevention behavioral intervention. Leveraging data from a larger RCT, N = 190 MSM in Boston, MA and Miami, FL USA completed a psychosocial baseline assessment, an intervention aimed to increase awareness of personal HIV risk level, then four follow-up assessments three months apart for a year. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the degree to which accuracy of HIV risk perception (vs. traditional construct of risk perception with no information about accuracy) predicts sex risk behavior over time delineated by between-person (trait level) and within-person (state level) effects. Majority (92%) of participants fluctuated in HIV risk accuracy over time post-intervention. Within-person risk accuracy (one's accuracy at any given timepoint) predicted sex risk behavior (condomless sex not protected by adherent PrEP) over time, but not between-person (one's average of accuracy). Findings have implications for intervention and counseling related to specific HIV prevention strategies.

Boundaries in online couples therapy: “Can anything exist without boundaries?”

AbstractObjectiveThis research delved into the experiences of couples and therapists in online couples therapy with an emphasis on therapeutic boundaries.BackgroundAlthough the popularity of online therapy has surged, limited understanding exists about the meanings and experiences tied to therapeutic boundaries in this context, underscoring the need for its examination to enhance online therapy's effectiveness.MethodA purposive sample of 51 participants, including 36 individuals (comprising 18 couples who underwent separate interviews), and 15 couple and family therapists were interviewed in four online focus groups. Constructivist grounded theory guided the data analysis to discern therapeutic boundary dimensions.ResultsThe analysis identified three dimensions of therapeutic boundaries: (a) boundaries between the therapist and couple, (b) boundaries between the couple and their family, and (c) boundaries between the therapists and their own families.ConclusionThe study offers insights into the nuanced concept of liminality within therapists' and couples' transition to online couples therapy, particularly emphasizing disruptions in conventional therapeutic paradigms.ImplicationsTo uphold the integrity and bolster the therapeutic alliance in online couples therapy, there is a compelling need for therapists to transition toward novel means of establishing boundaries, moving away from traditional constructs.

Life cycle assessment in net zero energy building scenarios in a tropical country

The recent IPCC 2023 report reiterates that humans are responsible for global warming over the past 200 years, causing a rise in temperature of 1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels, urging the implementation of mitigation options, especially in the building energy sector. One strong mitigation strategy is designing and building net zero energy buildings (NZEB), although their implementation faces challenges such as opposition to change, especially in tropical countries with traditional and conservative design and construction practices. This paper uses data from a pilot NZEB Laboratory building at UCA, El Salvador, and details its results by comparing different construction system scenarios. The present work presents the results of the Life-cycle assessment (LCA) in three popular construction systems in El Salvador, comparing them with the baseline of its current operation, through 3 iterative calculation tools: structural, thermal and carbon footprint estimation, managing to visualize important findings on how vernacular systems could meet the NZEB performance with added insulation in the structural walls. In addition, a triple-axis sustainability analysis (environmental, economic and social) is conducted using the weighted criteria matrix, which provides nuanced results, such as the proportional share of embodied carbon between the proposals, there is not much difference between the results of the proposed systems, but compared to the baseline, the proposals represent a significant increase of more than 50%. Our results show that in this context, the scalability of NZEB buildings is feasible for different construction systems, paving the way for a progressive and incremental.

Exploring the Use of Lean, Offsite and Simulation in Housing Delivery: Evidence from the UK

The subpar performance of housing construction projects has been attributed to their reliance on traditional construction methods. In response to this issue, numerous innovative approaches, including modern methods of construction (MMC), have been employed to facilitate the execution of housing projects. The present study explores the use of MMC, specifically lean, offsite, and simulation (LOS) techniques, in delivering housing construction projects within the United Kingdom. Employing a qualitative research approach, eighteen relevant stakeholders from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland were interviewed to fulfil the study’s purpose. The findings demonstrate that the integration of LOS techniques is advantageous in the delivery of housing construction projects. Moreover, governmental support, collaboration, leadership, training, stakeholder engagement, and environmental consideration were identified as critical factors facilitating the implementation of LOS in housing project delivery. This study provides valuable insights into the key factors that support the adoption of LOS techniques within the UK context and can serve as a guide for stakeholders in the future use of LOS in the UK housing sector. Furthermore, the empirical and qualitative evidence presented on the application of lean, offsite, and simulation (LOS) in housing delivery in the UK can contribute to efforts to address the country’s housing shortage.

Research on Smart City Platform Construction Technology for Digital Twins

Abstract Urban digital twin is a key step to build a smart city, digital twin is an important application scenario for smart city platform, and the relationship between the two are both current research hotspots. In this paper, we will start from the demand of digital twin on smart city platform, study the architecture method and key technology of smart city platform, in this paper's platform construction method compared to the traditional construction method, reduces the difficulty of digital twin smart city construction, and also reduces the coupling degree between smart city platform modules, and use a smart city platform for engineering verification. Finally compared with the traditional smart platform construction techniques, the techniques in this paper are better than the traditional ones in terms of coupling, difficulty and cost. Through engineering verification and experimental results show that this paper on the digital twin-oriented smart city construction technology, the coupling degree of each module is the lowest, and in the development efficiency experiments, this paper by comparing with the traditional technology, the experimental development cycle compared to the traditional technology can be shortened by 61.7% of the development cycle, greatly reducing the development cost and improving the construction efficiency.

Economic analysis of offsite and onsite 3D construction printing techniques for low-rise buildings: A comparative value stream assessment

In comparison with traditional construction, 3D construction printing (3DCP) has the potential to be cost-effective due to its shorter supply chain and higher level of automation. Previous studies suggested that offsite 3DCP can be more capital-intensive than onsite 3DCP. Thus, there is a need for comprehensive research on the comparative economic analysis of offsite and onsite 3DCP techniques. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the overall construction cost of both techniques. In this regard, the Value stream assessment technique has been used to map the current state of the material flow from the supplier to the construction site. For the detailed cost analysis, mathematical models have been developed that consider transportation, warehousing, setup installation, printing, onsite assembly, and environmental costs based on the current state of Value stream mapping (VSM). The feasibility and practicality of the developed models have been validated through real-time case studies. Results from the cost breakdown analysis and cost based VSM show that offsite 3D printing leads to higher construction costs due to the significant contribution of warehousing costs for pre-printed components and the cost of assembling them. Cost based value stream assessment depicts that offsite and onsite 3DCP have a significant amount of non-value added cost (284.26 €/tonne and 199.05 €/tonne, respectively) and offer more space for process improvement. However, sensitivity analysis revealed that offsite 3DCP has the potential to reduce the transportation cost for small-scale projects involving low volume (<130 tonnes) of construction materials. Onsite 3D printing can be a feasible option for relatively larger projects due to its lower transportation, warehousing and construction costs. The findings of this research offer the construction industry a strategic roadmap to achieve cost-effectiveness and efficiency in construction practices.

Applications of Spatial Timber Structures in China and Research on the Performance of Their Typical Connections

Timber, being a versatile and sustainable material, has been used for residential and public buildings throughout history. In recent years, advancements in engineering and construction technology have resulted in the development of innovative timber spatial structures that push the boundaries of traditional timber construction. Especially, numerous spatial timber structures have been constructed in China in recent years. This study aims to provide an overview of notable examples of spatial timber structures in China, including their architectural features, structure arrangement and construction method. Additionally, the configuration of some timber connections utilized in the Taiyuan Botanical Garden project are analyzed and the mechanical behavior of connections are investigated by a brief introduction of experimental tests. The research will provide a reference for engineering design of spatial timber structures in the future.

РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯ ПОСТЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКОЙ СУБЪЕКТИВНОСТИ В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ ФАНТАСТИКЕ НА ПРИМЕРЕ СЕРИАЛА «ЛЮБОВЬ. СМЕРТЬ. РОБОТЫ»

Today, the conversation about the impact of technology on humans is a common place. In humanitarian theory, there is a growing number of approaches that develop new ways to describe a person in a technologized culture. Special attention is paid to it by posthumanism, based on the experience of critical analysis of culture, it offers a description of alternative, posthuman subjectivity. Where is also a reflection on changing human relations with the environment in visual art. Although mass screen culture has transformed and moved away from big screens to gadgets for private viewing, it has not lost its ability to respond sensitively to cultural trends and offers examples of images of posthuman subjectivity. The theory of posthumanism turns out to be a relevant tool for analyzing posthuman images in modern science fiction films. The article will examine representations of posthuman subjectivity in the genre of modern fiction on the example of the TV series “Love. Death. Robots.” The focus of the analysis will be on the images of the main characters and the peculiarities of plot development in relation to traditional cultural constructs.