Typical Building Research Articles

The indoor thermal environment performance of various air-conditioning system configurations and airflow modes in a large space museum building

Optimizing air distribution in site museums is crucial for the long-term protection of heritage sites and the thermal comfort of visitors and staff. This study examined a site museum, analyzing the traditional suspended ceiling air-conditioning system and proposing a more rational renovation. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations, the study evaluated the effects of both systems on site protection and thermal comfort. The results indicated that the retrofit scheme could significantly reduce the indoor air velocity and temperature with the same air supply parameters, which would improve human thermal comfort and also reduce the negative impact of temperature and wind speed on the site. Additionally, the retrofit scheme cut air-conditioning energy consumption by 40% and reduced initial investment costs for a unit with a rated airflow of 62,000 m³/h. The optimization of the air-conditioning system ends was also carefully considered, resulting in a safer and easier installation and maintenance process, as well as enhancing the visual appeal of the museum’s interior. The proposed retrofit scheme can provide a reference for the design of air-conditioning systems in similar types of buildings.

Research on a zero water consumption operation model and feasibility for office buildings

ABSTRACT According to Taiwan's government policy on net zero emissions by 2050, building designs are moving toward zero energy and zero water consumption to achieve these challenge goals. Among these goals, establishing an independent water cycle within building systems is a primary objective. The present study examined office buildings as the research subject due to their crucial water usage characteristics, which can serve as a reference for other building types. We developed a water-use estimation model by conducting a literature review and data collection from existing green office building cases in Taiwan. The methods involved calculating the median annual water consumption per unit building area and discussing the current water-saving design status and water-saving rate. The findings indicate a median water-saving rate of 53%, which is far short of the goal of achieving a zero water building. This finding is primarily attributed to the infrequent use of water compensation in building designs. The feasibility of a zero water building is validated and determines its crucial operation. Consequently, design engineers can employ this methodology to compute water conservation rates for their designs, aiming for the construction of a zero water consumption building.

Molecular Investigation of the Self-Assembly Mechanism Underlying Polydopamine Coatings: The Synergistic Effect of Typical Building Blocks Acting on Interfacial Adhesion.

Polydopamine (PDA) is well known as a mussel-inspired adhesive material composed of oligomeric heteropolymers. However, the conventional eumelanin-like structural assumption of PDA seems deficient in explaining its interfacial adhesion. To determine the decisive mechanism of PDA coating formation, experiments and simulations were performed in this study. 5,6-Dihydroxyindole (DHI), the signature building block of eumelanin, was introduced as the control group. Various typical building blocks in PDA were quantified by physicochemical characterizations, and the polar-group-dominated interfacial interaction was evaluated by classic molecular dynamics and metadynamics methods. Aminoethyl has been proven to be the key functional group inducing the adsorption of PDA on the hydroxylated silica substrates, while DHI shows limited adhesion to the substrate due to the absence of aminoethyl as the catechol-indole structure of DHI exhibits poor affinity to the silica surface. Pyrrole carboxylic acid, as an oxidative product detected from PDA/DHI, is unfavorable for its adhesion to silica substrates. Overall, the coating formation and self-aggregating precipitation of PDA are two competitive aminoethyl-consuming paths; thus, the in situ oxidative coupling of dopamine is indispensable for the PDA coating preparation. The collected PDA precipitates can no longer present satisfactory coating forming behavior, resulting from a shortage of aminoethyl moieties.

A Special Equation between Visual Lightness and the Luxurious Impression of Interior Architecture through the New Classic

This research examines the application of the new classic contemporary style in interior architecture, focusing on achieving luxury and visual lightness. The study highlights the historical evolution of the new classic style and its relevance to modern interior design, emphasizing its suitability for contemporary settings. It addresses challenges such as higher costs, modern lifestyle constraints, and technological limitations. The research also seeks to dispel the misconception that the new classic style is inflexible and heavily reliant on aesthetic richness alone. To explore these themes, various methods were employed, including data collection and evaluation, observation, quantitative analysis, and psychophysical methods. These approaches allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the new classic style's adaptability across different building types, spaces, and cultural contexts. The study also examined the psychological and emotional impacts of this style on occupants. The research resulted in a practical designed for interior designers and enthusiasts, offering guidelines for effectively incorporating the new classic style in contemporary designs. This aims to help balance luxury with visual lightness in various settings, particularly in modern tourist destinations and the hotel industry, providing a detailed approach for applying this style in diverse interior spaces

How Not to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions: An Unbalanced Focus on Energy Efficiency in Germany’s Building Rehabilitation Policies

Germany needs to reduce CO2 emissions from space heating in its old buildings to net zero by 2045 to fulfil its climate goals. However, direct CO2 reduction measures in existing buildings receive relatively little subsidy support from the federal government’s German Development Bank, compared to generous subsidies for energy efficiency measures. This interdisciplinary paper evaluates this phenomenon by comparing costs and CO2 abatement effects of ever higher energy efficiency measures, alongside the costs of direct CO2 reduction through heat pumps and onsite photovoltaics. It uses a set of carefully selected reports on the costs and benefits of renovation to a range of energy efficiency standards in three common types of multi-apartment buildings in Germany, updating these for 2024 construction, energy, and finance costs. The cost of the CO2 saved is extremely high with energy efficiency measures and absurdly high with the highest energy efficiency standards, up to 20 times the cost of CO2 abatement through other means, such as offsite renewables. This reduces markedly with onsite CO2 reduction measures. This paper sets this analysis in the context of asking what social, cultural, and discursive factors extol energy efficiency so highly that policy tends to thwart its own stated goal of deeply reducing CO2 emissions.

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.

Two years of data monitoring of all-CO2 retail stores within the MultiPACK project

This paper presents the results of a 24-month field monitoring of CO2 transcritical units designed to satisfy all the thermal needs of food retail stores, namely refrigeration, heating and cooling. The units, adopting state-of the art technologies, such as two phase ejectors and parallel compression, are developed within the H2020 project MultiPACK. The monitored supermarkets are located in Italy, in two different climatic areas, featuring different heating and cooling demands for indoor comfort, as well as diverse building type and display cabinets mix. Long lasting measurements allow for evaluation of energy and efficiency related KPIs, together with operational indicators. These figures are relevant for benchmarking with traditional solutions.

Field Assessment of Fundamental Periods for Typical RC Buildings in Port Said Using Ambient Testing.

Field Assessment of Fundamental Periods for Typical RC Buildings in Port Said Using Ambient Testing.

Research on the framework and meteorological parameter optimization method of dynamic heating load prediction model for heat-exchange stations

Heat-exchange station is the key mid-link between heat source and heat users in district heating system, playing a role in distributing heat and regulating supply and demand. Accurate load prediction at the level of heat-exchange stations and then regulating the heat supply is the important step to optimize district heating system. Based on real and limited data, the framework of heat-exchange station load prediction method is established in this study, which includes 5 procedures ‘data preprocessing method, input variable selection, solar radiation substitution, prediction model establishment and model transplantation application’. The sliding box plot method was proposed for data preprocessing, and the effects of data preprocessing under the widths of 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h and 120 h were compared, with 48 h as the optimal sliding window width. Support Vector Regression (SVR) algorithm was used to establish a heating load prediction model for heat-exchange station in residential buildings. And parameter substitution was made for solar radiation data that cannot be obtained in weather forecasts. High accuracy was obtained with a MAPE of 5.80 % and RMSE of 0.18 GJ. The above model was transplanted and applied in three other heat-exchange stations of different building types. The MAPEs were 5.51 %, 7.79 % and 6.54 %, with corresponding RMSEs of 0.017 GJ, 0.04 GJ and 0.04 GJ, respectively, which all achieved good prediction results. The research results provide certain technical support for the operation and regulation of district heating systems.

Quantifying and Rating the Energy Resilience Performance of Buildings Integrated with Renewables in the Nordics under Typical and Extreme Climatic Conditions

The future buildings and society need to be resilient. This article aims to propose a novel concept of the energy resilience framework and implement a color-based rating system to quantify and rate the energy resilience performance of buildings in Nordic climates. The objective is to conduct a comparative analysis between old (1970s) and new (2020s) single-family buildings integrated with renewable energy sources and storage, assessing their energy resilience performance for heating during power outages, under extreme and typical climatic conditions. The study utilizes dynamic simulation of the buildings and renewable energy systems, conducting parametric studies to calculate proposed resilience indicators and rate their resilience performance, employing both passive and active methods. The total costs of the design variables are also calculated for economic evaluation. Given the complexities arising from climate change, the article uses a simplified method to synthesize regional climate to consider extreme climate change impacts on energy resilience performance. For the old building lacking PV, the robustness duration increased from 1 h to 3 h, and the degree of disruption (DoD) varied from 0.545 to 0.3 in extreme cold to warm climate scenarios, with the higher DoD number indicating worse performance. The impact of the season within the same climate scenario is also evident, as the habitability and robustness durations increased during spring compared to winter. The resilience improved with PV and battery. The new building showed that the robustness duration increased from 3 to 15 h, habitability durations increased, and the DoD varied from 0.496 to 0.22 from extreme cold to warm climates without renewables and storage. With the integration of PV and battery, the new building was able to achieve a lower DoD and better performance with lower PV and battery capacity, compared to the old building. Furthermore, utilizing the color grading method (red to green), optimal technical solutions and corresponding design variables were identified for each building type and climate scenario that could support decision-making. The total cost of the optimal solutions varied, as new buildings required lower costs to reach optimal performance. However, for optimal resilience performance during extreme cold climate scenarios, higher costs are required for each building type. The proposed resilience framework, indicators, color grading system, and costing could potentially support improvements in building regulations, ensuring the development of optimally resilient buildings, particularly in the face of extreme climatic conditions.

An experimental case study of escooter fire in a four-story building

Driven by the necessity to understand the fire and smoke dispersion characteristics of electric bicycle (escooter) fires and their effects on residents’ safety in rural houses, this study was conducted to perform full-scale fire experiments in a village house in Hainan, People’s Republic of China. The tested building is a typical multi-story building representative of rural houses in southern China. It is found that an escooter fire grows rapidly once its lithium-ion battery is overcharged to ignite. Inside the stairwell where the escooters are parked, a significant increase in temperature over 60°C across all floors is observed and the maximum temperature reaches up to 800°C on the first floor. Furthermore, the propagation of smoke is fast, reaching the upper floors within 5 minutes and filling the entire building within 7 minutes. Due to stack effect, carbon monoxide concentration is the highest on the fourth floor, notably higher than the other floors. Closing the doors of rooms where occupants are typically present is found to effectively block heat and smoke transfer. Thus, in case an escooter’s lithium-ion battery undergoes explosion combustion, it is better that residents stay in rooms by closing or even sealing the doors, waiting for help during most of the fire period. However, in case the lithium-ion battery has not been burning, there still are chances for evacuation or putting out the flame.

Extended end-of-life carbon assessment and savings: A case study of steel-framed modular buildings in Hong Kong

Modular construction (MC) advances conventional approaches such as material efficiency, shorter construction time, and reduced onsite waste, leading to lower carbon emissions in some stages. However, the End-of-Life (EoL) carbon has never been made explicit, particularly for MC, and there remains a lack of evidence on how much carbon emissions are generated and reduced from the EoL stage of modular buildings. To address the gaps, the present study proposes an EoL carbon estimation model for MC based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The developed model was empirically validated through a case study of a typical high-rise steel-framed modular residential building in Hong Kong. The results reveal that net carbon emissions during the EoL stage could be −764.40 kg CO2 eq./m2, presenting the great carbon savings potential of MC. Compared to those in traditional on-site construction areas, steel modular components have far greater capabilities to mitigate carbon emissions, as most of them can be reused. Nevertheless, an average of 41.56 kg CO2 eq./m2 of carbon is still released in the EoL stage, most of which is contributed by transportation, followed by waste disposal, demolition, and waste processing. This study makes an original contribution to understanding the extent of EoL carbon emissions and the potential of carbon savings in steel modular buildings. Also, these findings unveil the practical significance of reusing modules for EoL carbon mitigation and provide useful suggestions for demolition contractors and policymakers to mitigate carbon emissions to further promote the transition towards carbon neutrality.

Framework for assessing the smart buildings intelligence degree

Assessing the intelligence degree of smart buildings is a complex challenge that has aroused researchers’ interest. In the researched literature, many indicators and factors used to assess building intelligence are generic and give rise to different interpretations. Furthermore, few studies establish criteria for measuring indicators, most of which are difficult to measure. Aiming to contribute to filling this gap, we proposed a framework for evaluating the intelligence degree of smart buildings and their systems, formed by indicators identified from extensive and detailed bibliographical research, which meets the premises of being easy to use, reducing the complexity of the evaluation process and enable a single interpretation by evaluators. The framework was organized by considering 91 indicators grouped into 11 sets relating to smart building systems, and it allows for the evaluation of the intelligence degree of four types of buildings: commercial, corporate, office, and apartment. We also propose a way to operate the framework through an electronic spreadsheet, mainly because electronic spreadsheets are commonly used and because the framework’s table format was easily translatable into an electronic spreadsheet. The results showed that all indicators were assessed as relevant, corroborating the view of the researchers who published on the topic. Also, the indicators were considered most relevant for commercial buildings, followed by corporate buildings, office buildings, and apartment buildings. They also show that the respondents considered the instrument adequate.

Seismic risk assessment based on residential building stock and field survey results: a case study of 3 cities in Shanxi Province

IntroductionBuildings that collapse or are damaged by earthquakes are responsible for the majority of earthquake-related casualties. High-precision building data are the key to improving the accuracy of risk assessments of earthquake disaster loss. Many countries and regions have also proposed varying regional building exposure models, but most of these models are still based on administrative-level (city or county) statistical data; furthermore, they cannot accurately reflect the differences among buildings in different towns or villages.MethodsAlthough field investigation-based “township to township” methods can obtain more accurate building inventory data, considering costs and timeliness, remote sensing and other diverse data should be combined to acquire building data. Based on the field survey data of three cities in shanxi Province, combined with Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data, this study is conducted on building inventory data. Data regarding the proportion of each building type and corresponding lethality level in each township are obtained based on the classification of building height, and the overall lethality level at the building level and township level is calculated on this basis.ResultsThe fitting results between the calculated results and the field survey results are good, the error is within 0.15, and the fitting R2 values of Xian, Baoji and Ankang are 0.6552, 0.5788 and 0.5937, respectively. Therefore, an earthquake disaster loss risk assessment is conducted based on the building level.DiscussionThe findings indicate that the risk of casualties caused by the same building type can vary by city. Generally, the areas with high disaster loss risk in the three cities are distributed mainly in urban areas; the disaster loss risk in the newly built areas of each city is relatively low. According to the quantitative assessment results for each city, Xi’an has the highest loss risk, while Baoji and Ankang have the same loss risk. Based on the method constructed in this paper, we can realize the quantitative assessment of earthquake disaster loss risk at the building level to better target pre-earthquake emergency preparation and post-earthquake auxiliary decision-making.

The Influence of Capacity Building on Small-Scale Agro-Processors in South Africa: Lessons for Agricultural Extension Advisory Services

This paper examines capacity building from the perspective of business growth and success in small-scale agro-processing enterprises. Our analytical approach was underpinned by the inability of small-scale agri-enterprises to grow and succeed despite the South African government's support for capacity building through the economic empowerment programme initiative in the past three decades. The study was conducted in five of nine selected South African provinces (Gauteng, Limpopo, North-West, Free State, and Mpumalanga). This study was essential for developing an effective strategy for enhancing agri-business growth and success in South Africa. A concurrent mixed-methods research design was used, and data from 503 small-scale agro-processors was analysed using descriptive and multiple regression analysis techniques. The results revealed that capacity building (β = 0.274, p = 0.000) significantly influences the economic empowerment of small-scale agro-processors. Furthermore, the study showed that mentorship and technical and financial skills are critical types of capacity building that influence the economic empowerment of small-scale agro-processors in South Africa. It is recommended that all government or private stakeholders, including agricultural extension advisory services, invest in capacity-building programmes for small-scale agro-processors to achieve economic empowerment. Economically empowered small-scale agro-processors will significantly contribute to employment creation and better income distribution.

Seismic retrofitting of masonry infilled RC buildings in low-to moderate-seismic regions: case study of typical Sri Lankan school buildings

Seismic retrofitting of masonry infilled RC buildings in low-to moderate-seismic regions: case study of typical Sri Lankan school buildings

An experimental study of fire development under varying ventilation conditions during the depressurization process in pressurized buildings

Hermetic pressurized buildings are a new type of building in high-altitude areas that efficiently addresses issues such as high-altitude reactions. The indoor pressure is higher than the external pressure under working conditions, and pressure relief must be carried out first during emergencies. The emergency pressure relief process during a fire may lead to complex fire behavior that is different from that in regular buildings. In this study, we focus on the impact of ventilation conditions and the status of doors in such buildings on fire evolution and smoke plume characteristics through experiments. The temperature variation in the fire room and corridor is measured under different ventilation power, ventilation time, and door opening width conditions. This shows that the width of the door has the greatest impact on fire development. A smaller gap in the door opening restricts air circulation between the interior and exterior of the room, resulting in a rapid decrease in the oxygen concentration within the fire room and a decrease in the combustion reaction rate of wood fires. The ventilation power exerts the most significant influence on the temperature variation in the corridor. These findings provide empirical data and a basis for fire science studies in high-altitude hermetic pressurized buildings and can guide existing fire protection design and management for improved safety.

Analyzing the extent and use of impervious land in rural landscapes

The amount of impervious surface is increasing rapidly worldwide. Although urban expansion has been studied extensively, the alteration of impervious land cover in rural regions remains under-examined. In particular, insights into the utilization of these sealed surfaces are crucially needed to unravel the underlying dynamics of land use changes beyond urban areas. This study focuses on rural regions from a Swiss case study and presents an analysis of the use of sealed surfaces in such regions, rather than solely quantifying the extent of sealed surfaces. Utilizing a synergistic approach that merges detailed cadastral plans with very-high-resolution remote sensing imagery and sophisticated deep learning algorithms, we characterized the uses of sealed surfaces, including buildings and their surroundings. Our findings reveal that 2.1 % of the study area’s rural regions comprises sealed surfaces - an area comparable to the sealed surfaces in the urban regions. Within these rural regions, transport infrastructure represents 68 % of this impervious surface. Buildings account for 12 %, and their surroundings, constituting 13 %, are utilized primarily for agricultural purposes, including farming and livestock activities. The deep learning approach achieved a classification accuracy of 72 % for a shallow model and 79 % for a deeper model, indicating that mapping building types is possible with reasonable accuracy. The outcomes of this study underscore the critical need to factor in the presence and utilization of impervious land cover within rural regions for the sustainable management of land resources.

Estimating Direct and Indirect Damage to Industrial Facilities from Coastal Flooding: Case of Ulsan, Korea

As climate change accelerates, the damage caused by natural disasters to logistics and industrial facilities near coastal areas is expected to increase. This study estimates the economic damage caused by coastal inundation in Ulsan Metropolitan City in detail, based on the frequency of inundation and building types. An object-based analysis is conducted to calculate the damage by building type, and the results show that the ripple effect of the disaster accounted for the majority of the total damage. Ulsan's major industrial clusters are concentrated along the coastline, with factories accounting for 92% of the total direct damage. The results of an input-output analysis based on industry linkage tables showed that the indirect damages were 22.1, 8.6, and 3.8 times greater than the direct damages for petrochemicals, automobiles, and shipbuilding, respectively, which represent the main industries in Ulsan. The automobile industry has a large impact on employment, with ripple effects on both directly related industries and other industries. Unlike residential assets, industrial assets exhibit different damage characteristics, depending on whether coastal inundation affects a specific industry or the entire sector. Coastal areas are densely populated with multiple industries. Hence, the ripple effects on assets and employment are significant. Therefore, it is important to accurately identify industries that are highly interdependent with others in the development of effective disaster preparedness and recovery policies. The results of this study can be used as a basis for cost–benefit analyses of climate change disaster measures and policies in coastal cities.

A Review on Analysis of Seismic Impact of Improvements with Rigid and Semi Rigid RC Structure with having Podium

Abstract: The growing population and limited land in urban areas are driving up demand for towering buildings on a daily basis. India and other emerging countries are seeing an increase in the use of tall buildings. Land becomes unavailable for further expansion in any city, particularly in major cities, beyond a certain point of horizontal development. Consequently, multi-story skyscrapers gained popularity as a means of optimising land use. The design principles used for low- and mediumrise structures are not applicable to high-rise skyscrapers. Tall structures demand the most advanced design techniques since they are intricate engineering tasks. Architects and engineers proposed/put forward the new idea of Podium sort constructions in order to meet the demands of both the growing population and the present bye-laws requiring a minimum parking space for such types of buildings. These days, tower-podium style structures are quite common since they provide for the best possible use of available space on the property and the financial leverage to meet the need for more commercial space. A portion of a structure known as a podium has lateral load resistance greater than that of a tower.