• General Article

    Assessment of the mixed local climate zones as the best design for future eco-districts in sub-humid climate: A case of rabat
    Kaoutar Ouali
    Outdoor comfort accommodates pedestrian traffic and activities and contributes significantly to urban livability and vitality. Thus it is essential for sustainable cities. … + READ MORE
    Outdoor comfort accommodates pedestrian traffic and activities and contributes significantly to urban livability and vitality. Thus it is essential for sustainable cities. This case study assesses the mixed zone MZ (open high-rise/open low-rise) as the best morphology choice for eco-neighborhoods in Morocco. Rabat’s Local Climate Zone (LCZ) cartography is established with acceptable accuracy. Five residential precincts (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z5, Z6) randomly chosen from the most present LCZs and one proposed future scenario MZ (Z4), are simulated using ENVI-met 4.4.2, which is experimentally validated. The Z3 (compact low rise) is a particular case because it represents the traditional urban tissue. The hourly spatial average values of 2 m air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, Tmrt, surface temperature, and direct shortwave radiation are analyzed, and the time series of Tmrt and (predicted mean vote) PMV are compared. The highest contrast in thermal comfort provided passively on a typical summer day is 7 hours recorded between the mixed zone and LCZ1. In the sub-humid climate of Rabat, MZ is the best configuration because it combines natural ventilation due to the porosity of the urban tissue, the high ratio of pervious and vegetated surfaces, and the shading cooling effect due to the high-rise of some buildings. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    Revealing the climate-responsive strategies of traditional houses of Urla, İzmir
    Ali Berkay Avcı and Şefika Gülin Beyhan
    Vernacular houses possess significant climate-responsive properties due to the accumulated information from the trial-and-error method. Therefore, the traditional houses of a region … + READ MORE
    Vernacular houses possess significant climate-responsive properties due to the accumulated information from the trial-and-error method. Therefore, the traditional houses of a region can guide new buildings in terms of adaptation to the climate. The study focuses on the climate-responsive properties of vernacular houses of Urla, İzmir. The study aims to reveal the specific strategies of the traditional houses of Urla in response to the hot and humid Aegean climate. Relating to this purpose, Postane Street, which is among the significant historic streets of the town, is selected as the case area to evaluate the vernacular houses of Urla. The research method is based on the climate-responsive strategies determined from the literature review in the first part. These criteria include “orientation to the sun and wind, the effect of direct sunlight and shading strategy, building envelope and form, interior space organization, integration of greenery, building materials, and roof strategy”. Climate Consultant and Design Builder Software were used to prepare the psychrometric graph and shading regime visualizations. The study showed that the climate-responsive strategies of the street’s vernacular houses are shaped to avoid excessive heat gain in the climate of Urla. The research results are expected to guide sustainable design applications in the same area. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    Post occupancy evaluation for green school building
    WooJae Kim
    Schools have increasingly adopted green building features to promote energy and water conservation, reduce resource consumption, enhance indoor environments for effective teaching … + READ MORE
    Schools have increasingly adopted green building features to promote energy and water conservation, reduce resource consumption, enhance indoor environments for effective teaching and learning, and instill environmental stewardship in students. However, the relationship between the occupants' satisfaction and performance and the implementation of green features in school buildings is not well-established. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a post occupancy evaluation of the performance and effectiveness of green features in an exemplary green school in the United States. The research team conducted interviews with the school principal and building manager to assess the actual performance of the school's water and energy efficiency. Furthermore, a post occupancy survey was distributed to teachers and staff to identify any relationships between occupants' satisfaction and the green building features. The findings of this study shed light on the impact of green design and construction strategies on students' attitudes and behavior towards sustainability. The results can help school building teams better manage the operation and maintenance of their buildings by incorporating feedback from occupants. Additionally, this study provides a valuable resource for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries seeking to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of green building strategies and technologies for continuous improvement. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    Improvement of clay brick masonry bonding using polyurethane foam mortars with blended cement
    Iman Kattoof Harith, Ahmed Mousa Abdulhadi and Ali Majdi
    Masonry is a composite material generally used in construction. It displays numerous advantages, involving significant compressive strength, thermal inertia, and aesthetic beauty. … + READ MORE
    Masonry is a composite material generally used in construction. It displays numerous advantages, involving significant compressive strength, thermal inertia, and aesthetic beauty. Poor bond and low bond strength are major problems of brick masonry and this aspect is fundamental in seismic regions. In this study, the improvement of brick masonry bond and shear strength using polyurethane foam mortars with blended cement has been investigated. Toward this objective, fly ash class F and nano silica were utilized in mortars by 30% and 2%, as partial cement replacement respectively. The properties of components were performed, followed by compressive strength tests on polyurethane foam mortars. Moreover, a comparison of the behaviour of the polyurethane foam mortar prisms, triplets and couplets under compressive, shear and bond tests with respect to the reference cement mortar masonry was carried out. A significant increase in shear and bond strength was achieved by using polyurethane mortar reaching up to 79% and 160% respectively at 28-day for mortar made with polyurethane foam and 30% fly ash and 2% nano silica. Results provide indications on which polyurethane foam mortars have to be used for masonry buildings in regions that are subjected to seismic hazards. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    A Study on the derivation of carbon neutrality rates in the production stage through the application of construction materials with environmental product declaration in South Korea
    Seongjo Wang, Sungho Tae and Daehong Kim
    Reducing carbon emissions in the building sector is essential for achieving global carbon neutrality. To this end, it is necessary to evaluate … + READ MORE
    Reducing carbon emissions in the building sector is essential for achieving global carbon neutrality. To this end, it is necessary to evaluate the carbon emissions of materials used in actual buildings throughout the building lifecycle, quantify the amount of carbon reduction relative to standards, and derive carbon neutrality rates for the building sector. In Korea, carbon emissions during the operation stage account for approximately 65% of total emissions, and certification systems for zero-energy buildings and step-by-step roadmaps have been established to reduce carbon emissions in the operation stage. However, carbon emissions in the production stage account for approximately 29% of total emissions and are the second-highest, yet there is a lack of standards and management for carbon reduction in the production stage in Korea. In addition, the carbon emissions of materials used in actual buildings are not applied because Korea’s Building LCA evaluates the carbon emissions in the production stage using data standardized by Korea’s national LCI DB. This study constructed a carbon emissions database for 417 environmentally friendly construction materials produced by companies and used in buildings to derive the carbon neutrality rate in the production stage and established a reference building according to the classification system. Based on this, the amount of carbon reduction was derived in comparison to Korea’s national LCI DB and the carbon neutrality rate, which is the ratio of carbon reduction to carbon emissions in the production stage. As a result, in the case of apartment houses, a maximum carbon reduction of 312 kgCO2-eq per unit area (m2) is possible, and the carbon neutrality rate in the production stage was 65.43%. For office facilities, a maximum carbon reduction of 327 kgCO2-eq per unit area (m2) is possible, and the carbon neutrality rate in the production stage was 69.22%. This study could potentially contribute to carbon neutrality in the building sector by deriving quantitative carbon neutrality rates, not only in the production stage but throughout the entire building process. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    The effect on cost when utilising modular construction techniques - The impact of weather on labour productivity
    David Roberts, Kenneth Park, Nii Ankrah and Ki Pyung Kim
    The Main running ain of this paper is to explore the impact weather will have on labour productivity costs associated with construction … + READ MORE
    The Main running ain of this paper is to explore the impact weather will have on labour productivity costs associated with construction activities that would be replaced by using modular production techniques. Weather is a cost variable that is often ignored during pricing of construction projects and is rarely recorded as a cost impact, and yet the impact can be considerable if not planned appropriately. Modular construction is a form of off-site construction that creates a three-dimensional section if a building in a factory and transports it to site, the quantity of the build that is replaced with the modules can vary and so assumptions have been made on the elements of traditional construction that have been replaced. The weather impact has been based on UK weather data and the focus has been on those that will affect labour productivity in particular, such as high temperatures, low temperatures, precipitation, and wind. The paper has analysed the impact start date and length of project will have on particular weather types occurring during a project and applying those to assumed productivity reduction that comes from those weather types. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    Development of hybrid chitosan/zinc oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites for potential food packaging application
    Dhiren Kanted, Vishnu Soman, Simran Sahota and Maneesh Kumar Poddar
    Novel food packaging materials are becoming increasingly necessary and extensive research is underway worldwide towards developing environmentally friendly and bio-based polymers. Among … + READ MORE
    Novel food packaging materials are becoming increasingly necessary and extensive research is underway worldwide towards developing environmentally friendly and bio-based polymers. Among various biopolymers, chitosan is the noticeable and industrially viable food packaging material and is the second most naturally available biopolymer after cellulose. This study is based on the reinforcing hybrid nanomaterials of zinc and graphene oxides into the chitosan matrix to produce a bio-based food packaging material with improved antimicrobial properties, high water resistance and thermally stable hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites. Various characterization techniques such as Raman, FTIR, XRD and FE-SEM confirmed the preparation of nanofillers and their successful encapsulation into the chitosan matrix. The thermal analysis results confirmed a marked rise of 46.5 and 62.1°C at T25% and T50% respectively of hybrid nanocomposites as compared to neat chitosan. Further, the DTG analysis showed there was a significant rise of 19°C in the maximum degradation temperature for hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites as compared to neat chitosan. The water vapor permeability of hybrid nanocomposites was reported at a minimum of 1.04 g.mm/m2.h.kPa against the neat chitosan of 2.22 g.mm/m2.h.kPa which confirmed the nanocomposites with improved water resistance. The antimicrobial property tested in presence of Bacillus subtilis (gram-positive bacterium) was reported maximum for hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites with the highest inhibition zone of 12 mm as compared to the inhibition zone of neat chitosan, chitosan/GO, and chitosan/ZnO of 5 and 10 mm respectively. The increase in the above properties of the hybrid nanocomposites is attributed to the combined effect of hybrid nanofillers as compared to the nanocomposites with the use of single nanofillers. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • General Article

    Examining the significance and scope of form generation in digital design through boolean operations: A Case study of contemporary buildings post-2000
    Jinho Kim
    Contemporary architectural designers strive for diversity and originality in form creation by actively employing digital design tools in their processes. This study … + READ MORE
    Contemporary architectural designers strive for diversity and originality in form creation by actively employing digital design tools in their processes. This study investigates the design methodology of Boolean operations and assesses its potential for expansion and application through a case study approach. For the case study, contemporary buildings constructed after 2000 are examined to investigate the relationship between the use of Boolean operations and the scope of their application, as well as the role of digital design tools in architecture. It reveals a range of form and spatial generation across scales, achieved by selecting the results of basic Boolean operations such as union, difference, and intersection. The digital design process using Boolean operations differs from conventional coordinate-based methods. It relies on computational thinking, which enables alterations to entire forms via instruction from computer programs. In particular, the Boolean operations resonate with topological operations such as penetration, inclusion, and void. It can be extended to reinvent topological spaces and form creation. Although Boolean operations originated as a form of logical mathematics, these now contribute to intensifying the generation of architectural forms and spaces with the aid of digital design and construction tools by functioning as a generative diagram that expands into topological space. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
  • Technical Notes

    AI and the future of architecture: A Smart secretary, revolutionary tool, or a cause for concern?
    Choulwoong Kwon
    ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, has the potential to revolutionize various fields, including architecture and construction. This paper provides … + READ MORE
    ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, has the potential to revolutionize various fields, including architecture and construction. This paper provides an extensive examination of the potential applications and implications of AI in architecture, specifically in the design process, eco-friendly construction, building operation stage, construction site management, and human-AI interactions. In addition, it explores the ethical considerations and the need for a regulatory framework in the use of AI in architecture. The paper includes real-world examples and concrete practical usages for each potential, emphasizing the transformative power of AI in the architectural field while addressing potential concerns. - COLLAPSE
    31 March 2023
Journal Informaiton International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development
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