http://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings Latest open access articles published in Buildings at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/153 The majority of the sandcrete blocks used in the Nigerian building industry fall short of the minimum specification standards. There is evidence to suggest a wide variation in compressive strength from one block manufacturer to another and also within block samples from a single source. This problem has been attributed to poor quality control and substandard constituent materials. Also very alarming is the ignorance surrounding the usage and engineering properties of some of the widely used fine aggregate deposits. As a way forward, this paper aims to re-establish the impact of vibration time in sandcrete block production using six fine aggregate deposits found within Benin City (Midwestern Nigeria) and their various pair combinations. Some of the basic properties like silt content, grading parameters—co-efficient of uniformity (Cu), curvature co-efficient (Cc) and the fineness modulus (Fm)—of these fine aggregates were established by laboratory means. In addition, the wet and dry compressive strength of these sandcrete blocks made from these sands were established. A total of 1,080 block samples produced under very controlled conditions were used in this investigation. It was revealed that the utility value of sand can be improved when the weaker and commonly used sands were combined with those that are better, more expensive and less frequently used at different vibration periods and ratios. Findings further revealed that sand types and the sand combination approach adopted were very significant to grading parameters and strength; at a much higher vibration time the compressive strength and durability properties were also considerably improved. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/153 Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-05-09 2 2 Article 153 172 2075-5309 Impact of Vibration Time on Compressive Strength of Hardened Sandcrete Building Blocks 2012-05-09 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020153 Alohan Omoregie http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/126 This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods. The framework will allow design teams to have an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental issues, changing the way construction practitioners think about the information they use when assessing building projects, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building industry. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/126 Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-05-04 2 2 Article 126 152 2075-5309 Design of A Sustainable Building: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Sustainability in the Building Sector 2012-05-04 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020126 Peter O. Akadiri Ezekiel A. Chinyio Paul O. Olomolaiye http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/107 Structures of Uniform Response are special earthquake resistant frames in which members of similar groups such as beams, columns and braces of similar nature share the same demand-capacity ratios regardless of their location within the group. The fundamental idea behind this presentation is that seismic structural response is largely a function of design and construction, rather than analysis. Both strength and stiffness are induced rather than investigated. Failure mechanisms and stability conditions are enforced rather than tested. Structures of Uniform Response are expected to sustain relatively large inelastic displacements during major earthquakes. A simple technique has been proposed to control and address the gradual softening of such structures due to local/partial instabilities and formation of plastic hinges. In structures of uniform response, the magnitude and shape of distribution of lateral forces affects the distribution of story stiffness in proportion with story moments, therefore affecting the dynamic behavior of the system as a whole. Simple closed form formulae describing the nonlinear behavior of moment frames of uniform response have been proposed. While the scope of this contribution is limited to moment frames, the proposed method can successfully be extended to all types of recognized earthquake resisting systems. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/107 Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-05-02 2 2 Article 107 125 2075-5309 An Introduction to the Methodology of Earthquake Resistant Structures of Uniform Response 2012-05-02 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020107 Mark Grigorian Carl E. Grigorian http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/83 This paper reports on recent experience of engaging with building users who have communication difficulties, as a potential part of client briefing. The users were residents of a specialist Scottish Housing Association (HA) providing social housing and care services; the residents having a wide range of complex needs, predominantly learning difficulties. Many of these residents have communication difficulties, ranging from mild to very severe. The challenge presented was to effectively engage with a representative sample of residents to ascertain how they value their living environment. The researchers’ involvement was based on prior research into how different participants engage in the architectural design process. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/83 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-04-27 2 2 Article 83 106 2075-5309 Client Briefing: Eliciting Design Preferences from Building Users with Communication Impairments 2012-04-27 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020083 Paul Jenkins Iain Scott Andy Challen http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/63 Recent Italian earthquakes have underlined the need for wide monitoring and safety assessment of architectonical heritage. This has emerged also from requirements of the new Italian Technical Recommendations for buildings. Within this subject the paper investigates the seismic vulnerability of a specific monumental masonry building: the Vicarious Palace (Palazzo del Vicario) in Pescia, a small town near Florence. The structural behavior of the Palace was investigated using a finite element model in which the non-linearities of the masonry were considered by proper constitutive assumptions. The seismic behavior was evaluated by the pushover method, according to the Italian Technical Recommendations. The results were compared with the ones obtained by a simplified approach based on the kinematic theorem of limit analysis. Comparisons of the expected seismic demand vs the seismic capacity of the Palace confirm the weakness of this type of building to suffer extensive damage under earthquakes, as frequently observed in similar construction typologies. Additionally, the comprehension of the structural behavior under seismic loading allows the identification of a proper retrofitting strategy. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/63 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-04-24 2 2 Article 63 82 2075-5309 Seismic Analysis of Historic Masonry Buildings: The Vicarious Palace in Pescia (Italy) 2012-04-24 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020063 Michele Betti Luciano Galano http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/43 The paper presents the features of Tall-building Projects Sustainability Indicator (TPSI)—a “Sustainability Rating System” that specializes in tall-building projects. The system comprises two components; the “Technical Manual” in the form of a booklet and the “Calculator” in the form of an Excel tool. It can be used as a “design tool” and/or as a “checklist” to compare and to improve the sustainable performance of tall-building design schemes. At the same time, the system can be used to evaluate the sustainability of existing tall-building projects. The first version of the TPSI rating system (TPSI 2012 Version) was released as an online tool (GreenLight) and thoroughly examined and validated by multiple parties. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/43 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2012-04-16 2 2 Article 43 62 2075-5309 Tall-Building Projects Sustainability Indicator (TPSI): A New Design and Environmental Assessment Tool for Tall Buildings 2012-04-16 doi: 10.3390/buildings2020043 Binh K. Nguyen Hasim Altan http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/1/33 The authors investigated the occupants’ perceptions of 47 commercial and institutional buildings worldwide. These investigations involved the personal distribution and collection of a questionnaire survey seeking the occupants' perceptions (scored on a 7-point scale) of some 45 factors: Operational; Environmental (including temperature, air quality, lighting, and noise); Personal Control; and Satisfaction (including design, needs, comfort overall, productivity, and health). Occupants were also invited to comment on nine of these factors. While it has been suggested that in the ideal situation the occupants would have no complaints about their indoor environment, the aim here was to discover the real situation—in particular the proportion of occupants who were prepared to make a comment, the general nature of the comments (positive, negative, or balanced), and whether these correlated with the occupants’ perception scores. On average, 34 per cent of respondents took up the invitation to make a comment. As anticipated, the greater the number of positive comments, the better the perception score, and vice-versa. However, it appears that it only required around 20% of the comments to be positive for the perception score to exceed the mid-point of the seven-point scale, whereas 65% or more of negative comments were needed to go under that point. This paper details the nature of the correlation between the occupants’ comments and the corresponding scores for a range of building operational and indoor environmental factors and speculates on their potential for the analysis and prediction of building performance from the perspective of the occupants. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/1/33 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CET Buildings 2012-01-27 2 1 Article 33 42 2075-5309 The Potential for the Use of the Occupants’ Comments in the Analysis and Prediction of Building Performance 2012-01-27 doi: 10.3390/buildings2010033 George Baird Clare Dykes http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/1/1 Material selection is a complex and delicate task determined by the immense number of building material options. Likewise, multiple factors are often considered by the architect when evaluating the various categories of building materials. As a result, these sets of factors or variables often present tradeoffs that make the decision process even more complex. To ease the material-selection process, this article examines one aspect of the research objectives: the relevant factors or variables needed to develop a systematic and efficient material-selection system. Through the analysis of frequency data and results of a pilot study, it identifies some of the potential factors that will impact architects decisions in their choice of green vernacular building materials, during the design-decision making process. The application of the criteria for the quantitative evaluation and selection of the best alternative building material, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model, are discussed. The aim is to develop a multi-factorial analytical decision support toolkit to assist architects assess their consequences in terms of whether or not the material option is likely to move towards sustainability objectives. An example is included to illustrate the AHP approach. The argument is advanced that the explicit incorporation of sustainability in the material selection process requires the assessment of the social, economic, technical, sensorial and environmental consequences of potential material options. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/1/1 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CET Buildings 2012-01-23 2 1 Article 1 32 2075-5309 Investigating Factors Affecting Material Selection: The Impacts on Green Vernacular Building Materials in the Design-Decision Making Process 2012-01-23 doi: 10.3390/buildings2010001 Ibuchim Ogunkah Junli Yang http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/1/1/4 Much of the residential sector in Spain is obsolete, with inadequate conditions of comfort and high energy consumption. For this reason most of the potential for improving energy efficiency lies in the existing residential sector, which requires upgrading to meet the quantitative and qualitative changes required at present. This study of specific cases aimed at establishing general criteria for action has been prompted by the difficulty in proposing general intervention strategies. This paper presents a case study for the energy retrofit of 68 social housing units in Cordoba (Spain) evaluating their energy consumption, with a view to improving the building’s energy balance and indoor thermal comfort, on which user comfort depends. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/1/1/4 Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:00:00 CET Buildings 2011-12-27 1 1 Article 4 15 2075-5309 Retrofitting of Energy Habitability in Social Housing: A Case Study in a Mediterranean Climate 2011-12-27 doi: 10.3390/buildings1010004 Rafael Suárez Jessica Fernández-Agüera http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/1/1/1 People are estimated to spend 80–90% of their time in buildings—residences, offices, factories, schools, places of worship, public amenities, recreational facilities, etc. Thus buildings play a very important role in the lives of individuals and societies. However, they are often taken for granted, except for private residences which are dear to people for a variety of reasons. One of the consequences of this is that research into the development of buildings (science, design, materials, etc.) has not advanced at the same pace as other industry sectors. While the automobile and aerospace industries have considerably improved the efficiency of vehicles and aircraft, buildings have only recorded incremental improvements. However, the situation is beginning to change with several initiatives at industry, national and multi-national levels aimed at improving the efficiency of the construction industry and the quality of the buildings that it produces. In many cases, these initiatives and associated research efforts require interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle what is essentially a multi-facetted problem. There is scope to better disseminate the outcomes of these efforts in a coherent, inter-disciplinary journal. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/1/1/1 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 CEST Buildings 2011-04-20 1 1 Editorial 1 3 2075-5309 Buildings: An Open Access Journal for the Built Environment 2011-04-20 doi: 10.3390/buildings1010001 Chimay J. Anumba