Buildings, Volume 10, Issue 9

The number of visually impaired people and elderly people groups are significant, but the current lighting system used in buildings, which is based on the current standard, cannot provide the necessary lighting comfort for them. The lighting system s...

Recycled materials are now widely used in various industrial sectors to enhance sustainability and reduce environmental charges. Using recycled aggregates in concrete production significantly lowers demand for natural aggregates and the amount of sol...

Building maintenance is a fundamental practice in facility management, which supports the longevity of a building. Increasing costs of maintenance practices is a challenge for facility management professionals. Given that, building maintenance decisi...

The construction industry is responsible for causing a large adverse impact on the environment. To minimize these impacts, sustainable practices are being sought mainly in the area of the wastage of and the waste from raw materials. Many obstacles an...

Most of the energy consumed by the residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. is dedicated to space cooling and heating systems, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Therefore, the need for better operation mechanisms of tho...

This paper focuses on the Murena Palace in Perugia, part of an architectural complex designed by Luigi Vanvitelli and completed by Carlo Murena in the 18th century. In the context of the seismic vulnerability assessment of this masonry building, the...

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the load-carrying capacity of steel open-section columns of a coal power plant structure. The structure was subjected to soil subsidence, which led to considerable structural deformations and damages. As a...

This paper aims to innovate a hybrid reinforcement system for concrete slabs, consisting of geogrids and steel bars, by conducting an experimental comparative study between using different types, tensile strengths, and layers of geogrids as additiona...

In recent years, facility management (FM) has adopted many computer technology solutions for building maintenance, such as building information modelling (BIM) and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). However, maintenance requests mana...

The study presents a didactic experience for the deep refurbishment and the revitalization of the San Siro neighborhood in Milan (Italy). The public housing is a significative example of the 20th-century architecture (also named “Italian Modern...

This study investigated the impact of the design of wall systems, mainly made of compressed earth blocks (CEB), on the indoor thermal comfort of naturally ventilated housing in hot climates of Burkina Faso. Conventional housing was modeled and calibr...

This study outlines a procedure for the seismic safety evaluation of historical buildings for engineers and architects that commonly work on buildings belonging to cultural and architectural heritage. The procedure is characterized by two interrelate...

Since the 1980s, smart buildings have aroused the interest of researchers. However, there is still no consensus on what the intelligence of a building is, and what enhances that intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to identify and correlate the...

After a fire, the assessment of concrete residual strength can be a challenge. Since the strength reduction depends on the distance from the heated surface examination based on destructive test, i.e., core samples, is not precise enough. Therefore, m...

In this paper, we present an original experimental investigation on a pull-out test of a blind rivet from the external facing of sandwich panels with various core layer materials (polyisocyanurate foam, mineral wool, and expanded polystyrene). The bl...

Literature has shown positive results to using waste plastic as an alternative source for PMBs where considerable interest in using waste High-density polyethylene (HDPE) has been highlighted on improving rutting resistance. Most importantly, using a...

The goal of the present study was to develop a low-density thermal insulation board using wood fibers and a bio-based adhesive as a binder, which was prepared from a crude glycerol and citric acid mixture. The physical and mechanical properties of in...

This research extends Hasan Fathy’s (1986) principle of vernacular architecture by focusing on the Rawshan through an investigation of two criteria: aesthetics and energy efficiency. The paper discusses the views of both the Saudi public and key deci...

Pilotis buildings have widely spread out in developed countries since World War II onwards. From the structural point of view, Pilotis RC frames exhibit substantial lack in ductility capacity and shear resistance localized at the first floor, since t...

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridges that were designed in the decades between 1950 and 1990 exhibit inadequate structural safety with reference to both traffic loads and hazard conditions. Competent authorities are planning extensive inspection...

In light of the gap in research and practice, with regard to achieving the sustainability goals of green building, while maximizing combination with building-information-modeling (BIM) as a social system—a gap that is expressed in the absence o...

Solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) is an emerging technology capable of producing electrical and thermal energy using a single collector. However, to achieve larger market penetration of this technology, it is imperative to have an understanding of the...

The application of photovoltaic systems is becoming a dominant feature in contemporary buildings. They allow for the achievement of zero-energy constructions. However, the principles of this strategy are not yet sufficiently known among architects. T...

Crystalline admixtures and industrial by-products can be used in cement-based materials in order to improve their mechanical properties. The research examined long-term curing and the exposure to environmental actions of polymer–cement mortars...

The construction industry has embraced digitisation and industrialisation in response to the need to increase its productivity, optimise material consumption and improve workmanship. Additive manufacturing (AM), more widely known as 3D printing, has...