Search Results (76)

Residential green space is an important component of urban green space and one of the major indicators for evaluating the quality of a residential community. Traditional indicators such as the green space ratio only consider the relationship between green space area and total area of the residential community while ignoring the difference in the amount of green space enjoyed by household residents in high-rise and low-rise buildings. Therefore, it is meaningful to estimate household green space and its spatial distribution in residential communities. However, there are frequent difficulties in obtaining specific green space area and household number through ground surveys or consulting with property management units. In this study, taking a composite residential community in Chongqing, China, as the study site, we first employed a five-lens drone to capture its oblique RGB images and generated the DOM (Digital Orthophoto Map). Subsequently, the green space area and distribution in the entire residential community were extracted from the DOM using VDVI (Visible Difference Vegetation Index). The YOLACT (You Only Look At Coefficients) instance segmentation model was used to recognize balconies from the facade images of high-rise buildings to determine their household numbers. Finally, the average green space per household in the entire residential community was calculated to be 67.82 m², and those in the high-rise and low-rise building zones were 51.28 m² and 300 m², respectively. Compared with the green space ratios of 65.5% and 50%, household green space more truly reflected the actual green space occupation in high- and low-rise building zones. Full article

This study investigates the effectiveness of passive design in low-rise residential buildings located in arid desert climates, using the Dubai Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) competition as a case study. This full-scale experiment offers a unique opportunity to evaluate design solutions under controlled, realistic conditions; prescriptive, modeled performance; and monitored performance assessments. The prescriptive assessment reviews geometry, orientation, envelope thermal properties, and shading. Most houses adopt compact forms, with envelope-to-volume and envelope-to-floor area ratios averaging 1 and 3.7, respectively, and window-to-wall ratios of approximately 17%, favoring north-facing openings to optimize daylight while reducing heat gain. Shading is strategically applied, horizontal on south façades and vertical on east and west. The thermal properties significantly exceed the local code requirements, with wall performance up to 80% better than that mandated. The modeled assessment uses Building Energy Models (BEMs) to simulate the impact of prescriptive measures on energy performance. Three variations are applied: assigning minimum local code requirements to all the houses to isolate the geometry (baseline); removing shading; and applying actual envelope properties. Geometry alone accounts for up to 60% of the variation in cooling intensity; shading reduces loads by 6.5%, and enhanced envelopes lower demand by 14%. The monitored assessment uses contest-period data. Indoor temperatures remain stable (22–25 °C) despite outdoor fluctuations. Energy use confirms that houses with good designs and airtightness have lower cooling loads. Airtightness varies widely (avg. 14.5 m³/h/m²), with some well-designed houses underperforming due to construction flaws. These findings highlight the critical role of passive design as the first layer for improving the energy performance of the built environment and advancing toward net-zero targets, specifically in arid desert climates. Full article

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle, from material extraction to end-of-life, considering factors such as global warming, acidification, and toxicity. However, despite its significant health effects, noise has not yet been incorporated into the LCA. This study integrates noise impact into the LCA to assess and compare alternative structural designs for Australian high-rise residential and commercial buildings. Three scenarios were analysed: (1) reinforced concrete frames, (2) hybrid timber designs using engineered wood (e.g., cross-laminated timber and Glulam), and (3) steel-frame structures. The system boundary spans cradle to grave, with a 100-year lifespan. Material quantities were extracted from BIM software 2024 (Revit Architecture) for accuracy. The ReCiPe 2016 method converted inventory data into impact indicators, while noise impact was assessed using Highly Annoyed People (HAP) and Highly Sleep-Deprived People (HSDP). The results show that commercial buildings have more significant environmental impacts than residential structures due to their higher material usage. Steel frames generally exhibit the highest environmental impact, while concrete structures contribute most to noise effects. The total noise-integrated impact ranks as steel > concrete > timber. Additionally, noise accounts for up to 33% of the total impact on densely populated areas but remains negligible in low-population regions. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating noise into the LCA for a more holistic assessment of sustainable building designs. Full article

As a pillar industry of China’s economy, the real estate sector has been challenged by the increasing prevalence of housing vacancies, which negatively impacts market stability. Traditional vacancy rate estimation methods, relying on labor-intensive surveys and lacking official statistical support, are limited in accuracy and scalability. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel framework for assessing residential community-level housing vacancy rates through the integration of multi-source data. Its core is based on night-time lighting data, supplemented by other multi-source big data, for housing vacancy rate (HVR) estimation and practical validation. In the case study of Longquanyi District in Chengdu City, the main conclusions are as follows: (1) with low data resolution, the model estimates a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.14, which is highly accurate; (2) the average housing vacancy rate (HVR) of houses in Longquanyi District’s residential community is 46%; (3) the HVR rises progressively with the increase in the distance from the city center; (4) the correlation between the HVR of Longquanyi District and the house prices of the area is not obvious; (5) the correlation between the HVR of Longquanyi District and the time of completion of the communities in the region is not obvious, but the newly built communities have extremely high HVR. Compared to the existing literature, this study innovatively leverages multi-source big data to provide a scalable and accurate solution for HVR estimation. The framework enhances understanding of urban real estate dynamics and supports sustainable city development. Full article

This study aims to understand the impacts of climate change and extreme climate events on residential buildings and explore how existing buildings can be adapted to resist these negative impacts. A bibliometric and scientometric analysis was conducted on resilient residential retrofits to highlight the prevalent themes, critical directions, and gaps in the literature, which can inform future research directions. The resilient residential retrofit publications from 2012 to 2023 were retrieved and analyzed using text-mining software. In all, 4011 publications and 2623 patents were identified. The analysis revealed an average annual publication growth rate of 11%, indicating increasing interest in resilient residential retrofits. Four central topics were explored specifically throughout the study, as they are known to be the most prevalent climate risks for residential buildings: Overheating, Flooding, Wind, and Wildfires. The research trends analysis reveals that emerging interests in resilient residential retrofit encompass nature-based solutions, energy efficiency, thermal comfort, microclimates, durability, post-disaster recovery, and extreme events. Nearly half of the publications reference urban context and over one-third mention costs. The building envelope is the most frequently discussed housing component. Although energy retrofit was not the primary focus of this study and was not specifically searched for, energy concerns were still prevalent in the dataset, highlighting the critical importance of energy efficiency and management in resilient residential retrofits. The analysis of R&D momentum revealed several research gaps. Despite high growth rates, there are low publication rates on key topics such as durability, holistic approaches, microclimates, nature-based solutions, and traditional homes, to name a few. These areas could benefit from further research in the context of climate-resilient residential retrofits. Additionally, the analysis indicates a lack of publications on cross-themed research specific to rural and suburban settings. There are also few studies addressing combinations of themes, such as overheating in high-rise buildings, wildfires in Nordic climates, and flooding risk in smart homes within the scope of resilient residential retrofits. The United States leads in publication output, followed by China and the UK, with China dominating the patent landscape. This scientometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the research landscape in resilient residential retrofit, systematically maps and analyzes the vast amount of research output, and identifies the key trends and gaps, enabling us to see a type of quantitative snapshot of the research in a field at a certain point in time and thus providing a unique point of view. This study helps stakeholders prioritize efforts and resources effectively for guiding future research, funding decisions, informing policy decisions, and ultimately enhancing the resilience of residential buildings to climate-related challenges. Full article

Numerous studies have explored the cooling and energy-saving effects of vegetation and reflective materials under extreme heat conditions in urban residential areas. However, few have explored the synergistic effects of vegetation and albedo, particularly in low-rise, high-density residential areas. Therefore, this study selected six typical low-rise, high-density residential areas in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, based on the neighborhood characteristics. This study investigated the cooling effects and energy-saving potential of vegetation and cooling materials through the development of five simulation scenarios. These included original conditions, the application of highly reflective cooling materials, increased vegetation cover, the removal of vegetation cover, and a comprehensive strategy combining cooling materials with enhanced vegetation. These scenarios were analyzed using ENVI-met and DesignBuilder to evaluate their impact on the microclimate and building energy consumption. The results reveal the following: (1) Cooling materials can lower air temperatures by 1.9 °C, saving 10.37% in energy consumption during the summer, demonstrating a greater efficiency in reducing air temperature and energy use. (2) Vegetation slightly reduces daytime air temperatures but hampers nighttime cooling in dense low-rise areas, increasing energy demand. Shrubs or grass are preferable to tall trees. (3) Cooling materials had a stronger correlation with energy consumption reduction compared to vegetation. Hence, combining cooling materials with strategically placed vegetation and controlling vegetation size maximized cooling and energy-saving benefits. This study provides valuable insights for urban planners and designers, offering guidance for improving urban microclimates, reducing building energy use, and achieving carbon neutrality goals. Full article

This research examined changes in the microclimatic parameters affecting thermal comfort in three residential settings with various urban forms in the city of Niš, Serbia, that underwent intense post-socialist urban densification. Outdoor microclimate was modeled for summertime conditions in two scenarios, before and after transformation, by using ENVI-met software. The obtained results offer quantitative data on microclimatic conditions in the chosen settings and comparisons between scenarios. Findings revealed significant variations in the transformed scenarios, with distinct patterns in specific open spaces: a single mid-rise development forming a square in a high-rise setting showed a wind speed decrease, a daytime mean radiant temperature increase despite lower temperature, and an increase in humidity; extensive low- and mid-rise development in a green high-rise setting generated the highest temperature increase at night, notably reduced daytime and slightly elevated the nighttime mean radiant temperatures, and presented inverted temperature and humidity patterns in urban canyons during the day and night; dispersed densification in low-rise setting manifested the highest wind speed increase, significantly increased the daytime temperature, and mostly raised the nighttime mean radiant temperature. Urban design strategies for sustainable public open space that enhance the resilience of densified areas include using shading from transformed western/southern-edge buildings, avoiding small partly-framed spaces and fragmented grassy surfaces, implementing urban gaps to support nighttime cooling, and framing public open space with trees. Full article

This study tracks changes in commercial buildings in Yeonnam-dong that have undergone commercial transformation, examining these shifts within the context of urban organization and their relationships with economic and socio-cultural flows. It also analyzes the architectural elements that reflect the placeness characteristics of an area. On-site surveys were conducted to assess the continuity and discontinuity in the characteristics of 62 renovated and 40 newly constructed buildings. Additionally, shifts in social perceptions regarding physical changes were explored through an analysis of commercial districts and interviews with visitors, store owners, and architects. Yeonnam-dong has a distinct physical environment, as well as economic, social, and cultural characteristics that distinguish it from mainstream areas, such as large apartment complexes and typical commercial zones. The area, with its winding alleyways from the pre-modern period and low-rise housing—marginalized from large-scale development—evoked nostalgia and created a distinctive sense of authenticity or placeness, which was further enhanced by the presence of exotic restaurants, cafés, ateliers, and creative activities of early gentrifiers. However, rapid commercialization has led to the displacement of these early gentrifiers, an influx of new investments and construction, and shifts in commercial flows. Consequently, the area’s authenticity has become diluted, and visitors’ perceptions of it have changed. Despite this, architectural elements observed in renovated buildings are preserved and incorporated into newly constructed ones. Features such as semi-basements, exterior straight stairs, and brick façades continue to reflect the locality. Detached and multi-household homes from the 1960s to the 1990s have evolved into a new hybrid commercial–residential form designed for commercial purposes. This is a response to small plot sizes in Korean residential areas and reflects the current economic and cultural demands of commercial gentrification. The urban and architectural characteristics of this area are not only a unique physical environment but also hold socio-cultural significance as ordinary heritage. Therefore, this study proposes institutional measures to preserve urban and architectural continuity while controlling the ongoing commercialization. Full article

The residential minimum water demand characterisation is of fundamental importance for water distribution system management. During the minimum consumption, indeed, maximum pressures are on network pipes, and at the same time, tank levels rise. The water consumption analysis during the period of low demand and high pressure is thus of great interest for leakage estimation due to the increase in water loss with pressure. In order to contribute to the study of and forecast the daily minimum residential water demand, some probability distributions were tested by means of statistical inferences on a data set collected from different District Metering Areas (DMAs), showing that the stochastic minimum flow demand is defined by the Log-Normal (LN), Gumbel (Gu) and Log-Logistic (LL) distributions, as an extreme minimum value. With reference to the analysed DMAs, the parameters of such statistical distributions were estimated and the relationships are provided as a function only of the supplied users for different DMAs. The data were analysed with 1 h intervals of discretisation, with the aim of providing a useful guide to water utilities, which usually manage water distribution system data with such a resolution time. Indeed, once the minimum residential flow consumption at a 1 h interval was estimated as a function of the user number, by subtracting it to the inflow measured, it is possible to estimate the leakages rate at the DMA. Full article

The rising demand for water and energy is driving the overuse of natural resources and contributing to environmental degradation. To address these challenges, the focus has shifted to low- and zero-emission technologies that utilize alternative sources of water and energy. Although such systems are commonly applied in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, facilities along transportation routes generally depend on grid connections. This study aimed to enhance operational independence and reduce environmental impacts by modernizing the Rest Area Stobierna (RAS) along Poland’s S19 expressway, part of the Via Carpatia road. A comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental analysis was conducted using HOMER Pro software (3.18.3 PRO Edition) and a simulation model based on YAS operating principles. The proposed Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) incorporates photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS). Two configurations of the HRES were evaluated, a prosumer-based setup and a hybrid-island mode. Optimization results showed that the hybrid-island configuration was most effective, achieving a 61.6% share of renewable energy in the annual balance, a 7.1-year return on investment, a EUR 0.77 million reduction in Net Present Cost (NPC), and a 75,002 kg decrease in CO₂ emissions over the system’s 25-year lifecycle. This study highlights the potential of integrating renewable energy and water systems to improve sustainability, reduce operational costs, and enhance service quality in road infrastructure facilities, offering a replicable model for similar contexts. Full article

Solitary deaths, where individuals die alone and are isolated from the society, have emerged as a major social issue in South Korea. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics, perceptions, and living environments of socially vulnerable groups at risk of solitary deaths, focusing on comparing two neighborhood areas with different housing types to understand regional differences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 100 single-person households in the low-rise residential area of Sadang 4-dong and the public rental apartment area of the Gayang 5 apartment complex. The survey analysis revealed significant regional differences in factors that could influence the prevention of solitary deaths, including the connectivity between units within buildings, visual isolation, the control of appropriate indoor environments, and the frequency of social interactions. Although the Gayang 5 apartment complex, a public rental housing which is over 30 years old, offers advantages in residential safety and building maintenance compared to the low-rise residential area, this positively impacts aspects like housing satisfaction and increased social interactions. Single-person households living in multi-family and multi-household housing in low-rise residential areas generally experience poorer living environments, highlighting the need for more detailed services. These services should include enhanced support for heating and cooling costs, strengthened care services, and improved social networks. For preventing solitary deaths, region-specific strategies and screening tools are required to tailor interventions more effectively. Full article

City-wide near-miss data can be beneficial for traffic safety estimation. In this study, we evaluate urban traffic safety and examine spatial patterns by incorporating city-wide near-miss data (59,277 near-misses). Our methodology employs a grid-based method, the Empirical Bayes (EB) approach, and spatial analysis tools including global Moran’s I and local Moran’s I. The study findings reveal that near-misses have the strongest correlation with observed crash frequency among all the variables studied. Interestingly, the ratio of near-misses to crashes is roughly estimated to be 1957:1, providing a potentially useful benchmark for urban areas. For other variables, an increased number of intersections and bus stops, along with a greater road length, contribute to a higher crash frequency. Conversely, residential and open-space land use rates show a negative correlation with crash frequency. Through spatial analysis, potential risk hotspots including roads linking bridges and tunnels, and avenues bustling with pedestrian activity, are highlighted. The study also identified negative local spatial correlations in crash frequencies, suggesting significant safety risk variations within relatively short distances. By mapping the differences between observed and predicted crash frequencies, we identified specific grid areas with unexpectedly high or low crash frequencies. These findings highlight the crucial role of near-miss data in urban traffic safety policy and planning, particularly relevant with the imminent rise of autonomous and connected vehicles. By integrating near-miss data into safety estimations, we can develop a more comprehensive understanding of traffic safety and, thus, more effectively address urban traffic risks. Full article

In response to the increasing building demands in Turkey, particularly in the metropolitan area of Istanbul, followed by other major cities such as Ankara and Izmir, the expansion of construction zones has led to the emergence of tall towers as a pragmatic solution. The design and implementation of tall buildings require newer technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration in aspects such as facade installation, vertical circulation solutions, and fire systems, compared to low-rise buildings. In spite of the proliferation of skyscrapers, there is a noticeable lack of thorough study on space efficiency in Turkey’s tall buildings. This article aims to fill this significant gap in the literature. The research method employed in this study focuses on a case study of 54 modern towers constructed in Turkey between 2010 and 2023, ranging in height from 147 to 284 m. Key findings are as follows: (1) residential use, central core, and prismatic forms are the most prevalent architectural preferences; (2) the most preferred structural material and system are concrete and the shear-walled frame system, respectively; (3) average space efficiency and the percentage of core-to-gross-floor area (GFA) were 78% and 19%, respectively, with measurement ranges varying from a minimum of 64% and 9% to a maximum of 86% and 34%. This paper will provide insight for construction stakeholders, especially architects, for sound planning decisions in the development of Turkish tall buildings. Full article

Due to the favourable pro-environmental properties of timber, including the origin of the raw material from renewable sources, ease of reuse, negative carbon footprint, low specific weight, possibility of prefabrication, etc., there is increasing interest in the use of timber in construction. This paper takes a closer look at the new uses of timber as a load-bearing structure for high and high-rise buildings. Cases described in the literature concerning this type of building with residential and public functions erected worldwide were analysed. The first buildings of this type were put into use in 2009. The aim of this paper is to show new possibilities and to extend the use of timber as a load-bearing structure of high and high-rise buildings previously made of reinforced concrete or steel. The scope of the analysis includes two postulates of sustainable construction, directly related to the above-mentioned goals: limiting interference in the natural areas of cities through efficient use of building plots for high or high-rise buildings and the use of renewable materials—timber—for the load-bearing structure of buildings. A research method based on a case study was used. Conclusions were made on the pro-environmental spatial–functional and material–structural design of these high and high-rise buildings. Full article

This paper is based on the recognition of a phenomenon occurring in the real estate market of Belém, Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon. The phenomenon refers to the relative increase in the size of the balconies of residential apartments launched in the city between 2005 and 2017 by construction companies, with the aim of increasing the number of units built per tower. Given that balconies were originally areas of low frequency for the occupants of apartments in this region, the aim of this article was to identify and analyze the institutional factors that support this product development strategy, which is becoming increasingly consolidated among companies. To investigate this phenomenon, we collected data from official documents provided by the Municipal Urban Planning Department (Secretaria Municipal de Urbanismo—SEURB), specifically focusing on the launch of residential high-rise buildings during the specified period. Regression techniques with ordinary least squares methods were applied, as well as econometric models of spatial autocorrelation. The results of the hypothesis tests confirmed the relationship between the restrictive parameters imposed by the city’s Urban Master Plan and the relative increase in apartment balconies. The spatial autocorrelation models confirmed the spatial spillover effect, showing that apartment projects with this characteristic tend to be concentrated in certain areas of the city, influencing each other. In order to discuss this phenomenon, the institutional theory was the protagonist of the analysis, showing how an organizational strategy can adapt to the authority that regulates the occupation of urban land in the city, meeting the two market forces and the demand and supply of apartments. Full article