Search Results (70)

In Saudi Arabia’s hot and arid climate, residential buildings account for over half of national electricity consumption, with cooling demands alone responsible for more than 70% of this use. This paper explores the hypothesis that contemporary villa designs are inherently inefficient and that current building regulations fall short of enabling adequate thermal performance. This issue is expected to become increasingly significant in the near future as external temperatures continue to rise. The study aims to assess whether passive design strategies rooted in both engineering and architectural principles can offer substantial reductions in cooling energy demand under current and future climatic conditions. A typical detached villa was simulated using IES-VE to test a range of passive measures, including optimized window-to-wall ratios, enhanced glazing configurations, varied envelope constructions, solar shading devices, and wind-tower-based natural ventilation. Parametric simulations were conducted under current climate data and extended to future weather scenarios. Unlike many prior studies, this work integrates these strategies holistically and evaluates their combined impact, rather than in isolation while assessing the impact of future weather in the region. The findings revealed that individual measures such as insulated ceilings and reduced window-to-wall ratios significantly lowered cooling loads. When applied in combination, these strategies achieved a 68% reduction in cooling energy use compared to the base-case villa. While full passive performance year-round remains unfeasible in such extreme conditions, the study demonstrates a clear pathway toward energy-efficient housing in the Gulf region. Full article

This paper investigates the electricity consumption of 150 Kuwaiti residential villas located in Kuwait’s six governorates. The data collection is based on monthly electricity meter readings, collected directly from photographs of the sample of villas’ analog electricity meters, between 2018 and 2023. Most available previous studies, reviewed in this paper, not only relied mainly on secondary aggregated data of annual electricity consumption in villas but also from smaller samples located in some but not all of Kuwait’s governorates. The current paper is, therefore, based on a study that is the first of its kind in Kuwait, as it relies on primary data with a high level of granularity based on monthly meter readings for a large sample of villas. Average daily electricity consumption and overall average monthly electricity consumption from samples located in each governorate are presented. The data analyses reveal that the daily electricity consumption in Kuwaiti villas is almost five times higher at the beginning of summer than in winter, indicating the high load required from the electricity grid in Kuwait and the large subsidies provided by the government. Furthermore, the paper investigates whether there are any common characteristics between the villas with high monthly electricity consumption in the sample. Correlations between villas’ monthly electricity consumption and their governorate location, year of construction, number of floors, number of occupants, plot size, and compliance with various editions of the Kuwait Energy Conservation Code of Practice for Buildings ECCPB were found. The results reveal that 80% of these villas had plot sizes greater than 400 m², 74% of these villas were built in 1996 or later, and 63% of these villas had occupants greater than seven. This paper highlights the need to carry out further research to understand the drivers of electricity consumption, including occupants’ behavioral aspects, to inform the development of futures strategies that address the ever-increasing electricity consumption in Kuwait’s heavily subsidized residential sector and meet the target goals of the United Nations 2023 Kuwait’s Voluntary National Review VNR. Full article

The Valley of Tammaro River lies between the regions of Molise and Campania in central southern Italy. The area has been inhabited since ancient times due to its fertile soil and plentiful water resources. The interest in this region is enhanced by the many urban centers and the isolated and rural building complexes that date back to the Samnite era and are connected by a road system that is still in use today. Saepinum, regarded as the symbol of Roman civilization in the Molise area (Italy), is one of these. Before becoming a Roman municipium and then a medieval and contemporary rural community, it was a Samnite trade forum and service center. A suburban villa belonging to the Gens Neratia, a family originally from the Roman municipality of Saepinum, is connected to it approximately 2 km northeast. Both sites were partially excavated, and much more can be learned from the material still available. To this end, geoelectrical studies using the tensor acquisition mode were used to conduct geophysical surveys in certain sectors. The data were processed using Data-Adaptive Probability-Based Electrical Resistivity Tomography, here adapted for the first time to Apparent Resistivity Tensor Analysis. The trace of the apparent resistivity tensor provides distortion-free maps and demonstrates that the anomalies are closely constrained on the source bodies. Full article

The villa of the Veneto is a complex that includes the manor house, the agricultural buildings, as well as the green spaces of the garden, the orchard and the fields. The research presented in this article focuses on the case of Villa Giusti-Puttini at Santa Maria in Stelle (Verona, Italy), with the aim of unravelling the history and state of conservation of the villa’s park, which has never been studied before. The research has been carried out by interconnecting the historical archival documentation (written documents and maps) with the current state, always considering the possible interpretations suggested by the specialised related bibliography. The result has been the identification of the elements of permanence and transformation of the territory and landscape of the villa. Elements such as its boundaries, interior paths, vegetation and watercourses make it possible to outline guidelines aimed at recovering the memory of this historic landscape which has been largely preserved over the centuries, and which constitutes one of the most significant heritage aspects of this area of Italy. In addition to providing in-depth knowledge of a specific object, this research can serve as an example for the study of other cultural landscapes. Full article

Since the early 21st century, BIM technology has enhanced building design, construction and management, while continuously evolving to create new specializations. Despite this, its full potential remains untapped. Today, BIM offers diverse applications in construction and related industries, incorporating advanced techniques such as laser scanning and photogrammetry. A specialized approach, HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling), enables the digital mapping, documentation, analysis and management of historic architecture. This study focuses on the Koprowski Family Villa in Celestynów, known as “Koprówka”, demolished twenty years ago. Despite its cultural significance, the property disappeared from the village. Using LiDAR survey data, preserved window frames, archival photographs and documents, this engineering study reconstructs “Koprówka” as an HBIM model, integrated into the existing landscape. The resulting 3D model can aid municipal authorities and potential investors in rebuilding “Koprówka”, while emphasizing the importance of cultural heritage in shaping local identity and raising awareness of historical structures’ value. Full article

Italy is internationally renowned for its cultural heritage, a testament to its rich history. Many of these structures, built before the advent of modern engineering principles, were constructed based on empirical knowledge and lack seismic design considerations, making them highly vulnerable to earthquakes. This vulnerability presents a significant challenge to preserving Italy’s architectural legacy. A notable example is Villa Vannucchi, located in the seismically active Vesuvius region. Given its historical and cultural significance, enhancing its structural resilience while preserving its architectural authenticity is imperative. This study investigates the seismic vulnerability of Villa Vannucchi through a comprehensive analysis of its structural deficiencies and proposes a targeted retrofitting strategy in accordance with the Italian Guidelines for Cultural Heritage (IGCH). The evaluation is conducted in three phases: 1 Preliminary structural assessment—Calculation of two critical safety factors to evaluate the villa’s overall stability. 2 Local collapse mechanism analysis—Examination of the structure’s susceptibility to localized failures. 3 Advanced computational modelling—Detailed simulations revealing critically low seismic coefficients. Based on these findings, a consolidation plan is developed, integrating traditional and minimally invasive techniques. Key interventions include reinforcing the masonry and reducing floor deformability to improve overall structural stability. The implementation of these retrofitting measures significantly enhances the villa’s seismic resilience, as evidenced by the increased safety coefficients. This reduction in vulnerability not only ensures the preservation of Villa Vannucchi, but also safeguards its cultural and historical legacy for future generations. Full article

Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, located in Bisuschio near Varese and Lake Lugano, on the border between Lombardy and Switzerland, has origins dating back to the 1540s as a hunting lodge owned by the Mozzoni family. In the 16th century, significant renovations transformed it into a “villa di delizia”, adding gardens and elaborate decorative features to the interior and exterior, many of which are still preserved today. This article focuses on a precise geometric analysis of the building’s wooden ceilings, based on laser scanning and photogrammetric data surveying. The ongoing research particularly examines the wooden coffered ceilings on the first floor and the camorcanna wooden fake vault of the Grand Staircase of Honor. By analyzing the geometric data and comparing it with historical, archival, and recent manuals, the study has provided valuable morphological, construction, and conservation insights, forming the basis for the diagnostic and restoration project. Full article

The Sorrento Peninsula is characterized by a significant occurrence of examples of vernacular architecture, which exhibit distinctive morphological and constructive features. These have been the subject of numerous studies. However, some buildings have undergone a process of transformation over time, the details of which have yet to be investigated. Architectures that initially held a rural character were enlarged and ennobled, thereby becoming what could be termed as “villas of delights”. However, these clearly manifest their origin based on the permanence of some vernacular features. This paper focuses on the analysis of a case study, Villa Murat, which is exemplary in illustrating this process. This thorough interdisciplinary research combines historical investigation, based mainly on archival documents, with a direct examination of the Villa. This has enabled the retracing of the building’s evolution and of the events that occurred in it. An integrated survey, which employed photogrammetry and laser scanning, enabled the assessment of the current state of conservation. The ultimate objective of this research is to propose conservative interventions which, in conjunction with the suggested new intended use, could ensure the preservation of the Villa. Full article

This paper addresses the potential of integrating a concentrating photovoltaic thermal (CPV/T) system with an absorption chiller for the purpose of space cooling in residential buildings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The proposed system consists of a low concentrating photovoltaic thermal (CPV/T) collector that utilizes mono-crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells integrated with a single-effect absorption chiller. The integrated system was modeled using the Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS v17) software. The obtained model was implemented in a case study represented by a villa situated in Abu Dhabi having a peak cooling load of 366 kW. The hybrid system was proposed to have a contribution of 60% renewable energy and 40% conventional nonrenewable energy. A feasibility study was carried out that demonstrated that the system could save approximately 670,700 kWh annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 461 tons per year. The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equivalent of removing approximately 98 cars off the road. The payback period for the system was estimated to be 3.12 years. Full article

In response to increasing global temperatures and energy demands, optimizing buildings’ energy efficiency, particularly in hot climates, is an urgent challenge. While current research often relies on conventional energy estimation methods, there has been a decrease in the efforts dedicated to leveraging AI-based methodologies as technology advances. This implies a dearth of multiparameter examinations in AI-driven extreme case studies. For this reason, this study aimed to enhance the energy performance of residential buildings in the hot climates of Dubai and Riyadh by integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Machine Learning (ML). Detailed BIM models of a typical residential villa in these regions were created using Revit, incorporating conventional, modern, and green building envelopes (BEs). These models served as the basis for energy simulations conducted with Green Building Studio (GBS) and Insight, focusing on crucial building features such as floor area, external and internal walls, windows, flooring, roofing, building orientation, infiltration, daylighting, and more. To predict Energy Use Intensity (EUI), four ML algorithms, namely, Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Lasso Regression (LR), were employed. GBM consistently outperformed the others, demonstrating superior prediction accuracy with an R² of 0.989. This indicates that the model explains 99% of the variance in EUI, highlighting its effectiveness in capturing the relationships between building features and energy consumption. Feature importance analysis (FIA) revealed that roofs (29% in Dubai scenarios (DS) and 40% in Riyadh scenarios (RS)), external walls (19% in DS and 29% in RS), and windows (15% in DS and 9% in RS) have the most impact on energy consumption. Additionally, the study explored the potential for energy optimization, such as cavity green walls and green roofs in RS and double brick walls with VIP insulation and green roofs in DS. The findings of the paper should be interpreted in light of certain limitations but they underscore the effectiveness of combining BIM and ML for sustainable building design, offering actionable insights for enhancing energy efficiency in hot climates. Full article

This study explores integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Value Engineering (VE) to enhance cost management and project value optimization in residential construction. The primary aim is to develop a comprehensive framework that synergizes 5th Dimension Building Information Modeling (5D BIM) with VE processes to identify and evaluate the most cost-effective construction alternatives. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research includes an extensive review of existing practices, an integrated BIM-VE framework proposal, and the application of 5D BIM principles to improve visualization, cost estimation, and scheduling. The findings reveal that integrating BIM and VE significantly enhances project efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Specifically, the case study of a twin villa project demonstrates a 42% reduction in floor material costs and a 30% reduction in door material costs, resulting in an overall project cost savings of 35%. Additionally, the integrated approach contributes to a 15% reduction in project duration and a notable improvement in design quality and stakeholder collaboration. This research contributes significantly by providing a robust framework for BIM and VE integration, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize cost management practices in the construction industry. The novelty of this study lies in its detailed and practical approach to merging BIM with VE, offering a viable solution for resource optimization and sustainable building practices. This study highlights the transformative potential of BIM-VE integration, advocating for its broader adoption to achieve superior project outcomes. Full article

In recent years, 3D reconstruction has become an indispensable tool for archaeological research. 3D modeling software makes it possible to bring together and visualize different interpretative hypotheses simultaneously and to pose new questions that otherwise would not have emerged. The aim of this paper is to expose the process that, starting from the acquisition of the raw data, led to the volumetric reconstruction of a hexagonal-shaped building and a private bath belonging to the pars urbana of the villa of the Vetti, a Late Antique residential complex identified in the municipality of Capraia and Limite (Florence, Italy). Full article

A multi-objective decision method is proposed based on the combining orthogonal test, entropy weight method (EWM) with TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution) in this article. The method is more objective and efficient than traditional methods in the design of green residential buildings. A villa in Nanjing was taken as an example, and the cost, building energy consumption, and daylight factors were used as decision-making indexes. A total of six control factors were selected: terrain elevation, window area, building orientation, the opening ratio of exterior windows, roof structure, and window glass material. Each factor was designed with three levels. First, a design scheme index system was constructed, and the orthogonal experimental design was used to select representative design schemes. Then, the EWM and the TOPSIS method were used to determine the weight of each index, a comprehensive evaluation of the residential building design scheme was conducted, and, finally, the optimal scheme was confirmed via range analysis. The results show that the multi-objective decision-making model based on the orthogonal experiment EWM-TOPSIS is suitable for green residential building design and the optimal solution obtained is “15 m elevation, a 1200 × 1500 mm size vacuum glass, an orientation of 170° and an external window opening ratio 45% with a 40 mm thick expanded insulation board roof”. Full article

Climate change poses critical challenges for Qatar’s energy-intensive residential building sector. This study evaluates the impact of projected climate warming on optimizing rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) for villas. An integrated modelling approach is employed, combining building energy simulation, PV system optimization, and performance assessment under varying climate scenarios. A typical Qatari villa is modelled in DesignBuilder and simulated under the baseline (2002) conditions and the projected years 2016, 2050, and 2100, reflecting incremental warming. Results show the villa’s annual electricity consumption will grow 22% by 2100, with summer peaks escalating to 26% driven by surging cooling demands. Techno-economic optimization in HOMER Pro (version 3.10) verifies a grid-connected rooftop PV system as optimal in all years, with capacity expanding from 7.4 kW to 8.2 kW between 2002 and 2100 to meet rising air conditioning loads. However, as temperatures increase, PV’s energy contribution declines slightly from 18% to 16% due to climate change degrading solar yields. Nonetheless, the modelled PV system maintains strong financial viability, achieving 5–8 years of paybacks across scenarios. This analysis provides empirical evidence of distributed PV’s effectiveness for Qatar’s households amidst escalating cooling consumption. However, maintaining solar mitigation potential requires evolving PV sizing methodologies and incentives to account for declining panel productivity at the country’s peak temperatures exceeding 50 °C. Overall, this study’s integrated framework evaluates residential solar PV systems’ capabilities and appropriate policy evolution under projected climate impacts for the first time in Qatar. The modelling approach and conclusions can inform building codes and pro-solar policies to accelerate adoption for emissions reduction. With villas representing over 100,000 units in Qatar, widespread rooftop PV integration can meaningfully contribute to national sustainability targets if implementation barriers are addressed considering climate change effects. Full article

The energy efficiency of the building should be understood as the degree of preparation of the building to ensure the comfort of its use in accordance with its intended use with the lowest possible energy consumption of the building. The article presents an in-depth analysis of the possibility of changing the utility function of a historic building in such a way that ensures all aspects of comfort while meeting energy efficiency conditions. Combinatorics methods were used for this purpose. Four possible utility functions were proposed, including the reference state, i.e., the existing state. Five aspects of comfort were considered: thermal comfort, carbon footprint, energy efficiency, noise and vibration. For these five aspects of comfort, boundary conditions were adopted depending on the adopted building class. The selected utility function is therefore the result of comfort, energy efficiency and economic aspects. The purpose of the study was to verify whether the developed methodology for the selection of the utility function for historic buildings, based on combinatorial analyses, would allow the selection of the optimal function from the point of view of energy efficiency, user comfort and environmental impact. The methodology was tested on a historic building located in southern Poland. The new utility function for the analyzed building is to use the historic villa (or some part of it) as an Art Gallery. Full article