Existing healthcare facilities, refurbishment, and energy simulation

In recent years, various experts and organisations have emphasised the need to improve existing facilities to meet targets imposed by government related to energy consumption and carbon emissions. Demolishing existing facilities and constructing new facilities is not always the best solution to achieve government targets and modernise existing healthcare facilities. Also, the National Health Service’s (NHS) focus on new construction in the past has contributed towards the deterioration of existing building stock up to certain extent. Research in the area of refurbishment of existing hospitals has been neglected despite the fact that existing facilities still account for a major proportion of NHS healthcare building stock. To accomplish the research aim and goals, a mixed methodology was used which include a literature review, web‐based case studies, questionnaire survey, interviews and site visits to hospitals. A brief study of healthcare refurbishment indicates that a specific framework for existing buildings is required because their characteristics are different to new facilities. The function of this particular framework should be to integrate modelling and assessment tools, and to reduce existing building energy consumption throughout the life‐cycle

Manchester Civil Justice Centre: procuring and managing an institutional building with a mixed mode ventilation system—a case for post-occupancy evaluation

Manchester Civil Justice Centre is a striking contemporary 14 storey court building which has won awards for many different aspects of its design, construction and sustainability. From November 2002 to July 2005, the author was a key member of Denton Corker Marshall’s London project team having responsibility for key areas of design development, integration of technology and sustainable design including the East elevation’s ‘environmental veil’. This paper tracks the procurement of the building, describing its low energy features and their performance in practice. The paper reviews the low carbon elements of the design (daylight and natural ventilation systems) in the context of similar buildings and the buildings operational performance. The building has a mixed mode ventilation system which is managed centrally; the paper describes the ongoing relationship between the Facilities Management and the building’s users and their expectations of comfort and offers an explanation as to why the building’s energy performance is not as good as predicted at design stage. A case is made that this building is a significant example of low energy design and would form a good example for a detailed Post Occupancy Evaluation. The energy performance of the building could be studied in more detail to encourage the users (judges, staff and the public) to improve the building’s energy performance and to share knowledge within the construction industry

Housing development in the 1950s in Serbia-typical examples of residential blocks built in Belgrade

To date, the Serbian architecture of the nineteen-fifties has not yet been more comprehensively studied albeit the fact that there are sufficient sources, data, literature, and structures built at that time. The reason for the lack of interest in architecture of that period may be found in the relationship between the non-understanding and insufficient valuation of architectural results of the modern architecture of the time, but also in the general opinion that the immediate postwar years were the time of a poor social housing development, which is also characterized by the lack of distinct architectural values. Furthermore, there has been an obvious unreadiness to analyze in more detail and in time distance the subject of the sociorealistic construction, which was also partially present in this period. After a short period of the so-called Socio-Realism 1945-1950, characterized by reconstruction of the war devastated country with extensive participation of youth brigades, the housing construction in particular got a big boost, considering the changes in population structure, as well as the fact that a significant portion of population moved from rural areas to towns. The subject decade of the newly established socialist society was, in every respect, marked with upward path of economic, political and social development, which was an important base for overall architectural and cultural construction. This was the time when Serbian architects of different generations created a great number of works, which were diverse in they contents. The architects of older generation often created their most important works, while young architects, looking into future, but also into own architectural heritage and accomplishments, achieved their first significant results, thus generating autochthonous architectural trend and expression which would soon be recognized as the Belgrade School of Architecture. In the conditions in which the Serbian architecture developed, it actually meant fitting within the world development trends along with preservation of own and regional specificities

Evolving Efficient Floor Plans For Hospital Emergency Rooms

Genetic Algorithms find wide use in optimization problems across many fields of research, including crowd simulation. This paper proposes that genetic algorithms could be used to create better floor plans for hospital emergency rooms, potentially saving critical time in high risk situations. The genetic algorithm implemented makes use of a hospital-specific crowd simulation to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of produced layouts. The results of combining genetic algorithms with a crowd simulation are promising. Future work may improve upon these results to produce better, more optimal hospital floor plans

Assessing the Design Innovation Potential of Timber Prefabricated Housing Through Axiomatic Design

Despite the current building sector slowdown in Italy, timber housing industry market is growing. But its growth has been limited mainly by the high costs of ad-hoc full-customized buildings and the lack of customer appreciation for mass-produced buildings. In order to satisfy the current demand for affordable customized housing, building industry should focus on solutions based on the combination of personalized and mass-produced parts. In this way, clients would have the chance to personalize crucial parts, and building industry can limit costs by the mass-production of the others. This combination between mass production and customization involves artefact flexibility and robustness with regard to the designer’s viewpoint. These requirements are set in the conceptual design phase, but in this stage architect’s decision making is not adequately supported. Since Axiomatic Design (AD) is able to support the analysis of designs with respect to the specified requirements, AD is applied to the review of prefabricated housing archetypes and current timber construction systems. This study shows the effectiveness of applying AD to prefabricated building design: crucial design decisions that affect the specified requirements are identified; inputs limiting their fulfilment in the timber building prefabrication are highlighted, and recommendations for developing adequate systems are provided

Multigenerational Living in the Urban High-Rise: Designing for Hawaii's Extended Family

As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1

Towards automatic reconstruction of indoor scenes from incomplete point clouds: door and window detection and regularization

In the last years, point clouds have become the main source of information for building modelling. Although a considerable amount of methodologies addressing the automated generation of 3D models from point clouds have been developed, indoor modelling is still a challenging task due to complex building layouts and the high presence of severe clutters and occlusions. Most of methodologies are highly dependent on data quality, often producing irregular and non-consistent models. Although manmade environments generally exhibit some regularities, they are not commonly considered. This paper presents an optimization-based approach for detecting regularities (i.e., same shape, same alignment and same spacing) in building indoor features. The methodology starts from the detection of openings based on a voxel-based visibility analysis to distinguish ‘occluded’ from ‘empty’ regions in wall surfaces. The extraction of regular patterns in windows is addressed from studying the point cloud from an outdoor perspective. The layout is regularized by minimizing deformations while respecting the detected constraints. The methodology applies for elements placed in the same planeXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2016/079-

Behaviors of the Curtain Wall Façade in the Tall Building Under Dynamic Actions- An Overview and Recommendations

The flourishing growth of tall building construction with advanced technologies adopted façade structures is the new trend around the world. This study is mainly focused on the design and construction techniques of the curtain wall façade system and its behaviors under dynamic actions. Generally, a unitized curtain wall system is used as a building lope in the tall building due to its faster installation techniques. The provision of stack joints is a crucial part, especially at the design stage to accommodate the horizontal and vertical movement of the tall building under cyclic wind and seismic action. The effect of the deflection, story drift index, and column shortening of the tall building is analyzed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with 41 store building model on the façade wall is well discussed and recommended suitable measures to increase the life span of the façade wall under heavy dynamic repeated loading. On the other hand, lateral torsional buckling of the mullion, especially for the long span plays a vital role in the material and cost of the curtain wall panel. Therefore, this study is focused on the provision of the Anti-Buckling Clip (ABC) to increase the lateral torsional buckling capacity as well as flexural buckling capacity without increasing the stiffeners of the mullion