1,539 research outputs found

    Challenges ahead for sustainable cities: an urban form and transport system review

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    This article reviews the critical issues surrounding the development of sustainable urban environments, focusing on the impact of transport and urban form on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art on the subject and to unravel what directions the literature suggests for sustainable urban planning. Current research and practices are synthesized, highlighting the interdependence of urban design and transportation systems in achieving sustainability goals. Important dimensions and practices of city planning and transport policies are explored, including urban form, urban sprawl, mixed land use, densification and infill, and urban public spaces, and how these directly influence transport dynamics, including modal choices and energy consumption. Innovative approaches in urban planning, such as transit-oriented development, and technological advancements, such as electric mobility, are also examined and their potential roles in sustainable urban transport. The conclusion underscores the urgency of adopting holistic and adaptable strategies to foster sustainable urban environments, calling for concerted efforts from policymakers, urban planners, and communities. Awareness of the conclusions can help municipal decision-makers in planning their cities for a sustainable future. Finally, the authors analyze important directions for future research and practical applications towards developing cities that are environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Urban heat mitigation by green and blue infrastructure: drivers, effectiveness, and future needs

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    The combination of urbanisation and global warming leads to urban overheating and compounds the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events due to climate change. Yet, the risk of urban overheating can be mitigated by urban green-blue-grey infrastructures (GBGI), such as parks, wetlands, and engineered greening, which have the potential to effectively reduce summer air temperatures. Despite many reviews, the evidence bases on quantified GBGI cooling benefits remains partial and the practical recommendations for implementation are unclear. This systematic literature review synthesises the evidence base for heat mitigation and related co-benefits, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes recommendations for their implementation to maximise their benefits. After screening 27,486 papers, 202 were reviewed, based on 51 GBGI types categorised under 10 main divisions. Certain GBGI (green walls, parks, street trees) have been well-researched for their urban cooling capabilities. However, several other GBGI have received negligible (zoological garden, golf course, estuary) or minimal (private garden, allotment) attention. The most efficient air cooling was observed in botanical gardens (5.0±3.5°C), wetlands (4.9±3.2°C), green walls (4.1±4.2°C), street trees (3.8±3.1°C), and vegetated balconies (3.8±2.7°C). Under changing climate conditions (2070-2100) with consideration of RCP8.5, there is a shift in climate subtypes, either within the same climate zone (e.g., Dfa to Dfb and Cfb to Cfa) or across other climate zones (e.g., Dfb (continental warm-summer humid) to BSk (dry, cold semi-arid) and Cwa (temperate) to Am (tropical)). These shifts may result in lower efficiency for the current GBGI in the future. Given the importance of multiple services, it is crucial to balance their functionality, cooling performance, and other related co-benefits when planning for the future GBGI. This global GBGI heat mitigation inventory can assist policymakers and urban planners in prioritising effective interventions to reduce the risk of urban overheating, filling research gaps, and promoting community resilience

    Proceedings of the 10th International congress on architectural technology (ICAT 2024): architectural technology transformation.

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    The profession of architectural technology is influential in the transformation of the built environment regionally, nationally, and internationally. The congress provides a platform for industry, educators, researchers, and the next generation of built environment students and professionals to showcase where their influence is transforming the built environment through novel ideas, businesses, leadership, innovation, digital transformation, research and development, and sustainable forward-thinking technological and construction assembly design

    How to Measure Quality Models? Digitization into Informative Models Re-use

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    3D models from passive muted subjects, often used in the books and in preservation design reports as powerful images dense of contents, have nowadays the opportunity to become ’live gears’ leveraging knowledge, interpretation, and management into preservation objectives till to better-informed fruition. To this aim, we need to build up reliable and re-usable 3D Quality models. How to shift from a 3D model toward a 3D quality model? This contribution intends to focus on the parameters defining a 3D Quality model catching the heritage complexity with its components in a holistic methodological and practical vision. A radar chart has been used to manage all the parameters. First of all, Geometry describes a quality model: parameters for data acquisition, on-site surveying, and model processing to obtain 2D-3D Geometry quality are defined. The concept of scale associated with measurable parameters defining the Grade of Accuracy is proposed and applied to the surveying and to the 3D models. 3D models can be considered tools to decode the complexity of cultural heritage made by the different transformations across the centuries, anthropicnatural hazards, climate change threats and events (such as earthquakes, fires, wars). Thus, Geometry is not enough to describe such complexity; it represents the first step. Materials and Construction technologies analysis is the second pillar qualifying a quality model. The connection with the indirect data source (i.e., historical reports and archives documents), is the third pillar to be reconnected to the Geometry and Material analysis in the quality definition. HBIM represents a multidisciplinary environment to convey the information related to geometry and models. Furtherly, several parameters are identified to describe the quality of informative models, as in the case ofObject Libraries and Building archeology progressively feeding such models. BIM Level of Developments (phases) and Level of Geometry (contents, not scale!) have been adapted to the HBIM, introducing digitization, surveying, andHBIM modeling into the preservation process. Finally, a quality model is defined by the capability to be re-used circulating Information andModels among the end-users as in the case of informed VR/AR through CDE and XR platforms

    Evacuação de Edifícios – Caso de estudo de um edifício escolar

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    O objetivo deste trabalho é o levantamento dos aspetos que influenciam o tempo de evacuação num edifício escolar, desde o comportamento humano às caraterísticas físicas do edifício e às metodologias possíveis de adotar para a gestão da emergência, com vista a calcular o tempo necessário e disponível para a evacuação do referido edifício. A evacuação de edifícios em situação de incêndio tem como propósito a proteção da vida humana que é inseparável das condições de emergência as quais são afetadas por fatores de difícil determinação e que necessitam de ser definidos para estimar o tempo e as condições de evacuação.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management

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    This book is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Tradition and Innovation in Construction Project Management' that was published in the journal Buildings

    Towards a holistic understanding of the role of green infrastructure in improving urban air quality

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    Air pollution has been identified as a major problem in modern societies, threatening urban population health. Pedestrians, in particular, are directly exposed to one of the main sources of air pollutants: road transport, which is concentrated in proximity to the road, worsening the air. Green infrastructure (GI) has been promoted as a natural method for reducing exposure to local street air pollutants and providing additional Ecosystem Services with a range of environmental, social and economic benefits for citizens. The effectiveness of GI for improving air quality depends on the spatio-temporal context and the species-specific characteristics of the GI. Urban planting could maximise this benefit by a holistic understanding of the effects of GI in cities, balancing its benefits and constraints. However, little is currently known about the application of GI design and planning with regard to air pollution mitigation. Moreover, there is little agreement on the quantifiable effectiveness of GI in improving street air quality as its effectiveness is highly context dependent. Holistic guidance is therefore needed to inform practitioners of site- and species- specifics, trade-offs, and GI maintenance considerations for successful urban planting. This research reviews the academic literature addressing GI-related characteristics in streets, creating a holistic framework to help guide decision-makers on using GI solutions to improve air quality. Additionally, this research aims to understand how and which GI, along with other local characteristics, influence pedestrian air quality and how these characteristics are considered in real-world practice within the United Kingdom. This research progresses through three stages: First, the mechanisms by which GI is considered to influence air quality were identified through literature reviews. A specific literature review was then conducted for each mechanism to extract the associated GI and spatial characteristics that affect the potential for GI to mitigate urban air pollution. In the second stage, this list of characteristics, together with other Ecosystem Services, was discussed in consultation with practitioners in the UK. A survey was conducted to explore and evaluate the recommendations and resources available for planning plantings, as well as the practitioners’ knowledge about the characteristics associated with mitigating air pollution. Supported by results from the survey and the literature reviews, the third stage evaluated (validated) an easy-to-use computational model for its potential use in improving planting decisions for air pollution mitigation. Green infrastructure influences air quality by providing surfaces for pollutant deposition and absorption, effects on airflow and dispersion, and biogenic emissions. The relationship between the specific GI and the spatio-temporal context also influences air quality. Street structure, weather variables, and the type, shape and size of GI influence the dispersion of pollutants, with micro-and macro-morphological traits additionally influencing particulate deposition and gas absorption. In addition, maintaining GI lessens air quality deterioration by controlling biogenic emissions. According to participants in the survey, aesthetics were the principal drivers of urban planting, followed by improving well-being and increasing biodiversity and air pollution mitigation as a lesser priority. Characteristics such as airflow manipulation, leaf surface traits, and biogenic emissions were the less important influences in planting decisions in the UK, despite the fact that these characteristics influence air quality. Perhaps, a lack of communication of current information and low confidence about which specific characteristics have a tangible effect on air quality reduces the incorporation of GI for air pollution mitigation purposes. Uncertainties exist about the quantification of pollutants removed by GI. Field campaigns and computational models still need improvement to address the effectiveness of GI in real-world environments adequately and also to understand whether GI can exert a significant effect on pollutant levels under real-world conditions. This research showed that a promising and easy-to-use model used to evaluate the effectiveness of trees in removing particles was not an acceptable model to study the effect of GI on streets. The validation results showed a poor agreement between wind tunnel data and the model results. More effort is needed to develop better modelling tools that can quantify the actual effect of GI on improving street air quality. This research contributes to the air pollution mitigation field, explicitly helping to inform decision-making for more health-promoting urban settings by optimising the expected benefits of GI through a holistic understanding of their impacts. Facilitating the communication of current evidence through a holistic guide that considers both the benefits and trade-offs of planting decisions for air quality improvement. Improving information on air pollution mitigation to feed the decision-making process might maximise the benefits of GI planting for air pollution mitigation in streets.Open Acces

    Hygrothermal Simulation of Interior Insulated Brick Wall - Perspectives on Uncertainty and Sensitivity

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    Energy retrofit of existing masonry buildings has become attractive to meet demands for reduction in energy consumption. Retrofit may, however, introduce moisture risk that needs to be assessed. Hygrothermal simulation analysis is often conducted in this respect. Nevertheless, hygrothermal simulation of interior insulated bare brick masonry exposed to driving rain can be challenging due to the many aspects involved that determine heat- and moisture-transport behavior, and which should be addressed by an applied model. The present study highlights uncertainty encountered when establishing a hygrothermal simulation model. Furthermore, different modeling choices or simplifications are studied to determine impact on results. As a check of realism, results of 2D simulations are compared to results of a previous laboratory experiment of masonry wall segments subjected to severe rain wetting and subsequent drying. Rain absorption is modeled conservatively, attempting simulation results to envelope experiment results. Conservative results were not achieved for a relative humidity sensor placed on the masonry interior without inclusion of a “leaky” mortar joint. Simultaneously, the conservative approach underestimated drying experienced by the relative humidity sensor in two of three experiment wall segments. Regarding beam-end moisture content, the modeling approach conservatively enveloped experiment results in 3D but not in 2D.publishedVersio

    Resilient cooling of buildings: state of the art review

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    Name of the research project : IEA Annex 80 – Resilient Cooling of Buildings Publisher: Institute of Building Research & Innovation ZT GmbH, AustriaThis report summarizes an assessment of current State-of-the Art resilient cooling strategies and technologies. It is a result of a collaborative work conducted by participants members of IEA EBC Annex 80. This report consists of four chapters. In the first chapter are included relevant technologies and strategies that contribute to reducing heat loads to people and indoor environments. These technologies/strategies include Advanced window/glazing and shading technologies, Cool envelope materials, Evaporative Envelope Surfaces, Ventilated Envelope Surfaces and Heat Storage and Release. In the second chapter are assessed cooling strategies and technologies that are responsible for removing sensible heat in indoor environments: Ventilative cooling, Evaporative Cooling, Compression refrigeration, Desiccant cooling system, Ground source cooling, Night sky radiative cooling and High-temperature cooling systems. In the third chapter various typologies of cooling strategies and technologies are assessed inside the framework of enhancing personal comfort apart from space cooling. This group of strategies/technologies comprise of: Vertical-axis ceiling fans and horizontal-axis wall fans (such fixed fans differ from pure PCS in that they may be operated under imposed central control or under group or individual control), Small desktop-scale fans or stand fans, Furnitureintegrated fan jets, Devices combining fans with misting/evaporative cooling, Cooled chairs, with convective/conductive cooled heat absorbing surfaces, Cooled desktop surfaces, Workstation micro-air-conditioning units, some including phase change material storage, Radiantly cooled panels (these are currently less for PCS than for room heat load extraction), Conductive wearables, Fan-ventilated clothing ensembles, Variable clothing insulation: flexible dress codes and variable porosity fabrics. In the fourth chapter technologies and strategies pertinent to removing latent heat from indoor environments are assessed. This group includes Desiccant dehumidification, Refrigeration dehumidification, Ventilation dehumidification, and Thermos-electric dehumidification.Preprin

    Responsive Building Envelope for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings – Thermal Performance and Control

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    The building sector accounts for 30% of total energy consumption worldwide. Responsive building envelopes (or RBEs) are one of the approaches to achieving net-zero energy and grid-interactive efficient buildings. However, research and development of RBEs are still in the early stages of technologies, simulation, control, and design. The control strategies in prior studies did not fully explore the potential of RBEs or they obtained good performance with high design and deployment costs. A low-cost strategy that does not require knowledge of complex systems is needed, while no studies have investigated online implementations of model-free control approaches for RBEs. To address these challenges, this dissertation describes a multidisciplinary study of the modeling, control, and design of RBEs, to understand mechanisms governing their dynamic properties and synthesis rules of multiple technologies through simulation analyses. Widely applicable mathematical models are developed that can be easily extended for multiple RBE types with validation. Computational frameworks (or co-simulation testbeds) that flexibly integrate multiple control methods and building simulation models are established with higher computation efficiency than that using commercial software during offline training. To overcome the limitations of the control strategies (e.g., rule-based control and MPC) in prior research, a novel easy-to-implement yet flexible ‘demand-based’ control strategy, and model-free online control strategies using deep reinforced learning are proposed for RBEs composed of active insulation systems (AISs). Both the physics-derived and model-free control strategies fully leverage the advantages of AISs and provide higher energy savings and thermal comfort improvement over traditional temperature-based control methods in prior research and demand-based control. The case studies of RBEs that integrate AISs and high thermal mass or self-adaptive/active modules (e.g., evaporative cooling techniques and dynamic glazing/shading) demonstrate the superior performance of AISs in regulating thermal energy transfer to offset AC demands during the synergy. Moreover, the controller design and training implications are elaborated. The applicability assessment of promising RBE configurations is presented along with design implications based on building energy analyses in multiple scenarios. The design and control implications represent an interactive and holistic way to operate RBEs allowing energy and thermal comfort performances to be tuned for maximum efficiency
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