Enhancing heritage and traditional architecture conservation through digital technologies. Developing a digital conservation handbook for As-Salt, Jordan

Heritage cities are facing unprecedented pressure, due to the combination of climate change impacts, rapid urbanization and uncontrolled growth. Historic urban centres in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are particularly exposed. This paper discusses the benefit of applying digital technologies, and in particular Building Information Modeling (BIM), in supporting heritage conservation, by developing a proof of concept based on a purposely chosen case study, i.e. the traditional Jordanian city of As-Salt near Amman. Building on and moving forward the tradition of paper-based Conservation Handbooks for historic cities, this study aims at exploiting the potential of digital technologies for enhancing the development and implementation of Digital Conservation Handbooks. Documentation and promoting of As-Salt will be conducted through developing a set of virtual models (3D models and BIM objects) suitable to support the construction sector and traditional architecture and heritage, framed and delivered in form of Digital Conservation Handbook. This will be achieved by: developing a new set of BIM (Building Information Modeling) objects related to the traditional architecture heritage in Jordan, suitable to be used by engineers and architects in the development of interventions on the built environment; creating a library of 3D models of exemplar buildings (Jordan heritage and traditional architecture), suitable to be used to promote the tourist image of Jordan. This will set a precedent for further documentation and heritage conservation of traditional cities in Jordan, MENA countries and internationally. Finally, the paper will discuss issues and challenges of documenting traditional heritage and architecture in As-Salt and the impact that such process may achieve in raising awareness across the local communities, thus offering insights to the larger community of architects, conservationists, and planners

New directions in antimalarial target validation

Introduction: Malaria is one of the most prevalent human infections worldwide with over 40% of the world's population living in malaria-endemic areas. In the absence of an effective vaccine, emergence of drug-resistant strains requires urgent drug development. Current methods applied to drug target validation, a crucial step in drug discovery, possess limitations in malaria. These constraints require the development of techniques capable of simplifying the validation of Plasmodial targets. Areas covered: The authors review the current state of the art in techniques used to validate drug targets in malaria, including our contribution - the protein interference assay (PIA) - as an additional tool in rapid in vivo target validation. Expert opinion: Each technique in this review has advantages and disadvantages, implying that future validation efforts should not focus on a single approach, but integrate multiple approaches. PIA is a significant addition to the current toolset of antimalarial validation. Validation of aspartate metabolism as a druggable pathway provided proof of concept of how oligomeric interfaces can be exploited to control specific activity in vivo. PIA has the potential to be applied not only to other enzymes/pathways of the malaria parasite but could, in principle, be extrapolated to other infectious diseases

Fitting ODE models of tear film breakup

Several elements are developed to quantitatively determine the contribution of different physical and chemical effects to tear breakup (TBU) in normal subjects. Fluorescence (FL) imaging is employed to visualize the tear film and to determine tear film (TF) thinning and potential TBU. An automated system using a convolutional neural network was trained and deployed to identify multiple TBU instances in each trial. Once identified, extracted FL intensity data was fit by mathematical models that included tangential flow along the eye, evaporation, osmosis and FL intensity of emission from the tear film. Optimizing the fit of the models to the FL intensity data determined the mechanism(s) driving each instance of TBU and produced an estimate of the osmolarity within TBU. Initial estimates for FL concentration and initial TF thickness agree well with prior results. Fits were produced for $N=467$ instances of potential TBU from 15 normal subjects. The results showed a distribution of causes of TBU in these normal subjects, as reflected by estimated flow and evaporation rates, which appear to agree well with previously published data. Final osmolarity depended strongly on the TBU mechanism, generally increasing with evaporation rate but complicated by the dependence on flow. The method has the potential to classify TBU instances based on the mechanism and dynamics and to estimate the final osmolarity at the TBU locus. The results suggest that it might be possible to classify individual subjects and provide a baseline for comparison and potential classification of dry eye disease subjects

Guides for value chain development: A comparative review

With governments, donors and NGOs advocating value chain development (VCD) as a means to stimulate economic growth and combat rural poverty, this report presents a timely review of 11 guides for VCD. It compares concepts and methods, and assesses the strengths and limitations of the guides for steering development practice. The authors suggest three crucial areas for debate: means to address the needs of the poor in value chains, tools to help deepen analysis, and mechanisms for mutual learning. The report concludes with key recommendations

Opinions of small and medium UK construction companies on environmental management systems

Pressure to reduce the environmental impact of construction activities has increased, such that a paradigm shift is required. This paper presents stakeholder opinions of environmental management systems as a means for the construction industry to respond to these issues. Using a previous approach (Shen and Tam, 2002) the views of small and medium construction companies were sought, using questionnaires to ask respondents to reveal their perceived benefits and barriers of implementing the ISO 14000 suite of environmental management standards in the UK. Detailed statistical analysis showed environmental management systems can sometimes produce quantifiable benefits to organisations in terms of cost reduction. However, from a contractors’ view, the greatest benefit was a reduction in environmental impact outweighing financial benefits. Findings also demonstrated numerous barriers, both internal and external, to an organisation exist regarding adoption and use of environment management systems. The most critical barrier was that cost savings do not always balance with the expense of implementation. Furthermore, waste minimisation at design stage is viewed as most important. In general, the opinions gauged in this study indicated short-term profits are normally considered more imperative than long-term gains. Therefore, despite a need to focus on developing strategies for removing or reducing the challenges of environmental management systems, the reality is that they may not be the panacea to sustainable development, as is often touted

Towards smart planning conservation of heritage cities : digital technologies and heritage conservation planning

Consensus exists on the importance of local identity and diversity in the sustainability discourse, including community resilience. As result, cultural policies are essential to enable sustainability goals. In the construction industry, digital technologies are playing a significant role in flattening the richness and distinctiveness of local contexts and homogenizing languages and practices, under the pressure of the constant urge to reduce costs and the necessity to comply with a sometime overwhelming plethora of technical and legal requirements and standards. The ambition of this paper is to shed light to the interplay between digital technologies, planning practice and tangible heritage conservation in the city, by clarifying the dynamic among the three fields and their implications in the practice. In so doing, this paper aims at offering recommendations that can inform the smart heritage conservation planning practice worldwide, and can be used by experts working for heritage conservation authorities, local authorities, professional practices, charities and digital technologies companies

Developing a heritage BIM shared library for two case studies in Jordan’s heritage: The House of Art in Amman and the Qaqish House in the World Heritage City of As-Salt

International research is moving towards the development of BIM (Building Information Modelling) libraries applied to the built heritage where one of the main issues to be addressed is the modelling of complex or unique shapes that represent the specific construction components of every single asset. This perspective addresses the generation of parametric families of representative architectural geometry in the context of the management and representation of a building of heritage value. Jordan’s architectural heritage has gone through a long period of evolution and development: the result is a mixture of influences and traditions, making a great stride to conserve its buildings and Historical Heritage but has never adopted advanced digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling. In this framework, the present research aims to bridge the gap in Jordan by applying digital technologies to support heritage conservation plans by creating a 3D library of BIM objects related to typical elements of Jordanian and Arabic architecture, specifically in two cases of study. Co-production and collaboration with diverse stakeholders were central to the development of the methodology and design of the research.As a result, the first open-access HBIM shared library of historical features of Jordanian built heritage will be consolidated; this is crucial because it will set a precedent for the further documentation and conservation of the heritage of traditional cities in Jordan, MENA countries and internationally by promoting social cohesion, economic and technological development, tourism and the awareness of Jordan’s cultural heritage

Insights into public perceptions of Earthship buildings as alternative homes

Sustainable futures necessitate a concomitant requirement for both sustainable buildings and sustainable behaviours under one roof. The defining principles behind Earthship buildings are to promote the use of local, recycled, waste, natural and renewable materials in their construction, for the adoption of a passive solar design for internal heating/cooling, collection of rainwater as a potable water supply, and encourage the onsite recycling of used water for plants to aid food production. However, despite growth in Earthship buildings constructed across many countries of the world, their appeal has not yet made a noticeable contribution to mainstream housing. Therefore, this study is the first to attempt to explore public perceptions towards the benefits and barriers of Earthship buildings as a means of understanding their demand by potential home builders/owners. Opinions were sought through questionnaire surveys completed by visitors to the Brighton Earthship building. Results reveal that the public believe that the reclamation of rainwater and greywater, renewable energy consumption and use of recycled materials included in the design/build are the major benefits of Earthship buildings, whilst the opportunity for a modern living style in a conservative lifestyle/setting, having a building that is cheaper than an ordinary home and the possibility of living totally off grid are considered the least beneficial reasons for building Earthship homes. Results also reveal that the public believe acquiring necessary permits/permissions to build may be more complicated, securing financial support (mortgage/loan) may be more challenging, and identifying/attaining suitable building plots are major barriers of Earthship buildings, whilst the futuristic/alternative building design, being built from waste materials and being entirely dependent on renewable resources (rainfall/wind/sunshine) are considered the least important barriers to building Earthship homes. Notwithstanding the participants included in this study already having an interest in Earthship buildings/lifestyles, it is concluded that the general public deem the general principles of Earthships as an acceptable choice of building/living but it is the formal means of building or buying an Earthship home that is the greatest hurdle against the uptake of Earthship buildings. Therefore, if sustainable futures are to be realized, it is proposed that a shift away from traditional house building towards Earthship building will require the involvement of all stakeholders immersed in the building process (architects, planners, builders, investors, lawyers) to path an easier journey for Earthship buildings and sustainable living