Common sampling techniques for the assessment of indoor fungal growth

The assessment of indoor fungi has recently gained increasing attention, both by the public and researchers, as the negative effects of the overgrowing moisture and mould-related issues have become more apparent. In order to detect the pathogenic and fabric-damage potentialduee to indoor fungal contamination, multiple air sampling methods were developed over the past decades. However, the selection of the most appropriate techniques for the quantification and/or the identification of the indoor fungal biota may still be challenging for inspectors. This paper aims to produce a critical summary of the most common air sampling methods available to date and underline the merits and risks of each method. The importance of the investigation’s aim in the sampling technique selection process is highlighted

A Study of The Impact of Acrylic Based Surface Waterproofing on The Moisture Behaviour of Brick Masonry Through Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) And Water Absorption Tests

The rate and extent of uptake and release of moisture and liquid water are critical in understanding the behaviour of masonry materials. This study focussed on testing brick masonry to identify the moisture performance difference after treated with acrylic based surface waterproofing – commonly used to lessen water uptake and improve façade durability. Brick and mortar specimens were first tested for water absorption then treated and retested 0, 12 and 24 months later to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of waterproofing on their water absorption capacity. Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) tests were also conducted to quantity the change in their (de)sorptive characteristics. Results from both tests were combined to show the impact and durability of acrylic waterproofing on the moisture behaviour of brick masonry

A critical review of analysis techniques for the assessment of the indoor fungal burden

The assessment of indoor fungal growth has attracted the attention of the research community for many decades. In the effort to assess the fungal burden in the built environment, multiple analysis techniques have been established and offer a plethora of information for the extent of contamination and fungal diversity. However, all analysis techniques are accompanied by drawbacks and the selection of the most appropriate method can become challenging for researchers and practitioners. The aim of this study is to present the most widely used analysis techniques, underline their merits and disadvantages, and provide guidance on the selection process to ensure that the analysis outcomes match the aims of the investigations

The effect of natural and extreme weathering on the mechanical properties of structural timber mortise and tenon joints

When used in the appropriate context, timber structures might have lower embodied carbon than their concrete and steel counterparts, making timber a popular material for sustainable construction practices. To continue constructing with timber we require more in-depth exploration into timber joinery which dictates the structural stability and performance of timber framed construction. In this study, the influence of cyclic humidity fluctuations and wetting and drying is tested on mortise and tenon joinery with different detailing (no additional fastening, with glue and with a dowel) for a comparative appraisal of their impact on the joint rotational stiffness. The outcomes show that exposed samples go through a reduction in rotational stiffness independently of the detailing. Peer-review under the responsibility of the organizing committee of the ICMB23

Moisture Compatibility of Portland Stones and other Oolitic Limestones

Approximately 30% of Europe's building stock comprises historic buildings, with the UK having a significant contribution of Portland stone structures. However, difficulties in sourcing the original material have led to the need for compatible material substitutes. Currently, the level of compatibility required between original and substitute material has not been quantified, and the approach has been to evaluate each case separately. This research aims to answer the question of how compatible is compatible enough, specifically in relation to moisture risk, and provide a guiding framework for the heritage conservation sector. The project uses a sensitivity analysis to quantify the compatibility of Portland Stone and other Oolitic limestones, considering porosity and age of the original/substitute stone as sensitive parameters when selecting compatible strategies for repair and reconstructio

Experimental and analytical assessment of the capacity of traditional single notch joints and impact of retrofitting by self-tapping screws

The joints are the most crucial parts of a timber building and determine the overall structural behaviour, load-bearing capacity and failure mechanisms. Therefore, keeping the joints fully functional is of utmost importance to ensure a desired structural performance of timber buildings under various actions. Since replacement of damaged parts of an existing structure is expensive and in many cases very difficult to perform in situ, retrofitting to avoid failure becomes an increasingly widespread strategy. In this paper, the capacity and failure mechanisms of single notch joints before and after a simple retrofitting intervention by means of self-tapping screws were investigated. To this end, a series of tests were carried out during the 5th COST FP 1101 Training School, held in University of Minho, Portugal. The joints were first tested under compression, and the load-bearing capacity values obtained at the end of tests were compared to the capacity values calculated using theoretical models proposed in a variety of national codes. Then, tested joints were retrofitted using self-tapping screws. The retrofitting strategy aimed to prevent failure mechanism that was shown to dominate joints' behaviour in the unreinforced state, rather than to increase the load-bearing capacity or stiffness. The impact of retrofitting on the joints' performance was discussed and the success of the proposed intervention was further debated.- The authors are grateful to COST Action for funding the FP1101 and RILEM 245 Training School at University of Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal, and to Dr. Jorge M. Branco and other members of Civil Engineering Department for making this study possible

Housing-related determinants of lung health in Nunavik, Canada

The impact of climate change on lung health has been long established. The Inuit Nunangat region of Nunavik in Quebec, Canada has long started to face the consequences of climate change. In conjunction with the region’s existing vulnerabilities rooted in social determinants of health and historic injustices, this leads to poor lung health across Nunavik as evidenced by much higher lung disease rates than the Canadian average. This paper aims to describe the aims, objectives and methodology of a new project that has recently been launched to address these issues with specific emphasis on mould detection as well as indoor and building fabric survey: “Resilient Responses to Protect Lung Health in Nunavik” (Anirniq, 2022-2025) funded as part of the Canada-Inuit Nunangat-United Kingdom (CINUK) Arctic Research Programme

GEOMATICS AND CIVIL ENGINEERING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON HERITAGE: INTRODUCING THE “ENGINEER” PROJECT

This paper aims to introduce the concept and objectives of a recently supported European project entitled “Geomatics and Civil Engineering Innovative Research on Heritage”, in short ENGINEER. The ENGINEER project visions to enhance and extend inter-departmental multidisciplinary research activities of the Department of Civil Engineering & Geomatics of the Cyprus University of Technology through coordination and support actions as well as through targeted research activities with the support of European leading institutions. Project tasks aim to fill research multidisciplinary gaps, push, and extend knowledge into new and innovative fields dealing with the monitoring, digitization, visualization, and preservation of ancient monuments and cultural heritage sites, assisting their protection, promotion, and safeguarding

Lessons for Remote Post-earthquake Reconnaissance from the 14 August 2021 Haiti Earthquake

On 14th August 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula in the Caribbean nation of Haiti, approximately 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince. Aftershocks up to moment magnitude 5.7 followed and over 1,000 landslides were triggered. These events led to over 2,000 fatalities, 15,000 injuries and more than 137,000 structural failures. The economic impact is of the order of US$1.6 billion. The on-going Covid pandemic and a complex political and security situation in Haiti meant that deploying earthquake engineers from the UK to assess structural damage and identify lessons for future building construction was impractical. Instead, the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) carried out a hybrid mission, modelled on the previous EEFIT Aegean Mission of 2020. The objectives were: to use open-source information, particularly remote sensing data such as InSAR and Optical/Multispectral imagery, to characterise the earthquake and associated hazards; to understand the observed strong ground motions and compare these to existing seismic codes; to undertake remote structural damage assessments, and to evaluate the applicability of the techniques used for future post-disaster assessments. Remote structural damage assessments were conducted in collaboration with the Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) team, who mobilised a group of local non-experts to rapidly record building damage. The EEFIT team undertook damage assessment for over 2,000 buildings comprising schools, hospitals, churches and housing to investigate the impact of the earthquake on building typologies in Haiti. This paper summarises the mission setup and findings, and discusses the benefits, and difficulties, encountered during this hybrid reconnaissance mission.</jats:p

A Geological Perspective on Climate Change and Building Stone Deterioration in London: Implications for Urban Stone-Built Heritage Research and Management

The decay rates of building stones and, the processes leading to their deterioration is governed by intrinsic properties such as texture, mineralogy, porosity and pore size distribution, along with other extrinsic factors related to the climate and anthropogenic activities. For urban cities such as London, the influence of extrinsic factors like temperature and rainfall, as well as the concentrations of air pollutants, such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides, along with the emissions of carbonaceous aerosols, can be particularly significant. While considering the long-term preservation of building stones used in various heritage sites in the city, it is imperative to consider how the stone could be affected by the changing air pollutant concentrations, superimposed on the effects of climate change in the region, including rising average annual temperature and precipitation with a hotter, drier summer and, warmer, wetter winter months. This paper deals with the intrinsic rock properties of the common building stones of London, including limestone, marble, granite, sandstone, slate, flint as well as bricks, building on known characteristics including strength and durability that determine how and where they are placed in a building structure. The study reviews how these stones decay due to different processes such as salt weathering in sandstone, microcracking of quartz with kaolinisation of K-feldspar and biotite in granite and dissolution of calcite and dolomite, followed by precipitation of sulphate minerals in the carbonate rocks of limestone and marble. In the urban environment of London, with progressive build up in the concentration of atmospheric nitrogen oxides leading to an increasingly acidic environment and, with predicted climate change, the diverse stone-built heritage will be affected. For example, there can be enhanced carbonate dissolution in limestone with increased annual precipitation. Due to the prolonged wetter winter, any sandstone building stone will also undergo greater damage with a deeper wetting front. On the other hand, due to predicted wetter and warmer winter months, microcracking of any plagioclase in a granite is unlikely, thereby reducing the access of fluid and air pollutants to the Ca-rich core of the zoned crystals limiting the process of sericitisation. Management of the building stones in London should include routine expert visual inspection for signs of deterioration, along with mineralogical and compositional analyses and assessment of any recession rate