The energy charts for occupants' behavioural improvement through BIM

BIM is an easy method to design sustainable buildings for professionals like architects and engineers. By using the real measurable environment, software tools can shape building concepts such as geometry, spatial relations, geographical details and the design of structural composites and buildings, and the usage of energy annual like energy costs and life-cycle costs can be estimated and calculated. This study revealed the findings of the energy consumption within one year can provide valuable insights into the projected resources in the UNITEN Administrative Building. The application of these data would simplify energy cost calculation, an essential component of the costs of operating a property. With the purpose of maximizing energy efficiency in green buildings, the outcomes can be used as guidance to advice occupant management in optimizing occupant actions. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences

Flood insurance rate map for non-structural mitigation

December 2014 flooding in Kelantan river basin caused severe damage to economic and social infrastructure and dealt a serious blow to Kelantan state economies. Mitigation of flood disaster can be successful only when detailed knowledge is obtained about the vulnerability of the people, buildings, infrastructure and economic activities in a flood risk area. Therefore, to identify a community's flood risk, pre-disaster financial instrument will be introduced as non-structural mitigation measures know as flood insurance rate map. This instrument will be developed based on geospatial technology using satellite images, topographic surveys, cadastral map, type of community building such as residential or commercial and households’ income. Flood hazard maps and flood insurance rate map will provide the flood risk zone and flood insurance rate and premium coverage for the affected community. In additions it helps to determine the type of flood insurance coverage is needed since standard homeowners’ insurance doesn't cover flooding. Flood insurance rate map will provide affordable insurance for property owners, based on the lower the degree of risk state in flood hazard map, the lower the flood insurance premium. These insurance rate map are valuable to communities because it creates safer environments by reducing loss of life and decreasing property damage, allows individuals to minimize post-flood disaster disruptions and to recover quicker

Characterization of carbonate rocks using seismic wave for tunnel design stability

The design and construction of a tunnel depends on the mechanical properties of the rock mass around the tunnel. Seismic method can be used to characterize the dynamic properties of rocks. The technique is mostly conducted in geophysical surveys and geotechnical investigations. The method utilizes reflected sound waves that can be used to describe the dynamic properties of rocks. Physical properties of carbonate rocks such as water content, density, hardness, permeability, porosity, wave velocity and abrasivity can be assessed and estimated using P-wave velocity. One of the important characteristics in rock is its ability to remain stable. In this research, seismic refraction survey was applied to measure the strength of carbonate rocks for tunnel stability design. The findings revealed that the regression between the primary velocity and the uniaxial compressive strength R2 was 0.8592, indicating that the rock was firm and solid. Observation by physical visual test showed that the rock samples with yellowish-grey and light grey colours were categorized in the weathering grade II and III, respectively. The results have concluded that the rocks in the proposed area met the full requirements for tunnelling construction. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences