2,606 research outputs found
When Playfair met Adam: ornament and conservation at the old college between the age of the enlightment and the Greek revival
Speech describing ornament and conservation at the Old College between the age of the enlightment and the Greek revival
Conserving, reinstating and converting Queensberry House
This paper discusses the work that the author has carried out as project and resident architect for the conversion of Queensberry House, a 17th century Grade A-listed townhouse, as part of the new Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, Edinburgh. The complex stratification of this fine masonry building together with severe water penetration caused major problems when carrying out the works. The richness of the original masonry, the abusive additions and reconstruction over the centuries, like the late conversion to hospital, and the way the building fabric was conserved and reinstated are illustrated. Very little of the original interiors survived and there was a need to strengthen the building for reasons of security. The building now provides accommodation for the Presiding Officer and staff of the Parliament. The process followed since the author took over the conservation and conversion project, with the building as an almost masonry shell, until conclusion is discussed, including a record of the fabric condition and the decisions concerning its repair and final presentation
Hybrid masonry shell technology in the work of Idelfonso Sánchez del Río
Idelfonso Sánchez del Río is a less known pioneer of reinforced concrete shells in Spain who through his career designed and patented ribbed construction systems for large spanning slabs and vaults and in particular shell enclosures using a hybrid system of concrete and masonry infills. The module called “dovela-onda” or wave-voussoir was made of large ceramic blocks forming a short barrel with flanges at the edges. This paper aims to discuss the technical innovations of this system and assess its structural efficiency. The design and construction process will be studied through literature published by Sánchez del Rio and surveys of two case studies in Oviedo (Spain), the Sports Hall (1977) and a warehouse in Granda. In order to assess their structural efficiency, his own calculation process will be verified by thrust line analysis and Finite Element spatial elastic modelling. The FE model allows the failure mode and the distribution of the loads to be assessed, and gives further insight to the behaviour of the scheme and the design and construction process
The Platform of the Temple of Venus and Rome
The Temple of Venus and Rome at the Roman Forum was allegedly designed by the emperor Hadrian himself and was inaugurated in 135 AD. Its construction upon the Velia hill and precedent structures required an exceptional design and execution, including the provision of a massive 167x 100 m artificial platform. Distinct historical developments on the site like the Vestibule of Nero’s Golden House and the later construction of the medieval church and monastery of Santa Maria Nova as well as the Mussolinian operations of Sventramenti in the first half of the 20th Century have influenced the construction and altered the presentation of the platform. This paper intends to discuss the strategy, design, construction and current condition of this example of a lesser-known field of Roman structural technology. Foundations and platforms of this kind can offer invaluable information on the function of a temple, its history and structural performance, but theirs study is often neglected
La fábrica de piedra durante los siglos XVII y XVIII en Escocia : estudio preliminar
Escocia es un territorio de gran riqueza geológica donde la mayor parte de los edificios históricos están construidos en piedra. Los s.XVII-XVIII representan un periodo fundamental para el desarrollo de su arquitectura y la consolidación de la figura del arquitecto en sentido moderno. La ampliación y alteración de castillos ancestrales pasa a ser práctica habitual en el s.XVII, resultando en edificios compuestos por estratos de distintas épocas; hasta el s.XVIII cuando las clases dirigentes y profesionales construyen nuevas residencias. En muchas ocasiones no se conserva documentación histórica de estos edificios y el estudio de las fábricas es una herramienta clave para entender su complejidad. El gran número de ruinas de este periodo facilita este estudio, al quedar habitualmente expuesta la estructura del muro. Este estudio preliminar reconoce la evolución de la arquitectura a través de cambios en la morfología de los muros. La primera parte comprende un estudio de contexto que identifica una evolución en las fábricas de la época en términos de tipología y espesor. La segunda parte estudia dicha evolución en detalle a través del análisis de las fábricas de dos casos representativos: uno de principios del s.XVII y otro de finales del XVIII. El análisis propuesto toma como referencia la experiencia italiana, y define parámetros cuantificables que posibilitan la automatización de parte del proceso empleando técnicas de procesamiento de imágenes. El estudio comparativo de los resultados evidencia un grado de diseño superior en las fábricas más recientes que podría estar relacionado con el papel desempeñado por un arquitecto conocedor de la construcción, pero más interesado en integrar las fábricas en el diseño arquitectónico de la fachada. La investigación continúa en otros edificios del periodo, con el objetivo de concurrir a la construcción de un conocimiento histórico-constructivo que contribuya a la correcta interpretación y consecuente conservación del patrimonio
Assessing the indoor comfort and carbon dioxide concentration in high-rise residential buildings in Kuala Lumpur : the people's housing programme
The government of Malaysia has an ongoing People's Housing Programme (PPR) to construct one million affordable housing units across the country. It is trying to address the problem of squatters and housing woes of the low-income population, especially in densely populated areas. The first-generation design samples of these high-rise PPR are now being superseded by a new design for the second-generation of the construction of such buildings. After the occupation of the buildings, the users have generally installed air conditioned units, which indicates that the original design process of the buildings had not taken into consideration the environmental issues and the subsequent indoor comfort and air quality of the units. The main objective of this research is to investigate the actual indoor comfort and carbon dioxide level which could be found at three different zones in both PPR generations. The results for the first-generation of PPR showed that the average operative temperature at the different levels of the buildings surpass the CIBSE Guide A, ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 and Malaysian Standard 1525:2014 limits. For the second-generation, the gradually increasing operative temperature profile for the unobstructed facing zone has resulted from the gradient wind profile in the urban areas. The eddies and recirculation regions of the wind movement at the obstructed facing zone had reduced operative temperature at intermediate part of the building and the weaker stack effect happened in the enclosed facing zone decreased the operative temperature at higher part of the buildings. The outcomes of the research intend to inform future design of these buildings, so that they achieve indoor comfort and air quality for the occupants as well as the subsequent reduction in consumption of energy and resources
Traditional values and their adaptation in social housing design : towards a new typology and establishment of 'Air House' standard in Malaysia
Large migration from rural areas to urban areas like Kuala Lumpur has led to some implications for economic, social and cultural development. This high population has placed enormous demand on the existing housing stocks, especially for low-income groups. However, some issues arise, one of which is overheated indoor air temperature. This problem contributes to the high-energy usage that forces huge sums of money to be spent on cooling the house by using mechanical equipment. Therefore, this study focuses on thermal comfort in social housing, and incorporates traditional values into its design to achieve a certain measurement of natural ventilation in a house. From the study, the carbon emission and energy consumption for an air-conditioned house is 67%, 66% higher than a naturally ventilated house. Therefore, this research has come up with a new typology design, which has a large exposed wall area and full-length openings on the opposite walls to increase cross ventilation. At the end of this research, the measurement of thermal comfort for a naturally ventilated building called 'Air House' has been identified
Natural ventilation potential in Kuala Lumpur : assumptions, realities and future
Malaysia accounts for 11% of Southeast Asia’s carbon emissions in recent years, is the third highest emissions contributor in the region. It has been estimated that 25% of these carbon emissions are generated from the buildings, especially from the electrical and mechanical equipment that are present in residential buildings. Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, has 81.5% of the high-rise buildings in the country and half of the buildings are residential. They have supposedly been designed as predominantly naturally ventilated, but the occupants had to add inefficient mechanical ventilation to achieve the required cooling. It is due to the lack of acknowledgement of the hot, humid climate of Malaysia by the current building regulations and the fact that the requirements for energy use are not customised for residential buildings. Recent developments concerning the use of green rating tools are helping to improve the sustainable design of buildings. This paper reviews these existing regulations and green rating tools and explores the full potential for natural ventilation in Kuala Lumpur, to substantially reduce carbon emissions while considering both the health and comfort of the occupants. It concludes that the building regulations should be revised to deal with current and future climatic conditions and to achieve the critical conditions that allow for natural ventilation in Kuala Lumpur
Natural ventilation potential in Kuala Lumpur : assumptions, realities and future
Malaysia accounts for 11% of Southeast Asia’s carbon emissions in recent years, is the third highest emissions contributor in the region. It has been estimated that 25% of these carbon emissions are generated from the buildings, especially from the electrical and mechanical equipment that are present in residential buildings. Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, has 81.5% of the high-rise buildings in the country and half of the buildings are residential. They have supposedly been designed as predominantly naturally ventilated, but the occupants had to add inefficient mechanical ventilation to achieve the required cooling. It is due to the lack of acknowledgement of the hot, humid climate of Malaysia by the current building regulations and the fact that the requirements for energy use are not customised for residential buildings. Recent developments concerning the use of green rating tools are helping to improve the sustainable design of buildings. This paper reviews these existing regulations and green rating tools and explores the full potential for natural ventilation in Kuala Lumpur, to substantially reduce carbon emissions while considering both the health and comfort of the occupants. It concludes that the building regulations should be revised to deal with current and future climatic conditions and to achieve the critical conditions that allow for natural ventilation in Kuala Lumpur
High-rise social housing in hot-humid climates : towards an 'airhouse' standard for comfort
The pressure to provide social housing in a fast and economic way as well as outdated regulations constraint the design of these buildings and has serious implications for the comfort of its occupants and the environment. This becomes more critical in hot-humid climates such as Malaysia with uniformly high temperature and humidity as well as low wind speeds. In its capital, Kuala Lumpur, an extensive program of construction of high-rise social housing is being carried out but shortly after the flats are occupied, or as soon as they can afford it, the residents fit wall mounted air conditioning units. This research started by looking at Malay vernacular architecture and the traditional strategies for ventilation and cooling. After a review of current building regulations and green tools employed in the country, two campaigns of fieldwork were carried out to assess the actual indoor and outdoor thermal and air quality conditions in the buildings, which were found inadequate for both local regulations and international recommendations. The fieldwork allowed also identifying the critical design issues to address. A ventilation and filtering ceiling system has been identified as one of the possible solutions for the current situation and has been tested through physical and computer models. It improves comfort by reducing the air temperature, humidity, airborne particle and gases as well as constantly providing adequate airflow rate. It is the first attempt to develop what we have named the 'Airhouse' standard for tropical countries
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