Performance evaluation of a highly insulated wall to withstand mould

In this paper, the performance to withstand mould growth of a highly insulated wall is evaluated by applying a probabilistic-based methodology that accounts for the involved uncertainties and investigates their significance. A sensitivity analysis according to the Morris method is conducted to understand the influence of each parameter and simplify the system representation. Deficiencies in terms of moisture and air leakages are accounted for. The mould growth outcome is evaluated by integrating different mould models and assessment criteria. The study demonstrates that a probabilistic-based methodology enables a more systematic approach to evaluate wall constructions since it accounts for the involved uncertainties, provides a clear association of the microbial growth to its likelihood, and enables the identification and significance of the dominant parameters; hence, it delivers a more comprehensive assessment of a building envelope

Montana Kaimin, September 17, 2003

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/studentnewspaper/5781/thumbnail.jp

Design for Disassembly: A systematic scoping review and analysis of built structures Designed for Disassembly

A systematic scoping review was performed to map literature in the field of Design for Disassembly (DfD) in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry and identify existing built DfD structures to compare the current DfD practice and research front. Online scientific databases and architecture magazines were searched and almost 470 journal and conference articles, grey literature, and online magazine articles were selected for scope mapping and case study analysis. Based on the gathered literature the key research focus areas were identified as follows: analysis (barriers identification, standard development, literature review, feasibility study, ethical issues), frameworks, Building Information Modelling (BIM), tool development (indicator, method, technology), and case study analysis (concepts, structures, connections). Qualitative and quantitative data for 151 built DfD structure examples identified in the literature were collected and analysed to give an overview of the current practices and trends in the AEC industry. The DfD building was found to have various definitions and implementations and 50% of the built DfD structures have area below 300 m . The structure in 75% of the identified existing DfD buildings is made of timber while research literature into enabling technology is dominated by the development of the connections for reinforced concrete and hybrid concrete–steel structures.publishedVersio

The Hybrid-Agile Design of Experiments Methodology

A DOE (Design of Experiments) is the laying out of a detailed experimental plan in advance of doing the experiment. Optimal DOEs maximize the amount of information that can be obtained for a given amount of experimental effort. The traditional DOE methodology is waterfall-type methodology implying a sequential and linear life-cycle process. The success of the experiment and usefulness of the results are highly dependent on the initial experimental setup and assumptions, and does not allow to go back and change something that was not well-documented or thought upon in the design stage. The fast-changing software development industry have made it understandable that the traditional waterfall methodology for developing systems, which follows similar patters to the traditional DOE, lacks the agility required for developing robust systems. These limitations have triggered the development of agile: a type of incremental model of software development based on principles that focuses more on flexible responses to change, instead of in-depth planning at the design stage. This paper proposes the hybrid-agile DOE methodology – a methodology that incorporates agile principles in traditional waterfall DOE methodologies – to design effective experimental layouts that allow for improvement during the experimental trial process. The methodology is applied to the natural ageing of adhesives tapes for building applications. This methodology can overcome traditional DOE, by adding agility in the whole process, especially in cases where the investigated products lack prior information and are characterised by large variability.publishedVersio

On the potential of integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) for the Additive Manufacturing (AM) of concrete structures

Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) are emerging trends for which it has been claimed that both increase both efficiency and productivity in the construction industry. The aim of this study is to synthesise and aggregate the literature addressing BIM integration in the AM of concrete structures and to exploit the joint value creation potential. This study firstly applies a mixed-review method in order to achieve mutual corroboration and interdependency between quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Bibliometric mapping is applied to identify, map and synthesise the relevant literature. Scoping review is used to examine the extent, gap, range and nature of the research activity. Afterward, a cross-situational analysis, TOWS2 Matrix, is proposed and applied to exploit the joint value creation potential of different aspects of AM and BIM. The study reveals a substantial interest in this field. However, progress in terms of integration is slow compared to the rapid development in interest in the two trends individually. The literature discusses or conceptualises such integration at building-scale, while prototyping or PoC processes are only rarely employed. The study identified 12 joint value creation potentials through the integration of BIM in AM for concrete structures, which can create value by enabling more optimised designs, automated construction processes, and data analytics that can apply throughout the building life-cycle process. The advancements of BIM integration in the AM of concrete structures are analysed and joint value creation potentials are proposed. The study proposes a cross-situation analysis that can be applied to structure joint value creation potentials from the multi-dimensional integration of different factors and topics, especially for emerging technologies.acceptedVersio

The Hybrid-Agile Design of Experiments Methodology

A DOE (Design of Experiments) is the laying out of a detailed experimental plan in advance of doing the experiment. Optimal DOEs maximize the amount of information that can be obtained for a given amount of experimental effort. The traditional DOE methodology is waterfall-type methodology implying a sequential and linear life-cycle process. The success of the experiment and usefulness of the results are highly dependent on the initial experimental setup and assumptions, and does not allow to go back and change something that was not well-documented or thought upon in the design stage. The fast-changing software development industry have made it understandable that the traditional waterfall methodology for developing systems, which follows similar patters to the traditional DOE, lacks the agility required for developing robust systems. These limitations have triggered the development of agile: a type of incremental model of software development based on principles that focuses more on flexible responses to change, instead of in-depth planning at the design stage. This paper proposes the hybrid-agile DOE methodology – a methodology that incorporates agile principles in traditional waterfall DOE methodologies – to design effective experimental layouts that allow for improvement during the experimental trial process. The methodology is applied to the natural ageing of adhesives tapes for building applications. This methodology can overcome traditional DOE, by adding agility in the whole process, especially in cases where the investigated products lack prior information and are characterised by large variability.publishedVersio

A probabilistic-based methodology for evaluation of timber facade constructions - The Performance to withstand biodeterioration

Mould and decay are biodeterioration phenomena that jeopardize the integrity, functionality and durability of timber façade constructions. Accounting for them during the design stage is crucial for the prevention of social problems and financial loss, and to ensure a healthy, safe and comfortable interior environment. The design of façade constructions is replete with uncertainties. They are mainly related to the representation of the outdoor and indoor climate, physical parameters of the materials properties and geometries, and modelling of complex physical phenomena. Current design approaches fail to account for these uncertainties, especially in representing the outdoor climate and microbial growth. The aim of this work is to develop and apply a probabilistic-based methodology, which evaluates the performance of timber façade constructions to withstand biodeterioration and accounts for the involved uncertainties. The time series analysis according to autoregressive-moving-average models is applied to develop the stochastic model representing the outdoor climate. This technique identifies mathematical expressions that can generate probable patterns of the weather data in a time series containing plausible sequences, frequencies and correlations, future trends of the climate and can be long enough to resemble the expected service life. The temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of the insulation material is investigated by carrying out lab measurements, and subsequently, a stochastic model is developed to represent this property. Deficiencies, considering penetration of wind-driven rain, are accounted for and represented by different moisture sources. Moreover, the development of criteria and models representing mould growth in wood-based materials are investigated by carrying out a systematic literature review. Subsequently, three mould models are selected to derive the mould growth outcome as a mixture of their distribution to account for their competencies and diminishing their limitations in representing mould. This outline derives the likelihoods of potential levels of mould growth; hence, facilitates their association to the corresponding consequences adapted from the case study at hand. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis methods are performed to quantify the ranges of the output, the likelihood of each outcome and to evaluate the significance of key contributors to output uncertainty. The methodology is applied to evaluate traditional and modern façade constructions. The results prove that the probabilistic-based methodology enables a more systematic approach to the evaluation of façade constructions. It accounts for the involved uncertainties, provides a clear association of microbial growth and its likelihood, and enables the identification and significance of the dominant parameters; hence, it delivers a more comprehensive representation to evaluate construction performance. The methodology can facilitate the development of cost-optimisation and risk-based inspection planning methodologies, and enable the upgrading of current codes and standards. Keywords: mould; decay; façade; probabilistic; uncertainty; sensitivity analysis

The use of insurance data in the analysis of Surface Water Flood events – a systematic review

This study employs a systematic literature review to investigate how insurance data can be applied in the analysis of Surface Water Flood events. The study firstly identifies the variables expressing insurance data and those explaining them, together with their interrelationships. Damage variables may be expressed as either monetary-based or number of claims-based. Explaining variables may be subdivided into four categories: meteorological, geographic, demographic and property/building-based. Most of the common and under-researched combinations of these variables and their expression are discussed. Secondly, a comparative analysis is presented of current models, highlighting their differences and similarities. The study demonstrates that the scope and approach of the models varies in relation to scale, the coverage and period of incorporated insurance claims, and the methods used for model development and validation. Thirdly, the study proposes a generic and adaptable framework, constructed from an aggregation of information contained in relevant literature, to define a workflow for model development and future deployment. The study concludes with a discussion of the challenges facing model development and opportunities for deployment.acceptedVersio

Multi-objective parametric study of a wooden window

The aim of this study is to conduct a multi-objective parametric study by simultaneously analysing the thermal and structural performance of a wood-frame window. The finite element simulation program COMSOL is used to carry out the thermal and structural analysis. A global sensitivity analysis is performed to screen and rank the dominant parameters. Afterwards, a parametric analysis is performed by varying the dominant parameters. The results demonstrate that the performance of the frame configuration of the wooden window can be improved from the nominal configuration. The results suggest that the methodology can be further improved by conducting form-finding and typology-based optimization studies while accounting further for the impact of the window on the energy use for heating in buildingspublishedVersio