Hausmannian Buildings Rehabilitation and Strengthening

Hausmannian buildings architecture spreads throughout the city of Paris. These buildings were constructed in the 19th century, being presently centenarians. However, they present several pathologies which prevent their adequate use, moreover, an update regarding users security, sound, thermal and fire requirements is, among others, urgently needed. Additionally, there is presently, in Paris, an increasing demand for hotel rooms. For those previous reasons, Hausmannian buildings are presently submitted to heavy operations related to rehabilitation, strengthening, use change and conservation. In this paper, rehabilitation and strengthening works presently carried out in those buildings are described. This description is the result of a technical survey on several Hausmannian building construction sites which occurred between 2015 and 2018. The knowledge from this study should be very useful for the development of sustainable rehabilitation and strengthening techniques and guidelines, aiming to preserve this important building heritage or similar ones existing in other countries. Keywords: Hausmannian buildings, Rehabilitation, Strengthening, Sustainabilit

Hints to Improve Motivation in Construction Companies

AbstractMotivation in work teams has a key role to play for the survival and competitiveness of businesses in the harsh environment of economic recession. This paper characterizes motivation in small and medium-sized construction companies in Portugal. It draws on data collected from in-person surveys which were carried out to employees of 32 companies. Results reveal the presence of some motivating factors specific to the profession such as the fact that the work requires a wide range of skills and is not very routine. Also, although employees in general feel a sense of equity and recognize that managers provide constant feedback, results show the need for improvement in motivation's management, particularly in regard to more autonomy and participation in setting goals

Earth-based construction material field tests characterization in the Alto Douro Wine Region

The Alto Douro Wine Region, located in the northeast of Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, presents an abundant vernacular building heritage. This building technology is based on a timber framed structure filled with a composite earth-based material. A lack of scientific studies related to this technology is evident, furthermore, principally in rural areas, this traditional building stock is highly deteriorated and damaged because of the rareness of conservation and strengthening works, which is partly related to the non-engineered character of this technology and to the knowledge loosed on that technique. Those aspects motivated the writing of this paper, whose main purpose is the physical and chemical characterization of the earth-based material applied in the tabique buildings of that region through field tests. Consequently, experimental work was conducted and the results obtained allowed, among others, the proposal of a series of adequate field tests. At our knowledge, this is the first time field tests are undertaken for tabique technology. This information will provide the means to assess the suitability of a given earth-based material with regards to this technology. The knowledge from this study could also be very useful for the development of future normative documents and as a reference for architects and engineers that work with this technology to guide and regulate future conservation, rehabilitation or construction processes helping to preserve this important legacy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Critical success aspects in project management: similarities and differences between the construction and software industry

Uspjeh projekta uveliko ovisi o procesu upravljanja projektom i nekoliko je gledišta koja treba pažljivo razmotriti. Cilj je ovoga članka odgovoriti na pitanje: ima li sličnosti u raznim industrijskim granama u onome što se odnosi na gledišta bitna za uspjeh upravljanja projektom? Opsežnom anketom provedenom u srednjim i velikim kompanijama građevinske i industrije računarskih programa, zaključili smo da su dva, trenutno najvažnija gledišta za uspjeh upravljanja projektom zajednička za te dvije industrijske grane vezana uz "planiranje projekta" i "dobro definiranje ciljeva i zahtjeva". "Učinkovitost voditelja projekta" se također nalazi pri samom vrhu. S druge strane, postoje bitne razlike u odnosu na druga gledišta.Project success is highly dependent on the project management process, and there are several aspects that need to be carefully considered. This article aims at responding to the research question: are there similarities in different industries in what concerns the critical aspects for the success of project management? Throughout a comprehensive survey applied to medium and large companies of the construction and software industries, we came to the conclusion that the two currently most important project management success aspects are common to both industries: "project planning" and "well defined objectives and requirements". The "project manager efficiency" is also in the top of the critical success aspects. On the other hand, other aspects show major differences in the studied industries

Possible Applications of Corncob as a Raw Insulation Material

Some alternative applications of corncob as a raw thermal insulation material are presented in this research work. Usually, corncob has been treated as an agricultural waste. Finding practical applications of this waste in product manufacturing may preserve the environment and may also allow using more green technologies. Therefore, a corncob particleboard, a lightweight concrete for nonstructural purposes, and a lightweight concrete masonry unit (CMU) are the granulated corncob-based products proposed. These products are studied in terms of thermal performance, and some thermal parameters are delivered. The results obtained through the experimental study allowed to estimate the thermal conductivity of the granulated corncob and of the granulated corncob particleboards. The values obtained were 0.058 and 0.101 W/m°C, respectively. A thermal transmission coefficient of 1.99 W/m2°C was obtained for the nonstructural corncob lightweight concrete, and it was concluded that the density and the thermal properties of this alternative solution are in accordance with the properties of the currently used expanded clay concrete. For the granulated corncob lightweight CMU, a value of 1.15 W/m2°C was estimated. This shows that this agricultural waste may have potential as a thermal insulation product

Highlighting the Heritage of Meseta Ibérica

[EN] Meseta Ibérica is a region placed along the border between Spain and Portugal in the international Douro river area. This region has an exquisite rural landscape, of which the urban landscape is part. In this context, research work was done in order to contribute to the characterization of this urban landscape on a village scale. Six villages were selected to be studied: Atenor, Rio de Onor and Bemposta, in Portugal and Fariza, Riomanzanas and San Martín de Castañeda, in Spain. Altogether, 767 buildings have been studied according to different parameters such as the type of building, the type of utilization, the stage of conservation, type of building materials, type of structure solution, the colour of the façade, among many more. This paper intends to share some of the obtained results from the heritage perspective. These results may give guidance for future urban rehabilitation management.This work was partially supported by FEDER through 0421_PAISAJE_IBERICO_2_E project and by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the project UIDB/04082/2020 (C-MADE).Pinto, J.; Paiva, A.; Almeida, D.; Pereira, S.; Antunes, A.; Bento, R. (2022). Highlighting the Heritage of Meseta Ibérica. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 173-180. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1455917318

Contribuição para a avaliação do comportamento térmico de edifícios tradicionais portugueses

Os edifícios tradicionais portugueses apresentam especificidades técnicas locais. O clima e os materiais de construção disponíveis localmente são fatores condicionantes dessas especificidades. Por exemplo, os edifícios tradicionais algarvios, as açoteias, têm a cobertura em terraço e são pintados de branco. Por sua vez, os edifícios de xisto e de tabique do Alto Douro têm a cobertura inclinada com beirais e vãos de pequenas dimensões. Os edifícios de granito e de tabique das regiões de Trás-os-Montes e do Minho também têm coberturas inclinadas com beirais. Contudo, com o fenómeno da globalização, tem havido uma tendência de uniformização dos padrões construtivos e as especificidades locais parecem ter vindo a ser negligenciadas. O aparecimento de problemas ambientais resultantes, em grande parte, da emissão de gases de efeito de estufa para a atmosfera provenientes do aumento do consumo energético nos edifícios implica a adoção de medidas conducentes à redução desse consumo. Pensa-se que o conhecimento das características técnicas dos edifícios tradicionais de cada região poderá contribuir para minimizar este consumo e tornar assim os edifícios novos ou os edifícios a reabilitar mais eficientes energeticamente e, implicitamente, mais sustentáveis. Neste sentido, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia experimental, para avaliar o coeficiente de transmissão térmica de elementos construtivos de edifícios, passível de ser aplicada “in situ” e em laboratório. Esta metodologia permite uma monitorização contínua desse desempenho térmico durante vários dias e em condições termo higrométricas reais. Nesta comunicação serão apresentados alguns dos resultados obtidos através da aplicação desta metodologia a elementos construtivos e materiais existentes nos edifícios tradicionais da região de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

Overall aspects for the evaluation of Portuguese dwellings’ quality and sustainability

As housing is an essential need, a dwelling should provide an assured quality of life and satisfy the expectations of its users. As a dwelling is a complex system, the construction of which involves the contribution of various specialists, the evaluation of its quality is a elaborated process. In the sequence of previous research on quality dwellings assessment methods, the objective of this paper is to present the proposal of an assessment system for the most important aspects of dwellings’ quality in Portugal which provides stakeholders with a simple and objective form for assessing the quality level of a dwelling to be designed, built, financed, bought or rented. After a thorough analysis of methods used to evaluate residential building quality in various countries, the most common elements were identified. This list was submitted to critical evaluation by Portuguese construction specialists, resulting in a final selection of evaluation aspects such as: housing operating costs, proximity to basic infrastructures, energy classification and rainwater reuse systems

Defeitos congénitos da glicosilação

Congenital disorders of glycosylation are a highly variable, rapidly expanding family of genetic diseases that result from defects in the synthesis of glycans. The vast majority of these monogenic diseases are inherited in an autosomal recessive way, but some types follow an autosomal dominant or X-linked inheritance. The present work aimed to review the state of the art of congenital disorders of glycosylation, including available therapeutic options, and present a simplified diagnostic approach to this group of diseases. Congenital disorders of glycosylation can be classified into four categories: N-linked glycosylation defects, O-linked glycosylation defects, combined glycosylation defects, and glycosphingolipid and glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor synthesis defects. The phenotype may range from mild to severe, depending on disease severity. Clinical features include dysmorphic features, neurologic, dermatologic, cardiac, endocrine, immunologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal and liver involvement, and skeletal muscle abnormalities. As there is no universal or pathognomonic sign or symptom and no sensitive diagnostic test, it is of foremost importance to keep a high index of suspicion of these diseases. When a congenital disorder of glycosylation is suspected, the first step in screening is to perform serum transferrin isoelectric focusing. Molecular genetic testing is the most specific diagnostic test. Treatment is usually symptomatic, with specific treatment only available for some of these disorders. Since congenital defects of glycosylation may affect any organ at any age and have variable clinical presentation, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with multiorgan involvement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio