23 research outputs found
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Construction professionals' perspectives on drivers and barriers of sustainable construction
With the associated environmental challenges and unsustainable patterns of construction, there is also notable awareness and willingness among the state bodies to adopt sustainability measures and practices in Kazakhstan. This study explores the drivers of and barriers inhibiting the adoption of sustainability paradigm in the construction context of Kazakhstan. The drivers and barriers were validated through the survey and structured workshop with the construction professionals to ensure their relevance to the local context, which were then ranked according to their levels of influence through the lens of the industry professionals in Kazakhstan. Delphi technique was the last stage before consolidating the specified lists. Stakeholder opinions were then consolidated to develop a context-oriented decision support system. The findings reveal that addressing environmental issues is vital to increase the level of sustainability leading to the more efficient use of construction materials and resources. Various social aspects are also found to be driving forces for the effective adoption of the SC concept. On the other hand, a great portion of SC barriers is related to economic aspects, which are followed by government as well as awareness and education related barriers. The findings are hoped to contribute to the body of knowledge in terms of drivers of, and barriers to SC in developing countries, particularly in Central Asian countries due to similarities in context. The findings may also be useful for the construction forefront players seeking ways to improve sustainability performance of the construction industry
Renewable energy technologies and practices: prospective for building integration in cold climates (Kazakhstan)
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Effect of roof types on energy use in residential buildings in cold climates
The role of residential building envelope components is significant in terms of supporting a structure and transferring associated loads, providing aesthetic appearance, and controlling the flows of matters and energy. The control function is particularly important in terms of energy use as poorly designed and constructed envelopes can negatively affect the overall performance of a building. Among others, roofs play a critical role due to their area of coverage, direct interaction with precipitation, and a significant share of total heat transfer. This is especially true in case buildings located in countries with cold climate conditions. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of different roof types on the energy use of residential buildings in Nur-Sultan city, Kazakhstan. Moreover, it aimed at performing a cost analysis to compare the four roof types. The building models with roof types such as flat roof, green roof and gable roof with finished and unfinished attics were simulated and compared in terms of their energy use. The findings indicate that the most energy and cost efficient two-storey building has gable roof with finished attic. The green roof is the most energy efficient choice for a one-storey building. It consumes 4.5% less energy and will pay off in 9 years