Environmental assessment of four Basque University campuses using the NEST tool

Over the past few years, town planners and architects have been facing increasing demands regarding the performance of urban development projects in terms of environment, quality of life and socio-economic issues. For this reason, several tools capable of assessing their environmental impacts have been developed. NEST (Neighbourhood Evaluation for Sustainable Territories) is a particularly interesting one since it permits performing simultaneous environmental, economic and social analyses at a district scale, in addition to evaluating refurbishment scenarios, with a life cycle perspective. Nowadays, universities can be considered as “small cities” due to their large size, population, and the many complex activities that take place on the campuses; thus, they have a direct and indirect impact on the environment. In this article, the authors present the results obtained from the environmental evaluation of the four campuses of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), using NEST. First, the evaluation consisted of analysing baseline environmental impacts of the four campuses, and then, in order to reduce environmental impacts, the authors presented numerous refurbishment scenarios for the campuses, according to national and international declarations concerning sustainable development in higher education.The authors acknowledge the UPV-EHU (Vicerrectorado de Innovación, Compromiso social y Acción cultural) for the financial support for the development of this work. The authors would also like to thank Estibaliz Ibarrola, Kerllys Morán, Nathaly Ortega, and Raul Bosch for their technical support. Finally, another part of this work was developed in the NEXT project from the French Institute for Energy Transition in Buildings INEF4

Advanced Techniques for Fast and Accurate Heritage Digitisation in Multiple Case Studies

All elements of heritage are exposed to more or less predictable risks. Even though they are in a good state of conservation with economic support for their repair or maintenance, they can suffer sudden accidents leading to their imminent destruction. It is therefore necessary to safeguard them in all scenarios, regardless of the respective scale or state of conservation. That process must at least be based on complete and accurate 3D digitisation. The evolution of devices, software/hardware and platforms nowadays allows such information to be gathered in a sustainable manner. Various existing resources were tried and compared at several heritage sites of different scales with dissimilar risk and protection, following the guidelines of different ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) committees. Each case study addresses the choice of digitisation techniques and the characteristics of the end product obtained. The most suitable modality for each situation is analysed, depending on different factors such as accessibility and risks faced. Although the 3D laser scanner is clearly a very fast and very accurate resource, automated photogrammetry is one of the more accessible and affordable resources; along with the potential of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), this enables the digitisation to be sustainably completed

Graphic representation, presentation and viewing of the linear landscape. An evolutionary study of the author-presenter-observer relationship

[EN] The linear landscape has historically been rendered in pictures that show a continuous river, a road or train tracks, or by elevations and views depicting a developed space. The problem of presenting such extensive spaces has generated multiple forms of visualisation which comprise a heterogeneous whole. In this article, different modes of presenting the linear landscape are classified according to viewing dynamics and the role of the observer. Changes affecting the roles played by the author, presenter and observer in the various processes described are also examined. The ability to view these spaces through new 3D representation and viewing techniques is addressed, along with the purpose of the author s interpretation in these procedures.[ES] El paisaje lineal ha sido representado a lo largo del tiempo a través de plantas que dibujan un río continuo, una carretera o las vías de un tren, o mediante alzados y vistas que muestran un espacio desarrollado. La dificultad en la presentación de estos extensos espacios ha generado una multiplicidad de formas de visualización que componen un conjunto heterogéneo.En este artículo se clasifican diferentes modos de presentación del paisaje lineal atendiendo al dinamismo en la visualización y al papel del observador. Asimismo, se analizan los cambios producidos en los roles ejercidos por el autor, el presentador y el observador en los diversos procesos descritos. Se abordan las posibilidades de visualización de estos espacios a través de las nuevas técnicas de representación y visualización 3D, así como la función de la interpretación ejercida por el autor en estos procedimientos.Senderos Laka, M.; León Cascante, I.; Pérez Martínez, JJ. (2022). Representación gráfica, presentación y visualización del paisaje lineal. Estudio evolutivo de la relación autor/presentador/observador. EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica. 27(44):124-135. https://doi.org/10.4995/ega.2022.15533OJS124135274

Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash: From Waste to Cement Manufacturing Resource

This study investigates the possibility of using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material to replace part of the clinker in cement. Life cycle assessment has shown that the partial replacement of clinker with blast furnace slag (CEM III) reduces cement’s global warming potential by ~30%, while replacing clinker with fly ash reduces it by up to 55%. When using CEM III as the control binder in cement in which 55 wt% of the clinker was replaced with hydrothermally treated fly ash, the flexural strength decreased by ~60% and the compressive strength by ~65%. When the fly ash was mixed with calcined and vitrified demolition materials, flexural strength decreased by ~30% and compressive strength by ~50%. The hardening of the hydraulic binders fixed the heavy metals in the municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.This research was funded by the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, grant number PPG17/22, Campus Bizia Lab

Analysis of the State of Building Conservation through Study of Damage and Its Evolution with the State of Conservation Assessment BIM Model (SCABIM)

Residential building inspections are periodically required by public authorities. However, current approaches to storing and viewing data concerning an inspection are often collected in reports whose form and limited content hamper the rigorous assessment of the building’s state of conservation and subsequent repair of the identified damage and alterations. This research proposes a method for documenting and displaying inspection-related information in BIM models to generate a dynamic information model. Damage is spatially located by means of a parametric family, which collects the necessary information about each instance of damage and enables agile and up-to-date information extraction. The proposed method was validated in a residential building situated in San Sebastián, with a scenario designed to demonstrate its ability to support the diagnosis of causes and decision making regarding maintenance. This work demonstrates the advantages of the parametric representation of information on damage and alterations in a BIM model, which facilitates the management of a residential building’s life cycle by means of a digital twin of the building. The results shown in this research may be very interesting for researchers as well as for those whose work involves the rehabilitation of residential buildings.This reserach is funded by UPV-EHU grant number US19/10

Use of Flat Interwoven Wooden Strips in Architecture and Construction. Simulation and Optimization Using 3D Digital Models

This research aims to promote the use of natural materials in construction. Its purpose is to rediscover the interlacing of flat wooden strips. Attending to environmental criteria, it focuses on the study of wood from a locally produced tree, the chestnut, in the north of Spain. However, the proposed methodology can be universally replicated with local wood productions anywhere. The interweaving of flat wooden strips is linked to traditional basketry, which is at serious risk of disappearing in many places. A combined method based on the design of interlaced artifacts is proposed. For this purpose, the mechanical characteristics of the specific material tested were analyzed in advance. The elastic limit of the material was obtained, and this allowed simulating and optimizing the maximum curvatures of the flat strips in a 3D digital model. New geometric shapes were designed with new interlacing wefts and were built with the tested material. The digital models used serve as a record of the artifacts built, and can be posted on web platforms so that they can be universally replicated. This will allow for the preservation of this heritage of built artifacts using basketry techniques, enabling the proposed objective to be achieved

BIM Application for Sustainable Teaching Environment and Solutions in the Context of COVID-19

COVID-19 had a major impact on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it produced a crisis in Goal 4, which is aimed at ensuring quality education, among others. In this work, a university experience that aims to solve the challenges in this complicated context by means of BIM technology is presented. On the one hand, this study focuses on the development of teaching by means of active methodologies based on real projects through BIM models, using the latest information and communication technologies, and on the other hand, it focuses on the management of the education center by means of a virtual BIM building. This allowed for, among other things, tackling the sustainable management of the measures required to prevent contagion. These BIM models made it possible, for example, to optimize spaces while maintaining social distances between occupants, to simulate the best options for classroom ventilation, and to optimize special cleaning and disinfection resources. Students who developed their learning through these BIM virtual models were not restricted in receiving online classes; they learned to collaborate from anywhere in the world, acquiring skills that allow them to effectively face real situations that are as complicated as COVID-19

Environmental Assessment of University Campuses: The Case of the University of Navarra in Pamplona (Spain)

Current European environmental sustainability standards call for achieving a reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions for a horizon set in the year 2050. It has been verified that buildings and cities have a higher incidence in this regard. It is necessary to have tools for initial assessment that can quickly analyse whether the improvement scenarios put forward by different organisations and governments will be able to meet the goals set at European level. Universities are an important factor for the intended change and therefore offer an excellent environment for testing such tools. A case study focusing on a university in northern Spain is presented, through an evaluation tool using 3D models including life-cycle assessment. Different reform scenarios are evaluated for two key years, 2030 and 2050. The novelty lies in considering, not only the impact of the operational phase but also the impact of the different stages of the life cycle and processes, obtaining an impact value closer to reality. The results indicate that, even with major retrofitting and adaptation efforts, the European targets are difficult to achieve by 2050. Moreover, solutions such as biomass help to achieve greenhouse gas reductions but not to improve energy efficiency.This research was funded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Euskadi/Navarre Euro-region (AECT). Project co-financed through the second session of the 2019 AECT call for projects

Field Work’s Optimization for the Digital Capture of Large University Campuses, Combining Various Techniques of Massive Point Capture

The aim of the study is to obtain fast digitalization of large urban settings. The data of two university campuses in two cities in northern Spain was captured. Challenges were imposed by the lockdown situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited mobility and affected the field work for data readings. The idea was to significantly reduce time spent in the field, using a number of resources, and increasing efficiency as economically as possible. The research design is based on the Design Science Research (DSR) concept as a methodological approach to design the solutions generated by means of 3D models. The digitalization of the campuses is based on the analysis, evolution and optimization of LiDAR ALS points clouds captured by government bodies, which are open access and free. Additional TLS capture techniques were used to complement the clouds, with the study of support of UAV-assisted automated photogrammetric techniques. The results show that with points clouds overlapped with 360 images, produced with a combination of resources and techniques, it was possible to reduce the on-site working time by more than two thirds.This research was funded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Euskadi/Navarre Euro-region (AECT). Project co-financed through the second session of the 2019 AECT call for projects

Graphic survey of industrial heritage in activity: Nueva Cerámica de Orio

[EN] The purpose of this study is to emphasise the difficulty of conducting a graphic survey in an industrial architectural space, and especially when this is still in use. Faced with the need to prepare precise and rigorous graphic documentation, in a place with a high degree of spatial fragmentation and very deficient natural lighting, the application of photogrammetric techniques and laser scanning presents considerable limitations. So, complementary tools must be resorted to, and in this sense, traditional graphic surveys, using a combination of direct measurement processes, play an essential role. A description is given of the combined procedure of the different techniques used, in addition to some comparative results that permit establishing conclusions about the quality of the geometric documentation obtained.[ES] Mediante este trabajo se quiere poner de relieve la dificultad que supone la realización de un levantamiento gráfico en un espacio arquitectónico que es industrial y además está en uso. Frente a la necesidad de elaborar una documentación gráfica de manera precisa y rigurosa, en un ámbito con un alto grado de fragmentación espacial e iluminación natural muy deficiente, la aplicación de las técnicas fotogramétricas y escaneado láser presentan limitaciones importantes. De esta manera, se hace necesario recurrir a herramientas complementarias, en las que el levantamiento gráfico tradicional, mediante el uso combinado de procesos de medición directa, juega un papel fundamental. Se describe el procedimiento combinado de las distintas técnicas empleadas y algunos resultados comparativos que permiten establecer conclusiones sobre la calidad de la documentación geométrica obtenida.Senderos Laka, M.; León Cascante, I.; Pérez Martínez, JJ. (2019). Levantamiento gráfico de patrimonio industrial en actividad: Nueva Cerámica de Orio. EGA. Revista de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica. 24(36):92-105. https://doi.org/10.4995/ega.2019.11536SWORD92105243