Microstructural study of Styrene Polyacrylic (SPA) latex modified mortars

In this paper, the influence of the styrene polyacrylic (SPA) latex polymer on the microstructural properties of limestone mortars has been studied. For this purpose, five mortars were developed with different dosages of the SPA latex (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) by weight of cement. This research was carried out using XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses. The results of XRD and FTIR studies showed that the addition of SPA latex can increase the portlandite content of polymer-modified mortars (PMMs), compared to the control mortar. In addition, the moist environment promotes the Ca(OH)2 consumption in PMMs at early age and accelerates the hydration. Moreover, the SEM analysis revealed that the cement hydrate structure of the reference mortar is loose. In contrast, the hydrates of the PMMs were covered by a polymer film or membrane, and the pore structure is significantly affected by the filling effect the micropores by the latex particles

The Level of Using Information Storage Strategies for Memorizing the Holy Qur'an by the Koranic School Students in the City of Batna in Algeria

This study aimed to identify the level of using Information storage strategies formemorizing the Qur'an by the koranic school students in light of the variables: Gender, academic level, and age. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used descriptive approach. The researcher applied a questionnaire of his design after confirming its psychometric properties on a sample of 82 students, including 40 males and 42 females within koranic schools in the city of Batna Algeria, for the academic year 2014/2015. The results showed the koranic school students use regulatory, cognitive, and emotional strategies respectively to save the koran and that the level of using of these strategies was 74,3%. The results also showed a statistically significant differences in the level of using these strategies due to gender. Cognitive and organizational strategies came in favor of females while emotional strategy came in favor of males. The results showed also statistically significant differences in the level of using these strategies in favor of the school level (secondary, and university) within cognitive and organizational strategies. No statistically significant differences was found among the sample in regard to age

The Impact of Glazing Types and Window-to-Wall Ratios on Energy Consumption in Semi-arid, Mediterranean and Arid Climates

A reduction in energy consumption and energy efficiency improvement in buildings have become one of the main objectives in national and international energy policies. In an optimization process, and in order to find the most influential parameters to achieve net zero energy, several ameliorations need to be made to residential buildings. In this paper, two measures are discussed; the effects of locally available glazing types and window-to-wall ratios, tested under three different Algerian climates; semi-arid, Mediterranean and arid-climate. For the purpose of calculating energy use intensity savings, optimal values and payback periods for each of the mentioned measures the building information modelling software Autodesk Revit® and the energy simulation plugin Sefaira have been used. According to the findings, double glazing with Argon has the greatest potential for lowering the energy use intensity, whereas the window-to-wall ratios has a significant effect on the energy consumption of buildings in the studied climates, and the optimal ratio for a given orientation varies according to the type of glazing used. Moreover, very high payback periods were found compared to other countries, and only a few studied variables could be achieved with profitability. This paper is helpful for professionals who are responsible for decision-making during the design process of energy-efficient residential buildings

Parametric Study for Optimising Building Form and Height: An Approach toward Net Zero Energy & Carbon in Buildings

Due to the excessive use of natural resources and fossil fuels, our planet has started to show its weak points. Several ecological and economic crises have occurred in the last decades. The building sector is held primarily responsible for one-third of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the advent of COVID-19 has not improved this with its containment. For this reason, improving the energy efficiency of buildings and reaching the net zero concept have become the primary objectives of all policies. Several measures are to be undertaken to achieve this concept, ranging from passive and active strategies to the use of renewable energy. This work aims to analyse and study the morphology of the building with geometric plan and height variables to know their influences on the energy consumption of residential buildings in three different types of Algerian climates, semi-arid, arid, and Mediterranean. Using SketchUp and the cloud-based simulation tool Sefaira, the results showed that the triangular-shape based plan has the best energy consumption, allowing a reduction of 18% from the worst-case scenario, and that the difference in height can save up to 17.5%, which is worth 51 kWh/m²/year

Microstructural study of Styrene Polyacrylic (SPA) latex modified mortars

In this paper, the influence of the styrene polyacrylic (SPA) latex polymer on the microstructural properties of limestone mortars has been studied. For this purpose, five mortars were developed with different dosages of the SPA latex (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) by weight of cement. This research was carried out using XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses. The results of XRD and FTIR studies showed that the addition of SPA latex can increase the portlandite content of polymer-modified mortars (PMMs), compared to the control mortar. In addition, the moist environment promotes the Ca(OH)2 consumption in PMMs at early age and accelerates the hydration. Moreover, the SEM analysis revealed that the cement hydrate structure of the reference mortar is loose. In contrast, the hydrates of the PMMs were covered by a polymer film or membrane, and the pore structure is significantly affected by the filling effect the micropores by the latex particles

UNE LECTURE TYPO-MORPHOLOGIQUE DU KSAR DE KHANGUET SIDI NADJI

La recherche sur la forme urbaine des tissus traditionnels à caractère historique est importante dans le cadre de la sauvegarde du patrimoine bâti pour les générations futures. À travers cette recherche, nous avons essayé d’identifier les caractéristiques typo-morphologiques du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji et de déterminer les lois qui ont historiquement dirigé son développement organique. Deux questions encadrent méthodologiquement ce travail de recherche. La première est la suivante : comment peut-on identifier les caractéristiques morphologiques caractérisant sa forme urbaine originelle du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji (avant transformations) et actuelle, malgré le manque d’informations (supports cartographiques et iconographiques) ? La deuxième question est : est-ce que le cadre bâti, tel qu'il se présente aujourd'hui, a conservé la spécificité de ses caractéristiques morphologiques originelles décrites dans les récits des visiteurs du Ksar durant la fin du XIXème siècle et le début du XXème siècle ? Ces questions définissent les axes de la présente recherche qui se veut transdisciplinaire, combinant les approches historique, architecturale et urbanistique. De ce fait, le travail de recherche appelle à une lecture approfondie de la forme urbaine du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji en identifiant les caractéristiques morphologiques des différents systèmes composant son tissu urbain, notamment : le site naturel, en tant que support à toute organisation urbaine et humaine ; le système viaire ; le système bâti (bâtiments répétitifs et singuliers) ; et les espaces libres (publics et privés), ainsi que les rapports qui les relient les uns aux autres. Cependant, deux hypothèses apparaissent : premièrement, pour la lecture des caractéristiques morphologiques du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji, il semble nécessaire d’élaborer une méthodologie d’approche basée sur des outils opérationnels afin d’identifier les éléments caractérisant sa forme physique. Deuxièmement, les caractéristiques morphologiques originelles du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji semblent avoir été affectées par les différentes transformations ayant touché son cadre bâti. Dans cette optique, la recherche s’est appuyée pleinement sur deux approches différentes mais complémentaires. La première est historique (l’analyse du contenu) et la deuxième est la typo-morphologie. La méthodologie adoptée dans ce travail constitue sans doute un point très fort, en combinant deux méthodes différentes. D'une part, la méthode historique est souvent utilisée pour la reconstitution du passé à partir des documents (ici, c’est le cas de l’analyse du contenu des récits de voyage). D'autre part, la typo-morphologie est utilisée comme modèle théorique de l'organisme urbain élaboré par l'architecte italien Gianfranco Caniggia, constituant en soi l'une des formulations les plus explicites avancées ces dernières années dans le débat sur la ville et sur la protection de son patrimoine architectural et urbain. Les résultats ainsi obtenus s’avèrent d’une grande pertinence. La richesse tant historique qu'architecturale et urbaine du Ksar de Khanguet Sidi Nadji, ainsi que sa fragilité physique face aux dangers climatiques, aux effets du temps et à l’intervention de l’homme, ont rendu le choix du site très judicieux. Un autre tissu urbain n’aurait peut-être pas permis de révéler autant de variété et de richesse de la forme physique du tissu urbain

Housing projects in Algeria: which context for which consequences on built environments? Case of Zerhouni City in Algiers / Lilia Makhloufi

The term sustainable development includes human development, values and cultures. We are referring to sustainable human development in order to emphasize issues such as the importance of housing quality and participation in decision-making process. Offering many dwellings, the new urban spaces in Algeria are supposed to respond today's population needs, their construction capacity is important, they are aired and endowed of important facilities. But, are they really a place where people want to live, now and in the future? What about urban harmony and wellbeing in this case? Starting from the macro to arrive to the micro, we will consider, in this paper, housing projects in Algeria while analysing the old and the new built environments in Algiers, a representative example at the national scale when it comes to housing and the case of Zerhouni city in particular, one of its nearest and recent suburban area