Journal articles on the topic 'Urban Retrofit Design'
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Ulu, Meltem, and Zeynep Durmuş Arsan. "Retrofit Strategies for Energy Efficiency of Historic Urban Fabric in Mediterranean Climate." Atmosphere 11, no. 7 (July 13, 2020): 742. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos11070742.
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Energy-efficient retrofitting of historic housing stock requires methodical approach, in-depth analysis and case-specific regulatory system, yet only limited efforts have been realized. In large scale rehabilitation projects, it is essential to develop a retrofit strategy on how to decide energy-efficient solutions for buildings providing the most energy saving in a short time. This paper presents a pilot study conducted at a neighborhood scale, consisting of 22 pre-, early-republican and contemporary residential buildings in a historic urban fabric in the Mediterranean climate. This study aims to develop an integrated approach to describe case-specific solutions for larger scale historic urban fabric. It covers the building performance simulation (BPS) model and numerical analysis to determine the most related design parameters affecting annual energy consumption. All the case buildings were classified into three main groups to propose appropriate retrofit solutions in different impact categories. Retrofit solutions were gathered into two retrofit packages, Package 1 and 2, and separately, three individual operational solutions were determined, considering a five-levelled assessment criteria of EN 16883:2017 Standard. Energy classes of case buildings were calculated based on National Building Energy Regulations. Changes in building classes were evaluated considering pre- and post-retrofit status of the buildings. For the integrated approach, the most related design parameters on annual energy consumption were specified through Pearson correlation analysis. The approach indicated that three buildings, representing each building group, can initially be retrofitted. For all buildings, while maximum energy saving was provided by Package 2 with 48.57%, minimum energy saving was obtained from Package 1 with 19.8%.
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Aleksandrova, Ksenia I., Wendy J. McWilliam, and Andreas Wesener. "Status and Future Directions for Residential Street Infrastructure Retrofit Research." Urban Science 3, no. 2 (May 3, 2019): 49. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/urbansci3020049.
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Residential streets, particularly in automobile-dependent suburban locations, have frequently been perceived as ecologically unsustainable, antisocial, unhealthy, and aesthetically dull from an urban design perspective. However, residential streets can be improved through infrastructure retrofits, particularly by combining green and grey infrastructures and integrating various functions and services. Using a systematic literature review and an adapted landscape services framework, the paper analyses the status of retrofit research and discusses existing composition and spatial integration of green, grey, and green-grey street infrastructure. Findings suggest changing infrastructure compositions in residential streets and a trend toward increased grey and green-grey infrastructure integration. However, functional connectivity is often lacking, and while barriers to implementation have been suggested, few have been tested. While retrofits are potentially able to increase the number and quality of landscape services that support human well-being, more—and possibly longitudinal—research is required to advance and analyze their implementation and provide evidence for their success.
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Oppong, R. A., and M. Masahudu. "Exploration of building adaptations and retrofitting challenges in Ghana." Structural Survey 32, no. 5 (November 4, 2014): 349–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ss-12-2013-0041.
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Purpose – The Ghanaian banking industry has over the last 20 years witnessed tremendous growth to the extent that rural banks are now expanding their activities into urban centres. Hitherto, rural banks operated in rural and peri-urban areas in Ghana, but nowadays, there is an upsurge of rural banks activities in the urban centres of Ghana; and, they operate from rented premises, most of which are existing buildings in the urban areas. To meet the banking demands and the urban banking competitions such as the introduction of new technologies and regulations, the rural banks endeavour to expand (refurbish) the old/existing buildings with inherent adaptation and retrofitting challenges. Even though, adaptation and retrofit projects may not be popular in Ghana at large scales, this paper through combined methodology of constructive dialogue, case studies and condition survey approaches presents rural banks projects in Ghana as case studies of refurbishment and maintenance to “unearth” and resonate some key challenges of managing adaptation and retrofits in Ghana for future effective projects management solutions during their conception and execution. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Through combined methodology of constructive dialogue, case studies and condition survey approaches this paper presents rural banks projects in Ghana as case studies of refurbishment and maintenance to “unearth” and resonate some key challenges of adaptation and retrofit projects. Findings – The condition survey revealed unprecedented infrastructural drive by rural banks throughout Ghana and their desire to penetrate the urban areas as well. However, this drive unfortunately as it appeared, is not informed and carried out within the confines and dictates of existing legislations in Ghana. Again, it was found that adaptations and retrofitting will improve and integrate the rural banks in the urban economy through prudent project management practices. Research limitations/implications – Availability of local researches and literature on adaptations and retrofitting as project management practices in Ghana. Practical implications – Retrofitting and adaptation projects in Ghana is crucial for project management practices on low-impact building as Ghana faces energy challenges. Social implications – This research brings to bear realistic programme to build capacity of personnel to strategically integrate the rural banks into the central banking system of Ghana as well as project management practices through better and effective monitoring for social, ethical and equity impacts of their project managers. Originality/value – Apparently, adaptation and retrofit projects are not be popular in Ghana at large scales and this is the first time an academic paper of a kind has been written to guide and manage future adaptation and retrofit projects during their conception and execution as well as project management practices in general.
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Zhou, Bai Ling, and En Tian Qie. "A Research on Energy Conservation of Existing Residential Buildings in “Urban Village”." Applied Mechanics and Materials 587-589 (July 2014): 239–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.587-589.239.
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In this paper, energy-saving ideas based on the “actual conditions” were proposed and the “actual condition” access method was presented. It provided reasonable reference for energy efficiency analysis and retrofit design for this kind of building of Urban Village in Wuhan.
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Oladunjoye, Oluwayemi, David Proverbs, and Hong Xiao. "Retrofitting Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS): A Cost-Benefit Analysis Appraisal." Water 14, no. 16 (August 16, 2022): 2521. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w14162521.
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Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are known to help mitigate flooding whilst simultaneously delivering other positive outcomes, such as the provision of environmental, economic, educational, and business benefits. Despite this, there has been a relatively low uptake of SuDS in new developments and even less of an uptake in the opportunities for retrofitting SuDS in existing buildings. A major barrier to uptake has been a lack of understanding regarding the value of the benefits provided by SuDS. This study presents an appraisal of the costs and benefits derived from the retrofitting of SuDS in existing buildings and reveals some of the key decision-making considerations during the design and installation of such schemes. A qualitative research approach that included a number of case studies of successfully retrofitted SuDS schemes within public buildings was conducted. A novel feature of the research was the use of the Willingness to Pay (WTP) approach to value the tangible and intangible benefits provided by the various schemes from the perspectives of the property owners. The findings revealed that the retrofit provided a net value to the client of over £100,000 over 10 years, a mean CBA ratio of 5.3/10, and a return on investment (ROI) that would be achieved in less than 3 years. The importance of stakeholder engagement during the decision-making process was highlighted in helping to overcome many of the design, installation, and maintenance challenges. The findings demonstrate a significant ROI for these SuDs retrofit schemes and highlight useful approaches to overcoming the barriers in valuing the importance of the intangible benefits. In supporting the uptake of the retrofitting of SuDS, it is recommended that these benefits are given full consideration by property owners, urban planners, and architects during the design of retrofit schemes and throughout the decision-making stage.
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Morris, Robert L., and Angela O'Callaghan*. "Landscape Retrofit: Redesigning Desert Landscapes." HortScience 39, no. 4 (July 2004): 839A—839. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.39.4.839a.
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The Las Vegas Valley receives most of its water from the Colorado River due to a static federal water allocation the remainder from pumping groundwater. The increased water demand due to the population rise in the Las Vegas Valley is expected to overtake its current water allocation in the next few years. Over 60% of the potable water used in the Las Vegas valley is used to irrigate urban landscapes. Poorly designed desert landscapes can ultimately use more water than traditional landscapes and increase residential energy costs. Most of the desert landscaping currently installed by homeowners either ignores principles that conserve water or conserve energy. The program was designed to be used with homeowner associations and commercial landscapers. The residential homeowner proved to be the most responsive to this type of program. The overall goal of this program is to teach residents how to convert a high water use landscape to lower water use and reduce dependence on potable water for irrigation and still maintain high quality landscapes. In 1995, a 7-week, hands-on, landscape design curriculum was developed and used to teach homeowners how to create desert landscape designs that conserve water and energy and compared its water use to traditional, turfgrass landscapes. Participants leave the course with a finished design of their making with information on how to install the landscape themselves or how to hire a professional to do the installation. In 1996-97 a Master Gardener was taught and mentored how to teach the class in Las Vegas using the existing curriculum. Since 1995, over 500 residents have been trained and water use savings documented by the existing water purveyors. This program is self-funded through class fees.
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Ismaeil, Esam M. H., and Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih. "Assessing Xeriscaping as a Retrofit Sustainable Water Consumption Approach for a Desert University Campus." Water 14, no. 11 (May 24, 2022): 1681. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w14111681.
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Assessing water usage associated with urban green infrastructure is crucial for water resource management and sustainable planning of desert campus areas. A public university campus layout in the desert region is considered an urban city subject to urban water consumption (UWC) of significant intensity and extent, even though the urban layout is essential to all campus occupants’ comfort and environmental sustainability needs. Hence, there is a need to reduce its detrimental effects through sustainable methods for campus water content. This study focuses on assessing urban xeriscaping landscape quantities as a practical potential approach to support university campus decision-makers in reducing urban water consumption and preserving the urban campus water content as asset management and life quality. Four selected landscape field experiments were undertaken by adopting xeriscaping landscape design instead of existing conventional urban design at King Faisal University’s (KFU) campus layout, Al-Ahsaa, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The study built a specific practical sustainability retrofit approach in water conservation from conventional to xeriscaping method inside the existing public desert campus area. Applying the study approach framework considering xeriscaping layout design provided sustainability requirements, retrofit approach, and pathway to effective landscape mapping, based on reasonable and accurate quantities of xeriscaping landscape items, to convert the KFU campus layout as a low water consumption campus with an average reduction of 41% water consumption within the remaining campus layout. The results of this study contribute to the water conservation and management in university desert campus and opens the door for other studies on the use of this approach for thermal reduction, economic and environmental benefits beside its value for water reduction.
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Bholey, Mihir. "SMART CITIES AND SUSTAINABLE URBANISM: A STUDY FROM POLICY AND DESIGN PERSPECTIVE." Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies ISSN 2394-336X 4, no. 6 (July 5, 2017): 36. http://dx.doi.org/10.19085/journal.sijmas040601.
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This paper examines India’s foray into building hundred smart cities from multiple perspectives viz. urban challenges, urban policies, sustainable urbanism, emerging global models and design and technology intervention. It also evaluates the relative challenges of building new smart cities like Masdar or Songdo and applying smart interventions to retrofit the aging and ailing urban infrastructure of the existing Indian cities. Based on the data from the secondary sources it examines the priority areas and the possibilities of making smart intervention through use of appropriate technology and design. While doing so, it brings into discussion India’s urban challenges and its policy of urban development over the years besides the recurring development deficit. Today, Indian cities are faced with huge infrastructure deficit which reflects in their performance and service delivery. The imperative to ensure urban rejuvenation now reflects in the recent policy of creating hundred smart cities in India. This paper also discusses howtechnology and design interventions at appropriate levels canaugment urban infrastructure and make a sustainable urban eco-system called smart city.
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Kazemi, F., S. Beecham, and B. Myers. "WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF A WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN RETROFIT IN AN URBAN STREETSCAPE IN ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA." Acta Horticulturae, no. 999 (June 2013): 321–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.17660/actahortic.2013.999.46.
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Chapa, Fernando, María Perez Rubi, and Jochen Hack. "A Systematic Assessment for the Co-Design of Green Infrastructure Prototypes—A Case Study in Urban Costa Rica." Sustainability 15, no. 3 (January 30, 2023): 2478. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su15032478.
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The management of urban water has evolved from single-function systems to more sustainable designs promoting society and nature as inputs to engineer novel infrastructure. In transdisciplinary research, co-design refers to a design-thinking strategy in which people jointly frame a problem–solution. This article presents a conceptual framework to assess a case study focusing on the process of co-design and implementation of green infrastructure as a prototype for urban stormwater management. The evaluation is carried out from a self-reflective post-implementation perspective. Research activities are translated into the framework to evaluate conditions shaping the trajectory of the prototype development. As a result, key aspects driving the transdisciplinary research regarding levels of stakeholder participation and dimensions of power are identified. Planning resilient co-design strategies to retrofit urban spaces is necessary to avoid unintended consequences, especially at initial experimental stages. This study aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of piloting strategies in urban spaces by providing a framework for a structured evaluation of transdisciplinary research experiences.
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Kotulski, Leszek, Artur Basiura, Igor Wojnicki, and Sebastian Siuchta. "Lighting System Modernization as a Source of Green Energy." Energies 14, no. 10 (May 12, 2021): 2771. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14102771.
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The use of formal methods and artificial intelligence has made it possible to automatically design outdoor lighting. Quick design for large cities, in a matter of hours instead of weeks, and analysis of various optimization criteria enables to save energy and tune profit stream from lighting retrofit. Since outdoor lighting is of a large scale, having luminaires on every street in urban areas, and since it needs to be retrofitted every 10 to 15 years, choosing proper parameters and light sources leads to significant energy savings. This paper presents the concept and calculations of Levelized Cost of Electricity for outdoor lighting retrofit. It is understood as cost of energy savings, it is in the range from 23.06 to 54.64 EUR/MWh, based on real-world cases. This makes street and road lighting modernization process the best green “energy source” if compared with the 2018 Fraunhofer Institute cost of electricity renewable energy technologies ranking. This indicates that investment in lighting retrofit is more economically and ecologically viable than investment in new renewable energy sources.
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Bande, Lindita, Abeer Alshamsi, Anoud Alhefeiti, Sarah Alderei, Sebah Shaban, Mohammed Albattah, and Martin D. Scoppa. "Parametric Design Structures in Low Rise Buildings in Relation to the Urban Context in UAE." Sustainability 13, no. 15 (August 1, 2021): 8595. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13158595.
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The city of Al Ain (Abu Dhabi, UAE) has a mainly low rise residential buildings. Villas as part of a compound or separate units represent the majority of the residential areas in the city. Due to the harsh hot arid climate of Al Ain, the energy demand for the cooling load is quite high. Therefore, it is relevant finding new retrofit strategies that are efficient in reducing the cooling load of the villas. The aim of this study is to analyze one particular strategy (parametric shading structure) in terms of design, construction, cost, energy impact on the selected villa. The main data for this study is taken from the local sources. There are six steps followed in this analysis: case study analysis; climate analysis; parametric structure and PV panels; building energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort; modelling, simulation, and validation; materials, construction, and cost evaluation. The model of the villa was validated for the full year 2020 based on the electricity bills obtained. After adding the parametric design structure, the reduction after shading is approximately 10%. Meanwhile the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) dropped from extreme heat stress to strong heat stress (average for the month of March and September). These findings are promising in the retrofit industry due to the advanced calculations used to optimize the parametric design structure.
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Oladunjoye, Oluwayemi A., David G. Proverbs, Beck Collins, and Hong Xiao. "A cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of sustainable urban drainage systems towards improved flood risk mitigation." International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation 38, no. 3 (October 7, 2019): 423–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijbpa-12-2018-0105.
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Purpose The Environment Agency estimates that one in six homes in England (approximately 5.2m properties) are at risk from flooding and 185,000 commercial properties are located in flood-prone areas. Further, an estimate of 10,000 new homes are built on flood plains yearly. The UK has witnessed a significant increase in flood events over the past 10 years. During this period, there has been growing research attention into measures to mitigate the effects of flooding, including the benefits of deploying sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs) in new developments or as a retrofit. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of SuDs focusing on the potential for improved flood risk mitigation in the context of commercial properties. Design/methodology/approach A synthesis of flood risk management and SuDs literature is used to inform the development of a conceptual cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of SuDs and focusing on the potential for improved flood risk mitigation in the context of commercial properties. Findings SuDs have been applied successfully in different parts of the world; however, the uptake of SuDs, in particular, the retrofit of SuDs, has been restricted by a number of issues including a lack of experience and trust in their performance and a lack of understanding in their true benefits. In particular, there is the limited experience of retrofitting SuDs and there are no well-established procedures for evaluating the feasibility, value or cost effectiveness of doing this. Social implications This offers the potential to support the UK government’s flood risk management policy by helping to increase the resilience of properties, whilst offering other benefits to communities such as improvements in air quality and biodiversity and also presenting a clearer understanding of the monetary and non-monetary implication to owners of commercial properties for a more informed and acceptable uptake of SuDs retrofit. Originality/value The proposed model will allow a more comprehensive understanding of the costs and associated benefits associated with SuDs retrofit, highlighting the flood risk mitigation benefits that might accrue over a period of time for commercial property.
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Felkner, J., B. Marshall, S. Richter, E. Mbata, S. Zigmund, and Z. Nagy. "Linking urban scenarios with energy simulations for dense urban planning under climate change." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2042, no. 1 (November 1, 2021): 012054. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2042/1/012054.
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Abstract This research aims at linking Urban Planning, Energy Simulations and Climate Change projections into the year 2100 for hot climates. The workflow of going back and forth between urban and city scale plans and individual neighborhood parcels to building scale, for the sake of simulating energy demand for a given city into the future is complex. It is prone to rely on many assumptions and simplifications in order to aid the simulations. In this work, we streamline the process with new computational tools, with the goal of communicating a more precise impact of building scale and neighborhood morphological scale design and retrofit strategies in order to meet energy reduction and carbon emission targets focusing on 2030, 2050 and 2100. Urban scenarios are developed using Envision Tomorrow. The building archetypes used therein are associated with energy demand profiles which we simulate using EnergyPlus for various climate change scenarios to improve the forecasting ability of Envision Tomorrow. Denser developments yield far lower neighborhood energy use.
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Baker, Brent, and Richard Miller. "Economic Evaluation of Bridge Seismic Retrofit Improvements." Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1732, no. 1 (January 2000): 80–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.3141/1732-10.
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Travel-related and damage-avoidance benefits and costs of conducting seismic retrofit improvements to arterial bridges are examined, with consideration of the risk posed by a relatively low probability but high damage earthquake (a design level event). The city of Seattle’s arterial bridges and viaduct structures serve as vital components of the urban road network, providing for the ongoing transportation needs of citizens and commerce. Failure of these bridges in the event of an earthquake would have significant negative impacts for the movement of people and goods, and thus on the local economy. Shoring up the city’s bridges to resist earthquake damage would clearly bring benefits, thereby preventing the impassable arterial bottlenecks that would otherwise occur. The question is whether or not the potential benefits of seismic retrofit improvements warrant their investment costs, thereby providing an economically efficient use of public dollars. For the purpose of addressing this question, a methodology for evaluating the potential benefits and costs associated with bridge seismic retrofit improvements is presented, quantifying these impacts for a two-phase retrofit program and considering the results in light of risk and uncertainty. The evaluation procedures developed consider a major earthquake with defined probability and compare the travel-related and damage-avoidance benefits that would be generated by retrofit improvements with their associated implementation costs. Emphasis is placed on travel impacts because researchers would find nontransportation economic impacts extremely difficult to quantify without knowing all of the other physical, built environment impacts that would occur with a major seismic event. Standard measures of economic feasibility are reported, and in the case of Seattle, seismic retrofit improvements demonstrate moderate positive economic rates of return. The implications posed by expected utility theory for risk-averse decision makers in such cases involving earthquake uncertainty are also discussed.
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Fontenelle, Marilia Ramalho, Leopoldo Eurico Gonçalves Bastos, and Sylvie Lorente. "Natural ventilation for office building retrofit in dense urban context under hot and humid climate." Ambiente Construído 21, no. 2 (April 2021): 67–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1678-86212021000200515.
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Abstract Recent studies underline that simple and non-invasive retrofit solutions can recover natural ventilation potential in existing buildings under temperate climate. Nonetheless, the efficiency of these solutions in dense urban contexts under hot and humid climate remains unclear. This paper aims to evaluate the thermal comfort gains caused by natural ventilation when retrofitting an office building in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and thermal simulations are carried out on Ansys CFX and Design builder to assess indoor air flow before and after retrofit. The diagnosis of the current scenario indicates that the surrounding buildings block a significant part of the wind flow, and occupants experience only a few hours of thermal comfort during the year, especially on lower floors. To increase indoor air flow, the fixed upper windows were transformed into pivot windows and kept open permanently. This measure increases the annual hours of thermal comfort by 0.5-35%, depending on the floor and the adaptive comfort model. These findings suggest that natural ventilation itself may not be sufficient to ensure occupants' comfort throughout the year under the investigated context.
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Adan, Hassan, and Franz Fuerst. "Modelling energy retrofit investments in the UK housing market." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment 4, no. 3 (November 16, 2015): 251–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sasbe-03-2013-0016.
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Purpose – Improving the energy efficiency of the existing residential building stock has been identified as a key policy aim in many countries. The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on investment decisions in domestic energy efficiency and presents a model that is both grounded in microeconomic theory and empirically tractable. Design/methodology/approach – This study develops a modified and extended version of an existing microeconomic model to embed the retrofit investment decision in a residential property market context, taking into account tenants’ willingness to pay and cost-reducing synergies. A simple empirical test of the link between energy efficiency measures and housing market dynamics is then conducted. Findings – The empirical data analysis for England indicates that where house prices are low, energy efficiency measures tend to increase the value of a house more in relative terms compared to higher-priced regions. Second, where housing markets are tight, landlords and sellers will be successful even without investing in energy efficiency measures. Third, where wages and incomes are low, the potential gains from energy savings make up a larger proportion of those incomes compared to more affluent regions. This, in turn, acts as a further incentive for an energy retrofit. Finally, the UK government has been operating a subsidy scheme which allows all households below a certain income threshold to have certain energy efficiency measures carried out for free. In regions, where a larger proportion of households are eligible for these subsidies,the authors also expect a larger uptake. Originality/value – While the financial metrics of retrofit measures are by now well understood, most of the existing studies tend to view these investments in isolation, not as part of a larger bundle of considerations by landlords and owners of how energy retrofits might influence a property’s rent, price and appreciation rate. In this paper, the authors argue that establishing this link is crucial for a better understanding of the retrofit investment decision.
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Bostenaru Dan, M. D. "Multi-criteria decision model for retrofitting existing buildings." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 4, no. 4 (August 18, 2004): 485–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-4-485-2004.
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Abstract. Decision is an element in the risk management process. In this paper the way how science can help in decision making and implementation for retrofitting buildings in earthquake prone urban areas is investigated. In such interventions actors from various spheres are involved. Their interests range among minimising the intervention for maximal preservation or increasing it for seismic safety. Research was conducted to see how to facilitate collaboration between these actors. A particular attention was given to the role of time in actors' preferences. For this reason, on decision level, both the processural and the personal dimension of risk management, the later seen as a task, were considered. A systematic approach was employed to determine the functional structure of a participative decision model. Three layers on which actors implied in this multi-criteria decision problem interact were identified: town, building and element. So-called 'retrofit elements' are characteristic bearers in the architectural survey, engineering simulations, costs estimation and define the realms perceived by the inhabitants. This way they represent an interaction basis for the interest groups considered in a deeper study. Such orientation means for actors' interaction were designed on other levels of intervention as well. Finally, an 'experiment' for the implementation of the decision model is presented: a strategic plan for an urban intervention towards reduction of earthquake hazard impact through retrofitting. A systematic approach proves thus to be a very good communication basis among the participants in the seismic risk management process. Nevertheless, it can only be applied in later phases (decision, implementation, control) only, since it serves verifying and improving solution and not developing the concept. The 'retrofit elements' are a typical example of the detailing degree reached in the retrofit design plans in these phases.
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Porteous, Colin D. A., and Rosalie Menon. "Towards Carbon-Neutral Housing in Scotland - New-Build and Retrofit." Open House International 33, no. 3 (September 1, 2008): 70–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ohi-03-2008-b0008.
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Taking its cue from the UK government's declaration that every new home should be ‘zero-carbon’ by 2016, this paper explores how close a flexible, prototype-housing model might come to meeting this target (accepting that there is currently some ambiguity between the respective official ‘zero-carbon’ definitions regarding off-site renewable supply). The prime aim is to design economically (affordable by housing associations) to the European ‘passive house’ standard of no more than 15 kWh/m2 for space heating and a maximum total consumption of 70 kWh/m2 adding in hot water and electricity. The model also prioritizes generous access to sunlight and daylight, as well as realistic levels of air change in a low-volume, intensively occupied scenario. Associated aims are: a) to meet thermal loads without use of fossil fuels such as gas or oil; and b) to employ architecturally integrated active solar thermal and electrical arrays to respectively meet at least one third of the water heating and electrical loads. Micro-wind generation is excluded from the study as too site-dependent. A subsidiary agenda is to achieve a flexible plan in terms of orientation and access, and to provide utility facilities that support the environmental strategy (e.g. drying clothes without compromising energy use or air quality). The paper goes on to address equivalent prospects for retrofit, briefly discusses institutional and other barriers to achievement, and muses on how much of the balance of the electrical demand can be met renewably in Scotland in the near future.
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Belpoliti, Vittorino, Reema A. AlMheiri, Zanira A. Ali, and Lujain T. AlAtiq. "Urban regeneration and building retrofit. A strategy towards instilling a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship." IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 1203, no. 2 (November 1, 2021): 022057. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1203/2/022057.
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Abstract The United Arab Emirates’ economy is transitioning to a knowledge-based economy by promoting innovation and research development. Supporting the UAE’s Vision at becoming among the best and most innovative nation in the world by 2071, the Government has developed frameworks that recognize the importance of innovation to an economy’s growth and development. This paper presents the results of a design research where the domain of architecture and engineering blend with economics and social studies to the serve the UAE’s vision, proposing urban solutions to launch the country in its ‘next 50’ years, with an eye for the preservation and revitalization of the exiting and valuable resources. The research project proposes a different geography of innovation and introduces urban regeneration strategies to stimulate innovative policies for the built environment of the entire UAE territory. With the intent of forming an intangible connection between the seven Emirates, the proposed intervention can be situated in every state. The study especially looks into the three neighboring Emirates or Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman, and finally select the latter to test the introduction of strategically designed spaces in degraded (and disconnected) locations to encourage the community to innovate while at the same time reusing/refurbishing the existing resources/buildings/facilities. The specific case study involves the design of an incubator facility in an obsolete villa community in Ajman, formerly hosting locals (therefore luxurious) that now have left for better locations and cannot manage to resell their properties due to the decadence of the neighbourhood. The incubator, a building articulated in the interstitial spaces in between the villas, would reactivate the district by attracting young and innovative entrepreneurs, who settle there for both working and living, exploiting the incubator complex as a parasite of the existing villas. If successful, the project will revive the district, provide it a new brand, and create a new financial stream to self-support its gradual regeneration.
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Stavrakakis, George M., Dimitris Al Katsaprakakis, and Markos Damasiotis. "Basic Principles, Most Common Computational Tools, and Capabilities for Building Energy and Urban Microclimate Simulations." Energies 14, no. 20 (October 15, 2021): 6707. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14206707.
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This paper presents basic principles of built-environment physics’ modelling, and it reviews common computational tools and capabilities in a scope of practical design approaches for retrofitting purposes. Well-established simulation models and methods, with applications found mainly in the international scientific literature, are described by means of strengths and weaknesses as regards related tools’ availability, easiness to use, and reliability towards the determination of the optimal blends of retrofit measures for building energy upgrading and Urban Heat Island (UHI) mitigation. The various characteristics of computational approaches are listed and collated by means of comparison among the principal modelling methods as well as among the respective computational tools that may be used for simulation and decision-making purposes. Insights of coupling between building energy and urban microclimate models are also presented. The main goal was to provide a comprehensive overview of available simulation methods that can be used at the early design stages for planning retrofitting strategies and guiding engineers and technical professionals through the simulation tools’ options oriented to the considered case study.
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Bu, Shanshan, Geoffrey Shen, Chimay J. Anumba, Andy K. D. Wong, and Xin Liang. "Literature review of green retrofit design for commercial buildings with BIM implication." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment 4, no. 2 (September 21, 2015): 188–214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sasbe-08-2014-0043.
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Purpose – This research paper is a literature review of the existing building retrofitting process. It proposes studying the functional, technical, and organizational issues of the green retrofit process. The purpose of this paper is to expand the domain of design framework for retrofitting existing buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a review of the model-based design process from enrollment to evaluation stages representing the green retrofitting process in selected publications. The paper opted to review the Green Retrofit Design (GRD) process model for achieving a systematic design model of GRD development in the future. Findings – Functional and maintenance issues are mainly for new buildings, also in the field for renovation and demolishing. Publications also show that environmental, social, and technical issues are often examined separately in the decision process of GRD. Papers in the facility management scale would concentrate more on organization/legal issues. Publications with questionnaire design are devoted to the usage on life-cycle assessment on existing building, but not yet on the stakeholder management and design process and related issues. Social implications – The achievement of the study is to provide a new framework of design approach that is significant to the theoretical research, education, communication, and practical works in terms of GRD development. Originality/value – The paper not only achieves a specific sequence of practical approaches, including awareness of problems, conceptual development, and design embodiment, to meet design objectives, but also conforms to academic practice-based research of creative design taking on GRD practice.
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Muñoz Hidalgo, Marcelo Esteban. "Construction of regional building typologies with a material catalog." Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 27, no. 6 (September 12, 2016): 663–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/meq-05-2015-0096.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new building typology for: the estimation of heat demand of urban agglomerations; and the assessment of the environmental impact linked to urban re-development policies. Design/methodology/approach In order to: capture regional differences of urban areas; and describe individual building components of neighbourhoods, the author proposes the construction of a new building typology based upon a regional material catalog (Klauß et al. 2009a). Findings The main findings of this analysis are primarily on method. The author presents a method to estimate the building shell from available information on the digital cadastre and the first attempt to link material databases with a ranking algorithm. The analysis application presented in this paper shows that the embodied energy on insulation materials and the corresponding energetic payback time depends on the “real” building shell, making it important to accurately compute this value. Practical implications Results from this analysis present an heat demand urban model able to capture: regional differences, thanks to the use of the regional material catalog, local characteristics of the building stock, thanks to the detailed information of the digital cadastre, and ability to link building stock models with rich Live Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases for the explicit consideration of the embodied energy of retrofit measures. Further applications of the developed method could be used to assess new urban development plans of the city as well as financial incentives packages for building retrofits. Originality/value This analysis shows the first step towards the development of a new building typology constructed upon a regional material catalog. This innovation allows taking regional differences into account. Because the author uses a detailed catalog of building components, an accounting of embodied energy by linking data of a LCI database is possible. In this paper the author presents an application of the enriched data set, the presented example shows the needed embodied energy by adding an extra layer to the predefined building components of selected buildings of the digital cadastre.
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O'Donnell, Emily, Colin Thorne, Sangaralingam Ahilan, Scott Arthur, Stephen Birkinshaw, David Butler, David Dawson, et al. "The blue-green path to urban flood resilience." Blue-Green Systems 2, no. 1 (December 2, 2019): 28–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2019.199.
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Abstract Achieving urban flood resilience at local, regional and national levels requires a transformative change in planning, design and implementation of urban water systems. Flood risk, wastewater and stormwater management should be re-envisaged and transformed to: ensure satisfactory service delivery under flood, normal and drought conditions, and enhance and extend the useful lives of ageing grey assets by supplementing them with multi-functional Blue-Green infrastructure. The aim of the multidisciplinary Urban Flood Resilience (UFR) research project, which launched in 2016 and comprises academics from nine UK institutions, is to investigate how transformative change may be possible through a whole systems approach. UFR research outputs to date are summarised under three themes. Theme 1 investigates how Blue-Green and Grey (BG + G) systems can be co-optimised to offer maximum flood risk reduction, continuous service delivery and multiple co-benefits. Theme 2 investigates the resource capacity of urban stormwater and evaluates the potential for interoperability. Theme 3 focuses on the interfaces between planners, developers, engineers and beneficiary communities and investigates citizens’ interactions with BG + G infrastructure. Focussing on retrofit and new build case studies, UFR research demonstrates how urban flood resilience may be achieved through changes in planning practice and policy to enable widespread uptake of BG + G infrastructure.
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Shen, Chen, Haishan Xia, Xin Fu, Xinhao Wang, and Weiping Wang. "Developing Green Infrastructure Strategies Based on the Analysis of Sewer System Critical Components." Water 13, no. 19 (September 28, 2021): 2694. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13192694.
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Flooding has presented a significant risk for urban areas around the world. Road inundation is one of the severe consequences leading to traffic issues and congestion. Green infrastructure (GI) offers further potential for stormwater management as an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution. However, sewer system behaviour has been overlooked in GI implementation. This study investigates sewer performance by measuring topological connectivity and hydraulic characteristics, and critical components are identified under different design storms. Three retrofit scenarios, including enlarged pipes (grey infrastructure, Grey I), rain gardens (GI), and the combination of enlarged pipes and increased rain gardens (GI + Grey I), are proposed according to the distribution of critical components. The results show that it is feasible to locate the vulnerable parts of the sewer system and GI site allocations based on the critical components that significantly impact the performance of the entire system. While all three scenarios can mitigate inundation, GI and GI + Grey I perform better than pipe enlargement, especially for runoff reduction during long-duration rainfall. Furthermore, the sewer behaviour and retrofit effect are dynamic under different rainfall patterns, leading to diverse combined effects. The discoveries reveal that the adaptation measures should combine with sewer behaviour and local rainfall characteristics to enhance stormwater management.
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Martínez-Castrejón, Mariana, Enrique J. Flores-Munguía, Oscar Talavera-Mendoza, América L. Rodríguez-Herrera, Omar Solorza-Feria, Osbelia Alcaraz-Morales, Jazmin A. López-Díaz, and Giovanni Hernández-Flores. "Water Efficiency Households Retrofit Proposal Based on Rainwater Quality in Acapulco, Mexico." Water 14, no. 18 (September 19, 2022): 2927. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w14182927.
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Climate change, urbanization, and population growth, particularly in urban areas such as Acapulco, Mexico, put pressure on water availability, where although surrounded by water, the inhabitants lack enough good-quality water, especially in the rainy season. In addition, water scarcity, socioeconomic factors, and infrastructure problems limit the satisfaction of water demand in this context, e.g., operational issues in the water treatment plants and problems in the distribution network caused by hurricanes. The objectives of this research were: (i) to determine the rainwater quality in Acapulco, Mexico; (ii) to propose a domestic water efficiency retrofit (WER) design implementing a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS); and (iii) to determine the RWHS efficiency in terms of economic savings, considering rainwater’s social acceptance for domestic consumptive uses. The WER design was developed in an SFH in Acapulco, Mexico. The RWHS catchment surface area was 29 m2. The device comprises a first-rain separator (20 L) and a storage tank (1200 L). The rainwater harvesting potential (RWHP) was evaluated during the 2020 and 2021 rainy seasons, whereas the harvested rainwater quality (HRWQ) was analyzed in samples from 2021. Alkalinity, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, chlorides, nitrates, sulfates, and heavy metals and potentially toxic metalloids were analyzed. Additionally, 168 surveys were applied to SFH owners to evaluate WER acceptance. Results showed that the RWHP was ca. 44 and 21 L/m2 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. All the rainwater quality parameters met the World Health Organization guidelines for consumptive uses except for drinking water. The perception study showed a 95% willingness to adopt the WER. Due to the RWHP and the HRWQ, the WER of SFHs is a promising solution to address Acapulco hydric stress under the nature-based solutions approach.
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Wilkinson, Sara, Jessica Lamond, David G. Proverbs, Lucy Sharman, Allison Heller, and Jo Manion. "Technical considerations in green roof retrofit for stormwater attenuation in the Central Business District." Structural Survey 33, no. 1 (April 13, 2015): 36–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ss-07-2014-0031.
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Purpose – The key aspects that built environment professionals need to consider when evaluating roofs for the purpose of green roof retrofit and also when assessing green roofs for technical due diligence purposes are outlined. Although green or sod roofs have been built over many centuries, contemporary roofs adopt new approaches and technologies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods design based on a systematic review of relevant literature from parallel disciplines was used to identify and quantify the social, economic and environmental benefits of retrofitted green roofs in commercial districts. The technical issues of concern were drawn from a desk-top survey of literature and from stakeholder focus groups undertaken in Sydney in 2012. Findings – There are perceptions amongst built environmental practitioners that may act as artificial barriers to uptake. There is little direct experience within built environment professionals and practitioners, along with a fear of the unknown and a risk averse attitude towards perceived innovation which predicates against green roof retrofit. Furthermore projects with green roofs at inception and early design stage are often “value engineered” out of the design as time progresses. There is a need for best practice guidance notes for practitioners to follow when appraising roofs for retrofit and also for technical due diligence purposes. Research limitations/implications – The focus groups are limited to Sydney-based practitioners. Although many of these practitioners have international experience, few had experience of green roofs. A limited number of roof typologies were considered in this research and some regions and countries may adopt different construction practices. Practical implications – In central business districts the installation of green roof technology is seen as one of the main contributors to water sensitive urban design (WSUD). It is likely that more green roofs will be constructed over time and practitioners need knowledge of the technology as well as the ability to provide best advice to clients. Originality/value – The benefits of green roofs as part of WSUD are increasingly being recognised in terms of reduced flood risk, reduced cost of drainage, improved water quality and lower energy use, as well as other less tangible aspects such as aesthetics and amenity. This research highlights the lack of understanding of the short- and long-term benefits, a poor appreciation and awareness of these benefits; a lack of technical knowledge and issues to be considered with regard to green roofs on behalf of practitioners. The study has highlighted the need for specific training and up-skilling in these areas to provide surveyors with the technical expertise needed. There is also a need to consider how the emerging retrofit and adaptation themes are best designed into the curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Clearly, if the potential benefits of green roofs are to be realised in the future, building professionals need to be fully conversant with the technology and be able to provide reliable and accurate advice.
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Li, Xiaoning, Chuanhai Wang, Gang Chen, Qiang Wang, Zunle Hu, Jinning Wu, Shan Wang, and Xing Fang. "Evaluating Efficiency Improvement of Deep-Cut Curb Inlets for Road-Bioretention Stripes." Water 12, no. 12 (November 30, 2020): 3368. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12123368.
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Making a deep cut on the curb inlet has been used in some sponge-city (SPC) projects for road-bioretention stripes to manage stormwater runoff since they were easily implemented in the field. The efficiencies of the deep-cut curb inlets in those projects were unknown for lacking equation to evaluate their efficiencies. Two kinds of retrofit scenarios are commonly used: (1) The curb-cut cases when the deep cut is made only over the width of the curb inlet; (2) the road-curb cut cases when both the curb inlet and a small part of the road surface have a deep cut. An updated two-dimensional flow simulation program, FullSWOF-ZG, was used to determine two important parameters in road curb inlet design: The 100% interception curb inlet lengths (LT) and the curb inlet efficiencies (Eci). Eight-hundred retrofit modeling cases were compared with the no-cut cases to quantify the efficiency improvement of the deep-cut curb inlets. The simulation results show both LT and Eci of the curb-cut cases do not improve much. This case study with limited combinations of longitudinal and cross slopes and inlet lengths demonstrated that Eci of the road-curb cut cases improves to a large extent so that they can be used in the SPC projects and other urban drainage projects to reduce the flooding potentials. A general equation used to design and evaluate the road-curb cut inlets can be developed based on more simulation cases with a wide range of input parameters in a future study.
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Zhao, Zheng, and Yali Wen. "Choice-experiment-method-based research into the future improvement of Beijing’s urban forest." Forestry Economics Review 1, no. 1 (April 15, 2019): 71–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/fer-03-2019-0002.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure the influence factors of their preferences for urban forest, marginal values of various properties and relative values of different scheme portfolios, thus arriving indirectly at the city residents’ demand for urban forest improvement. Design/methodology/approach This paper, based on the data from the 2015–2017 field survey questionnaire of city residents over the radius of Beijing’s 5th Ring Road, uses the choice experiment method (CEM) to conduct a study of its residents’ demand for urban forest. Findings Beijing’s city residents are generally inclined to accept a relatively low payment of urban forest while hoping to access a relatively high urban afforestation coverage with the construction of relatively many city parks, especially focusing on the specialized park management; the marginal values of biodiversity and greenery coverage are far higher than those of greenbelts in quantity and the maximum marginal value of biodiversity remains as high as RMB29.42, indicating that the city residents do not favor much the number of greenbelts over other aspects but they generally hope to achieve a higher greenery coverage and a richer biodiversity. Research limitations/implications Generally speaking, what Beijing City needs most is not continuing the increase in the number of greenbelts, but engaging in the rational retrofit of its existing greenbelts and optimizing its urban forest structure. Originality/value This paper may provide reference for determining the city residents’ payment criteria for urban forest and will be of equally great significance to developing cities and their urban forest.
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Pedersen Zari, Maibritt, and Katharina Hecht. "Biomimicry for Regenerative Built Environments: Mapping Design Strategies for Producing Ecosystem Services." Biomimetics 5, no. 2 (May 12, 2020): 18. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics5020018.
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Built environment professionals must solve urgent and complex problems related to mitigating and adapting to climate change and biodiversity loss. Cities require redesign and retrofit so they can become complex systems that create rather than diminish ecological and societal health. One way to do this is to strategically design buildings and cities to generate and provide ecosystem services. This is an aspect of biomimicry, where whole ecosystems and their functions are emulated, in order to positively shift the ecological performance of buildings and urban settings. A small number of methodologies and frameworks for ecosystem services design have been proposed, but their use is not wide spread. A key barrier is the lack of translational work between ecology concepts and practical examples of ecosystem services design for a built environment context. In response, this paper presents research underpinning the creation of a qualitative relational diagram in an online interactive format that relates ecosystem services concepts to design strategies, concepts, technologies, and case studies in a format for use by built environment professionals. The paper concludes that buildings and whole cities should be expected to become active contributors to socio-ecological systems because, as the diagram shows, many strategies and technologies to enable this already exist.
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Ferrante, Annarita, Anastasia Fotopoulou, and Cecilia Mazzoli. "Sustainable Urban Regeneration through Densification Strategies: The Kallithea District in Athens as a Pilot Case Study." Sustainability 12, no. 22 (November 13, 2020): 9462. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12229462.
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The current main issue in the construction sector in Europe concerns the energy refurbishment and the reactivation of investments in existing buildings. Guidance for enhancing energy efficiency and encouraging member states to create a market for deep renovation is provided by a number of European policies. Innovative methods and strategies are required to attract and involve citizens and main stakeholders to undertake buildings’ renovation processes, which actually account for just 1% of the total building stock. This contribution proposes technical and financial solutions for the promotion of energy efficient, safe, and attractive retrofit interventions based on the creation of volumetric additions combined with renewable energy sources. This paper focuses on the urban reality of Athens as being an important example of a degraded urban center with a heavy heat island, a quite important heating demand, and a strong seismic vulnerability. The design solutions presented here demonstrate that the strategy of additions, because of the consequent increased value of the buildings, could represent an effective densification policy for the renovation of existing urban settings. Hence, the aim is to trigger regulatory and market reforms with the aim to boost the revolution towards nearly zero energy buildings for the existing building stocks.
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Tian, Yuan, Jingyi Ren, Zhen Xu, and Mingzhu Qi. "A Cost–Benefit Analysis Framework for City-Scale Seismic Retrofitting Scheme of Buildings." Buildings 13, no. 2 (February 10, 2023): 477. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020477.
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To improve urban seismic resilience, a reasonable seismic retrofitting scheme for buildings is required. Urban cities contain a large number of buildings, making it challenging to precisely assess the seismic retrofitting benefits of each one. This paper proposes a cost–benefit assessment framework that takes into account seismic risk, seismic damage, retrofit costs, economic losses, and cost–benefit analyses for the city-scale seismic retrofitting of buildings. The proposed framework adopts readily available building parameters, including the number of stories, construction year, total height, structural type, floor area, and response spectrum for structural design. It makes use of empirical seismic retrofitting models and a newly developed story-level seismic loss assessment method combining the physical mechanism and empirical loss ratios. For city-scale cost–benefit analysis, the framework can strike a good balance between data accessibility, computational workload, level of result details, and result accuracy. It can adapt nimbly to earthquake-induced indirect losses and budgetary constraints on retrofitting. The analysis of 98,618 buildings in Xi’an city, China, is carried out. The findings indicate that, when potential indirect economic loss ratios of buildings are neglected, the retrofitting benefits of unreinforced masonry and old buildings are the most significant.
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Romis, F., S. Caprili, W. Salvatore, T. M. Ferreira, and P. B. Lourenço. "SEISMIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF HISTORICAL URBAN CENTRES: THE CASE STUDY OF CAMPI ALTO DI NORCIA, ITALY." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLIV-M-1-2020 (July 24, 2020): 885–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xliv-m-1-2020-885-2020.
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Abstract. Seismic damage assessment is a valuable opportunity to evaluate the accuracy of vulnerability and risk methodologies applied to historic masonry buildings, giving the possibility of enhancing and optimizing mitigation and retrofit strategies. Vulnerability index methodologies are flexible and powerful tools for the seismic assessment at urban scale, able to provide a first screening of the critical issues present in masonry structural aggregates. The different structural features of the buildings, directly and indirectly influencing their structural behaviour, are measured through different weights and scores finally achieving a vulnerability indicator. In the present paper, four different vulnerability index methodologies are applied to the medieval city of Campi Alto di Norcia in Valnerina, Umbria, recently stroke by the 2016 Central Italy earthquakes. The accuracy of the adopted Iv methods is assessed based on the real damages’ analysis performed in the surrounding area, comparing results achieved from the application of considered methodologies to direct in-situ observations. Data collected during the 2016 post-earthquake damage surveys and usability assessment, together with the external visual inspections carried out and with the information coming from retrofitting design interventions performed between 1979 and 1997, are used.
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Mahzouni, Arian. "The institutional challenges of scaling-up housing retrofit: the Swiss cities of Basel and Sion." Facilities 37, no. 11/12 (August 5, 2019): 780–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/f-02-2017-0025.
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Purpose This paper aims to discuss the nexus between two societal (sub) systems of housing and energy supply to shed new light on the key institutional barriers to socio-technical energy transition in the built environment. The key research question is to explore if and how key patterns of institutional elements associated with energy retrofit and energy supply are combined, co-evolved and played out in the housing system, leading to an alternative energy transition pathway in the built environment. Design/methodology/approach A comparative case study of residential buildings in the Swiss cities of Basel and Sion is conducted to map retrofitting policies and practices in a wide range of buildings (e.g. multi-family and single family) that each requires a particular constellation of institutions, actors and artefacts. Findings The key finding is that the regulative institutions support energy transition in each urban form/housing type. However, the co-evolution with normative and cultural-cognitive institutions does not play out very clearly in the housing system. One reason is that the norms and cultures are deeply rooted in the practices exercised by business community and households and therefore they need a longer time frame to adapt to a new regulation. Research limitations/implications The policies and actions to increase the rate of housing retrofit are discussed in the specific socio-political context of Switzerland. Therefore, the results of this study might not be applied in other contexts with different conditions, limiting the possibility for analytical generalization. The case study can generate only context-specific knowledge, which might be valuable only to cities with similar conditions. This paper addresses theoretical, methodological and policy challenges in scaling-up retrofit projects by taking a holistic and integrated approach to the systems of housing and energy supply. Practical implications It would have been necessary to find out how the introduction and enforcement of new energy policies and regulations (regulative institutions) have changed the norms and building practices (normative institutions) used by actors from housing industry and the attitudes and energy consumption behaviour of the households (cultural-cognitive institutions). Nevertheless, information about normative and cultural-cognitive institutions require more primary data in the form of interviews with organizations and households, respectively, which goes beyond the scope and resources of this study. Originality/value Insights from different strands of literature (institutions and sustainability transition) are combined to understand if and how retrofitting practices go along with other elements of urban sustainability including architectural, technical, socio-cultural and economic factors.
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Balsas, Carlos J. L. "The right to walk in cities, a comparative review of Macau, Lisbon and Las Vegas." International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 9, no. 2 (July 10, 2017): 123–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijlbe-03-2017-0012.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze walking activity and recent efforts at augmenting walkability conditions in the cities of Macau, Lisbon and Las Vegas. Design/methodology/approach The methodology consisted mostly of in-loco observations, pedestrian counts and extensive reviews of the literature, city plans and regulations. Findings The findings include the need to properly design, maintain and retrofit pedestrian facilities, while reducing safety conflicts among street users as well as the establishment and the nurturing of a culture of walking. Research limitations/implications A fivefold international walkability research agenda with implications for other cities around the world is established: the value and the need for comparative studies and best practices; the need for urban design interventions; the cultivation of attractiveness and aesthetics; the implementation of safety, construction and maintenance criteria; and responsible funding programs. Practical implications This paper has twofold implications for stakeholders with direct responsibilities in the design, planning, building and maintenance of streets and public spaces, and for those who simply use those places at their own discretion. Social implications A succinct set of recommendations include the need to augment endogeneity, the need to make cities for people and not for automobiles and commitment to resolving pedestrian safety concerns. Originality/value This paper discusses the factors affecting street vibrancy from both a stakeholder’s and a user’s perspective. The fundamental and inalienable right to walk is analyzed using the WPPFUS framework (walking levels, purposes, primacy of walking, facilities, unique features and safety concerns).
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Rahmouni, Sofiane, and Rachid Smail. "A design approach towards sustainable buildings in Algeria." Smart and Sustainable Built Environment 9, no. 3 (August 26, 2019): 229–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sasbe-04-2019-0057.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to achieve the national strategic agenda’s criteria that aim for accomplishing sustainable buildings by estimating the effects of energy efficiency measures in order to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission. Design/methodology/approach A design approach has been developed based on simulation software and a modeled building. Therefore, a typical office building is considered for testing five efficiency measures in three climatic conditions in Algeria. This approach is conducted in two phases: first, the analysis of each measure’s effect is independently carried out in terms of cooling energy and heating energy intensities. Then, a combination of optimal measures for each climate zone is measured in terms of three sustainable indicators: final energy consumption, energy cost saving and CO2 emission. Findings The results reveal that a combination of optimal measures has a substantial impact on building energy saving and CO2 emission. This saving can rise to 41 and 31 percent in a hot and cold climate, respectively. Furthermore, it is concluded that obtaining higher building performance, different design alternatives should be adapted to the climate proprieties and the local construction materials must be applied. Originality/value This study is considered as an opportunity for achieving the national strategy, as it may contribute in improving office building performance and demonstrating a suitable tool to assist stakeholders in the decision making of most important parameters in the design stage for new or retrofit buildings.
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Johnsen, Joshua, Timothy Runnels, Johnathan Burgess, Muwanika Jdiobe, and Kurt Rouser. "Integration and Flight Test of a 7 kW Turboelectric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aircraft." Applied Sciences 12, no. 16 (August 9, 2022): 7961. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app12167961.
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This paper evaluates the performance and practical challenges associated with fabricating and flight testing an unmanned aircraft powered by a turboelectric system based on a 7 kW turbine engine. Emerging hybrid gas-electric aircraft concepts have been the subject of numerous design studies and analytical evaluations; however, there is a critical need to identify and assess practical issues associated with integrating a hybrid turboelectric power system into an aircraft. The purpose of this study, relevant to emerging hybrid-powered aircraft, is to evaluate and retrofit a prototype turboelectric power system to an existing 391 N gross take-off weight unmanned airframe. The representative 7 kW turboelectric system was installed to identify challenges and to formulate data-driven recommendations for general application to urban air mobility. This work addresses performance, power and thermal management, vibration, and acoustic emissions. Results include a weight breakdown with the turboelectric system making up 21% of the total aircraft weight, in-flight voltage and current measurements with maximum loads observed during a dive pull-out, temperature measurements, accelerometer measurements, and far field sound pressure level measurements. Practical recommendations from this study are applicable to power system reliability, electronic component selection, cooling requirements, and peak power behavior, informing the design of future hybrid gas–electric aircraft.
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Kamel, Ehsan. "A Systematic Literature Review of Physics-Based Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) Tools, Data Sources, and Challenges for Energy Conservation." Energies 15, no. 22 (November 18, 2022): 8649. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en15228649.
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Urban building energy modeling (UBEM) is a practical approach in large-scale building energy modeling for stakeholders in the energy industry to predict energy use in the building sector under different design and retrofit scenarios. UBEM is a relatively new large-scale building energy modeling (BEM) approach which raises different challenges and requires more in-depth study to facilitate its application. This paper performs a systematic literature review on physics-based modeling techniques, focusing on assessing energy conservation measures. Different UBEM case studies are examined based on the number and type of buildings, building systems, occupancy schedule modeling, archetype development, weather data type, and model calibration methods. Outcomes show that the existing tools and techniques can successfully simulate and assess different energy conservation measures for a large number of buildings. It is also concluded that standard UBEM data acquisition and model development, high-resolution energy use data for calibration, and open-access data, especially in heating and cooling systems and occupancy schedules, are among the biggest challenges in UBEM adoption. UBEM research studies focused on developing auto-calibration routines, adding feedback loops for real-time updates, future climate data, and sensitivity analysis on the most impactful modeling inputs should be prioritized for future research.
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Downton, Paul, David Jones, Josh Zeunert, and Phillip Roös. "Biophilic Design Applications: Putting Theory and Patterns into Built Environment Practice." KnE Engineering 2, no. 2 (February 9, 2017): 59. http://dx.doi.org/10.18502/keg.v2i2.596.
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<p>In 1984 E.O. Wilson (1984) introduced and popularized the <em>Biophilia</em> hypothesis defining <em>biophilia</em> as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life" (Kellert & Wilson 1995: 416).<sup> </sup>Wilson’s <em>biophilia</em> hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctivebond between human beings and other living systems. More recently, in the USA, Browning <em>et al</em> (2014) have proposed ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’ within a framework for linking the human biological sciences and nature to built environment design offering a series of tools for enriching design opportunities, and avenues for design applications as a way to effectively enhance the health and well-being of individuals and society. While <em>biophilia</em> is the theory, <em>biophilic design</em> as advocated by Kellert <em>et al</em> (2008) and Beatley (2010) internationally offers a sustainable design strategy that seeks to reconnect people with the ‘natural environment’. Overall, from what little research has been undertaken internationally in the last 10 years, there is a solid understanding as to the applied application of this theory, its principles and processes to built environment design and no research about to how to retrofit the existing urban fabric using this approach. This paper reviews the application of <em>biophilic design</em> in Australia, including the scope of design, health and wellbeing literature, the ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’ and performative measures now unfolding, brings forward a new <em>Biophilic Design</em> Pattern, and considers the value the approach offers to built environment practice as well as to human and non-human occupants.</p>
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Bertoncini, Martina, Adele Boggio, Federico Dell'Anna, Cristina Becchio, and Marta Bottero. "An application of the PROMETHEE II method for the comparison of energy requalification strategies to design Post-Carbon Cities." AIMS Energy 10, no. 4 (2022): 553–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.3934/energy.2022028.
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<abstract> <p>A resilient, diversified, and efficient energy system, comprising multiple energy carriers and high-efficiency infrastructure, is the way to decarbonise the European economy in line with the Paris Agreement, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the various recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic period. To achieve these goals, a key role is played by the private construction sector, which can reduce economic and environmental impacts and accelerate the green transition. Nevertheless, while traditionally decision-making problems in large urban transformations were supported by economic assessment based on Life Cycle Thinking and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) approaches, these are now obsolete. Indeed, the sustainable neighbourhood paradigm requires the assessment of different aspects, considering both economic and extra-economic criteria, as well as different points of view, involving all stakeholders. In this context, the paper proposes a multi-stage assessment procedure that first investigates the energy performance, through a dynamic simulation model, and then the socio-economic performance of regeneration operations at the neighbourhood scale, through a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The model based on the proposed Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluations II (PROMETHEE II) aims to support local decision makers (DMs) in choosing which retrofit operations to implement and finance. The methodology was applied to a real-world case study in Turin (Italy), where various sustainable measures were ranked using multiple criteria to determine the best transformation scenario.</p> </abstract>
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Alegre, N., P. Jeffrey, B. McIntosh, J. S. Thomas, I. Hardwick, and S. Riley. "Strategic options for sustainable water management at new developments: the application of a simulation model to explore potential water savings." Water Science and Technology 50, no. 2 (July 1, 2004): 9–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2004.0076.
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Research on appropriate technologies and infrastructures to support water reuse has progressed rapidly over recent decades and there are now a wide range of source - treatment - reuse options for planners to choose from. Although the economics of water reuse schemes favours application to new developments rather than retrofit projects, there are few studies which have sought to address strategic option selection issues for large developments. The potential advantages of using treatment and reuse systems in new developments require an understanding of the relationships between a wide variety of social, environmental, technological, and operational factors. The operational effectiveness and economic efficiency of specific technology choices will vary as a function of network configuration, wastewater characteristics, how different technologies respond to dynamic loading (variability of feed strength and flow) and potential spiking, as well as equipment reliability, climate and household behaviour. Using a commercially available software package, the study reports the design and implementation of a low resolution simulation tool to explore sustainable water management options for a live case study site in the south of England (a peri-urban development of 4,500 new homes) with particular reference to opportunities for rainwater harvesting, and water reuse.
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Lei, Xiaoming, Limin Sun, Ye Xia, and Tiantao He. "Vibration-Based Seismic Damage States Evaluation for Regional Concrete Beam Bridges Using Random Forest Method." Sustainability 12, no. 12 (June 23, 2020): 5106. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12125106.
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Transportation networks play an important role in urban areas, and bridges are the most vulnerable structures to earthquakes. The seismic damage evaluation of bridges provides an effective tool to assess the potential damage, and guides the post-earthquake recovery operations. With the help of structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques, the structural condition could be accurately evaluated through continuous monitoring of structural responses, and evaluating vibration-based features, which could reflect the deterioration of materials and boundary conditions, and are extensively used to reflect the structural conditions. This study proposes a vibration-based seismic damage state evaluation method for regional bridges. The proposed method contains the measured structural dynamic parameters and bridge configuration parameters. In addition, several intensity measures are also included in the model, to represent the different characteristics and the regional diversity of ground motions. The prediction models are trained with a random forest algorithm, and their confusion matrices and receiver operation curves reveal a good prediction performance, with over 90% accuracy. The significant parameter identification of bridge systems and components reveals the critical parameters for seismic design, disaster prevention and structure retrofit.
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Alvarado, Rodrigo Garcia, Jaime Soto, Cristian Muñoz, Ariel Bobadilla, Rodrigo Herrera, and Waldo Bustamante. "Analysis of Energy-Efficiency Improvements in Single-Family Dwellings in Concepcion, Chile." Open House International 39, no. 2 (June 1, 2014): 57–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ohi-02-2014-b0008.
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The current depletion of fossil fuels and environmental degradation are requiring greater energy efficiency in buildings, particularly in the residential sector. However, environmental improvement actions for dwellings are usually based on general considerations, without identifying the most appropriate measurements to be taken in each case, or reviewing their application with stakeholders. This article puts forward a strategy to propose effective and feasible modifications in the design or refurbishment of single-family homes to reduce energy use while maintaining indoor comfort. The improvements proposed are based on dynamic energy simulations of individual models adapted to local realities that can be carried out by regular professionals. The process includes the review of studies and information on the geographic area, and compilation of the constructive features and occupancy data of each house to create a proper energy behaviour model. Possible improvements to the building are then simulated separately in each model and the results recorded. Subsequently, a budgetary analysis of these alternatives according to construction costs and financial projections is carried out in order to identify retrofit packages and consult the opinions of residents and builders. The application of this strategy is demonstrated in the study of several houses in Concepción, Chile, where different sets of measures have been identified to achieve high reductions in energy demand while having low cost and being highly appreciated by the participants. This provides a methodology for developing and validating effective solutions for the environmental improvement of existing dwellings and new housing projects.
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Solarov, Radivoj, and Milan Glisic. "Glulam beams reinforced with FRP strips and their application in architecture." Spatium, no. 32 (2014): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/spat1432001s.
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This paper emphasizes the advantage of using carbon polymers while producing and strengthening glulam beams. Due to advanced research carried out in this field, the first application of carbon polymers based products was implemented in Western countries. Structural elements containing carbon polymers, or being reinforced by them, show higher resistance and durability properties, as well as the ability to be produced in various shapes. These features can find best application in architecture so the architects? imagination in design could be realized. Many attractive buildings were constructed over the last decade, each of them showing exceptional safety, resistance to atmospheric influences, durability and cost-efficiency. Beside application of carbon polymers in the construction of new buildings, they are even more important in the field of historic heritage restoration. The original research carried out on ten samples in the laboratory is presented in the second part of the paper. Position of the reinforcement on the samples was chosen as it would be done in practical retrofit cases. Deformations of the samples exposed to pure bending were measured, so their behaviour in the elastic range could be analysed based on the results. Measured results were compared to those calculated by using FEM model, developed with software package AxisVM. Based on performed analysis, the conclusion was made that by strengthening timber glulam beams with FRP strips, the simple and efficient static load bearing capacity upgrade is gained.
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Jones, Jeff. "Challenges in applying AS 2885 to aging oil and gas pipelines." APPEA Journal 56, no. 1 (2016): 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj15011.
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Oil and gas transmission pipelines in Australia are licensed under state-based pipeline acts and regulations, or a safety case regime for offshore pipelines. Both approaches deal with requirements for the design, construction and operation of a pipeline. A core requirement of a licensee’s pipeline management system—as required by AS 2885.3 (Operation and Maintenance)— is to maintain a live view of the failure threats to a pipeline. AS 2885 also requires licensees to undertake a regular review of the pipeline safety management study (SMS), to examine the effectiveness of existing threat controls, and to ensure existing and any new threats to the pipeline are being managed to ALARP using the prescribed risk assessment process and societal risk appetite defined in AS 2885.1. The SMS review is complemented with a similar periodic review of the location class of the pipeline route, often challenged by ever-changing urban development and encroachment. The location class determines design requirements for pipeline wall thickness, external interference protection measures, depth of cover, fracture control, isolation valve spacing and field signage, and is often difficult to comply with or retrofit to existing operational pipelines. Retrospective requirements also require assessment of highconsequence areas for no-rupture and maximum energy discharge rates. This paper explores the application of the SMS process and the challenges faced by licensees of ageing existing onshore pipelines in complying with AS 2885, and illustrates an array of pragmatic lessons, and the approach taken by the author—in the SMS facilitator role—in assisting licensees to undertake SMS and location class reviews.
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Preston, Sam, Muhammad Usman Mazhar, and Richard Bull. "Citizen Engagement for Co-Creating Low Carbon Smart Cities: Practical Lessons from Nottingham City Council in the UK." Energies 13, no. 24 (December 15, 2020): 6615. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en13246615.
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Cities constitute three quarters of global energy consumption and the built environment is responsible for significant use of final energy (62%) and greenhouse gas emissions (55%). Energy has now become a strategic issue for local authorities (LAs) and can offer savings when budget cuts have threatened the provision of core services. Progressive LAs are exploring energy savings and carbon reduction opportunities as part of the sustainable and smart city agenda. This paper explores the role of citizens in smart city development as “buildings don’t use energy: people do”. Citizens have the potential to shape transitions towards smart and sustainable futures. This paper contributes to the growing evidence base of citizen engagement in low carbon smart cities by presenting novel insights and practical lessons on how citizen engagement can help in smart city development through co-creation with a focus on energy in the built environment. A case study of Nottingham in the UK, a leading smart city, is analysed using Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation. Nottingham City Council (NCC) has pledged to keep “citizens at the heart” of its plans. This paper discusses learnings from two EU funded Horizon 2020 projects, REMOURBAN (REgeneration MOdel for accelerating the smart URBAN transformation) and eTEACHER, both of which aimed to empower citizens to reduce energy consumption and co-create smart solutions. Although these two projects are diverse in approaches and contexts, what unites them is a focus on citizen engagement, both face to face and digital. REMOURBAN has seen a “whole house” approach to retrofit in vulnerable communities to improve liveability through energy efficiency. User interaction and co-creation in eTEACHER has provided specifications for technical design of an energy saving App for buildings. eTEACHER findings reflect users’ energy needs, understanding of control interfaces, motivations for change and own creative ideas. Citizens were made co-creators in eTEACHER from the beginning through regular communication. In REMOURBAN, citizens had a role in the procurement and bidding process to influence retrofit project proposals. Findings can help LAs to engage demographically diverse citizens across a variety of buildings and communities for low carbon smart city development.
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Nezamdoost, Amir, and Majedeh Modarres Nezhad. "Vitamin V: Evaluating the benefits of view quality in hospital patient rooms using a large-scale human factors study." Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 41, no. 2 (November 21, 2019): 153–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0143624419889548.
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Research has shown that spending too much time indoors and disengagement from outdoor environmental stimuli may have detrimental health effects. These negative effects are even more serious in hospitals, where patients are highly stressed and have to spend most of their time indoors. Studies show that, in these situations, patients prefer to have a window with a desirable view. Although the desire for having a room with a view among hospital patients is well established, not all views are equally desirable. The parameters which make a view “desirable” are not well understood. This paper presents results of a large-scale human factors research study using patients’ qualitative assessments on thousands of “view” photos ( n = 2000), in order to provide a reliable foundation for developing a robust rating system to accurately quantify the desirability quality of views in healthcare settings. The results show that “distant” and “nature-dominant” views were, by far, the most desirable. Additionally, the results showed that while “water features” was also viewed desirable, views of moving cars and industrial settings were viewed most negatively. Moreover, the study revealed that natural views are not “always” more pleasant than urban views, and the positive reaction is mostly the result of aesthetic quality of the view content. Practical application: This study provides empirical confirmation that validates previous studies regarding the association of view content and building occupants’ preference, specifically within healthcare settings. It also provides a reliable foundation for developing a robust rating system to accurately classify and quantify the quality of views in healthcare settings. Furthermore, the findings of this study can be used by designers to better incorporate the needs of healthcare design community and those who aim to consider view in the design stages of new built spaces or retrofit of existing spaces.
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Yankelevsky, David Z., Stephan Schwarz, and Yuri Karinski. "Theory and Practice in Reducing the Vulnerability of Residential Buildings Subjected to Extreme Loads - a Multi Hazard Perspective." Applied Mechanics and Materials 82 (July 2011): 3–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.82.3.
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The spread of terror and war threats aimed against built up urban areas has extended considerably and attracts the attention and concern of many countries. The severity and potential danger of these extreme events was demonstrated most severely in several past events. Many countries, including Israel, are facing different threats of terror and war. Therefore, Israel is continuously engaged in theoretical and experimental research activities, related to response of civilian buildings to various war threats. Some of the experience gained in recent years, in relation to the structural response of RC residential buildings subjected to blast loads, can be very helpful in the development of improved design requirements of such buildings, aimed mainly at localization and reduction of the damage and prevention of the progressive collapse of buildings. Earthquake loading is another extreme loading that may cause large scale destruction to many buildings that had not been properly designed to withstand the strong ground shaking effects. Many countries in seismic areas have developed throughout the years their standards and codes for seismic design, and recently built buildings in these areas are designed according to these codes. Nevertheless, many older buildings, that had been designed and constructed prior to the development of the modern seismic codes, are still more vulnerable. Although the earthquake response and blast protection are entirely different disciplines, there exist many places where both types of extreme loads are potential threats to existing buildings. Therefore a multi hazard approach should be adopted to design the new buildings and to retrofit the existing buildings, to ensure that they will withstand these threats. This paper aims at over-viewing some aspects of these extreme load threats and address the resistance, performance, protection and strengthening of the structures that are subjected to these loads. It aims at generalizing the professional view and providing a better solution to an envelope of different possible extreme events.
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Santi, Giovanni, Angelo Bertolazzi, Emanuele Leporelli, Umberto Turrini, and Giorgio Croatto. "Green Systems Integrated to the Building Envelope: Strategies and Technical Solution for the Italian Case." Sustainability 12, no. 11 (June 5, 2020): 4615. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12114615.
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Green roofs and green and living walls are increasingly seen in cities, because they are an important strategy that addresses some key urban environmental issues and allows the achievement of different benefits. Among these, the most relevant ones are reduction of the “Urban Heat Island” effect, of rainfall contributions to the sewer system, of environmental impact and energy saving, and retention of harmful substance. The study aims to analyze different systems of greenery systems integrated (GSI), green roofs (GR), and green and living walls (GW-LW), as a possible retrofit technique of the envelope of heritage buildings and especially their applications in the context of historic cities in Italy, pointing out positive and negative aspects. Particularly, it pays attention to the green retrofitting of buildings and to the technical problems related to the installation of systems, since at the moment there are already several studies that show the environmental and microclimatic benefits of the integration of vegetation in architecture. This study tries to highlight the series of design procedures necessary both in the preliminary phase and then in the executive phase to relate the GSI to the existing building envelopes. The GR, from the results of the simulations conducted, demonstrate a greater simplicity in their construction, with improvements also from the point of view of the working loads on the existing structures, since the interventions are performed more easily than those on the facade. The study highlights the architectural needs that are not always considered such as the increase in the thickness of the roof and the related need to raise its edges, changing the perspective of the building. On the other hand, the GW and the LW show some complexity in their construction because they must deal with facades often rich in decorative elements and where openings affect the assemblage and connection works such as the tinsmiths of the intrados of the openings. It must be taken into consideration the necessity of having to drill masonry, often inhomogeneous, to connect fixings and the problems of stability this entails must be carefully analyzed.
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Grussa, Zoe De, Deborah Andrews, Gordon Lowry, Elizabeth J. Newton, Kika Yiakoumetti, Andrew Chalk, and David Bush. "A London residential retrofit case study: Evaluating passive mitigation methods of reducing risk to overheating through the use of solar shading combined with night-time ventilation." Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 40, no. 4 (April 1, 2019): 389–408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0143624419840768.
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Overheating in the indoor environment, specifically in domestic homes, schools and healthcare settings has become of great concern to us in the UK. This is due to frequent hot weather events as a result of the continually rising global average temperatures. Overheating is a result of the heat gains associated with occupancy and solar heat gains trapped in the internal environment. The continuing rise in global average temperatures and improved insulation standards necessary to mitigate heat losses during the winter, in conjunction with poorly planned ventilation strategies, are exacerbating overheating during warmer weather conditions. In the last decade, there has been a considerable improvement in reducing heat gains associated with occupancy (from lighting and equipment), thus making solar heat gains more prominent in contributing to overheating. With the rise in the number of buildings that overheat and the rise in the number of associated deaths these contribute to, it is now crucial that passive measures are utilised appropriately, and for building occupants to be educated in how to safeguard their homes against overheating. This research is centred around a real-world monitoring case study and investigates how the proposed passive measures can mitigate overheating risk. These measures include the use of different internal and external solar shading devices combined with a night-time natural ventilation strategy. This study was conducted in a south-west facing, single aspect retrofit apartment building in London between August and October 2016 and 10-min interval data were collected during the daytime over 20 days. Throughout the monitoring period, a controlled window opening strategy was applied in rooms where differing shading strategies were implemented. In the absence of night-time measurements, the rooms were evaluated according to CIBSE TM52 Overheating Criteria to assess the frequency and the severity of overheating and mitigation methods were statistically compared to analyse the difference in internal operative temperature increase according to the type of passive mitigation scenario implemented. The combination of opening windows at night and the closure of shading devices during the day can provide a significant thermal benefit to occupants. The inter-relationship between glazing, shading, ventilation amongst other variables needs to be collectively evaluated at the building design stage to ensure the appropriate design of an effective façade management strategy. Practical application: This study aims to add to the body of knowledge surrounding overheating by investigating the impact that the combination of shading and night-time ventilation strategies can have on a newly refitted, urban apartment. It demonstrates how the frequency, severity and the absolute maximum temperature can be identified using existing industry criteria and then uses this methodology alongside inferential statistics to compare the effectiveness of differing shading strategies when combined with night purge ventilation.