It is very important to improve the operation and management efficiency of data and network for the construction of smart cities. The current trust infrastructure in smart cities shows obvious shortcomings, accordingly, this paper proposed the idea of applying blockchain to smart city systems and as their trust infrastructure. The research method is: firstly, the network architecture and data architecture

The integrated pipe gallery, also known as urban lifeline, is a significant content of the smart city. While the video surveillance system is a crucial part of the integrated pipe gallery, which provides a basis for the construction of smart city. Due to the large amount of video data, manual monitoring is a time-consuming and laborious task. To address the above problems, we propose a neural network-based

At present, workplace researchers lack a suitable methodology for combining objective indoor environmental quality (IEQ) data with repeated subjective assessments of comfort in real offices. To address this gap, we conducted a study at two office sites. Four IEQ parameters (carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, and illuminance) were continuously monitored at each site, and brief environmental comfort

Research and practice agree that decisions taken early in a project have a higher impact and are less costly. Current building performance assessment methods are not suited to accommodate the responsiveness required for early design processes and are often used for validation in the later stages where the feedback has little design impact. Tools developed specifically for early-stage Design Decision

Evacuation navigation in emergencies such as fires is one of the most important operational considerations for a building. The large and complicated interior spaces, as well as the intensive population significantly increase the difficulty of fire evacuation in large-scale buildings. The environmental changes such as the spread of a fire and the flow of evacuees exacerbate the difficulties of fire

Many buildings suitable as bat roosts contain synthetic roofing materials, hereafter referred to as Non-Bitumen Coated Roofing Membranes (NBCRMs) – this includes Breathable Roofing Membranes (BRMs) and non-Permeable Roofing Membranes (nPRMs), rather than 1F felts. Building regulations require all construction materials to be fit for purpose, but some BRMs (although appropriate for their intended purpose)

Natural ventilation can be incorporated into buildings to decrease energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions of buildings. However, mechanical cooling has largely replaced natural ventilation in commercial buildings in Canada and the US. This study evaluates the potential for natural ventilation under climate change. To this end, a typical office space in a mixed-mode building in 14 cities

The current proliferation of custom information exchange initiatives in projects disrupts information exchange routines of design and construction firms. This paper investigates how firms perceive, interpret, and act upon information exchange requirements that do not align with their existing routines. This case study examines a construction project for which the owner specified highly custom requirements

Architects and healthcare organizations involved in designing healthcare environments highly value insights gained through research to inform their practice. Obtaining research funding increasingly presupposes economic and/or societal value of research outcomes. Our study aims to gain a nuanced understanding of what knowledge transfer in an inter- and transdisciplinary context, like healthcare building

The study examines stress indices and occupants’ comfort in a cross-laminated timber school building in the Northeast US in different seasons. The case study has won different awards for its sustainability credentials and use of structural timber for the construction. The environmental parameters were measured in the cold and warm periods. Thermal comfort models were applied to evaluate the occupants’

ABSTRACT Stress is a major public health concern and work stress is a contributor to both acute and chronic stress. Moreover, most people spend the majority of their time indoors. It follows that the design of office spaces and other interior environments should consider the health impacts of individuals in terms of psychophysiological responses to stress. In this way, buildings can act as an environmental

Post-Occupancy Evaluations are used to study occupants’ well-being and subjective responses to indoor environmental quality (IEQ), including factors such as thermal, lighting, and acoustic conditions. In this research, a large-scale study analysed 2275 occupants’ responses from 30 workplace buildings across nine years to explore the diverse impacts of demographic factors on IEQ satisfaction. The Sustainable

This paper presents an exploration of the relationship between ward air temperature, radiative effects and hypothermic risk in elderly male orthopaedic patients admitted to a clinical ward in a university hospital. Five bed spaces have their air temperature measured alongside appropriately chosen periods of time-lapse thermography used to assess the probably mean radiative influences. Associated patient

The implementation of environmental satisfaction sources in the design of a health centre is a means to achieve stress reduction. The present work analyses the effect that these sources have on the stress reduction of patients’ companions in a paediatric service. A two-phase study was carried out. During the first phase, 120 participants assessed 20 waiting rooms in situ in order to select the environmental

The experience of cancer patients often includes numerous consultations and procedures taking place in a variety of (cancer) care facilities. Relatives and care professionals play a part and have unique perspectives. This article describes the roles cancer care facilities play in the well-being of patients, relatives, and care professionals, and identifies spatial aspects contributing to these roles

The aim of this study was to learn views from healthcare practitioners and the general public for housing communal amenities that could best support senior well-being for ageing in place. The literature review identified 30 popular communal amenities and was tested via a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan. Participants (N = 759) evaluated the importance level of the proposed amenities with five-point

ISO/NP TS 19488 constitutes a basis for classifying residential buildings according to their acoustic performance. The new Turkish Regulation defines the minimum requirements for all building types and introduces a similar classification scheme. This paper aims to contribute to the applicability discussions by clarifying and testing the methodology that is to be pursued in order to verify the acoustic

ABSTRACT Shelters for the displaced can suffer from socio-cultural incompatibility and significant levels of occupant dissatisfaction. Participatory design (PD) is known to help reduce such issues. This is the first study to investigate the effectiveness of different PD methods at engaging and capturing users’ needs for shelter design in refugee camps. It also aimed to identify which visualization

Evaporative air coolers are widely accepted for outdoor use in the tropical climates of Thailand. However, their contribution to achieving indoor thermal comfort is still undetermined. The purposes of this study are to determine the thermal comfort level achieved by evaporative air coolers and identify variables affecting thermal comfort when using an evaporative air cooler indoors in the tropical

Despite the undeniable need for enhancements in hospital building design, there remain issues in the transition of and translation from research to innovation. While the literature highlights the Research/Practice gap as the prime obstacle, the interplay between research and other variables impacting design innovation remains unclear. This paper aims to understand the innovation system in hospital

Terrestrial laser scanning is a simple and nondestructive method for the high-accuracy, three-dimensional mapping of buildings and structures. It yields a high-resolution point cloud, allowing for comprehensive and reliable diagnosis of the target building. However, there are difficulties in processing such large datasets. Commercial software typically reduces the datasets using random methods, resulting

Biofilms developed on historical heritage buildings are made of various microbial communities settled and anchored in a substrate. They provide a good medium to the development of macroscopic vegetation which causes irreversible and physical damage to stone structure. Infrared thermography (IRT) measurements have been performed in laboratory scale to investigate the applicability of this non-destructive

Heritage buildings are valuable assets to the community. Thus, they require continuous monitoring to preserve their values. But, in many cases, these values are influenced negatively due to improper interventions. Cultural heritage significance is a core value that should be preserved. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the impact of physical alterations on this value to detect the failures

Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is the most effective method of rebuilding virtual 3D models of heritage buildings, and constitutes a new information management system in the field of cultural heritage interventions. In this study, photogrammetry based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV photogrammetry) was applied as an alternative to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for the development

The Jubilee Church in the south-eastern outskirts of Rome is one of the first buildings constructed with super white reinforced concrete with self-cleaning photocatalytic cement. However, 16 years after the opening of the building, the self-cleaning and colour-preserving properties arising from the titania particles (TiO2) within the concrete mix are not meeting the design requirements and the concrete

This study conducted a comparison between biocide treatments based on nanoparticles of silver, copper, ZnO, TiO2 and silver/ TiO2 nanocomposites to analyse their capability to inhibit microalgal fouling on stone buildings. Biofouling is one of the main alterations on stone façades, causes degradation of their constituent materials and interferes with their aesthetic values. The proposed treatments

In this research, a methodology for the service life prediction of external timber claddings is proposed and discussed. The proposed model is based on the visual assessment of 110 timber claddings, subjected to real exposure conditions. The claddings under analysis belong to 80 buildings, with and without heritage characteristics, located in Valdivia and Niebla, South Chile. Timber claddings are a

End users’ maintenance requests gathered from computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) configure a rich source of information to evaluate the occupants’ satisfaction and the building systems. Nevertheless, the non-standardized data gathered from CMMS makes it difficult to carry out analytics. This paper presents a text mining approach to extract information from end users’ maintenance requests

The purpose of this paper is to explore and measure the performance of Facilities Management (FM) services in Ghana’s public hospitals. Given that poor FM practices can significantly hinder the delivery of hospitals’ core services, measuring FM performance is a key step towards ensuring optimal service delivery, and an essential tool for effective implementation of FM strategy. The research employs

Air cleanliness is of particular importance in clean environments, as a small source of contamination can highly disturb the true function of space. One common-place approach is to establish a positive pressure relative to adjacent areas that would avoid unwanted airborne particles. However, door operation and the movement of traffic may result in air mixing across the cleanroom door. This paper presents

ABSTRACT It is important for organizations to support employees with suitable workspaces during different activities. Increasingly the activity-based office is seen as the optimal solution, as it provides people with choice between different types of workspaces to perform specific activities. This study addresses the trade-offs knowledge workers make when choosing a workspace for performing three different

(2020). The Impact of Overbuilding on People and the Planet. Building Research & Information. Ahead of Print.

(2020). Correction. Building Research & Information. Ahead of Print.

A frequently stated hallmark of certified green homes is that they are ‘healthier’ and provide superior thermal comfort. This usually requires increasing insulation levels from code requirements on the understanding that this will provide a warmer, drier internal environment. However this solution to ‘cold and damp’ housing may have unintended consequences; while highly insulated dwellings may be warm

Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) research often engages linear approaches for embedding/implementing/diffusing new technology into existing business systems and processes. However, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) often fail to deliver their full potential for a number of reasons. This paper presents these challenges and highlights the need to embrace equifinality

ABSTRACT Health is a trending topic in the office market, yet scientific research on healthy offices is scattered. This study undertakes a systematic literature review on the relationship between the interior space of offices and physical, psychological and social well-being. The review identifies the characteristics of interior office space that have been studied in relation to employee health, and

In this paper, we define the hygrothermal properties of a rammed earth wall through experimental analysis, relating thermal parameters to moisture content. These tests were conducted in Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real, Spain), and the wall examined in this study is a 70-cm-thick north-facing rammed earth wall that is part of an occupied traditional dwelling Ambient and surface temperature and humidity

Evolution of energy standards led to high-performance buildings requiring very low energy for their operation. Occupancy is the variable with the greatest impact on nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) energy performance because both constructive and technical characteristics have been improved over time. Occupants influence energy use in buildings as they contribute to internal gains, interact with

Too many ex-offenders are condemned to a life of unemployment, under-employment and benefit-dependency with significant ongoing costs to themselves, the economy and to wider society. To address this growing and intransigent problem, recent public policy innovations have led to the re-emergence of collaborative instruments such as social procurement which require companies tendering for construction

The initiative of Sponge City has been launched in China to manage stormwater in cities. This study aims to understand the motivation of professionals in advocating for sponge cities and their opinions on implementing sponge measures. This study surveyed 443 water and planning professionals who have been involved in sponge cities in South China, which is an area that is located in the subtropical climate

The conservation state of buildings is of increasing interest due to the need to renovate aging building stock and provide a safe and healthy place for end users. Numerous uncertain factors have an impact on building condition, including environmental agents, building age, type of assets and maintenance. Previous studies have focused on identifying these factors, but the relationships among them remain

This paper presents a methodological approach for the study of the early historical buildings constructed in reinforced concrete at the beginning of the 20th century. These buildings were conceived following different patents that, already in origin, made them unique and diverse. Also, the structures had to be adapted to their constructive context. Nowadays, aiming to evaluate and recuperate these

Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) simulations are crucial in balancing a reduced space heat demand and reduced overheating in Passivhaus dwellings. This paper identifies the PHPP simulated overheating frequency (OF) for a dwelling in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, constructed in 2015. The measured indoor temperature is also recorded over a 12-month period. A comparative analysis of measured and simulated

Large grandstands provide areas for human activities and leisure pursuits. The degree of vibration comfort for people has an important effect on the functionality of grandstands. In this paper, the changes of the dynamic properties of the stand owing to different human postures are demonstrated. The comfort degree for human vibration in the large stand is also examined by full-scale measurements and

The present study has focused on the impact of location and deadband (range of thermostat setpoints for cooling and heating) on the energy performance and economics of nano granular silica aerogel (nanogel) glazing in a multi-storey office building, by considering 26 climatic locations of Saudi Arabia. The selected cities were classified according to the cooling degree days (CDD) and outdoor dry bulb

An intelligent building has to know the specificities of the occupants and determine their drivers to perform actions so that it can optimize the building operation. Five windows of different rooms of the same dwelling were analysed in-depth to understand the specificities and variations of occupants’ behaviour. Logistic regressions were used as a machine learning method to predict occupants’ actions

This paper introduces a new framework for understanding, modelling and software engineering in construction information activities. The current framework is based on understanding that products are the results of processes, which are performed by actors. Such frameworks are influenced by the available technology. The Internet of today is supporting also other kinds of human activities: communication

Machine learning techniques have been used for predicting facility-related costs but there is a lack of research on developing machine learning models for the complete life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis of facilities. This research aims to systematically investigate the feasibility of forecasting facilities' LCC by implementing machine learning on historical data. The authors propose a comprehensive and

Residential energy models are a common tool for determining the overall energy consumption attributed to the housing sector of a country as well as for projecting the future energy demand in relation to energy conservation policies. However, current residential energy models often require large amounts of input data, have a limited transferability to different countries and often fail to correctly

More than 9 million people live in shelters globally, often in extremely hot climates. The thermal performance of shelters is often overlooked in the design process, despite being a consideration second only to safety in surveys of camp dwellers. Indeed, indoor temperatures exceeding 40°C have been recorded in previous studies. To aid in improving conditions, the roles building simulation and prototyping

The aim of this study is to determine the life-cycle environmental impacts associated with energy-retrofit strategies on an urban scale. A prototype campus model that includes deep retrofit clusters, moderate retrofit clusters, and baseline retrofit clusters is used as a case study. The retrofit strategies included major changes to the building envelope with additional insulation, replacement of exterior

In recent years, multiple historic and contemporary timber buildings have been instrumented with sensors to monitor the performance of wood products and novel engineering systems. This paper presents the results of a literature survey focused on timber structural health monitoring (SHM) projects. This survey was aimed at investigating how the scopes of monitoring projects reported in the literature

Thermal comfort is essential for optimized performance of daily activities. Continuous variation in the thermal conditions of the environment influences humans' thermoregulation adaptive behaviour, in which people seek to find the most preferred places. Detecting individuals' behaviour and correlated physical adaption measures can help in enhancing the built environment and minimizing energy consumption

Natural ventilation can reduce the operational energy consumption of buildings in an energy-saving, environment-friendly and wholesome manner. This paper uses the existing ISO-standardized energy performance calculator and incorporates a dedicated controllable ventilation model to develop a method for the early design assessment of natural-ventilation-driven cooling with the aim of providing a technical

It is estimated that around 80% of UK dwellings have uninsulated ground floors, representing a significant heat loss mechanism in these buildings. In this research, an aggregated assessment of dwelling heat loss was made using the electric coheating test before and after a ground floor retrofit took place. Heat loss was reduced by 24% (43 ± 18 W/K) indicating that suspended timber ground floor retrofits

The efficiency and sustainability of maintenance is an added value in any building, although critical in hospitals, as it may alter the health of patients and workers. The objective of this paper is to analyse the efficiency of maintenance in hospitals with less than 200 beds. Eight Spanish hospitals with similar construction characteristics and identical maintenance strategies were analysed between

The ‘Tiny House’ is a class of residential construction with floor areas less than 400 ft2 (37.16 m2). The components of the Tiny House (TH) pose certain unique challenges in terms of maintaining appropriate indoor environmental quality and resultant energy consumption that have not been previously researched. Hence, the objectives of this research were to measure the impact of physical characteristics

Current debates about building performance evaluation often emphasize the ‘performance gap’ between how buildings perform in practice and how performance was envisaged during the design stage. While such debates continue to be dominated by energy considerations, increasing attention is directed towards the subjective experiences of building users in terms of thermal comfort and wellbeing. The latter

Highly insulated building envelopes have become more commonplace as environmental imperatives require reduction of building carbon footprints. Whilst increased insulation levels reduce operational energy demand, the additional embodied energy investment can increase the buildings’ overall environmental impact. The embodied energy consideration can determine whether, and to what extent, additional insulation

The aim of this study is to develop an approach that can enhance and contribute to the practical applicability of performance-based building design in architectural projects. The need for such an approach is based on the current lack of a practical application for performance-based design in architectural projects, despite the numerous studies conducted in this regard to date. The approach has been