WorldWideScience

Sample records for old-type apartment buildings

  1. Energy retrofitting of a typical old Danish multi-family building to a “nearly-zero” energy building based on experiences from a test apartment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morelli, Martin; Rønby, Leif; Mikkelsen, Svend Erik

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the research described in this paper was to demonstrate that an old Danish multi-family building built in 1896 could be retrofitted to a “nearly-zero” energy building. Three types of retrofit measures were implemented in a “test” apartment to obtain practical experiences. The first...

  2. Analysis of Embodied Environmental Impacts of Korean Apartment Buildings Considering Major Building Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seungjun Roh

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Because the reduction in environmental impacts (EIs of buildings using life-cycle assessment (LCA has been emphasized as a practical strategy for the sustainable development of the construction industry, studies are required to analyze not only the operational environmental impacts (OEIs of buildings, but also the embodied environmental impacts (EEIs of building materials. This study aims to analyze the EEIs of Korean apartment buildings on the basis of major building materials as part of research with the goal of reducing the EIs of buildings. For this purpose, six types of building materials (ready-mixed concrete, reinforcement steel, concrete bricks, glass, insulation, and gypsum for apartment buildings were selected as major building materials, and their inputs per unit area according to the structure types and plans of apartment buildings were derived by analyzing the design and bills of materials of 443 apartment buildings constructed in South Korea. In addition, a life-cycle scenario including the production, construction, maintenance, and end-of-life stage was constructed for each major building material. The EEIs of the apartment buildings were quantitatively assessed by applying the life-cycle inventory database (LCI DB and the Korean life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA method based on damage-oriented modeling (KOLID, and the results were analyzed.

  3. Indoor-Outdoor Air Leakage of Apartments and Commercial Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price, P.N.; Shehabi, A.; Chan, R.W.; Gadgil, A.J.

    2006-06-01

    We compiled and analyzed available data concerning indoor-outdoor air leakage rates and building leakiness parameters for commercial buildings and apartments. We analyzed the data, and reviewed the related literature, to determine the current state of knowledge of the statistical distribution of air exchange rates and related parameters for California buildings, and to identify significant gaps in the current knowledge and data. Very few data were found from California buildings, so we compiled data from other states and some other countries. Even when data from other developed countries were included, data were sparse and few conclusive statements were possible. Little systematic variation in building leakage with construction type, building activity type, height, size, or location within the u.s. was observed. Commercial buildings and apartments seem to be about twice as leaky as single-family houses, per unit of building envelope area. Although further work collecting and analyzing leakage data might be useful, we suggest that a more important issue may be the transport of pollutants between units in apartments and mixed-use buildings, an under-studied phenomenon that may expose occupants to high levels of pollutants such as tobacco smoke or dry cleaning fumes.

  4. Community-acquired Legionnaires' Disease in a Newly Constructed Apartment Building.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Sukhyun; Yang, Kyungho; Chun, Byung Chul

    2017-07-01

    Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe type of pneumonia caused by inhalation of aerosols contaminated with Legionella . On September 22, 2016, a single case of LD was reported from a newly built apartment building in Gyeonggi province. This article describes an epidemiologic investigation of LD and identification of the possible source of infection. To identify the source of LD, we interviewed the patient's husband using a questionnaire based on the Legionella management guidelines from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Water samples from the site were collected and analyzed. An epidemiological investigation of the residents and visitors in the apartment building was conducted for 14 days before the index patient's symptoms first appeared to 14 days after the implementation of environmental control measures. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from the heated-water samples from the patient's residence and the basement of the apartment complex. Thirty-two suspected cases were reported from the apartment building during the surveillance period, yet all were confirmed negative based on urinary antigen tests. The likely source of infection was the building's potable water, particularly heated water. Further study of effective monitoring systems in heated potable water should be considered.

  5. Influence of windows on the energy balance of apartment buildings in Amman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassouneh, K.; Alshboul, A.; Al-Salaymeh, A.

    2010-01-01

    The influence of windows on the energy balance of apartment buildings in Amman is investigated by using self developed simulation software (SDS) based on the ASHRAE tables for solar heat gain calculation and coaling load factor for latitude 32 deg., where Amman city is located. The calculations of energy saving are made to find out the influence of windows on the energy balance of apartment buildings in Amman. Also, the present investigation aimed to study the energy performance of windows of an apartment building in Amman in order to select the most energy efficient windows that can save more energy and reduce heating load in winter, the percentage of saving energy and saving fuel and money through time. Variations of type of glazing using eight types of glazing (clear glass, types A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) are made to find out the most appropriate type of glazing in each direction. Also the orientation of window is changeable in the main four directions (N, S, E and W). The area of glazing varies also in different orientation to find the influence of window area on the thermal balance of the building. The results show that if energy efficient windows are used, the flexibility of choosing the glazed area and orientation increases. It has been found that choosing a larger area facing south, east and west can save more energy and decrease heating costs in winter using certain types of glazing such as glass type A and clear glass, while decreasing the glazing area facing north can save money and energy. However, it has been found that the energy can be saved in the north direction if glass type B has been used. In the apartment building, it is found that certain combination of glazing is energy efficient than others. This combination consists of using large area of glass type A in the east, west and south direction, and glass type B in the north direction or reducing glazing area as possible in the north direction.

  6. Together and apart: a typology of re-partnering in old age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koren, Chaya

    2014-08-01

    The human need for love, friendship, and physical contact, and the fear of loneliness do not diminish with age. Widowhood and late-life divorce and increased life expectancy are likely to lead to alternative relationships, such as re-partnering. The purpose of this paper is to explore interplays between emotional and physical components of re-partnering in old age. Theoretical sampling of 20 couples included men who re-partnered at the age of 65+ years and women at the age of 60+ years, following termination of lifelong marriages due to death or divorce. Living arrangements included married or unmarried cohabitation under the same roof or in separate homes. Forty semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The couple was the unit of analysis. Interplays between physical and emotional dimensions were examined using five abductive parameters derived from data analysis resulting in a fourfold typology of emotional and physical closeness/distance in re-partnering in old age: (1) living together (physically and emotionally); (2) living apart (physically) together (emotionally); (3) living together (physically) apart (emotionally); and (4) living apart (physically and emotionally). Findings revealed types of partner relationships that are different from lifelong marriages. The typology could help professionals working with older persons regarding what to expect in re-partnering in old age and be included in developmental theories as an option in old age. A quantitative tool for research and therapy purposes, entitled The Re-partnering in Old Age Typology Scale (RPOAT Scale), based on abductive parameters, could be established for measuring re-partnering relationship quality and classifying re-partnering couples.

  7. Time dependence of 50 Hz magnetic fields in apartment buildings with indoor transformer stations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yitzhak, Nir-Mordechay; Hareuveny, Ronen; Kandel, Shaiela; Ruppin, Raphael

    2012-04-01

    Twenty-four hour measurements of 50 Hz magnetic fields (MFs) in apartment buildings containing transformer stations have been performed. The apartments were classified into four types, according to their location relative to the transformer room. Temporal correlation coefficients between the MF in various apartments, as well as between MF and transformer load curves, were calculated. It was found that, in addition to their high average MF, the apartments located right above the transformer room also exhibit unique temporal correlation properties.

  8. Analysis of energy economic renovation for historic wooden apartment buildings in cold climates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arumägi, Endrik; Kalamees, Targo

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy saving potential in historic wooden apartment buildings is up to 63%. • In historic wooden apartment buildings an economically viable energy saving level is 50%. • The largest energy saving potential lies in heat source and building service systems. • Of the building structures, insulation of the external wall has the highest potential. • New heating and ventilation systems must be installed to fulfill regulations limits. - Abstract: Buildings represent the largest sector of primary energy consumption and play a major role in saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our analysis of energy consumption and potential energy savings is based on field measurements, computer simulations and economic calculations. The average primary energy consumption (PE) of wooden apartment buildings was 331 kW h/(m 2 a) 83% higher than the limit 180 kW h/(m 2 a) set in national regulations for apartment buildings subject to major renovation. The studied buildings represent a high potential for energy savings. The renovation packages were compiled using different insulation measures, HVAC solutions and energy sources to achieve a 20–65% reduction of primary energy. For historic buildings, the renovation solutions that concentrate on the building envelope can be problematic due to the need to preserve cultural and architectural values. Our calculation results indicate that the cost optimal PE level is around 250 kW h/(m 2 a) and the point at which renovation packages recover expenses is around a PE level of 170 kW h/(m 2 a). In terms of the architectural appearance the point at which renovation packages recover expenses is around a PE level of 210 kW h/(m 2 a). We propose to set a different PE limit for historic wooden apartment buildings with an architectural appearance worth preserving

  9. Software Prototype Design for Managing Housing and Communal Services in Apartment Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana A.

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The paper presents the disign and implementation of a computer program for the housing and utilities services. The Housing Code of the Russian Federation allows creating an apartment building council. The residents of a house choose the members this council to control providing services, manage an apartment building and represent their interests. The authors suggest using a special computer program for this purpose. Materials and Methods: The authors used the qualitative analysis of the data obtained from house bills and from the State housing and communal sector information system. The data processing and software development were performed through using the Ruby object-oriented language, the Ruby On Rails framework, the PostgreSQL database management system, the Slim templating, and Sass CSS extensions. Results: The authors developed a prototype software system to automate the activities of the apartment building council. This software helps to increase the quality of life of the apartment building residents. Discussion and Conclusions: This research provides an information framework for improving the quality of utilities services. The results of this study can be applied to the solution of many problems of housing and utilities sector.

  10. Molecular markers reveal infestation dynamics of the bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) within apartment buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Booth, Warren; Saenz, Virna L; Santangelo, Richard G; Wang, Changlu; Schal, Coby; Vargo, Edward L

    2012-05-01

    The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), has experienced an extraordinary global resurgence in recent years, the reasons for which remain poorly understood. Once considered a pest of lower socioeconomic classes, bed bugs are now found extensively across all residential settings, with widespread infestations established in multiapartment buildings. Within such buildings, understanding the population genetic structure and patterns of dispersal may prove critical to the development of effective control strategies. Here, we describe the development of 24 high-resolution microsatellite markers through next generation 454 pyrosequencing and their application to elucidate infestation dynamics within three multistory apartment buildings in the United States. Results reveal contrasting characteristics potentially representative of geographic or locale differences. In Raleigh, NC, an infestation within an apartment building seemed to have started from a single introduction followed by extensive spread. In Jersey City, NJ, two or more introductions followed by spread are evident in two buildings. Populations within single apartments in all buildings were characterized by high levels of relatedness and low levels of diversity, indicative of foundation from small, genetically depauperate propagules. Regardless of the number of unique introductions, genetic data indicate that spread within buildings is extensive, supporting both active and human-mediated dispersal within and between adjacent rooms or apartments spanning multiple floors.

  11. EPIQR - a decision making tool for apartment building refurbishment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caccavelli, D. [Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, Cedex (France); Balaras, C. [National Observatory of Athens, Athens (Greece); Bluyssen, P. [TNO Building and Construction Research, Delft (Netherlands); Flourentzou, F. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne (France); Jaggs, M. [Building Research Establishment, Watford (United Kingdom); Wetzel, C. [Fraunhofer-Institut fur Bauphysik, Holzkirchen (Germany); Wittchen, K. [Danish Building Reasearch Institute, Hoersholm (Denmark)

    1999-11-01

    In a large majority of European countries, the amount of the maintenance and refurbishment works represents nearly 50% of the total amount spent in the building sector. New requirements are being added to the necessity of maintaining or re-establishing the building stock`s usage value. They are linked to the determination to reduce energy consumption, pollutant emissions, work site wastes, to improve the Indoor Environment Quality and all the modern conveniences inside apartment. Aware of this matter, the European Community has launched a two-year European research project, entitled EPIQR (Energy Performance, Indoor Environmental Quality, Retrofit) involving seven research institutions in the frame of the JOULE III programme. The purpose is to give architects and contracting authorities a multimedia tool to enable them to simultaneously grasp the whole process of apartment building refurbishment or retrofit. It has a number of functions: Assess the building`s degradation state based on a technical diagnosis after a standardised and complete inspection of the building; Prepare work proposals. These take into account not only the renovation of the building but also the improvement of the energy performance and IEQ; Estimate the costs corresponding to these works. A data base, containing the costs of 800 refurbishment works, provides a fast estimate of the total amount of the works being considered; Estimate the evolution of the degradation of the components if none of the works were to be carried out, as well as the refurbishment costs which would result. This paper provides an overview of the EPIQR methodology and the final deliverables of the project. (au)

  12. Life Cycle CO2 Assessment by Block Type Changes of Apartment Housing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheonghoon Baek

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The block type and structural systems in buildings affect the amount of building materials required as well as the CO2 emissions that occur throughout the building life cycle (LCCO2. The purpose of this study was to assess the life cycle CO2 emissions when an apartment housing with ‘flat-type’ blocks (the reference case was replaced with more sustainable ‘T-type’ blocks with fewer CO2 emissions (the alternative case maintaining the same total floor area. The quantity of building materials used and building energy simulations were analyzed for each block type using building information modeling techniques, and improvements in LCCO2 emission were calculated by considering high-strength concrete alternatives. By changing the bearing wall system of the ‘flat-type’ block to the ‘column and beam’ system of the ‘T-type’ block, LCCO2 emissions of the alternative case were 4299 kg-CO2/m2, of which 26% was at the construction stage, 73% was as the operational stage and 1% was at the dismantling and disposal stage. These total LCCO2 emissions were 30% less than the reference case.

  13. Indoor air quality in a multifamily apartment building before and after energy renovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bekö, Gabriel; Földváry, Veronika; Langer, Sarka

    2016-01-01

    Buildings are responsible for a substantial portion of global energy consumption. Most of the multifamily residential buildings in central Europe built in the 20th century do not satisfy the current requirements on energy efficiency. Nationwide remedial measures are taken to improve the energy ef...... exchange rates and acceptable and healthy IAQ. Without these considerations, energy reconstruction can adversely affect the quality of the indoor environment....... efficiency of these buildings and reduce their energy consumption. Since the impact of these measures on the indoor air quality is rarely considered, they often compromise indoor air quality due to decreased ventilation and infiltration rate. We compared the indoor air quality in a multifamily apartment...... building in Slovakia before and after energy renovation, during two subsequent winters. Measurements of temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of CO2, formaldehyde, NO2, and volatile organic compounds were performed during one week in January 2015 in 20 apartments in one multifamily building...

  14. Investigation of the Indoor Environment in a Passive House Apartment Building Heated by Ventilation Air

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lysholt Hansen, MathiasYoung Bok; Koulani, Chrysanthi Sofia; Peuhkuri, Ruut Hannele

    2014-01-01

    comfort and the performance of the air heating system and solar shading. Thermal comfort category B according to ISO 7730 was obtained in the building during field measurements, indicating that the air heating system was able to maintain comfort conditions in winter, when the outdoor temperature had been...... building project finished medio 2012. The design challenge was met with a concept of air heating that is individually controlled in every room. It also applies external solar shading. This study used indoor climate measurements and dynamic simulations in one of these apartment buildings to evaluate thermal...... unusual low for a longer period. The dynamic simulations also indicated that air heating during winter can provide a comfortable thermal environment. Dynamic simulations also demonstrated that during summer, apartments with automatic external solar screens had no serious overheating, whereas in apartments...

  15. Energy statistics of apartment buildings in 2012; Energistatistik foer flerbostadshus 2012

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-07-01

    This report presents data regarding energy used for heating and hot water in Swedish apartment buildings (2012) in terms of heated floor area, use of energy (totals and averages) and use of fuels (totals and averages) for the total population and for various subDivs.

  16. Renewable-based heat supply of multi-apartment buildings with varied heat demands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Truong, Nguyen Le; Dodoo, Ambrose; Gustavsson, Leif

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates the cost and primary energy use to heat an existing multi-apartment building in Sweden, before and after deep energy efficiency renovation, with different types of renewable-based systems. District heating systems of different scales as well as local heat production based on bioelectric boilers, ground-source bioelectric heat pumps and wood pellet boilers with or without solar heating are considered. The annual energy demand of the building, calculated hour by hour, with and without energy efficiency improvements, are matched against the renewable-based heat supply options by techno-economic modeling to minimize cost for each considered heat supply option. The results show that the availability of heating technologies at the building site and the scale of the building's heat demand influence the cost and the primary energy efficiency of the heating options. District heat from large-scale systems is cost efficient for the building without energy-efficiency improvement, whereas electric heat pumps and wood pellet boilers are more cost efficient when implementing energy-efficiency improvement. However, the cost difference is small between these alternatives and sensitive to the size of building. Large-scale district heating with cogeneration of power is most primary energy efficient while heat pumps and medium-scale district heating are nearly as efficient. - Highlights: • Heating technologies influence costs and primary energy use of a building. • Large-scale district heating with cogeneration of power is primary energy efficient. • Large-scale district heating is cost efficient for buildings with large heat demand. • Heat pumps and pellet boilers are cost competitive in energy-efficient buildings.

  17. Proposed strategies for designing sustainable high-rise apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City responding to critical urban issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, Nguyen Hoang Long; Huan Giang, Ngoc; Binh Duong, Trong

    2018-03-01

    This paper aims at finding practical strategies for designing sustainable high-rise apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City responding to varied municipal issues. Two steps are made. Step-1 identifies the critical issues of Ho Chi Minh City which are associated with high-rise apartment building projects. Step-2 finds potential and applicable strategies which are solutions for the critical issues in Step-1 with reference of seven selected assessment methods. The study finds the set of 58 strategies applicable to designing sustainable high-rise apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City.

  18. Predictors of summertime heat index levels in New York City apartments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinn, A; Kinney, P; Shaman, J

    2017-07-01

    During heat waves, fatal overexposure to heat most often occurs at home. It is not known how factors such as building size, floor level, and different types of air conditioning (AC) contribute to excess indoor heat. We monitored indoor temperature and humidity in 36 apartments in New York City during summers 2014 and 2015 and used these values to calculate the indoor heat index (HI). We investigated the role of AC type and building-level factors on indoor HI using multilevel regression models. Thirty-four of 36 homes had AC. Central and ductless AC types were associated with the coolest indoor conditions; homes with window and portable AC were significantly warmer. Apartments on the top floor of a building were significantly hotter during heat advisory periods than other apartments regardless of the presence of AC. High indoor HI levels persisted in some homes for approximately 1 day following the end of the two heat advisory periods. We provide concrete evidence of higher heat levels in top floor apartments and in homes with certain types of AC. High heat levels that persist indoors after outdoor heat has subsided may present an underappreciated public health risk. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Building Maintenance in Old Buildings Conservation Approach: An Overview of Related Problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brit Kayan

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Building maintenance in conservation of old buildings is one of the approaches applied within the built environment of Malaysia. For instance, it is realised that these old buildings contribute an important significance to our nation's priceless heritage and unique historical development. However, most of these buildings' maintenance is influenced by related problems that affect the overall building conservation approach. Therefore, these old buildings face problems which greatly affect their overall condition and performance: building structure; building appearance and aesthetic; building materials and building character. In most critical situations, there is a greater possibility that we could lose the cultural significance and heritage values of these old buildings through ignoring the related problems. This paper tries to identify the related problems, reveal the findings and discuss suitable approaches to conserving these old buildings.

  20. Energy and Environmental Performance of Multi-Story Apartment Buildings Built in Timber Construction Using Passive House Principles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Wall

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents energy and environmental performance analyses, a study of summer indoor temperatures and occupant behavior for an eight story apartment building, with the goal to combine high energy efficiency with low environmental impact, at a reasonable cost. Southern Portvakten building is built with prefabricated timber elements using passive house principles in the North European climate. Energy performance was analyzed through parametric studies, as well as monitored energy data, and complemented with analysis of occupant behavior during one year. Results show that airtight, low-energy apartment buildings can be successfully built with prefabricated timber elements in a cold climate. The monitored total energy use was 47.6 kWh/m2, excluding household electricity (revised to a normal year, which is considerably lower than of a standard building built today in Sweden—90 kWh/m2. However, the occupancy level was low during the analyzed year, which affects the energy use compared to if the building had been fully occupied. Environmental analysis shows that the future challenges lie in lowering the household and common electricity use, as well as in improving the choices of materials. More focus should also lie on improving occupant behavior and finding smart solar shading solutions for apartment buildings.

  1. Distribution of heating costs in multi-story apartment buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rose, Jørgen; Kragh, Jesper

    2017-01-01

    Under current rules in the Danish Meter Order at least 40% of the total heating costs in multi-story blocks of flats should be distributed by metering the consumption in individual apartments. This fixed share is the result of a previous study that showed that 40% of the total heating costs were...... used for space heating, 35% for production and heat loss associated with hot water consumption and finally 25% of heat losses in the heating system. It is interesting to investigate whether this distribution remains representative in both existing buildings, where older buildings still dominate......, as in newer and future standard of blocks of flats. Intuitively, we would like to settle 100% of the costs attributable to space heating, by individual meters. Thereby, tenants will pay for their own consumption which encourages energy savings. This is an excellent method for electricity, gas and water...

  2. Temperature Sensor Feasibility Study of Wireless Sensor Network Applications for Heating Efficiency Maintenance in High-Rise Apartment Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Freliha B.

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Cities are responsible for 60%-80% of the world’s energy use and for approximately the same percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. The existing multi-apartment buildings of multifamily housing sector are often energy inefficient, and the heating system does not ensure optimization of heat distribution of individual apartments. Heat distribution, heating system balancing, heat loss detection and calculation, individual heat energy accounting are difficult tasks to accomplish. This article deals with the temperature monitoring system designed to retrieve temperature differences necessary for overall building heat monitoring and individual apartment monitoring. The sensor testing case study process and its measurements are analysed.

  3. Perceptions of Contractors and Consultants Toward Application of Greenship Rating Tools on Apartment Buildings in Surabaya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Herry Pintardi Chandra

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available During the last ten years, the growth of apartment buildings in Surabaya has encountered the bitter experience of global warming, resource depletion, energy scarcity, and other environmental impacts. We cannot avoid them, but we can minimize the negative impacts of global warming. The green building concept is one of the methods to minimize the environmental impact. It takes into account principles of sustainable development in planning, construction, operation, and maintenance. Greenship Rating Tools is used to evaluate and calculate green achievements, prior to green building certification. The aim of this research is to represent the perceptions of contractors and consultants toward application of Greenship Rating Tools on apartment buildings in Surabaya. Based on the data obtained from a questionnaires survey carried out to 41 respondents, the mean value ranking method is used to evaluate the main factors of Greenship. These factors are Appropriate Site Development, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Water Conservation, Material Resource and Cycle, Indoor Health and Comfort, and Building Environmental Management. In general, the results of this research show that there are a number of differences between perceptions of contractors and consultants toward application of Greenship Rating Tools on apartment buildings in Surabaya. According to the contractors’ perception, Visual Comfort is a factor that would easily to be applied, whilst consultants’ is Landscape. On the other hand, there are factors that would difficult to be applied. Based on contractors’ perceptiom is Climate Change, while consultants’ perception is Renewal Energy. In summary, Greenship Rating Tools can be applied on contractors’ and consultants’ perceptions, whilst there are some variables which can not be applied.

  4. Study of Customer Satisfaction with Living Conditions in New Apartment Buildings

    OpenAIRE

    Lepkova Natalija; Butkiene Egle; Bełej Miroslaw

    2016-01-01

    The article aims to analyze the Lithuanian housing market and to look into the satisfaction of people with living conditions in new apartment buildings on this market. The article presents the concept of customer satisfaction in construction and the criteria that define the quality of dwellings; the benefits, consequences, merits and demerits of the assessment of customer satisfaction are also named. A survey of customer satisfaction helped to evaluate the quality of dwellings according to th...

  5. Comparison of Three Bed Bug Management Strategies in a Low-Income Apartment Building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changlu Wang

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Bed bug (Cimex lectularius L. infestations are currently controlled by a variety of non-chemical and chemical methods. There have been few studies on the comparative effectiveness of these control techniques. We evaluated three bed bug management strategies in an apartment building: (1 non-chemical methods only (n = 9; (2 insecticides only (n = 6; and (3 integrated pest management including both non-chemical methods and insecticides (n = 9. The apartments were one-bedroom units occupied by seniors or people with disabilities. Bed bug numbers in each apartment were determined by visual inspection and/or installing intercepting devices under bed and sofa legs. The median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and integrated pest management (IPM treatment were: 4 (1, 57, 19 (1, 250, and 14 (1, 219, respectively prior to the treatments. The apartments were retreated if found necessary during biweekly to monthly inspections. After 10 weeks, bed bugs were found to be eliminated from 67, 33, and 44% of the apartments in the three treatment groups, respectively. The final (after 10 weeks median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and IPM treatment were: 0 (0, 134, 11.5 (0, 58, and 1 (0, 38, respectively. There were no significant differences in the speed of bed bug count reduction or the final bed bug counts. Lack of resident cooperation partially contributed to the failure in eliminating bed bugs from some of the apartments. Results of this study suggest that non-chemical methods can effectively eliminate bed bugs in lightly infested apartments.

  6. Experimental Analysis of a Heat Cost Allocation Method for Apartment Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabio Saba

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The correct estimate of individual thermal energy consumptions, and consequently, a fair heat cost allocation among the residents of apartment buildings with centralized heating systems, represents an important driving force towards energy saving, energy efficiency and the reduction of pollutant emissions. Nowadays, in those contexts where direct heat meters cannot be used because of the layout of the hot water distribution system, electronic Heat Cost Allocators (HCAs have the highest market share for the assessment of individual thermal energy consumptions. The uncertainty associated with the parameterization of heat cost allocation devices and the installation effects arising in real applications can negatively affect the accuracy of these devices, as far as the estimation of the individual fractions of thermal energy consumption is concerned. This work deals with the experimental analysis of a novel heat cost allocation method for apartment buildings and its comparison with conventional HCAs. The method allows the indirect estimation of the thermal energy exchanged by water radiators without the need for surface temperature measurements, reducing some of the drawbacks associated with the on-site installation. The experimental analysis was carried out in a full-scale central heating system test facility available at the Italian National Metrology Institute (INRIM and characterized by SI-traceable direct heat meters installed on each water radiator.

  7. Energy statistics for single-family houses, apartment buildings and non-residential premises in 2012; Energistatistik foer smaahus, flerbostadshus och lokaler 2012

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-07-01

    This report presents a summary of energy use and heating method in Swedish buildings (2012). The report covers basically three surveys - energy use in houses, in apartment buildings and premises. These three studies are first published separately. The results are then processed further, with the aim to provide a comprehensive picture of energy use in permanently occupied dwellings (houses and apartments) and commercial buildings (excluding industrial premises). This report presents the results of these operations.

  8. Interactive Configuration of High Performance Renovation of Apartment Buildings by the use of CSP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vareilles, E.; Thuesen, Christian; Falcon, M.

    2013-01-01

    of mid-rise (up to seven stories) apartment buildings. The renovation is based on external rectangular panels, always comprising insulation and cladding, and sometimes including, in addition, doors, windows or solar modules. The panels can be fixed directly onto the walls or onto a metal structure around...

  9. Primary energy implications of different design strategies for an apartment building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tettey, Uniben Yao Ayikoe; Dodoo, Ambrose; Gustavsson, Leif

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we explored the effects of different design strategies on final and primary energy use for production and operation of a newly constructed apartment building. We analysed alternatives of the building “As built” as well as to energy efficiency levels of the Swedish building code and passive house criteria. Our approach is based on achieving improved versions of the building alternatives from combination of design strategies giving the lowest space heating and cooling demand and primary energy use, respectively. We found that the combination of design strategies resulting in the improved building alternatives varies depending on the approach. The improved building alternatives gave up to 19–34% reduction in operation primary energy use compared to the initial alternatives. The share of production primary energy use of the improved building alternatives was 39–54% of the total primary energy use for production, space heating, space cooling and ventilation over 50-year lifespan, compared to 31–42% for the initial alternatives. This study emphasises the importance of incorporating appropriate design strategies to reduce primary energy use for building operation and suggests that combining such strategies with careful choice of building frame materials could result in significant primary energy savings in the built environment. - Highlights: • Primary energy implications of different design strategies were analysed. • The improved building alternatives had 19–34% lower operation primary energy use. • The improved building alternatives had higher production primary energy use. • Still, the improved building alternatives had lower overall primary energy use. • Design strategies should be combined with careful building frame material choice.

  10. Study on the Development of an Optimal Heat Supply Control Algorithm for Group Energy Apartment Buildings According to the Variation of Outdoor Air Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong-Kurl Kwak

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, we have developed an optimal heat supply algorithm which minimizes the heat loss through the distribution pipe line in a group energy apartment. Heating load variation of a group energy apartment building according to the outdoor air temperature was predicted by a correlation obtained from calorimetry measurements of all households in the apartment building. Supply water temperature and mass flow rate were simultaneously controlled to minimize the heat loss rate through the distribution pipe line. A group heating apartment building located in Hwaseong city, Korea, which has 1473 households, was selected as the object building to test the present heat supply algorithm. Compared to the original heat supply system, the present system adopting the proposed control algorithm reduced the heat loss rate by 10.4%.

  11. Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gustavsson, Leif; Joelsson, Anna; Sathre, Roger [Ecotechnology, Department of Engineering and Sustainable Development, Mid Sweden University, 83125 Oestersund (Sweden)

    2010-02-15

    In this study the life cycle primary energy use and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building are analyzed. All life cycle phases are included, including acquisition and processing of materials, on-site construction, building operation, demolition and materials disposal. The calculated primary energy use includes the entire energy system chains, and carbon flows are tracked including fossil fuel emissions, process emissions, carbon stocks in building materials, and avoided fossil emissions due to biofuel substitution. The results show that building operation uses the largest share of life cycle energy use, becoming increasingly dominant as the life span of the building increases. The type of heating system strongly influences the primary energy use and CO{sub 2} emission; a biomass-based system with cogeneration of district heat and electricity achieves low primary energy use and very low CO{sub 2} emissions. Using biomass residues from the wood products chain to substitute for fossil fuels significantly reduces net CO{sub 2} emission. Excluding household tap water and electricity, a negative life cycle net CO{sub 2} emission can be achieved due to the wood-based construction materials and biomass-based energy supply system. This study shows the importance of using a life cycle perspective when evaluating primary energy and climatic impacts of buildings. (author)

  12. First experiences with apartment buildings built in monolithic construction to Passivhaus standard; Erste Erfahrungen mit Mehrfamilien-Passivhaeusern in monolithischer Bauweise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Messari-Becker, Lamia; Bollinger, Klaus; Grohmann, Manfred [Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieure GmbH, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

    2011-02-15

    For the first time, apartment buildings are being built in monolithic construction that meet the most exacting requirements regarding energy efficiency and sustainability. These buildings are under construction in the northern district of Kalbach Sued in Frankfurt (Main) by ABG Frankfurt Holding. The architectural design was produced by Scheffler and Partners, the Frankfurt structural engineers Bollinger + Grohmann undertook the structural design including building physics and energy related aspects, and Baumgartner Engineers took charge of M and E design. These apartment buildings are the first monolithically constructed apartment buildings built to Passivhaus standard. They therefore represent a milestone in single-skin monolithic construction in connection with an exacting energy standard. The challenge for architects and engineers was to consider a range of different aspects and accommodate them in the design. In addition to given parameters such as the urban development plan, client requirements such as the number of apartments, aspects of family living and barrier-free standards, the briefing called for the highest construction standard in terms of efficient use of resources in the widest sense. This meant that the emphasis was not only on energy efficiency. Cost efficiency throughout the entire lifecycle of the building was equally as important in order to ensure long term economic sustainability for users and owners. The experience gained on this project will also provide answers to important questions regarding research and development in sustainable building, which is not in any conflict with the creativity and diversity of our architectural culture. (Copyright copyright 2011 Ernst and Sohn Verlag fuer Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH and Co. KG, Berlin)

  13. Changes in Sunlight and Outdoor Thermal Environment Conditions Based on the Layout Plan of Flat Type Apartment Houses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukjin Jung

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Economic growths lead to population increases in large cities. This has brought about the growing necessity for apartment housing which has resulted in higher density populations living in high-rise apartment complexes. Therefore, the urban microclimate is aggravated due to the increasing ratio of artificial coverage and substandard daylight availability. To achieve a comfortable living environment and improve urban microclimates, a process considering the daylight availability and the outdoor thermal environment is required when designing apartment housing complexes. This study selected a total of 27 valid cases using an orthogonal array, L27(313 design of experiments (DOE. As a result of significance probability obtained in DOE analysis, the design factors that have an effect on the outdoor thermal environment and daylight availability were found to be building coverage ratio, distance between buildings, and azimuth. The rankings of the effect of design factors were shown to be in the order of azimuth > building coverage ratio > distance between buildings > floor area ratio > width/depth ratio. The surface temperature of the whole building decreased by 0.3 °C and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT decreased by 1.1 °C as a result of applying the greenery coverage ratio to apartment complexes. Heat Island Potential (HIP also showed a decrease of 5.4 °C (at noon.

  14. Reusing Old Manufacturing Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roman, Harry T.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an interesting design challenge for students, one that will certainly let them integrate subject matter and get a sense of pride for doing something useful in their own community. The author would be willing to bet that the average town or city has some old red brick manufacturing building(s) that have seen much better days.…

  15. Risk Factors of Building Apartments for University Talent through the Agent Construction Mode in China: Interrelationship and Prioritization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengrong Liu

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Apartments for university talent (AUT, are apartments provided to staff at non-market price, in order to attract outstanding scholars from around the world to work in universities and improve educational quality. This has been a critical issue in achieving social sustainability in China during rapid urbanization and industrialization. The agent construction mode has been adopted to build AUT because universities usually lack relevant management experience. The agent construction mode is a type of turnkey engineer construction based on the principal-agent model, project bidding mode, engineering contracting projects, and project supervision system. Risk factors are important considerations for both universities and agent construction companies. Although some studies have investigated the risk factors, only a few studies have identified the hierarchical structure of relevant risk factors. Therefore, the interrelationship and prioritization of the risk factors remain unknown, and this situation presents a barrier to better risk management. This paper investigates the interrelationship of risk factors with interpretative structural modeling (ISM. In addition, fuzzy MICMAC (matric d’impacts croises-multiplication appliqué a un classemen analysis was conducted to prioritize the risk factors. The findings provide useful references for better risk management of building AUT through the agent construction mode. Although this study focuses on China, the analytical process can also be generalized to other research topics and other countries.

  16. The analysis of the hot water consumption and energy performance before and after renovation in multi-apartment buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tumanova, K.; Borodinecs, A.; Geikins, A.

    2017-10-01

    The article presents the results of hot water supply system analysis. Taking into account that the current consumption of hot water differs from normative values, real measured data of hot water consumption in multi-apartment buildings from year 2013 until year 2015 have been analyzed. Also, the thermal energy consumption for hot water preparation has been analyzed. Based on aggregated data and taking into account the fact that renovated systems of hot water supply in existing multi-apartment buildings have same pipelines’ diameters, it was analyzed how these systems are economically and energy efficient. For the study, residential buildings in Riga, which have different architectural and engineering solutions for hot water supply systems, were selected. The study was based on thermal energy consumption measurements, which were taken at the individual heating system’s manifolds. This study was done in order to develop database on hot water consumption in civil buildings and define difference in key performance criteria in unclassified buildings. Obtained results allows to reach European Regional Development Fund project “NEARLY ZERO ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR UNCLASSIFIED BUILDINGS” Nr. 1.1.1.116A048 main targets.

  17. The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption - the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandurski, Karol; Hamerla, Miłosz; Szulc, Jowita; Koczyk, Halina

    2017-11-01

    Occupants' attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants' behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants' behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey's respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants' behavior (e.g. the use of heating control) are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments.

  18. Study of Customer Satisfaction with Living Conditions in New Apartment Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lepkova Natalija

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The article aims to analyze the Lithuanian housing market and to look into the satisfaction of people with living conditions in new apartment buildings on this market. The article presents the concept of customer satisfaction in construction and the criteria that define the quality of dwellings; the benefits, consequences, merits and demerits of the assessment of customer satisfaction are also named. A survey of customer satisfaction helped to evaluate the quality of dwellings according to their technical and functional parameters, as well as the degree of cooperation between customers and contractors/builders. The customer satisfaction index (CSI and the degree of loyalty were calculated, and then a customer satisfaction matrix was built up.

  19. The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption – the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bandurski Karol

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Occupants’ attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants’ behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants’ behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey’s respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants’ behavior (e.g. the use of heating control are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments.

  20. Energy efficiency façade design in high-rise apartment buildings using the calculation of solar heat transfer through windows with shading devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, P. T. H.

    2018-04-01

    The architectural design orientation at the first design stage plays a key role and has a great impact on the energy consumption of a building throughout its life-cycle. To provide designers with a simple and useful tool in quantitatively determining and simply optimizing the energy efficiency of a building at the very first stage of conceptual design, a factor namely building envelope energy efficiency (Khqnl ) should be investigated and proposed. Heat transfer through windows and other glazed areas of mezzanine floors accounts for 86% of overall thermal transfer through building envelope, so the factor Khqnl of high-rise buildings largely depends on shading solutions. The author has established tables and charts to make reference to the values of Khqnl factor in certain high-rise apartment buildings in Hanoi calculated with a software program subject to various inputs including: types and sizes of shading devices, building orientations and at different points of time to be respectively analyzed. It is possible and easier for architects to refer to these tables and charts in façade design for a higher level of energy efficiency.

  1. THE INFLUENCE OF AN APARTMENT POSITIONING ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcela PRADA

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This work is part of the highly topical subject of global warming and energy conservation. The article contains parametric studies of energy consumption and CO² emissions for an apartment located in a block of flats, depending on its location. It was studied the energy consumption of an apartment having different cardinal orientations in the same building and of an apartment with the same position inside the building but located in different climatic zones. The case studies show the difference between the energy consumption of an apartment depending on its position, thus resulting in a few general directions for their heat insulation, so that the specific energy consumption of the apartment is below 100 kWh/m² year.

  2. CO2 Emissions and Cost by Floor Types of Public Apartment Houses in South Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyoung Jae Jang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In each country in the world, there is a strong need for all industries to reduce CO2 emissions for sustainable development as a preparation for climatic change. The biggest issue in many developed countries, including the United States, is to reduce CO2 emissions for the upcoming implementation of Carbon Emissions Trading. The construction industry, in particular, which accounts for up about 30% of CO2 emissions, will need studies on the amount of CO2 emissions. The purpose of this study is to present the most environmentally friendly and economical apartment house plan types according to the increasing number of layers by evaluating the amount of CO2 emissions and economic efficiency. The results indicated that flat and Y-shaped types are more eco-friendly and economical in lower levels of less than 20 stories. However, the L-shaped type is more highly eco-friendly and economically efficient in higher levels of more than 20 stories. The results of this paper would help to make a decision on the building types and the number of stories in the early stages of construction.

  3. The feasibility of using photovoltaic panels to illuminate the entryway to an apartment building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumarokova Liudmila

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article considers the possibility of using an LED lighting system with a power source from solar modules in the climatic conditions of Siberia. The technical possibility of implementing an autonomous house lighting system is shown for example in the lighting of a residential five-story building located in Tomsk. The choice and justification of the neces-sary electrical equipment for solar panels was made. Calculations have been made for the energy consumption of the existing lighting system and a system with LED light sources from photovoltaic panels. The payback period of the project is determined. On the example of an autonomous sys-tem of interior lighting of an apartment building, conclusions were made about the feasibility and efficiency of using photovoltaic panels in the cli-matic conditions of Tomsk region.

  4. Prelimanary Investigation on The Factors That Influencing The Maintenance Cost of Apartment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salleh Nor Aini

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Housing is a basic need for all. The increasing numbers of population and income had increase in housing demand. Thus, it has led to the construction of apartments to meet the needs of people and to reduce the use of land to build residential buildings. From year to year, maintenance costs of the building are increased. To ensure the maintenance cost for apartment residence maintenance can be reduced, it is important to determine the factor that influence the maintenance cost of the apartment. This paper is to investigate and identify the factors contributing the increase of maintenance costs. The first objective of this study is to determine the factors that affect the cost of maintaining the apartment and meanwhile the second objective is to rank the factors that influence the maintenance cost of the apartment at Johor Baharu Tengah. To achieve the objectives of the study, the questionnaires were distributed to the parties involved in the management of building. Results of this study concluded that there are five factors that influence maintenance cost are the expectations of tenants, building age, building material, failure to execute maintenance at the right time and budget constraints.

  5. Indoor Environmental Quality Benefits of Apartment Energy Retrofits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Adamkiewicz, Gary [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hotchi, Toshifumi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Russell, Marion [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Spears, Michael [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Vermeer, Kimberly [Urban Habitate Initiatives Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2013-06-01

    Sixteen apartments serving low-income populations in three buildings were retrofit with the goal of simultaneously reducing energy consumption and improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Retrofit measures varied among apartments and included, among others, envelope sealing, installation of continuous mechanical ventilation systems, upgrading bathroom fans and range hoods, attic insulation, replacement of heating and cooling systems, and adding wall-mounted particle air cleaners. IEQ parameters were measured, generally for two one-week periods before and after the retrofits. The measurements indicate an overall improvement in IEQ conditions after the retrofits. Comfort conditions, bathroom humidity, and concentrations of carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and particles generally improved. Formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide levels decreased in the building with the highest concentrations, were unchanged in a second building, and increased in a third building. IEQ parameters other than particles improved more in apartments with continuous mechanical ventilation systems installed. In general, but not consistently, larger percent increases in air exchange rates were associated with larger percent decreases in indoor levels of the pollutants that primarily come from indoor sources.

  6. Specifics of Building Envelope Air Leakage Problems and Airtightness Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borodinecs Anatolijs

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In addition to transmission heat loses the infiltration of outdoor air can cause significant heat losses. The external building envelope should be airtight in order to prevent uncontrolled cold air infiltration. The article analysis modern building materials and structures influence on airtightness. The practical measurements of renovated buildings’ airtightness are presented and compared to non-renovated buildings. In addition paper presents data on airtightness measurements of whole multi apartment building and single apartment in analyzed building taking inco accout properties of building materials. The airtightness of single apartment was evaluated with support pressure in neighbor apartments. The results show that the airtightness measurements of multi apartment building can be evaluated by measuring single apartment on last floor with support pressure in neighbor apartments. The practical measurement of renovated buildings had shown the air leakage rate q50 of typical Latvian construction after renovation is between 2.5 and 2.9 m3/(m2·h. Since the building envelope has to minimize the heat loses (transmission and infiltration and ventilation system either mechanical or natural has to provide necessary air exchange, the building envelope airtightness shouldn’t be dependent on type of ventilation systems.

  7. Structural rehabilitation of old buildings

    CERN Document Server

    Guedes, João; Varum, Humberto

    2014-01-01

    The present book describes the different construction systems and structural materials and solutions within the main old buildings typologies, and it analyses the particularities of each of them, including mechanical properties, structural behaviour, typical damage patterns and collapse mechanisms. Common or pioneering intervention measures to repair and/or strengthen some of these structural elements are also reviewed.

  8. Eurotheum Frankfurt/Main. New office and apartment building for cosmopolites; Eurotheum Frankfurt/Main. Buero- und Wohnhochhaus fuer Kosmopoliten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pielke, O.E.

    2000-07-01

    The Eurotheum in Frankfurt is Germany's first and only high-rise building which houses both offices and private apartments. [German] Das Eurotheum stellt im Spannungsfeld der Frankfurter Buerohochhaeuser ein voellig neues Konzept dar: Es ist das erste und bisher einzige Hochhaus in Deutschland, in dem die Funktionen 'Arbeiten' und 'Wohnen' in einem Hochhaus verbunden werden. (orig.)

  9. Bring back history alive through transformation of old building into museum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, Norashikin Abdul; Norlizaiha Harun, Siti; Ayob, Salwa

    2018-05-01

    When looking at the old building, it has aroused the curiosity of the glorious history of architecture and interior space in the past, such as the furniture, features, fittings, furnishings and interior layout. To save our old and heritage building from decay and loss of the heritage value, one of the Malaysian government efforts is to restore it to become a new function as a museum. There are some criteria should be considered for the transformation of an old and heritage buildings into a museum, there are; integrity of history; original structure and materials; new space and new function; showcase display and interpretation; and visitors’ perception. This paper will highlight the literature review on consideration factors in heritage museum restoration. This writing paper is also part of continuous research aimed at developing the criteria for assessing the old and heritage building as a museum. The proposed criteria could serve as a basis for heritage organizations to prepare guidelines to manage the transformation of an old and heritage building into a museum in Malaysia. Indirectly, it contributes the ultimate goal to give best heritage experience for the tourist in a museum tour.

  10. Systems for apartment buildings heat pumps. Final report; System foer fastighetsvaermepumpar. Slutrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aakervall, Daniel (WSP Environmental, Stockholm (Sweden)); Rogstam, Joergen; Grotherus, Maarten (Sveriges Energi- och Kylcentrum, Katrineholm (Sweden))

    2009-05-15

    A fast growing segment of the heat pump business is the apartment building applications. Historically the experience base related to such installations is limited. However, this application is more complex than the much more widely spread domestic applications. The core idea of the project was to generate and collect information to avoid mistakes and to encourage the heat pump technology. By interviewing the 'market' and compiling the information good recommendations has been achieved. It is of great importance to convey the best available recommendations to the installers on the market to avoid pit holes and highlight the opportunities for installers and end consumers. A website has been design and built, www.sfvp.se, which contains useful tools for installers and potential system customers. A number of calculation tools to estimate heat requirement, cost of different heating systems, primary energy need, LCC, etc. are all available. The core of the site is the database containing heat pump installations with related data of importance. The data available is such key data as performance figures, cost of installation, etc. Today 104 system installations are collected in the database and these are marked in a colour coding to indicate the quality of the input data. Installations verified with measurement are given higher significance. It has been an unexpected challenge to find documented systems, so one of the conclusions of the project is that there is a great need for further measurement on the field. More information should be directed to the customers to request such equipment when systems are installed. The database enables statistical analysis of the key figures and it can be seen that the average seasonal COP is 3.2 and there are small differences between exhaust air and ground source heat pumps. It should be emphasised that the number of installations do not give statistical confidence for all kinds of analysis yet. Field measurements in apartment

  11. Implementation of life cycle costing for a commercial building: case of a residential apartment at Yogyakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaming Peter F

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Analysis of a design process is very important in controlling the initial costs and future costs in possession of an investment project such as commercial building. Therefore, it should be wise to perform a life cycle cost analysis to determine the cost of any category contained in future cost of the building. The analysis also provide information to see how much the total cost incurred by a development project from initial to the future cost by implementing BS ISO 15686 part 5: 2008, regarding life cycle costing. The purpose of this study is to identify the cost proportion and make long-term plans of a commercial building in term of its life cycle costing from a case of a residential apartment in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Results of the study show that there are three groups that make up the life cycle cost: the cost of development of the building, the operating costs, and the cost of maintenance and replacement. For a long-term plan the life cycle cost for 25 years the percentage obtained as follows, initial development cost of 42%, operational costs 39%, maintenance and replacement costs 19%. The results would also make comparison with other existing commercial buildings.

  12. Radon concentrations in different types of dwellings in Israel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Epstein, L.; Koch, J.; Riemer, T.; Haquin, G.; Orion, I.

    2014-01-01

    The average radon concentration in Israeli dwellings was assessed by combining the results of a 2006 radon survey in single family houses with the results of a 2011 radon survey in apartments of multi-storey buildings. Both surveys were based on long-term measurements using CR-39 detectors. The survey in multi-storey buildings was intended to assess the influence of recent practices in the local building industry on the radon concentrations. These practices include the use of building materials with higher concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the last 20 y than before, as well as the improvement in sealing techniques over that period. Another practice in place since the early 1990's is the building of a shielded area in every apartment that is known as an RSS (residential secure space). The RSS is a room built from massive concrete walls, floor and ceiling that can be hermetically sealed and is intended to protect its residents from a missile attack. The influence of the above-mentioned features on radon concentrations was estimated by dividing the participating apartments into two groups: apartments in buildings >20 y, built using building materials with low concentrations of the natural radionuclides, regular sealing and without an RSS and apartments in buildings newer than 10 y, built using building materials with higher concentrations of the natural radionuclides, improved sealing and including an RSS. It was found that the average radon concentration in apartments in new buildings was significantly higher than in old buildings and the average radon concentration in single-family houses was significantly higher than in apartments in multi-storey buildings. Doses due to indoor radon were estimated on the basis of the updated information included in the 2009 International Commission on Radiological Protection statement on radon. (authors)

  13. Energy Impacts of Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality Retrofits of Apartments in California

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Norris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Monthly gas and electricity use data from a set of 13 study apartments and 20 control apartments from three apartment buildings (B1 B3) in California were analyzed. The study apartments were retrofit with simultaneous energy savings and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) improvements as the goal. The control apartments were not retrofit. Pre-retrofit modeling indicated annual energy savings of 21percent, 17percent, and 27percent for the study apartments in B1-B3, respectively. Based on a comparison of changes in energy use of study apartments to energy use changes of control apartments, total measured savings of gas energy plus site electrical energy were 28percent in B1, 5percent in B2, and 3percent in B3. Given the small number of study apartments and the substantial changes in energy use within control apartments, the project yielded no conclusive evidence of energy savings. Apartment energy use increased with number of occupants and with floor area; however, the association with occupancy was most evident. Climate differences did not appear to be the major driver for the variability in energy use among apartments. Changes in occupant behaviors affecting energy use may have overwhelmed and obscured the energy savings in this small number of buildings. Much larger prior studies employing similar retrofits indicate that the retrofits usually do save energy.

  14. Thermal Performance Analysis of Solar Collectors Installed for Combisystem in the Apartment Building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Žandeckis, A.; Timma, L.; Blumberga, D.; Rochas, C.; Rošā, M.

    2012-01-01

    The paper focuses on the application of wood pellet and solar combisystem for space heating and hot water preparation at apartment buildings under the climate of Northern Europe. A pilot project has been implemented in the city of Sigulda (N 57° 09.410 E 024° 52.194), Latvia. The system was designed and optimised using TRNSYS - a dynamic simulation tool. The pilot project was continuously monitored. To the analysis the heat transfer fluid flow rate and the influence of the inlet temperature on the performance of solar collectors were subjected. The thermal performance of a solar collector loop was studied using a direct method. A multiple regression analysis was carried out using STATGRAPHICS Centurion 16.1.15 with the aim to identify the operational and weather parameters of the system which cause the strongest influence on the collector's performance. The parameters to be used for the system's optimisation have been evaluated.

  15. Maintenance of Heritage Building: A Case Study from Ipoh, Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tan Seong Yeow

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Heritage buildings represent the tangible cultural heritage of a community. However, many of the heritage buildings have being left neglected. Ipoh as a city rich in heritage, has many dilapidated heritage buildings which are experiencing a resurging interest. However, the problems faced by many owners are the lack of technical information of such buildings, leading to premature abandonment and demolition. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to determine the types and extent of defects present in the building studied. To achieve these objectives, a case study of a century old heritage property in Ipoh, Perak was conducted. The study aims to provide reference to owners and those responsible for the conservation of heritage buildings with similar conditions to identify and prioritize critical defects in relation to the building life span to determine its condition. The findings determined the probable causes of defects such as settlement and façade cracks, which are over 30 years old, were attributed to leaking plumbing pipes, rainwater ingress and the construction of an adjacent 20 story apartment building. The major issues to address were stabilizing the foundation through cement grouting, reinforcing the existing structural systems and roof systems as well as arresting the decay of timber floor structure. In conclusion, major maintenance guidelines are need to address structural issues and weather tightness of the building envelope, especially its roof and drainage systems.

  16. Newporter Apartments. Deep Energy Retrofit Short Term Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gordon, Andrew [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Howard, Luke [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Kunkle, Rick [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Lubliner, Michael [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Auer, Dan [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Clegg, Zach [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States)

    2012-12-01

    This project demonstrates a path to meet the goal of the Building America program to reduce home energy use by 30% in multi-family buildings. The project demonstrates cost-effective energy savings targets as well as improved comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) associated with deep energy retrofits by a large public housing authority as part of a larger rehabilitation effort. The project focuses on a typical 1960’s vintage low-rise multi-family apartment community (120 units in three buildings).

  17. Newporter Apartments: Deep Energy Retrofit Short-Term Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gordon, A.; Howard, L.; Kunkle, R.; Lubliner, M.; Auer, D.; Clegg, Z.

    2012-12-01

    This project demonstrates a path to meet the goal of the Building America program to reduce home energy use by 30% in multi-family buildings. The project demonstrates cost effective energy savings targets as well as improved comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) associated with deep energy retrofits by a large public housing authority as part of a larger rehabilitation effort. The project focuses on a typical 1960's vintage low-rise multi-family apartment community (120 units in three buildings).

  18. Protocol for maximizing energy savings and indoor environmental quality improvements when retrofitting apartments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Vermeer, Kimberly [Urban Habitat Initiatives Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Adamkiewicz, Gary [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2013-06-01

    The current focus on building energy retrofit provides an opportunity to simultaneously improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Toward this end, we developed a protocol for selecting packages of retrofits that both save energy and improve IEQ in apartments. The protocol specifies the methodology for selecting retrofits from a candidate list while addressing expected energy savings, IEQ impacts, and costs in an integrated manner. Interviews, inspections and measurements are specified to collect the needed input information. The protocol was applied to 17 apartments in three buildings in two different climates within California. Diagnostic measurements and surveys conducted before and after retrofit implementation indicate enhanced apartment performance.

  19. Thermal comfort and market niches for apartment buildings: impact of the current Thermal Regulation in the private real estate market in Santiago de Chile

    OpenAIRE

    Encinas Pino, Felipe; De Herde, André; Aguirre Núñez, Carlos; Marmolejo Duarte, Carlos

    2009-01-01

    Almost a decade has passed since Chile begins to implement a Thermal Regulation for dwellings, which established a minimum requirement for each building component, according to different climatic zones. This article proposes a series of dynamic simulations, in order to assess the thermal comfort (during winter and summer) of apartments in Santiago de Chile for lower and upper middle class. Some building typologies were defined by means of the two stage clustering methodology. These were built...

  20. Does apartment's distance to an in-built transformer room predict magnetic field exposure levels?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huss, Anke; Goris, Kelly; Vermeulen, Roel; Kromhout, Hans

    2013-01-01

    It has been shown that magnetic field exposure in apartments located directly on top or adjacent to transformer rooms is higher compared with exposure in apartments located further away from the transformer rooms. It is unclear whether this also translates into exposure contrast among individuals living in these apartments. We performed spot measurements of magnetic fields in 35 apartments in 14 apartment buildings with an in-built transformer and additionally performed 24-h personal measurements in a subsample of 24 individuals. Apartments placed directly on top of or adjacent to a transformer room had on average exposures of 0.42 μT, apartments on the second floor on top of a transformer room, or sharing a corner or edge with the transformer room had 0.11 μT, and apartments located further away from the transformer room had levels of 0.06 μT. Personal exposure levels were approximately a factor 2 lower compared with apartment averages, but still showed exposure contrasts, but only for those individuals who live in the apartments directly on top or adjacent to a transformer room compared with those living further away, with 0.23 versus 0.06 μT for personal exposure when indoors, respectively. A classification of individuals into 'high' and 'low' exposed based on the location of their apartment within a building with an in-built transformer is possible and could be applied in future epidemiological studies.

  1. A Study on the Analysis of CO2 Emissions of Apartment Housing in the Construction Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonggeon Lee

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent research in the construction industry has focused on the reduction of CO2 emission using quantitative assessment of building life. However, most of this research has focused on the operational stage of a building’s life cycle. Few comprehensive studies of CO2 emissions during building construction have been performed. The purpose of this study is to analyze the CO2 emissions of an apartment housing during the construction process. The quantity of CO2 emissions associated with the utilization of selected building materials and construction equipment were used to estimate the CO2 emissions related to the apartment housing life cycle. In order to set the system boundary for the construction materials, equipment, and transportation used, 13 types of construction work were identified; then the CO2 emissions produced by the identified materials were calculated for each type of construction work. The comprehensive results showed that construction work involving reinforced concrete accounted for more than 73% of the total CO2 emissions. The CO2 emissions related to reinforced concrete work was mainly due to transportation from the supplier to the construction site. Therefore, at the time that reinforced concrete is being supplied, shipping distance and fuel economy management of concrete transportation vehicles should be considered thoroughly for significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

  2. Disposal of Kitchen Waste from High Rise Apartment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ori, Kirki; Bharti, Ajay; Kumar, Sunil

    2017-09-01

    The high rise building has numbers of floor and rooms having variety of users or tenants for residential purposes. The huge quantities of heterogenous mixtures of domestic food waste are generated from every floor of the high rise residential buildings. Disposal of wet and biodegradable domestic kitchen waste from high rise buildings are more expensive in regards of collection and vertical transportation. This work is intended to address the technique to dispose of the wet organic food waste from the high rise buildings or multistory building at generation point with the advantage of gravity and vermicomposting technique. This innovative effort for collection and disposal of wet organic solid waste from high rise apartment is more economical and hygienic in comparison with present system of disposal.

  3. Apartment building built to passive-house standard with solar balanced ventilation system; Mehrfamilien-Passivhaus mit solarem Luftsystem. Lueftung/Luftheizung/WRG/Solarfassade an der Rychenbergstrasse, Winterthur - Schlussbericht

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guetermann, A.

    2002-04-15

    This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) deals with an apartment building in Winterthur, Switzerland, built to passive-house standards and equipped with a solar balanced ventilation system. The building and its convective solar facade are described, as are the fan-assisted, balanced ventilation systems used. The operation of the systems in winter, during transitional periods and in summer is discussed. Domestic hot water preparation is looked at. The energy balance of the building is examined, as is the economic viability of the energy systems. The building, its energy installations and the measurement concept used are considered in detail. Finally, the findings of the study are summarised and commented on.

  4. The occurrence of legionalla in hot water distribution systems of some Finnish apartment and office buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zacheus, O M; Kuittinen, M H; Martikainen, P J [National Public Health Institute, Dept. Environ. Hyg. and Toxicol., Kuopio (FI)

    1991-01-01

    A project concerning the effect of water temperature and water quality on the microbiology of hot water distribution systems in Finnish apartment and office buildings was started in 1989. Here we report preliminary results on the occurrence of legionella. Samples were taken from showerpipes and from hot water mains before and after calorifiers of 17 buildings. Water temperature in the showerpipes ranged from 39 to 55 deg. C. Water temperature before calorifiers ranged from 40 to 52 deg. C and after them from 39 to 59 deg. C. Water temperature did not explain well the occurrence of legionalla. Legionalla pneumophila was isolated from six systems. The isolates were serogroups 1, 5 and 6. Legionella concentrations in positive samples ranged from 100 to 350 000 CFU/l. Highest concentrations of legionalla were obtained from showerpipes and hot water mains before calorifiers. Four legionella positive distribution systems were decontaminated by raising the water temperature to 60-70 deg. C and cleaning taps and showerheads, and flushing them twice a day. The numbers of legionellas in the hot water mains fell below detection limit (50 CFU/l) and their numbers also decreased in showerpipes. Decontamination failed in some parts of the distribution systems where water temperature remained below 60 deg. C. (author) 26 refs.

  5. Building America Case Study: Retrofitting Garden-Style Apartments, Brooklyn, New York

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    H. Nolen, S. Maxwell, R. Neri, J. Grab

    2016-12-01

    This research effort sought to achieve a solution package that yields energy savings greater than 30 percent over the pre-existing conditions in a minimally intrusive multifamily retrofit project. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) partnered with L+M Development Partners, Inc. on a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program project, Marcus Garvey Village, in Brooklyn, NY (Climate Zone 4A). The Mitchell-Lama Housing Program is a form of housing subsidy in the state of New York that provides affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate- and middle-income families. Marcus Garvey Village was founded in 1975 and contains 625 residential units (ranging from studios to 5-bedroom units) in thirty-two 4-story garden-style apartment structures built with concrete and faced in light brown brick. The single largest challenge for implementation of energy conservation measures at Marcus Garvey was working within occupied spaces. Measures are being implemented in phases to minimize disruption. As of August 2015, the retrofit work is over 50 percent complete. The wall insulation, sealing of the through wall AC vent, and installation of new oil-filled electric baseboards with advanced controls are conducted at one time, limiting disruption to the living room space. In a similar fashion, the kitchen work is done, then the bathroom. The final selection of energy conservation measures is projected to save 26.5 percent in source energy with a cost just under $3.7 million and utility bill savings of nearly $480,000 (of an average $1.8 million annual utility cost for the development).

  6. Energy efficient ventilation based on demand humidity control. Demonstration project with 49 apartments in Soenderborg

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-09-01

    The aim of the project is to demonstrate how the overall energy consumption in apartment buildings can be reduced through a combination of: 1) Energy efficient ventilation based on demand humidity control; 2) Energy efficient design of the building shell including passive solar and seasonally flexible sunspaces; 3) Use of low temperature heating system. The 3 blocks in the project, each with 16 apartments, are furnished with 3 different ventilation systems: 1) Standard exhaust system according to building codes; 2) Ventilation system with humidity control. Each room is furnished with an air inlet valve controlled by a processor, which monitors the humidity; 3) Standard ventilation system with heat recovery. (au)

  7. Effects of types of ventilation system on indoor particle concentrations in residential buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, J S; Jee, N-Y; Jeong, J-W

    2014-12-01

    The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of ventilation systems on indoor particle concentrations in residential buildings. Fifteen occupied, single-family apartments were selected from three sites. The three sites have three different ventilation systems: unbalanced mechanical ventilation, balanced mechanical ventilation, and natural ventilation. Field measurements were conducted between April and June 2012, when outdoor air temperatures were comfortable. Number concentrations of particles, PM2.5 and CO2 , were continuously measured both outdoors and indoors. In the apartments with natural ventilation, I/O ratios of particle number concentrations ranged from 0.56 to 0.72 for submicron particles, and from 0.25 to 0.60 for particles larger than 1.0 μm. The daily average indoor particle concentration decreased to 50% below the outdoor level for submicron particles and 25% below the outdoor level for fine particles, when the apartments were mechanically ventilated. The two mechanical ventilation systems reduced the I/O ratios by 26% for submicron particles and 65% for fine particles compared with the natural ventilation. These results showed that mechanical ventilation can reduce exposure to outdoor particles in residential buildings. Results of this study confirm that mechanical ventilation with filtration can significantly reduce indoor particle levels compared with natural ventilation. The I/O ratios of particles substantially varied at the naturally ventilated apartments because of the influence of variable window opening conditions and unsteadiness of wind flow on the penetration of outdoor air particles. For better prediction of the exposure to outdoor particles in naturally ventilated residential buildings, it is important to understand the penetration of outdoor particles with variable window opening conditions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. JEDDAH HISTORICAL BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING "JHBIM" OLD JEDDAH – SAUDI ARABIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Baik

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The historic city of Jeddah faces serious issues in the conservation, documentation and recording of its valuable building stock. Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Architectural Photogrammetry have already been used in many Heritage sites in the world. The integration of heritage recording and Building Information Modelling (BIM has been introduced as HBIM and is now a method to document and manage these buildings. In the last decade many traditional surveying methods were used to record the buildings in Old Jeddah. However, these methods take a long time, can sometimes provide unreliable information and often lack completeness. This paper will look at another approach for heritage recording by using the Jeddah Historical Building Information Modelling (JHBIM.

  9. Simulation of thermal indoor climate in buildings by using human Projected Area Factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Jørgen Erik

    2009-01-01

    Nowadays many new and old buildings in Denmark have large glass surfaces. This is a consequence of the technical development of windows with low U-values that has made it possible to build houses with windows from floor to ceiling in northern climates. On the other hand if one is sitting close to...... for dynamic building thermal analysis. The method is demonstrated in a newer apartment with windows from floor to ceiling and shows how impotent it is to include the radiant effect from the glass sur-faces and how it influences the indoor thermal climate significantly.......Nowadays many new and old buildings in Denmark have large glass surfaces. This is a consequence of the technical development of windows with low U-values that has made it possible to build houses with windows from floor to ceiling in northern climates. On the other hand if one is sitting close...

  10. Old materials and techniques to improve the durability of earth buildings

    OpenAIRE

    Camões, Aires; Eires, R.; Jalali, Said

    2012-01-01

    Quite a big part of the world’s heritage is still made by earth constructions. The durability of the existent heritage, as well as the new earth buildings is particularly conditioned by erosion caused by water action, especially in countries with high rainfall index. With this research one intends to value the ancient knowledge in order to allow higher durability. Analysing the old building techniques to protect the earth material from the water action it is possible to understand how ear...

  11. West Village Student Housing Phase I: Apartment Monitoring and Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    German, A.; Bell, C.; Dakin, B.; Hoeschele, M.

    2014-06-01

    Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) worked with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the developer partner West Village Community Partnership (WVCP) to evaluate performance on 192 student apartments completed in September, 2011 as part of Phase I of the multi-purpose West Village project. West Village, the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States. The campus neighborhood is designed to enable faculty, staff and students to affordably live near campus, take advantage of environmentally friendly transportation options, and participate fully in campus life. The aggressive energy efficiency measures that are incorporated in the design contribute to source energy reductions of 37% over the B10 Benchmark. The energy efficiency measures that are incorporated into these apartments include increased wall & attic insulation, high performance windows, high efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling, central heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), 100% high efficacy lighting, and ENERGY STAR major appliances. Results discuss how measured energy use compares to modeling estimates over a 10 month monitoring period and includes a cost effective evaluation.

  12. AN OPTIMALIZATION OF NATURAL LIGHTING BY APPLYING AUTOMATIC LIGHTING USING MOTION SENSOR AND LUX SENSOR FOR HISTORICAL OLD BUILDINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeful Bahri

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT One of the problems that occurs within city centres, particularly within capital cities, is the existence of many historical old buildings. Historical old buildings within city centres, that have abandoned for years because of their condition, suffer from a lack of utilities, infrastructure and facilities [2][3]. These conditions occur because of low levels of maintenance arising as a consequence of a lack of finance of the owner of a building, be they government or private sector. To solve the problem of abandoned historical old buildings, the concept of adaptive reuse can be adopted and applied. This concept of adaptive reuse may continously cover the cost of building maintenance. The adaptive reuse concept usually covers the interior of a building and its utilities, though the need for utilities depends on the function of a building [4]. By adopting a concept of adaptive reuse, new building functions will be designed as the needs and demand of the market dictate, and which is appropriate for feasibility study. One utility element that has to be designed for historical old buildings is the provision of lighting within a building. To minimize the cost of building maintenance, one of the solutions is to optimize natural lighting and to minimize the use of artificial lighting such as lamps. This paper will discuss the extent to which artificial lighting can be minimized by using automatic lighting; the automatic lighting types discussed in this paper are lighting controlled by motion sensor and lux sensor. Keywords: Natural lighting, automatic lighting, motion sensor, lux sensor, historical old buildings ABSTRAK Salah satu permasalahan yang muncul dalam sebuah kota metropolitan, khususnya sebuah ibukota adalah keberadaan dari banyaknya bangunan-bangunan tua bersejarah. Bangunan-bangunan tua bersejarah dalam sebuah kota besar terutama yang diabaikan selama bertahun-tahun biasanya disebabkan karena kondisinya yang menua, minimnya utilitas

  13. Mine subsidence event at Washington West Apartments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, D.B.; Weber, M.W.; Purdy, J.; Acker, P.

    1994-01-01

    A major mine subsidence event occurred in Scranton, PA in early 1993. The initial damage included breakage of gas and water lines, cracking of pavements and sidewalks, and architectural damage to the seven-story apartment building that houses about 150 elderly persons. Visible damage include a 3/4-in dilation of the expansion joint separating the building, approximately 200 interior and exterior cracks, and distress to utility lines. The Office of Surface mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) funded an integrated geotechnical and structural engineering investigation to determine the cause of the subsidence, the limits of affected areas, and the nature of damage to the building. Work included interior surveys, exterior surveys, installation of crack gages, eight subsurface borings, review of building design drawings, review of geologic and mining data, and structural analysis of the rigid steel frame building. The surveys showed the building had undergone movements consisting of a lateral translation, a longitudinal differential settlement, and a transverse differential settlement. Preliminary structural analyses showed that the differential settlements had introduced significant additional stresses in some of the building columns. This paper provides a case history of the cause and effects of the subsidence event. The techniques used to collect and analyze the data are presented along with the findings of the geotechnical and structural engineering investigations. The paper also describes emergency actions that were implemented, the remedial alternatives that were considered, and the method selected as the recommended alternative

  14. Building characteristics, indoor air quality and recurrent wheezing in very young children (BAMSE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emenius, G; Svartengren, M; Korsgaard, J; Nordvall, L; Pershagen, G; Wickman, M

    2004-02-01

    This study was conducted to examine the impact of building characteristics and indoor air quality on recurrent wheezing in infants. We followed a birth cohort (BAMSE) comprising 4089 children, born in predefined areas of Stockholm, during their first 2 years of life. Information on exposures was obtained from parental questionnaires when the children were 2 months and on symptoms and diseases when the children were 1 and 2 years old. Children with recurrent wheezing, and two age-matched controls per case, were identified and enrolled in a nested case-control study. The homes were investigated and ventilation rate, humidity, temperature and NO2 measured. We found that living in an apartment erected after 1939, or in a private home with crawl space/concrete slab foundation were associated with an increased risk of recurrent wheezing, odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (1.3-4.8) and 2.5 (1.1-5.4), respectively. The same was true for living in homes with absolute indoor humidity >5.8 g/kg, OR 1.7 (1.0-2.9) and in homes where windowpane condensation was consistently reported over several years, OR 2.2 (1.1-4.5). However, air change rate and type of ventilation system did not seem to affect the risk. In conclusion, relatively new apartment buildings, single-family homes with crawl space/concrete slab foundation, elevated indoor humidity, and reported wintertime windowpane condensation were associated with recurrent wheezing in infants. Thus, improvements of the building quality may have potential to prevent infant wheezing.

  15. Developing empirical collapse fragility functions for global building types

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaiswal, K.; Wald, D.; D'Ayala, D.

    2011-01-01

    Building collapse is the dominant cause of casualties during earthquakes. In order to better predict human fatalities, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) program requires collapse fragility functions for global building types. The collapse fragility is expressed as the probability of collapse at discrete levels of the input hazard defined in terms of macroseismic intensity. This article provides a simple procedure for quantifying collapse fragility using vulnerability criteria based on the European Macroseismic Scale (1998) for selected European building types. In addition, the collapse fragility functions are developed for global building types by fitting the beta distribution to the multiple experts’ estimates for the same building type (obtained from EERI’s World Housing Encyclopedia (WHE)-PAGER survey). Finally, using the collapse probability distributions at each shaking intensity level as a prior and field-based collapse-rate observations as likelihood, it is possible to update the collapse fragility functions for global building types using the Bayesian procedure.

  16. Classification of Building Object Types

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Kaj Asbjørn

    2011-01-01

    made. This is certainly the case in the Danish development. Based on the theories about these abstraction mechanisms, the basic principles for classification systems are presented and the observed misconceptions are analyses and explained. Furthermore, it is argued that the purpose of classification...... systems has changed and that new opportunities should be explored. Some proposals for new applications are presented and carefully aligned with IT opportunities. Especially, the use of building modelling will give new benefits and many of the traditional uses of classification systems will instead...... be managed by software applications and on the basis of building models. Classification systems with taxonomies of building object types have many application opportunities but can still be beneficial in data exchange between building construction partners. However, this will be performed by new methods...

  17. The Observation Of Defects Of School Buildings Over 100 Years Old In Perak

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alauddin Kartina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Malaysia is blessed with a rich legacy of heritage buildings with unique architectural and historical values. The heritage buildings become a symbol of the national identity of our country. Therefore, heritage buildings, as important monuments should be conserved well to ensure the extension of the building’s life span and to make sure continuity functions of the building for future generations. The aim of this study is to analyze the types of defects attached in school buildings over 100 years located in Perak. The data were collected in four different schools aged over 100 years in Perak. The finding of the study highlighted the types of defects which were categorized based on building elements, including external wall, roof, door, ceiling, staircase, column, internal wall, floor and windows. Finding showed that the type of defects occurred in school buildings over 100 years in Perak is the same as the other heritage buildings. This finding can be used by all parties to take serious actions in preventing defects from occurring in buildings over 100 years. This would ensure that buildings’ functional life span can be extended for future use.

  18. The History of the Austin College Building and Old Main at Sam Houston State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Erin; Shields, Samantha

    2017-01-01

    Austin Hall and Old Main serve as the heart of what is now Sam Houston State University. The buildings' rich histories help one to understand how Sam Houston State University and its proud teacher education heritage came to be. To begin with Austin Hall's story, the University's original building has a unique and interesting tale that journeys…

  19. Solar-assisted gas-energy water-heating feasibility for apartments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, E. S.

    1975-01-01

    Studies of residential energy use, solar-energy technology for buildings, and the requirements for implementing technology in the housing industry led to a project to develop a solar water heater for apartments. A design study for a specific apartment was used to establish a solar water-heater cost model which is based on plumbing contractor bids and manufacturer estimates. The cost model was used to size the system to minimize the annualized cost of hot water. The annualized cost of solar-assisted gas-energy water heating is found to be less expensive than electric water heating but more expensive than gas water heating. The feasibility of a natural gas utility supplying the auxiliary fuel is evaluated. It is estimated that gas-utilizing companies will find it profitable to offer solar water heating as part of a total energy service option or on a lease basis when the price of new base-load supplies of natural gas reaches $2.50-$3.00 per million Btu.

  20. High-rise build renovation - Colouring a high-rise building's facade; Renovation des Hochhauses Schoppi Spreitenbach. Farbigkeit einer Hochhausfassade

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Enkerli, W.

    2008-07-01

    This illustrated article takes a look at the renovation of the 70-metres high, high-rise apartment building that forms an integral part of a large shopping centre in Spreitenbach, Switzerland. The buildings and their infrastructure, realised in 1970, were in need of renovation. The facade elements no longer met energy requirements and the shopping mall was to be extended to meet modern shopping needs. The article deals with the technical and aesthetic requirements placed on the facades. The colour concept for the venetian blinds integrated into the windows, which includes the use of 20 different shades of colour, is described. A total of 3,200 blinds are fitted. The removal of the old window elements and the fitting of the new facade elements is described and discussed.

  1. Influence of Indoor Environment and Occupant Behaviour on Energy Consumption in Passive House Apartments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skød Søvsø, Asger; Peuhkuri, Ruut; Andersen, Rune Korsholm

    2015-01-01

    In 2012 Køge Boligselskab built 9 building blocks totalling 126 passive house apartments. Their monitored space heating demand (SHD) has been a lot higher than the passive house requirements. The aim of this study was to identify why, and how it relates to indoor environment and occupant behaviour...

  2. Climate Change and Buildings Energy Efficiency - the Key Role of Residents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miezis, Martins; Zvaigznitis, Kristaps; Stancioff, Nicholas; Soeftestad, Lars

    2016-05-01

    Eastern Europe today is confronted with an unavoidable problem - the multifamily apartment building stock is deteriorating but apartment owners do not have sufficient access to resources be they organizational, financial, technical or legal. In addition, destructive myths have grown about the Soviet era buildings despite their continued resilience or the ex- GDR experience in the 90s with the same buildings. Further, without resources, decision making in residential apartments is seen as a major obstacle and used as an explanation why renovation has not taken place in Latvia. This is important not only in the context of a potential housing crisis but also because the renovation of the apartment buildings is an effective solution to significantly reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It has a proven potential to effectively finance the long term renovation of these buildings. This paper summarizes the first findings of a comprehensive and in-depth study of apartment buildings, their owners and the processes relating to renovation, combining social and environmental engineering research methods. It seeks to understand how owners of multi-family buildings in Eastern Europe understand their buildings and then to answer two questions - how to motivate owners to renovate their homes and increase energy efficiency and what business models should be used to implement economically viable and high quality projects.

  3. Climate Change and Buildings Energy Efficiency – the Key Role of Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miezis Martins

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Eastern Europe today is confronted with an unavoidable problem - the multifamily apartment building stock is deteriorating but apartment owners do not have sufficient access to resources be they organizational, financial, technical or legal. In addition, destructive myths have grown about the Soviet era buildings despite their continued resilience or the ex- GDR experience in the 90s with the same buildings. Further, without resources, decision making in residential apartments is seen as a major obstacle and used as an explanation why renovation has not taken place in Latvia. This is important not only in the context of a potential housing crisis but also because the renovation of the apartment buildings is an effective solution to significantly reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It has a proven potential to effectively finance the long term renovation of these buildings. This paper summarizes the first findings of a comprehensive and in-depth study of apartment buildings, their owners and the processes relating to renovation, combining social and environmental engineering research methods. It seeks to understand how owners of multi-family buildings in Eastern Europe understand their buildings and then to answer two questions - how to motivate owners to renovate their homes and increase energy efficiency and what business models should be used to implement economically viable and high quality projects.

  4. Residents’ Experiences of Privacy and Comfort in Multi-Storey Apartment Dwellings in Subtropical Brisbane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosemary Kennedy

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Dwellings in multi-storey apartment buildings (MSAB are predicted to increase dramatically as a proportion of housing stock in subtropical cities over coming decades. The problem of designing comfortable and healthy high-density residential environments and minimising energy consumption must be addressed urgently in subtropical cities globally. This paper explores private residents’ experiences of privacy and comfort and their perceptions of how well their apartment dwelling modulated the external environment in subtropical conditions through analysis of 636 survey responses and 24 interviews with residents of MSAB in inner urban neighbourhoods of Brisbane, Australia. The findings show that the availability of natural ventilation and outdoor private living spaces play important roles in resident perceptions of liveability in the subtropics where the climate is conducive to year round “outdoor living”. Residents valued choice with regard to climate control methods in their apartments. They overwhelmingly preferred natural ventilation to manage thermal comfort, and turned to the air-conditioner for limited periods, particularly when external conditions were too noisy. These findings provide a unique evidence base for reducing the environmental impact of MSAB and increasing the acceptability of apartment living, through incorporating residential attributes positioned around climate-responsive architecture.

  5. Seismic Behavior and Retrofit of Concrete Columns of Old R.C. Buildings Reinforced With Plain Bars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marefat, M. S.; Arani, K. Karbasi; Shirazi, S. M. Hassanzadeh; Amrollahi, A.

    2008-01-01

    Seismic rehabilitation of old buildings has been a major challenge in recent years. The first step in seismic rehabilitation is evaluation of the existing capacity and the seismic behaviour. For investigation of the seismic behaviour of RC members of a real old building in Iran which has been designed and constructed by European engineers in 1940, three half-scale column specimens reinforced with plain bars have been tested. The tests indicate significant differences between the responses of specimens reinforced by plain bars relative to those reinforced by deformed bars. A regular pattern of cracking and a relatively brittle behaviour was observed while a relatively large residual strength appeared after sudden drop of initial strength and stiffness due to slip of longitudinal bars

  6. Condition Assessment of the Timber Structures of a Century-Old Industrial Building Using a Nondestructive Inspection Procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiping Wang; Marko Teder; James Wacker

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports an in situ inspection project conducted on heavy timber structures of a century-old industrial building at a paper manufacturing facility. A nondestructive inspection procedure was employed to evaluate the true condition of the heavy timbers that serve as the main framing structure of the building. The on-site investigation involved monitoring of the...

  7. Efficacy of an Essential Oil-Based Pesticide for Controlling Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius Infestations in Apartment Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changlu Wang

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L. and Cimex hemipterus F. are among the most difficult urban pests to manage. Many essential oil-based bed bug control products that are considered reduced risk to mammals compared to synthetic insect neurotoxins have become commercially available, but their effectiveness as a stand-alone control method is unknown. This study assessed the field efficacy of an essential oil-based bed bug control product (EcoRaider; a.i. 1% geraniol + 1% cedar oil + 2% sodium lauryl sulfate compared to a pyrethroid and neonicotinoid mixture spray (0.075% Temprid SC; a.i. beta-cyfluthrin + imidacloprid. After 12 weeks, the three treatments—EcoRaider, Temprid SC, and EcoRaider + Temprid SC caused 92.5 ± 2.7, 92.9 ± 3.0, and 91.7% ± 2.7% bed bug count reduction, respectively. No significant differences existed in the bed bug reduction among the treatments. Bed bugs were eliminated from only 22% of the treated apartments. Among those still with bed bugs, 76% of the residents did not know bed bugs were present. We documented the residents’ self-control practices and discussed the potential of using essential oil-based insecticides in bed bug management programs to minimize the health risks to building occupants and pets and to slow down the development of insecticide resistance.

  8. Coalition Building for Health: A Community Garden Pilot Project with Apartment Dwelling Refugees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eggert, Lynne K; Blood-Siegfried, Jane; Champagne, Mary; Al-Jumaily, Maha; Biederman, Donna J

    2015-01-01

    Refugees often experience compromised health from both pre- and post-migration stressors. Coalition theory has helped guide the development of targeted programs to address the health care needs of vulnerable populations. Using the Community Coalition Action Theory as a framework, a coalition was formed to implement a community garden with apartment-dwelling refugees. Outcomes included successful coalition formation, a community garden, reported satisfaction from all gardeners with increased vegetable intake, access to culturally meaningful foods, and evidence of increased community engagement. The opportunity for community health nurses to convene a coalition to affect positive health for refugees is demonstrated.

  9. Forensic entomology of high-rise buildings in Malaysia: Three case reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syamsa, R A; Omar, B; Zuha, R M; Faridah, M N; Swarhib, M S; Hidayatulfathi, O; Shahrom, A W

    2015-06-01

    The distributions of flies are not only confined to ground level but can also be at higher altitudes. Here, we report three forensic cases involving dipterans in high-rise buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Case 1 involved a corpse of adult female found at the top floor of a fifteen-story apartment. Case 2 dealt with a body of a 75-year-old female discovered in a bedroom on the eleventh floor of an eighteen-story building, while Case 3 was a 52-year-old male found in his fifth floor shop house. Interestingly, entomological analysis revealed that all corpses were infested with similar Dipterans: Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae), Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Wulp) (Diptera: Muscidae) and sarcophagid (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The first two species were commonly associated with corpses found indoors at ground level. We noted the additional occurrence of blowflies Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae in Case 2 and Case 3, respectively. Findings from this study are significant as they demonstrate that certain groups of fly can locate dead bodies even in high-rise buildings. Forensic entomofauna research on corpses found at high elevation is scarce and our study has highlighted the peculiarity of the fly species involved in Malaysia.

  10. Indoor Air Quality of Residential Building Before and After Renovation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánka, Imrich; Földváry, Veronika

    2017-06-01

    This study investigates the impact of energy renovation on the indoor air quality of an apartment building during the heating season. The study was performed in one residential building before and after its renovation. An evaluation of the indoor air quality was performed using objective measurements and a subjective survey. The concentration of CO2 was measured in the bedrooms, and a sampling of the total volatile compounds (TVOC) was performed in the living rooms of the selected apartments. Higher concentrations of CO2 and TVOC were observed in the residential building after its renovation. The concentrations of CO2, and TVOC in some of the cases exceeded the recommended maximum limits, especially after implementing energy-saving measures on the building. The average air exchange rate was visibly higher before the renovation of the building. The current study indicates that large-scale renovations may reduce the quality of an indoor environment in many apartments, especially in the winter season.

  11. Dose Evaluation of Neutron within Containment Building of a CE type Nuclear Power Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Tae Wook; Han, Jae Mun; Kim, Kyung Doek; Yun, Cheol Whan; Suh, Jang Soo; Kim, Young Jae [Nuclear Environment Technology Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-03-15

    From measured results of the neutron fields at some principal places within the containment building in a CE type nuclear power plant in operation, the radiation exposure of a worker to the neutron at there was evaluated and the equivalent dose reflecting new recommendation (ICRP 60) was compared with that doing the old one (ICRP 26). The measured neutron field was also compared with calibration neutron field. From the analysis, the following conclusion was obtained: the average neutron radiation weighting factor according to new recommendation is 2.41 to 2.71 times higher than the old one. The average neutron radiation weighting factor at the measured place was similar to that at calibration neutron field. The average neutron energy at measured place was between 42 and 158 keV and higher than that of calibration field of 500 keV. So, the measured equivalent dose in nuclear power plant could be overestimated compared to the real equivalent dose.

  12. Residential building energy estimation method based on the application of artificial intelligence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marshall, S.; Kajl, S.

    1999-07-01

    The energy requirements of a residential building five to twenty-five stories high can be measured using a newly proposed analytical method based on artificial intelligence. The method is fast and provides a wide range of results such as total energy consumption values, power surges, and heating or cooling consumption values. A series of database were created to take into account the particularities which influence the energy consumption of a building. In this study, DOE-2 software was created for use in 8 apartment models. A total of 27 neural networks were used, 3 for the estimation of energy consumption in the corridor, and 24 for inside the apartments. Three user interfaces were created to facilitate the estimation of energy consumption. These were named the Energy Estimation Assistance System (EEAS) interfaces and are only accessible using MATLAB software. The input parameters for EEAS are: climatic region, exterior wall resistance, roofing resistance, type of windows, infiltration, number of storeys, and corridor ventilation system operating schedule. By changing the parameters, the EEAS can determine annual heating, cooling and basic energy consumption levels for apartments and corridors. 2 tabs., 2 figs.

  13. Risk aversion and willingness to pay for energy efficient systems in rental apartments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farsi, Mehdi [Centre for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zuerichbergstr. 18, Zurich 8032 (Switzerland)

    2010-06-15

    This paper uses a random utility model to estimate consumers' valuation of energy efficient insulation and ventilation systems in rental apartments. Given consumers' limited experience in residential buildings and the perceived uncertainty about their comfort benefits and resulting energy savings, these relatively new technologies might be undervalued by risk-averse consumers. Using the concept of certainty-equivalence, this paper proposes a model to assess the consumers' risk-aversion for adopting energy-efficient systems. These systems are treated as risky assets while conventional commodities are assumed to be risk-free. The curvature of the utility function is interpreted as a measure of aversion to perceived risks as opposed to explicit risks measured by observed variances. The proposed formulation is applicable in stated preference data with qualitative variables. The model is applied to data from a choice experiment conducted among 264 apartment tenants in Switzerland. The estimated curvatures reject the risk-neutrality hypothesis. The range of the estimated risk premiums suggests that risk considerations remain a central issue in dealing with energy efficiency in residential buildings. The analysis also indicates that assuming same risk attitudes toward new and conventional systems could bias the estimates of the willingness to pay, especially when the system is comprised of several components. (author)

  14. Risk aversion and willingness to pay for energy efficient systems in rental apartments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farsi, Mehdi

    2010-01-01

    This paper uses a random utility model to estimate consumers' valuation of energy efficient insulation and ventilation systems in rental apartments. Given consumers' limited experience in residential buildings and the perceived uncertainty about their comfort benefits and resulting energy savings, these relatively new technologies might be undervalued by risk-averse consumers. Using the concept of certainty-equivalence, this paper proposes a model to assess the consumers' risk-aversion for adopting energy-efficient systems. These systems are treated as risky assets while conventional commodities are assumed to be risk-free. The curvature of the utility function is interpreted as a measure of aversion to perceived risks as opposed to explicit risks measured by observed variances. The proposed formulation is applicable in stated preference data with qualitative variables. The model is applied to data from a choice experiment conducted among 264 apartment tenants in Switzerland. The estimated curvatures reject the risk-neutrality hypothesis. The range of the estimated risk premiums suggests that risk considerations remain a central issue in dealing with energy efficiency in residential buildings. The analysis also indicates that assuming same risk attitudes toward new and conventional systems could bias the estimates of the willingness to pay, especially when the system is comprised of several components.

  15. A comparison of three types of autobiographical memories in old-old age: first memories, pivotal memories and traumatic memories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen-Mansfield, Jiska; Shmotkin, Dov; Eyal, Nitza; Reichental, Yael; Hazan, Haim

    2010-01-01

    Autobiographical memory enables us to construct a personal narrative through which we identify ourselves. Especially important are memories of formative events. This study describes autobiographical memories of people who have reached old-old age (85 years and above), studying 3 types of memories of particular impact on identity and adaptation: first memories, pivotal memories and traumatic memories. In this paper, we examine the content, characteristic themes and environments, and structural characteristics of each of the 3 types of memory. The participants were 26 persons from a larger longitudinal study with an average age of 91 years; half were men and the other half women. The study integrated qualitative and quantitative tools. An open-ended questionnaire included questions about the participants' life story as well as questions about the 3 types of memories. The responses were rated by 3 independent judges on dimensions of central themes and structural characteristics. First memories had a more positive emotional tone, more references to characters from the participant's social circle, a stronger sense of group belonging, and a more narrative style than the other types of memories. Pivotal and traumatic memories were described as more personal than first memories. The 3 types of memories reflect different stages in life development, which together form a sense of identity. They present experiences from the past on select themes, which may assist in the complex task of coping with the difficulties and limitations that advanced old age presents. Future research should examine the functional role of those memories and whether they enable the old-old to support selfhood in the challenging period of last changes and losses. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  16. Assessment of indoor air in Austrian apartments with and without visible mold growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, D.; Habib, J.; Galler, H.; Buzina, W.; Schlacher, R.; Marth, E.; Reinthaler, F. F.

    Fungal spores are transported across great distances in the outdoor air and are also regularly found indoors. Building conditions and behavior-related problems in apartments may lead to massive growth of mold within a very short period of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the visible growth of mold indoors influences the concentration of fungal spores in the air as well as the variety of their species. Samples were collected from 66 households in Austria. For each sampling, the corresponding outdoor air was measured as reference value. The size of the visible mold growth was categorized in order to correlate the extent of mold growth with the concentration of airborne spores as well as the fungal genera. In order to determine fungal spore concentrations in the air, the one-stage MAS-100 ® air sampler was used. Malt extract agar (MEA) and dichloran glycerol agar (DG18) plates were used as culture media. The total colony forming units (CFU) per m 3 were determined. The fungi were identified from the isolated colonies. The results show that in apartments visibly affected by mold, the median values were significantly higher than those of apartments without visible mold growth. The extent of visible mold growth is significantly correlated with both concentration of fungal spores ( pPenicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. ( pPenicillium and Aspergillus in the air of apartments is recommended for assessing fungal exposure.

  17. A Note on Ko-Type O-Ending Syllables in Old Japanese

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unger, J. Marshall

    1975-01-01

    Further evidence is offered to support the argument that ko-type o-ending syllables may have been secondary in nature in Old Japanese. Pre-Old Japanese indicates the */uwa/ sequence was manifested as /uwe/ and /uwu/ endings of o-ending syllable verbs. (SCC)

  18. Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 in a 12-year-old ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 in a 12-year-old Ugandan girl. ... Journal of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa ... Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS-1), also known as autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasisectodermal dystrophy syndrome, is a very rare disorder of ...

  19. Contemporary facades of multistorey residential buildings in Kiev: Videoecological aspect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kozlova Nataliia

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to one of the actual problems concerning the current state of the facades on apartment buildings in residential districts in Kiev - videoecology. The main purpose of the article is to determine the degree of visual aggressiveness of multistorey residential buildings in Kiev. It also investigates the problem of finding the optimal criteria for creating an ecologically healthy and friendly inhabited environment in the capital city of Ukraine. The modern visual environment in the capital is contaminated, not only because of the increasing numbers of promotional billboards, but also because of the contemporary architecture of high-rise buildings such as office buildings, apartment buildings. Their composition is usually based on a simple description of a rhythm. There are also repetitions of the end parts of buildings in “lowercase” buildings, which are high-rise buildings that alternate with nine or identical apartment groups. It creates a sense of oppressive monotony and leads to psychological and visual fatigue, especially when these repetitions are the only pattern the eye perceives. In the article a theoretical block of ecological-aesthetic criteria is defined, which must be met by the modern architecture facades of multistorey residential houses in Kiev.

  20. Changes in Sunlight and Outdoor Thermal Environment Conditions Based on the Layout Plan of Flat Type Apartment Houses

    OpenAIRE

    Jung, Sukjin; Yoon, Seonghwan

    2015-01-01

    Economic growths lead to population increases in large cities. This has brought about the growing necessity for apartment housing which has resulted in higher density populations living in high-rise apartment complexes. Therefore, the urban microclimate is aggravated due to the increasing ratio of artificial coverage and substandard daylight availability. To achieve a comfortable living environment and improve urban microclimates, a process considering the daylight availability and the outdo...

  1. Full-scale test of an old heritage multi-storey building undergoing energy retrofitting with focus on internal insulation and moisture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harrestrup, Maria; Svendsen, Svend

    2015-01-01

    The hypothesis investigated in this article is: it is possible to carry out moisture safe energy renovations in the old existing multi-storey buildings with heritage value and still save 50% of the building's energy consumption by use of existing technologies. A holistic energy renovation on an old...... that the difference in the space heating consumption was 3kWh/m2/yr. The measurements showed the proposed solution should have no risk of moisture problems. The measured energy consumption was reduced with 47% whereas the theoretical reduction could be reduced with 39-61% depending on the room set-point temperature...

  2. Mixed strategies for energy conservation and alternative energy utilization (solar) in buildings. Final report. Volume III. Appendixes. [10 appendices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1977-06-01

    This appendix summarizes building characteristics used to determine heating and cooling loads for each of the five building types in each of the four regions. For the selected five buildings, the following data are attached: new and existing construction characteristics; new and existing construction thermal resistance; floor plan and elevation; people load schedule; lighting load schedule; appliance load schedule; ventilation schedule; and hot water use schedule. For the five building types (single family, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, office buildings, and schools), data are compiled in 10 appendices. These are Building Characteristics; Alternate Energy Sources and Energy Conservation Techniques Description, Costs, Fuel Price Scenarios; Life Cycle Cost Model; Simulation Models; Solar Heating/Cooling System; Condensed Weather; Single and Multi-Family Dwelling Characteristics and Energy Conservation Techniques; Mixed Strategies for Energy Conservation and Alternative Energy Utilization in Buildings. An extensive bibliography is given in the final appendix. (MCW)

  3. Building a Better Robot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navah, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Kids love to build robots, letting their imaginations run wild with thoughts of what they might look like and what they could be programmed to do. Yet when students use cereal boxes and found objects to make robots, often the projects look too similar and tend to fall apart. This alternative allows students to "build" robots in a different way,…

  4. Building a Caring Economy and Society Beyond Capitalism, Socialism, and Other Old Isms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riane Eisler

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Old economic approaches are not capable of meeting our economic, environmental, and social challenges. To effectively meet these challenges, we need a perspective that goes beyond the conventional capitalism vs. socialism debate. This paper places economic valua- tions in their social context from the perspective of two new social categories. It describes building blocks for a new paradigm for economics, focusing on new measurements, policies, and practices that support caring for people, starting in early childhood, as well as caring for our natural environment.

  5. Energy plus standard in buildings constructed by housing associations?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stutterecker, Werner; Blümel, Ernst

    2012-01-01

    In order to achieve national, European and international energy goals, energy efficiency strategies in the building sector have to be implemented. The passive house standard and low energy standards are already successfully established in single dwelling houses. These high performance standards are starting to penetrate into the sector of housing associations. A case study about an apartment building constructed by a housing association is presented here. It describes the monitoring concept and the results of the 1st year of monitoring. Depending on the definition of the zero energy building standard (extent of loads included in the balancing), the building could be classified as an energy plus building or as a building, which uses more energy, than is supplied by on-site generation. If the building's total energy use (including user specific loads) is defined as load, only 34.5% of these loads were provided by the net energy output of the PV system. If only the heating energy demand is defined as load, the PV system even yielded a surplus of 45.6% of the energy load. -- Highlights: ► Energy monitoring of an apartment building constructed by a housing association. ► Planned as a Passive House with a semi-central ventilation system with decentralized heat pump technology. ► Total end energy demand of the building was 43 kWh/(m² a). ► Total net energy generation by the PV system was 15 kWh/(m² a). ► Apartment no. 1: 52% of the energy demand were used for heating and ventilation.

  6. Energy and behavioral impacts of integrative retrofits for residential buildings: What is at stake for building energy policy reforms in northern China?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Peng; Xu, Tengfang; Shen, Pengyuan

    2013-01-01

    Based upon the results from extensive building monitoring and surveys on occupant’s behaviors in a representative nine-story apartment building in northern China, building energy simulations were performed to evaluate the impacts of integrative retrofits implemented. Integrative retrofits required by the newer building energy standard produced significant heating-energy savings (i.e., 53%) when compared with baseline buildings commonly built in early 1980s. Taking into account district-heating-system upgrades as part of integrative retrofit measures, a representative apartment building was 66% more efficient than the baseline building. Contrary to expectation, little behavioral change was found in response to the provisions of monetary incentive, billing-method reform, or metering of heating energy use in individual apartment units. Yet this paper identified sizable energy savings potential if occupants’ behavioral changes were to actually happen. This indicates that provisions of financial incentives or individual metering were insufficient for triggering substantial behavioral changes leading toward more energy savings in the current buildings. It is recommended that innovative energy policies, technology upgrades, and education would be needed to promote behavioral changes toward additional energy savings. Finally, measures and strategies to further enhance thermal integrity criteria (e.g., insulations of roof and balcony) are recommended in China’s future building energy policy reforms. - Highlights: ► Integrative retrofits significantly reduce residential heating energy in north China. ► Energy effects of retrofits, incentive, billing and behavioral changes were studied. ► Monetary incentive, control or metering technologies did not lead to behavior change. ► Potential energy savings due to occupants’ behavioral changes are sizable. ► Thermal integrity needs to be enhanced in future building standards and policies.

  7. West Village Student Housing Phase I: Apartment Monitoring and Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    German, A. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Bell, C. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Dakin, B. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Hoeschele, M. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) worked with the University of California, Davis and the developer partner West Village Community Partnership (WVCP) to evaluate performance on 192 student apartments completed in September, 2011 as part of Phase I of the multi-purpose West Village project. West Village is the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States. The campus neighborhood is designed to enable faculty, staff, and students to affordably live near campus, take advantage of environmentally friendly transportation options, and participate fully in campus life. The aggressive energy efficiency measures that are incorporated in the design contribute to source energy reductions of 37% over the B10 Benchmark. These measures include increased wall and attic insulation, high performance windows, high efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling, central heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), 100% high efficacy lighting, and ENERGY STAR major appliances. The report discusses how measured energy use compares to modeling estimates over a 10-month monitoring period and includes a cost effective evaluation.

  8. Metachronous Bilateral Posterior Tibial Artery Aneurysms in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type IV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagspiel, Klaus D.; Bonatti, Hugo; Sabri, Saher; Arslan, Bulent; Harthun, Nancy L.

    2011-01-01

    Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV is a life-threatening genetic connective tissue disorder. We report a 24-year-old woman with EDS-IV who presented with metachronous bilateral aneurysms/pseudoaneurysms of the posterior tibial arteries 15 months apart. Both were treated successfully with transarterial coil embolization from a distal posterior tibial approach.

  9. Determining daylight and view preferences from the use of blinds in apartments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Mads Dines

    2015-01-01

    preferences have significant influence on the daylight level and view as well as possible impact on the building’s energy consumption. Therefore, it is important to conduct further studies in the area in order to be able to design solutions that supports the user preferences better and through that improves...... for the inhabitants’ health and well-being, as well as the energy consumption. Present research is an important contribution, because of the increased knowledge about daylights impact on health and well-being as well as daylights impact on the energy consumption in our buildings. However, it is often seen...... that curtains or blinds, often close off new apartment buildings with large glass areas in dense urban context. Such observations indicate that there can be a discrepancy between the intentions of the design team or architect and the perception of the user. The paper presents the results of observations...

  10. Working apart together: foundations for component groupware

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Hofte, H.; ter Hofte, Gerard Henri

    1998-01-01

    This thesis is the culmination of five years of Working Apart Together. As a research theme, it struck me in 1993 that Working Apart Together was not only a way of working that groupware systems were designed to support, but also a principle that could be applied within the groupware systems

  11. NEW GENERATIONS RAISED IN APARTMENT SCHOOLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faruk Salih ŞEKER

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of private preparatory schools is preparing students for higher education institutions, they dealt a severe blow to the formal educatio nal institutions. Various solutions generated to close down these schools brought many concerns led to deepening of the problem. In this study, the issue of closing private preparatory schools, which function for preparation for the university entrance ex am, down and converting them into private schools in the academic year of 2014/2015 by regulations enforced by the ministry is discussed. Obviously, this period will results in generations with obesity, physical impairment, postural disorders, respiratory system disorders, cardiovascular and circulatory disorders as well as permanent diseases. These schools are established in apartments and commercial building employed by private preparatory schools previously. It is clearly seen that these physical condi tions may cause serious problems in physical activities and sport practices. The aim of this study is discussing the predicted problems either experienced or will be faced by students since they will continue formal education at schools called “Basic High School” converted from private preparatory schools into formal educational institutions with same physical conditions but different educational programs.

  12. A multi-objective optimization model for energy-efficiency building envelope retrofitting plan with rooftop PV system installation and maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Yuling; Xia, Xiaohua

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A multi-objective optimization model for building envelope retrofit is presented. • Facility performance degradation and maintenance is built into the model. • A rooftop PV system is introduced to produce electricity. • Economic factors including net present value and payback period are considered. - Abstract: Retrofitting existing buildings with energy-efficient facilities is an effective method to improve their energy efficiency, especially for old buildings. A multi-objective optimization model for building envelope retrofitting is presented. Envelope components including windows, external walls and roofs are considered to be retrofitted. Installation of a rooftop solar panel system is also taken into consideration in this study. Rooftop solar panels are modeled with their degradation and a maintenance scheme is studied for sustainability of energy and its long-term effect on the retrofitting plan. The purpose is to make the best use of financial investment to maximize energy savings and economic benefits. In particular, net present value, the payback period and energy savings are taken as the main performance indicators of the retrofitting plan. The multi-objective optimization problem is formulated as a non-linear integer programming problem and solved by a weighted sum method. Results of applying the designed retrofitting plan to a 50-year-old building consisting of 66 apartments demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed model.

  13. Building renovation with interior insulation on solid masonry walls in Denmark - A study of the building segment and possible solutions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Odgaard, Tommy; Bjarløv, Søren Peter; Rode, Carsten

    2015-01-01

    The segment size of the Danish multi-story building stock from the period 1851-1930 is established through a unique major database managed by the Danish authorities. The outcome illustrates a large segment with 219,202 apartment units distributed over 14,832 unique buildings, all sharing characte...

  14. Emergency destruction of a panel residence building, type series 1-115

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malakhova Anna Nikolaevna

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The co-authors consider the design solution developed for a panel residence building, type series 1-115, and provide a description of the emergency destruction of structural elements of a 9-storey panel residence building of this type (built in 1979, following a gas explosion. The overall length of the building is 86.4 m; its width is 12 m. The structural system in this building represents a longitudinal wall. Its external longitudinal walls are wade of ceramsite concrete, while its interior walls are made of concrete. Its reinforced concrete hollow slabs rest on the longitudinal load-bearing walls. The transverse walls of staircases are made of concrete blocks. The strip foundation supports the load-bearing walls of the building. The epicenter of the explosion was located in the kitchen on the eighth floor of the building. The kitchen was immediately adjacent to the staircase of the building. Partial destruction of the building followed the gas explosion. Exterior walls of its eighth and ninth floors and the attic were destroyed. Panel buildings designed in pursuance of the longitudinal structural system are more vulnerable to explosive loads compared to buildings designed to the cross-wall structural system, where bearing slabs rest on three interior walls. Thus, all slabs rest on each of the three internal walls of the building on both sides. In the buildings designed to the longitudinal wall structural system, slabs rest on the two walls, one of which is external. The article is based on the report following the inspection of the technical condition of the building, undertaken subsequent to its emergency destruction.

  15. Evaluating the potential of improving residential water balance at building scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agudelo-Vera, Claudia M; Keesman, Karel J; Mels, Adriaan R; Rijnaarts, Huub H M

    2013-12-15

    Earlier results indicated that, for an average household, self-sufficiency in water supply can be achieved by following the Urban harvest Approach (UHA), in a combination of demand minimization, cascading and multi-sourcing. To achieve these results, it was assumed that all available local resources can be harvested. In reality, however, temporal, spatial and location-bound factors pose limitations to this harvest and, thus, to self-sufficiency. This article investigates potential spatial and temporal limitations to harvest local water resources at building level for the Netherlands, with a focus on indoor demand. Two building types were studied, a free standing house (one four-people household) and a mid-rise apartment flat (28 two-person households). To be able to model yearly water balances, daily patterns considering household occupancy and presence of water using appliances were defined per building type. Three strategies were defined. The strategies include demand minimization, light grey water (LGW) recycling, and rainwater harvesting (multi-sourcing). Recycling and multi-sourcing cater for toilet flushing and laundry machine. Results showed that water saving devices may reduce 30% of the conventional demand. Recycling of LGW can supply 100% of second quality water (DQ2) which represents 36% of the conventional demand or up to 20% of the minimized demand. Rainwater harvesting may supply approximately 80% of the minimized demand in case of the apartment flat and 60% in case of the free standing house. To harvest these potentials, different system specifications, related to the household type, are required. Two constraints to recycle and multi-source were identified, namely i) limitations in the grey water production and available rainfall; and ii) the potential to harvest water as determined by the temporal pattern in water availability, water use, and storage and treatment capacities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Climate impacts on extreme energy consumption of different types of buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mingcai; Shi, Jun; Guo, Jun; Cao, Jingfu; Niu, Jide; Xiong, Mingming

    2015-01-01

    Exploring changes of building energy consumption and its relationships with climate can provide basis for energy-saving and carbon emission reduction. Heating and cooling energy consumption of different types of buildings during 1981-2010 in Tianjin city, was simulated by using TRNSYS software. Daily or hourly extreme energy consumption was determined by percentile methods, and the climate impact on extreme energy consumption was analyzed. The results showed that days of extreme heating consumption showed apparent decrease during the recent 30 years for residential and large venue buildings, whereas days of extreme cooling consumption increased in large venue building. No significant variations were found for the days of extreme energy consumption for commercial building, although a decreasing trend in extreme heating energy consumption. Daily extreme energy consumption for large venue building had no relationship with climate parameters, whereas extreme energy consumption for commercial and residential buildings was related to various climate parameters. Further multiple regression analysis suggested heating energy consumption for commercial building was affected by maximum temperature, dry bulb temperature, solar radiation and minimum temperature, which together can explain 71.5 % of the variation of the daily extreme heating energy consumption. The daily extreme cooling energy consumption for commercial building was only related to the wet bulb temperature (R2= 0.382). The daily extreme heating energy consumption for residential building was affected by 4 climate parameters, but the dry bulb temperature had the main impact. The impacts of climate on hourly extreme heating energy consumption has a 1-3 hour delay in all three types of buildings, but no delay was found in the impacts of climate on hourly extreme cooling energy consumption for the selected buildings.

  17. Thermal protection and refurbishment of an old building. Lectures; Waermeschutz und Altbausanierung. Vortraege

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2011-07-01

    Within the 22nd Hanseatic Reconstruction Symposium at the Baltic Seaside Heringsdorf/Usedom (Federal Republic of Germany) from 3rd to 5th November 2011, the following lectures were held: (1) Energetic refurbishment possibilities for building within existing properties by means of representative examples (F. Deitschum); (2) Constructional thermal insulation and indoor climate - for the good of the environment? (S. Groer); (3) Innovative insulating materials for the structural refurbishment? (O. Fechner); (4) Energetic half-timbering refurbishment (K. Lissner); (5) Wooden solar facades for existing buildings (U. Schwarz); (6) Timber beam bowls in a historic brickwork (U. Mueller); (7) Timber beam bowls and interior insulation (U. Ruisinger); (8) Innovative solutions for cavity filling insulations (A. Stefenelli); (9) Thermal insulating plaster - also for historical buildings (T. Stahl); (10) Experimental tension analysis of the structural behaviour of historical cross vaults (A.-J. Petereit); (10) Investigation of the increase of the flexural strength of stonework constructions with self-compacting steel fibre reinforced concrete (D. Haessler); (11) Dry and dense - the modified WTA leaflet 4-6, 'Subsequent sealing of components in contact with soil' - Content and innovations (R. Spirgatis); (12) What does the new standard DIN 68800 hold? (H. Willeitner); (13) News from the standard DIN 18195 waterproofing of buildings (H.-P. Sommer); (14) Liability of planning of the offering entrepreneur (H. Immoor); (15) Climate change and preservation of structures (W. Zillig); (16) Typical problems and deficiencies of the energetic refurbishment of old store buildings (H. Boehmer); (17) When do ex post horizontal sealings with injection agents make sense - Fundamentals for evaluation, planning and execution (F.-J. Hoelzen); (18) Drying up behaviour of stonework of different quality and at different variants of insulation (F. Antretter).

  18. Extremely low frequency magnetic field measurements in buildings with transformer stations in Switzerland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Röösli, Martin; Jenni, Daniela; Kheifets, Leeka; Mezei, Gabor

    2011-08-15

    The aim of this study was to evaluate an exposure assessment method that classifies apartments in three exposure categories of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) based on the location of the apartment relative to the transformer room. We completed measurements in 39 apartments in 18 buildings. In each room of the apartments ELF-MF was concurrently measured with 5 to 6 EMDEX II meters for 10 min. Measured arithmetic mean ELF-MF was 0.59 μT in 8 apartments that were fully adjacent to a transformer room, either directly above the transformer or touching the transformer room wall-to-wall. In apartments that only partly touched the transformer room at corners or edges, average ELF-MF level was 0.14 μT. Average exposure in the remaining apartments was 0.10 μT. Kappa coefficient for exposure classification was 0.64 (95%-CI: 0.45-0.82) if only fully adjacent apartments were considered as highly exposed (>0.4 μT). We found a distinct ELF-MF exposure gradient in buildings with transformer. Exposure classification based on the location of the apartment relative to the transformer room appears feasible. Such an approach considerably reduces effort for exposure assessment and may be used to eliminate selection bias in future epidemiologic studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Radon and the seal offered by the building shell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crameri, R.; Furrer, D.; Burkart, W.

    1992-01-01

    Long term measurements of the radon level before and after the building shell is sealed were carried out in 25 apartment buildings and 7 houses. The average values of the most important meteorological parameters of wind speed, external temperature and barometric pressure which may influence the radon level, were absolutely comparable during the measurement periods before and after the energy renovation of the buildings. Both in houses and in apartment buildings the radon level remained practically unchanged after the building shell was sealed. The lack of any increase in the radon level after reducing the air exchange rate can be explained by virtue of the fact that the balance between the infiltration and elimination of the radon before and after the energy renovation of the buildings remained unchanged. In addition to reducing the air exchange rate, sealing the building shell therefore also results in a reduction in radon infiltration from the soil. Although it is possible in certain cases for the radon level to increase after the building shell has been sealed, a general increase in radon levels inside living areas as a result of energy renovation work can be dismissed. 2 figs., 3 tabs., 30 refs

  20. Strike-slip pull-apart process and emplacement of Xiangshan uranium-producing volcanic basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu Aijin; Guo Lingzhi; Shu Liangshu

    2001-01-01

    Xiangshan volcanic basin is one of the famous uranium-producing volcanic basins in China. Emplacement mechanism of Xiangshan uranium-producing volcanic basin is discussed on the basis of the latest research achievements of deep geology in Xiangshan area and the theory of continental dynamics. The study shows that volcanic activity in Xiangshan volcanic basin may be divided into two cycles, and its emplacement is controlled by strike-ship pull-apart process originated from the deep regional faults. Volcanic apparatus in the first cycle was emplaced in EW-trending structure activated by clockwise strike-slipping of NE-trending deep fault, forming the EW-trending fissure-type volcanic effusion belt. Volcanic apparatus in the second cycle was emplaced at junction points of SN-trending pull-apart structure activated by sinistral strike-slipping of NE-trending deep faults and EW-trending basement faults causing the center-type volcanic magma effusion and extrusion. Moreover, the formation mechanism of large-rich uranium deposits is discussed as well

  1. Membrane versus shell type elements in F.E. analysis of box type buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canetta, G.

    1979-01-01

    Finite element analysis of box-type buildings is discussed under typical loading conditions - gravity, seismic and temperature loads. The computation effort is recognized to be noticeably different, according to whether membrane or shell type elements are used. The relevance of membrane and bending stress components to the total stress distribution is outlined in the table below; the different role of the typical members under the various loading conditions is emphasized. (orig.)

  2. Climate impacts on extreme energy consumption of different types of buildings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingcai Li

    Full Text Available Exploring changes of building energy consumption and its relationships with climate can provide basis for energy-saving and carbon emission reduction. Heating and cooling energy consumption of different types of buildings during 1981-2010 in Tianjin city, was simulated by using TRNSYS software. Daily or hourly extreme energy consumption was determined by percentile methods, and the climate impact on extreme energy consumption was analyzed. The results showed that days of extreme heating consumption showed apparent decrease during the recent 30 years for residential and large venue buildings, whereas days of extreme cooling consumption increased in large venue building. No significant variations were found for the days of extreme energy consumption for commercial building, although a decreasing trend in extreme heating energy consumption. Daily extreme energy consumption for large venue building had no relationship with climate parameters, whereas extreme energy consumption for commercial and residential buildings was related to various climate parameters. Further multiple regression analysis suggested heating energy consumption for commercial building was affected by maximum temperature, dry bulb temperature, solar radiation and minimum temperature, which together can explain 71.5 % of the variation of the daily extreme heating energy consumption. The daily extreme cooling energy consumption for commercial building was only related to the wet bulb temperature (R2= 0.382. The daily extreme heating energy consumption for residential building was affected by 4 climate parameters, but the dry bulb temperature had the main impact. The impacts of climate on hourly extreme heating energy consumption has a 1-3 hour delay in all three types of buildings, but no delay was found in the impacts of climate on hourly extreme cooling energy consumption for the selected buildings.

  3. Post Occupancy Evaluation of 23 Newly Renovated Apartments in Copenhagen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iqbal, Ahsan; Afshari, Alireza

    2016-01-01

    The present article is based on the post occupancy occupants’ perception of indoor air quality of recently renovated 23 residential apartments in Copenhagen. The apartments are equipped with novel mechanical ventilation systems. The apartments can be categorised in four, according to the design o...

  4. Dataset on the energy performance of atrium type hotel buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vujosevic, Milica; Krstic-Furundzic, Aleksandra

    2018-04-01

    The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "The Influence of Atrium on Energy Performance of Hotel Building" (Vujosevic and Krstic-Furundzic, 2017) [1], which describes the annual energy performance of atrium type hotel building in Belgrade climate conditions, with the objective to present the impact of the atrium on the hotel building's energy demands for space heating and cooling. This dataset is made publicly available to show energy performance of selected hotel design alternatives, in order to enable extended analyzes of these data for other researchers.

  5. Effects of bedrock type on the indoor radon concentrations at the office buildings in Gyeongju, Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Park Hee Chan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This study measured the indoor radon concentrations at 23 administrative office buildings in Gyeongju, Korea, which consists of 23 administrative districts. Using the Korean geological information system, the type of bedrock under the administrative office buildings was identified and classified in 3 major types: granite, sedimentary rock, and sedimentary rock-based fault. The changes in the indoor concentrations at the 23 administrative office buildings were analyzed according to the type of bedrock. As a result, the radon concentration in the areas with the granite bedrock was generally higher than that in the region of two other types of bedrock. In addition, the radon concentration was evaluated according to surface area and construction timing of the building. The indoor radon concentration generally increased with decreasing surface area of the building, particularly in granite distributed areas. For a building aged more than 15 years, the radon concentration in the building in the granite area was much higher. For the building aged 1 or 2 years, the radon concentration was high regardless of the type of the bedrock due to radon emanation from the building material, such as concrete.

  6. The radioactivity of house-building materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sos, K.

    2007-01-01

    The paper compares the natural radioactivity and radon emission properties of different building materials like bricks, concretes, cements, sands, limes, marmors of different origin. A description of the radioactive model of apartments is also given. (TRA)

  7. Unbonded prestressing tendons and their role in the construction of slender elements of buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mieszczak, M.

    2018-03-01

    Steel unbonded tendons have been introduced in Europe for construction prestressing many years later than in the USA, Honkong, Singapore or Australia. In Poland, they appeared in the early 1990s. Despite their short application, in the last decade, the Institute of Materials and Building Constructions of the Cracow University of Technology in cooperation with the TCE Structural Design & Consulting company has developed and implemented several interesting and unique designs of building components, using the advantages of this type of prestressing. In the author’s work, apart from the short description of these tendons, several selected (own and foreign) projects of unique character have been presented.

  8. Old, older and too old: age limits for medically assisted fatherhood?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braverman, Andrea Mechanick

    2017-02-01

    How old is too old to be a father? Can you be a little bit older or "old-ish" to be a dad without being considered an "older dad"? At some point, does one simply become too old to be a father? Unless a man requires medical assistance in family building, that answer has historically turned solely on his opportunity to have a willing female partner of reproductive age. As with so many other aspects of family building, assisted reproductive technologies have transformed the possibilities for-and spawned heated debates about-maternal age. Much attention has been given to this contentious topic for potential mothers, with many programs putting age-related limitations in place for their female patients. This article considers whether there should also be limits-and how we should approach that question-for men who require and seek medical assistance to become fathers. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Comfort and well-being in passive solar buildings. Results from a european Audit

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bluyssen, P.M.; Cox, C.W.J.

    2006-01-01

    Within the European research project HOPE, 97 apartment buildings and 67 office buildings - a large part of which designed to be energy-efficient - were investigated using checklists regarding building characteristics and questionnaires addressed to the occupants regarding their perceived comfort

  10. Carbon Efficient Building Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pellervo Matilainen

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally, the Finnish legislation have focused on energy use and especially on energy used for heating space in buildings. However, in many cases this does not lead to the optimal concept in respect to minimizing green house gases. This paper studies how CO2 emission levels are affected by different measures to reduce energy use in buildings. This paper presents two real apartment buildings with different options of energy efficiency and power sources. The calculations clearly show that in the future electricity and domestic hot water use will have high importance in respect to energy efficiency, and therefore also CO2 equivalent (eq emissions. The importance increases when the energy efficiency of the building increases. There are big differences between average Finnish production and individual power plants; CO2 eq emissions might nearly double depending on the energy source and the power plant type. Both a building with an efficient district heating as a power source, and a building with ground heat in addition to nuclear power electricity as a complimentary electricity source performed very similarly to each other in respect to CO2 eq emissions. However, it is dangerous to conclude that it is not important which energy source is chosen. If hypothetically, the use of district heating would dramatically drop, the primary energy factor and CO2 eq emissions from electricity would rise, which in turn would lead to the increase of the ground heat systems emissions. A problem in the yearly calculations is that the fact that it is very important, sometimes even crucial, when energy is needed, is always excluded.

  11. Wooden Bay Window (Rowshan Conservation in Saudi-Hejazi Heritage Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Adas

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available A prominent feature of the architectural style of heritage buildings in western Saudi Arabia (Hijaz cities such as Jeddah is the extensive use in their facades of projected intricately carved wooden bay window (Rowshan sl, Rawasheen pl. Throughout Balad or the old town in Jeddah, the element of Rowshan can be found made from many different types of woods such as teak, Javan, mahogany, other types of african and middle eastern woods and with different sizes, proportions, and varied intricate ornamentations and motifs. Besides its aesthetic value, the rawasheen and their many components and parts provide other functions such as ventilation, lighting, and spatial and visual privacy for building interiors from the outside. The profound degradation of Rawasheen is impacting the authenticity and heritage value of old buildings in historical Jeddah because of many factors that include: extensive moisture damage, using improper repair methods and joinery techniques to maintain rawasheen, using unsuitable cleaning products and wood paints, and replacing damaged parts with unkown types of wood. In order to prevent any further deterioration of Rawasheen, documentation of rawasheen and its components using recent digital methodologies and the utilization of proper repair techniques must be followed when working with these elements to ensure longevity of conservation, and preservation of value and authenticity.Through the disucssion of Rowshan repair methodology that was developed that include the digital documentation of all intricate details of rowshan panels and wood engraving which allowed replicating damaged elements beyond repair and applied to a listed building in old Jeddah, the paper provides Rowshan repair guidelines which relate to documentation, diagnostic methods, investigations and tests, repair methodology and reinforcement.

  12. CHI SYMBOLISM IN ACHEBE'S THINGS FALL APART: A ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    the chi symbolism as exhibited in his famous work Things Fall. Apart. Things Fall Apart by Achebe gives fictionalized account of Igbo life and times which are close to the reality of our era. Philosophy ... solution which he offers to the problems of daily living in society. .... weighed on the balance of reality, they could stand for.

  13. Indoor environmental quality in French dwellings and building characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langer, Sarka; Ramalho, Olivier; Derbez, Mickaël; Ribéron, Jacques; Kirchner, Severine; Mandin, Corinne

    2016-03-01

    A national survey on indoor environmental quality covering 567 residences in mainland France was performed during 2003-2005. The measured parameters were temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and the indoor air pollutants: fourteen individual volatile organic compounds (VOC), four aldehydes and particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5. The measured indoor concentrations were analyzed for correlations with the building characteristics: type of dwelling, period of construction, dwelling location, type of ventilation system, building material, attached garage and retrofitting. The median night time air exchange rate (AER) for all dwellings was 0.44 h-1. The night time AER was higher in apartments (median = 0.49 h-1) than in single-family houses (median = 0.41 h-1). Concentration of formaldehyde was approximately 30% higher in dwellings built after 1990 compared with older ones; it was higher in dwellings with mechanical ventilation and in concrete buildings. The VOC concentrations depended on the building characteristics to various extents. The sampling season influenced the majority of the indoor climate parameters and the concentrations of the air pollutants to a higher degree than the building characteristics. Multivariate linear regression models revealed that the indoor-outdoor difference in specific humidity, a proxy for number of occupants and their indoor activities, remained a significant predictor for most gaseous and particulate air pollutants. The other strong predictors were outdoor concentration, smoking, attached garage and AER (in descending order).

  14. Integrating Green Building Criteria Into Housing Design Processes Case Study: Tropical Apartment At Kebon Melati, Jakarta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farid, V. L.; Wonorahardjo, S.

    2018-05-01

    The implementation of Green Building criteria is relatively new in architectural practice, especially in Indonesia. Consequently, the integration of these criteria into design process has the potential to change the design process itself. The implementation of the green building criteria into the conventional design process will be discussed in this paper. The concept of this project is to design a residential unit with a natural air-conditioning system. To achieve this purpose, the Green Building criteria has been implemented since the beginning of the design process until the detailing process on the end of the project. Several studies was performed throughout the design process, such as: (1) Conceptual review, where several professionally proved theories related to Tropical Architecture and passive design are used for a reference, and (2) Computer simulations, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel simulation, used to represent the dynamic response of the surrounding environment towards the building. Hopefully this paper may become a reference for designing a green residential building.

  15. Quantification of Improvement in Environmental Quality for Old Residential Buildings Using Life Cycle Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jozef Mitterpach

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In Slovakia, 35% of buildings are older than 50 years but most newer buildings built before 1990 have greater energy consumption. Some other countries also have similar problems. The growing importance of energy saving in buildings can be, in the case of new and old residential buildings (RB, achieved by lowering thermal energy consumption most often by application of polystyrene insulation on the external walls and roof and the exchange of wood window frames for PVC (polyvinyl chloride windows. The novelty of the article for Slovakia and some other central European countries consists in using the life cycle assessment (LCA method for the objective assessment of the environmental benefits of the selected systems of wall insulation, as well as of energy savings in various time intervals of insulation functionality (up to 20 years. LCA software SimaPro (LE Amersfoort, The Netherlands was used with ReCiPe and IMPACT 2002+ assessment methods to quantify the total environmental impact at selected endpoints and midpoints (IMPACT 2002+ of basic structural materials of an RB and its energy demand—heat consumption (hot water heating, central heating before the application of insulation and thermal energy saving (TES after application of insulation to its external walls, roof, and the exchange of windows. The data we obtained confirmed that the environmental impact of the polystyrene insulation of external walls, roof, and exchange of windows of one residential building (RB in the first year after insulation is higher than the reduction caused by achieving a TES of 39%. When taking a lifespan of 20 years into consideration, the impact over the life cycle of the building materials is reduced by 25% (global warming: −4792 kg CO2 eq; production of carcinogens: −2479 kg C2H3Cl eq; acidification: −12,045 kg SO2 eq; and aquatic eutrophication: −257 kg PO4 P-lim. The verified LCA methodology will be used for comparative analysis of different variants

  16. Teaching Ethics with Apartment Leases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pomerenke, Paula J.

    1998-01-01

    Describes an assignment in a corporate-communications class in which students examine the design and the language of their apartment leases. Discusses how this assignment teaches students about the Plain English laws and the need for plain English in leases and in ethics. (SR)

  17. Dose reduction factors from a radioactive cloud for large buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grand, J. le; Roux, Y.

    1986-01-01

    A set of complex and accurate computer codes has been established to determine the transport of photons emitted from a radioactive cloud through various media. The geometrical and physical description of large buildings with various numbers of floors and rooms can be done by the user. The codes can calculate, in any room or apartment, the characteristics of the photon fields (photon flux, energy flux and distribution, direction distribution) and whole-body absorbed dose rates in a phantom standing or lying on the floor. The dose reduction factor is then the quotient of the mean absorbed dose rate in the apartment to the absorbed dose rate in the phantom standing on the ground outdoors. Applications to several modern multistorey buildings are presented. The results show the influence of various parameters such as density and composition of building materials, the fraction of the external building surface containing apertures and initial photon energy. (author)

  18. Study on vertical seismic response model of BWR-type reactor building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konno, T.; Motohashi, S.; Izumi, M.; Iizuka, S.

    1993-01-01

    A study on advanced seismic design for LWR has been carried out by the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC), under the sponsorship of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan. As a part of the study, it has been investigated to construct an accurate analytical model of reactor buildings for a seismic response analysis, which can reasonably represent dynamic characteristics of the building. In Japan, vibration models of reactor buildings for horizontal ground motion have been studied and examined through many simulation analyses for forced vibration tests and earthquake observations of actual buildings. And now it is possible to establish a reliable horizontal vibration model on the basis of multi-lumped mass and spring model. However, vertical vibration models have not been so much studied as horizontal models, due to less observed data for vertical motions. In this paper, the vertical seismic response models of a BWR-type reactor building including soil-structure interaction effect are numerically studied, by comparing the dynamic characteristics of (1) three dimensional finite element model, (2) multi-stick lumped mass model with a flexible base-mat, (3) multi-stick lumped mass model with a rigid base-mat and (4) single-stick lumped mass model. In particular, the BWR-type reactor building has the long span truss roof which is considered to be one of the critical members to vertical excitation. The modelings of the roof trusses are also studied

  19. Indoor air quality in the Swedish housing stock and its dependence on building characteristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langer, Sarka; Bekö, Gabriel

    2013-01-01

    .47h-1). The majority of houses (80%) did not comply with the building code that requires 0.5 air changes per hour. The median concentrations in single-family houses and apartments were 6.0 and 10μg/m3, respectively, for NO2, 22 and 13μg/m3 for formaldehyde, and 236 and 143μg/m3 for TVOC. All......Data from a recent Swedish survey on the status of the housing stock and indoor air quality were placed in the public domain by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning in 2011. The available parameters included the year of construction, dwelling location, type of ventilation...

  20. Analyzing Design Heating Loads in Superinsulated Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arena, Lois [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States)

    2015-06-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America research team Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) worked with the EcoVillage cohousing community in Ithaca, New York, on the Third Residential EcoVillage Experience neighborhood. This communityscale project consists of 40 housing units—15 apartments and 25 single-family residences. Units range in size from 450 ft2 to 1,664 ft2 and cost from $80,000 for a studio apartment to $235,000 for a three- or four-bedroom single-family home. For the research component of this project, CARB analyzed current heating system sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates to determine if changes in building load calculation methodology should be recommended. Actual heating energy use was monitored and compared to results from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s Manual J8 (MJ8) and the Passive House Planning Package software. Results from that research indicate that MJ8 significantly oversizes heating systems for superinsulated homes and that thermal inertia and internal gains should be considered for more accurate load calculations.

  1. Price Determinants of Affordable Apartments in Vietnam: Toward the Public–Private Partnerships for Sustainable Housing Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ducksu Seo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the Doi Moi policy of economic reform in 1986, Vietnam has experienced economic development and housing market growth with increasing foreign direct investment. While high-end apartment development has dominated since the emergence of the privatized housing market, more recent focus is on the affordable apartment segment with the remarkable surge of middle-income households in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC. While most previous studies have analyzed housing price determinants based on locational classification, this study is based on the affordability framework of the housing market in HCMC. It aims to investigate the price determinants of affordable and unaffordable apartment units using the hedonic regression model. The study identified common factors between the two types of apartments, such as vertical shared access and proximity to downtown, as well as unique factors for each, such as more high-rise towers, foreign development, proximity to main roads, and shopping malls only for the affordable segments. The findings have valuable implications, not only for future investors and developers in setting up successful housing development strategies, but also for the public sector in strongly encouraging public–private partnerships for sustainable housing development in Vietnam.

  2. Overheating and Daylighting; Assessment Tool in Early Design of London’s High-Rise Residential Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bachir Nebia

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available High-rise residential buildings in dense cities, such as London, are a common response to housing shortage. The apartments in these buildings may experience different levels of thermal and visual comfort, depending on their orientation and floor level. This paper aims to develop simplified tools to predict internal temperatures and daylighting levels, and propose a tool to quickly assess overheating risk and daylight performance in London’s high-rise residential buildings. Single- and double-sided apartments in a high-rise building were compared, and the impact of their floor level, glazing ratio, thermal mass, ventilation strategy and orientation was investigated. Using Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IES VE, temperature and daylight factor results of each design variable were used to develop early design tools to predict and assess overheating risks and daylighting levels. The results indicate that apartments that are more exposed to solar radiations, through either orientation or floor level, are more susceptible to overheat in the summer while exceeding the daylighting recommendations. Different design strategies at different levels and orientations are subsequently discussed.

  3. Basic Study on Term of Warranty Liability for Water Supply, Drainage, and Sanitation Arrangement Work Defect in Apartment Building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Junmo; Seo, DeokSeok

    2017-06-01

    The defect lawsuit of the apartment which is the representative residential style of Korea continues and becomes a social problem. In the defect lawsuit, the term of warranty liability is a period that can demand the defect repair according to defect occurrence, and the exclusion period of the exercise of rights. However, the term of warranty liability stipulated in relevant laws such as Enforcement Decree of the Housing Act is being changed arbitrarily, without any established grounds. Therefore, a reasonable standard for establishing the term of warranty liability is required. In this study, the defects of water supply, drainage and sanitation arrangement work were studied. As a result of analyzing the number of defect occurrence in the apartment, it was shown that the defects in water supply, drainage and sanitation arrangement work occurred more than 80% in the 1st ∼ 2nd year after completion. However, the occurrence of defects from the 3rd year was extremely slight. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the defect occurrence continued until fairly late point of time as the end point of time of the defects was in the 7th to 9th years.

  4. Construction solutions for the exterior walls in the process of increasing the width of residential buildings of brownfield construction in seismic hazardousand dry hot conditions of Central Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Usmonov Shukhrat Zaurovich

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available The main object of this study is the reconstruction, renovation and modernization of the housing built in the period 1975—1985. These buildings have low energy efficiency due to the poor thermal insulation properties of the walls. These apartments do not meet the necessary requirements for year round warmth and comfort.Reconstruction is more preferable, than new-build, because of the cost saving for the land acquisition. Reconstruction is generally 1.5 times cheaper than new-build with 25—40 % reduced cost on building materials and engineering infrastructure.Increasing the width of the apartment blocks from 12 to 15 m can save 9—10 % on the consumption of thermal energy for heating and reduce the m2 construction cost by 5.5—7.0 %. In—5-9 storey high-rise buildings the savings are 3—5 %.Therefore, the width of the apartment block should preferably be between 9—12 m but could be extended to 18 m. The depth of the apartments themselves will be 5.4 — 6.0 —7.2 or 9.0 m. During the reconstruction of 5-storey residential buildings (Building Type105 in a seismic zone, an increase in the width of the block and the lateral stiffness of the building is achieved by building a new reinforced concrete (RC frame on both sides of the building with a depth of between 2 and 6 m. This technique is especially effective in increasing the seismic resistance of the building. Self-supporting walls of cellular concrete blocks (density 600 kg/m3 and a thickness of 300 mm are constructed on the outside of the frame, taking care to avoid cold bridges.Model studies have shown that in the conditions of hot-arid climate the thickness of the air gap in a ventilated facade does not significantly change the cooling-energy consumption of the building, and heating consumption is significantly increased. The building's energy consumption is most influenced by the volume of the air in the air gap. By increasing the ventilation rate in the air gap, the energy

  5. Solar heating and cooling of buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourke, R. D.; Davis, E. S.

    1975-01-01

    Solar energy has been used for space heating and water heating for many years. A less common application, although technically feasible, is solar cooling. This paper describes the techniques employed in the heating and cooling of buildings, and in water heating. The potential for solar energy to displace conventional energy sources is discussed. Water heating for new apartments appears to have some features which could make it a place to begin the resurgence of solar energy applications in the United States. A project to investigate apartment solar water heating, currently in the pilot plant construction phase, is described.

  6. Low Carbon Design Research on the Space Layout Types of Office Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Bing

    2018-01-01

    It is beneficial to find out the relationship of the spatial layout and low-carbon design in order to reduce buildings’ carbon emissions in the conceptual design phase. This paper analyzes and compares shape coefficient values, annual energy consumption and lighting performance of office buildings of different space layout types in Shanghai. Based on morphological characteristics of different types, the study also analyzes and presents low-carbon design strategies for each single type. This study assumes that architects should conduct passive and active design according to the specific building space layout, so that to make best use of the advantages and bypassing the disadvantages, in order to maximally reduce buildings’ carbon emissions.

  7. Profiles of five promising industries and apartment dwellings for solar systems trials planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1891-12-01

    The objective of this study was to identify suitable types of large-scale applications for solar water-heating systems. The factors considered in industrial applications were the amount, type, and cost of energy used for heating water to temperatures <50/sup 0/C. It was found that five industries account for almost one-half of the industrial low-temperautre water-heating requirements. Since oil is the primary source of this energy in Eastern Canada and is soon to be the most costly conventional energy source, large businesses located in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces were found to be the most promising establishments for solar applications. The report recommends contacting owners in all five industrial sectors to determine their attitudes to solar systems trials and to gather site-specific data. At the same time, the report indicates that apartments, especially those in Eastern Canada, may be more suitable than businesses for large-scale solar water heating. Low-rise apartments use approximately 17 PJ of oil energy for domestic hot water compared to the 11 PJ used by all five industrial subsectors for low-temperature water heating. 4 refs., 5 figs., 100 tabs.

  8. A Field Study of Wall Furnace Venting and Coincident Exhaust Fan Usage in 16 Northern California Apartments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Less, Brennan D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Brooks, Andrew [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States); Cohn, Sebastian [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States); Finn, Brian [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States)

    2016-09-01

    To inform efforts to improve combustion appliance testing in residential energy efficiency programs, we studied the frequency of coincident fan use and depressurization-induced downdrafting and spillage from atmospherically vented (i.e., natural draft) wall furnaces in airtight apartments. Indoor environmental conditions, heating appliance operation, use of exhaust fans, and cooking with stovetop or oven were monitored for approximately three weeks each in 16 apartment units in two buildings in Northern California. Apartments also were assessed using standard combustion appliance safety test methods and enhanced protocols. Monitoring occurred in February and March of 2016, with heating demand corresponding to 7.3 ± 0.5 heating degree-days at a 65ºF reference temperature. Most of the furnaces spilled combustion products when the apartments were depressurized in the “worst-case” challenge condition of all exhaust fans operating at their highest settings and all windows closed. Many also spilled under less challenging conditions (e.g., with kitchen exhaust fan on low and bathroom fan operating). On average, bathroom exhaust fans were operated 3.9% of monitored minutes (13.5% max), and cooking (burner or kitchen fan operation) occurred 4.6% of minutes (max 13.3%). Event lengths averaged 17 minutes (max 540) and 34 minutes (max 324), respectively. Their coincident operation averaged 0.34% of minutes (max 2.0%), with average event length of 13 minutes (max 92 minutes). This suggests that the operation of apartment units at or near the currently used worst-case challenge condition is quite rare. Wall furnace burners operated an average of 2.8% of minutes (max of 8.9%), with average burner cycle length of 14 minutes (max 162). Coincident bath fan use, cooking and wall furnace operation was very rare, occurring only a handful of times across all apartments. The highest rate was 0.075% of monitored minutes in one apartment, and the longest event length was 12 minutes

  9. Commercial building energy use in six cities in Southern China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Peng; Huang, Joe; Shen, Pengyuan; Ma, Xiaowen; Gao, Xuefei; Xu, Qiaolin; Jiang, Han; Xiang, Yong

    2013-01-01

    With China’s continuing economic growth, the percentage of government offices and large commercial buildings has increased tremendously; thus, the impact of their energy usage has grown drastically. In this survey, a database with more than 400 buildings was created and analyzed. We researched energy consumption by region, building type, building size and vintage, and we determined the total energy use and performed end use breakdowns of typical buildings in six cities in southern China. The statistical analysis shows that, on average, the annual building electricity use ranged from 50 to 100 kW h/m 2 for office buildings, 120 to 250 kW h/m 2 for shopping malls and hotels, and below 40 kW h/m 2 for education facilities. Building size has no direct correlation with building energy intensity. Although modern commercial buildings built in the 1990s and 2000s did not use more energy on average than buildings built previously, the highest electricity intensive modern buildings used much more energy than those built prior to 1990. Commercial buildings in China used less energy than buildings in equivalent weather locations in the US and about the same amount of energy as buildings in India. However, commercial buildings in China provide comparatively less thermal comfort than buildings in comparable US climates. - Highlights: ► The worst modern buildings use more energy than the worst old buildings. ► Government office buildings did not use more energy than private office buildings. ► Commercial buildings in China use less energy than buildings in the US. ► Modern commercial buildings don't use more energy than old buildings.

  10. Lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corti, Giacomo; Dooley, Tim P.

    2015-11-01

    We present here the results of the first lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins. The experiments simulate relative displacement of two lithospheric blocks along two offset master faults, with the presence of a weak zone in the offset area localising deformation during strike-slip displacement. Reproducing the entire lithosphere-asthenosphere system provides boundary conditions that are more realistic than the horizontal detachment in traditional 1 g experiments and thus provide a better approximation of the dynamic evolution of natural pull-apart basins. Model results show that local extension in the pull-apart basins is accommodated through development of oblique-slip faulting at the basin margins and cross-basin faults obliquely cutting the rift depression. As observed in previous modelling studies, our centrifuge experiments suggest that the angle of offset between the master fault segments is one of the most important parameters controlling the architecture of pull-apart basins: the basins are lozenge shaped in the case of underlapping master faults, lazy-Z shaped in case of neutral offset and rhomboidal shaped for overlapping master faults. Model cross sections show significant along-strike variations in basin morphology, with transition from narrow V- and U-shaped grabens to a more symmetric, boxlike geometry passing from the basin terminations to the basin centre; a flip in the dominance of the sidewall faults from one end of the basin to the other is observed in all models. These geometries are also typical of 1 g models and characterise several pull-apart basins worldwide. Our models show that the complex faulting in the upper brittle layer corresponds at depth to strong thinning of the ductile layer in the weak zone; a rise of the base of the lithosphere occurs beneath the basin, and maximum lithospheric thinning roughly corresponds to the areas of maximum surface subsidence (i.e., the basin depocentre).

  11. A second chance for old buildings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geraedts, Rob P.; van der Voordt, Theo; Foliente, G; Luetzkendorf, T; Newton, P; Paevere, P

    2008-01-01

    In the Netherlands, both the office market and housing market show a mismatch between supply and demand, quantitatively and qualitatively. In 2007 almost 14% of all offices are vacant, i.e. 5.9 million square meters. At the same time we see a shortage of about 1 million dwellings. A building must be

  12. Semantic Change Type in Old Javanese Word and Sanskrit Loan Word to Modern Javanese

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendy Yuniarto

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to describe type classifier of semantic change and to explain the factors causing semantic change. This research was conducted with a qualitative-descriptive approach. The research method is conducted by comparing the meaning of words from the Old Javanese and Sanskrit loan wordto Modern Javanese. The collection data is done by looking for words that the meaning suspected change in Old Javanese dictionary. Words meaning determined precisely by tracing to the Old Javanese text. Furthermore, words meaning are compared to present time meaning through Modern Javanese dictionary. In addition, searching Modern Javanese meaning are also using Javanese news on the internet pages. The analysis of this research is to classify Old Javanese words and Sanskrit loan words meaning that undergo change to Modern Javanese. It’s also explained why the change in the word meaning can occur. The result shows that, semantic change of Old Javanese words and Sanskrit loan words to Modern Javanese can be classified into seven types, involving widening, narrowing, shifting, metaphor, metonymy, pejoration, and euphemism. In addition, the result shows that semantic change can occur because of some factors. Psychological factor concerning emotive and taboo, and polysemy. religion spreading, the growth of science and technology, the socio-political development, and the needs of a new name.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2013.160101

  13. A systematic approach to assessing the state of the apartment blocks

    OpenAIRE

    Shpak Aleksandr S.

    2015-01-01

    Problems of management system of apartment houses are actualized. The SWOT-analysis of apartment houses management system using qualitative and quantitative methods is conducted. Based on the SWOT-analysis we show summarized expert evaluation and binary evaluation of apartment houses management system problems in the urban district. Also based on the SWOT-analysis results we highlight the need for model measures package ("road map") application to ensure information transparency and accountab...

  14. RESIDENTS CLOSE THEIR MACEIO SEASHORE APARTMENT VERANDAHS: ADAPTATION TO A NEW LIFESTYLE OR NON-ADAPTATION TO THE CLIMATE?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Márcio Toledo

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available : This paper aims to verify the reason why the apartments verandahs are being closed, a tendency mainly observed at beach cities, and as well the new uses for the rooms, stuffs and typologies in the closing. The methodology applied consisted in photographic surveys and questionnaire applications with residents from nine apartment buildings in the city of Maceio who made up the verandah closure, focusing the handling of door and windows and on the perception of the natural ventilation on summertime and wintertime. It was claimed that the excessive ventilation and the unwished incidence of rain as the major environmental reasons to verandahs closure. It was verified that after the closure, the residents started to utilize it more frequently, keeping the original usage or modifying it. This paper contributes to understand the residents’ reasons, perceptions and choices about the verandahs, creating the conception of new spaces that more and more focus their needs, bringing up elements of projects to architects and project designers.

  15. Architectonic and constructive characterisation of the old urban centre of Seixal, Portugal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Miguel Ferreira

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the issue of the old urban centres from the perspective of the analysis and inventory of building features. The cataloguing process of the building typologies is presented herein as a synthesis of the main construction forms, with the old city centre of Seixal being used as a case study. Furthermore, and taking into account the relation between such two dimensions, a material and constructive characterisation of the buildings in the old urban centre of Seixal is presented. As marks of an historical and architectural heritage, old urban centres should be protected, safeguarded and potentiated. For such, it is fundamental to have a complete understanding of the genesis of both buildings and urban mesh. This fact is essential to the support of qualified, conscientious and sustainable rehabilitation interventions on the old building stock.

  16. A Real-Time Energy Consumption Simulation and Comparison of Buildings in Different Construction Years in the Olympic Central Area in Beijing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Xu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Energy consumed the in urban sector accounts for a large proportion of total world delivered energy consumption. Residential building energy consumption is an important part of urban energy consumption. However, there are few studies focused on this issue and that have simulated the energy consumption of residential buildings using questionnaire data. In this research, an eQUEST study was conducted for different residential buildings in the Olympic Central Area in Beijing. Real-time meteorological observation data and an actual energy consumption schedule generated by questionnaire data were used to improve the eQUEST model in the absence of actual energy consumption data. The simulated total energy consumption of residential buildings in the case area in 2015 is 21,262.28 tce, and the average annual energy consumption per unit area is 20.09 kgce/(m2·a. Space heating accounted for 45% of the total energy consumption as the highest proportion, and the second highest was household appliances, which accounted for 20%. The results showed that old residential buildings, multi-storey buildings and large-sized apartment buildings consume more energy. The internal units, building height, per capita construction area, the number of occupants and length of power use had significant impact on residential energy consumption. The result of this study will provide practical reference for energy saving reconstruction of residential buildings in Beijing.

  17. An estimation framework for building information modeling (BIM)-based demolition waste by type.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young-Chan; Hong, Won-Hwa; Park, Jae-Woo; Cha, Gi-Wook

    2017-12-01

    Most existing studies on demolition waste (DW) quantification do not have an official standard to estimate the amount and type of DW. Therefore, there are limitations in the existing literature for estimating DW with a consistent classification system. Building information modeling (BIM) is a technology that can generate and manage all the information required during the life cycle of a building, from design to demolition. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of research regarding its application to the demolition stage of a building. For an effective waste management plan, the estimation of the type and volume of DW should begin from the building design stage. However, the lack of tools hinders an early estimation. This study proposes a BIM-based framework that estimates DW in the early design stages, to achieve an effective and streamlined planning, processing, and management. Specifically, the input of construction materials in the Korean construction classification system and those in the BIM library were matched. Based on this matching integration, the estimates of DW by type were calculated by applying the weight/unit volume factors and the rates of DW volume change. To verify the framework, its operation was demonstrated by means of an actual BIM modeling and by comparing its results with those available in the literature. This study is expected to contribute not only to the estimation of DW at the building level, but also to the automated estimation of DW at the district level.

  18. Insulin oedema in a 9 year old child with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Insulin oedema in a 9 year old child with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a case report. ... with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) however, its clinical use is associated with ... in 1928.1 In the 1960's it was reported in two series from East Africa.2-3 and ...

  19. Reactor building seismic analysis of a PWR type - NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakubo, Masao

    1983-01-01

    Earthquake engineering studies raised up in Brazil during design licensing and construction phases of Almirante Alvaro Alberto NPP, units 1 and 2. State of art of soil - structure interaction analysis with particular reference to the impedance function calculation analysis with particular reference to the impedance function calculation of a group of pile is presented in this M.Sc. Dissertation, as an example the reactor building dynamic response of a 1325 MWe NPP PWR type is calculated. The reactor building is supported by a pile foundation with 2002 end bearing piles. Upper and lower bound soil parameters are considered in order to observe their influence on dynamic response of structure. Dynamic response distribution on pile heads show pile-soil-pile interaction effects. (author)

  20. Developing Dynamic Digital Image Correlation Technique to Monitor Structural Damage of Old Buildings under External Excitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Hsiang Shih

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The capacity of buildings to resist external excitation is an important factor to consider for the structural design of buildings. When subject to external excitation, a building may suffer a certain degree of damages, and its residual capacity to resist external excitation cannot be evaluated. In this research, dynamic digital image correlation method combined with parameter evaluation available in system identification is used to evaluate the structural capacity to resist external excitation. The results reveal possible building latent safety problems so that timely structural reinforcement or dismantling of the building can be initiated to alleviate further damages. The results of experiments using the proposed method conform to the results obtained using the conventional method, but this method is more convenient and rapid than the latter in the subsequent procedure of data processing. If only the frequency change is used, the damages suffered by the building can be detected, but the damage location is not revealed. The interstory drift mode shape (IDMS based on the characteristic of story drift has higher sensitivity than the approximate story damage index (ADSI method based on modal frequency and vibration type; however, both indices can be used to determine the degree and location of building damages.

  1. Measurement of Moisture in Wood for Application in the Restoration of Old Buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moron, Carlos; Garcia-Fuentevilla, Luisa; Garcia, Alfonso; Moron, Alberto

    2016-05-14

    There are many historic buildings whose construction is based on timber frame walls. Most buildings built during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were based on timber frame walls with vertical support elements. These timber frame elements are affected by their moisture content and by the passage of time. If the interaction of the timber frame walls with hygrothermal fluctuations were known, the maintenance of these buildings could be improved significantly. To determine the moisture content of wood there are two types of meters on the market: on the one hand, capacitance meters which consist of two side ends and where the moisture content is measured locally between two peaks. On the other hand, there are meters based on the variation of electromagnetic transmittance of timber, which depends on the moisture of timber. The second ones are very expensive and difficult to handle. This work presents a new non-intrusive capacitive sensor that measures the global moisture content in a section of the timber frame walls and therefore its accuracy is similar to the accuracy that can be obtained with electromagnetic transmittance meters. Additionally, as it is a capacitive sensor, it is low cost and easy to operate.

  2. Experimental building with new types of building envelope structures. Part 1: Structures/systems. Building system: Brick walls; Forsoegshus med nye typer klimaskaermskonstruktioner. Del 1: Konstruktioner/systemer - Byggesystem: Fuldmuret

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2003-07-01

    The house described in this report is one of several experimental houses forming part of the project 'Experimental buildings with new types of building envelope structures'. One purpose of the project is to demonstrate that it is possible to build typical single-family houses with an energy consumption that meets expected increased building regulations. Furthermore, it is important that the houses can be made securely as regards construction technology and within reasonable financial limits. Thus, the purpose is also to contribute to strengthen the development of improved building envelope structures. Another purpose is to carry out detailed measurements of energy consumption in order to validate thermal performance of future building envelope structures. The report describes the constructive design and energy systems of the house plus heat loss calculations and expected energy consumption. (BA)

  3. PROCEDURES FOR SEISMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN WOODEN BUILDING TYPES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ario Ceccotti

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper analyzes different wooden buildings types used in past and nowadays to realized low-rise and mid-rise timber structures from the seismic point of view. A preliminary overview about the procedures prescribed by codes for the seismic characterization of the timber building systems is given. Then the definition of the behaviour q-factor in the literature and its relevance in design of structures in seismic areas is treated. Available research methods for estimating the q-factor based on the verification of the nonlinear seismic response of entire buildings by means of experimental tests and numerical simulations are presented and analyzed. The relevance of a proper definition of the yielding limit and of failure condition in the seismic characterization of wooden building systems is treated. Moreover, a comparison between the q-factor estimations obtained using different calculation methods is presented. Lastly, the appropriate q-factor values are given for a reliable and safe seismic design of buildings realized using the examined wooden constructive systems.

  4. Historical Consumption of Heating Natural Gas and Thermal Monitoring of a Multifamily High-Rise Building in a Temperate/Cold Climate in Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celina Filippín

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes the historical consumption of natural gas in a multifamily high-rise building and the monitored winter thermal behavior of an apartment sample. The building is located in the center of Argentina (latitude: 36º27’S; longitude: 64º27’W, where the climate is a cold temperate with an absolute minimum temperature that may reach −10 °C. The building has two blocks, North and South. The building’s annual gas consumption and its variability between 1996 and 2008 are shown. The South block consumed 78% more gas, a situation expected due to lower solar resource availability and greater vulnerability regarding strong and cold SW winds. Indoor temperatures monitored during 2009 in four apartments are described. The outdoor minimum temperature reached −5 °C, with solar irradiance around 500 W/m2 at midday. Results showed that the average indoor temperatures were 20.1, 20.6, 24.0 and 22.1 °C. The highest consumption value corresponded to the apartment exposed to SW cold winds. Compared to the rest of the building, the apartment on the top floor consumes 59% more energy than the average for the gas consumed throughout the year. The authors assume that the energy potentials of intervention are different, and not necessarily all the apartments should have the same technological response.

  5. Growing old but not growing apart

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McGue, Matt; Christensen, Kaare

    2013-01-01

    of cognitive ability, depression symptomatology and hand grip strength in a cross-sectional sample of 2,332 like-sex pairs of Danish twins age 46-96 years. All three outcomes were strongly correlated with age, indicating that the three phenotypes analyzed are not developmentally static. Nonetheless......, in moderated regression analysis we found no evidence of declining twin similarity for any of the three outcomes in either zygosity group. Moreover, biometric analysis of the twin data revealed minimal differences in heritability estimates across the age range sampled. While small sample size limits our...

  6. Elevated radon and thoron concentrations from natural radioactivity in building materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.; Vivyurka, A.

    1980-01-01

    Radon levels in excess of 20 mWL were observed in an apartment building under construction in Elliot Lake. Tracer studies showed ventilation periods as long as 29 hours since the ventilation system of the building was not yet working. It was concluded that, once the contribution from thoron daughters was taken into account, the natural radioactivity of the concrete and other building materials was sufficient to produce the observed levels of radioactivity

  7. Experimental and numerical modelling of thermal performance of a residential building in Belgrade

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vučićević Biljana

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to evaluate simulation of thermal performance of a residential 4 floors high building placed in the suburb of Belgrade (ground and 3 upper floors with it's total surface area of 1410 m2. It's supplied with liquid petroleum gas storage tank as a fuel reservoir since there is automatic gas boiler in each apartment. Measurements have been carried out in first floor apartment (68 m2 heating area in heating season period. Measured parameters are: inside and outside air temperature and U-value of apartment envelope. Weather data is obtained by using METEONORM, the software package for climatic data calculation based on last 10 years measurements. TRNSYS 16 has been used as the simulation tool. The behavior of the building in terms of heating loads for climate on a daily and monthly basis in heating season is investigated. The calculations show possibility for saving energy by optimization inside temperature during different gas boiler working regimes.

  8. [Myocardial infarction in a 26-year-old patient with diabetes type 1].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogowicz, Anita; Zozulińska, Dorota; Wierusz-Wysocka, Bogna

    2007-11-01

    A case of a 26-year-old patient with acute myocardial infarction and hypertension, hyperlipidaemia as well as type 1 diabetes from 18 years complicated by background retinopathy and nephropathy in the state of proteinuria is described. State of metabolic compensation of the diabetes was poor. The patient did not perform regular self-monitoring of glycaemia, smoked, and used oral contraception. Early diagnosis of vascular lesions in young persons with long-lasting of type 1 diabetes as well as the introduction of proper preventive and treatment methods may improve prognosis in these high-risk patients.

  9. Building method for nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iba, Tsutomu.

    1993-01-01

    Outer shielding buildings and inner concretes are dismantled and removed. In this case, foundations are left as they are. Then, new outer shielding buildings and inner concretes are constructed on the old foundations by way of rubber a laminates. The outer shielding buildings and the inner concretes supported by the rubber laminates have an earthquake-proof structure and vibrations upon occurrence of earthquakes can be moderated by the rubber laminates. Therefore, it is not required to make the outer shielding buildings so strong, and the weight of them can be reduced. Accordingly, the weight of the buildings is reduced compared with the buildings before dismantling, so that they can be sufficiently supported by the old foundations. This enables to build a nuclear power plant without ensuring new construction sites. (I.N.)

  10. Process and a device for manufacturing a composite building panel for use in a building structure cladding system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tetu, B

    1991-06-11

    A process and device are disclosed for manufacturing a composite panel used for cladding a building. The panel comprises a facing layer made from a plurality of facing elements, such as brick slices, retained in a spaced-apart relationship, and magnetically attractible particulate material disposed between the facing elements to imitate mortar. A rigid backing layer is provided, spaced from the spacing layer, and the space between the facing and the backing layers is filled with an insulation/bonding layer, made of urethane foam. The device for manufacturing the panel comprises a facing element holder in the form of a structure with a plurality of recesses for receiving facing elements, also including spacers between the recesses in order to retain the facing elements in a spaced-apart relationship. Ceramic magnets are provided on the spacers for temporarily retaining the particulate material against gravity until the insulation/bonding layer is built which retains all the panel elements together. The invention enables manufacture of non-planar panels, such as those used on corners of buildings, thereby eliminating the need for a corner joint. 9 figs.

  11. Building Energy Assessment and Computer Simulation Applied to Social Housing in Spain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Aranda

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The actual energy consumption and simulated energy performance of a building usually differ. This gap widens in social housing, owing to the characteristics of these buildings and the consumption patterns of economically vulnerable households affected by energy poverty. The aim of this work is to characterise the energy poverty of the households that are representative of those residing in social housing, specifically in blocks of apartments in Southern Europe. The main variables that affect energy consumption and costs are analysed, and the models developed for software energy-performance simulations (which are applied to predict energy consumption in social housing are validated against actual energy-consumption values. The results demonstrate that this type of household usually lives in surroundings at a temperature below the average thermal comfort level. We have taken into account that a standard thermal comfort level may lead to significant differences between computer-aided energy building simulation and actual consumption data (which are 40–140% lower than simulated consumption. This fact is of integral importance, as we use computer simulation to predict building energy performance in social housing.

  12. Computational design of metal-organic frameworks with paddlewheel-type secondary building units

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwingenschlogl, Udo; Peskov, Maxim V.; Masghouni, Nejib

    We employ the TOPOS package to study 697 coordination polymers containing paddlewheel-type secondary building units. The underlying nets are analyzed and 3 novel nets are chosen as potential topologies for paddlewheel-type metal organic frameworks (MOFs). Dicarboxylate linkers are used to build basic structures for novel isoreticular MOF series, aiming at relatively compact structures with a low number of atoms per unit cell. The structures are optimized using density functional theory. Afterwards the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo approach is employed to generate adsorption isotherms for CO2, CO, and CH4 molecules. We utilize the universal forcefield for simulating the interaction between the molecules and hosting MOF. The diffusion behavior of the molecules inside the MOFs is analyzed by molecular dynamics simulations.

  13. Measurement of Moisture in Wood for Application in the Restoration of Old Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moron, Carlos; Garcia-Fuentevilla, Luisa; Garcia, Alfonso; Moron, Alberto

    2016-01-01

    There are many historic buildings whose construction is based on timber frame walls. Most buildings built during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were based on timber frame walls with vertical support elements. These timber frame elements are affected by their moisture content and by the passage of time. If the interaction of the timber frame walls with hygrothermal fluctuations were known, the maintenance of these buildings could be improved significantly. To determine the moisture content of wood there are two types of meters on the market: on the one hand, capacitance meters which consist of two side ends and where the moisture content is measured locally between two peaks. On the other hand, there are meters based on the variation of electromagnetic transmittance of timber, which depends on the moisture of timber. The second ones are very expensive and difficult to handle. This work presents a new non-intrusive capacitive sensor that measures the global moisture content in a section of the timber frame walls and therefore its accuracy is similar to the accuracy that can be obtained with electromagnetic transmittance meters. Additionally, as it is a capacitive sensor, it is low cost and easy to operate. PMID:27187410

  14. Parameters and criteria for repair and strengthening of buildings in the old town core of Dubrovnik based on seismic risk analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Vladimir

    1995-06-01

    Full Text Available Definition of the seismicity conditions, the design seismic parameters and the seismic risk level are important and inevitable phases ol the complex process of repair and strengthening of existing structures in certain towns located in seismically active areas. These should be studied in all necessary details in order to provide corresponding bases and define the necessary preventive measures against expected strong earthquakes. Such an approach becomes even nlore necessary arter the experience regarding the last catastrophic earthquakes that occurred in Former Yugoslavia (Skopje. Banja Luka, Montenegro coast and Kopaonik and inflicted heavy losses of human lives and material properties. The old town core of Dubrovnik is known for the large concentration of buildings of enorrnous cultural-historic importance. Considering the high seismic activity of this area. all these buildings are very likely to experience heavy damage and failure. Tlie history of the town records many catastrophic earthquakes that inflicted heavy material losses and loss of human lives. Here, we can rnention the great Dubrovnik earthquake of 1667 and the last Montenegro earthquake of April 15, 1979 with an epicenter in the Ulcinj-Bar area. The consequences of the latter are well known. The purpose of this paper is to present some results and experience gained from the investigations performed for the area of Dubro~nikil lustrated by several examples of buildings existing in the old town core of Dubrovnik.

  15. A Review of Influence of Various Types of Structural Bracing to the Structural Performance of Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razak, S. M.; Kong, T. C.; Zainol, N. Z.; Adnan, A.; Azimi, M.

    2018-03-01

    Excessive lateral drift can contribute significantly towards crack formation, leading to structural damage. The structural damage will in turn reduce the capacity of the structure and weaken it from the intended design capacity. Generally, lateral drift is more pronounced in higher and longer structure, such as high rise buildings and bridges. A typical method employed to control lateral drift is structural bracing, which works by increasing stiffness and stability of structure. This paper reviews the influence of various types of structural bracing to structural performance of buildings. The history of structural bracing is visited and the differences between numerous structural bracing in term of suitability to different types of buildings and loading, mechanisms, technical details, advantages and limitations, and the overall effect on the structural behaviour and performance are dissected. Proper and efficient structural bracing is pertinent for each high rise building as this will lead towards safer, sustainable and more economical buildings, which are cheaper to maintain throughout the life of the buildings in the future.

  16. Removing foxing stains from old paper at 157 nm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarantopoulou, E.; Samardzija, Z.; Kobe, S.; Kollia, Z.; Cefalas, A.C.

    2003-01-01

    Using a molecular fluorine laser at 157 nm foxing stains were removed successfully from a 16th century old paper. Laser cleaning of stains and foxing from old paper manuscripts is far more effective at 157 nm in comparison to different wavelengths without leaving any yellowish after-effect on the paper. This is because at 157 nm illumination of old paper, complete bond breaking of all the organic molecules of the paper is taking place. Mass spectroscopy at 157 nm and for moderate laser intensities up to 1 mJ/cm 2 of old paper suffering from foxing indicate organic matter disintegration to small photofragments atomic, diatomic or triatomic, which are flying apart with supersonic speed. In addition high spatial resolution energy dispersive X-ray system (EDXS) analysis over the effected areas indicate the presence of iron, suggesting that biological activity is taking place preferentially in paper areas containing iron

  17. Complex evaluation of the loft-style of retrivation as a type of building conversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chulkov, V.; Kazaryan, R.; Kuzina, O.; Maloyan, G.; Efimenko, A.

    2017-10-01

    Construction reorganization is part of a basic reorganization cycle in which four phases (phases, states, technological redistribution) are consistently implemented: device, disorganization, reorganization and co-organization. The field of our research lies in the phase of reconstruction. One of the varieties of building reconstruction is retrieval (from English retrieve - to restore, find) - bringing the reorganized object into a working state by attaching to the old functional building system of the new system. Retraining provides the ability to replace elements of the new system locally or in general (implementing the principle of “assembly-disassembly”) and provides for the elimination of the moral deterioration of the building and the normal operation of the facility. In the construction and transport industry there is a sufficiently large number of multiparameter tasks that require a systematic approach and the definition of a single integrated indicator of the effectiveness of the operation. These tasks can be solved using a variety of approaches. One of such approaches, as the method of integral evaluation based on stellar infographic models, is considered.

  18. Small might be beautiful, but bigger performs better: Scale economies in “green” refurbishments of apartment housing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michelsen, Claus; Rosenschon, Sebastian; Schulz, Christian

    2015-01-01

    The energy efficiency of the residential housing stock plays a key role in strategies to mitigate climate change and global warming. In this context, it is frequently argued that private investment and the quality of thermal upgrades are too low in the light of the challenges faced and the potential energy cost savings. While many authors address the potential barriers for investors to increase energy efficiency, studies on the capabilities of different investors to reduce energy requirements of their property are scarce. This study investigates potential advantages of housing company's size, i.e. economies of scale, economies of scope and institutional learning in thermal upgrades of residential housing. Based on unique data on energy consumption in 102,307 apartment buildings in Germany, we present new evidence for the advantages and disadvantages of a housing company's size in “green” retrofitting projects. Our estimations show, that large housing companies outperform private landlords by far in high effort refurbishment projects. In contrast, private landlords appear to have advantages in low effort, incremental refurbishment activities. We demonstrate that a substantial share of the advantages of larger firms can be associated with specialization (i.e. repeated projects). The results offer new options for policy makers to refine the support schemes toward a low carbon housing stock. - Highlights: • First study to analyze the effects of housing companies size on “green” refurbishment • Economies of scale, scope and learning all affect energy efficiency refurbishments. • Specialization on distinct refurbishments influences outcome of thermal upgrades. • Analysis based on a large and unique sample of apartment buildings in Germany

  19. New EPC-calculation [Energy Efficiency Coefficient]. A few building engineering changes; Nieuwe EPC-bepaling. Enkele bouwtechnische wijzigingen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spiekman, M.E.; Van Dijk, H.A.L. [TNO Built Environment, Delft (Netherlands)

    2012-06-15

    On July 1st 2012 the existing standards for energy performance of new residential buildings (NEN 5128) and non-residential buildings (NEN 2916) are replaced by a new standard (NEN 7120) in which, next to dwellings and non-residential buildings, new and existing buildings are integrated. In this article the most important changes are described. [Dutch] Vanaf 1 juli worden de bestaande energieprestatienormen voor nieuwbouwwoningen (NEN 5128) en utiliteitsbouw (NEN 2916) vervangen door een nieuwe norm, de NEN 7120. Voorheen waren ervoor de bepaling van de energieprestatiecoefficient (EPC) voor woningen en utiliteitsbouw aparte bepalingsmethoden voorhanden. Ook waren de bepaling van de EPC voor nieuwbouw en de Energie-Index (EI) voor het energielabel voor bestaande bouw (ISSO 82, ISSO 75) in aparte documenten vastgelegd. De nieuwe norm NEN 7120 is voor al deze gebouwcategorieen te gebruiken en zal de huidige bepalingsmethoden vervangen.

  20. Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maxwell, S.; Berger, D.; Zuluaga, M.

    2014-07-01

    In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the 'fresh' air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent, and the 'normal leakage paths through the building envelope' disappear. CARB researchers have found that the majority of high performance, new construction, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four general strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, and the assumption is that products will perform similarly in the field. Proper application involves matching expected performance at expected building pressures, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. This research effort, which included several weeks of building pressure monitoring, sought to provide field validation of system performance. The performance of four substantially different strategies for providing make-up air to apartments was evaluated.

  1. Code Compliant School Buildings Boost Student Achievement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald B. Lumpkin

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Much of the focus in the literature in raising student achievement has included parental involvement, principal leadership, quality of instruction, students’ socioeconomic status, curriculum, and use of technology. Limited empirical research relates the condition of the school building as a variable that affects student achievement. Furthermore, there is no research that has examined the impact of building codes on achievement outcomes in the state of Florida. This research determined whether academic achievement of 4th-, 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade students as measured by the mathematics and reading subtests of the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT increased in new school buildings compliant to the 2000 Florida State Requirements for Educational Facilities. A causal-comparative design determined whether the independent variables, old and new school building influenced student achievement as measured by students’ FCAT mathematics and reading subtest scores. The control group was two cohorts of 4th-, 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade students who attended school in old buildings. The experimental group was two cohorts of 4th-, 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade students who attended school in new buildings. Transition from an old school into a new school was the treatment. Two hypotheses were formulated for testing and the research question for the inquiry was whether the percentage of students passing the FCAT mathematics and reading subtests increases after transitioning from an old school building into a new 2000 UBC (Uniform Building Code compliant facility.

  2. Energy performance of building fabric - Comparing two types of vernacular residential houses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draganova, Vanya Y.; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Tsuzuki, Kazuyo

    2017-10-01

    Notwithstanding apparent differences, Japanese and Bulgarian traditional residential houses share a lot of common features - building materials, building techniques, even layout design. Despite the similarities, these two types of houses have not been compared so far. The study initiates such comparison. The focus is on houses in areas with similar climate in both countries. Current legislation requirements are compared, as well as the criteria for thermal comfort of people. Achieving high energy performance results from a dynamic system of 4 main key factors - thermal comfort range, heating/cooling source, building envelope and climatic conditions. A change in any single one of them can affect the final energy performance. However, it can be expected that a combination of changes in more than one factor usually occurs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the thermal performance of building envelope designed under current regulations and a traditional one, having in mind the different thermal comfort range in the two countries. A sample building model is calculated in Scenario 1 - Japanese traditional building fabric, Scenario 2 - Bulgarian traditional building fabric and Scenario 3 - meeting the requirements of the more demanding current regulations. The energy modelling is conducted using EnergyPlus through OpenStudio cross-platform of software tools. The 3D geometry for the simulation is created using OpenStudio SketchUp Plug-in. Equal number of inhabitants, electricity consumption and natural ventilation is assumed. The results show that overall low energy consumption can be achieved using traditional building fabric as well, when paired with a wider thermal comfort range. Under these conditions traditional building design is still viable today. This knowledge can reestablish the use of traditional building fabric in contemporary design, stimulate preservation of local culture, building traditions and community identity.

  3. Marginal Productivity Gained Through Prefabrication: Case Studies of Building Projects in Auckland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wajiha Shahzad

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Several studies have documented benefits of prefabrication system (prefab compared to the traditional building system (TBS. However, the documented benefits have been anecdotal or fragmented with reports of isolated case study projects. Few studies have looked at the objectively quantified benefits from statistical significance point of view and across building types in New Zealand. This study contributes to filling this knowledge gap by analyzing cost and time-savings, and productivity improvement achievable by the use of prefab in place of the TBS. Records of completion times and final contract values of 66 building projects implemented using prefab in Auckland were collected. The building types included commercial, houses, apartments, educational, and community buildings. The project details included final contract sums, completion dates, gross floor areas, and number of floors. Based on these details, the equivalent completion times and the final cost estimates for similar buildings implemented using the TBS were obtained from the Rawlinsons construction data handbook and feedback from some designers and contractors. Marginal productivity outcome for each building project was computed as the product of the cost and time-savings achieved using the prefab. Results showed that the use of prefab in place of TBS resulted in 34% and 19% average reductions in the completion times and costs, respectively. This also translated to overall 7% average improvement in the productivity outcomes in the building projects. Univariate ANOVA-based hypothesis test results showed that ‘building type’ had no significant effects on the cost and productivity improvement outcomes, but had significant effect on the time savings analyzed in the case study projects. The greatest productivity gain of 11% was achieved in house projects. These evidence-based results could guide optimized use of prefab for specific building application. The hypothesis-testing outcome

  4. Fifteen-Year-Old Male with Type 2 Autoimmune Pancreatitis: An Argument for Endoscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathan T. Kolasinski

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis, an increasingly recognized etiology of pancreatitis in patients less than 20 years old, has characteristically been diagnosed with the histological finding of duct-centric pancreatitis in a patient who lacks elevated serum immunoglobulin G4. We present the case of a nonobese 15-year-old male, without any chronic medical conditions, who presented with the chief complaint of abdominal pain. The laboratory study results were remarkable for a lipase level of 5,419 U/L and a γ-glutamyl transferase level of 373 U/L. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed delayed contrast enhancement of the pancreas, diffuse parenchymal enlargement, and lack of normal lobulation. The patient’s serum immunoglobulin G4 level was found to be 66 mg/dL, which was within normal limits and supportive of a diagnosis of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis. Despite the absence of intestinal complaints, the patient underwent subsequent endoscopy due to the correlation of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis with inflammatory bowel disease that has been described in recent literature. Pan-colonic mild colitis was visualized, and the patient began treatment with steroids, to which he quickly responded. Performing endoscopy on this patient allowed for confident initiation of early therapy for both autoimmune pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease, and may have limited further surgical intervention and disease progression. For these reasons, this case highlights the utility of endoscopy in pediatric patients with suspected type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis, even in the absence of intestinal symptoms.

  5. Ageing and exercise: building body capital in old age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergland, Astrid; Fougner, Marit; Lund, Anne; Debesay, Jonas

    2018-01-01

    Research that provides better understanding of the motivational processes in older age to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle is sought after. We apply theoretical approaches to cultural capital, active and healthy aging health to shed light on the women's experiences in maintaining physical capabilities through an active lifestyle, and thereby facilitating their own inclusion in society. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore why older home dwelling women over the age of 70 years or more spend time in physical exercise and their experiences about the importance of participating in group exercise for their daily life.This paper reports on a qualitative study based on interviews with 16 older women aged 70 years or more and regularly attending group exercise classes in the community at an established workout center. The data were analyzed the data using an inductive content analysis approach. Three overreaching and interrelated themes emerged from the interviews: "Building body capital for independence", "Building body capital to maintain vitality and being in control" and "Building resources for social interaction". The findings suggest that group exercise is important for building body capital. The group exercise helped the women in building bodily ability to manage everyday life, maintain vitality, being in control, pursue social interaction and live independently. These body resources were important for these older women's experience of the manageability and meaningfulness of daily life. This study has provided insights into older women's understanding and experiences of the challenges of everyday life within a theoretical framework of cultural capital and health. The women acquired cultural health capital, and more specifically body capital, by participating in the group exercise classes. The women's investment in body capital through regular physical activity created resources which facilitated social participation. Therefore professionals need to be

  6. Things Come Together with "Things Fall Apart."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puhr, Kathleen M.

    1987-01-01

    Recommends using C. Achebe's English language novel, "Things Fall Apart," in a unit on tragedy. Provides plot summary and topics for discussion of cultural values and socialization. Notes that besides illustrating character traits, themes and plot structure of the tragic genre, the novel provides an opportunity for learning Nigerian…

  7. Controlling indoor climate. Passive cooling of residential buildings in hot-humid climates in China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhiwu, Wang

    1996-10-01

    Overheating is a paramount problem in residential buildings in hot and humid climates in China during summer. This study aims to deal with the overheating problem and the problem of poor air quality in dwellings. The main objective is to improve indoor thermal conditions by passive cooling approaches, climatisation techniques in buildings without auxiliary cooling from air conditioning equipment. This thesis focuses on the study of cross-ventilation in apartments, which is one of the most effective ways of natural cooling in a hot humid climate, but is also one of the least understood parts in controlling indoor climate. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique is used, which is a new approach, since cross-ventilation studies have been conventionally made by wind tunnel tests. The validations of the CFD technique are examined by a comparison between wind tunnel tests and computer simulations. The factors influencing indoor air movement are investigated for a single room. Cross-ventilation in two apartments is studied, and the air change efficiency in a Chinese kitchen is calculated with CFD techniques. The thermal performance of ventilated roofs, a simple and widely used type of roof in the region, is specially addressed by means of a full-scale measurement, wind tunnel tests and computer simulations. An integrated study of passive cooling approaches and factors affecting indoor thermal comfort is carried out through a case study in a southern Chinese city, Guangzhou. This thesis demonstrates that passive cooling measure have a high potential in significantly improving indoor thermal conditions during summer. This study also gives discussions and conclusions on the evaluation of indoor thermal environment; effects influencing cross-ventilation in apartments; design guidelines for ventilated roofs and an integrated study of passive cooling. 111 refs, 83 figs, 65 tabs

  8. Disrespect, Tension, and Togetherness--Apartness in Marriage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenblatt, Paul C.; And Others

    1979-01-01

    For a study of marital togetherness and apartness, the partners in 136 couples completed questionnaires. The role of disrespect, a factor serving as an abrasive in marriage, was investigated. Findings suggest that therapy for couples with a presenting problem of insufficient contact may first have to deal with abrasive factors. (Author)

  9. The geometry of pull-apart basins in the southern part of Sumatran strike-slip fault zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aribowo, Sonny

    2018-02-01

    Models of pull-apart basin geometry have been described by many previous studies in a variety tectonic setting. 2D geometry of Ranau Lake represents a pull-apart basin in the Sumatran Fault Zone. However, there are unclear geomorphic traces of two sub-parallel overlapping strike-slip faults in the boundary of the lake. Nonetheless, clear geomorphic traces that parallel to Kumering Segment of the Sumatran Fault are considered as inactive faults in the southern side of the lake. I demonstrate the angular characteristics of the Ranau Lake and Suoh complex pull-apart basins and compare with pull-apart basin examples from published studies. I use digital elevation model (DEM) image to sketch the shape of the depression of Ranau Lake and Suoh Valley and measure 2D geometry of pull-apart basins. This study shows that Ranau Lake is not a pull-apart basin, and the pull-apart basin is actually located in the eastern side of the lake. Since there is a clear connection between pull-apart basin and volcanic activity in Sumatra, I also predict that the unclear trace of the pull-apart basin near Ranau Lake may be covered by Ranau Caldera and Seminung volcanic products.

  10. Integrating Innovation Skills in an Introductory Engineering Design-Build Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liebenberg, Leon; Mathews, Edward Henry

    2012-01-01

    Modern engineering curricula have started to emphasize design, mostly in the form of design-build experiences. Apart from instilling important problem-solving skills, such pedagogical frameworks address the critical social skill aspects of engineering education due to their team-based, project-based nature. However, it is required of the…

  11. Love Will Keep Us Apart? Understanding Living Apart Together Partnerships in the Post-state-socialist Czech Republic

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Formánková, Lenka; Křížková, Alena

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 51, č. 6 (2015), s. 993-1022 ISSN 0038-0288 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-13766S; GA ČR GAP404/10/0021 Institutional support: RVO:68378025 Keywords : living apart together * biographical research * gender * new forms of partnership * family policy Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography Impact factor: 0.262, year: 2015 http://sreview.soc.cas.cz/cs/issue/180-sociologicky-casopis-czech-sociological-review-6-2015/3580

  12. Equipment and building structures ageing management for WWER type NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayboroda, O.

    2001-01-01

    This report presents the working group 'Equipment and building structures ageing management for WWER type NPPs' activities. The analysis of experience in ageing management, recommendations for regulatory guidelines on ageing management, investigation of case studies, definition suitable communication channels among regulators for ageing related data are given. Analyses of water chemistry, inspection data (safety margins criteria), plugging criteria, volume and time of ECT implementation in all WWER countries are presented. The results of Working group activity show that it is advisable to concentrate efforts on: set up the permanent communication channel among regulators, collection of regulatory criteria for WWER type NPP key components based on understanding of ageing mechanisms and data collection

  13. Vertical distribution of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, K W; Chen, C D; Lee, H L; Izzul, A A; Asri-Isa, M; Zulfadli, M; Sofian-Azirun, M

    2013-03-01

    The aim of the present study was to determine the vertical distribution and abundance of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ovitrap surveillance was conducted for 4 continuous weeks in multiple storey buildings in 4 residential areas located in Selangor [Kg. Baiduri (KB)] and Kuala Lumpur [Student Hostel of University of Malaya (UM), Kg. Kerinchi (KK) and Hang Tuah (HT)]. The results implied that Aedes mosquitoes could be found from ground floor to highest floor of multiple storey buildings and data from different elevation did not show significant difference. Ovitrap index for UM, KB, HT and KK ranged from 0 - 29.17%, 0 - 55.56%, 8.33 - 83.33% and 0 - 91.17% respectively. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were found breeding in HT, KK and KB; while only Ae. albopictus was obtained from UM. The results indicate that the invasion of Aedes mosquitoes in high-rise apartments could facilitate the transmission of dengue virus and new approaches to vector control in this type of residential area should be developed.

  14. Numerical analysis of natural ventilation system in a studio apartment in Bangladesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabir, K. M. Ariful; Hasan, Md. Rakibul; Khan, Md. Abdul Hakim

    2017-07-01

    The study of temperature and air flow for natural ventilation system has been investigated numerically. A finite element model for studio apartment was developed with the aim of achieving detail energy allocation in the real buildings during the transient process in the walls and internal air. A tool of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is employed to assist the process. In the tropical regions most of the energy is consumed by the heating, cooling and ventilation appliances. Therefore, the optimize ventilation system will be a suitable and valid option for the saving of energy from the household sector to increase cooling performance and ensuring thermal comfort as well. A mathematical exploration is carried out on full scale dwelling and small scale model and indication is given on the relevance of such a comparison. Calculations are carried out with household heat sources for calm and windy period, but without any human. As expected, for windy periods, the wind is the main driving force behind the internal air flow. However, in calm periods for unsteady flow the internal airflow looks like more complexes through observation.

  15. Building America Case Study: Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings, New York, New York

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2015-10-15

    Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.

  16. The value of building safety: A hedonic price approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung Yau

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Theoretical and empirical studies on how building performance is valued by the property market abound in the literature. Some of them investigate changes in property prices after building renovation, but little has been done on pricing the safety performance of buildings. This article presents a study that explores whether residential properties in safer buildings command higher market values in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a good laboratory for this study because building failures can pose a serious threat in such a densely populated high-rise environment. The study measures the safety performance of a building by the weighted number of unauthorised building works (UBWs on the external walls of the buildings. By their nature, UBWs are building works that are constructed without prior approval and consent from the government. A hedonic price model is developed to assess the market value of building safety. For the model estimation, apart from the property transaction data, the number of unauthorised appendages (i.e., UBWs attached to the building facades in each building studied is obtained through a building survey. Based on the analysis results, several hypotheses built upon the theories of self-protection and self-insurance are tested.

  17. Development of renewable energies apart from biomass on farms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brule, K.; Pindard, A.; Jaujay, J.; Femenias, A.

    2009-01-01

    This paper proposes an overview and a prospective glance at the development of renewable energies in farms, apart those which are based on the production or use of biomass. Some indicators are defined (energy production and consumption). Stake holders are identified. Some retrospective major and emerging trends are discussed. The major trends are: growth and diversification of renewable energy production, calling to renewable energy production in farms. The emerging trends are: a recent increase of renewable energy production in farms apart from biomass, locally stressed land market, economic profitability of photovoltaic installations due to purchase tariffs. Some prospective issues are discussed: technical support, financial support, development of other energy sources, and tax policy on fossil energy used in agriculture. Three development hypotheses are discussed

  18. Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aart C. Liefbroer

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Most research asks whether or not cohabitation has come to rival marriage. Little is known about the meaning of living apart together (LAT relationships, and whether LAT is an alternative to marriage and cohabitation or a dating relationship. Objective: We examine across Europe: (1 the prevalence of LAT, (2 the reasons for LAT, and (3 the correlates of (a LAT relationships vis-à-vis being single, married, or cohabiting, and (b different types of LAT union. Methods: Using Generations and Gender Survey data from ten Western and Eastern European countries, we present descriptive statistics about LATs and estimate multinominal logistic regression models to assess the correlates of being in different types of LAT unions. Results: LAT relationships are uncommon, but they are more common in Western than Eastern Europe. Most people in LAT unions intend to live together but are apart for practical reasons. LAT is more common among young people, those enrolled in higher education, people with liberal attitudes, highly educated people, and those who have previously cohabited or been married. Older people and divorced or widowed persons are more likely to choose LAT to maintain independence. Surprisingly, attitudinal and educational differences are more pronounced in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. Conclusions: A tentative conclusion is that LAT is more often a stage in the union formation process than an alternative to marriage and cohabitation. Yet some groups do view LAT as substituting for marriage and cohabitation, and these groups differ between East and West. In Eastern Europe a cultural, highly educated elite seems to be the first to resist traditional marriage norms and embrace LAT (and cohabitation as alternative living arrangements, whereas this is less the case in Western Europe. In Western Europe, LAT unions are mainly an alternative for persons who have been married before or had children in a prior relationship.

  19. Localized Electrical Heating System for Various Types of Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelehov, I. Y.; Smirnov, E. I.; Inozemsev, V. P.

    2017-11-01

    The article presents an overview of the factors determining the establishment of zones with high temperature in industrial, public and administrative buildings. The authors state the task on the improvement of the electric energy use efficiency and cost savings associated with the heating of these buildings by infrared electric heater devices. Materials and methods: The experiments were conducted in a room with the sizes of 3x6 m2 with a ceiling height of 3 m, the concrete floor was covered with laminate, in which increments of 250 mm were drilled and installed the thermocouple. In the process, had used the patented heating element with distributed heating layer. Signals from the thermocouples were recorded by instruments of the firm “ARIES” brand TPM138 with the standard software delivered together with devices (Owen Process Manager). The obtained distributions of the temperature fields were imported into MS Excel. Control voltage, current consumption, power was carried out by the device of firm “ARIES” brand of IMS. The results of the study: the article defines the purpose of the study and carried out the characterization of infrared heaters with various types of heating elements. The authors detail the main parameters of different types of infrared heaters, evaluated its possibility for application in other areas where the need to create areas of increased temperature. Discussion and conclusion: the result of this work it was determined that heating appliances that use patented heating element with distributed heating layer, improve thermal performance and bring you maximum comfort at a much greater distance compared to existing similar devices

  20. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDINGS REHABILITATION SOLUTIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    STAN IVAN F.E.

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The paper includes a simplified economical and financial analysis of the buildings rehabilitation solutions, for heating and lighting. The most important economic and financial indicators analyzed and determined are: economic return on investment and payback period of investment in dynamic form, net present value, and internal rate of return economic residual value of the investment on thermal insulation, building maintenance costs, energy costs. In order to reduce the electricity consumption: the methods consisted in replacing inefficient lighting with some efficient energy and for heat consumption: the proposed solution was building rehabilitation (exterior wall insulation, floor insulation board. The analysis consists in determining the economical and financial indicators before and after the building rehabilitation. The 3 rooms apartment is located in Craiova town, (wind zone IV, 2nd floor, orientation is S.

  1. Shear Tests and Calculation of Shear Resistance with the PC Program RFEM from Thin Partition Walls of Brick in Old Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korjenic Sinan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper is about the shear capacity of partition walls in old buildings based on shear tests which were carried out under real conditions in an existing building. There were experiments conducted on different floors and in each case, the maximum recordable horizontal force and the horizontal displacement of the respective mortar were measured. At the same time material studies and material investigations were carried out in the laboratory. The material parameters were used for the calculation of the precise shear capacity of each joint. In the shear tests, the maximum displacement of a mortar joint was determined at a maximum of two to four millimetres. Furthermore, no direct linear relationship between the theoretical load (wall above it and the shear stress occurred could be detected in the analysis of the experiment, as it was previously assumed.

  2. Shear Tests and Calculation of Shear Resistance with the PC Program RFEM from Thin Partition Walls of Brick in Old Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korjenic, Sinan; Nowak, Bernhard; Löffler, Philipp; Vašková, Anna

    2015-11-01

    This paper is about the shear capacity of partition walls in old buildings based on shear tests which were carried out under real conditions in an existing building. There were experiments conducted on different floors and in each case, the maximum recordable horizontal force and the horizontal displacement of the respective mortar were measured. At the same time material studies and material investigations were carried out in the laboratory. The material parameters were used for the calculation of the precise shear capacity of each joint. In the shear tests, the maximum displacement of a mortar joint was determined at a maximum of two to four millimetres. Furthermore, no direct linear relationship between the theoretical load (wall above it) and the shear stress occurred could be detected in the analysis of the experiment, as it was previously assumed.

  3. Fusion Building: New Trend with Some Old Roots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Craig

    2009-01-01

    The focus on the quality of a student's entire academic experience has led to a greater emphasis on student life activities and facilities. In response, many campuses are renovating, expanding, or creating new buildings that support student life. While many of these are traditional stand-alone student dormitories, dining facilities, unions, and…

  4. Building America Case Study: Rehabilitation of USDA Multifamily Homes, Georgia (Climate Zones 2-4)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2016-04-01

    Rea Ventures Group, LLC, (Rea Ventures) partnered with Southface Energy Institute (Southface) on the rehabilitation of 418 low-income rental multifamily apartments located at 14 different properties in Georgia (Climate Zones 2-4). These 22-year old, individually-metered units were arranged in rowhouse or townhouse style units. Rehabilitation plans were developed using a process prescribed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program, who partially funded the building upgrades. The USDA is responsible for building, upgrading, and subsidizing housing in rural areas nationwide. In 2012, over $100 million was allocated in grants and loans. Due to the unique financing mechanism as well as long-term ownership requirements, property owners are especially motivated to invest in upgrades that will increase durability and tenant retention. These buildings represent a large stock of rural affordable housing that have the potential for significant energy and cost savings for property owners and tenants. Southface analyzed the energy upgrade potential of one stereotypical property in the Rea Ventures portfolio. This study will provide insight into the most cost-effective, implementable energy efficiency and durability upgrades for this age multifamily housing, having an enormous impact not only on the portfolio of Rea Ventures but on the vast USDA and larger Federal portfolio. Additionally, Southface will identify gaps in the current capital needs assessment process, examine available audit and simulation tools and protocols, and evaluate additional auditor training or certification needs.

  5. Retrofitting Garden-Style Apartments in Brooklyn, New York

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nolen, Heather [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Neri, Robin [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Grab, Joanna [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)

    2016-02-01

    This research effort sought to achieve a solution package that yields energy savings greater than 30% over the pre-existing conditions in a minimally intrusive multifamily retrofit project. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) partnered with L+M Development Partners, Inc. on a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program project, Marcus Garvey Village, in Brooklyn, NY (Climate Zone 4A). The Mitchell-Lama Housing Program is a form of housing subsidy in the state of New York that provides affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate- and middle-income families. Marcus Garvey Village was founded in 1975 and contains 625 residential units (ranging from studios to 5-bedroom units) in thirty-two 4-story garden-style apartment structures built with concrete and faced in light brown brick. The single largest challenge for implementation of energy conservation measures at Marcus Garvey was working within occupied spaces. Measures are being implemented in phases to minimize disruption. As of August 2015, the retrofit work is over 50% complete. The wall insulation, sealing of the through wall AC vent, and installation of new oil-filled electric baseboards with advanced controls are conducted at one time, limiting disruption to the living room space. In a similar fashion, the kitchen work is done, then the bathroom. The final selection of energy conservation measures is projected to save 26.5% in source energy with a cost just under $3.7 million and utility bill savings of nearly $480,000 (of an average $1.8 million annual utility cost for the development).

  6. Courthouse Prototype Building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malhotra, Mini [ORNL; New, Joshua Ryan [ORNL; Im, Piljae [ORNL

    2018-02-01

    As part of DOE's support of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 and IECC, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) apply a suite of prototype buildings covering 80% of the commercial building floor area in the U.S. for new construction. Efforts have started on expanding the prototype building suite to cover 90% of the commercial building floor area in the U.S., by developing prototype models for additional building types including place of worship, public order and safety, public assembly. Courthouse is courthouse is a sub-category under the “Public Order and Safety" building type category; other sub-categories include police station, fire station, and jail, reformatory or penitentiary.ORNL used building design guides, databases, and documented courthouse projects, supplemented by personal communication with courthouse facility planning and design experts, to systematically conduct research on the courthouse building and system characteristics. This report documents the research conducted for the courthouse building type and proposes building and system characteristics for developing a prototype building energy model to be included in the Commercial Building Prototype Model suite. According to the 2012 CBECS, courthouses occupy a total of 436 million sqft of floor space or 0.5% of the total floor space in all commercial buildings in the US, next to fast food (0.35%), grocery store or food market (0.88%), and restaurant or cafeteria (1.2%) building types currently included in the Commercial Prototype Building Model suite. Considering aggregated average, courthouse falls among the larger with a mean floor area of 69,400 sqft smaller fuel consumption intensity building types and an average of 94.7 kBtu/sqft compared to 77.8 kBtu/sqft for office and 80 kBtu/sqft for all commercial buildings.Courthouses range in size from 1000 sqft to over a million square foot building gross square feet and 1 courtroom to over 100 courtrooms. Small courthouses

  7. Taking a vector supermultiplet apart: Alternative Fayet-Iliopoulos-type terms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzenko, Sergei M.

    2018-06-01

    Starting from an Abelian N = 1 vector supermultiplet V coupled to conformal supergravity, we construct from it a nilpotent real scalar Goldstino superfield V of the type proposed in arxiv:arXiv:1702.02423. It contains only two independent component fields, the Goldstino and the auxiliary D-field. The important properties of this Goldstino superfield are: (i) it is gauge invariant; and (ii) it is super-Weyl invariant. As a result, the gauge prepotential can be represented as V = V + V, where V contains only one independent component field, modulo gauge degrees of freedom, which is the gauge one-form. Making use of V allows us to introduce new Fayet-Iliopoulos-type terms, which differ from the one proposed in arxiv:arXiv:1712.08601 and share with the latter the property that gauged R-symmetry is not required.

  8. Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) in a 34-year-old patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolai, Heleen; Wirix, Mieke; Spielberg, Leigh; Leys, Anita

    2014-09-23

    We report macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) in a 34-year-old man, the youngest patient so far published with MacTel type 2. The patient presented with metamorphopsia and impaired reading ability. Diagnosis was based on bilateral abnormal macular autofluorescence, perifoveal telangiectasia with fluorescein angiographic hyperfluorescence without cystoid oedema, a small foveal avascular zone, asymmetric configuration of the foveal pit, disruptions in the inner segment/outer segment layer and hyper-reflective haze and spots in the outer nuclear layer. Although MacTel usually manifests with a slowly progressive decrease in visual acuity in the fifth to seventh decades of life, younger patients may occasionally be diagnosed with the disease. Awareness of subtle signs of the condition is essential for early diagnosis. 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

  9. Distributing Knight. Using Type-Based Publish/Subscribe for Building Distributed Collaboration Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damm, Christian Heide; Hansen, Klaus Marius

    2002-01-01

    more important. We present Distributed Knight, an extension to the Knight tool, for distributed, collaborative, and gesture-based object-oriented modelling. Distributed Knight was built using the type-based publish/subscribe paradigm. Based on this case, we argue that type-based publish......Distributed applications are hard to understand, build, and evolve. The need for decoupling, flexibility, and heterogeneity in distributed collaboration tools present particular problems; for such applications, having the right abstractions and primitives for distributed communication becomes even....../subscribe provides a natural and effective abstraction for developing distributed collaboration tools....

  10. Perceived health and comfort in relation to energy use and building characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roulet, C.-A.; Johner, N. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland); Foradini, F. [E4Tech S., Lausanne (Switzerland); Bluyssen, P.; Cox, C. [TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, Delft (Netherlands); Oliveira Fernandes, E. De [IDMEC-FUEP, Porto (Portugal); Mueller, B. [Technical University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Aizlewood, C. [Building Research Establishment, Watford (United Kingdom)

    2006-09-15

    Within the European research project Health Optimisation Protocol for Energy-efficient Building (HOPE), 96 apartment buildings and 64 office buildings (of which approximately 75% have been designed to be energy-efficient) were investigated. The building characteristics were assessed according to a checklist during a walk-through survey. Occupant questionnaires were used to determine satisfaction about comfort (thermal visual, acoustical and indoor air quality (IAQ)) and their health (Sick Building Syndrome and allergies). Building-averaged collected data are compared, looking for correlations between building characteristics on one hand, and perceived comfort and health on the other hand. Strong correlations are found between perceived IAQ, thermal, acoustic and lighting comfort, confirming results from other studies. Significant correlations between the perceived comfort and building related symptoms were also found, comfortable and healthier buildings being well distinct from uncomfortable ones. Differences of perceived comfort or health between low- and high-energy buildings show that it is possible to design buildings that are healthy, comfortable and energy efficient. (author)

  11. Indoor environmental quality differences between office types in LEED-certified buildings in the US

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Young S. [School of Planning, Design, and Construction, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823 (United States); Guerin, Denise A. [College of Design, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN 55108 (United States)

    2010-05-15

    The study compared IAQ, thermal quality, and lighting quality between 5 different office types in LEED-certified buildings in relation to employees' environmental satisfaction and their job performance. This was to provide workplaces where workers in each specific office environment could be provided with appropriate office settings regarding these IEQ criteria when organizations comply with LEED standards. The five types of office included private enclosed, private shared, open-plan with high cubicle over 5', open-plan with low cubicle lower than 5', and open-plan with no partitions (bullpen) offices. The study found IAQ enhanced workers' job performance in enclosed private offices more than both high cubicles and low cubicles. All four office types had higher satisfaction with the amount of light and visual comfort of light as well as more enhancement with job performance due to lighting quality than high cubicles. There was no difference in thermal quality between the five office types. IAQ and lighting quality were not different between enclosed private, enclosed shared, and bullpen office types, either. The study findings suggest a careful workplace design considering the height of partitions in LEED-certified buildings to improve employee's environmental satisfaction and job performance. (author)

  12. A 25-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes and liver disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Junker, Anders Ellekær; Gluud, Lise Lotte; Pedersen, Jens

    2014-01-01

    A 25-year-old female nurse was referred to our diabetes outpatient clinic with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, obesity and elevated liver function tests (LFTs). Following a liver biopsy she was diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis. Treatment with subcutaneous...... injections of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist liraglutide was initiated. After 46 weeks of treatment the patient had lost 16 kg, glycemic control was excellent and LFTs had normalized. Repeat liver biopsy and ultrasound showed reduction in hepatic fat content and inflammatory cells...

  13. Statistical analysis of electrical resistivity as a tool for estimating cement type of 12-year-old concrete specimens

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Polder, R.B.; Morales-Napoles, O.; Pacheco, J.

    2012-01-01

    Statistical tests on values of concrete resistivity can be used as a fast tool for estimating the cement type of old concrete. Electrical resistivity of concrete is a material property that describes the electrical resistance of concrete in a unit cell. Influences of binder type, water-to-binder

  14. A square meter of contradictions (the problems of house-building in Irkutsk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lev Konstantinov

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Why there is a tendency not to build the objects, which are in great demand?Mostly people prefer not very big single- or two-room flats, having decent 50-70 square meters area. But the apartments in newly-erected buildings generally consist of four, five and more rooms and have two levels of 100, 200 and more square meters.Why the construction is so erratic? Why and what for the tight «planting» of cast-in-place wireframe high-rise buildings adjoins vast abandoned lots?Who needs absurd and uncomfortable design to dominate in the newly-built flats? Incongruous corridors through the whole flat, huge halls, staircases as big as a tennis ground, and at that much tightness, the size of lavatories that used to be in Khruschev's time, low ceilings, poor sound isolation and so on…Unfortunately, the old good formula «to find who makes a profit on it» does not work in this case. Nobody considers it profitable to let the houses be expensive, scarce and uncomfortable at the same time. None of the alignments forces the problem of dwelling regardless of the interests of the majority of citizens. And it is hardly in power of any alignment.One may suspect «them all» of collusion, but this can quickly lead to paranoia. Then follow the interviews with an interior designer, a head of a big construction company, a culture researcher, an architect and a tenant of a newly erected building.

  15. Design and development of Building energy simulation Software for prefabricated cabin type of industrial building (PCES)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jun; Li, Ri Yi

    2018-06-01

    Building energy simulation is an important supporting tool for green building design and building energy consumption assessment, At present, Building energy simulation software can't meet the needs of energy consumption analysis and cabinet level micro environment control design of prefabricated building. thermal physical model of prefabricated building is proposed in this paper, based on the physical model, the energy consumption calculation software of prefabricated cabin building(PCES) is developed. we can achieve building parameter setting, energy consumption simulation and building thermal process and energy consumption analysis by PCES.

  16. Simulated thermal energy demand and actual energy consumption in refurbished and non-refurbished buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilie, C. A.; Visa, I.; Duta, A.

    2016-08-01

    The EU legal frame imposes the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) status to any new public building starting with January 1st, 2019 and for any other new building starting with 2021. Basically, nZEB represents a Low Energy Building (LEB) that covers more than half of the energy demand by using renewable energy systems installed on or close to it. Thus, two steps have to be followed in developing nZEB: (1) reaching the LEB status through state- of-the art architectural and construction solutions (for the new buildings) or through refurbishing for the already existent buildings, followed by (2) implementing renewables; in Romania, over 65% of the energy demand in a building is directly linked to heating, domestic hot water (DHW), and - in certain areas - for cooling. Thus, effort should be directed to reduce the thermal energy demand to be further covered by using clean and affordable systems: solar- thermal systems, heat pumps, biomass, etc. or their hybrid combinations. Obviously this demand is influenced by the onsite climatic profile and by the building performance. An almost worst case scenario is approached in the paper, considering a community implemented in a mountain area, with cold and long winters and mild summers (Odorheiul Secuiesc city, Harghita county, Romania). Three representative types of buildings are analysed: multi-family households (in blocks of flats), single-family houses and administrative buildings. For the first two types, old and refurbished buildings were comparatively discussed.

  17. Winter energy behaviour in multi-family block buildings in a temperate-cold climate in Argentina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Filippin, C. [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); Larsen, S. Flores [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); INENCO - Instituto de Investigaciones en Energias No Convencionales, U.N.Sa., CONICET, Avda. Bolivia 5150 - CP 4400, Salta Capital (Argentina); Mercado, V. [LAHV-Laboratorio de Ambienet Humano y Vivienda (INCIHUSA-CCT-CONICET) (Argentina)

    2011-01-15

    This paper analyzes the thermal and energy behaviour of apartments in three-story block buildings located along a NE-SW axis (azimuth = 120 ) in a temperate-cold climate (latitude: 36 57'; longitude: 64 27') in the city of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, central Argentina. Four apartments had been monitored during May and June 2009. Three of them are located in Block 126. Two of these apartments face South: 15 and 23 on the SE end, ground and first floor, respectively; 18 faces N on the second floor. Finally apartment, 12 is located in Block 374, on the first floor, faces N and shows a carpentry-closed balcony. The purpose of this work is - to study the evolution of the indoor temperature in each apartment; to analyze energy consumption and comfort conditions; to study energy potential and energy intervention in order to reduce energy consumption; to analyze bioclimatic alternatives feasibility and the possibility to extrapolate results to all blocks. On the basis of the analysis of natural gas historical consumption records, results showed that regarding heating energy consumption during the period May-June, Apartment 12, facing N, with its only bedroom facing NW and its carpentry-closed, transparent glass balcony, presented a mean temperature of 21.2 C, using a halogen heater for 6 h/day between 9 pm and 2 am (0.16 kWh/day/m{sup 2}). Apartment 15, on the SE end, first floor of the block consumed 22.5 kWh/day (0.43 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.2 C). Apartment 23, located on the second and top floor (on top of Apartment 15) with higher energy loss, consumed 28 kWh/day (0.54 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature 23.7 C). Apartment 18, also on the second floor and facing N, located in the centre and with its only bedroom facing SE, consumed 18.8 kWh/day (0.48 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.3 C). Apartment 23, with higher thermal loss through its envelope, but with heat transfer from the apartment located below, is the one that showed the highest

  18. Technology Solutions Case Study: Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    S. Puttagunta, S. Maxwell, D. Berger, and M. Zuluaga

    2015-10-01

    The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) conducted research to gain more insight into passive vents. Because passive vents are meant to operate in a general environment of negative apartment pressure, the research assessed whether these negative pressures prevail through a variety of environmental conditions.

  19. Particle Emission Characteristics of Modern and Old-Type Residential Boilers Fired with Wood Logs and Wood Pellets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johansson, L.S.; Gustavsson, L.; Tullin, C.; Potter, A.; Leckner, B.

    2005-01-01

    Residential biofuel combustion for heating can be performed in two ways: in a stove heating the surrounding room, or in a boiler heating water to be circulated through a piping system to heat an entire house. In contrast to stoves, wood boilers can be connected to heat storage tanks, which is an advantage from an emission point of view. The present work focuses on comparing emissions from old-type and modern boilers by means of systematic variation of combustion device, fuel quality, firing behaviour, and the influence of heat storage tank. User habits are simulated in a schematic way. The purpose of the comparison is to determine the emission differences between old-type and modern residential biofuel boilers and to quantify emission characteristics of different kind of biofuel combustion

  20. Efficient modernisation of a panel building - (We reduced a panel house's heat consumption to one fourth)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zsebik, Albin; Czinege, Zoltan

    2010-09-15

    In an EU pilot project called 'SOLANOVA', a 42-apartment building, was renovated and converted to a low energy consumption building in Dunaujvaros, Hungary in year 2005. The energy consumption of the building in the last four heating seasons was less than a quarter of the baseline consumption before the renovation. This presentation introduces the building and its energy consumption before the renovation; shows the aim, preparation and main steps of the renovation; and takes a look at the building and its heat consumption after the renovation.

  1. Radioactivity measurement in different types of fabricated building materials used in Palestine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dabayneh, K.M.

    2007-01-01

    The natural radionuclides ( 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K) and the manmade radiation levels were measured in samples of different types of fabricated building materials in Palestine. Concentration of radionuclide in samples were determined by γ -ray spectrometry using hyper-pure germanium (HPGe) detector in Bq/Kg dry weight. In this paper samples of commonly building materials (granite, clay brick (karmeed), lime stone, marble, cement, white cement, sea sand, gravel powder, gravel, glue ceramic, gypsum powder and hydrated lime) used in Palestinian buildings were collected. the concentration values of 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in these samples ranged between 13.9-97.3,7.2-78.6 and 2.0-1139.0 Bq/Kg.respectively. The 137 Cs isotope was detected in some samples. Radium equivalent activity (Ra e q) dose rate in air (Dr), external hazard index (Hex), radioactivity Level index (I y ) and annual gonadal equivalent dose (D) in all samples were calculated. The activity concentration data were discussed are compared with other experimental values in some countries

  2. A 9 year-old girl with herpes simplex virus type 2 acute retinal necrosis treated with intravitreal foscarnet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, John; Chung, Mina; DiLoreto, David A

    2007-01-01

    A 9-year-old girl presented with a 2-week history of redness in the left eye. Examination revealed vitritis, retinal whitening, vasculitis, and optic nerve head edema. Polymerase chain reaction testing of the aqueous fluid revealed herpes simplex virus type 2. The retinitis was controlled with intravenous acyclovir and intravitreal foscarnet. The clinical course was complicated by retinal neovascularization and vitreous hemorrhage, which was treated by pars plana vitrectomy and endolaser. While there are few case reports of herpes simplex virus type 2 retinitis in children, this one is unique for the following reasons: it is the first reported case of herpes simplex virus type 2 retinitis in a child less than 10 years old without a previous history of neonatal infection or central nervous system involvement; no other children have been reported to have been treated with intravitreal foscarnet; and retinal neovascularization complicated the recovery.

  3. A 9-Year-Old Girl Discovers That Her Mother Was Murdered.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schonfeld, David J; Shekunov, Julia; Jellinek, Michael; Stein, Martin T

    Susan was a 9-year-old girl living with her mother; she had never met her father. Her mother returned one evening from her job as a cocktail waitress and Susan met her at the apartment door to let her know they had run out of cat food. Her mother said she would go and buy some the next morning because it was late and she was tired, but Susan insisted she go out that evening because the cat had not eaten all day. Her mother was fatally shot in the parking lot of the convenience store shortly thereafter; since there was no robbery involved, the police suspected it was someone that she knew. Susan's extended family had her move out of the apartment that evening and relocate to live with her aunt and uncle out-of-state. The transition happened quickly. Susan was unable to return to her apartment to pick up any additional belongings and never returned to say goodbye to her friends. The family decided she was too young to attend the funeral.Susan had trouble fitting in with her aunt and uncle's family; they had 2 children who were 8 and 6 years old, and Susan felt she was being treated like a baby. She resented having a bedtime (her mother allowed her to stay up as late as she wished), and she complained that the work at school was boring and her classmates were childish. When the family went to a festival in town, she left abruptly without telling them, which frightened Susan's aunt and uncle. They wanted to be supportive but felt that she needed more structure than her mother had provided her. Susan's aunt and uncle sought bereavement support for Susan from her pediatrician and parenting advice for themselves.

  4. Bore pile foundation tall buildings closed in the heritage building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triastuti, Nusa Setiani

    2017-11-01

    Bore pile foundation for high building surroundings heritage building should be not damage. Construction proses must good, no necking, no mixed deep water, no sliding soil, nonporous concrete. Objective the execution of bore pile so that heritage buildings and neighboring buildings that are old do not experience cracks, damage and tilting. The survey methodology was observe the process of the implementation of the dominant silt, clay soil, in addition a limited space and to analyze the results of loading tests, investigations of soil and daily reports. Construction process determines the success of the structure bore pile in high building structure bearing, without damaging a heritage building. Attainment the hard soil depth, density concrete, observable clean reinforcement in the implementation. Monitoring the implementation of, among others, the face of the ground water little reduce in the area and outside the footprint of the building, no impact of vibration drilling equipment, watching the mud content on the water coming out at the time of drilling, concrete volume was monitored each 2 m bore depth of pile, The result researched heritage building was not damage. The test results bore pile axial, lateral analyzed the results have the appropriate force design required.

  5. The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Mi; Deng, Zhu; Meng, Zhaokun; Li, Rui; Zhang, Zhiyi; Qi, Wenhui; Wang, Rui; Yin, Tingting; Ji, Menghui

    2018-01-01

    Children's block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children's block building performance. Chinese preschoolers ( N = 180) participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children's block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation.

  6. Systematic safety evaluation of old nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dredemis, G.; Fourest, B.

    1984-01-01

    The French safety authorities have undertaken a systematic evaluation of the safety of old nuclear power plants. Apart from a complete revision of safety documents (safety analysis report, general operating rules, incident and accident procedures, internal emergency plan, quality organisation manual), this examination consisted of analysing the operating experience of systems frequently challenged and a systematic examination of the safety-related systems. This paper is based on an exercise at the Ardennes Nuclear Power Plant which has been in operation for 15 years. This paper also summarizes the main surveys and modifications relating to this power plant. (orig.)

  7. The relationship between mental health and social solidarity among apartment residents in shahrekord, iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganji, Forouzan; Nekooee, Afsaneh; Safdari, Faranak; Parvin, Neda; Shafei, Akbar; Ganji, Hanife

    2012-01-01

    To examine the relationship between psychological well-being and social solidarity of apartment residents in Shahrekord, Iran. A sample of 200 apartment dwellers was selected randomly. Fessler Social Solidarity Inventory and General Health Questionnaire were used to gather data. Using partial correlation test and having controlled the effect of age, sex and education, we found significant relationship between mental health and social solidarity (r = 0.47; p= 0.023). After controlling education and marital status, it was also revealed that women were in a better solidarity situation compared to men (psolidarity of apartment residents in Sharekord. Good mental health accompanied with better social solidarity.

  8. Creating mold-free buildings: a key to avoiding health effects of indoor molds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Small, Bruce M

    2003-08-01

    In view of the high costs of building diagnostics and repair subsequent to water damage--as well as the large medical diagnostic and healthcare costs associated with mold growth in buildings--commitment to a philosophy of proactive preventive maintenance for home, apartment, school, and commercial buildings could result in considerable cost savings and avoidance of major health problems among building occupants. The author identifies common causes of mold growth in buildings and summarizes key building design and construction principles essential for preventing mold contamination indoors. Physicians and healthcare workers must be made aware of conditions within buildings that can give rise to mold growth, and of resulting health problems. Timely advice provided to patients already sensitized by exposure to molds could save these individuals, and their families, from further exposures as a result of inadequate building maintenance or an inappropriate choice of replacement housing.

  9. Stakeholders and Apart Hotels: Multiple Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Kyoko Wada

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Means of accommodation involve a wide range of social actors and agents, as well as different business models. Management strategies in this sector have been increasingly important for long-term sustainability and competitiveness of business organizations. This study aims to analyze the interactions between apart-hotels and their stakeholders to foster an improvement of services provided, aligning the interface of strategic management from the point of view of managers and their key stakeholders. It is an exploratory study, with qualitative chacter, along with multiple case studies of the following establishments: Travel Inn, Hotels Slaviero and Etoile george v. Brazilian enterprises, which manage lodging facilities with apart-hotel concepts, combining features that enable comparative analysis of the study. For conceptual understanding, this study was based on literature about stakeholders, taking the work of Freeman (1984 and Freeman et al (2010 as main references. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with managers of lodging facilities and their key stakeholders and through direct observation and documentation. We found that not all groups of influence are considered in the planning of service flats. However, the organizations surveyed indicated that the market has realized the importance of the groups that exert influence and are influenced by their goals, and are therefore increasingly alert for integration of such groups in their strategic planning.

  10. [Respiratory disease risk factors in the 5-14 year-old population in an area of Bogota, 2012-2013].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Moreno, Natalia; Martínez-Morales, Viviana; Sarmiento-Suarez, Rodrigo; Medina-Palacios, Katalina; Hernández, Luis J

    2013-01-01

    Establishing the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, asthma and rhinitis, possibly associated with air pollution, in 5- to 14-year-old children in Bosa (a conurbation of Bogota), between 2012 and 2013. A sample was taken of 553 children living in the conurbation. The results indicated that when a child lives with people who smoke there was a 1.5 times risk of coughing at night (compared to living in a non-smoking home) such night-time coughing being different to that produced by respiratory infections such as colds, bronchitis and pneumonia. Children living in homes having fireplaces/open cooking areas located less than 100 m apart had 1.6 times greater probability of presenting symptoms. Children attending schools having greater PM10 exposure and living near buildings being constructed or having roads in a poor state of repair less than 100 meters from their homes were 2.5 times more likely to suffer respiratory disease. Children living in damp rooms were 4 times more likely to have wheezed during the past year. The risk of wheezing became increased by 80 % when a child lived within 100 meters of buildings being constructed or near unpaved roads and attended a school having greater exposure. Government intervention is critical for changing respiratory disease-associated extramural risk factors, such as improvements benefitting children which should be carried out in urban areas.

  11. Things Fall Apart Across Cultures: The Universal Significance of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Things Fall Apart Across Cultures: The Universal Significance of Chinua Achebe's 1958 Reconstruction of the African Heritage. ... There may be variations here and there in different social settings, but the novel portrays people in a communal environment grappling with survival on a daily basis on planet earth.

  12. Taking the Copenhagen Process apart

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cort, Pia

    that the Copenhagen Process has legitimately extended vocational education and training policy formation to include the EU and its new institutional settings established through the Open Method of Coordination. Furthermore, vocational education and training is being reconfigured within a neoliberal Lifelong Learning......The aim of this thesis is to analyse the EU vocational education and training policy process (The Copenhagen Process) from a critical perspective based on the policy analysis methodology, “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” (WPR) developed by Professor Carol Bacchi. The main research question...... “How can the European vocational education and training policy process - the Copenhagen Process - be understood from a WPR perspective? “ is addressed in six articles which take apart the Copenhagen Process and deal with specific WPR questions and specific aspects of the Copenhagen Process...

  13. The Rijksherbarium, 150 years old

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    NN,

    1979-01-01

    On March 29 and 30, 1979, the Rijksherbarium at Leiden commemorated in a modest way its foundation by King William I, 150 years ago. On the first day of the celebration a large company, including several distinguished foreign botanists, gathered in the old central building of the University for a

  14. LEARNING FROM COMMERCIAL VERNACULAR BUILDING TYPES: A NORTH AMERICAN CASE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Verderber

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available A substantial literature exists on commercial vernacular architecture in North America. This literature has examined everyday places and iconic building types including suburbia, roadside motels, vintage diners, fast food franchises, residential trailer parks, signage, unique commercial establishments, and shopping malls. These places and buildings are generally classified as expressions of folk vernacular culture. In response, Attention Restoration Theory, an environmental cognition perspective based in human information processing research, provided the foundation for an investigation of the food truck/ trailer and its immediate installation context within a North American case study context. Visual documentation, interviews, and archival fieldwork provided the basis for the articulation of a typology. These structures were found to express automaticity, as satisfying the timeless human preference for association with nature, a sense of psychological respite, and as a physical setting visually distinct from its larger urban environment context. Directions for future research on this topic are outlined together with insights for application by architects and urban planners.

  15. Resolutions of Cn/Zn orbifolds, their U(1) bundles, and applications to string model building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nibbelink, Stefan Groot; Trapletti, Michele; Walter, Martin G.A.

    2007-01-01

    We describe blowups of C n /Z n orbifolds as complex line bundles over CP n-1 . We construct some gauge bundles on these resolutions. Apart from the standard embedding, we describe U(1) bundles and an SU(n-1) bundle. Both blowups and their gauge bundles are given explicitly. We investigate ten dimensional SO(32) super Yang-Mills theory coupled to supergravity on these backgrounds. The integrated Bianchi identity implies that there are only a finite number of U(1) bundle models. We describe how the orbifold gauge shift vector can be read off from the gauge background. In this way we can assert that in the blow down limit these models correspond to heterotic C 2 /Z 2 and C 3 /Z 3 orbifold models. (Only the Z 3 model with unbroken gauge group SO(32) cannot be reconstructed in blowup without torsion.) This is confirmed by computing the charged chiral spectra on the resolutions. The construction of these blowup models implies that the mismatch between type-I and heterotic models on T 6 /Z 3 does not signal a complication of S-duality, but rather a problem of type-I model building itself: The standard type-I orbifold model building only allows for a single model on this orbifold, while the blowup models give five different models in blow down

  16. Tandem bike design for apartment residents as an idea to reduce air pollution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iskandriawan Bambang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Vertical housing is recently popular in urban areas since the availability of land is very limited. A strong preference for living in the city is mainly due to the home to work travel that is relatively close for those who work in the city. While residing in the vertical housing (i.e. apartment can be an advantage, several accommodation facilities are often provided at their minimum standards. As such, a special design of bicycle for apartment residents may an effective solution. Multi-function bike, ridden either by one or two riders and its aesthetic part of interior element can be an attractive offer. Identification of marketing objectives and observation of comparable products were a crucial step in the initial process of tandem bike design. The use of bicycle in urban areas can overcome a number of motorized vehicles operating wherever the using of them may create issues such as traffic jam and air pollution. This study aims to adjust the tandem bike which can be produced commercially for the apartment residents. Stated in the research problems, the design process was successfully fulfilled. Fabrication and product testing were positively completed. A concise and comfortable bike to carry from the lobby to the apartment unit, or vice versa, was successfully created.

  17. The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mi Tian

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Children’s block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children’s block building performance. Chinese preschoolers (N = 180 participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children’s block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation.

  18. Analysis of Two Models for Evaluating the Energy Performance of Different Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luca Evangelisti

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays it is possible to employ several software packages to evaluate building’s energy performance, each of them based on a different calculation code, with different boundary conditions in terms of environmental temperature, solar radiation, wind velocity and relative humidity. In this contribution, a comparison between two calculation codes, taking into account different types of buildings, has been carried out. In particular, a semi-stationary calculation code and a dynamic one have been employed to determine energy demands of three different building’s types: an old building, a house and a flat. Analyzing semi-stationary conditions (consequently simplified environmental conditions, a software which applies the UNI TS 11300 standard has been considered. This standard defines the procedures for the national implementation of the UNI EN ISO 13790. Furthermore, in order to consider the environmental conditions variation, a well-known dynamic software has been used.

  19. Energy savings potential from improved building controls for the US commercial building sector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez, Nick; Katipamula, Srinivas; Wang, Weimin; Xie, Yulong; Zhao, Mingjie

    2017-09-27

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office (BTO) sponsored a study to determine the potential national savings achievable in the commercial building sector through widespread deployment of best practice controls, elimination of system and component faults, and use of better sensing. Detailed characterization of potential savings was one source of input to set research, development, and deployment (RD&D) goals in the field of building sensors and controls. DOE’s building energy simulation software, EnergyPlus, was employed to estimate the potential savings from 34 measures in 9 building types and across 16 climates representing almost 57% of commercial building sector energy consumption. In addition to estimating savings from individual measures, three packages of measures were created to estimate savings from the packages. These packages represented an 1) efficient building, 2) typical building, and 3) inefficient building. To scale the results from individual measures or a package to the national scale, building weights by building type and climate locations from the Energy Information Administration’s 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) were used. The results showed significant potential for energy savings across all building types and climates. The total site potential savings from individual measures by building type and climate location ranged between 0% and 25%. The total site potential savings by building type aggregated across all climates (using the CBECS building weights) for each measure varied between 0% and 16%. The total site potential savings aggregated across all building types and climates for each measure varied between 0% and 11%. Some individual measures had negative savings because correcting underlying operational problems (e.g., inadequate ventilation) resulted in increased energy consumption. When combined into packages, the overall national savings potential is estimated to be 29

  20. Several types of types in programming languages

    OpenAIRE

    Martini, Simone

    2015-01-01

    Part 2: Regular Submissions; International audience; Types are an important part of any modern programming language, but we often forget that the concept of type we understand nowadays is not the same it was perceived in the sixties. Moreover, we conflate the concept of " type " in programming languages with the concept of the same name in mathematical logic, an identification that is only the result of the convergence of two different paths, which started apart with different aims. The paper...

  1. Seismic design of RC buildings theory and practice

    CERN Document Server

    Manohar, Sharad

    2015-01-01

    This book is intended to serve as a textbook for engineering courses on earthquake resistant design. The book covers important attributes for seismic design such as material properties, damping, ductility, stiffness and strength. The subject coverage commences with simple concepts and proceeds right up to nonlinear analysis and push-over method for checking building adequacy. The book also provides an insight into the design of base isolators highlighting their merits and demerits. Apart from the theoretical approach to design of multi-storey buildings, the book highlights the care required in practical design and construction of various building components. It covers modal analysis in depth including the important missing mass method of analysis and tension shift in shear walls and beams. These have important bearing on reinforcement detailing. Detailed design and construction features are covered for earthquake resistant design of reinforced concrete as well as confined and reinforced masonry structures. Th...

  2. Building for the future: The Eurotheum at Frankfurt, Main - an office and domestic building for cosmopolites; Gebaeudetechnische Konzepte der Zukunft: Buero- und Wohnhochhaus fuer Kosmopoliten - Das Eurotheum in Frankfurt am Main

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pielke, O.E. [Brendel Ingenieure AG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

    2002-09-01

    The 'Eurotheum' building in Frankfurt is the first high-rise building in Germany that houses both offices and private apartments. It received the 'Immobilien Award 1999 - Cimmit' for industrial buildings by Immobilien-Zeitung and the Institute for International Research of Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft Koellmann AG. [German] Das Eurotheum im Spannungsfeld der Frankfurter Buerohochhaeuser beruht auf einem voellig neuen Konzept: Es verbindet als erstes Hochaus in Deutschland die Funktionen 'Arbeiten' und 'Wohnen'. Fuer das bislang einmalige Konzept des Frankfurter Eurotheums verlieh die Immobilien-Zeitung und das Institute for International Research der Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft Koellmann AG den Immobilien Award 1999 - Cimmit in der Kategorie Gewerbeimmobilien. (orig.)

  3. Factors Affecting Buying Behavior of an Apartment an Empirical Investigation in Amman, Jordan

    OpenAIRE

    Mwfeq Haddad; Mahfuz Judeh and Shafig Haddad

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study is to investigate the main factors that influencing the customers' buying behavior toward apartment, and tried to identify the most influencing factors that affect buying. A convenience sample consists of 120 persons who already bought an apartment in different areas in Amman. One sample ttest, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used in testing the hypotheses. This study found that respondents would significantly adopt the main constructs when buying...

  4. Conjunctival papilloma caused by human papillomavirus type 11 treated with systemic interferon in a five-year-old boy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okan, Gökhan; Ayan, Inci; Karslioğlu, Safak; Altiok, Ender; Yenmiş, Güven; Vural, Gürcan

    2010-01-01

    Conjunctival papilloma is a benign tumor of the conjunctival mucosa. In childhood, papilloma represents 7-10% of conjunctival tumors. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-6 and HPV-11 are the major HPV types responsible for conjunctival lesions. A five-year-old boy with a two-year history of conjunctival papilloma caused by HPV type 11 treated with systemic interferon alpha is reported and the literature is reviewed.

  5. The frequency of using different types of pacifier and bottle nipple among 1-24 months old children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidreza Poureslami

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sucking of some types of a pacifier may be a risk factor for mal-development of orofacial structures and malocclusion. This study assessed the prevalence of using of different types of pacifier and bottle nipple among 1-24 months old children in Kerman, Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 mothers interviewed at 20 specialized private pediatric offices in Kerman. The mothers had 1-24 months old children. A checklist includes items about pacifier sucking, bottle feeding habits, as well as mothers’ ability to recognize different kinds of available pacifier and bottle nipple was used. RESULTS: The rate of pacifier-sucking was 37.3%, and use of bottle feeding was 42.3%, and among of the users, 24.0 and 35.7% were used orthodontic (functional types of pacifier and bottle nipple respectively. However, only 28.7% of mothers had adequate ability to recognize orthodontic pacifier and bottle nipple. CONCLUSION: The rates of using orthodontic kind of pacifier and bottle nipple were low, and a few mothers had adequate ability to recognize their differences.

  6. Giant Black Hole Rips Apart Star

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-02-01

    Thanks to two orbiting X-ray observatories, astronomers have the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it. The event, captured by NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories, had long been predicted by theory, but never confirmed. Astronomers believe a doomed star came too close to a giant black hole after being thrown off course by a close encounter with another star. As it neared the enormous gravity of the black hole, the star was stretched by tidal forces until it was torn apart. This discovery provides crucial information about how these black holes grow and affect surrounding stars and gas. "Stars can survive being stretched a small amount, as they are in binary star systems, but this star was stretched beyond its breaking point," said Stefanie Komossa of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, leader of the international team of researchers. "This unlucky star just wandered into the wrong neighborhood." While other observations have hinted stars are destroyed by black holes (events known as "stellar tidal disruptions"), these new results are the first strong evidence. Evidence already exists for supermassive black holes in many galaxies, but looking for tidal disruptions represents a completely independent way to search for black holes. Observations like these are urgently needed to determine how quickly black holes can grow by swallowing neighboring stars. Animation of Star Ripped Apart by Giant Black Hole Star Ripped Apart by Giant Black Hole Observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton, combined with earlier images from the German Roentgen satellite, detected a powerful X-ray outburst from the center of the galaxy RX J1242-11. This outburst, one of the most extreme ever detected in a galaxy, was caused by gas from the destroyed star that was heated to millions of degrees Celsius before being swallowed by the black hole. The energy liberated in the process

  7. Type IV hiatal hernia post laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication: report of a case.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Awad, Z T

    2001-01-01

    A postoperative hiatal hernia is a rare but serious complication of fundoplication. We report herein a 62-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain and vomiting 2 years following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. At laparotomy, the stomach and the transverse colon were intrathoracic (type IV hiatal hernia); the esophageal hiatus was markedly dilated with no evidence that they had been approximated. At 18 months follow-up, she is doing very well apart from occasional heartburn. A high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose postoperative hiatal hernias. A routine closure of the crura with nonabsorbable suture material and an avoidance of iatrogenic pneumothorax may help to reduce the occurrence of this problem.

  8. Evaluation of Passive Vents in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, David [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, Marc [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)

    2016-02-01

    Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.

  9. Study on the optimum PCM melting temperature for energy savings in residential buildings worldwide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saffari, M.; de Gracia, A.; Fernández, C.; Zsembinszki, G.; Cabeza, L. F.

    2017-10-01

    To maintain comfort conditions in residential buildings along a full year period, the use of active systems is generally required to either supply heating or cooling. The heating and cooling demands strongly depend on the climatic conditions, type of building and occupants’ behaviour. The overall annual energy consumption of the building can be reduced by the use of renewable energy sources and/or passive systems. The use of phase change materials (PCM) as passive systems in buildings enhances the thermal mass of the envelope, and reduces the indoor temperature fluctuations. As a consequence, the overall energy consumption of the building is generally lower as compared to the case when no PCM systems are used. The selection of the PCM melting temperature is a key issue to reduce the energy consumption of the buildings. The main focus of this study is to determine the optimum PCM melting temperature for passive heating and cooling according to different weather conditions. To achieve that, numerical simulations were carried out using EnergyPlus v8.4 coupled with GenOpt® v3.1.1 (a generic optimization software). A multi-family residential apartment was selected from ASHRAE Standard 90.1- 2013 prototype building model, and different climate conditions were considered to determine the optimum melting temperature (in the range from 20ºC to 26ºC) of the PCM contained in gypsum panels. The results confirm that the optimum melting temperature of the PCM strongly depends on the climatic conditions. In general, in cooling dominant climates the optimum PCM temperature is around 26ºC, while in heating dominant climates it is around 20ºC. Furthermore, the results show that an adequate selection of the PCM as passive system in building envelope can provide important energy savings for both heating dominant and cooling dominant regions.

  10. Neither single, nor in a couple. A study of living apart together in France

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnaud Regnier-Loilier

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Among living arrangements, living apart together relationships arouse curiosity on the part of sociologists, demographers and even the media. From a scientific point of view, how have noncohabiting relationships evolved in recent decades? How can we recognise these relationships, and who are the populations concerned? The present study provides an overall view into noncohabiting relationships in France, shedding light on the characteristics of both the individuals concerned and their relationships. There has been no recent increase in the prevalence of this living arrangement. It competes with cohabiting relationships both among students and among people with cohabiting children. Four main groups of living apart relationships are described: "Young adults", "Out of a family", "Seniors." The reasons for living apart as well as future intentions vary considerably across these groups.

  11. Finding New Space in Old Places: Repurposing Auxiliary Gyms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havens, Kevin

    2010-01-01

    Some parts of a school building do not age gracefully. At many elementary and middle schools--particularly those built in the 1960s or 1970s--old gyms are as useful (and attractive) as a worn-out pair of sneakers. To save money 20 years ago, school districts often used one space as a combination gym/lunch room/auditorium. Old gymnasiums offer…

  12. Biophysical controls on soil respiration in the dominant patch types of an old-growth, mixed-conifer forest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siyan Ma; Jiquan Chen; John R. Butnor; Malcolm North; Eugénie S. Euskirchen; Brian Oakley

    2005-01-01

    Little is known about biophysical controls on soil respiration in California's Sierra Nevada old-growth, mixed-conifer forests. Using portable and automated soil respiration sampling units, we measured soil respiration rate (SRR) in three dominant patch types: closed canopy (CC), ceanothus-dominated patches (CECO), and open canopy (OC). SRR varied significantly...

  13. Dampness in buildings and health. Building characteristics as predictors for dampness in 8681 Swedish dwellings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hagerhed, L.; Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf; Sundell, Jan

    2002-01-01

    Questionnaire data on 8681 dwellings included in the Swedish study "Dampness in Buildings and Health" have been analysed for associations between dampness indicators, perceptions of indoor air quality and building characteristics such as time of construction, type of ventilation and type of found......Questionnaire data on 8681 dwellings included in the Swedish study "Dampness in Buildings and Health" have been analysed for associations between dampness indicators, perceptions of indoor air quality and building characteristics such as time of construction, type of ventilation and type...... of "Dry air" in 17.3 and 33.7% respectively. Older buildings and the use of natural ventilation were associated with increased frequency of dampness indicators as well as to increased frequencies of complaints on bad indoor air quality....

  14. The Seroepidemiology of Haemophilus Influenzae Type b in Children Under 6 Years Old in Khorramabad, Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Ansari

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib is now recognized as an agent of bacterial meningitis in Asia. Polyribosil Ribitol Phosphate (PRP capsule are in all of the strains and IgG antibodies can be target. Due to limited studies on H. influenzae type b in the country and the lack of sufficient information on the status of carriers, achieve a comprehensive model of the spread of the bacteria in the carrier's most vulnerable children is the aim of this study. Material and Methods: In this study, 194 (49% female and 51% male serum samples were collected from children under 6 years old referred to medical centers in Korram Abad. The serological study of H. influenzae type b was carried using anti-H. influenzae PRP IgG antibodies kit by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Results: Of 194 children under 6 years-old screened for H. influenzae-specific IgG antibodies with ELISA, 6 (3 percent were IgG seropositive. Prevalence of bacteria in children under 2 years was 67% that demonstrated no significant association between seropositivity in subjects and place of residence of children with the prevalence of bacteria. Conclusion: The prevalence of H. influenzae type b seropositivity in our study was 3% of the total sample. In current study, a higher percentage of males than females were seropositive and frequency of predominant bacteria in patients younger than 2 years. The age factor is a variable that positively affects serum. Regarding to non-Hib vaccination in children, the presence of the bacteria in children can be important.

  15. LED Lightbulbs as a Source of Electricity Saving in Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeb Akhtar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Today a number of renewable energy technologies are available for power generation, but fossil fuels are still providing a dominant share nevertheless. In order to decrease the electric bill and save our environment, energy conservation is always crucial. In this paper a very interesting idea is presented which is economically viable to reduce electricity usage in our buildings. An effort has been made to estimate the amount of energy that could be saved in the dormitory section of the IMOP building in Russia. Although there are many ways to reduce the consumption of electricity in this building but here the emphasis is on changing light bulbs inside the rooms, kitchen, toilet and bathroom of each apartment. The scope of the study is to figure out monthly electricity saving by replacing traditional light bulbs by LED light bulbs in the building under consideration. The total investment required and the payback period is also presented.

  16. Types and Automata

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schwartzbach, Michael Ignatieff; Meineche Smidt, Erik

    A hierarchical type system for imperative programming languages gives rise to various computational problems, such as type equivalence, type ordering, etc. We present a particular class of finite automata which are shown to be isomorphic to type equations. All the relevant type concepts turn out...... to have well-known automata analogues, such as language equality, language inclusion, etc. This provides optimal or best known algorithms for the type system, by a process of translating type equations to automata, solving the analogous problem, and translating the result back to type equations. Apart...

  17. Entrances and entrance halls of residential buildings in Belgrade: 1918-1941

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Putnik Vladana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Between the two world wars Belgrade saw a surge in housing construction, including many rental apartment buildings, so-called 'luxury city palaces'. In addition to richly decorated street façades in the style of academism, eclecticism and Art Deco, architects paid much attention to the design of entrances and entrance halls. The entrance frequently was the main element of the façade even in buildings in a moderate modernist style. Since this aspect of architectural design is scantily documented, this paper seeks to identify its main trends in the 1920s and 1930s and to establish a typology of entrances and entrance halls of residential buildings. It also outlines the parameters and social circumstances that played a role in giving special attention to this element of residential buildings, and examines whether Belgrade architects pursued a sort of total design inspired by European models.

  18. The Polyvalent Heat Supply System for Experimental Building of the Passive Type (area of 300 m2 Based on Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basok, B.I.

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Results of the development and implementation of heat supply system for experimental building of the passive type are presented, optimal operating conditions are investigated, guidelines for the creation of heat supply systems for passive type buildings are provided.

  19. Hygrothermal Behavior, Building Pathology and Durability

    CERN Document Server

    Delgado, JMPQ

    2013-01-01

    The main purpose of this book, Hygrothermal, Building Pathology and Durability, is to provide a collection of recent research works to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to construction pathology, hygrothermal behaviour of buildings, durability and diagnostic techniques and, simultaneously, to show the most recent advances in this domain. It includes a set of new developments in the field of building physics and hygrothermal behaviour, durability approach for historical and old buildings and building pathology vs. durability. The book is divided in several chapters that are a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues, scientists, students, practitioners, lecturers and other interested parties to network.

  20. Danish building typologies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wittchen, Kim Bjarne; Kragh, Jesper

    The objective of TABULA is to develop a harmonised building typology for European countries. Each national building typology will consist of a set of residential model buildings with characteristic energy-related properties (element areas of the thermal building envelope, U-values, supply system...... efficiencies). The model buildings will each represent a specific construction period of the country in question and a specific building size. Furthermore the number of buildings, flats and the overall floor areas will be given, which are represented by the different building types of the national typologies....

  1. Coordination between Understanding Historic Buildings and BIM Modelling: A 3D-Output Oriented and typological Data Capture Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Li

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available At the present, in trend of shifting the old 2D-output oriented survey to a new 3D-output oriented survey based on BIM technology, the corresponding working methods and workflow for data capture, process, representation, etc. have to be changed.Based on case study of two buildings in the Summer Palace of Beijing, and Jiayuguan Pass at the west end of the Great Wall (both World Heritage sites, this paper puts forward a “structure-and-type method” by means of typological method used in archaeology, Revit family system, and the tectonic logic of building to realize a good coordination between understanding of historic buildings and BIM modelling.

  2. Perancangan Kursi Makan Lipat Pada Ruang Makan Apartemen Minimalis

    OpenAIRE

    Elsa, Meykel Ardy Samuel

    2017-01-01

    Apartment is a type of resident space, that only takes a small space from the building itself. Living in an apartment is the most favorable lifestyle and is currently on demand by the modern society, in addition to maximizing the use of reducing land as well as the use of facilities that can be obtained from apartment occupancy. The Square Apartment is the apartment that will become my design site because of its close distance to Petra Christian University and high number of students who choo...

  3. Solar building

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Luxin

    2014-01-01

    In my thesis I describe the utilization of solar energy and solar energy with building integration. In introduction it is also mentioned how the solar building works, trying to make more people understand and accept the solar building. The thesis introduces different types of solar heat collectors. I compared the difference two operation modes of solar water heating system and created examples of solar water system selection. I also introduced other solar building applications. It is conv...

  4. Indoor transformer stations and ELF magnetic field exposure: use of transformer structural characteristics to improve exposure assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okokon, Enembe Oku; Roivainen, Päivi; Kheifets, Leeka; Mezei, Gabor; Juutilainen, Jukka

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies have shown that populations of multiapartment buildings with indoor transformer stations may serve as a basis for improved epidemiological studies on the relationship between childhood leukaemia and extremely-low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MFs). This study investigated whether classification based on structural characteristics of the transformer stations would improve ELF MF exposure assessment. The data included MF measurements in apartments directly above transformer stations ("exposed" apartments) in 30 buildings in Finland, and reference apartments in the same buildings. Transformer structural characteristics (type and location of low-voltage conductors) were used to classify exposed apartments into high-exposure (HE) and intermediate-exposure (IE) categories. An exposure gradient was observed: both the time-average MF and time above a threshold (0.4 μT) were highest in the HE apartments and lowest in the reference apartments, showing a statistically significant trend. The differences between HE and IE apartments, however, were not statistically significant. A simulation exercise showed that the three-category classification did not perform better than a two-category classification (exposed and reference apartments) in detecting the existence of an increased risk. However, data on the structural characteristics of transformers is potentially useful for evaluating exposure-response relationship.

  5. Involvement of Individuals in the Development of Technical Solutions and Rules of Management for Building Renovation Projects: A Case Study of Latvia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pukite, I.; Grekis, A.; Geipele, I.; Zeltins, N.

    2017-08-01

    In March 2016, the Latvian government approved a new support program for increasing energy efficiency in residential apartment buildings. For the support of renovation of apartment buildings in the period from 2016 to 2023, 166 470 588 EUR will be available. Different persons, such as energy auditors, designers, architects, project managers and builders, will be involved in the process of planning, development and implementation of building renovation. At the development stage of the building renovation project, special attention should be devoted to the first stage - energy audit and technical project development. The problem arises due to the fact that each of these individuals, during the development of technical building documentation, does not work as a completely unified system. The implementation of construction project planning and organisational management system is one of the most important factors to guarantee that the quality of building renovation project is ensured in accordance with the laws and regulatory standards. The paper studies mutual cooperation, professionalism and the role of information feedback of personnel involved in the planning stage of building renovation, which is an essential prerequisite for the renovation process in order to achieve high quality of work and reduce the energy performance indicator. The present research includes the analysis of different technical solutions and their impact on energy efficiency. Mutual harmonisation of technical specifications is also investigated.

  6. New scripts for old buildings : conserving both identity and energy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Schoor, Tineke; Peine, Alexander; van Lente, Harro

    2014-01-01

    The ambition of a transition to a sustainable society brings forth the dual challenge to preserve historical buildings and simultaneously improve the energy performance of our built environment. While engineers claim that a dramatic reduction of energy use in the built environment is feasible, it

  7. Using Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" in Introductory Geography Courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hathaway, James

    1993-01-01

    Describes use of Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe's novel, "Things Fall Apart," in an introductory geography course at the secondary school or college level. Provides a summary of the book's story, which deals with the impact of colonialism and Christianity on the culture of eastern Nigeria. Includes recommended instructional strategies…

  8. Economic Assessment and Business Models of Rooftop Photovoltaic Systems in Multiapartment Buildings: Case Studies for Austria and Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernadette Fina

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyses the profitability and business models of shared, nonsubsidized PV systems’ usage in multiapartment buildings in Austria in the context of legislative amendments which came into force in July 2017. In addition, it compares the Austrian results with those of Germany, where significantly higher retail electricity prices determine the profitability benchmark. To that end, a multiobjective optimization model is developed for the optimal dimensioning of PV systems and energy storage facilities in keeping with different end user objectives, ranging from minimizing annual electricity costs to maximizing self-consumption. The results show that the profitability of shared use of nonsubsidized PV systems is marginal in Austria. This means that, based on individual apartment load profiles, the profitability gap ranges between 0 and 40 euros per apartment, whereas the consideration of the building as total load leads to a small cost-saving potential of about 90 euros for the whole building in the best case and thus profitability. In contrast, significant profitability of shared PV systems in multiapartment buildings can be achieved in Germany, where the renewable energy surcharge results in high retail electricity prices. At present, different business models, accounting and billing concepts, are being tested in these countries to learn about the best-practice concepts.

  9. Shear-controlled evolution of the Red Sea: pull apart model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makris, J.; Rihm, R.

    1991-11-01

    Results of seismic and other geophysical investigations suggest that strike-slip processes controlled the break-up of the Arabian plate from Africa and initiated the Red Sea Rift. Early oceanisation was facilitated by nucleation of pull apart basins and massive intrusives. The evolution of the Red Sea has gone through different stages. It was a zone of structural weakness already during the Pan-African orogeny approximately 600 Ma. A major reactivation, however, that gradually led to the present-day configuration was initiated during the late Oligocene with intense magmatic activity and the development of a continental rift. Wrench faulting played a key role in the early evolution of the Red Sea, as it shaped most of its western flank as a sharp plate boundary and resulted in the generation and rapid oceanisation of linearly arranged pull apart basins. Spatial distribution of these basins reflects the geometry of the strike-slip zone, which was controlled by pre-existing fault systems like the Najd Shear System, the Central African Fault Zone or the Onib-Hamisana and Baraka suture zones. Strike-slip motion along the latter zones of weakness influenced mainly the Egyptian and Sudanese coastal areas. Arabia was therefore separated from Africa by oceanisation in those regions, where pull apart basins developed. They were still connected in the in-between segments by stretched continental crust. With Arabia as the "moving" and Africa as the "stable" plate the eastern Red Sea flank was formed by pure shear through stretching, thinning and diffuse extension. As a consequence, the eastern and western flanks of the Red Sea are asymmetrical. The acceleration of the movement of Arabia in early/middle Miocene could no longer be accommodated by the opening in the Gulf of Suez and consequently the Dead Sea strike-slip fault developed approximately 14 Ma ago. Since plate motion was still oblique to the major structural trends, the pull apart evolution on the western flank

  10. Immunogenicity of quadrivalent HPV and combined hepatitis A and B vaccine when co-administered or administered one month apart to 9-10 year-old girls according to 0-6 month schedule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilca, Vladimir; Sauvageau, Chantal; Boulianne, Nicole; De Serres, Gaston; Couillard, Michel; Krajden, Mel; Ouakki, Manale; Murphy, Donald; Trevisan, Andrea; Dionne, Marc

    2014-01-01

    No immunogenicity data has been reported after a single dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (qHPV-Gardasil®) and no data are available on co-administration of this vaccine with the HAV/HBV vaccine (Twinrix-Junior®). Two pre-licensure studies reported similar anti-HPV but lower anti-HBs titers when co-administering HPV and HBV vaccines. To assess the immunogenicity of the qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccine when co-administered (Group-Co-adm) or given one month apart (Group-Sep) and to measure the persistence of HPV antibodies three years post-second dose of qHPV vaccine in both study groups. 416 9-10 year-old girls were enrolled. Vaccination schedule was 0-6 months. Anti-HAV and anti-HBs were measured in all subjects 6 months post-first dose and 1 month post-second dose. Anti-HPV were measured 6 months post-first dose in Group-Co-adm and in all subjects 1 and 36 months post-second dose. Six months post-first dose: 100% of subjects had detectable anti-HAV and 56% and 73% had detectable anti-HBs in Group-Co-Adm and Group-Sep, respectively. In Group-Co-adm 94, 100, 99 and 96% had detectable antibodies to HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18, respectively. One month post-second dose of qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccine, in both study groups 99.5-100% of subjects had an anti-HAV titer ≥ 20IU/L, 97.5-97.6% an anti-HBs level ≥ 10IU/L, and 100% had an anti-HPV titer ≥ 3LU. Thirty-six months post-second dose of qHPV all but four subjects (99%) had antibodies to HPV18 and 100% had antibodies to HPV6, 11 and 16. The great majority (97-100%) had an anti-HPV titer ≥ 3 LU. Post-second dose administration of qHPV and HAV/HBV, no meaningful difference was observed in the immune response in the two study groups to any component of vaccines. The results indicate that qHPV and HAV/HBV can be given during the same vaccination session. Two doses of of qHPV and HAV/HBV vaccines induce a strong immune response. Three years post-second dose of qHPV, the great majority of subjects had antibodies to HPV types

  11. Traffic Noise as a Factor Influencing Apartment Prices in Large Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szczepańska Agnieszka

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Environmental factors are among the key determinants of real estate prices. They include landscape attractiveness, land relief, exposure to sunlight and proximity to natural features. In large urban centers, traffic noise emissions significantly affect decision-making on the real estate market. Weakly developed road networks and the absence of ring roads that shift road traffic outside residential districts are a widespread problem in the cities of Central-Eastern Europe. The prevention of traffic noise pollution, one of the key environmental problems in Europe, is an important goal of European Union policy. This paper analyzes the correlations between apartment prices and traffic noise levels in Olsztyn, the capital city of the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship (province in north-eastern Poland. A linear correlation analysis was performed, and the distribution of unit prices of apartments was mapped by ordinary kriging.

  12. Seismic soil structure interaction analysis for asymmetrical buildings supported on piled raft for the 2015 Nepal earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badry, Pallavi; Satyam, Neelima

    2017-01-01

    Seismic damage surveys and analyses conducted on modes of failure of structures during past earthquakes observed that the asymmetrical buildings show the most vulnerable effect throughout the course of failures (Wegner et al., 2009). Thus, all asymmetrical buildings significantly fails during the shaking events and it is really needed to focus on the accurate analysis of the building, including all possible accuracy in the analysis. Apart from superstructure geometry, the soil behavior during earthquake shaking plays a pivotal role in the building collapse (Chopra, 2012). Fixed base analysis where the soil is considered to be infinitely rigid cannot simulate the actual scenario of wave propagation during earthquakes and wave transfer mechanism in the superstructure (Wolf, 1985). This can be well explained in the soil structure interaction analysis, where the ground movement and structural movement can be considered with the equal rigor. In the present study the object oriented program has been developed in C++ to model the SSI system using the finite element methodology. In this attempt the seismic soil structure interaction analysis has been carried out for T, L and C types piled raft supported buildings in the recent 25th April 2015 Nepal earthquake (M = 7.8). The soil properties have been considered with the appropriate soil data from the Katmandu valley region. The effect of asymmetry of the building on the responses of the superstructure is compared with the author's research work. It has been studied/observed that the shape or geometry of the superstructure governs the response of the superstructure subjected to the same earthquake load.

  13. Predicted and actual indoor environmental quality: Verification of occupants' behaviour models in residential buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Rune Korsholm; Fabi, Valentina; Corgnati, Stefano P.

    2016-01-01

    with the building controls (windows, thermostats, solar shading etc.). During the last decade, studies about stochastic models of occupants' behaviour in relation to control of the indoor environment have been published. Often the overall aim of these models is to enable more reliable predictions of building...... performance using building energy performance simulations (BEPS). However, the validity of these models has only been sparsely tested. In this paper, stochastic models of occupants' behaviour from literature were tested against measurements in five apartments. In a monitoring campaign, measurements of indoor....... However, comparisons of the average stochastic predictions with the measured temperatures, relative humidity and CO2 concentrations revealed that the models did not predict the actual indoor environmental conditions well....

  14. Analysis of impact of daylight time savings on energy use of buildings in Kuwait

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krarti, Moncef, E-mail: moncef.krarti@colorado.ed [CEAE Department, CB 428, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Hajiah, Ali [Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat (Kuwait)

    2011-05-15

    In this paper, a detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. The simulation results indicate that the adoption of DST has mixed impacts for Kuwait. While the commercial and the governmental sectors may benefit from the DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. The overall impact of the DST implementation is rather minimal with a slight increase energy use of about 0.07% and a slight reduction in peak demand of 0.14% or about 12 MW based on 2005 electrical peak demand for Kuwait. - Research highlights: {yields} A detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. {yields} The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. {yields} It is found that while the commercial and the governmental building sectors may benefit from DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. {yields} Since the residential sector represents the majority of the electrical load in Kuwait, DST adoption was found to cause slight increase in annual electrical energy use by about 0.07% and a slight reduction in electrical peak electrical demand by about 0.14%.

  15. Analysis of impact of daylight time savings on energy use of buildings in Kuwait

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krarti, Moncef; Hajiah, Ali

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. The simulation results indicate that the adoption of DST has mixed impacts for Kuwait. While the commercial and the governmental sectors may benefit from the DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. The overall impact of the DST implementation is rather minimal with a slight increase energy use of about 0.07% and a slight reduction in peak demand of 0.14% or about 12 MW based on 2005 electrical peak demand for Kuwait. - Research highlights: → A detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. → The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. → It is found that while the commercial and the governmental building sectors may benefit from DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. → Since the residential sector represents the majority of the electrical load in Kuwait, DST adoption was found to cause slight increase in annual electrical energy use by about 0.07% and a slight reduction in electrical peak electrical demand by about 0.14%.

  16. Comparison between New-Onset and Old-Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes with Ketosis in Rural Regions of China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Shichun; Yang, Xia; Shi, Degang; Su, Qing

    2016-01-01

    Objectives. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) with ketosis was common because of late diagnosis and lacking adequate treatment in rural regions of China. This study aimed to provide the data of T2D with ketosis among inpatients in a south-west border city of China. Methods. Data of 371 patients of T2D with ketosis who were hospitalized between January 2011 and July 2015 in Baoshan People's Hospital, Yunnan, China, were analyzed. New-onset and old-diagnosed T2D patients presenting with ketosis were compared according to clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and chronic diabetic complications. Results. Overall, the blood glucose control was poor in our study subjects. Male predominated in both groups (male prevalence was 68% in new-onset and 64% in old-diagnosed groups). Overweight and obesity accounted for 50% in new-onset and 46% in old-diagnosed cases. Inducements of ketosis were 13.8% in new-onset and 38.7% in old-diagnosed patients. Infections were the first inducements in both groups. The prevalence of chronic complications of diabetes was common in both groups. Conclusions. More medical supports were needed for the early detection and adequate treatment of diabetes in rural areas of China. PMID:26966435

  17. [Double-plate fixation via combined approaches for the treatment of old tibial plateau fractures of Schatzker type IV].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Hong-Lue; Dai, Peng-Yi; Liu, Wei-Feng; Yuan, Yan-Hao

    2017-10-25

    To explore the clinical efficacy of double-plate fixation for the treatment of old tibial plateau fractures with Schatzker type IV through anterior midline and posteromedial approaches. From July 2013 to July 2015, 15 patients with old tibial plateau fractures were treated with internal fixation using locking reconstructive plate for the posteromedial fragment and anatomical locking plate for anteromedial fragment through antero midline and posteromedial approaches. There were 9 males and 6 females, with an average age of 49.2 years old (ranged, 21 to 61 years old). Eight patients had injured in the left side and 7 in the right side. According to Schatzker classification, all patients were type IV. The mean interval from injury to operation was 26.5 days (ranged, 21 to 65 days). The main clinical symptoms before operation were knee joint swelling, pain, deformity and limitation of motion. The X-ray and CT confirmed the fracture type. The indexes such as tibial plateau tibial shaft angle (TPA), femoral tibial angle (FTA) and posterior slope angle (PSA) were compared between immediate postoperation and final follow-up using postoperative X-ray film. The knee functions were evaluated using the HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery) knee score system. Two patients had incision complications which healed by correct treatment, 1 patient had traumatic arthritis. All patients were followed up for mean 16.6 months (ranged, 13 to 24 months). No infections, deep venous thrombosis, implant loosening and breakage, fragment displacement, plateau surface collapse and bone nonunion found. The bone union time ranged from 3 to 8 months (mean 6.07 months) after operation. The average immediate postoperative value of TPA, FTA and PSA were(86.81±1.67)°, (168.00±3.29)° and(10.20±1.47)° respectively; and(86.47±1.67)°, (168.53±3.03)° and (10.54±1.21)° respectively at the final follow-up evaluation, showing no statistical differences( P >0.05). According to the HSS score system, 26

  18. Pegvisomant treatment in a 4-year-old girl with neurofibromatosis type 1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Main, Katharina M; Sehested, Astrid; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla

    2006-01-01

    with acromegaly. We wanted to investigate whether pegvisomant was effective in a child with octreotide-resistant GH excess. CASE: A 4-year-old girl with neurofibromatosis type 1 and GH excess associated with optic glioma received pegvisomant injections (10 mg subcutaneously) with increasing intervals from daily....... Intracranial tumours remained unchanged in size and visual impairment did not deteriorate. CONCLUSION: Pegvisomant normalized IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels. Growth velocity was normalized after initial catch-down growth, and it remains to be seen whether this result can be maintained during long-term treatment.......BACKGROUND/AIMS: Growth hormone (GH) excess in childhood is a rare disorder. Current treatment options such as somatostatin analogues, pituitary surgery or irradiation can have serious side effects. Recently, a GH receptor antagonist, pegvisomant, was introduced for the treatment of adults...

  19. Modeling energy flexibility of low energy buildings utilizing thermal mass

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foteinaki, Kyriaki; Heller, Alfred; Rode, Carsten

    2016-01-01

    In the future energy system a considerable increase in the penetration of renewable energy is expected, challenging the stability of the system, as both production and consumption will have fluctuating patterns. Hence, the concept of energy flexibility will be necessary in order for the consumption...... to match the production patterns, shifting demand from on-peak hours to off-peak hours. Buildings could act as flexibility suppliers to the energy system, through load shifting potential, provided that the large thermal mass of the building stock could be utilized for energy storage. In the present study...... the load shifting potential of an apartment of a low energy building in Copenhagen is assessed, utilizing the heat storage capacity of the thermal mass when the heating system is switched off for relieving the energy system. It is shown that when using a 4-hour preheating period before switching off...

  20. The concentration of natural radionuclides in various types of building materials in Slovakia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cabanekova, H [Inst. of Peventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava (Slovakia)

    1996-12-31

    The concentration of the natural radionuclides in various types of building materials was determined by the gamma spectrometry analysis using 130 cm{sup 3} high purity germanium detector and MCA LIVIUS 2000. Radium-226 and thorium-232 was assessed through their progeny photo peaks. The specific activity of both nuclides as weighted average of their photo peaks was determined. Potassium-40 was measured directly via its 1460 keV peak. The radium equivalent activity was calculate from specific activities of radium-226, thorium-232 and potassium-40. All samples were measured in 4{sup p}i{sup g}eometry. The building materials and products were milled and screened with 2-3 mm sieve. After drying the samples were stored in 450 cm{sup 3} sealed polyethylene container for 30 days ingrowing period. The results of analysis are corrected to the background distribution and to the self absorption in the volume of the samples. The efficiency calibration is realized using the reference sources distributed by IAEA in Vienna and by the Institute for Radionuclide Production in Prague The measured activity concentrations of the buildings materials are given. There are shown the minimum and maximum values for different investigated materials. (J.K.) 4 tabs., 5 refs.

  1. Green signalling effects in the market for energy-efficient residential buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuerst, Franz; Oikarinen, Elias; Harjunen, Oskari

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy efficiency (EE) levels are hypothesised to affect house transaction prices. • We estimate a hedonic model using Energy Performance Certificates from Finland. • A price premium is found for the most energy-efficient properties. • The empirical results are suggestive of a green signalling effect. • Demand for EE high performers appears to be segmented from lower tiers. - Abstract: Empirical evidence from recent studies suggests that the price premium on energy-efficient buildings is potentially higher than the pure capitalisation of energy savings but the empirical evidence on the size of the non-savings components is scant. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating whether the mandatory energy efficiency ratings for residential properties imply benefits that go beyond energy savings. Using a sample of several thousand apartment transactions from Helsinki, Finland, we first test if higher ratings were significantly associated with higher prices. In addition to a large number of property and neighbourhood characteristics, this dataset contains information on building-level energy usage which allows us to distinguish between the cost savings effect of energy consumption and the value of more intangible factors associated with the energy label. The hedonic model yields a statistically significant 3.3% price premium for apartments in the top three energy-efficiency categories and 1.5% when a set of detailed neighbourhood characteristics are included. When maintenance costs containing energy usage costs are added, a robust and significant price premium of 1.3% persists whereas no differentiation is found for the medium and lower rating categories. These findings may be indicative of energy-efficient buildings having signalling value – and therefore an additional incentive to invest in such buildings – for ‘green’ consumers. However, a favourable energy rating did not appear to speed up the sales process in the

  2. Antoine's Necklace or How to Keep a Necklace from Falling Apart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brechner, Beverly L.; Mayer, John C.

    1988-01-01

    A construction in geometric topology is presented for an imaginary string of beads, but without the string, forming a necklace that cannot fall apart. Some well-known applications and generalizations of Antoine's Necklace are provided, with all examples subsets of Euclidean spaces. (MNS)

  3. Monitoring urban transformation in the old foreign concessions of Shanghai from 1987 to 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lefebvre, A; Corpetti, T; Courty, N

    2014-01-01

    This paper is concerned with morphological change analysis in the old foreign concessions of Shanghai from 1969 to 2010. To that end, we use a series of 17 Landsat TM and Landsat ETM + images on which we estimate some feature parameters. The analysis of the resulting time series enables to isolate changes from traditional constructions to new buildings or gardens. Our results show that 70% of the old urban pattern was converted in modern high-rise buildings and green spaces

  4. Estimating the Performance of Random Forest versus Multiple Regression for Predicting Prices of the Apartments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjan Čeh

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this study is to analyse the predictive performance of the random forest machine learning technique in comparison to commonly used hedonic models based on multiple regression for the prediction of apartment prices. A data set that includes 7407 records of apartment transactions referring to real estate sales from 2008–2013 in the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was used in order to test and compare the predictive performances of both models. Apparent challenges faced during modelling included (1 the non-linear nature of the prediction assignment task; (2 input data being based on transactions occurring over a period of great price changes in Ljubljana whereby a 28% decline was noted in six consecutive testing years; and (3 the complex urban form of the case study area. Available explanatory variables, organised as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS ready dataset, including the structural and age characteristics of the apartments as well as environmental and neighbourhood information were considered in the modelling procedure. All performance measures (R2 values, sales ratios, mean average percentage error (MAPE, coefficient of dispersion (COD revealed significantly better results for predictions obtained by the random forest method, which confirms the prospective of this machine learning technique on apartment price prediction.

  5. Oviposition and vertical dispersal of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in Colombo district, Sri Lanka.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayathilake, T A Hasini D G; Wickramasinghe, Mervyn B; de Silva, B G D Nissanka K

    2015-09-01

    The Colombo City in Sri Lanka is experiencing tremendous development and construction of multiple storey buildings and high rise apartments. The change in housing types and microhabitats might have altered the flight and breeding behaviour of Aedes mosquito population. This study was carried out to determine the vertical dispersal and abundance of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in the Colombo district, with respect to abiotic factors such as rainfall, humidity and wind speed. Hence, this study is of paramount importance, particularly for planning and implementation of control measures against Aedes mosquitoes. An ovitrap based study was carried out at four selected multiple storey buildings in four residential areas located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from August to December 2013. Results were analyzed using four indices; ovitrap index, mean number of larvae, mean number of eggs and mean number of larvae per ovipaddle. The results implied that Aedes mosquitoes could be found in different elevations from ground floor to the highest floor (130 ft). There was a significant difference between height and ovitrap index (pAedes mosquitoes (pAedes mosquitoes are able to breed at any level of the buildings and not restricted by their height. The indices (mean number of larvae, mean number of eggs) representing the vertical dispersal with respect to abundance seemed to be statistically non-significant (p>0.05) with height which indicates high abundance of Aedes mosquitoes at higher floors. Abiotic factors also seemed to cause significant effect to the vertical dispersal of Aedes mosquitoes in high rise buildings.

  6. Pagari 1 korterelamu restaureerimine = Restoration of an old town apartment building Pagari 1 / Rasmus Tamme, Jaanus Saarepera, Reio Raudsepp

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tamme, Rasmus

    2015-01-01

    Restaureeritud korterelamu Tallinna vanalinnas Pagari tänav 1, valminud 2014. Arhitektid Rasmus Tamme, Jaanus Saarepera, Reio Raudsepp (ARS Projekt), sisearhitekt Reio Raudsepp. 2014. aasta Kultuurkapitali Arhitektuuripreemia kandidaat

  7. Same Old, Same Old

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seebach, Linda

    2009-01-01

    In July, the two major teachers unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) chose new presidents at their national conventions held barely a week apart. At the NEA, Dennis Van Roekel moved up to the top rung of the officers' ladder after serving two terms as vice president. Randi Weingarten added…

  8. Examination of Parameters Affecting the House Prices by Multiple Regression Analysis and its Contributions to Earthquake-Based Urban Transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denli, H. H.; Durmus, B.

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the factors which may affect the apartment prices with multiple linear regression analysis models and visualize the results by value maps. The study is focused on a county of Istanbul - Turkey. Totally 390 apartments around the county Umraniye are evaluated due to their physical and locational conditions. The identification of factors affecting the price of apartments in the county with a population of approximately 600k is expected to provide a significant contribution to the apartment market.Physical factors are selected as the age, number of rooms, size, floor numbers of the building and the floor that the apartment is positioned in. Positional factors are selected as the distances to the nearest hospital, school, park and police station. Totally ten physical and locational parameters are examined by regression analysis.After the regression analysis has been performed, value maps are composed from the parameters age, price and price per square meters. The most significant of the composed maps is the price per square meters map. Results show that the location of the apartment has the most influence to the square meter price information of the apartment. A different practice is developed from the composed maps by searching the ability of using price per square meters map in urban transformation practices. By marking the buildings older than 15 years in the price per square meters map, a different and new interpretation has been made to determine the buildings, to which should be given priority during an urban transformation in the county.This county is very close to the North Anatolian Fault zone and is under the threat of earthquakes. By marking the apartments older than 15 years on the price per square meters map, both older and expensive square meters apartments list can be gathered. By the help of this list, the priority could be given to the selected higher valued old apartments to support the economy of the country

  9. Solar energy in buildings solved by building information modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chudikova, B.; Faltejsek, M.

    2018-03-01

    Building lead us to use renewable energy sources for all types of buildings. The use of solar energy is the alternatives that can be applied in a good ratio of space, price, and resultant benefits. Building Information Modelling is a modern and effective way of dealing with buildings with regard to all aspects of the life cycle. The basis is careful planning and simulation in the pre-investment phase, where it is possible to determine the effective result and influence the lifetime of the building and the cost of its operation. By simulating, analysing and insert a building model into its future environment where climate conditions and surrounding buildings play a role, it is possible to predict the usability of the solar energy and establish an ideal model. Solar systems also very affect the internal layout of buildings. Pre-investment phase analysis, with a view to future aspects, will ensure that the resulting building will be both low-energy and environmentally friendly.

  10. Re-conceiving building design quality: A review of building users in their social context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, Kelly J; Evans, James; Karvonen, Andrew; Whitley, Tim

    2016-05-01

    Considerable overlap exists between post-occupancy research evaluating building design quality and the concept of 'social value', popularised by its recent application to issues of the public realm. To outline this potential research agenda, the paper reviews design quality research on buildings in relation to users and their social context where the term 'social context' refers to building user group dynamics, a combination of organisational cultures, management strategies, and social norms and practices. The review is conducted across five key building types, namely housing, workplaces, healthcare, education, and the retail/service sector. Research commonalities and gaps are identified in order to build a more comprehensive picture of the design quality literature and its handling of users in their social context. The key findings concerning each building type are presented visually. It is concluded that the design quality field comprises a patchwork of relatively isolated studies of various building types, with significant potential for theoretical and empirical development through interdisciplinary collaboration. Users tend to be conceived as anonymous and autonomous individuals with little analysis of user identity or interaction. Further, the contextual impact of user group dynamics on the relationship between building design and building user is rarely addressed in the literature. Producing a more nuanced understanding of users in situ is proposed as an important area for future design quality research.

  11. Impact of Weather and Occupancy on Energy Flexibility Potential of a Low-energy Building

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zilio, Emanuele; Foteinaki, Kyriaki; Gianniou, Panagiota

    The introduction of renewable energy sources in the energy market leads to instability of the energy system itself; therefore, new solutions to increase its flexibility will become more common in the coming years. In this context the implementation of energy flexibility in buildings is evaluated...... solar radiation and the outdoor temperature appeared to have the larger impact on the thermal flexibility of the building. Specifically, the energy flexibility potential of the examined apartment can ensure its thermal autonomy up to 200 h in a typical sunny winter day......., using heat storage in the building mass. This study focuses on the influence of weather conditions and internal gains on the energy flexibility potential of a nearly-zero-energy building in Denmark. A specific six hours heating program is used to reach the scope. The main findings showed that the direct...

  12. Drawing theories apart the dispersion of Feynman diagrams in postwar physics

    CERN Document Server

    Kaiser, David

    2005-01-01

    Winner of the 2007 Pfizer Prize from the History of Science Society. Feynman diagrams have revolutionized nearly every aspect of theoretical physics since the middle of the twentieth century. Introduced by the American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88) soon after World War II as a means of simplifying lengthy calculations in quantum electrodynamics, they soon gained adherents in many branches of the discipline. Yet as new physicists adopted the tiny line drawings, they also adapted the diagrams and introduced their own interpretations. Drawing Theories Apart traces how generations of young theorists learned to frame their research in terms of the diagrams—and how both the diagrams and their users were molded in the process.Drawing on rich archival materials, interviews, and more than five hundred scientific articles from the period, Drawing Theories Apart uses the Feynman diagrams as a means to explore the development of American postwar physics. By focusing on the ways young physicists learned new calcul...

  13. Impact of Urban Heat Island under the Hanoi Master Plan 2030 on Cooling Loads in Residential Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tran Hoang Hai Nam

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to evaluate the influence of urban heat island (UHI under the Hanoi Master Plan 2030 on the energy consumption for space cooling in residential buildings. The weather conditions under the current and future status (master plan condition simulated in the previous study (Trihamdani et al., 2014 were used and cooling loads in all the residential buildings in Hanoi over the hottest month were estimated under the simulated current and future conditions by using the building simulation program, TRNSYS (v17. Three most typical housing types in the city were selected for the simulation. The cooling loads of respective housing types were obtained in each of the districts in Hanoi. The results show that the total cooling loads over June 2010 is approximately 683 Terajoule (TJ under the current status, but it is predicted to increase to 903 TJ under the master plan condition. The increment is largely due to the increase in number of households (203 TJ or 92%, but partially due to the increase in urban temperature, i.e. UHI effect (17 TJ or 8%. The increments in new built-up areas were found to be larger than those in existing built-up areas. The cooling load in apartment is approximately half of that in detached house, which is approximately half of that in row house. Moreover, it was seen that although sensible cooling loads increased with the increase in outdoor temperature, the latent cooling loads decreased due to the decrease in absolute humidity and the increase in air temperature.

  14. Better Buildings Neighborhood Program: BetterBuildings Lowell Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heslin, Thomas

    2014-01-31

    The City of Lowell set four goals at the beginning of the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program: 1. Improve the Downtown Historic Park District’s Carbon Footprint 2. Develop a sustainable and replicable model for energy efficiency in historic buildings 3. Create and retain jobs 4. Promote multi-stakeholder partnerships The City of Lowell, MA was awarded $5 million in May 2010 to conduct energy efficiency retrofits within the downtown National Historical Park (NHP). The City’s target was to complete retrofits in 200,000 square feet of commercial space and create 280 jobs, while adhering to the strict historical preservation regulations that govern the NHP. The development of a model for energy efficiency in historic buildings was successfully accomplished. BetterBuildings Lowell’s success in energy efficiency in historic buildings was due to the simplicity of the program. We relied strongly on the replacement of antiquated HVAC systems and air sealing and a handful of talented energy auditors and contractors. BetterBuildings Lowell was unique for the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program because it was the only program that focused solely on commercial properties. BetterBuildings Lowell did target multi-family properties, which were reported as commercial, but the majority of the building types and uses were commercial. Property types targeted were restaurants, office buildings, museums, sections of larger buildings, mixed use buildings, and multifamily buildings. This unique fabric of building type and use allows for a deeper understanding to how different properties use energy. Because of the National Historical Park designation of downtown Lowell, being able to implement energy efficiency projects within a highly regulated historical district also provided valuable research and precedent proving energy efficiency projects can be successfully completed in historical districts and historical buildings. Our program was very successful in working with the local

  15. [Supporting the end of life in a therapeutic coordination apartment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cousineau, Jean-Luc; Thévenin, Laurent

    2016-02-01

    Therapeutic coordination apartments are medical-social structures which provide accommodation to desocilialized people. For the last 25 years, the association Cordia has been supporting people with debilitating chronic diseases in situations of precarity. The multi-disciplinary approach also ensures that terminally-ill residents are taken care of right up until their last moments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Natural radioactivity of building materials used in Malaysia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Omar, M. [Malaysian Inst. for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT), Bangi, Kajang, Selangor D.E. (Malaysia)

    2002-03-01

    A study has been carried out to determine the natural radioactive content of building materials used in Malaysia. The materials analysed include both old and new clay bricks, cement bricks, mortar, cement, sands, ceramic tiles and gypsum. Samples of the first three materials were collected from the 12 states of the Malay Peninsula. Radium-226 (from the U-238 series) and Ra-228 (from the Th-232 series), these both representing naturally occurring radionuclides, were analysed using high-resolution HpGe gamma spectrometers. The results of our investigations showed that some old clay bricks contain high levels (at more than 5 times the normal soil concentration) of natural radionuclides, with maximum concentrations of 590 Bq/kg and 480 Bq/kg for respectively Ra-226 and Ra-228. The reasons behind this finding were not clearly understood. As there are people living in old buildings, i.e. built using old clay bricks, there is a possibility that they are being exposed to significant radiation doses. However, there proved to be no significant overall difference between old and new clay bricks in terms of the natural radioactivity levels determined, at a 95% confidence level. The overall mean concentrations of Ra-226 and Ra-228 observed in Malaysian clay bricks were respectively 118 {+-} 58 Bq/kg and 120 {+-} 42 Bq/kg. The radioactive content of other materials was found to be not much different from that to be determined in normal soil from Malaysia. The data obtained can be used as a basis for reaching decisions on the regulatory limits for radioactivity levels in building materials in Malaysia. (orig.)

  17. Modernising ATLAS Software Build Infrastructure

    CERN Document Server

    Ritsch, Elmar; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    In the last year ATLAS has radically updated its software development infrastructure hugely reducing the complexity of building releases and greatly improving build speed, flexibility and code testing. The first step in this transition was the adoption of CMake as the software build system over the older CMT. This required the development of an automated translation from the old system to the new, followed by extensive testing and improvements. This resulted in a far more standard build process that was married to the method of building ATLAS software as a series of $12$ separate projects from Subversion. We then proceeded with a migration of the code base from Subversion to Git. As the Subversion repository had been structured to manage each package more or less independently there was no simple mapping that could be used to manage the migration into Git. Instead a specialist set of scripts that captured the software changes across official software releases was developed. With some clean up of the repositor...

  18. Educational project on risk communication and reduction of the radon exposure in buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conrady, J.; Guhr, A.; Uhlig, R.

    2009-01-01

    The radon exposure in buildings is supposed to be the most important risk factor of lung cancer. In Saxony about 800 000 persons live in apartments with high radon exposure. The study discusses the effects of an educational project to communicate the facts on radon exposure in buildings and to develop risk awareness and individual initiatives to reduce the radon concentration. The project includes support and encouragement with respect of preventive and protective measures to improve the individual situation. Further items cover requirements for control and quantification of intervention impacts, development and optimization of specific strategies for a permanent risk communication in schools. Results of the pilot study are summarized.

  19. INDUCON building concept; INDUCON-rakennuskonsepti

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarja, A.; Laine, J.; Pulakka, S.; Saari, M. [VTT Building and Transport, Espoo (Finland)

    2003-08-01

    The new and stronger requirements: lifetime economy, functionality in use and in changes of use, technical lifetime performance, energy efficiency, healthy, safety, ecology and local culture, are serving a challenge for the building technology. Additionally the pressure towards decreasing the construction costs with the increase of productivity of the work and capital is increased. The objective of this research work has been to respond the challenges described above with creating alternative building concepts, which could allow production of individually designed apartment and office buildings, including methodology and methods to optimise the building concepts and individual buildings in relation to the lifetime quality. Building concept is a repeatable and documented way of design and construction, which can result in individual buildings with an optimised and high lifetime quality. Lifetime quality is the capability of a building to fulfil the requirements of the users, owners and society during entire design period of the building. The INDUCON building concept is focused on the following issues: Classified and optimised lifetime quality (incl. the viewpoints of functionality, performance, economy, ecology and culture), and the realisation of industrial production on an advanced level (incl. new models of building design and construction, simplification of building systems and products, decrease of the number of parts of buildings, improvement of finishing of the prefabricated components and modules, and improving the interaction and compatibility of structures and building service systems). As a result are presented: systematised and classified definitions of performance properties of buildings; corresponding specifications of building systems, modules and components; design principles, process descriptions; examples (incl. Routings of technical building services, specification and classification of the health and comfort properties of indoor air, calculations

  20. Pemetaan batimetri sebagai informasi dasar untuk penempatan fish apartment di perairan Bangsring, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur (Bathymetry mapping as basic information for fish apartment placement in Bangsring waters, Banyuwangi, East Java

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Arif Zainul Fuad

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present research was to map the bathymetry of the Bangsring coastal area, Banyuwangi. Depth data obtained are used to consider the suitable location for fish apartment placement. The depth of the water was measured using a single beam echosounder with a frequency of 50 Hz. The data obtained by sounding process corrected by Tidal data. The tidal data measured during sampling with the observation interval of 30 minutes. The tidal correction was performed to get the depth value relative to lowest Water Surface (LWS. The results showed the depth of the Bangsring coastal area ranged from 2-49 meters. The deepest region is in the southeast of the research area. Based on the depth of the waters, the locations that can be an alternative placement of fish apartment is located by distance of 200- 250 meters in front of Bangsring coastal area with total area  approximately 30 Ha Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memetakan kedalaman perairan Bangsring, Banyuwangi. Data kedalaman yang didapat dari pemeruman selanjutnya digunakan sebagai pertimbangan untuk mencari alternatif lokasi penempatan fish apartment. Kedalaman perairan di ukur menggunakan Single Beam Echosounder dengan frekuensi 50 Hz. Pemeruman dilakukan selama 2 hari yaitu pada tanggal 17 dan 18 Maret 2016 dengan metode zig zag . Hasil pengukuran kedalaman selanjutnya di koreksi terhadap pasang surut. Pasang surut diukur selama pelaksanaan pemeruman dengan interval pengamatan 30 menit. Koreksi pasang surut dilakukan untuk mendapatkan nilai kedalaman relatif terhadap Lowest Water Surface (LWS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kedalaman Perairan Bangsring Berkisar antara 2-49 meter. Wilayah terdalam berada dibagian tenggara area penelitian. Berdasarkan kedalaman perairan tersebut, maka lokasi Perairan di Bangsring yang dapat dijadikan alternatif penempatan fish apartment adalah di perairan depan pantai bagian timur dengan jarak sejauh 200-250 meter dari garis pantai Bangsring dengan

  1. State-of-the-art study on standards for the restoration of existing buildings; State of the Art Studie 'Standards fuer Sanierungen von Bestandsgebaeuden'. Vorbereitende Studie zum 'Energy and GHG Optimised Building Renovation' new annex proposal - Schlussbericht

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cypra, S.

    2009-07-01

    This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the results of a preliminary study on energy and greenhouse-gas optimised building renovation. The proposals are based on the building standards proposed under the '2000-Watt Society' and 'One-Tonne CO{sub 2} Society' proposals. Comparisons are made with Swiss official building standards as well as Swiss and international standards for zero-energy and passive housing. These standards and requirements are discussed in detail and examples of buildings built to meet them are described. Building standards based on sustainability standards are also discussed and compared. The methodology to be used with respect to single-family homes and apartment blocks is discussed. Finally, knowledge gaps are identified and appropriate literature is listed.

  2. Type II A2 duplication of urethra in an 8-month-old male child: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Hanifi Okur

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Urethral duplication is a rare congenital anomaly, usually found with multiple anatomical variants. In this article was presented a case of urethral duplication in an 8-month-old male child. The malformation was characterized by the presence of continent hypospadic and normal apical urethra. Retrograde urethrogram through both urethral tracts simultaneously revealed the malformation as Effmann Type II A-2. The accessory ventral urethra was excised without complication.

  3. Life Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions of Different Building Structural Frame Types

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sangyong; Moon, Joon-Ho; Shin, Yoonseok; Kim, Gwang-Hee; Seo, Deok-Seok

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this research is to quantitatively measure and compare the environmental load and construction cost of different structural frame types. Construction cost also accounts for the costs of CO2 emissions of input materials. The choice of structural frame type is a major consideration in construction, as this element represents about 33% of total building construction costs. In this research, four constructed buildings were analyzed, with these having either reinforced concrete (RC) or steel (S) structures. An input-output framework analysis was used to measure energy consumption and CO2 emissions of input materials for each structural frame type. In addition, the CO2 emissions cost was measured using the trading price of CO2 emissions on the International Commodity Exchange. This research revealed that both energy consumption and CO2 emissions were, on average, 26% lower with the RC structure than with the S structure, and the construction costs (including the CO2 emissions cost) of the RC structure were about 9.8% lower, compared to the S structure. This research provides insights through which the construction industry will be able to respond to the carbon market, which is expected to continue to grow in the future. PMID:24227998

  4. Life Comparative Analysis of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions of Different Building Structural Frame Types

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangyong Kim

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research is to quantitatively measure and compare the environmental load and construction cost of different structural frame types. Construction cost also accounts for the costs of CO2 emissions of input materials. The choice of structural frame type is a major consideration in construction, as this element represents about 33% of total building construction costs. In this research, four constructed buildings were analyzed, with these having either reinforced concrete (RC or steel (S structures. An input-output framework analysis was used to measure energy consumption and CO2 emissions of input materials for each structural frame type. In addition, the CO2 emissions cost was measured using the trading price of CO2 emissions on the International Commodity Exchange. This research revealed that both energy consumption and CO2 emissions were, on average, 26% lower with the RC structure than with the S structure, and the construction costs (including the CO2 emissions cost of the RC structure were about 9.8% lower, compared to the S structure. This research provides insights through which the construction industry will be able to respond to the carbon market, which is expected to continue to grow in the future.

  5. Energy consumption of electricity end uses in Malaysian historic buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kamaruzzaman, Syahrul N.; Edwards, Rodger E.; Zawawi, Emma M.A.

    2007-07-15

    Malaysia has inherited hundreds of heritage buildings from the past including those from the Indian, Chinese and Colonial eras apart from the indigenous traditional buildings. These buildings have the most unique ecstatic value from the viewpoint of architecture, culture, art, etc. Malaysian economy boom in 1980s spurred the need for more buildings especially in large cities. As a result, most of the historic buildings have been converted and transformed into commercial use. As reported by METP, Malaysian buildings energy uses are reflected by the energy consumption in the industrial and commercial sectors. Most of the buildings' energy consumption is electricity, used for running and operating the plants, lighting, lifts and escalators and other equipment in the buildings. These are amongst the factors that have resulted in the high demand for electricity in Malaysia. As outlined in the eighth Malaysia Plan, Malaysia is taking steps in conserving energy and reducing energy consumption on electricity consumption in building. This paper aims to present the breakdown of the major electricity end uses characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia. The analysis was performed on annual data, allowing comparison with published benchmarks to give an indication of efficiency. Based on data collected a 'normalisation' calculated electricity consumption was established with the intention of improving the comparison between buildings in different climatic regions or with different occupancy patterns. This is useful for identifying where the design needed further attention and helped pinpoint problem areas within a building. It is anticipated that this study would give a good indication on the electricity consumption characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia. (Author)

  6. Lessons Learned from Case Studies of Six High-Performance Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torcellini, P.; Pless, S.; Deru, M.; Griffith, B.; Long, N.; Judkoff, R.

    2006-06-01

    Commercial buildings have a significant impact on energy use and the environment. They account for approximately 18% (17.9 quads) of the total primary energy consumption in the United States (DOE 2005). The energy used by the building sector continues to increase, primarily because new buildings are added to the national building stock faster than old buildings are retired. Energy consumption by commercial buildings will continue to increase until buildings can be designed to produce more energy than they consume. As a result, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Program has established a goal to create the technology and knowledge base for marketable zero-energy commercial buildings (ZEBs) by 2025.

  7. Outcomes of 3-Year-Old Children With Hearing Loss and Different Types of Additional Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cupples, Linda

    2014-01-01

    This research investigated the speech, language, and functional auditory outcomes of 119 3-year-old children with hearing loss and additional disabilities. Outcomes were evaluated using direct assessment and caregiver report. Multiple regressions revealed that type of additional disability and level of maternal education were significant predictors of language outcomes. Poorer outcomes were achieved in a combined group of children with autism, cerebral palsy, and/or developmental delay (DD) (Group A), compared with children with vision or speech output impairments, syndromes not entailing DD, or medical disorders (Group B). Better outcomes were associated with higher levels of maternal education. The association between better language outcomes and earlier cochlear implant switch-on approached significance. Further regression analyses were conducted separately for children with different types of additional disabilities. Level of maternal education was the only significant predictor of outcomes for Group A children, whereas degree of hearing loss was the strongest predictor for children in Group B. The findings highlight the variable impact that different types of additional disabilities can have on language development in children with hearing loss. PMID:24150488

  8. CERN Central Library : 2000 year old technology transfer. Two fragments of columns from a Roman building discovered during excavations for the PS in 1956 have prominent places in the Library where they can be enjoyed by all

    CERN Multimedia

    Laurent Guiraud

    2001-01-01

    CERN Central Library : 2000 year old technology transfer. Two fragments of columns from a Roman building discovered during excavations for the PS in 1956 have prominent places in the Library where they can be enjoyed by all

  9. Nuclear reactor buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagashima, Shoji; Kato, Ryoichi.

    1985-01-01

    Purpose: To reduce the cost of reactor buildings and satisfy the severe seismic demands in tank type FBR type reactors. Constitution: In usual nuclear reactor buildings of a flat bottom embedding structure, the flat bottom is entirely embedded into the rock below the soils down to the deck level of the nuclear reactor. As a result, although the weight of the seismic structure can be decreased, the amount of excavating the cavity is significantly increased to inevitably increase the plant construction cost. Cross-like intersecting foundation mats are embedded to the building rock into a thickness capable withstanding to earthquakes while maintaining the arrangement of equipments around the reactor core in the nuclear buildings required by the system design, such as vertical relationship between the equipments, fuel exchange systems and sponteneous drainings. Since the rock is hard and less deformable, the rigidity of the walls and the support structures of the reactor buildings can be increased by the embedding into the rock substrate and floor responsivity can be reduced. This enables to reduce the cost and increasing the seismic proofness. (Kamimura, M.)

  10. 7 CFR 1726.150 - Headquarters buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Headquarters buildings. 1726.150 Section 1726.150... AGRICULTURE ELECTRIC SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Buildings § 1726.150 Headquarters buildings. This section includes headquarters buildings such as warehouses and equipment service type buildings...

  11. Study of an experimental methodology for thermal properties diagnostic of building envelop

    OpenAIRE

    Yang , Yingying; Sempey , Alain; Vogt Wu , Tingting; Sommier , Alain; Dumoulin , Jean; Batsale , Jean ,

    2017-01-01

    International audience; The building envelope plays a critical role in determining levels of comfort and building efficiency. Its real thermal properties characterization is of major interest to be able to diagnose energy efficiency performance of buildings (new construction and retrofitted existing old building). Research and development on a possible methodology for energy diagnostic of the building envelop is a hot topic and necessary trend. Many kinds of sensors and instruments are used f...

  12. ANALISIS FAKTOR KESEHATAN DAN KESELAMATAN KERJA (K3 YANG SIGNIFIKAN MEMPENGARUHI KECELAKAAN KERJA PADA PROYEK PEMBANGUNAN APARTEMENT STUDENT CASTLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saloni Waruwu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Health and Safety (K3 is an effort to create a safe working atmosphere, comfortable and achieve the goal of maximum productivity. K3 is very important to be implemented in all areas of employment without exception building projects such as apartments, hotels, malls. However, to prevent any risk of workplace accidents is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand. Occupational accidents disebab by several factors, among others, occupational safety and health training (X1, the commitment of top management (X2, work environment (X3, awareness of workers (X4, regulations and safety and health procedures (X5, availability rambu- occupational health and safety signs (X6 in the workplace, and communication workers (X7. The most significant factor affecting the accidents are the top management commitment (X2 with a value of 36.4% koefien regression and awareness of workers (X4 of 30.1%. If both of these factors add up the total is 66.5%.

  13. Vitamin D and Calcium Intakes, Physical Activity, and Calcaneus BMC among School-Going 13-Year Old Malaysian Adolescents

    OpenAIRE

    Suriawati, A. A.; Abdul Majid, Hazreen; Al-Sadat, Nabilla; Mohamed, Mohd Nahar Azmi; Jalaludin, Muhammad Yazid

    2016-01-01

    Background: Dietary calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone development. Apart from diet, physical activity may potentially improve and sustain bone health. Objective: To investigate the relationship between the dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D, physical activity, and bone mineral content (BMC) in 13-year-old Malaysian adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Selected public secondary schools from the central and northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia. Participants: The sub...

  14. Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart": Teaching through the Novel. [Lesson Plan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002

    Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known and most influential contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," is a narrative about the European colonization of Africa told from the viewpoint of the colonized people. Published in 1958, the novel recounts the life of the warrior and village hero Okonkwo and describes the…

  15. Settlement mechanism of the backfilled ground around nuclear power plant buildings. Part 2. A series of centrifuge tests and a numerical simulation by using FEM about a typical test result

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawai, Tadashi; Ishimaru, Makoto

    2009-01-01

    During the Niigataken Chuetsu-oki earthquake, rather large settlements of the backfill ground around the rigid and stable buildings were observed. In this study, five cases of centrifuge tests with shaking events were conducted to reproduce the similar type of the settlements in order to examine the mechanism of the settlements. The results from those tests showed that the ground was settled by the negative dilatancy of sandy soils anywhere in the model ground and the additional settlements were suddenly caused when the backfill ground was apart from the rigid wall modeling the rigid and stable buildings, namely a sliding failure in an active state was occurred in the backfill ground near the structure. It was confirmed that these settlements were able to be estimated by a simple method proposed in this report, in which only the differences between the self-weight of the sliding block and the soil strength calculated at the initial stress conditions were considered as the driving forces of the sliding failure, and then the accelerations calculated from the forces being divided by the mass of the sliding block were simply integrated two times with respected to the time when the ground was apart from the structure. Further, a numerical simulation by using FEM about a typical test result was conducted, and these settlements were well simulated. (author)

  16. Regression Tree-Based Methodology for Customizing Building Energy Benchmarks to Individual Commercial Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaskhedikar, Apoorva Prakash

    According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, commercial buildings represent about 40% of the United State's energy consumption of which office buildings consume a major portion. Gauging the extent to which an individual building consumes energy in excess of its peers is the first step in initiating energy efficiency improvement. Energy Benchmarking offers initial building energy performance assessment without rigorous evaluation. Energy benchmarking tools based on the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) database are investigated in this thesis. This study proposes a new benchmarking methodology based on decision trees, where a relationship between the energy use intensities (EUI) and building parameters (continuous and categorical) is developed for different building types. This methodology was applied to medium office and school building types contained in the CBECS database. The Random Forest technique was used to find the most influential parameters that impact building energy use intensities. Subsequently, correlations which were significant were identified between EUIs and CBECS variables. Other than floor area, some of the important variables were number of workers, location, number of PCs and main cooling equipment. The coefficient of variation was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the new model. The customization technique proposed in this thesis was compared with another benchmarking model that is widely used by building owners and designers namely, the ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager. This tool relies on the standard Linear Regression methods which is only able to handle continuous variables. The model proposed uses data mining technique and was found to perform slightly better than the Portfolio Manager. The broader impacts of the new benchmarking methodology proposed is that it allows for identifying important categorical variables, and then incorporating them in a local, as against a global, model framework for EUI

  17. Energy management systems in buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lush, D. M.

    1979-07-01

    An investigation is made of the range of possibilities available from three types of systems (automatic control devices, building envelope, and the occupants) in buildings. The following subjects are discussed: general (buildings, design and personnel); new buildings (envelope, designers, energy and load calculations, plant design, general design parameters); existing buildings (conservation measures, general energy management, air conditioned buildings, industrial buildings); man and motivation (general, energy management and documentation, maintenance, motivation); automatic energy management systems (thermostatic controls, optimized plant start up, air conditioned and industrial buildings, building automatic systems). (MCW)

  18. Energy Saving Alignment Strategy: Achieving energy efficiency in urban buildings by matching occupant temperature preferences with a building’s indoor thermal environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Xiaoqi; Culligan, Patricia J.; Taylor, John E.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel strategy for energy savings in multi-family buildings is presented. • A household’s thermal preferences are matched with a unit’s thermal environment. • Potential energy savings are examined using public housing as a test case. • 2.1–42.0% primary energy savings are shown, depending on climate location. - Abstract: Existing strategies for residential energy savings through physical renovation or motivating occupant energy conservation behavior can be costly and/or have transitory effects. Focusing on multi-family dwellings, an important subset of the urban residential sector, we propose an Energy Saving Alignment Strategy (ESAS) that has advantageous cost-effectiveness and a long-lasting influence. By aligning the distribution of residents’ thermostat preferences with the indoor temperature, ESAS aims to maximize thermal comfort and, accordingly, energy savings in multi-family buildings where indoor temperatures vary between apartments as a function of apartment orientation and floor level. Using a case study of a 1084-apartment public housing complex in New York, we classify both occupants’ thermostat preferences and apartments’ operative temperatures into five groups, and optimize energy efficiency by assigning each group of occupants to the group of apartments that best aligns with their thermostat preference. We test ESAS in eight cities representing all four U.S. census regions and six climate zones. Simulation results reveal 2.1–42.0% in energy savings compared to random apartment assignments depending on geographic location, with the highest energy reductions occurring in cities with mild climates, where the range of occupant thermostat preferences coincides with the natural indoor temperature range. We conclude by providing suggested guidelines on how ESAS might work in practice, and recommendations for extending ESAS research

  19. The use of Yo-Yo IR1 and Andersen testing for fitness and maximal heart rate assessments of 6-10 yr old school children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahler, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    ; grade 2, n=16) and six weeks apart by 9-10 year olds (grade 3, n=49). Grade (G) 0-2's also performed an incremental treadmill test (ITT). G2's had a better (pSD) vs 536±218 m) and Andersen test performance (10%; 1050±71 vs 955±56 m) than G0's. For G0-2's YYIR1C......-10 year old children. Additionally, submaximal YYIR1C testing can be used for frequent non-exhaustive fitness assessments....

  20. 21 CFR 226.20 - Buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Buildings. 226.20 Section 226.20 Food and Drugs... Facilities and Equipment § 226.20 Buildings. Buildings in which Type A medicated article(s) are manufactured... operation for their intended purpose. The building shall: (a) Provide adequate space for the orderly...

  1. Strengthening maintenance and reconstruction of scientific experiment building and creating a good working environment for scientific research and production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Jianping

    2005-01-01

    The quality of scientific experiment building directly influences the scientific research work and production. To create a good working environment for scientific research and production, it is necessary to strengthen the maintenance and reconstruction for old scientific experiment building. The paper briefly introduces the site supervisory work of maintaining and reconstructing old scientific experiment building in Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, as well as some measures taken to ensure the project quality, and the reconstructed building. (authors)

  2. Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart": Oral and Literary Strategies. [Lesson Plan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002

    Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," deals with the clash of cultures and the violent transitions in life and values brought about by the onset of British colonialism in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century. Published in 1958, just before Nigerian independence, the…

  3. Depression in Old Age

    OpenAIRE

    MAŠTEROVÁ, Monika

    2008-01-01

    This thesis is theoretical and it engage in problems of the depression, in particular depression in old age. It divide in four chapters. In first chapter mentioned a characteristic deppresion. Here is a description, what is the depression and that exit some questionnaires, what make find, whether is a man it distress. Further here is mentioned it occurrence, history, mythes, causes, symptoms, types, treatment and consequences. In second chapter talk about age and growing old and their concomi...

  4. Shakespeare on old age and disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Covey, H

    2000-01-01

    The plays of William Shakespeare were reviewed for references to disabilities, aging and disability, and older characters with disabilities. Shakespeare's references draw from traditional cultural notions about older people with disabilities. These traditional notions include people with physical disabilities being evil, the entertainment value of disabilty, and those who were mentally ill being wild and animal-like. He viewed the aging process as disabling and old age as a time when individuals lost some abilities to function, particularly when it came to mental capacity and physical mobility. His writings show that he used disability as a literary tool to add dimension to characters and set them apart. Contemporary literature continues to share some of Shakespeare's view on aging and disability but also departs from them in important ways. For example, contemporary treatment of disabilities and aging places more emphasis on the human side of the affects of aging and disabilities. Disabilities and aging are not cast in the same negative terms as Shakespeare used.

  5. LEVERAGING TREATMENT OF SALT ATTACK AND RISING DAMP IN HERITAGE BUILDINGS IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haris Fadzilah Abdul Rahman

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Of the common building defects that occur in heritage buildings in Penang, Malaysia, salt attack and rising damp are considered the most challenging, particularly for building conservation. The problem of salt attack is closely associated with rising damp. Moisture from the rising damp makes the building’s existing salts soluble, or ground water that contains salt finds its way through the building wall. This moisture then evaporates on or just below the wall’s surface, leaving salt residue behind. High salt concentrations in masonry walls cause extensive fretting and crumbling of the lower parts of walls. These formations gradually contribute to building dilapidation and reduce the building’s aesthetic value. Sodium chloride and calcium sulphate are commonly found in masonry walls, apart from other forms of salts. The sources of these salts may be natural or manmade. This paper is based on research into the problems of salt attack and rising damp in heritage masonry buildings in Penang, Malaysia. Based on a case study of five buildings in Penang, the research findings showed that these buildings faced several common building defects, including salt attack and rising damp. Treatment guidelines for salt attack and rising damp are proposed within the Malaysian context of architectural heritage and climatic conditions.

  6. Modernising ATLAS Software Build Infrastructure

    CERN Document Server

    Gaycken, Goetz; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    In the last year ATLAS has radically updated its software development infrastructure hugely reducing the complexity of building releases and greatly improving build speed, flexibility and code testing. The first step in this transition was the adoption of CMake as the software build system over the older CMT. This required the development of an automated translation from the old system to the new, followed by extensive testing and improvements. This resulted in a far more standard build process that was married to the method of building ATLAS software as a series of 12 separate projects from SVN. We then proceeded with a migration of its code base from SVN to git. As the SVN repository had been structured to manage each package more or less independently there was no simple mapping that could be used to manage the migration into git. Instead a specialist set of scripts that captured the software changes across official software releases was developed. With some clean up of the repository and the policy of onl...

  7. Veskitammi kortermajad = The Veskitammi Apartment Buildings / Urmas Oja

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Oja, Urmas, 1981-2012

    2004-01-01

    Üks ühe trepikojaga ja kaks kolme trepikojaga kolmekordset puidust korterelamut ümber sisehoovi Laagris. Hoonete puitfassaadid on kujundatud nelja eri pikkusega ja nelja eri värvi laudadest. Projekteerija, maastikukujundus: AB Kosmos. Autorid Ott Kadarik, Villem Tomiste, Mihkel Tüür. Konstruktor: Randväli ja Karema. Projekt ja valmis 2003. Ill.: 6 korruste plaani, 5 värv. välisvaadet

  8. Response and Damage Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Frames subject to Earthquakes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skjærbæk, Poul

    When civil engineering structures made of reinforced concrete (RC) such as some types of apartment buildings, hospitals, office buildings, bridges etc. are subjected to sufficiently high dynamic loads it is well known that some kind of damage will occur in the structure. The damage introduced in ...

  9. STRUCTURAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF MASONRY BUILDINGS IN TURKEY

    OpenAIRE

    KORKMAZ, Kasım Armagan; CARHOGLU, Asuman Isıl

    2011-01-01

    Turkey is located in an active seismic zone. Mid to high rise R/C building and low rise masonry buildings are very common construction type in Turkey. In recent earthquakes, lots of existing buildings got damage including masonry buildings. Masonry building history in Turkey goes long years back. For sure, it is an important structure type for Turkey. Therefore, earthquake behavior and structural vulnerability of masonry buildings are crucial issues for Turkey as a earthquake prone country. I...

  10. Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liefbroer, A.C.; Poortman, A.R.; Seltzer, J.A.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Most research asks whether or not cohabitation has come to rival marriage. Little is known about the meaning of living apart together (LAT) relationships, and whether LAT is an alternative to marriage and cohabitation or a dating relationship. OBJECTIVE: We examine across Europe: (1) the

  11. From Fiction to Field Notes: Observing Ibo Culture in "Things Fall Apart."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schur, Joan Brodsky

    1997-01-01

    Demonstrates how introducing students to African literature can appeal to their imaginations and encourage them to develop their insights into African culture. Outlines the procedures in a middle school class where the students are transformed into anthropologists as they read Chinua Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart." (MJP)

  12. BUILDING FAÇADE SEPARATION IN VERTICAL AERIAL IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Meixner

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Three-dimensional models of urban environments have great appeal and offer promises of interesting applications. While initially it was of interest to just have such 3D data, it increasingly becomes evident that one really would like to have interpreted urban objects. To be able to interpret buildings we have to split a visible whole building block into its different single buildings. Usually this is done using cadastral information to divide the single land parcels. The problem in this case is that sometimes the building boundaries derived from the cadastre are insufficiently accurate due to several reasons like old databases with lower accuracies or inaccuracies due to transformation between two coordinate systems. For this reason it can happen that a cadastral boundary coming from an old map is displaced by up to several meters and therefore divides two buildings incorrectly. To overcome such problems we incorporate the information from vertical aerial images. We introduce a façade separation method that is able to find individual building façades using multi view stereo. The purpose is to identify the individual façades and separate them from one another before on proceeds with the analysis of a façade's details. The source was a set of overlapping, thus "redundant" vertical aerial images taken by an UltraCam digital aerial camera. Therefore in a first step we determine the building block outlines using the building classification and use the height values from the Digital Surface Model (DSM to determine approximate "façade quadrilaterals". We also incorporate height discontinuities using the height profiles along the building outlines to enhance our façade separation. In a next step we detect repeated pattern in these "façade images" and use them to separate the façades respectively building blocks from one another. We show that this method can be successfully used to separate building façades using vertical aerial images with a

  13. Identifying Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes in a High Performance Building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortiz, Anna C.; Russell, Marion; Lee, Wen-Yee; Apte, Michael; Maddalena, Randy

    2010-01-01

    to formaldehyde emissions. The VOC emission stream (excluding formaldehyde) was composed of up to 18 different chemicals and the total VOC emissions ranged in magnitude from 7 mu g/m 2 /h (old wood with old polish) to >500 mu g/m 2 /h (painted drywall). The formaldehyde emissions from drywall and old wood with either new or old polish were ∼15 mu g/m 2 /h while the new wood material emitted >100 mu g/m 2 /h. However, when the projected surface area of each material in the building was considered, the new wood, old wood and painted drywall material all contributed substantially to the indoor formaldehyde loading while the coatings contributed primarily to the VOCs.

  14. Identifying Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes in a High Performance Building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ortiz, Anna C.; Russell, Marion; Lee, Wen-Yee; Apte, Michael; Maddalena, Randy

    2010-09-20

    significantly to formaldehyde emissions. The VOC emission stream (excluding formaldehyde) was composed of up to 18 different chemicals and the total VOC emissions ranged in magnitude from 7 mu g/m2/h (old wood with old polish) to>500 mu g/m2/h (painted drywall). The formaldehyde emissions from drywall and old wood with either new or old polish were ~;;15 mu g/m2/h while the new wood material emitted>100 mu g/m2/h. However, when the projected surface area of each material in the building was considered, the new wood, old wood and painted drywall material all contributed substantially to the indoor formaldehyde loading while the coatings contributed primarily to the VOCs.

  15. Periodic Safety Review of Tendon Pre-stress of Concrete Containment Building for a CA U-Type clear Power Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joo, Kwang Ho; Lim, Woo Sang [Korea Hydro and clear Power Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-10-15

    Generally, as the tendon pre-stress of concrete containment buildings at nuclear power plants decreases as time passes due to the concrete creep, concrete shrinkage and the relaxation of tendon strands, the tendon pre-stress must secure the structural integrity of these buildings by maintaining its value higher than that of the designed pre-stress during the overall service life of the nuclear power plants. Moreover, if necessary, the degree of tendon pre-stress must also guarantee the structural integrity of concrete containment buildings over their lifetimes. This paper evaluated the changes in the tendon pre-stress of a concrete containment building subject to time-limited aging as an item in a periodic safety review (PSR) of Wolsong unit 1, a CANDU-type nuclear power plant to ensure that the structural integrity can be maintained until the next PSR period after the designed lifetime.

  16. Differential satellite cell density of type I and II fibres with lifelong endurance running in old men

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mackey, Abigail; Karlsen, A; Couppé, C

    2014-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the influence of lifelong endurance running on the satellite cell pool of type I and type II fibres in healthy human skeletal muscle. METHODS: Muscle biopsies were collected from 15 healthy old trained men (O-Tr) who had been running 43 ± 16 (mean ± SD) kilometres a week for 28...... ± 9 years. Twelve age-matched untrained men (O-Un) and a group of young trained and young untrained men were recruited for comparison. Frozen sections were immunohistochemically stained for Pax7, type I myosin and laminin, from which fibre area, the number of satellite cells, and the relationship......-Un. A strong positive relationship between fibre size and satellite cell content was detected in trained individuals. In line with a history of myofibre repair, a greater number of fibres with centrally located myonuclei were detected in O-Tr. CONCLUSION: Lifelong endurance training (i) does not deplete...

  17. Building codes : obstacle or opportunity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alberto Goetzl; David B. McKeever

    1999-01-01

    Building codes are critically important in the use of wood products for construction. The codes contain regulations that are prescriptive or performance related for various kinds of buildings and construction types. A prescriptive standard might dictate that a particular type of material be used in a given application. A performance standard requires that a particular...

  18. Classification of low energy houses in Danish Building Regulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rose, Jørgen; Svendsen, Svend

    2005-01-01

    The new Danish Building Regulations (Building Regulations, 2005) introduces the total energy consumption, i.e. energy use for heating, ventilation, cooling and domestic hot water, for buildings as a measure for the energy efficiency of new buildings, i.e. moving away from the former U-value demands....... In addition to the minimum requirements for new buildings, the new Building Regulations also specify requirements for characterizing a building as either low energy building class 1 or low energy building class 2. This paper describes a type-house that is presently being built in Denmark. The type......-house easily meets the requirements for being categorized as a low energy building class 1, and the paper investigates how much U-values can be increased if the type-house were to fulfil the requirements for a low energy building class 2 or a building that just fulfils the minimum demands....

  19. Ecological urban renewal in Vesterbro, Copenhagen - 3 buildings with low-energy and solar energy in practice[Denmark]; Byoekologisk byfornyelse paa Vesterbro - 3 ejendomme med lavenergi- og solenergianvendelse i praksis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vejsig Pedersen, P.

    2000-03-01

    The report is the final report on a demonstration project backed by the Danish Energy Agency concerning solar energy/low energy solutions in relation to ecological urban renewal in Hedebygade, Vesterbro. The report describes developing work relating to solar cells, ventilation with counter current heat recover and total economic and ecological urban optimization, and innovating initiatives relating to 3 buildings with a total of 62 apartments and a business property. The annual energy consumption for heating and hot water can be reduced by a combination of the following means: Use of super low-energy windows; New ventilation solutions with counter current heat recovery and air heating; Use of facade insulation, solar walls and building integrated solar cells; New types of low temperature installations e.g. centrally placed radiators and use of hot water heat exchangers; Improved light conditions by use of glassed rooms. (EHS)

  20. Types of two-dimensional = 4 superconformal field theories

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Types of two-dimensional = 4 superconformal field theories. Abbas Ali ... Various types of = 4 superconformal symmetries in two dimensions are considered. It is proposed that apart ... Pramana – Journal of Physics | News. © 2017 Indian ...

  1. On natural ventilation and thermal comfort in compact urban environments – the Old Havana case

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tablada, A.; De Troyer, F.; Blocken, B.J.E.; Carmeliet, J.E.; Verschure, H.

    2009-01-01

    The Historical Centre of Old Havana in Cuba is currently undergoing a comprehensive preservation and urban recovering program. Housing units are built in existing vacant plots of the old city. The design of the new buildings should be integrated in the compact urban structure that has developed

  2. Suitability assessment of building energy saving technologies for office buildings in cold areas of China based on an assessment framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geng, Geng; Wang, Zhaoxia; Zhao, Jing; Zhu, Neng

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • An assessment method considering economy, environment and technology is proposed. • Office buildings are classified into 3 types and weights are calculated respectively. • BESTs were summed up as 3 suitability levels. • Recommendations are proposed for adopting in design stage. - Abstract: Blind application and extensive copy of building energy saving technologies have been found very common through investigation in China. Emphases should be put on the suitability assessment when selecting and optimizing building energy saving technologies. This paper created an assessment method, namely an assessment framework to assess the suitability level of building energy saving technologies from a holistic point of view. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was adopted. 3 factors and 8 sub-factors were included in the framework. The office buildings were classified into 3 types to calculate weights of factors and sub-factors. The assessment framework was established for each type of office buildings. 20 energy saving technologies from surveyed cases was selected as case study. Ranks of suitability level of the assessment objects were obtained for each type of office buildings. The assessment results could be referred when selecting building energy saving technologies in the design stage

  3. Relationship between Quality of Building Maintenance Management Services for Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Satisfaction: Case Study of Bus Terminal Buildings in Penang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Full Chong Choon

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Maintenance is often defined as the series of activities undertaken to take care of the building structure and services to ensure the intended functions and optimal performance of a building life cycle. The management department of a building is usually responsible for the enhancement of the indoor environment quality by service delivery and for boosting occupant productivity and satisfaction. Thus, a salient point of this study is to determine the current level of the building’s maintenance management service for indoor environmental quality in Penang bus terminals, along with its occupant satisfaction with regards to the services provided in the building. The assessment of the indoor environmental quality includes the evaluation of thermal comfort, lighting condition, air quality and cleanliness. Apart from that, qualitative and quantitative methodologies were applied during the process of data collection and analysis. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 500 of the targeted population for each bus terminal, including passengers and the staff. In this study, the conclusion was drawn in which the maintenance management service level of the bus terminal was directly proportional to occupant satisfaction. However, the current quality of maintenance management services in the bus terminals are still not up to the level of the occupants’ satisfaction.

  4. [Behavior of immatures Aedes aegypti in the coast State of São Paulo, Brazil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glasser, Carmen Moreno; Arduino, Marylene de Brito; Barbosa, Gerson Laurindo; Ciaravolo, Ricardo Mario de Carvalho; Domingos, Maria de Fátima; Oliveira, Cleide Dantas; Pereira, Marisa; Silva, Marcos; Trevisan, Alexandra Myuki Yoshioka

    2011-01-01

    In a region of high dengue incidence, on the coast of the State of São Paulo, 9 areas were selected to evaluate the behavior of immature Aedes aegypti. The 9 areas were grouped into 4 strata according to soil use and occupation. Larvae and pupas were collected in a sample of approximately 500 buildings in each area. Although tires and canvas presented the highest positive rates for Aedes aegypti, drains and other containers fixed to the buildings were highly predominant among positive containers; 32 to 76% of the positive containers in the 4 study strata. Public areas of apartment buildings and large non-residential premises presented the highest positive rates for Aedes Aegypti, while apartments presented the lowest. Infestation levels were greater in residential areas with predominance of apartment buildings, where 76% of the breeding sites detected were containers fixed to the buildings. This knowledge is an important tool in the control strategy, since it reinforces the need for special attention regarding certain types of buildings and the adjustment of technical norms for pluvial water drains and improvement of building maintenance. Moreover, systematic observations are required to follow-up the occupancy dynamic of different buildings and containers by Aedes aegypti and the incorporation of this knowledge in the control of vectors in the region.

  5. U.S. Department of Energy Commercial Reference Building Models of the National Building Stock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deru, M.; Field, K.; Studer, D.; Benne, K.; Griffith, B.; Torcellini, P.; Liu, B.; Halverson, M.; Winiarski, D.; Rosenberg, M.; Yazdanian, M.; Huang, J.; Crawley, D.

    2011-02-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program has set the aggressive goal of producing marketable net-zero energy buildings by 2025. This goal will require collaboration between the DOE laboratories and the building industry. We developed standard or reference energy models for the most common commercial buildings to serve as starting points for energy efficiency research. These models represent fairly realistic buildings and typical construction practices. Fifteen commercial building types and one multifamily residential building were determined by consensus between DOE, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and represent approximately two-thirds of the commercial building stock.

  6. Relation between the choice of high-rise apartment and dweller prime s life style. Seikatsu style to chokoso jutaku kyoju

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, T [Nara Women' s University, Nara (Japan). Faculty of Home Economics

    1991-11-30

    This study notes the life styles of people who reside in apartment houses, investigates the habitat segregation in the shapes of houses and living stories preferred according to the life styles, and clarifies what common facilities and services are demanded by the residents. Based on two axes of urban life orientation and positiveness toward community activities, three life style groups were extracted, namely, the urban type, community type and negative type groups. The urban type group has the features that many of them are of smali family, have a high ratio of self-engaged or free-time business, and have high incomes. Expanding the front desk reception service seems to give residents more satisfaction than increasing the number of common facilities. The community type group puts more importance on the neighborhood relationship. Medium-rise housing appears to be more suitable for them. Two or more of common facilities and common spaces are required to meet residents {prime} demand for community activities and interchanges with neighbors. The negative type group neither uses the common facilities and services very often nor demands much about them. 9 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs.

  7. Effect of the Building Act 2011 on compliance costs in Western Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Bazen

    2014-06-01

     This research compared the cost of approval for 16 building projects under the new and old approvals processes. The research concluded that the new approvals process appears to be cost-neutral for the building industry as a whole. However, the cost of approval for the 11 building projects studied valued up to $1 million, particularly alterations to existing buildings, is an average of 4.0 times greater under the new approvals process.

  8. Smart renovation of Matrix building : the value of comfort and energy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khademagha, P.

    2014-01-01

    Currently, TU/e campus is going through a reconstruction phase, in the process towards a more sustainable and compact campus. To keep up with the improvement pace governing the area, old buildings with poor functionality are to be upgraded. The Matrix building, located in the south part of the

  9. Development of energy-efficient comfortable ventilation systems with air quality guided volume flow control and continuous monitoring of the window opening status. Part 1. Use of the LuQaS triple sensor for air quality guided volume flow control of mechanical ventilation systems in domestic buildings. Research project; Entwicklung energieeffizienter Komfortlueftungsanlagen mit luftqualitaetsgefuehrter Volumenstromregelung und kontinuierlicher Erfassung des Fensteroeffnungszustandes. Teilbericht 1. Einsatz des LuQaS-Triple-Sensors zur luftqualitaetsgefuehrten Volumenstromregelung von mechanischen Lueftungsanlagen in Wohngebaeuden. Forschungsprojekt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grossklos, Marc; Ebel, Witta; Knissel, Jens

    2011-05-15

    The report presents the preparatory work on the research project of the above title. The first chapter presents a status report on air quality monitoring inside rooms and evaluates the projects so far in which the LuQaS air quality sensor was used. The second chapter is a documentation of preliminary measurements using the LuQaS sensor in two passive residential buildings and several individual measurements for sensor calibration. It was found that in apartments with mechanical ventilation, the sensor reflects the user activities; further, the measured values indicate signal changes also in the off-air of the building, so that control via central sensors in the ventilation and off-air systems appears feasible. The third chapter discusses control strategies for air quality control. Apart from a discussion of control unit types, operating regimes, methods to determine rated values, and additional control functions, the effects of threshold value control with different threshold limit values and volume flow changes on the air quality of a model building was simulated. The results prove the expectation that the air quality inside a building will be influenced positively by air quality control. Theoretical investigations of the DrD method will be presented in another part-report of the project.

  10. Perceptions of building professionals on sustainable development: A comparative study between Hong Kong and Shenyang

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, S.M.; Zhao, C.M.; Cheng, W.Y. [Department of Building and Construction, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

    2006-07-01

    It is logical to believe that the building professionals (architect, structural engineers, building services engineers, etc.) are the relevant persons that may influence the decision-making process on a real estate development process. Accordingly, the attitudes and perception of building professionals should have a significant influence on sustainable development. This article describes a survey concerning the perceptions of different building professionals, which include architects, construction engineers and building services engineers, on the environment, resource sustainability, and green consumerism in two major cities in China: Hong Kong and Shenyang. It is recognized that energy is central to sustainable development and in 2006/2007, the United Nation Commission on Sustainable Development will focus on energy issue. The discussion in this article will concentrate on the building professionals' perception on energy related issues. Nevertheless, the findings in respect of their awareness of the environment, resources sustainability and other related issues are also summarized. At global level, apart from the need to preserve historical buildings, the professionals in Shenyang feel that 'exhaustion of natural resources' is of major concern and energy preservation is significant. However, the Hong Kong professionals do not consider energy resource sustainability is of urgency. (author)

  11. Energy Consumption Forecasting for University Sector Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khuram Pervez Amber

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Reliable energy forecasting helps managers to prepare future budgets for their buildings. Therefore, a simple, easier, less time consuming and reliable forecasting model which could be used for different types of buildings is desired. In this paper, we have presented a forecasting model based on five years of real data sets for one dependent variable (the daily electricity consumption and six explanatory variables (ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed, weekday index and building type. A single mathematical equation for forecasting daily electricity usage of university buildings has been developed using the Multiple Regression (MR technique. Data of two such buildings, located at the Southwark Campus of London South Bank University in London, have been used for this study. The predicted test results of MR model are examined and judged against real electricity consumption data of both buildings for year 2011. The results demonstrate that out of six explanatory variables, three variables; surrounding temperature, weekday index and building type have significant influence on buildings energy consumption. The results of this model are associated with a Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE of 12% for the administrative building and 13% for the academic building. Finally, some limitations of this study have also been discussed.

  12. Nonperturbative type IIB model building in the F-theory framework

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jurke, Benjamin Helmut Friedrich

    2011-02-28

    This dissertation is concerned with the topic of non-perturbative string theory, which is generally considered to be the most promising approach to a consistent description of quantum gravity. The five known 10-dimensional perturbative string theories are all interconnected by numerous dualities, such that an underlying non-perturbative 11-dimensional theory, called M-theory, is postulated. Due to several technical obstacles, little is known about the fundamental objects in this theory. There exists an alternative non-perturbative description to type IIB string theory, namely F-theory. Here the SL(2;Z) self-duality of IIB theory is geometrized in the form of an elliptic fibration over the space-time. Moreover, higher-dimensional objects like 7-branes are included via singularities into the geometric picture. This formally elegant description, however, requires significant technical effort for the construction of suitable compactification geometries, as many different aspects necessarily have to be dealt with at the same time. On the other hand, the generation of essential GUT building blocks like certain Yukawa couplings or spinor representations is easier compared to perturbative string theory. The goal of this study is therefore to formulate a unified theory within the framework of F-theory, that satisfies basic phenomenological constraints. Within this thesis, at first E3-brane instantons in type IIB string theory - 4-dimensional objects that are entirely wrapped around the invisible dimensions of space-time - are matched with M5-branes in F-theory. Such objects are of great importance in the generation of critical Yukawa couplings or the stabilization of the free parameters of a theory. Certain properties of M5-branes then allow to derive a new criterion for E3-branes to contribute to the superpotential. In the aftermath of this analysis, several compactification geometries are constructed and checked for basic properties that are relevant for semi

  13. Nonperturbative type IIB model building in the F-theory framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurke, Benjamin Helmut Friedrich

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation is concerned with the topic of non-perturbative string theory, which is generally considered to be the most promising approach to a consistent description of quantum gravity. The five known 10-dimensional perturbative string theories are all interconnected by numerous dualities, such that an underlying non-perturbative 11-dimensional theory, called M-theory, is postulated. Due to several technical obstacles, little is known about the fundamental objects in this theory. There exists an alternative non-perturbative description to type IIB string theory, namely F-theory. Here the SL(2;Z) self-duality of IIB theory is geometrized in the form of an elliptic fibration over the space-time. Moreover, higher-dimensional objects like 7-branes are included via singularities into the geometric picture. This formally elegant description, however, requires significant technical effort for the construction of suitable compactification geometries, as many different aspects necessarily have to be dealt with at the same time. On the other hand, the generation of essential GUT building blocks like certain Yukawa couplings or spinor representations is easier compared to perturbative string theory. The goal of this study is therefore to formulate a unified theory within the framework of F-theory, that satisfies basic phenomenological constraints. Within this thesis, at first E3-brane instantons in type IIB string theory - 4-dimensional objects that are entirely wrapped around the invisible dimensions of space-time - are matched with M5-branes in F-theory. Such objects are of great importance in the generation of critical Yukawa couplings or the stabilization of the free parameters of a theory. Certain properties of M5-branes then allow to derive a new criterion for E3-branes to contribute to the superpotential. In the aftermath of this analysis, several compactification geometries are constructed and checked for basic properties that are relevant for semi

  14. Airborne Particulate Matter in Two Multi-Family Green Buildings: Concentrations and Effect of Ventilation and Occupant Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Allison P; Calderon, Leonardo; Xiong, Youyou; Wang, Zuocheng; Senick, Jennifer; Sorensen Allacci, MaryAnn; Plotnik, Deborah; Wener, Richard; Andrews, Clinton J; Krogmann, Uta; Mainelis, Gediminas

    2016-01-20

    There are limited data on air quality parameters, including airborne particulate matter (PM) in residential green buildings, which are increasing in prevalence. Exposure to PM is associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and since Americans spend almost 90% of their time indoors, residential exposures may substantially contribute to overall airborne PM exposure. Our objectives were to: (1) measure various PM fractions longitudinally in apartments in multi-family green buildings with natural (Building E) and mechanical (Building L) ventilation; (2) compare indoor and outdoor PM mass concentrations and their ratios (I/O) in these buildings, taking into account the effects of occupant behavior; and (3) evaluate the effect of green building designs and operations on indoor PM. We evaluated effects of ventilation, occupant behaviors, and overall building design on PM mass concentrations and I/O. Median PMTOTAL was higher in Building E (56 µg/m³) than in Building L (37 µg/m³); I/O was higher in Building E (1.3-2.0) than in Building L (0.5-0.8) for all particle size fractions. Our data show that the building design and occupant behaviors that either produce or dilute indoor PM (e.g., ventilation systems, combustion sources, and window operation) are important factors affecting residents' exposure to PM in residential green buildings.

  15. Building flexible, distributed collaboration tools using type-based publish/subscribe - The Distributed Knight case

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Klaus Marius; Damm, Christian Heide

    2004-01-01

    Distributed collaboration is becoming increasingly impor tant also in software development. Combined with an in creasing interest in experimental and agile approaches to software development, this poses challenges to tool sup port for software development. Specifically, tool support is needed...... for flexible, distributed collaboration. We intro duce the Distributed Knight tool that provides flexible and lightweight support for distributed collaboration in object oriented modelling. The Distributed Knight implementa tion builds crucially on the type-based publish/subscribe distributed communication...... paradigm, which provides an effective and natural abstraction for developing distributed collaboration tools....

  16. Review of low-energy construction, air tightness, ventilation strategies and indoor radon: results from Finnish houses and apartments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arvela, H.; Holmgren, O.; Reisbacka, H.; Vinha, J.

    2014-01-01

    Low-energy and passive house construction practices are characterised by increased insulation, high air tightness of the building shell and controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. As a result of the interaction of mechanical ventilation and high air tightness, the pressure difference in a building can be markedly enhanced. This may lead to elevated indoor radon levels. Minor leakages in the foundation can affect the radon concentration, even in the case where such leaks do not markedly reduce the total air tightness. The potential for high pressures to affect indoor radon concentrations markedly increases when the air tightness ACH 50 , i.e. the air change per hour induced by a pressure difference of 50 Pa, is -1 . Pressure differences in Finnish low-rise residential houses having mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation with heat recovery (MSEV) are typically 2-3 Pa, clearly lower than the values of 5-9 Pa in houses with only mechanical exhaust ventilation (MEV). In MSEV houses, radon concentrations are typically 30 % lower than in MEV houses. In new MSEV houses with an ACH50 of 0.6 h -1 , the limit for passive construction, the analytical estimates predict an increase of 100 % in the radon concentration compared with older houses with an ACH50 of 4.0 h -1 . This poses a challenge for efficient radon prevention in new construction. Radon concentrations are typically 30 % lower in houses with two storeys compared with only one storey. The introduction of an MSEV ventilation strategy in typically very airtight apartments has markedly reduced pressure differences and radon concentrations. (authors)

  17. CAISSON TYPE HOLLOW FLOOR SLABS OF MONOLITHIC MULTI-STOREYED BUILDINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malakhova Anna Nikolaevna

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available One of the disadvantages of building structures made of reinforced concrete is their considerable weight. One of the trends to decrease the weight of concrete structures, including floor slabs, is the arrangement of voids in the cross-sectional building structures. In Russian and foreign practice paper, cardboard and plastic tubes has been used for creation of voids in the construction of monolithic floor slabs. Lightweight concretes were also used for production of precast hollow core floor slabs. The article provides constructive solutions of precast hollow core floor slabs and solid monolithic slabs that were used in the construction of buildings before wide use of large precast hollow core floor slabs. The article considers the application of caisson hollow core floor slabs for modern monolithic multi-storeyed buildings. The design solutions of such floor slabs, experimental investigations and computer modeling of their operation under load were described in this article. The comparative analysis of the calculation results of computer models of a hollow slabs formed of rod or plastic elements showed the similarity of calculation results.

  18. Record on renewal of exhaust ducts 2F and 3F of Research Building No.4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adachi, Takeo; Itoh, Mitsuo; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi

    1998-12-01

    Exhaust ducts 2F and 3F of Research Building No.4 was renewed by replacing old steel ducts lining with vinyl chloride to hard type vinyl chloride ducts. Following the preparation works from July 1997, the construction was started at the beginning of December 1997 and finished at the end of April 1998. Before the construction, a working group consisting of the facility manager, the manager for radiation protection and the representative users of the facility was organized in order to discuss various things concerning the construction such as plans, specifications and so on. All of the management works during construction was done by the working group. In this paper, the renewal of exhaust ducts inside the radiation controlled area (Research Building No.4) is described. (author)

  19. Effectiveness of duct sealing and duct insulation in multi-family buildings. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karins, N.H.; Tuluca, A.; Modera, M.

    1997-07-01

    This research investigated the cost-effectiveness of sealing and insulating the accessible portions of duct systems exposed to unconditioned areas in multifamily housing. Airflow and temperature measurements were performed in 25 apartments served by 10 systems a 9 multi-family properties. The measurements were performed before and after each retrofit, and included apartment airflow (supply and return), duct system temperatures, system fan flow and duct leakage area. The costs for each retrofit were recorded. The data were analyzed and used to develop a prototypical multifamily house. This prototype was used in energy simulations (DOE-2.1E) and air infiltration simulations (COMIS 2.1). The simulations were performed for two climates: New York City and Albany. In each climate, one simulation was performed assuming the basement was tight, and another assuming the basement was leaky. Simulation results and average retrofit costs were used to calculate cost-effectiveness. The results of the analysis indicate that sealing leaks of the accessible ductwork is cost-effective under all conditions simulated (simple payback was between 3 and 4 years). Insulating the accessible ductwork, however, is only cost-effective for buildings with leaky basement, in both climates (simple paybacks were less than 5 years). The simple payback period for insulating the ducts in buildings with tight basements was greater than 10 years, the threshold of cost-effectiveness for this research. 13 refs., 5 figs., 27 tabs.

  20. Case Study: Wenduine, Belgium : Vulnerability of buildings on a coastal dike

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, X.; Kothuis, Baukje; Kok, Matthijs

    2017-01-01

    On coastal dikes in Belgium, many residential buildings are found. Most of the old buildings are masonry structures with two to three floors (Figure 1). The ground floors are always elevated (Figure 2), and the entrances of the basements are closed by shutters

  1. Building materials. Stichwort Baustoff

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rohwer, W

    1981-01-01

    To handle building materials properly, one must know about their characteristics. This pocket book will be of help: structured like a glossary, it gives brief descriptions of the most common building materials. It is small and handy enough to be a constant companion to resident engineers, foremen, gangers, building tradesmen, and construction workers and an aid in their training. The following groups of building materials are discussed: Natural stone; units for brick walls, floors, and roofs; mortar and concrete (definitions, binders, aggregates, additives, admixtures, mixing water); special types of plaster and rendering; light-weight building boards and wood wool basis; multilayer light-weight building boards; gypsum plasterboards; chimney construction; sewers; thermal insulation and sound section; structural steels; plastics.

  2. The impact of clerestory lights on energy efficiency of buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đenadić Dalibor M.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The buildings are among major energy consumers, whose energy efficiency is rather low. Clerestory windows are responsible for a large portion of energy losses from the buildings. The energy efficiency of buildings can greatly be improved by upgrading clerestory and other windows. This paper focuses on the theoretical and experimental investigations on how this can be performed in an old school building in the town of Bor in eastern part of Serbia. For that purpose a modern measuring technique has been applied to identify the existing status, and to compare theoretical and actual conditions.

  3. Compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Wei; Garmston, Helen

    2012-01-01

    Despite increasingly stringent building energy regulations worldwide, non-compliance exists in practice. This paper examines the profile of compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings. In total 404 new-build dwellings completed in the UK from 2006 to 2009 were investigated. Only a third of these dwellings were evidenced as being compliant with Building Regulations Part L (England and Wales). Such low compliance casts a serious concern over the achievability of the UK Government's target for all new-build homes to be ‘zero carbon’ from 2016. Clearly evidenced was a lack of knowledge of Part L and its compliance requirements among the supply and building control sides of new-build dwellings. The results also indicate that the compliance profile was influenced by factors including Standard Assessment Procedure (UK Government's methodology for energy efficiency) calculation submissions, learning and experience of builders and building controls with Part L, use of Part L1A checklist, the introduction of energy performance certificate (EPC), build method, dwelling type, and project size. Better compliance was associated with flats over houses and timber frame over masonry. The use of EPC and Part L1A checklist should be encouraged. Key to addressing the lack of compliance with building energy regulations is training. -- Highlights: ► There exists a lack of compliance, worldwide, with building energy regulations. ► The implementation of England and Wales building energy regulations is problematic. ► Training, learning and experience of builders and building control are critical. ► Energy performance certificate and Part L 2006 checklist helped achieve compliance. ► Flats achieved better compliance over houses; and timber frame over masonry.

  4. The Association Between Apartment Layout and Depressive Symptomology among Hispanic/Latino Residents in Low-Income Housing: the AHOME Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chambers, Earle C; Bafna, Sonit; Machry, Herminia

    2018-02-01

    In this study of low-income Hispanic/Latino adults living in 291 individual apartments in the Bronx, New York, the apartment layout was significantly associated with the odds of depressive symptomology. Women living in apartments in which the most central rooms were the living, dining, or kitchen (i.e., rooms commonly used for communal activities) were less likely to have depressive symptomology (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.22-0.86) than women in apartments where the central rooms were lobbies or corridors, adjusting for demographics, health conditions, and housing and neighborhood characteristics. No statistically significant association was observed in men. We present the logic underlying the use of layout variables in this study and discuss the implications it may have for understanding the role of the home environment on psychological distress among inhabitants. The results of this study show how space syntax analysis can be used to better understanding disparities in the risk of depression and offer an additional opportunity for public health stakeholders to identify those most at risk for depression.

  5. Performance of Buildings in the 2009 Western Sumatra Earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deierlein, G.; Hart, T.; Alexander, N.; Hausler, E.; Henderson, S.; Wood, K.; Cedillos, V.; Wijanto, S.; Cabrera, C.; Rudianto, S.

    2009-12-01

    The M7.6 earthquake of 30 September 2009 in Western Sumatra, Indonesia caused significant damage and collapse to hundreds of buildings and the deaths of 1,117 people. In Padang City, with a population of about 900,000 people, building collapse was the primary cause of deaths and serious injuries (313 deaths and 431 serious injuries). The predominant building construction types in Padang are concrete moment frames with brick infill and masonry bearing wall systems. Concrete frames are common in multistory commercial retail buildings, offices, schools, and hotels; and masonry bearing wall systems are primarily used in low-rise (usually single story) residential and school buildings. In general, buildings that collapsed did not conform to modern seismic engineering practices that are required by the current Indonesian building code and would be expected in regions of moderate to high seismicity. While collapse of multi-story concrete buildings was more prevalent in older buildings (more than 10 years old), there were several newer buildings that collapsed. Primary deficiencies identified in collapsed or severely damaged buildings included: (a) soft or weak stories that failed in either by sidesway mechanisms or shear failures followed by loss of axial capacity of columns, (b) lack of ductile reinforcing bar detailing in concrete beams, columns, and beam-column joints, (c) poor quality concrete and mortar materials and workmanship, (d) vulnerable building configurations and designs with incomplete or deficient load paths, and (e) out-of-plane wall failures in unreinforced (or marginally reinforced) masonry. While these deficiencies may be expected in older buildings, damage and collapse to some modern (or recently rennovated buildings) indicates a lack of enforcement of building code provisions for design and construction quality assurance. Many new buildings whose structural systems were undamaged were closed due to extensive earthquake damage to brick infill walls

  6. Irregular Shaped Building Design Optimization with Building Information Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Xia Sheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This research is to recognise the function of Building Information Modelling (BIM in design optimization for irregular shaped buildings. The study focuses on a conceptual irregular shaped “twisted” building design similar to some existing sculpture-like architectures. Form and function are the two most important aspects of new buildings, which are becoming more sophisticated as parts of equally sophisticated “systems” that we are living in. Nowadays, it is common to have irregular shaped or sculpture-like buildings which are very different when compared to regular buildings. Construction industry stakeholders are facing stiff challenges in many aspects such as buildability, cost effectiveness, delivery time and facility management when dealing with irregular shaped building projects. Building Information Modelling (BIM is being utilized to enable architects, engineers and constructors to gain improved visualization for irregular shaped buildings; this has a purpose of identifying critical issues before initiating physical construction work. In this study, three variations of design options differing in rotating angle: 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees are created to conduct quantifiable comparisons. Discussions are focused on three major aspects including structural planning, usable building space, and structural constructability. This research concludes that Building Information Modelling is instrumental in facilitating design optimization for irregular shaped building. In the process of comparing different design variations, instead of just giving “yes or no” type of response, stakeholders can now easily visualize, evaluate and decide to achieve the right balance based on their own criteria. Therefore, construction project stakeholders are empowered with superior evaluation and decision making capability.

  7. Alternative methods for evaluation of airtightness of the building envelope; Alternativa metoder foer utvaerdering av byggnadsskalets lufttaethet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikander, Eva; Wahlgren, Paula

    2008-07-01

    Airtightness plays an important role when constructing energy efficient, sustainable and healthy buildings. In order to obtain airtight buildings, the airtightness needs to be evaluated during the construction phase. This enables improvements of the airtightness in an easy and cost-efficient way. During the construction phase, it is difficult to quantify the airtightness. However, detecting and sealing air leakages are good measures to improve the airtightness of the building. Several methods to detect air leakages are presented. A methodology to search for air leakages in buildings during construction has been developed, together with contractors and experts, and the methodology has been used at two building sites. The quantifiable airtightness of a building is determined by measuring the airflow that enters or exits the building at a certain pressure difference over the building envelope. In some cases it is not possible to measure air tightness according to standard. Therefore, a number of alternative methods have been evaluated. These methods include: extrapolation of measured data to a range used in standard measurements, using a buildings ventilation system fans to create a pressure difference over the building envelope, measuring the airtightness of a smaller part of the building (apartment, fire compartment or component) and tracer gas measurements

  8. Seismic response analyses of turbine hall and electrical building of RBMK-1000 MW type NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordanov, M.J.; Karparov, K.T.

    2003-01-01

    This paper addresses results obtained during the study of turbine hall and electrical building of RBMK-1000 MW pair units at Leningradskaya NPP (LNPP) for seismic event. The study was performed in the frame of the Coordinated Research Program of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) on Safety of RBMK type Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) in Relation of External Events. A 3-D finite element model of Main Building Complex was developed and seismic response analyses were performed taking into account the soil-structure interaction (SSI). The standard mode superposition method was used for evaluation of dynamic response of structure in time domain. The structure was assumed surface founded at the basemat level. Seismic response analyses were carried out considering shear wave propagation pattern for the input motion. The in-structure time histories and response spectra were generated in referenced locations. Conclusions are drawn for the reliability of the structural response evaluation considering the soil-structure interaction effects. (author)

  9. Thermo Active Building Systems – Using Building Mass To Heat and Cool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2014-01-01

    , Austria, Netherlands, etc.), this type of system has been installed in a significant number of new office buildings since the late 1990s. The trend is spreading to other parts of the world (the rest of Europe, North America and Asia). Thermo active building systems (TABS) are primarily used for cooling...

  10. Commercial Buildings Characteristics, 1992

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-04-29

    Commercial Buildings Characteristics 1992 presents statistics about the number, type, and size of commercial buildings in the United States as well as their energy-related characteristics. These data are collected in the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), a national survey of buildings in the commercial sector. The 1992 CBECS is the fifth in a series conducted since 1979 by the Energy Information Administration. Approximately 6,600 commercial buildings were surveyed, representing the characteristics and energy consumption of 4.8 million commercial buildings and 67.9 billion square feet of commercial floorspace nationwide. Overall, the amount of commercial floorspace in the United States increased an average of 2.4 percent annually between 1989 and 1992, while the number of commercial buildings increased an average of 2.0 percent annually.

  11. Building thermography as a tool in energy audits and building commissioning procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauppinen, Timo

    2007-04-01

    A Building Commissioning-project (ToVa) was launched in Finland in the year 2003. A comprehensive commissioning procedure, including the building process and operation stage was developed in the project. This procedure will confirm the precise documentation of client's goals, definition of planning goals and the performance of the building. It is rather usual, that within 1-2 years after introduction the users complain about the defects or performance malfunctions of the building. Thermography is one important manual tool in verifying the thermal performance of the building envelope. In this paper the results of one pilot building (a school) will be presented. In surveying the condition and energy efficiency of buildings, various auxiliary means are needed. We can compare the consumption data of the target building with other, same type of buildings by benchmarking. Energy audit helps to localize and determine the energy saving potential. The most general and also most effective auxiliary means in monitoring the thermal performance of building envelopes is an infrared camera. In this presentation some examples of the use of thermography in energy audits are presented.

  12. Rational designing of the internal water supply system in reconstructed residential buildings of mass standard series

    OpenAIRE

    Orlov Evgeny

    2018-01-01

    The issues of water supply system reconstruction in mass series buildings are reviewed with consideration of water- and resource saving. Principal points for location of plumbing cells in apartments, arrangement of water devices and wastewater receivers, selection of pipelines for reconstructed water line are described. Comparative analysis of design variants of inner water line before and following reconstruction are given. It was found that applying the developed system design approaches th...

  13. Zero Energy Building

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marszal, Anna Joanna; Heiselberg, Per; Bourrelle, J.S.

    2011-01-01

    The concept of Zero Energy Building (ZEB) has gained wide international attention during last few years and is now seen as the future target for the design of buildings. However, before being fully implemented in the national building codes and international standards, the ZEB concept requires......, (4) the type of energy balance, (5) the accepted renewable energy supply options, (6) the connection to the energy infrastructure and (7) the requirements for the energy efficiency, the indoor climate and in case of gird connected ZEB for the building–grid interaction. This paper focuses...

  14. Plano de negócio: apartHotel Ílhavo

    OpenAIRE

    Alpoim, Ivan D`Avila

    2013-01-01

    Mestrado em Gestão/ Classificação: L83 – Tourism; M10 - General O Plano de Negócios “ApartHotel Ílhavo” analisado nesta tese consiste na segunda fase de construção do “Hotel de Ílhavo”, com recurso a fundos do QREN disponibilizados pelo Turismo de Portugal. O projeto implica a construção de um aparthotel com 20 apartamentos turísticos nas instalações do hotel, procurando obter elevadas taxas de ocupação fora da época estival e ainda durante a semana, pelo que se pretende atingir um clie...

  15. Vulnerability of housing buildings in Bucharest, Romania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bostenaru, M.

    2009-04-01

    The author participates to the World Housing Encyclopedia project (www.world-housing.net), an internet based database of housing buildings in earthquake prone areas of the world. This is a voluntary project run by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, California and the International Association of Earthquake Engineering, financial means being available only for the website where the information is shared. For broader dissemination in 2004 a summary publication of the reports to date was published. The database can be querried for various parameters and browsed after geographic distribution. Participation is open to any housing experts. Between 2003 and 2006 the author was also member of the editorial board. The author contributed numerous reports about building types in Romania, and each one about building types in Germany and Switzerland. This presentation will be about the contributed reports on building types in Romania. To the Encyclopedia eight reports on building types from Bucharest were contributed, while in further research of the author one more was similarly described regarding the vulnerability and the seismic retrofit. The selection of these types was done considering the historic development of the built substance in Bucharest from 1850 on, time from which a representative amount of housing buildings which can be classified in typologies can be found in Bucharest. While the structural types are not necessarily characteristic for the style, since the style has other time limits, often appearing before the type became common and then remaining being practiced also after another style gained ground, a historic succession can be seen also in this case. The nine types considered can be grouped in seven time categories: - the time 1850-1880, for a vernacular housing type with masonry load bearing walls and timber floors, - the time 1880-1920, for the type of two storey or multi-storey house with masonry walls and timber floors (in which

  16. Durability study on material of wooden panel elements used for the old living hut built in 1969 at Syowa Station, Antarctica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toshimasa Konishi

    2002-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the durability of the old living hut built in 1969 at Syowa Station, Japan's permanent Antarctic observation facility, especially of its wooden panels. The hut, of high floor type wooden panel construction, was built in January 1969. To determine the durability, part of the hut, which was brought back to Japan after 30 years, was rebuilt, then taken apart again under controlled test conditions. Tests included visual observation, testing of the wooden material, and testing of the performance of the thermal insulation material. The results showed that the material in the roof panels deteriorated considerably more than that in the walls and floors. In the severe polar conditions, the strength of the overall structure depends heavily on the joints between panels. It is clear that material on the indoor sides, and in the interiors of the panels, hardly deteriorated at all after 30 years.

  17. Knowledge inventory for resource efficiency measures in existing buildings; Kunskapsinventering avseende resurseffektiviserande aatgaerder inom befintlig bebyggelse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jarnehammar, Anna; Kildsgaard, Ivana; Prejer, Erik

    2011-07-01

    The report summarizes the state of knowledge for various renovation measures of apartment buildings built between 1941-1980. The renovation potential is estimated to give half the energy use for heating and hot water. This efficiency improvement is considered possible, but not likely. There are many case studies of individual projects with theoretical calculations of renovation potential for different measures. There are relatively many general studies of the housing stock in general where the potential for various measures have been calculated for the whole of Sweden, but few studies of actual projects completed. Binding minimum requirements related to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) for buildings for renovation has been introduced in several other countries in the EU which is also found to contribute to more energy-efficient measures introduced in major renovation projects. The key measures that we have found is the introduction of FTX system, renovation of the building envelope as well as individual metering and billing of heating and hot water.

  18. Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenoma in an 11-year-old boy with type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazerkina, Nadia; Trunin, Yuri; Gorelyshev, Sergey; Golanov, Andrey; Kadashev, Boris; Shishkina, Liudmila; Rotin, Daniil; Karmanov, Maxim; Orlova, Elizabet

    2016-02-01

    Thyrotropinomas (TSHomas) are rare pituitary adenomas, particularly in childhood. We present here the case of an 11-year-old boy with type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS1) and TSHoma which was diagnosed by elevated thyroid - stimulating hormone and thyroid hormones levels without evident clinical signs of hyperthyroidism. He was underwent partial resection of the tumor via transsphenoidal approach and subsequently radiation therapy. Consequently, 1 year after radiotherapy, the patient developed growth hormone deficiency, three and half years after radiation became euthyroid, and five and half years after treatment - hypothyroid. This is the first case of the coexistence of these two rare endocrine diseases in one patient.

  19. Typology of building shading elements on Jalan Sudirman corridor in Pekanbaru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faisal, G.; Aldy, P.

    2016-04-01

    In 2013, temperature in Pekanbaru was between 22.60°C and 34.6°C with humidity 79.14 percent. This condition has increase the concern of energy utilization to building comfort. Buildings have the biggest energy consuming due to the use of air conditioner in Pekanbaru. One effort to reduced energy is shading devices application. Application of air conditioner need huge energy, replaced natural circulation with architecture elements to reduced building thermal. This research study about system and building shading devices types that influence building thermal in Pekanbaru so that knowing characteristics and elements form. This study aims to determine and identify of systems and building elements types in Pekanbaru, which the element forms to conquer in climate condition. Qualitative method with rationalistic-paradigm has used to identify typology of building shading devices on Jalan Sudirman corridor. The research orientation on typology theory, thermal theory, and building shading device to identification of building shading device types on Jalan Sudirman corridor. Based on the survey result, there are 2 type of building shading devices on Jalan Sudirman Pekanbaru which is based on forms and quantity of shading. The types are building shading devices based on shading quantity and building shading devices based on shading forms.

  20. Airborne Particulate Matter in Two Multi-Family Green Buildings: Concentrations and Effect of Ventilation and Occupant Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allison P. Patton

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available There are limited data on air quality parameters, including airborne particulate matter (PM in residential green buildings, which are increasing in prevalence. Exposure to PM is associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and since Americans spend almost 90% of their time indoors, residential exposures may substantially contribute to overall airborne PM exposure. Our objectives were to: (1 measure various PM fractions longitudinally in apartments in multi-family green buildings with natural (Building E and mechanical (Building L ventilation; (2 compare indoor and outdoor PM mass concentrations and their ratios (I/O in these buildings, taking into account the effects of occupant behavior; and (3 evaluate the effect of green building designs and operations on indoor PM. We evaluated effects of ventilation, occupant behaviors, and overall building design on PM mass concentrations and I/O. Median PMTOTAL was higher in Building E (56 µg/m3 than in Building L (37 µg/m3; I/O was higher in Building E (1.3–2.0 than in Building L (0.5–0.8 for all particle size fractions. Our data show that the building design and occupant behaviors that either produce or dilute indoor PM (e.g., ventilation systems, combustion sources, and window operation are important factors affecting residents’ exposure to PM in residential green buildings.

  1. Development of building envelope structures; Udvikling af klimaskaermskonstruktioner

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monefeldt Tommerup, H. [Danmarks Tekniske Univ., Lyngby (Denmark); Munch-Andersen, J. [Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut, Hoersholm (Denmark); Kjaer Esbensen, P. [Danmarks Tekniske Univ., Lyngby (Denmark)

    2000-08-01

    The present report concludes the work concerning the development of building envelope constructions, which can form the basis of new buildings with considerably less heat demand than in the present building regulations. It has been made probable that it is technically possible to build exterior walls with less heat loss than those just complying with the requirements of the current building regulations with no considerable added use of material apart from insulation. In their structure many of the shown constructions resemble types that are used today, while others presuppose that one part of the wall is attached to the other part or possibly to the rafters. Calculations concerning the importance of heat capacity for a 100 m{sup 2} single-family house have been made which confirm that by using heavy rather than light envelope constructions the reduction of the heating requirements is relatively small. Therefore optimisation of the insulation level can be carried out separately on the building components. A method has been developed for the evaluation of the optimum insulation level for the individual building components of the building envelope based on life cycle cost analysis. The method is based on making up the changes in the operational energy costs/ heating-costs and the cost of construction due to a change in the insulation thickness over a 30-year period. The life span of the primary parts of the building envelope is estimated at 100 years. It is assumed that the gross energy consumption that covers the heating requirements and the heat loss (determined by a simple calculation of degree days) changes concurrently with the change in the insulation thickness, which has been proved to be a reasonable approximation. The life cycle cost analysis has been carried out for a test-house of about 100 m{sup 2} and with two different energy price scenarios: 0.60 dkk/kWh (including taxes and VAT) which roughly corresponds to the present energy price level, and 1.20 dkk

  2. Citrullinemia type I and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in a 1-month old male infant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoona Rhee

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Citrullinemia type I (CTLN1 is an inherited urea cycle disorder, now included in most newborn screening panels in the US and Europe. Due to argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency, CTLN1 can lead to recurrent hyperammonemic crisis that may result in permanent neurologic sequelae. Vomiting in patients with urea cycle disorders may either be the result or cause of acute hyperammonemia, particularly if due to an illness that leads to catabolism. Therefore, age-appropriate common etiologies of vomiting must be considered when evaluat- ing these patients. We present a 1-month old male infant with CTLN1 who had a 1-week history of vomiting and was discovered to have hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. This is the first documented case of an infant with CTLN1 who was later diagnosed with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, and only the second case of concomitant disease.

  3. Developing Verification Systems for Building Information Models of Heritage Buildings with Heterogeneous Datasets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, L.; Fai, S.

    2017-08-01

    The digitization and abstraction of existing buildings into building information models requires the translation of heterogeneous datasets that may include CAD, technical reports, historic texts, archival drawings, terrestrial laser scanning, and photogrammetry into model elements. In this paper, we discuss a project undertaken by the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) that explored the synthesis of heterogeneous datasets for the development of a building information model (BIM) for one of Canada's most significant heritage assets - the Centre Block of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site. The scope of the project included the development of an as-found model of the century-old, six-story building in anticipation of specific model uses for an extensive rehabilitation program. The as-found Centre Block model was developed in Revit using primarily point cloud data from terrestrial laser scanning. The data was captured by CIMS in partnership with Heritage Conservation Services (HCS), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), using a Leica C10 and P40 (exterior and large interior spaces) and a Faro Focus (small to mid-sized interior spaces). Secondary sources such as archival drawings, photographs, and technical reports were referenced in cases where point cloud data was not available. As a result of working with heterogeneous data sets, a verification system was introduced in order to communicate to model users/viewers the source of information for each building element within the model.

  4. The effect of building regulations and energy conservation measures in domestic sector on national energy consumption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samo, S.R.; Akhund, M.A.; Brohi, K.M.

    2004-01-01

    In England, housing accounts for some 30% of total fuel consumption and a similar proportion of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) emission. A study has been conducted to analyse the effect of the legislations and UK thermal building regulations on national energy consumption in housing. This research paper presents data on the percentage of dwelling stock, the energy consumption, energy cost and carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) emission in different types of dwellings, which comply different building regulations from 1965 to 1995. It was found that. 66% of the dwelling stock, which comply the building Regulations before 1965, consumes 73% of total energy used in housing. This dwelling stock is also responsible for 75% of carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) emission. Whereas currently only 4% of the dwelling stock complies the latest building regulations 1995 which consume 2 % of energy and produce a similar percentage of carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) emission in housing. Since the large portion of the dwelling stock is comprised of old dwellings, therefore the greatest potential for energy conservation measures can be found in improving these dwellings instead of constructing new dwellings. (author)

  5. RESRAD-BUILD verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamboj, S.; Yu, C.; Biwer, B. M.; Klett, T.

    2002-01-01

    The results generated by the RESRAD-BUILD code (version 3.0) were verified with hand or spreadsheet calculations using equations given in the RESRAD-BUILD manual for different pathways. For verification purposes, different radionuclides--H-3, C-14, Na-22, Al-26, Cl-36, Mn-54, Co-60, Au-195, Ra-226, Ra-228, Th-228, and U-238--were chosen to test all pathways and models. Tritium, Ra-226, and Th-228 were chosen because of the special tritium and radon models in the RESRAD-BUILD code. Other radionuclides were selected to represent a spectrum of radiation types and energies. Verification of the RESRAD-BUILD code was conducted with an initial check of all the input parameters for correctness against their original source documents. Verification of the calculations was performed external to the RESRAD-BUILD code with Microsoft Excel to verify all the major portions of the code. In some cases, RESRAD-BUILD results were compared with those of external codes, such as MCNP (Monte Carlo N-particle) and RESRAD. The verification was conducted on a step-by-step basis and used different test cases as templates. The following types of calculations were investigated: (1) source injection rate, (2) air concentration in the room, (3) air particulate deposition, (4) radon pathway model, (5) tritium model for volume source, (6) external exposure model, (7) different pathway doses, and (8) time dependence of dose. Some minor errors were identified in version 3.0; these errors have been corrected in later versions of the code. Some possible improvements in the code were also identified

  6. Constructing in the monument. Respecting the Old and mark the New. Cost-reliable planning during building upon existing structures; Bauen im Denkmal. Altes achten und Neues kenntlich machen. Kostensicher planen beim Bauen im Bestand

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider-Sorger, Roswitha [ORCA Software GmbH, Rosenheim (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    The revitalization of historically protected real estate is a passion of the owners - the family Werndl (Rosenheim, Federal Republic of Germany). In the case of the Old spinning mill in the Kolbenmotor near Rosenheim a whole district was arranged new. The highest premise of the planning team Quest Architekten GBR (Rosenheim, Federal Republic of Germany) was to respect and receive the rough charm of the building stock. This also becomes clear considering the two-storey Batteur building of 1862 being a component of the energy centre of the spinning mill. Once cotton was cleaned, now shops and gastronomy are in the ground floor as well as practices and office units in the upper floor.

  7. Six-Month Lower Limb Aerobic Exercise Improves Physical Function in Young-Old, Old-Old, and Oldest-Old Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Chaeyoon; Han, Changwan; Sung, Misun; Lee, Chaewon; Kim, Minji; Ogawa, Yoshiko; Kohzuki, Masahiro

    2017-08-01

    The effect of aerobic exercise on physical function and mental health in various adult age groups (young-old, 65-74; old-old, 75-84; oldest-old, ≥ 85 years) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Kohzuki Exercise Program (KEP) on physical function and mental health in these age groups. The KEP consisted of 40-min supervised sessions 3 times per week for 6 months as follows: 5 min of warm-up, 30 min of lower limb aerobic exercise, and 5 min of cool-down. A total of 50 participants (22 young-old, 20 old-old, and 8 oldest-old) who participated in the KEP completed at least 88% of the sessions. In statistical analysis, 3 (group: oldest-old, old-old, young-old) × 2 (time: baseline and after 6 months) analyses of variance were used to determine if there were significant main and interaction effects. Significant interactions were probed using the post-hoc paired t test. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score showed significant group × time interactions after 6 months (p = 0.031). In the post-hoc test, oldest-old (p health measures showed group × time interactions at 6-month. Our results suggest that a 6-month KEP led to improved physical function in oldest-old, old-old, and young-old adults. The KEP was effective for oldest-old adults in particular. The KEP exhibits good adherence, making it suitable for a wide age range in society.

  8. The Situation with Use of Wood Constructions in Contemporary Latvian Architecture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antra Viluma

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Wood is a historic building material used throughout the Baltic States. Latvia’s forests cover 52% of the country and there are more than 30 producers of timber constructions materials, but during the last two decades the use wood in Latvian architecture has declined when compared to other countries in Europe. In particular – Latvian architects avoid the use of timber in public and multi-unit apartment buildings. Wood is a sustainable and technically appropriate building material for many types of buildings including complex construction, but in Latvian architecture it is used more in facades as a finishing material. This study analyses buildings built during the last few decades, conducted a number of interviews and found that the percentage of wooden buildings in the total building volume in Latvia is less than 5% in both apartment buildings and public sector buildings. Restrictive legislation and negative stereotypes were mentioned as reasons as to why architects avoid the use of wood. For the survey results seven Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art competition projects were analysed as well.

  9. The System Dynamics Model in Electronic Products Closed-Loop Supply Chain Distribution Network with Three-Way Recovery and the Old-for-New Policy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao-qing Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available With the technological developments and rapid changes in demand pattern, diverse varieties of electronic products are entering into the market with reduced lifecycle which leads to the environmental problems. The awareness of electronic products take-back and recovery has been increasing in electronic products supply chains. In this paper, we build a system dynamics model for electronic products closed-loop supply chain distribution network with the old-for-new policy and three electronic products recovery ways, namely, electronic products remanufacturing, electronic component reuse and remanufacturing, and electronic raw material recovery. In the simulation study, we investigate the significance of various factors including the old-for-new policy, collection and remanufacturing, their interactions and the type of their impact on bullwhip, and profitability through sensitivity analysis. Our results instruct that the old-for-new policy and three electronic products recovery ways can reduce the bullwhip effect in the retailers and the distributors and increases the profitability in the closed-loop supply chain distribution network.

  10. [Acute monocular loss of vision : Differential diagnostic considerations apart from the internistic etiological clarification].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rickmann, A; Macek, M A; Szurman, P; Boden, K

    2017-08-03

    We report the case of acute painless monocular loss of vision in a 53-year-old man. An interdisciplinary etiological evaluation remained without pathological findings with respect to arterial branch occlusion. A reevaluation of the patient history led to a possible association with the administration of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5 inhibitor). A critical review of the literature on PDE5 inhibitor administration with ocular participation was performed.

  11. Building materials. Structure and technology, types and properties, application and handlings. 2. rev. ed. Baustoffkunde. Aufbau und Technologie, Arten und Eigenschaften, Anwendung und Verarbeitung der Baustoffe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schaeffler, H

    1980-01-01

    Details are given on the large variety of structural and interior building materials. Reference is made to the relation between the structure and technology of building materials on one hand and the properties and handling of building materials on the other hand. The following subjects are dealt with: Fundamentals (historical development, systematy of building materials, regulations, properties, property warranties); natural stone; lumber and derived lumber products (properties, species of lumber, flaws, supply cuts); ceramic building materials and glass (brick, earthenware, refractory materials); building materials with mineral binders added, concrete and mortar (technology, setting); metals (properties, technology); bituminous building materials (technology, properties); plastics (thermoplasts, elastomers, duroplastics, paints, adhesives, synthetic-resin mortar and synthetic-resin concrete); insulating materials, organic floor coverings, papers and paperboard, paints, adhesives and sealing materials; damage to buildings (types, causes, responsibility, avoidance). (HWJ).

  12. InGaN micro-LED-pillar as the building block for high brightness emitters

    KAUST Repository

    Shen, Chao; Cha, Dong Kyu; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.; Yang, Yang

    2013-01-01

    In summary, we confirmed the improved electrical and optical characteristics, with reduced efficiency droop in InGaN μLED-pillars when these devices were scaled down in size. We demonstrated that strain relief contributed to further improvement in EQE characteristics in small InGaN μLED-pillars (D < 50 μm), apart from the current spreading effect. The μLED-pillar can be deployed as the building block for large effective-area, high brightness emitter. © 2013 IEEE.

  13. Ecological reconstruction of older buildings. Munich, Pariser Str. 10. Oekologische Sanierung. Beispiel: Muenchen, Pariser Str. 10

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalo, R.

    1990-04-01

    In response to an initiative of the Ernst Friedrich Schumacher Gesellschaft fuer politische Oekologie e.V., the Muenchener Gesellschaft fuer Stadterneuerung GmbH (MGS) carried out a model project for an ecological reconstruction of an older building. Apart from the energy conservation effect, practical experience was to be gained on the ecological and energy efficient application of different measures. The project is to serve as a model for future sanitation projects. (orig./KW).

  14. Durability of building materials and components

    CERN Document Server

    Delgado, JMPQ

    2013-01-01

    Durability of Building Materials and Components provides a collection of recent research works to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to the long-term performance and durability of construction and, simultaneously, to show the most recent advances in this domain. It includes a set of new developments in the field of durability, service life prediction methodologies, the durability approach for historical and old buildings, asset and maintenance management and on the durability of materials, systems and components. The book is divided in several chapters that intend to be a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues.

  15. Towards green buildings: Glass as a building element-the use and misuse in the gulf region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aboulnaga, Mohsen M. [College of Design and Applied Arts, Dubai University College, Dubai P.O. Box 14143 (United Arab Emirates)

    2006-04-15

    The recent economic growth in the Gulf region notably in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has led to a colossal number of buildings that has been constructed in the past 5 years. In the last decade, a total glazed building's facades became the icon of Dubai. This large area of glazing in each facade needs protection against overheating and sun glare in summer. According to leader in energy and environmental design (LEED) glass selection becomes a main element in this equation to contribute towards achieving a green building. The aim of this paper is to investigate the problems associated with misuse of glass, as a building element in UAE particularly in Dubai. Inadequate design with ill-selected glass/glazing type may lead not only to poor daylighting in building interiors but also contribute significantly to fatigue, insomnia, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and above all increase CO{sub 2} emission. The purpose of the study is to specify the required improvements to permit natural, 'free' daylight to filter through the building facade into interior space, especially with the right type of glass. This paper examines the status of buildings in Dubai in terms of glass type, visible light transmittance, reflection (out/in) and relative heat gain. A quantitative analysis is conducted to assess the impact of glass on the building users' performance in terms of daylight environment. A recent built high-rise office building was selected in the investigation to asses whether selected glass provide the recommended daylight factor (DF) and daylight level (DL) according to IES standards. The results revealed that most the glass/glazing was misused in 70% of buildings in intermediate and low performance groups. The DF and DD in the selected office building were unexpectedly tremendous and found far beyond the recommended level due to the use of spectrally selective glazing (clear on both sides). [Author].

  16. Energy monitoring and the 'energy passport' for buildings - Preliminary study; Energie-Monitoring Gebaeude und Gebaeude-Energiepass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baumgartner, A.; Menti, U.-P. [Amstein and Walthert AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Sigg, R.; Besser, U. [Intep Integrale Planung GmbH, Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2004-07-01

    This preliminary study for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) examines the situation in Switzerland with regard to the creation of an energy-consumption rating system for buildings. Present and future developments in Europe in this area are examined. This preliminary study provides the basis for a main study in that it defines the main questions to be looked at. Present-day data collection on the energy consumption of buildings is looked at critically. The authors suggest the integration of an energy-consumption data bank in the existing building and apartment register. The situation in Europe, where specific ideas on the introduction of national 'energy passports' for buildings are being looked at, is considered. The work that will have to be done in Switzerland in this area is reviewed, and the essential prerequisites for the implementation of such an energy-monitoring system are discussed.

  17. CAISSON TYPE HOLLOW FLOOR SLABS OF MONOLITHIC MULTI-STOREYED BUILDINGS

    OpenAIRE

    Malakhova Anna Nikolaevna

    2016-01-01

    One of the disadvantages of building structures made of reinforced concrete is their considerable weight. One of the trends to decrease the weight of concrete structures, including floor slabs, is the arrangement of voids in the cross-sectional building structures. In Russian and foreign practice paper, cardboard and plastic tubes has been used for creation of voids in the construction of monolithic floor slabs. Lightweight concretes were also used for production of precast hollow core floor ...

  18. Exposure Modeling for Polychlorinated Biphenyls in School Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    There is limited research on characterizing exposures from PCB sources for occupants of school buildings. PCB measurement results from six schools were used to estimate potential exposure distributions for four age groups (4-5, 6-10, 11-14, 14-18 year-olds) using the Stochastic...

  19. "Living Apart Together": Relationships in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles Strohm

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available We use two surveys to describe the demographic and attitudinal correlates of being in "Living Apart Together" (LAT, cohabiting, and marital relationships for heterosexuals, lesbians, and gay men. About one third of U.S. adults not married or cohabiting are in LAT relationships - these individuals would be classified as "single" in conventional studies that focus on residential unions. Gay men are somewhat more likely than heterosexual men to be in LAT relationships. For heterosexuals and lesbians, LAT relationships are more common among younger people. Heterosexuals in LAT unions are less likely to expect to marry their partners, but more likely to say that couples should be emotionally dependent than are cohabiters. Regardless of sexual orientation, people in LAT relationships perceive similar amounts of emotional support from partners, but less instrumental support than cohabiters perceive.

  20. Dynamic simulation of space heating systems with radiators controlled by TRVs in buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Baoping; Fu, Lin; Di, Hongfa [Department of Building Science, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2008-07-01

    The objective of this paper is to develop a model for simulating the thermal and hydraulic behavior of space heating systems with radiators controlled by thermostat valves (TRVs) in multi-family buildings. This is done by treating the building and the heating system as a complete entity. Sub-models for rooms, radiators, TRVs, and the hydraulic network are derived. Then the suggested sub-models are combined to form an integrated model by considering interactions between them. The proposed model takes into account the heat transfer between neighboring rooms, the transport delay in the radiator, the self-adjusting function of the TRV, and the consumer's regulation behavior, as well as the hydraulic interactions between consumers. To test the model, two space heating systems in Beijing and Tianjin were investigated, and the model was validated under three operation modes. There was good agreement between the measured and simulated values for room temperature, return water temperature, and flow rate. A modeling analysis case was given based on an existing building and heating system. It was found that when the set value of the TRVs were kept on 2-3, about 12.4% reduction of heat consumption could be gained, compared with the situation in which the TRVs were kept fully open. The water flow rate was an important index that truly reflected the heat load change. It was also noted that if the flow rate or supply water temperature changed much during the transport delay time in the radiator, ignoring the transport delay would introduce an obvious deviation of the simulation results. Additionally, when an apartment stopped using the heating system during a heating season, the heat consumption of its neighboring apartments would be increased about 6-14%. (author)

  1. Patterns and sources of personality development in old age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandler, Christian; Kornadt, Anna E; Hagemeyer, Birk; Neyer, Franz J

    2015-07-01

    Despite abundant evidence that personality development continues in adulthood, little is known about the patterns and sources of personality development in old age. We thus investigated mean-level trends and individual differences in change as well as the genetic and environmental sources of rank-order continuity and change in several personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, perceived control, and affect intensity) and well-being. In addition, we analyzed the interrelation between perceived control and change in other personality traits as well as between change in personality traits and change in well-being. We analyzed data from older adult twins, aged 64-85 years at Time 1 (N = 410; 135 males and 275 females; 134 monozygotic and 63 dizygotic twin pairs), collected at 2 different time points about 5 years apart. On average, neuroticism increased, whereas extraversion, conscientiousness, and perceived control significantly decreased over time. Change in perceived control was associated with change in neuroticism and conscientiousness, pointing to particular adaptation mechanisms specific to old age. Whereas individual differences in personality traits were fairly stable due to both genetic and environmental sources, individual differences in change were primarily due to environmental sources (beyond random error) indicating plasticity in old age. Even though the average level of well-being did not significantly change over time, individual well-being tended to decrease with strongly increasing levels of neuroticism as well as decreasing extraversion, conscientiousness, and perceived control, indicating that personality traits predict well-being but not vice versa. We discuss implications for theory on personality development across the lifespan. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  2. Energy in buildings: Efficiency, renewables and storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koebel, Matthias M.

    2017-07-01

    This lecture summary provides a short but comprehensive overview on the "energy and buildings" topic. Buildings account for roughly 40% of the global energy demands. Thus, an increased adoption of existing and upcoming materials and solutions for the building sector represents an enormous potential to reduce building related energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions. The central question is how the building envelope (insulation, fenestration, construction style, solar control) affects building energy demands. Compared to conventional insulation materials, superinsulation materials such as vacuum insulation panels and silica aerogel achieve the same thermal performance with significantly thinner insulation layers. With low-emissivity coatings and appropriate filler gasses, double and triple glazing reduce thermal losses by up to an order of magnitude compared to old single pane windows, while vacuum insulation and aerogel filled glazing could reduce these even further. Electrochromic and other switchable glazing solutions maximize solar gains during wintertime and minimize illumination demands whilst avoiding overheating in summer. Upon integration of renewable energy systems into the building energy supply, buildings can become both producers and consumers of energy. Combined with dynamic user behavior, temporal variations in the production of renewable energy require appropriate storage solutions, both thermal and electrical, and the integration of buildings into smart grids and energy district networks. The combination of these measures allows a reduction of the existing building stock by roughly a factor of three —a promising, but cost intensive way, to prepare our buildings for the energy turnaround.

  3. Experimental Study on the Comparison of the Material Properties of Glass Wool Used as Building Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyoung-Woo KIM

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Artificial mineral fibers such as glass wool or stone wool are commonly used in building walls, ceilings and floors as a major insulation material for buildings. Among the material properties of building materials, thermal conductivity, the sound absorption coefficient, compressibility, and dynamic stiffness are regarded as important performance requirements since they directly affect the thermal and acoustic properties of the building. This study measured the changes of the thermal and acoustical performances of glass wool that was actually installed for a long time to the outer wall of a building as an insulation material through a comparison with recently produced glass wool. The results showed that the measured thermal conductivities of the old and the new specimens both rise with an increase of temperature, showing quite similar results in both specimens over temperature ranges of (0 – 20 ºC. The noise reduction coefficient decreased by 0.1 in the old specimen and the difference of the compressibilities in both specimens was shown to be 7.32 mm. The dynamic stiffness of the old specimen was found to be 1.28 MN/m3 higher than that of the new specimen.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.1.3714

  4. Effect of age, gender, economic group and tenure on thermal comfort: A field study in residential buildings in hot and dry climate with seasonal variations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Indraganti, Madhavi; Rao, Kavita Daryani [Architecture Department, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad (India)

    2010-03-15

    Energy consumption in Indian residential buildings is one of the highest and is increasing phenomenally. Indian standards specify comfort temperatures between 23 and 26 C for all types of buildings across the nation. However, thermal comfort research in India is very limited. A field study in naturally ventilated apartments was done in 2008, during the summer and monsoon seasons in Hyderabad in composite climate. This survey involved over 100 subjects, giving 3962 datasets. They were analysed under different groups: age, gender, economic group and tenure. Age, gender and tenure correlated weakly with thermal comfort. However, thermal acceptance of women, older subjects and owner-subjects was higher. Economic level of the subjects showed significant effect on the thermal sensation, preference, acceptance and neutrality. The comfort band for lowest economic group was found to be 27.3-33.1 C with the neutral temperature at 30.2 C. This is way above the standard. This finding has far reaching energy implications on building and HVAC systems design and practice. Occupants' responses for other environmental parameters often depended on their thermal sensation, often resulting in a near normal distribution. The subjects displayed acoustic and olfactory obliviousness due to habituation, resulting in higher satisfaction and acceptance. (author)

  5. Understanding the nature of science and scientific progress: A theory-building approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Chuy

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available In 1993 Carey and Smith conjectured that the most promising way to boost students’ understanding of the nature of science is a “theory-building approach to teaching about inquiry.” The research reported here tested this conjecture by comparing results from two Grade 4 classrooms that differed in their emphasis on and technological support for creating and improving theories. One class followed a Knowledge Building approach and used Knowledge Forum®, which together emphasize theory improvement and sustained creative work with ideas. The other class followed an inquiry approach mediated through collaborative project-based activities. Apart from this, the two classes were demographically similar and both fell within the broad category of constructivist, inquiry-based approaches and employed a range of modes and media for investigative research and reports. An augmented version of Carey and Smith’s Nature of Science Interview showed that the Knowledge Building approach resulted in deeper understanding of the nature of theoretical progress, the connections between theories and facts, and the role of ideas in scientific inquiry.

  6. Precision Teaching, Frequency-Building, and Ballet Dancing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lokke, Gunn E. H.; Lokke, Jon A.; Arntzen, Erick

    2008-01-01

    This article reports the effectiveness of a brief intervention aimed at achieving fluency in basic ballet moves in a 9-year-old Norwegian girl by use of frequency-building and Precision Teaching procedures. One nonfluent ballet move was pinpointed, and instructional and training procedures designed to increase the frequency of accurate responding…

  7. Buildings with enhanced radioactivity in Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swedjemark, G.A.

    1980-12-01

    Enhanced radon/radon daughter concentrations indoors have been found in some houses in Sweden, especially in combination with low air exchange rates. The radon sources have been found to be some types of building materials, some types of filling materials, some types of ground and any combination of these sources. The radon source may also be radon-rich tap water. The same types of building materials also give an enhanced gamma radiation level. In all houses, both lower and higher concentrations of radon than the average levels given here have been found in individual rooms and with single measurements. (author)

  8. PAH emissions from old and new types of domestic hot water boilers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horak, Jiri; Kubonova, Lenka; Krpec, Kamil; Hopan, Frantisek; Kubesa, Petr; Motyka, Oldrich; Laciok, Vendula; Dej, Milan; Ochodek, Tadeas; Placha, Daniela

    2017-06-01

    Five different domestic heating boilers (automatic, over-fire, with down-draft combustion and gasification) and three types of fuel (lignite, wood and mixed fuel) were examined in 25 combustion tests and correlated with the emissions of particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), total organic carbon (TOC) and 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs with MW = 178-278 g/mol) focusing on particle phase. However, the distribution of 12 PAHs in gas phase was considered as well due to the presence mainly of lighter PAHs in gas phase. The PAHs, as well as the CO and TOC, are the indicators of incomplete combustion, and in this study PAH emission increased significantly with increasing emissions of CO and TOC. The PAHs were mainly detected on PM 2.5 , their contents were increasing linearly with increasing PM 2.5 emissions. The highest emission factors of PAHs were measured for boilers of old construction, such as over-fire boiler (5.8-929 mg/kg) and boiler with down-draft combustion (3.1-54.1 mg/kg). Modern types of boilers produced much lower emissions of PAHs, in particular, automatic boiler (0.3-3.3 mg/kg) and gasification boilers (0.2-6.7 mg/kg). In general, the inefficient combustion at reduced output of boilers generated 1.4-17.7 times more emissions of PAHs than the combustion at nominal output of boilers. It is recommended to operate boilers at nominal output with sufficient air supply and to use the proper fuel to minimise PAHs emissions from domestic heating appliances. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Warm and Cool Cityscapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jubelirer, Shelly

    2012-01-01

    Painting cityscapes is a great way to teach first-grade students about warm and cool colors. Before the painting begins, the author and her class have an in-depth discussion about big cities and what types of buildings or structures that might be seen in them. They talk about large apartment and condo buildings, skyscrapers, art museums,…

  10. User evaluations of energy efficient buildings: the interplay of buildings and users in seven European case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomsen, Judith; Hauge, Aashild Lappegaard; Denizou, Karine; Jerkoe, Sidsel; Waagoe, Solvaar; Berker, Thomas

    2011-07-01

    The buildings in our study have been operational for just a short period and most of them are still in an adjustment phase. The findings show that users in all case studies often stressed the positive aspects connected to the newness and the architectural quality of the buildings. The interviews also show that energy efficiency is often regarded as a bonus or side effect that is gladly accepted but not the main criteria for choosing a house. Nonetheless, most residents seemed to appreciate the environmental benefits over time. Several respondents were also more concerned about the environment now than before they moved into or started to work in an energy efficient building, and they also reported more environmentally friendly behaviour. In most of the case studies, concerns were expressed about thermal comfort. Informants often experienced the building as too hot in the summer and/or too cold in the winter. This perceived discomfort caused different types of personal actions, which had a potential to interfere with the concept and the calculated energy balance. In order to improve internal conditions, the users in almost every case intervened with the planned use. They found common and known ways to improving their comfort in the buildings without considering how to optimize the new system. None of the respondents had much prior knowledge of energy efficient buildings before moving in or starting to work in the case study buildings. They did not know what to expect from their new environment, and were unfamiliar with the concepts. Many of the informants complained about a lack of information on systems and insufficient training. The studies also show that the occupants desired to control at least some operational aspects. Despite intermittent difficulties with thermal comfort, the tolerance for the buildings performance appeared to be high throughout all the case studies and many respondents were proud of 'their' buildings. Energy efficient buildings are not the

  11. User evaluations of energy efficient buildings: the interplay of buildings and users in seven European case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomsen, Judith; Hauge, Aashild Lappegaard; Denizou, Karine; Jerkoe, Sidsel; Waagoe, Solvaar; Berker, Thomas

    2011-07-01

    The buildings in our study have been operational for just a short period and most of them are still in an adjustment phase. The findings show that users in all case studies often stressed the positive aspects connected to the newness and the architectural quality of the buildings. The interviews also show that energy efficiency is often regarded as a bonus or side effect that is gladly accepted but not the main criteria for choosing a house. Nonetheless, most residents seemed to appreciate the environmental benefits over time. Several respondents were also more concerned about the environment now than before they moved into or started to work in an energy efficient building, and they also reported more environmentally friendly behaviour. In most of the case studies, concerns were expressed about thermal comfort. Informants often experienced the building as too hot in the summer and/or too cold in the winter. This perceived discomfort caused different types of personal actions, which had a potential to interfere with the concept and the calculated energy balance. In order to improve internal conditions, the users in almost every case intervened with the planned use. They found common and known ways to improving their comfort in the buildings without considering how to optimize the new system. None of the respondents had much prior knowledge of energy efficient buildings before moving in or starting to work in the case study buildings. They did not know what to expect from their new environment, and were unfamiliar with the concepts. Many of the informants complained about a lack of information on systems and insufficient training. The studies also show that the occupants desired to control at least some operational aspects. Despite intermittent difficulties with thermal comfort, the tolerance for the buildings performance appeared to be high throughout all the case studies and many respondents were proud of 'their' buildings. Energy efficient buildings are

  12. Validation and utilization of a TFE3 break-apart FISH assay for Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradhan, Dinesh; Roy, Somak; Quiroga-Garza, Gabriela; Cieply, Kathleen; Mahaffey, Alyssa L; Bastacky, Sheldon; Dhir, Rajiv; Parwani, Anil V

    2015-09-29

    Xp11.2 or TFE3 translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) are characterized by chromosome translocations involving the Xp11.2 breakpoint resulting in transcription factor TFE3 gene fusions. The most common translocations documented in TFE3 RCCs are t(X;1) (p11.2;q21) and t(X;17) (p11.2;q25) which leads to fusion of TFE3 gene on Xp11.2 with PRCC or ASPL respectively. TFE3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been inconsistent over time due to background staining problems in part related to fixation issues. Karyotyping to detect TFE3 gene rearrangement requires typically unavailable fresh tissue. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is generally very challenging due to degradation of RNA in archival material. The study objective was to develop and validate a TFE3 break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to confirm Xp11 translocation RCCs and ASPS. Representative sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were selected in 40 possible cases. Approximately 60 tumor cells were analyzed in the targeted region. The validation of TFE3 FISH was done with 11 negative and two positive cases. Cut off for a positive result was validated as >7.15 % positive nuclei with any pattern of break-apart signals. FISH evaluation was done blinded of the immunohistochemical or karyotype data. Three out of forty cases were positive for the TFE3 break-apart signals by FISH. The negative cases were reported as clear cell RCC with papillary features (10), clear cell RCC with sarcomatoid areas (2), Papillary RCC with clear cell areas (9), Chromophobe RCC (2), RCC, unclassified type (3) and renal medullary carcinoma (1). 3 of the negative cases were consultation cases for renal tumor with unknown histology. Seven negative cases were soft tissue tumor suspicious for ASPS. Our study validates the utility of TFE3 break-apart FISH on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections for diagnosis and confirmation of

  13. Development and Realisation of the Concept House ‘Delft’ Prototype : An Example of a Collaborative Concept Development for Energy Positive Apartments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eekhout, A.J.C.M.; Van Timmeren, A.

    2016-01-01

    The Delft Prototype is a single apartment from a not yet realized Concept House Urban Villa, which consists of 16 apartments on 4 floors. Both the urban villa and the prototype demonstrate the characteristics of high level industrial production with an extremely low ecological footprint, as well as

  14. Intertext: On Connecting Text in the Building Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Lars Rune

    2015-01-01

    Actors in the building process are critically dependent on a corpus of written text that draws the distributed work tasks together. This paper introduces, on the basis of a field study, the concepts of corpus, intertext and intertextuality to the analysis of text in cooperative work practice. Thi...... type and the mediated type, may constitute the intertext of a particular task. By employing the concepts of corpus, intertext and intertextuality with respect to the study of the building process, this paper outlines an approach to the investigation of text in cooperative work.......Actors in the building process are critically dependent on a corpus of written text that draws the distributed work tasks together. This paper introduces, on the basis of a field study, the concepts of corpus, intertext and intertextuality to the analysis of text in cooperative work practice....... This paper shows that actors in the building process create intertext (connections) between complementary texts, in a particular situation and for a particular task. This has an integrating effect on the building process. Several types of intertextuality, including the complementary type, the intratextual...

  15. Building application of solar energy. Study no. 2: Representative buildings for solar energy performance analysis and market penetration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirshberg, A. S.

    1975-01-01

    The following topics are discussed: (1) Assignment of population to microclimatic zones; (2) specifications of the mix of buildings in the SCE territory; (3) specification of four typical buildings for thermal analysis and market penetration studies; (4) identification of the materials and energy conserving characteristics of these typical buildings; (5) specifications of the HVAC functions used in each typical building, and determination of the HVAC systems used in each building; and (6) identification of the type of fuel used in each building.

  16. Analysis and Risk Evaluation on the Case of Alteration, Revitalization and Conversion of a Historic Building in Gdańsk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzyl, Beata; Kristowski, Adam; Miszewska-Urbańska, Emilia

    2017-10-01

    Each investment plan, including the one concerning a building, is exposed to the consequences of various types of threats taking place. Therefore, in the case of some large-scale, atypical and complicated building ventures, some actions included in the procedure of risk management should be taken (identifications, analysis, measurements, control and supervision of the risk). This will allow for the risk to be eliminated or limited. While preparing a building venture, an investor does not possess full information about the course of events on each stage of investment completion. The identification of the above-mentioned unknowns, subjecting them to quantification and specifying the method of dealing with them, allows an investor to increase the effectiveness of the intended plan. The enterprise discussed in this article and analyzed in the context of risk, concerns alteration, revitalization and conversion for office purposes of two buildings located in Gdańsk at 1 and 2 Lastadia Street. These buildings are situated on the area of historical urban layout of Gdańsk, in the northern-eastern part of Stare Przedmieście District (Old Suburb), about 800 meters south from Dlugi Targ Street and 200 meters west from The Old Motława River. The investor is “Gdańskie Melioracje Ltd.”, a limited liability company, which belongs to the Council of Gdańsk. In order to increase the effectiveness of the intended investment venture, while organizing the investment process, the investor commissioned preparation of an analysis and risk evaluation connected with the above-mentioned intention. Based on an on-site visit, the opinions of experts, who have been involved in the process of the preparation of the investment, studies of the available monographies about the technical condition of the buildings at 1 and 2 Lastadia Street and their own experiences, the authors identified 54 types of relevant risks, which have been systematized into 10 subject groups (among others

  17. Consumer Central Energy Flexibility in Office Buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Billanes, Joy Dalmacio; Ma, Zheng; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

    2017-01-01

    Energy flexibility in buildings will play an important role in the smart energy system. Office buildings have more potentials to provide energy flexibility to the grid compared to other types of buildings, due to the existing building management, control systems and large energy consumption....... Consumers in office buildings (building owners/managers and occupants) take a main role for adopting and engaging in building energy flexibility. In this paper provides a systematic review of consumer central energy flexibility in office buildings with the discussion of social, technical and business...... can boost energy flexibility in the office buildings....

  18. Soils apart from equilibrium – consequences for soil carbon balance modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Wutzler

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Many projections of the soil carbon sink or source are based on kinetically defined carbon pool models. Para-meters of these models are often determined in a way that the steady state of the model matches observed carbon stocks. The underlying simplifying assumption is that observed carbon stocks are near equilibrium. This assumption is challenged by observations of very old soils that do still accumulate carbon. In this modelling study we explored the consequences of the case where soils are apart from equilibrium. Calculation of equilibrium states of soils that are currently accumulating small amounts of carbon were performed using the Yasso model. It was found that already very small current accumulation rates cause big changes in theoretical equilibrium stocks, which can virtually approach infinity. We conclude that soils that have been disturbed several centuries ago are not in equilibrium but in a transient state because of the slowly ongoing accumulation of the slowest pool. A first consequence is that model calibrations to current carbon stocks that assume equilibrium state, overestimate the decay rate of the slowest pool. A second consequence is that spin-up runs (simulations until equilibrium overestimate stocks of recently disturbed sites. In order to account for these consequences, we propose a transient correction. This correction prescribes a lower decay rate of the slowest pool and accounts for disturbances in the past by decreasing the spin-up-run predicted stocks to match an independent estimate of current soil carbon stocks. Application of this transient correction at a Central European beech forest site with a typical disturbance history resulted in an additional carbon fixation of 5.7±1.5 tC/ha within 100 years. Carbon storage capacity of disturbed forest soils is potentially much higher than currently assumed. Simulations that do not adequately account for the transient state of soil carbon stocks neglect a considerable

  19. Symptoms and perceived indoor air quality among occupants of houses and apartments with different ventilation systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruotsalainen, R.; Roennberg, R.; Majanen, A.; Seppaenen, O. (Laboratory of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo (Finland)); Jaakkola, J.J.K. (Laboratory of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo (Finland) Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki (Finland))

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of symptoms and the perception of poor indoor air quality among the occupants of houses and apartments with different ventilation systems. The study population consisted of the 473 occupants of 242 dwellings in the Helsinki metropolitan area who responded to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 93.1%) after a two-week period of indoor air quality measurements. The symptoms of interest were those often related to poor indoor air quality including dryness or itching of the skin; dryness, irritation or itching of the eyes; nasal congestion (''blocked nose''); nasal dryness; nasal discharge (''runny nose''); sneezing; cough; breathlessness; headache or migraine; and lethargy, weakness or nausea. Perception of coldness; warmness; draught; dryness; stuffiness; and sufficiency of air exchange was also requested. The age-standardized period prevalences of the symptoms and complaints were systematically more common among the occupants of the apartments than those of the houses. The occupants of the houses with natural ventilation seemed to have more symptoms and complaints than those with balanced ventilation. However, in the apartments with blanced ventilation the occupants reported, in general, more symptoms and complaints than those with natural ventilation. (au) (9 refs.).

  20. DEVELOPING VERIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR BUILDING INFORMATION MODELS OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS WITH HETEROGENEOUS DATASETS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Chow

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The digitization and abstraction of existing buildings into building information models requires the translation of heterogeneous datasets that may include CAD, technical reports, historic texts, archival drawings, terrestrial laser scanning, and photogrammetry into model elements. In this paper, we discuss a project undertaken by the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS that explored the synthesis of heterogeneous datasets for the development of a building information model (BIM for one of Canada’s most significant heritage assets – the Centre Block of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site. The scope of the project included the development of an as-found model of the century-old, six-story building in anticipation of specific model uses for an extensive rehabilitation program. The as-found Centre Block model was developed in Revit using primarily point cloud data from terrestrial laser scanning. The data was captured by CIMS in partnership with Heritage Conservation Services (HCS, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC, using a Leica C10 and P40 (exterior and large interior spaces and a Faro Focus (small to mid-sized interior spaces. Secondary sources such as archival drawings, photographs, and technical reports were referenced in cases where point cloud data was not available. As a result of working with heterogeneous data sets, a verification system was introduced in order to communicate to model users/viewers the source of information for each building element within the model.

  1. Strategic Behavior in Certifying Green Buildings: An Inquiry of the Non-building Performance Value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang Hsieh, Lin-Han; Noonan, Douglas

    2017-08-01

    This study determines the magnitude of the market signaling effect arising from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for green buildings and explores the mechanisms behind the signaling effect. Previous studies have shown that signaling or marketability plays an important role in the pursuit for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and equivalent green-building certification. By analyzing all new construction projects receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from 2000 to 2012 in the US, this study estimates the relative importance of 'green' signaling. This broad perspective using project-level data enables an analysis of some drivers of signaling and the pursuit of marketing benefits. The roles of local competition and market conditions, as well as municipal regulations are examined, especially as they differ between types of building owners (e.g., for-profit firms, governments, nonprofits). The results indicate that the non-building performance value-value captured by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design signals above and beyond the specific building attributes that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifies-dominates the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scores around certification tier thresholds. Further, strong evidence of spatial clustering of this non-building performance value for some owner types indicates that for-profit owners may be more responsive to local competition than non-profit owners. Local legislative mandates predict greater signaling intensity by government-owned buildings, as expected, but for-profit-owned projects tend to signal less, even after controls for local conditions. The results highlight the importance of local conditions, including peer effects and regulations, in driving non-building performance values across a wide range of green buildings.

  2. Building Process and Architectural Planning Characteristics of Daehan Hospital Main Building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geauchul LEE

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the introduction process of Daehan Hospital from Japan as the modern medical facility in Korea, and the architectural planning characteristics as a medical facility through the detailed building process of Daehan Hospital main building. The most noticeable characteristic of Daehan Hospital is that it was designed and constructed not by Korean engineers but by Japanese engineers. Therefore, Daehan Hospital was influenced by Japanese early modern medical facility, and Japanese engineers modeled Daehan Hospital main building on Tokyo Medical School main building which was constructed in 1876 as the first national medical school and hospital. The architectural type of Tokyo Medical School main building was a typical school architecture in early Japanese modern period which had a middle corridor and a pseudo Western-style tower, but Tokyo Medical School main building became the model of a medical facility as the symbol of the medical department in Tokyo Imperial University. This was the introduction and transplantation process of Japanese modern ‘model’ like as other modern systems and technologies during the Korean modern transition period. However, unlike Tokyo Medical School main building, Daehan Hospital main building was constructed not as a wooden building but as a masonry building. Comparing with the function of Daehan Hospital main building, its architectural form and construction costs was excessive scale, which was because Japanese Resident-General of Korea had the intention of ostentation that Japanese modernity was superior to Korean Empire.

  3. [Building Process and Architectural Planning Characteristics of Daehan Hospital Main Building].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Geauchul

    2016-04-01

    This paper explores the introduction process of Daehan Hospital from Japan as the modern medical facility in Korea, and the architectural planning characteristics as a medical facility through the detailed building process of Daehan Hospital main building. The most noticeable characteristic of Daehan Hospital is that it was designed and constructed not by Korean engineers but by Japanese engineers. Therefore, Daehan Hospital was influenced by Japanese early modern medical facility, and Japanese engineers modeled Daehan Hospital main building on Tokyo Medical School main building which was constructed in 1876 as the first national medical school and hospital. The architectural type of Tokyo Medical School main building was a typical school architecture in early Japanese modern period which had a middle corridor and a pseudo Western-style tower, but Tokyo Medical School main building became the model of a medical facility as the symbol of the medical department in Tokyo Imperial University. This was the introduction and transplantation process of Japanese modern 'model' like as other modern systems and technologies during the Korean modern transition period. However, unlike Tokyo Medical School main building, Daehan Hospital main building was constructed not as a wooden building but as a masonry building. Comparing with the function of Daehan Hospital main building, its architectural form and construction costs was excessive scale, which was because Japanese Resident-General of Korea had the intention of ostentation that Japanese modernity was superior to Korean Empire.

  4. Things fall apart: biological species form unconnected parsimony networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Michael W; Sunday, Jennifer

    2007-10-22

    The generality of operational species definitions is limited by problematic definitions of between-species divergence. A recent phylogenetic species concept based on a simple objective measure of statistically significant genetic differentiation uses between-species application of statistical parsimony networks that are typically used for population genetic analysis within species. Here we review recent phylogeographic studies and reanalyse several mtDNA barcoding studies using this method. We found that (i) alignments of DNA sequences typically fall apart into a separate subnetwork for each Linnean species (but with a higher rate of true positives for mtDNA data) and (ii) DNA sequences from single species typically stick together in a single haplotype network. Departures from these patterns are usually consistent with hybridization or cryptic species diversity.

  5. Exergoeconomic Assessment of Solar Absorption and Absorption–Compression Hybrid Refrigeration in Building Cooling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yue Jing

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The paper mainly deals with the match of solar refrigeration, i.e., solar/natural gas-driven absorption chiller (SNGDAC, solar vapor compression–absorption integrated refrigeration system with parallel configuration (SVCAIRSPC, and solar absorption-subcooled compression hybrid cooling system (SASCHCS, and building cooling based on the exergoeconomics. Three types of building cooling are considered: Type 1 is the single-story building, type 2 includes the two-story and three-story buildings, and type 3 is the multi-story buildings. Besides this, two Chinese cities, Guangzhou and Turpan, are taken into account as well. The product cost flow rate is employed as the primary decision variable. The result exhibits that SNGDAC is considered as a suitable solution for type 1 buildings in Turpan, owing to its negligible natural gas consumption and lowest product cost flow rate. SVCAIRSPC is more applicable for type 2 buildings in Turpan because of its higher actual cooling capacity of absorption subsystem and lower fuel and product cost flow rate. Additionally, SASCHCS shows the most extensive cost-effectiveness, namely, its exergy destruction and product cost flow rate are both the lowest when used in all types of buildings in Guangzhou or type 3 buildings in Turpan. This paper is helpful to promote the application of solar cooling.

  6. Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maxwell, S. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, D. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, M. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States)

    2014-07-01

    In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the "fresh" air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent. CARB researchers have found that most new high performance, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. In this research project, CARB evaluated the four ventilation strategies in the field to validate system performance.

  7. Existing buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten

    2014-01-01

    their homes. These policy measures include building regulations, energy tax and different types of incentives and information dissemination. The conclusion calls for new and innovative policy measures to cope with the realities of renovations of owner-occupied houses and how energy efficiency improvement...

  8. Domestic hot water. Measurements of consumption and heat loss from circulation pipes; Varmt brugsvand. Maaling af forbrug og varmetab fra cirkulationsledninger

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boehm, B.; Schroeder, F.; Bergsoee, N.C.

    2009-07-01

    It is likely that the production and distribution of domestic hot water (DHW) in buildings will constitute a dominant share of both the present and in particular future energy design requirements. The goal of this project has been to propose more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for DHW systems based on analyses of existing conditions. The possibilities include new types of circulation pipes, which have the potential of a 40 per cent reduction of heat losses. In addition to the reduction of heat losses inside the building, a low return temperature from the hot water system will have a large impact on the heat losses from the district heating network when the building is being heated by district heating. The results of this project could influence not only future buildings but also existing buildings in case of renovation of the installations. In this project measurements of water and energy consumptions have been carried out in a number of buildings, and heat losses from the production of domestic hot water and the distribution lines have been measured. In addition to the measurements, analyses and simulations have been carried out. Two models have been developed: One of an apartment room with vertical pipes passing through the room, and one of a room above a basement with horizontal heating pipes. The models make it possible to assess how much of the heat loss from the heating pipes is utilised for space heating. The following recommendations are pointed out: 1) In large buildings e.g. apartment buildings and office buildings the technical installations should be provided with meters so that it is possible to separate the energy consumption for DHW, space heating and ventilation, respectively. 2) In new buildings and in case of retrofitting existing buildings, careful planning of the placement and disposition of hot water taps compared with the location of the hot water tank or heat exchanger is recommended. Also, the necessity of a

  9. Photorealistic lighting and rendering of a small apartment interior : a case study with 3DS Max and V-Ray

    OpenAIRE

    Kämä, Antti

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis was to examine the process of creating photorealistic lighting for a small apartment interior and the process of rendering that interior. Both nighttime and daytime lighting was created for the 3D interior scene modeled beforehand. The 3D interior scene was comprised the walls, windows and the largest furniture of the apartment excluding the bathroom. The theoretical section of the thesis focuses on different settings and features which in combination influence...

  10. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in indoor air originating from sealants in contaminated and uncontaminated apartments within the same housing estate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Marie; Meyer, Harald William; Ebbehøj, Niels Erik

    2012-01-01

    . The PCB(tot) levels in the air of the contaminated section were 168-3843 ng m(-3) (mean: 1030 ng m(-3)), while the mean levels in the reference apartments were 6.03 ng m(-3). The sum of the 24 measured PCB congeners in sealants from the contaminated section was 187-221680 mg kg(-1). Principal component......Twenty-four congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in 83 air samples and 20 elastic sealants samples of apartments with PCB-containing sealants. In addition, PCBs were measured in 21 air samples from reference apartments located in an uncontaminated section of the same estate...... analysis revealed four groups among the sealant samples with different congener compositions, only two of which were clearly similar to known PCB mixtures, while two were not. Significant correlations and intercorrelations were observed between the lower chlorinated congeners in air and sealant, e...

  11. A Grade 6 Project in the Social Studies: The Wall of Old Jerusalem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ediger, Marlow

    1993-01-01

    Presents a classroom lesson based on the walls of old Jerusalem. Maintains that cooperative-learning techniques used to build a model of the wall helped students understand the meaning of the original wall and the division of modern-day Jerusalem. (CFR)

  12. Community Living for Adults in North Dakota: A Case Study of an Apartment Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Racino, Julie Ann

    This report describes a 1988 site visit to Pride Industries, a private, nonprofit agency which operates an apartment program for individuals with developmental disabilities in Bismarck, North Dakota, through a contract with a regional office of North Dakota's Department of Developmental Disabilities. Pride Industries supports 34 people living in…

  13. Design and Build: Views from some Major Public Clients in Hong Kong

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albert P C Chan

    2001-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the views of clients in public sector on design and build(D&B procurement method. Specifically, their reasons of adopting D&B and refusing to adopt it were explored. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with ten senior staff from four major public organisations in Hong Kong. The findings indicate that public clients held different views on D&B methods based on different grounds. Apart from functional requirements such as project completion time, cost certainty, etc., internal resources and political force would also influence client's adoption of D&B method in the public sector.

  14. Energy conservation in rented buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klingberg, T.; Broechner, J.; Forsman, J.; Gaunt, L.; Holgersson, M.

    1984-08-01

    The bulletin is an anthology of nine essays by different authors addressing the issue of energy conservation in buildings, where there exists a landlord/tenant relationship. After an overview of the rental market and the stock of rental buildings different types of rental contracts and energy charges are described.

  15. 20 CFR 404.349 - When is a child living apart from me in my care?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...) The child is living apart because of school but spends at least 30 days vacation with you each year... is not in your care if— (1) The child is in active military service; (2) The child is living with his...

  16. Indoor radon and its progeny levels in new type houses in rural area of Hubei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Quan; Xiong Zhaoxing; He Zuan; Zheng Youqing

    1993-01-01

    Using Cluster Sampling method, indoor radon of 54 rooms and radon progeny potential alpha-energy concentrations of 200 rooms were measured in the new type brick-concrete 2-storey flats and old type brick-wood single-storey residences in the rural area. Instant and cumulative samplings and measurements were made. The average per capita residential area of the surveyed houses was 28.1 m 2 , clear height 3.6 m. The geometric means of indoor radon concentration were 18.22 Bq.m -3 and 15.93 Bq.m -3 for storied and single-storey buildings, respectively; radon progeny potential alpha-energy concentrations were 2.62 mWL and 2.54 mWL, correspondingly. In storied buildings, the arithmetic mean of indoor cumulative radon concentration was 25.56 Bq.m -3 in summer, and 37.94 Bq.m -3 in winter. The annual effective dose equivalent of radon progeny inhaled indoors and outdoors was 0.80 mSv. (orig.). (6 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs.)

  17. Generalizing Automath by means of a lambda-typed lambda calculus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruijn, de N.G.; Nederpelt, R.P.; Geuvers, J.H.; Vrijer, de R.C.

    1994-01-01

    The calculus delta conjunction developed in this paper is claimed to be able to embrace all the essential aspects of Automath, apart from the feature of type inclusion which will not be considered in this paper. The calculus deal with a correctness notion for lambda-typed lambda formulas (which are

  18. Energy Flexibility in Retail Buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ma, Zheng; Billanes, Joy Dalmacio; Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun

    2017-01-01

    Retail buildings has an important role for demand side energy flexibility because of their high energy consumption, variety of energy flexibility resources, and centralized control via building control systems. Energy flexibility requires agreements and collaborations among different actors......), with the discussion of the stakeholders’ roles and their interrelation in delivering energy flexibility with the influential factors to the actual implementation of energy flexible operation of their buildings. Based on a literature analysis, the results cover stakeholders’ types and roles, perceptions (drivers......, barriers, and benefits), energy management activities and technology adoptions, and the stakeholders’ interaction for the energy flexibility in retail buildings....

  19. Descent in buildings (AM-190)

    CERN Document Server

    Mühlherr, Bernhard; Weiss, Richard M

    2015-01-01

    Descent in Buildings begins with the resolution of a major open question about the local structure of Bruhat-Tits buildings. The authors then put their algebraic solution into a geometric context by developing a general fixed point theory for groups acting on buildings of arbitrary type, giving necessary and sufficient conditions for the residues fixed by a group to form a kind of subbuilding or "form" of the original building. At the center of this theory is the notion of a Tits index, a combinatorial version of the notion of an index in the relative theory of algebraic groups. These results

  20. Thermostatic Radiator Valve Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dentz, J. [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative (ARIES), New York, NY (United States); Ansanelli, E. [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative (ARIES), New York, NY (United States)

    2015-01-01

    A large stock of multifamily buildings in the Northeast and Midwest are heated by steam distribution systems. Losses from these systems are typically high and a significant number of apartments are overheated much of the time. Thermostatically controlled radiator valves (TRVs) are one potential strategy to combat this problem, but have not been widely accepted by the residential retrofit market. In this project, the ARIES team sought to better understand the current usage of TRVs by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old TRVs as a means of controlling space temperatures and reducing heating fuel consumption. The project included a survey of industry professionals, a field experiment comparing old and new TRVs, and cost-benefit modeling analysis using BEopt™ (Building Energy Optimization software).

  1. Workplace building design and office-based workers' activity: a study of a natural experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jancey, Jonine M; McGann, Sarah; Creagh, Robyn; Blackford, Krysten D; Howat, Peter; Tye, Marian

    2016-02-01

    This opportunistic natural study investigated the effects of relocation of office workers from a 30-year-old building to a new purpose-built building. The new building included an attractive central staircase that was easily accessed and negotiated, as well as breakout spaces and a centralised facilities area. The researchers aimed to determine the impact of the purpose-built office building on the office workers' sedentariness and level of physical activity. In 2013, a natural pre-post study was undertaken with office-based workers in their old conventional 1970s building and on relocating to a new purpose-built 'activity permissive' building. Objective movement data was measured using accelerometers. Anthropometric and demographic data was also collected. Forty-two office-based workers significantly decreased their percentage of daily sitting time (T1 = 84.9% to T2=79.7%; pbuilding. Moderate activity significantly declined (T1=3.9% to 3.2%=T2; p=0.038). There was a significant decrease in mean minutes of sitting time (19.62 minutes; pbuilding can influence activity. This opportunistic study on the impact of workplace relocation on office-based workers' activity showed modest positive outcomes in sitting and standing. Evidence is required to inform building design policy and practice that supports physical activity and reduces levels of sedentariness in the workplace. © 2015 The Authors.

  2. Spatially nonrandom tree mortality and ingrowth maintain equilibrium pattern in an old-growth Pseudotsuga-Tsuga forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lutz, James A; Larson, Andrew J; Furniss, Tucker J; Donato, Daniel C; Freund, James A; Swanson, Mark E; Bible, Kenneth J; Chen, Jiquan; Franklin, Jerry F

    2014-08-01

    Mortality processes in old-growth forests are generally assumed to be driven by gap-scale disturbance, with only a limited role ascribed to density-dependent mortality, but these assumptions are rarely tested with data sets incorporating repeated measurements. Using a 12-ha spatially explicit plot censused 13 years apart in an approximately 500-year-old Pseudotsuga-Tsuga forest, we demonstrate significant density-dependent mortality and spatially aggregated tree recruitment. However, the combined effect of these strongly nonrandom demographic processes was to maintain tree patterns in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Density-dependent mortality was most pronounced for the dominant late-successional species, Tsuga heterophylla. The long-lived, early-seral Pseudotsuga menziesii experienced an annual stem mortality rate of 0.84% and no new recruitment. Late-seral species Tsuga and Abies amabilis had nearly balanced demographic rates of ingrowth and mortality. The 2.34% mortality rate for Taxus brevifolia was higher than expected, notably less than ingrowth, and strongly affected by proximity to Tsuga. Large-diameter Tsuga structured both the regenerating conspecific and heterospecific cohorts with recruitment of Tsuga and Abies unlikely in neighborhoods crowded with large-diameter competitors (P old-growth forests.

  3. Overcoming Barriers to Innovation in the Building Industry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heintz, J.L.; Wamelink, J.W.F.

    2015-01-01

    We live in an era of accelerated innovation. All around us we are immersed in a sea of new technologies and products that were very recently confined to comic books and science fiction tv-series. Yet in this storm of innovation the building industry seems to stand out for it's committed old

  4. Hemorrhagic pleural effusion secondary to an unusual type III hiatal hernia in a 4-year-old great dane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Lena C; Friend, Edward J; Hamilton, Michael H

    2010-01-01

    An unusual case of combined axial and paraesophageal (type III) hiatal hernia (HH) in a 4-year-old Great Dane is reported. The main presenting complaint was dyspnea, and no history of trauma was present. A tentative diagnosis of HH with secondary pleural effusion was made based on clinical signs and radiographic findings. Exploratory celiotomy revealed herniation of the gastric cardia, fundus, and body through the esophageal hiatus and an adjacent, distinct defect in the diaphragm. Rupture of the short gastric vessels lead to the formation of a hemorrhagic pleural effusion that impaired ventilation. The esophageal hiatus was surgically reduced in size, and the second defect was closed with nonabsorbable sutures. Esophagopexy and tube gastropexy procedures were also performed. The dog was clinically normal 9 months postoperatively. This type of HH is not currently defined within the traditional classification system and to the authors' knowledge has not been previously reported.

  5. On the Issue of Obligatory Hazard Activity Liability Insurance of Lifts Operation in Apartment Houses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Storozhuk D. A.

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the problems of legislation application of Obligatory Hazard Activity Liability Insurance, civic responsibility of the owner of the dangerous object for doing harm as a result of damage caused by lift operation in apartment houses

  6. Age-Friendliness and Life Satisfaction of Young-Old and Old-Old in Hong Kong

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alma M. L. Au

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Age-friendliness, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO, aims to enable and support individuals in different aspects of life for fostering life satisfaction and personal well-being as they age. We identified specific aspect(s of age-friendliness associated with life satisfaction and examined similarities and differences in age-friendliness and life satisfaction in young-old and old-old adults. Six hundred and eighty-two ageing adults were asked to complete a survey questionnaire consisting of the Age-friendly City Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and sociodemographic variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of various domains of age-friendliness on life satisfaction among the young-old adults (aged 65 to 74, n=351 and the old-old adults (aged 75 to 97, n=331. Common domains associated with life satisfaction in both young-old and old-old groups were transportation and social participation. Community and health services were associated with life satisfaction for the young-old group only. On the other hand, civic participation and employment was significantly associated with the old-old group only. Social participation is important for the young-old and the old-old. Ageing older adults can be a resource to the society. Implications for promoting and implementing age-friendliness were discussed in the context of successful and productive ageing and the need for a more refined taxonomy of social activities.

  7. Study and constructive analysis of an office building

    OpenAIRE

    CORT AZCÁRRAGA, PAULA

    2015-01-01

    [EN] The development is based on the study and analysis of an office building located in Drongsesteenweg, Gent 9000. The building has 4 levels and basement. The structure is with prefabricated concrete, a very typical way to build in Belgium, only the basement was built in situ. Typology floor is hollow core slab, it is a prefabricated unidirectional floor. Stairs are prefabricated too, executed by a company specialized in this type works. To the facade they use two types of bricks, ceramic a...

  8. Rapid and annealing-free self-assembly of DNA building blocks for 3D hydrogel chaperoned by cationic comb-type copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zheng; Wu, Yuyang; Yu, Feng; Niu, Chaoqun; Du, Zhi; Chen, Yong; Du, Jie

    2017-10-01

    The construction and self-assembly of DNA building blocks are the foundation of bottom-up development of three-dimensional DNA nanostructures or hydrogels. However, most self-assembly from DNA components is impeded by the mishybridized intermediates or the thermodynamic instability. To enable rapid production of complicated DNA objects with high yields no need for annealing process, herein different DNA building blocks (Y-shaped, L- and L'-shaped units) were assembled in presence of a cationic comb-type copolymer, poly (L-lysine)-graft-dextran (PLL-g-Dex), under physiological conditions. The results demonstrated that PLL-g-Dex not only significantly promoted the self-assembly of DNA blocks with high efficiency, but also stabilized the assembled multi-level structures especially for promoting the complicated 3D DNA hydrogel formation. This study develops a novel strategy for rapid and high-yield production of DNA hydrogel even derived from instable building blocks at relatively low DNA concentrations, which would endow DNA nanotechnology for more practical applications.

  9. Seismic isolation structure for pool-type LMFBR - isolation building with vertically isolated floor for NSSS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, A.; Shiojiri, H.; Aoyagi, S.; Matsuda, T.; Fujimoto, S.; Sasaki, Y.; Hirayama, H.

    1987-01-01

    The NSSS isolation floor vibration characteristics were made clear. Especially, the side support bearing (rubber bearing) is effective for horizontal floor motion restraint and rocking motion control. Seismic isolation effects for responses of the reactor components can be sufficiently expected, using the vertical seismic isolation floor. From the analytical and experimental studies, the following has been concluded: (1) Seismic isolation structure, which is suitable for large pool-type LMFBR, were proposed. (2) Seismic response characteristics of the seismic isolation structure were investigated. It was made clear that the proposed seismic isolation (Combination of the isolated building and the isolated NSSS floor) was effective. (orig./HP)

  10. The building network energy statistics 2002[Norway]; Bygningsnettverkets energistatistikk 2002

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2003-07-01

    The report surveys a Norwegian network within the construction business and the energy utilization particularly in various buildings. There are sections on the network structure, the energy use in 2002, the building aspects and various project types. The emphasis is on energy conservation aspects. Various technologies and energy systems as well as building types, are discussed. (tk)

  11. Degraded areas of organised multi-apartment building between 1945 and 1965 in Slovenia – methodology of evaluation and rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tadeja Zupančič Strojan

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available “Degraded” housing areas represent a 9% share of urbanised surfaces of thirty-five in planning terms recently researched Slovenian towns. Above all social housing estates built between 1945 and 1965 present issues since they are isolated, poorly maintained, and cannot reach modern standards. The research contemplates the redirecting of the present abstract planning rationales to the real architectural, user level. Further intentions of the research are to consolidate ideas about the urgency of renewal as the only possible method of solving problems of a certain pattern of building, to determine criteria and measures for renewal and to determine rational or real directions for concrete contributions for the improvement of the standard of living, in short, to a new shift in living culture discussed settlement pattern.

  12. Role of Colonial Subjects in Making Themselves Inferior in Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeghi, Zahra

    2014-01-01

    Chinua Achebe in his novel "Things Fall Apart" gives us a unique picture of life in Africa before the arrival of Christianity and colonization and the era afterwards. He shows how African people lost their traditional culture and values, replacing them with foreign beliefs. In this article, the way black people lived before the arrival…

  13. Application of a stent splint to protect intraoral organs from radiation injury to a 97 year-old patient with multiple oral cancers who survived over 100 year-old

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yanagisawa, Shigetaka; Kawamura, Tetsuo; Shimizu, Masatsugu; Aoki, Hirooki; Mizuki, Harumi; Ashizawa, Akira [Oita Medical Coll., Hasama (Japan)

    1989-06-01

    Radiation therapy had been used with increasing frequency in recent years in the management of oral cancers of advanced ages. In those cases we have to take good care to maintain the oral health of patients undergoing cancerocidal dose of radiation therapy. Using splints, as a tissue displacer, during radiation, we could treat a 99-year-old female patient without serious radiation sequelae, successfully she survived over 100 year-old. As she visited us at 97 year-old, the primary lesions located on the left upper lip, nose, upper and lower gums were diagnosed as multiple verrucous carcinoma histologically. Seventeen months after the first radiotherapy to the lip, nose and upper jaw, we planned again radiotherapy to the recurrent tumor of the lower gum. In order to eliminate and minimize side effects of the second irradiation for the contigenous intraoral organs, we devised a splint to exclude the tongue and upper gum apart from a radiation field. The splint, as tissue displacer, was made of heat-cured acrylic resin and divided into two pieces which were formed like full denture without artificial teeth. They were applied to the upper and lower jaws. The lower one had a large wing to exclude the tongue from irradiation field. After setting of the splint, she had been clenched slightly with an aid of chin cap. Then we could finish successfully the radiotherapy with 10 MV X-ray 40 Gy as scheduled without serious troubles. (author).

  14. Application of a stent splint to protect intraoral organs from radiation injury to a 97 year-old patient with multiple oral cancers who survived over 100 year-old

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanagisawa, Shigetaka; Kawamura, Tetsuo; Shimizu, Masatsugu; Aoki, Hirooki; Mizuki, Harumi; Ashizawa, Akira

    1989-01-01

    Radiation therapy had been used with increasing frequency in recent years in the management of oral cancers of advanced ages. In those cases we have to take good care to maintain the oral health of patients undergoing cancerocidal dose of radiation therapy. Using splints, as a tissue displacer, during radiation, we could treat a 99-year-old female patient without serious radiation sequelae, successfully she survived over 100 year-old. As she visited us at 97 year-old, the primary lesions located on the left upper lip, nose, upper and lower gums were diagnosed as multiple verrucous carcinoma histologically. Seventeen months after the first radiotherapy to the lip, nose and upper jaw, we planned again radiotherapy to the recurrent tumor of the lower gum. In order to eliminate and minimize side effects of the second irradiation for the contigenous intraoral organs, we devised a splint to exclude the tongue and upper gum apart from a radiation field. The splint, as tissue displacer, was made of heat-cured acrylic resin and divided into two pieces which were formed like full denture without artificial teeth. They were applied to the upper and lower jaws. The lower one had a large wing to exclude the tongue from irradiation field. After setting of the splint, she had been clenched slightly with an aid of chin cap. Then we could finish successfully the radiotherapy with 10 MV X-ray 40 Gy as scheduled without serious troubles. (author)

  15. Chemical physics analysis for building materials of Bangunan Panggung Drama Jalan Bandar Kuala Lumpur Malaysia: a case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Zobir Hussein; Zuliskandar Ramli; Asmah Hj Yahaya

    2004-01-01

    The paper discussed the studies carried-out using XRD, x-ray diffraction technique on the historical building materials i.e. mortars, paints, concretes - Panggung Drama - old theatre stage building located at Jalan Bandar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  16. Service life prediction for 50-year-old buildings in marine environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agustín Sánchez-Deza

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Steel reinforcing bars are often coated with rusts formed during service in reinforced concrete (RC structures. Rust layers growing on steel rebars induce expansive stresses and cause cracking on cover concrete. This study uses steel corrosion rate results measured on reinforced concrete buildings of more than 50 years of age located in marine environments and considers the pressure generated by the volume expansion of corrosion product layers to calculate the service life of the RC structures using a numerical simulation, estimating the time to corrosion cracking of the concrete cover. Akaganeite, goethite, lepidocrocite, hematite, magnetite and maghemite were identified by X-ray diffraction as crystalline phase constituents of the rust layers.

  17. Building with Earthquakes in Mind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangieri, Nicholas

    2016-04-01

    Earthquakes are some of the most elusive and destructive disasters humans interact with on this planet. Engineering structures to withstand earthquake shaking is critical to ensure minimal loss of life and property. However, the majority of buildings today in non-traditional earthquake prone areas are not built to withstand this devastating force. Understanding basic earthquake engineering principles and the effect of limited resources helps students grasp the challenge that lies ahead. The solution can be found in retrofitting existing buildings with proper reinforcements and designs to deal with this deadly disaster. The students were challenged in this project to construct a basic structure, using limited resources, that could withstand a simulated tremor through the use of an earthquake shake table. Groups of students had to work together to creatively manage their resources and ideas to design the most feasible and realistic type of building. This activity provided a wealth of opportunities for the students to learn more about a type of disaster they do not experience in this part of the country. Due to the fact that most buildings in New York City were not designed to withstand earthquake shaking, the students were able to gain an appreciation for how difficult it would be to prepare every structure in the city for this type of event.

  18. Shaking Table Tests Validating Two Strengthening Interventions on Masonry Buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Canio, Gerardo; Poggi, Massimo; Clemente, Paolo; Muscolino, Giuseppe; Palmeri, Alessandro

    2008-01-01

    Masonry buildings constitute quite often a precious cultural heritage for our cities. In order to future generations can enjoy this heritage, thence, effective projects of protection should be developed against all the anthropical and natural actions which may irreparably damage old masonry buildings. However, the strengthening interventions on these constructions have to respect their authenticity, without altering the original conception, not only functionally and aesthetically of course, but also statically. These issues are of central interests in the Messina area, where the seismic protection of new and existing constructions is a primary demand. It is well known, in fact, that the city of Messina lies in a highly seismic zone, and has been subjected to two destructive earthquakes in slightly more than one century, the 1783 Calabria earthquake and the more famous 1908 Messina-Reggio Calabria earthquake. It follows that the retrofitting projects on buildings which survived these two events should be designed with the aim to save the life of occupants operating with 'light' techniques, i.e. respecting the original structural scheme. On the other hand, recent earthquakes, and in particular the 1997 Umbria-Marche sequence, unequivocally demonstrated that some of the most popular retrofitting interventions adopted in the second half the last century are absolutely ineffective, or even unsafe. Over these years, in fact, a number of 'heavy' techniques proliferated, and therefore old masonry buildings suffered, among others, the substitution of existing timber slabs with more ponderous concrete slabs and/or the insertion of RC and steel members coupled with the original masonry elements (walls, arches, vaults). As a result, these buildings have been transformed by unwise engineers into hybrid structures, having a mixed behaviour (which frequently proved to be also unpredictable) between those of historic masonry and new members. Starting from these considerations, a

  19. BEPS redesign of 168 commercial buildings: summary report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stoops, J.L.; Deringer, J.J.; Moreno, S.; Misuriello, H.P.

    1984-05-01

    The objective of this report is to present, in usable form, summary data from the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) Phase II commercial buildings energy research conducted in 1978-1979. Summary data presented were obtained from two major research efforts: the BEPS Phase II Redesign experiment; and the related research on ASHRAE Standard 90-75R. The bulk of this report consists of data tabulations of key energy parameters for the 168 sample buildings, which were tabulated from computer-stored files of the 1978-1979 data. Two kinds of tabulations are included: numerical tabulations that extracted information from the computer-stored data base for the 168 sample buildings; and graphic presentations of the computer-generated data, plus data extracted from other sources. The intent is to provide a single data compendium of key energy-related factors from the 1978 redesign experiment and the associated 1978-1979 ASHRAE Standard 90-75R research. This report also supplements the information for which there was not space in the magazine articles. Thus, for some building types, additional analysis, comments, and data tabulations are included that could not be included in the articles because space was limited. These additional analysis items are not consistent across building types because both the energy conservation opportunities and the design strategies applied by the building designers varied considerably by building type. The chapters have been entered individually into EDB and ERA.

  20. Modeling of shear wall buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, A K [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh (USA). Dept. of Civil Engineering

    1984-05-01

    Many nuclear power plant buildings, for example, the auxiliary building, have reinforced concrete shear walls as the primary lateral load resisting system. Typically, these walls have low height to length ratio, often less than unity. Such walls exhibit marked shear lag phenomenon which would affect their bending stiffness and the overall stress distribution in the building. The deformation and the stress distribution in walls have been studied which is applicable to both the short and the tall buildings. The behavior of the wall is divided into two parts: the symmetric flange action and the antisymmetry web action. The latter has two parts: the web shear and the web bending. Appropriate stiffness equations have been derived for all the three actions. These actions can be synthesized to solve any nonlinear cross-section. Two specific problems, that of lateral and torsional loadings of a rectangular box, have been studied. It is found that in short buildings shear lag plays a very important role. Any beam type formulation which either ignores shear lag or includes it in an idealized form is likely to lead to erroneous results. On the other hand a rigidity type approach with some modifications to the standard procedures would yield nearly accurate answers.

  1. Measuring building change : a method to capture building knowledge

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Choukry, M.

    1993-01-01

    Buildings are subject to change of requirements during their periods of use. In the last decades it has been mostly assumed that the rate of change is increasing. Exact description of the type of change or the amount of change is not always investigated. Requirements change knowledge in currently

  2. T25 Qualification of old containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoerning, T.; Kasparek, E.M.; Voelzke, H.

    2013-01-01

    Radioactive waste for final disposal in the repository Konrad has to be packaged in licensed containers. The qualification of containers is performed according the respective standards and BfS requirements. The latter ones differ for different container types with respect to accident resistance based on the release behavior of the waste. Usually qualification of container types is performed before series production. The qualification of already produced containers (''old containers'') is significantly more complicated. The differences of quality assurance and materials properties of the older containers have to be evaluated. A main tool for this evaluation is the numerical re-calculation of accident scenarios for estimation of the safety margins. The validation of appropriate finite element models is available. Based on these date it might be possible to abandon additional drop tests with the existing old containers to prove the structural integrity.

  3. Modernism in Belgrade: Classification of Modernist Housing Buildings 1919-1980

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dragutinovic, Anica; Pottgiesser, Uta; De Vos, Els; Melenhorst, Michel

    2017-10-01

    Yugoslavian Modernist Architecture, although part of a larger cultural phenomenon, received hardly any international attention, since there are only a few internationally published studies about it. Nevertheless, Modernist Architecture of the Inter-war Yugoslavia (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), and specially Modernist Architecture of the Post-war Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under the “reign” of Tito), represents the most important architectural heritage of the 20th century in former Yugoslavian countries. Belgrade, as the capital city of both newly founded Yugoslavia(s), experienced an immediate economic, political and cultural expansion after the both wars, as well as a large population increase. The construction of sufficient and appropriate new housing was a major undertaking in both periods (1919-1940 and 1948-1980), however conceived and realized with deeply diverging views. The transition from villas and modest apartment buildings, as main housing typologies in the Inter-war period, to the mass housing of the Post-war period, was not only a result of the different socio-political context of the two Yugoslavia(s), but also the country’s industrialization, modernization and technological development. Through the classification of Modernist housing buildings in Belgrade, this paper will investigate on relations between the transformations of the main housing typologies executed under different socio-political contexts on the one side, and development of building technologies, construction systems and materials applied on those buildings on the other side. The paper wants to shed light on the Yugoslavian Modernist Architecture in order to increase the international awareness on its architectural and heritage values. The aim is an integrated re-evaluation of the buildings, presentation of their current condition and potentials for future (re)use with a specific focus on building envelopes and construction.

  4. A Rare Case of Charcot-Mari-Tooth Disease Type 2S in a 20-year-old Man

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia A. Shnayder

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2S is rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT that is characterized by a mutation in the IGHMBP2 gene. This gene encodes a helicase superfamily member that binds a specific DNA sequence from the region of the immunoglobulin mu chain switch. Mutation of this gene leads to spinal muscle atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 and CMT2S. This case report presents a 20-year-old male with genetically confirmed CMT2S having clinical respiratory involvement and symmetrically involved lower extremities. DNA sequencing revealed a previously unknown heterozygous mutation in the exone 2 of the IGHMBP2 gene leading to the replacement of the amino acid in the 46 position of the protein (chr11q13.3: 68673587 G>C. These atypical features widen the clinical spectrum of CMT2S. In describing this clinical case, we also improve diagnostic management and try to increase the alertness of various doctors towards neuromuscular diseases, including CMT.

  5. Role of Genomic Typing in Taxonomy, Evolutionary Genetics, and Microbial Epidemiology

    OpenAIRE

    van Belkum, Alex; Struelens, Marc; de Visser, Arjan; Verbrugh, Henri; Tibayrenc, Michel

    2001-01-01

    Currently, genetic typing of microorganisms is widely used in several major fields of microbiological research. Taxonomy, research aimed at elucidation of evolutionary dynamics or phylogenetic relationships, population genetics of microorganisms, and microbial epidemiology all rely on genetic typing data for discrimination between genotypes. Apart from being an essential component of these fundamental sciences, microbial typing clearly affects several areas of applied microbiogical research. ...

  6. Role of genomic typing in taxonomy, evolutionary genetics, and microbial epidemiology.

    OpenAIRE

    Belkum, Alex; Struelens, M.; Visser, Arjan; Verbrugh, Henri; Tibayrench, M.

    2001-01-01

    textabstractCurrently, genetic typing of microorganisms is widely used in several major fields of microbiological research. Taxonomy, research aimed at elucidation of evolutionary dynamics or phylogenetic relationships, population genetics of microorganisms, and microbial epidemiology all rely on genetic typing data for discrimination between genotypes. Apart from being an essential component of these fundamental sciences, microbial typing clearly affects several areas of applied microbiologi...

  7. The building network energy statistics 2004[Norway]; Bygningsnettverkets energistatistikk 2004

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2005-07-01

    The energy statistics for 2004 is the 8th in a row from the building network. The report presents analysis and statistics for various building energy use and technical installations. There are 1907 building objects included in the statistics situated in 254 of the counties in the country. In all this includes 9.3 mill. square meters heated area. Out of this 2.5 % residences is mainly constituted of department buildings. The rest is non-residential buildings in total 7.6 % of the entire building mass in Norway. The total energy consumption in the selection in 2004 is approx. 2.4 TWh. The climate in Norway in 2004 was the 6th warmest since the measurements started for 138 years ago. The report includes energy gradient figures and energy use from various climatic zones. The report shows the energy consumption distributed on various building types, variations in the energy consumption depending on the type of heating system, cooling, building sizes, ages and other factors. Figures for the energy consumption related to building function are included. Approx. 60 % of the buildings is new since the last yearly report. Those that were included in the 2003 report show a reduction in the temperature corrected specific energy consumption of 4.7 % from 2003 to 2004. The oil consumption has been reduced the most. Several building types have reduced the oil consumption with 50% and the total reduction is about 11 mill. litres of oil. The reasons are partly a switch to electric heating systems and partly a general reduction of the energy consumption. The report also includes statistics regarding technical conditions in the buildings such as heating system types, energy carriers, cooling, ventilation, energy flexibility, utilization and other factors. (tk)

  8. Characterizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon build-up processes on urban road surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Liang; Liu, An; Li, Dunzhu; Zhang, Lixun; Guan, Yuntao

    2016-01-01

    Reliable prediction models are essential for modeling pollutant build-up processes on urban road surfaces. Based on successive samplings of road deposited sediments (RDS), this study presents empirical models for mathematical replication of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) build-up processes on urban road surfaces. The contaminant build-up behavior was modeled using saturation functions, which are commonly applied in US EPA's Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). Accurate fitting results were achieved in three typical urban land use types, and the applicability of the models was confirmed based on their acceptable relative prediction errors. The fitting results showed high variability in PAH saturation value and build-up rate among different land use types. Results of multivariate data and temporal-based analyses suggested that the quantity and property of RDS significantly influenced PAH build-up. Furthermore, pollution sources, traffic parameters, road surface conditions, and sweeping frequency could synthetically impact the RDS build-up and RDS property change processes. Thus, changes in these parameters could be the main reason for variations in PAH build-up in different urban land use types. - Highlights: • Sufficient robust prediction models were established for analysis of PAH build-up on urban road surfaces. • PAH build-up processes showed high variability among different land use types. • Pollution sources as well as the quantity and property of RDS mainly influenced PAH build-up. - Sufficient robust prediction models were established for analysis of PAH build-up on urban road surfaces. Pollution sources as well as the quantity and property of RDS mainly influenced PAH build-up.

  9. Food preferences and mound-building behaviour of the mound-building mice Mus spicilegus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hölzl, Michaela; Krištofík, Ján; Darolová, Alžbeta; Hoi, Herbert

    2011-10-01

    Optimal foraging strategies and food choice are influenced by various factors, e.g. availability, size and caloric content of the food type and predation risk. However, food choice criteria may change when food is not eaten immediately but has to be carried to a storage site for later use. For example, handling time in terms of harvesting and transport time should be optimized, particularly when the risk of predation is high. Thus, it is not clear whether food selected by hoarding animals reflects their food preference due to intrinsic features of the food type, e.g. size, caloric or lipid content, or whether the food type selected is a compromise that also considers the handling time required for harvesting and transport. We investigate this question in relation to food hoarding behaviour in mound-building mice. In autumn, mound-building mice Mus spicilegus collect seeds and other plant material and cover it with soil. Such above-ground storage is quite unusual for rodents. Here, we investigated whether there is a relationship between the seed species preferred as building materials and those preferred for food. We conducted a seed preference test using three most collected weed species for mound building. Controlling factors like food availability or predation risk, mice prefer Setaria spp. as food, although Amaranthus spp. and Chenopodium spp. were preferentially harvested and stored. By including the availability of the three species, our experimental results were confirmed, namely, a clear preference for Setaria spp. Also, handling time and seed size revealed to influence plant choice.

  10. Effect of the Building Act 2011 on compliance costs in Western Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Bazen

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available  The Building Act 2011 commenced in Western Australia on 2 April 2012. It introduced private certification for design and construction compliance, and reduced fees and timeframes for local governments to issue permits. This research project assessed the effect of the Act on the time and cost of building approvals in WA, using an internet-based, self-completion survey to obtain feedback from people on their experience of the new building approvals process.   This research compared the cost of approval for 16 building projects under the new and old approvals processes. The research concluded that the new approvals process appears to be cost-neutral for the building industry as a whole. However, the cost of approval for the 11 building projects studied valued up to $1 million, particularly alterations to existing buildings, is an average of 4.0 times greater under the new approvals process.

  11. Type and location of findings in dental panoramic tomographs in 7-12-year-old orthodontic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pakbaznejad Esmaeili, Elmira; Ekholm, Marja; Haukka, Jari; Waltimo-Sirén, Janna

    2016-01-01

    The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland has paid attention to the large numbers of dental panoramic tomographs (DPTs), particularly in 7-12-year-old children. The majority of these radiographs are taken for orthodontic reasons. Because of the high radiosensitivity of children, the size of the irradiated field should be carefully chosen to yield the necessary diagnostic information at the lowest possible dose. The purpose of the present study was, therefore, to assess the outcome of DPTs within this age group in terms of type and location of pathological findings. It was also hypothesized that DPTs of orthodontic patients rarely display unrestored caries. Four hundred and forty-one DPTs, taken of 7-12-year-old children in 2010-2014, were randomly sampled. The 413 of them (94%) that had been taken for orthodontic reasons were analysed. All pathologic findings were restricted to the tooth-bearing area and there was no pathology in the bone structure or any incidental findings in the region of temporomandibular joint. Unlike hypothesized, 27% of the orthodontic DPTs showed caries in deciduous teeth and 16% in permanent teeth. A sub-sample of 229 DPTs, analysed for developmental dental and occlusal problems, most commonly displayed crowding (50%), positional anomalies and local problems with tooth eruption (32%), as well as hyperodontia (15%). Inclusion of only the actual area of interest in the image field should be considered case-specifically as a means to reduce the radiation dose.

  12. Austro-Hungarian Public Building Refurbishment and Energy Efficiency Measures - A Case Study on a Public Building in Sarajevo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salihbegović, Amira; Čaušević, Amir; Rustempašić, Nerman; Avdić, Dženis; Smajlović, Esad

    2017-10-01

    Among other pieces of architectural historical heritage in Sarajevo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina in general, the Austro-Hungarian architecture has preserved its original architectural, artistic and engineering characteristics. Both residential and public representative urban blocks, streets and squares are of distinguishable ambience in the architectural and urban image of the city and are testifying about our architectural past. A number of buildings is valorised and protected by law in terms of their architectural, artistic and historical value. In addition, these buildings have a distinct functional, ambiental, historical, and even aesthetical value. To make them last longer, refurbishment of these buildings is challenging and presents potential and multiple benefits for the city, and beyond. Refurbishing built environment through functional reorganizing, redesign and energy efficiency measures applications could result in prolonged longevity, architectural identity preservation and interior comfort improvement. Besides, implemented measures for energy efficiency, through the refurbishment process, should optimize the needs for energy consumption in treated buildings. This paper defines options in comfort improvements and redesign, without implying risks to the building longevity, analyses interventions and energy efficiency measures which would enable potential energy saving assessment in the refurbishment process of masonry buildings. This paper also discusses the different techniques that can be adopted for conservation and preservation of historical masonry buildings from the Austro-Hungarian period dealing with energy efficiency. The works were preceded by historical research and on-site investigations. This paper describes a methodology to quantify their vulnerability. A scheme of structural retrofitting is suggested following the research conducted. Revitalization of the building consisted in the reconstruction of the old building structure, creating the inner

  13. Radon concentration variations between and within buildings of a research institute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antignani, S.; Bochicchio, F.; Ampollini, M.; Venoso, G.; Bruni, B.; Innamorati, S.; Malaguti, L.; Stefano, A.

    2009-01-01

    Radon concentration in indoor air has been measured in many countries in a large number of buildings - mainly in houses but also in apartments and workplaces - mostly as a result of the application of radon policies and regulation requirements. However, few systematic analyses are available on radon concentration variations within buildings and between close buildings, especially as regards workplaces; such variations can have a significant impact on indoor radon exposure evaluation, and ultimately on the assessment of the dose from radon received by workers. Therefore, a project was started in 2006 aimed to study the spatial variation of radon concentration among and within about 40 buildings of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita (ISS), a research institute of public health located in Rome over a small area of less than 1 km 2 . Nuclear track detectors (CR-39) were used to measure radon concentration for two consecutive six-month periods, in more than 700 rooms of the surveyed buildings. The paper describes the project in detail and preliminary results regarding 558 rooms in 29 buildings. Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated as a measure of relative variation of radon concentration between buildings, between floors, and between rooms on the same floor. The CV between buildings resulted quite high (88%), a lower CV (42%) was found for variation between floors, whereas room-to-room CV on the same floor ranged from 25% at first floor level to 48% at basement level. Floor mean ratios, with ground floor as the reference level, were calculated for each building in order to study the correlation between radon concentration and floor levels. Although no clear trend was observed, the average basement/ground floor ratio of radon concentrations resulted about 2.0, whereas the average sixth floor/ground floor ratio of radon concentrations was 0.5. Some discussion on the potential impact of the results of this study on policies and radon regulations are also included in

  14. Influence of heat cost allocation on occupants' control of indoor environment in 56 apartments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Søren; Andersen, Rune Korsholm; Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2016-01-01

    -structured interviews showed a strong influence of the heat cost allocation plan on the occupants' control strategies. Occupants whose heating bills were based on floor area focused on a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. Occupants whose heating bills were based on meter readings focused on energy conservation...... of this paper was to study the indoor environment in buildings with collective and individual heat cost allocation plans, to investigate how the heat cost allocation influenced occupant behaviour and how occupants controlled the indoor environment. The effects of the heat cost allocation type were studied...

  15. Efficiency Analysis of Independent and Centralized Heating Systems for Residential Buildings in Northern Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabio Rinaldi

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The primary energy consumption in residential buildings is determined by the envelope thermal characteristics, air change, outside climatic data, users’ behaviour and the adopted heating system and its control. The new Italian regulations strongly suggest the installation of centralized boilers in renovated buildings with more than four apartments. This work aims to investigate the differences in primary energy consumption and efficiency among several independent and centralized heating systems installed in Northern Italy. The analysis is carried out through the following approach: firstly building heating loads are evaluated using the software TRNSYS® and, then, heating system performances are estimated through a simplified model based on the European Standard EN 15316. Several heating systems have been analyzed, evaluating: independent and centralized configurations, condensing and traditional boilers, radiator and radiant floor emitters and solar plant integration. The heating systems are applied to four buildings dating back to 2010, 2006, 1960s and 1930s. All the combinations of heating systems and buildings are analyzed in detail, evaluating efficiency and primary energy consumption. In most of the cases the choice between centralized and independent heating systems has minor effects on primary energy consumption, less than 3%: the introduction of condensing technology and the integration with solar heating plant can reduce energy consumption by 11% and 29%, respectively.

  16. Energy performance requirements for new buildings in 11 countries from Central Europe. Exemplary comparison of three buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loga, Tobias; Knissel, Jens; Diefenbach, Nikolaus

    2008-12-05

    The objective of the present comparison study is to show which energy efficiency require-ments have to be complied in different European countries when a new building is going to be constructed. For this purpose three Model Buildings were defined: a single-family house, a multi-family house and a school building. For each involved country (or region) the energy quality of the thermal envelope was determined which is necessary in order to just comply with the building code. Due to requirements on the overall energy performance the requested envelope quality usually depends also on the type of heat supply system or energy carrier. Therefore the systems were varied in a parameter study. The main result for each of the three Model Buildings is a comparison table which shows the heat transfer coefficient by transmission (a sort of mean U-value) for the different countries differenti-ated by supply system types. In a final step the primary energy demand according to the German regulation (EnEV 2007) was calculated for every envelope/system combination of the different countries. This allows a comparison of buildings with different supply systems. The study was performed by experts from 11 European member states: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. (orig.)

  17. Loneliness in old age: Psychosocial and health predictors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen Kaasa

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available  Study objectives  Design  Main results  17% (CI 12.5–23.0 of the respondents answered yes. A significant correlation was demonstratedbetween a feeling of loneliness and low self-perceived health, low vision and poor hearing, low activity of dailylife (ADL function, loss of a spouse, low social network, no hobbies and possession of a safety alarm. After amultiple regression analysis of the significant variables, the remaining variables as predictors for lonelinessincluded: number of social contacts, self-perceived health, using hearing aid and having a safety alarm.: : The information is obtained from a survey conducted among 232 inhabitants in this age group in the municipalityof Tønsberg, its Northern District. The interview data are composed of the responses from 202 elderlypeople living in a house or apartment (non-institutionalized to the question «do you generally feel lonely?».The purpose of this article is to study the prevalence of loneliness in a group of elderly peopleover 80 years old and the sociodemographic, health-related and social predictors for experiencing loneliness.ABSTRACT:

  18. Towards a Very Low Energy Building Stock: Modeling the U.S. Commercial Building Sector to Support Policy and Innovation Planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coffey, Brian; Borgeson, Sam; Selkowitz, Stephen; Apte, Josh; Mathew, Paul; Haves, Philip

    2009-07-01

    This paper describes the origin, structure and continuing development of a model of time varying energy consumption in the US commercial building stock. The model is based on a flexible structure that disaggregates the stock into various categories (e.g. by building type, climate, vintage and life-cycle stage) and assigns attributes to each of these (e.g. floor area and energy use intensity by fuel type and end use), based on historical data and user-defined scenarios for future projections. In addition to supporting the interactive exploration of building stock dynamics, the model has been used to study the likely outcomes of specific policy and innovation scenarios targeting very low future energy consumption in the building stock. Model use has highlighted the scale of the challenge of meeting targets stated by various government and professional bodies, and the importance of considering both new construction and existing buildings.

  19. Thermo Active Building Systems Using Building Mass To Heat and Cool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2012-01-01

    Using the thermal storage capacity of the concrete slabs between each floor in multistory buildings to heat or cool is a trend that began in the early 1990s in Switzerland.1,2 Pipes carrying water for heating and cooling are embedded in the center of the concrete slab. In central Europe (Germany,......, Austria, Netherlands, etc.), this type of system has been installed in a significant number of new office buildings since the late 1990s. The trend is spreading to other parts of the world (the rest of Europe, North America and Asia)....

  20. Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome in a 13-year old girl

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borgwardt, L.; Pedersen, P.; Peitersen, B.

    2008-01-01

    Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS) is an entity, defined by autoimmunity towards two or more endocrine organs. APS is classified in 3 subgroups (type-1, type-2a, type-2b), according to the organs involved. A case is presented of a 13-year old girl referred to the Department of Paediatrics...

  1. Tendency of the 18-8 type corrosion-resistant steel to cracking in automatic building-up of copper and copper base alloys in argon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abramovich, V.R.; Andronik, V.A.

    1978-01-01

    Studied was the tendency of the 18-8 type corrosion-resistant steel to cracking during automatic building-up of copper and bronze in argon. The investigation was carried out on the 0kh18n10t steel in argon. It had been established, that the degree of copper penetration into the steel inceases with the increase in the time of the 0Kh18n10t steel contact with liquid copper. Liquid copper and copper base alloys have a detrimental effect on mechanical properties of the steel under external tensile load during intercontant. It is shown that in building-up of copper base alloys on the steel-0Kh18n10t, tendency of the steel to cracking decreases with increase in stiffness of a surfaced weld metal plate and with decrease in building-up energy per unit length. The causes of macrocracking in steel at building-up non-ferrous metals are explained. The technological procedures to avoid cracking are suggested

  2. How old are Germanic lambs?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vrieland, Seán D.

    2017-01-01

    Gothic and Gutnish lamb with the meaning ‘sheep’ sets these two languages apart from the rest of Germanic, and is the most common piece of evidence used to claim they share a close connection. Yet the same meaning is found in the descendants of Proto-Fennic *lambaz, a loan from Proto-Germanic, an......Gothic and Gutnish lamb with the meaning ‘sheep’ sets these two languages apart from the rest of Germanic, and is the most common piece of evidence used to claim they share a close connection. Yet the same meaning is found in the descendants of Proto-Fennic *lambaz, a loan from Proto...

  3. Surgical pitfalls in patients with Ehlers–Danlos type IV: A case of spontaneous sigmoid perforation in a 17-year-old male

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai Lyn Ng

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS is a group of well described connective tissue disorders in which collagen production is impaired. The surgical management of affected individuals remains challenging, with no general consensus. We report a case of spontaneous sigmoid perforation in a 17-year-old Eurasian male, in whom we subsequently established the diagnosis of EDS type IV (EDS-IV. We review the literature to discuss the clinical features and diagnosis, and the recommended therapeutic management.

  4. ‘Bowling apart?’ : Vier vragen over Nederlandse sportclubs en omgang tussen arm en rijk

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meulen, Ruud van der; Ruiter, Stijn; Ultee, Wout

    2005-01-01

    ‘Bowling apart?’ Four questions on poor-rich contact in Dutch sports clubs This article tests Bourdieu’s and Putnam’s competing views on sports clubs as class mixers, using crosssectional Dutch survey data for the early 1980s and late 1990s. We calculate popularity and representativity indices.

  5. About Old and New Dialectic: Dialogues, Fallacies, and Strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik C. W. Krabbe

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available We shall investigate the similarities and dissimilarities between old and new dialectic. For the ‘old dialectic’, we base our survey mainly on Aristotle’s Topics and Sophistical Refutations, whereas for the ‘new dialectic’, we turn to contemporary views on dialogical interaction, such as can, for the greater part, be found in Walton’s The New Dialectic. Three issues are taken up: types of dialogue, fallacies, and strategies. Though one should not belittle the differences in scope and outlook that obtain between the old and the new dialectic, the paper will show that in many respects the old dialectic foreshadows the new dialectic.

  6. Determination of Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency Measures in Buildings with the Aid of Multiple Indices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theodoros Zachariadis

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Energy refurbishments of buildings can substantially contribute to economy-wide energy efficiency improvements, leading to decarbonisation and additional sustainability benefits. Prioritising the most economically promising investments is not straightforward because apart from cost-effectiveness calculations, several real-world constraints have to be taken into account. This paper describes an approach to assess the economically viable energy efficiency potential in the building sector of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, with a combination of detailed engineering modelling, cost-effectiveness calculations and real-world considerations of budgetary, technical, behavioural and market constraints. We examine diverse cost-effectiveness indices and come up with a proposal for prioritising specific energy investments such as the installation of heat pumps, insulation of roofs, and replacement of lighting and electronic equipment—without however ignoring other measures that may be economically less favourable but can realistically be implemented in a limited number of buildings. Finally we address the governance of energy efficiency policies, focusing on weaknesses of the current regulatory environment in Cyprus, which can be generalised for many other countries facing similar dilemmas.

  7. External shading devices for energy efficient building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahdan, M. S.; Ahmad, S. S.; Hussin, M. A.

    2018-02-01

    External shading devices on a building façade is an important passive design strategy as they reduce solar radiation. Although studies have proven the benefits of external shading devices, many are designed solely for aesthetic purposes without fully considering its high potential to reduce solar radiation and glare. Furthermore, explorations into shading devices by the design team are mostly left too late in the design development phases. Hence, the paper looks into the effectiveness of external shading devices on a building towards more energy efficient building. The study aims to analyse the effects of various configurations of external shading devices towards the energy consumption of a case study building based on computer simulations. This study uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) through Autodesk Revit software as simulation tool. The constant variables for the simulation are the orientation of the building, types of glazing used by the building and the internal loads of the building. Whereas, the manipulated variable is the types of shading device used. The data were sorted according to the categories and translated into a chart. Analysis of the findings indicate that shading devices with different configurations show significant results in the energy consumption and the best configuration is the egg-crate shading devices. The study recommends that the consideration for shading device as a passive design strategy needs to be developed at the early stage of the building design.

  8. An Old-Growth Definition for Southern Mixed Hardwood Forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    William B. Batista; William J. Platt

    1997-01-01

    This report provides an old-growth definition for the southern mixed hardwood forests based on five exemplary stands that show no evidence of having undergone any natural catastrophe or clearcutting for at least 200 years. This forest type occurs in the U.S. southeastern Coastal Plain from the Carolinas to eastern Texas. The exemplary old-growth stands were restricted...

  9. University building safety index measurement using risk and implementation matrix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, A.; Arumsari, F.; Maryani, A.

    2018-04-01

    Many high rise building constructed in several universities in Indonesia. The high-rise building management must provide the safety planning and proper safety equipment in each part of the building. Unfortunately, most of the university in Indonesia have not been applying safety policy yet and less awareness on treating safety facilities. Several fire accidents in university showed that some significant risk should be managed by the building management. This research developed a framework for measuring the high rise building safety index in university The framework is not only assessed the risk magnitude but also designed modular building safety checklist for measuring the safety implementation level. The safety checklist has been developed for 8 types of the university rooms, i.e.: office, classroom, 4 type of laboratories, canteen, and library. University building safety index determined using risk-implementation matrix by measuring the risk magnitude and assessing the safety implementation level. Building Safety Index measurement has been applied in 4 high rise buildings in ITS Campus. The building assessment showed that the rectorate building in secure condition and chemical department building in beware condition. While the library and administration center building was in less secure condition.

  10. Oxytocin promotes bone formation during the alveolar healing process in old acyclic female rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colli, Vilma Clemi; Okamoto, Roberta; Spritzer, Poli Mara; Dornelles, Rita Cássia Menegati

    2012-09-01

    OT was reported to be a direct regulator of bone mass in young rodents, and this anabolic effect on bone is a peripheral action of OT. The goal of this study was to investigate the peripheral action of oxytocin (OT) in the alveolar healing process in old female rats. Females Wistar rats (24-month-old) in permanent diestrus phase, received two ip (12h apart) injections of saline (NaCl 0.15M - control group) or OT (45μg/rat - treated group). Seven days later, the right maxillary incisor was extracted and analyses were performed up to 28 days of the alveolar healing process (35 days after saline or OT administration). Calcium and phosphorus plasma concentrations did not differ between the groups. The plasma biochemical bone formations markers, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin were significantly higher in the treated group. Histomorphometric analyses confirmed bone formation as the treated group presented the highest mean value of post-extraction bone formation. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) was significantly reduced in the treated group indicating an anti-resorptive effect of OT. Immunohistochemistry reactions performed in order to identify the presence of osteocalcin and TRAP in the bone cells of the dental socket confirmed these outcomes. OT was found to promote bone formation and to inhibit bone resorption in old acyclic female rats during the alveolar healing process. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Reunifying versus Living Apart Together Across Borders: A Comparative Analysis of Sub-Saharan Migration to Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beauchemin, C.; Nappa, J.; Schoumaker, B.; Baizan, P.; González-Ferrer, A.; Caarls, K.; Mazzucato, V.

    2015-01-01

    This article studies the process of reunification in Europe among “living apart together across borders” (LATAB) couples of African origin (DR Congo, Ghana, and Senegal). Couple reunion is conceived as a multilevel process, wherein state selection (through immigration policies in destination

  12. Willingness to pay for energy-saving measures in residential buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banfi, Silvia; Farsi, Mehdi; Jakob, Martin; Filippini, Massimo

    2008-01-01

    This paper uses a choice experiment to evaluate the consumers' willingness to pay for energy-saving measures in Switzerland's residential buildings. These measures include air renewal (ventilation) systems and insulation of windows and facades. Two groups of respondents consisting respectively of 163 apartment tenants and 142 house owners were asked to choose between their housing status quo and each one of the several hypothetical situations with different attributes and prices. The estimation method is based on a fixed-effects logit model. The results suggest that the benefits of the energy-saving attributes are significantly valued by the consumers. These benefits include both individual energy savings and environmental benefits as well as comfort benefits namely, thermal comfort, air quality and noise protection. (author)

  13. The Share of Preservation Issues when Planning a Library Building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff

    2002-07-01

    Full Text Available Primarily and historically a library was a place where books or manuscripts were kept. „ Thékos” means warehouse or storage area in Greek. But nowadays a library is more than a depository. It is also a place where you can read books and access the information they contain. In the case of a new building or of the rehabilitation of an old building it might also serve as a showcase for politicians or decision makers. Hence the necessity to combine preservation issues, accessibility and architecture.

  14. Trends in energy use in commercial buildings -- Sixteen years of EIA's commercial buildings energy consumption survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davis, J.; Swenson, A.

    1998-07-01

    The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) collects basic statistical information on energy consumption and energy-related characteristics of commercial buildings in the US. The first CBECS was conducted in 1979 and the most recent was completed in 1995. Over that period, the number of commercial bindings and total amount of floorspace increased, total consumption remained flat, and total energy intensity declined. By 1995, there were 4.6 million commercial buildings and 58.8 billion square feet of floorspace. The buildings consumed a total of 5.3 quadrillion Btu (site energy), with a total intensity of 90.5 thousand Btu per square foot per year. Electricity consumption exceeded natural gas consumption (2.6 quadrillion and 1.9 quadrillion Btu, respectively). In 1995, the two major users of energy were space heating (1.7 quadrillion Btu) and lighting (1.2 quadrillion Btu). Over the period 1979 to 1995, natural gas intensity declined from 71.4 thousand to 51.0 thousand Btu per square foot per year. Electricity intensity did not show a similar decline (44.2 thousand Btu per square foot in 1979 and 45.7 thousand Btu per square foot in 1995). Two types of commercial buildings, office buildings and mercantile and service buildings, were the largest consumers of energy in 1995 (2.0 quadrillion Btu, 38% of total consumption). Three building types, health care, food service, and food sales, had significantly higher energy intensities. Buildings constructed since 1970 accounted for half of total consumption and a majority (59%) of total electricity consumption.

  15. Post-occupancy evaluation of a restored industrial building: A contemporary art and design gallery in Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Mundo-Hernández

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results obtained from a post-occupancy evaluation (POE study conducted in an old fabric building called “La Violeta”. This structure has been recently converted into a contemporary art gallery. La Violeta is located in Puebla City, Mexico. The building dates from the beginning of the 19th century; it was built and used as a textile factory until the first decades of the 20th century. This POE study aims to assess the new use of the building from the users׳ point of view. Methodology involves historical research of the building, analysis of the conversion strategy, walkthrough investigation, and a user survey. Questions regarding the re-utilization strategy used in the building and its current use are included in the survey, such as “How do people perceive the space regarding its functionality, accessibility, and comfort?” Although the re-utilization process destroyed several historic elements, the re-use of old industrial spaces that otherwise would be obsolete and disused seems pertinent. Developing small renovation projects as part of an integral and wider project seems feasible. Users perceive the building as comfortable but not properly advertised as an art gallery, and its location is difficult to find.

  16. Exposure to radon Rn-222 of inhabitants of buildings in Olsztyn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorzkowski, B.; Pachocki, K.; Rozycki, Z.; Majle, T.; Pensko, J.; Krzeslak, A.

    1998-01-01

    The concentrations of radon-222 in the air of some buildings in Olsztyn were measured. The main source of radon in buildings is in general the ground under building and the materials used for building structure. In this work the results of radon-222 concentration measurements in the air of some buildings constructed before the 1939 year, in the buildings constructed after 1945 year with the traditional use of the bricks and in the buildings constructed with the use of great prefabricated plates are presented. The relations between radon-222 concentrations in the basements and in the first floor flats situated above the basement were evaluated. Based on the mean radon concentrations in the air of the various types of buildings investigated the effective doses for the inhabitants of each type of buildings were estimated. (author)

  17. Comparative study of solid waste management system based on building types in Palembang city

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jimmyanto, Hendrik; Dahlan, Hatta; Zahri, Imron

    2017-11-01

    Most of the solid waste generation sources come from housing activities. The types of house buildings located in the Palembang is a traditional building which made from wood construction and a permanent house which made from concrete construction. The aim of this study is to calculate the amount of waste generation and to study the community behavior in waste management. The research used an observation and questionnaires that took place in 3 location of the traditional housing and 3 location of the permanent housing with 20 respondents for each location. The results showed that the waste generation in the traditional housing was 1.51 liters/person/day and the permanent housing was 1.63 liters/person/day. The collecting system in traditional housing was taken by the garbage cart every 1 days, while in permanent housing was taken by motorcycle, pick-up car, or dump truck every 1 or 2 days. The questionnaire results showed that 96,67% of the traditional housing and 91,67% of the permanent housing disposed of the waste in a mix condition. Amount of 6,67 % from the traditional housing and 0% of permanent housing managed their waste into compost. Amount of 15 % from traditional housing and 3,33% of permanent housing sold their waste. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the permanent housing has the largest number of waste generation and the people in traditional housing had a tendency to manage the waste better than the permanent housing.

  18. Quantitative relationships between occupant satisfaction and satisfaction aspects of indoor environmental quality and building design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frontczak, M; Schiavon, S; Goins, J; Arens, E; Zhang, H; Wargocki, P

    2012-04-01

    The article examines which subjectively evaluated indoor environmental parameters and building features mostly affect occupants' satisfaction in mainly US office buildings. The study analyzed data from a web-based survey administered to 52,980 occupants in 351 office buildings over 10 years by the Center for the Built Environment. The survey uses 7-point ordered scale questions pertaining to satisfaction with indoor environmental parameters, workspace, and building features. The average building occupant was satisfied with his/her workspace and building. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression shows that satisfaction with all 15 parameters listed in the survey contributed significantly to overall workspace satisfaction. The most important parameters were satisfaction with amount of space (odds ratio OR 1.57, 95% CI: 1.55-1.59), noise level (OR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.25-1.29), and visual privacy (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.24-1.28). Satisfaction with amount of space was ranked to be most important for workspace satisfaction, regardless of age group (below 30, 31-50 or over 50 years old), gender, type of office (single or shared offices, or cubicles), distance of workspace from a window (within 4.6 m or further), or satisfaction level with workspace (satisfied or dissatisfied). Satisfaction with amount of space was not related to the gross amount of space available per person. To maximize workspace satisfaction, designer should invest in aspects that increase satisfaction with amount of space and storage, noise level, and visual privacy. Office workers will be most satisfied with their workspace and building when located close to a window in a private office. This may affect job satisfaction, work performance, and personal and company productivity. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  19. Method for achieving hydraulic balance in typical Chinese building heating systems by managing differential pressure and flow

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Lipeng; Xia, Jianjun; Thorsen, Jan Eric

    2017-01-01

    to a lack of pressure and flow control. This study investigated using pre-set radiator valves combined with differential pressure (DP) controllers to achieve hydraulic balance in building distribution systems, and consequently save energy and reduce the emissions. We considered a multi-storey building......Hydraulic unbalance is a common problem in Chinese district heating (DH) systems. Hydraulic unbalance has resulted in poor flow distribution among heating branches and overheating of apartments. Studies show that nearly 30% of the total heat supply is being wasted in Chinese DH systems due...... modelled in the IDA-ICE software, along with a self-developed mathematical hydraulic model to simulate its heat performance and hydraulic performance with various control scenarios. In contrast to the situation with no pressure or flow control, this solution achieves the required flow distribution...

  20. Economical evaluation of damaged vacuum insulation panels in buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Y. M.; Lee, H. Y.; Choi, G. S.; Kang, J. S.

    2015-12-01

    In Korea, thermal insulation standard of buildings have been tightened annually to satisfy the passive house standard from the year 2009. The current domestic policies about disseminating green buildings are progressively conducted. All buildings should be the zero energy building in the year 2025, obligatorily. The method is applied to one of the key technologies for high-performance insulation for zero energy building. The vacuum insulation panel is an excellent high performance insulation. But thermal performance of damaged vacuum insulation panels is reduced significantly. In this paper, the thermal performance of damaged vacuum insulation panels was compared and analyzed. The measurement result of thermal performance depends on the core material type. The insulation of building envelope is usually selected by economic feasibility. To evaluate the economic feasibility of VIPs, the operation cost was analyzed by simulation according to the types and damaged ratio of VIPs