bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling of embolism and malformation phenomena in the brain
Authors: Pen’kovskii V I , Korsakova N K
Published: November 2020

In a previously published mathematical model of blood circulation in the cerebral cortex, it was assumed that the circulatory system of the brain consists of a distribution network of relatively large arteries and a collector network of veins similar in structure [1]. The connection between the networks is carried out through a network of numerous small capillaries, in which arterial blood as a result of metabolic processes with the cellular tissue of the brain turns into venous. A system of equations of viscous fluid motion in a heterogeneous medium consisting of three interpenetrating, but not intersecting, continuums is written out. Intersections are pathology for a healthy human organism. Multiple calculations show that pathologies localized even in small areas of the brain significantly affect the nature of the distribution of blood pressure in the arterial and venous channels. The finite element method is used in the calculations. The network of elements is refined in the subdomains of pathologies in the form of malformation or embolism with a decrease in the conductive properties of a heterogeneous environment. The numerical solution of the planar problem was carried out with parameters close to the real conditions of blood circulation in the human brain.
Two invariant submodels of rank 1 of the hydrodynamic type equations and exact solutions
Authors: Siraeva D T
Published: November 2020

In this paper, the hydrodynamic type equations with the state equation in the form of pressure separated into the sum of density and entropy functions are considered. The admissible group of transformation generate 12-dimensional Lie algebra. For two three-dimensional subalgebras the invariant submodels of rank 1 are calculated. The exact solutions for the hydrodynamic type equations are obtained.
Boundary value problems for a third order equation of mixed-composite type
Authors: Fedorov V E
Published: November 2020

We study the two boundary value problems for a third order equations of mixed-composite type. Under the certain conditions on the coefficients and the right-hand side of the equation, the regular solvability of these problems is proved. For both problems, the convergence estimate of the approximate solutions is obtained.
The study of the strength properties of the human dura mater: the experience of one research center
Authors: Lipovka A I , Dubovoy A V , Parshin D V
Published: November 2020

The study of a human dura mater is an important task of modern neurosurgery for trauma, as well as surgery for changing volume fractions of the liquid media of the brain (hydrocephalus, hypertension, etc). This paper presents the first results of a study of the strength properties of a human dura mater. A description is given of the preparation of the sample for the experiment and the experimental technique. A comparison was made of the strength properties of the studied samples with samples of cerebral aneurysms and healthy cerebral vessels. For the first time the differences between dependence of stress and strain obtained from traverse and video extensometer are shown, which are statistically significant (p¿0.98).
A new beam element for the analysis of laminated composites based on the asymptotic splitting method
Authors: Golushko Sergey , Gorynin Gleb , Gorynin Arseniy
Published: November 2020

A new beam multilayer finite element for solving the bending problems of laminated composites is proposed. The finite element model is based on the asymptotic splitting method, which allows one to obtain a solution to the linear spatial problem of the theory of elasticity without using simplifying hypotheses. The advantage of this approach is that all components of the stress tensor are taken into account and that the stress states of composite beams of a complex cross-section are examined in detail without using the plane strain or plane stress states.
Nonlinear diagnostic of a shallow sea stratified by density with weak dispersion and weak nonlinearity
Authors: Novotryasov V V
Published: November 2020

The paper discusses the methodology for determining the parameters of the hydrophysical background of a shallow sea stratified by density. The background of this sea is characterized by quadratic nonlinearity - α, high-frequency dispersion -β and phase velocity of linear internal gravitational waves - c
0. In the framework of the theory of weakly-intensity shock waves in media with weak dispersion, expressions are obtained for calculating the parameters: α, β and c
0. The data for calculations are in-situ measurement of the spatial-temporal characteristics of the internal undular bores, traveling on the pycnocline of the shallow sea.
National experience in funding scientific megascience projects: legal modeling
Authors: Arzumanova L L
Published: November 2020

The research presents the current models of financing mega science projects in the Russian Federation. The work describes the existing in the Russian Federation the system of financing projects megascience. Legal relations in the sphere of financial activities of the states-participants of the projects of the megascience class occupy one of the central places in the system of public social relations arising in the process of construction and operation of large-scale research infrastructures. Emphasizes that Megascience projects are implemented in the public interest. Thus, the main goal of their development is to conduct comprehensive scientific research and breakthrough knowledge and innovative technologies for the benefit of all mankind. Megascience projects solve quite specific problems, and in this concern there is no need for their mass construction, and the high cost makes international cooperation economically feasible in the area under consideration. Legal relations in the sphere of financial activities of the states-participants of the projects of the megascience class occupy one of the central places in the system of public social relations arising in the process of construction and operation of large-scale research infrastructures.
Peculiarities of the legal status of scientists working on unique scientific facilities of the “MegaScience” class
Authors: Lozovskij D L , Karandaev I Y
Published: November 2020

The article presents aspects of the legal status of scientists, both internationally and at the Russian level. By the example of the CERN scientific project, the peculiarities of the legal experience of scientists involved in the scientific experiments of CERN are revealed, as well as the corresponding legal regulations. On the basis of the analysis, the expediency of identifying a special legal status of scientists working on unique scientific facilities of the “MegaScience” class is substantiated, which needs additional theoretical understanding.
Investigation of key criteria influencing the sustainability of residential buildings in tropical climate
Authors: Lazar Nina , Chithra K
Published: November 2020

Introduction: The need for sustainable cities and societies is well established and it is recognized as one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable buildings are the key elements in the fabric of sustainable cities. The efforts made in the building sector to accomplish the SDGs is widely accepted in the form of building rating systems and assessment systems, primarily focussing the environmental dimension, but the social and economic dimensions have gained less attention. In this context, developing countries are accustomed to many studies incorporating the three dimensions of sustainability. However, region-specific assessment systems and studies hardly exist especially in a country like India with diverse climatic conditions. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the key criteria influencing the environmental, social and economic sustainability with specific focus to residential buildings in the tropical climatic region of India. Methods: A comprehensive review of the existing Green Building Rating Systems (GBRS) and published literature was performed to establish the initial pool of criteria. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was conducted among experts from various domains to record the importance of each criterion towards sustainability of residential buildings in the tropical climate. The data collected through the questionnaire survey was analyzed and the degree of importance of each criterion was derived using Fuzzy TOPSIS. Further, Pareto analysis was used to arrive at the key criteria. Results: This study has evaluated the importance of each criterion towards sustainability and has proposed a comprehensive framework for assessing the sustainability of residential buildings in tropical climate incorporating the three dimensions of sustainability. The proposed framework would help the state and national governments to streamline the activities in the building sector towards achieving sustainability. Conclusions: The study concludes that a combination of Fuzzy TOPSIS and Pareto analysis is an effective method to define key criteria influencing sustainability. The findings of this study can be helpful to practitioners, researchers and academicians to achieve building sustainability in the tropical climate.
Lessons learnt from green public procurement in the Norwegian construction sector
Authors: Wiik Marianne Kjendseth , Flyen Cecilie , Fufa Selamawit Mamo , Venås Christoffer
Published: November 2020

Introduction. Over the next 5 years, Norway shall construct roads, rail tracks and buildings for up to 300 bNOK. Statens vegvesen (SVV), the Norwegian road authority, has calculated that construction, operation and maintenance of Norwegian roads are responsible for 1.5-2m tCO2eq/yr. SVV also found a correlation between cost and emissions and found that every 1MNOK invested leads to ca. 35tCO2eq. When considering the national transport plan (NTP), this equates to 10% of Norway’s climate budget. In order to reach climate mitigation goals, public developers have initiated environmental measures in public procurement to reduce GHG emissions. Methods. This paper collects, compares and reviews environmental criteria written into Norwegian public procurement to see which measures are being implemented, how they are being implemented, and to discuss how effective these measures are in cutting GHG emissions. Contracts are sampled from major public developers in the Norwegian construction sector. Results. The results show that public procurers use a range of tools to facilitate for emission reductions. Conclusions. This paper reviews environmental measures in public procurement of Norwegian construction. Lessons learnt may be spread to other countries and the private sector. Grant support. None.
Learning through sharing: beyond the traditional North-South learning models for a circular built environment
Authors: Iyer-Raniga Usha , Huovila Pekka
Published: November 2020

There is a general assumption that knowledge sharing takes place in a North-South direction; with North Americans and Europeans providing pearls of wisdom to the global South. At a recent Sustainable Built Environment knowledge sharing workshop this assumption was challenged. The workshop brought together building and circular economy experts from governments, public and private sector, financing organisations and researchers. The aim of this workshop was to share experiences between experts from The Netherlands, actively engaged in promoting and applying circularity principles in the country and the region, and Sustainable Building and Construction (SBC) partners engaged in promoting sustainable building and construction practices, including circularity, internationally. Participants were from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia and the EU. The workshop was set up in an interactive, action research format. The key messages arising from the workshop supported that South-North learning was equally valuable as North-South learning, supporting knowledge sharing rather than knowledge transfer. There was a recognition of the imminent danger of global system collapse if current practices were not changed immediately. Urgency was recognised as being a key driver to move to a new paradigm shift both in the North and the global South. There was also a recognition that since the task is complex and there are multifaceted considerations, it is not helpful to wait to align all stakeholders to develop common solutions. Grass roots engagement and development need to be supported and nurtured in alignment with various stakeholders. Governments can support circular processes through a top-down policy platform. Traditional and cultural practices in the global South may provide not only ideas for engagement but also new ways of thinking in a quest for diversity of solutions to be applied to reach our sustainability goals.
Traditional healing practices in India: Intangible knowledge and its resultant socio-cultural sustainability
Authors: Singh Chitrangda , Madan Amrita
Published: November 2020

There is an intimate relationship between our emotions and things around us. How and what we interpret from surroundings, formulates our experience of a spaces, which in turn governs the way we feel. Spatial setting has a deep impact on the practice and outcome of ‘psychological and spiritual’ healing. In India, there exist diverse traditional healing practices such as Ayurveda, Tibetan healing, Yunani, etc., which are the storehouses of intangible knowledge and ideas. The spaces of such practices appear to be unique and it seems that there are strong traditional ideas expressed through the physical construct of space. Such elaborate characteristics of the space enables the traditional systems to sustain in the rapidly urbanising society. The aim of this research is to explore the correlations between the spatial construct and fundamental ideas of healing as mentioned in the ancient texts of Ayurveda and Tibetan healing practice. Further, the research delves into understanding how such correlations result in sociocultural sustainability of traditional systems. Tushita Meditation Centre at Dharamshala and IAIM Healthcare Centre at Bengaluru are taken as primary building case studies. First-hand experience of the authors and observations with respect to the spatial construct are recorded. Further, the ancient texts of the traditional practices are studied to formulate the correlations with the ideas of healing as mentioned in the ancient texts of the respective practice. By doing such a study, we not only explore how the nature of the spaces is critical to the sustenance of the values embedded in the traditional system but also how it reflects on the overall continuity of the system. The outcome of the research is a set of correlations leading to sustainability of the traditional systems and hence, the importance of the UN Sustainable development goal 11 which suggests the strengthening of efforts to safeguard and protect natural and cultural heritage in order to lead to inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities.
Building Sustainability Assessment Methods: current update
Authors: de Fátima Castro Maria , Andrade Joana , Bragança Luís
Published: November 2020

The major reason that promoted the development of systems to support environmental performance assessment of buildings was the effective realisation, in some countries, that they were unable to say how sustainable a building was. Later researchers and government agencies understood that assessment tools are the best method to demonstrate the level of sustainability of all types of constructions. These can improve the education for a sustainable society, because it can promote understanding between the principles of sustainable construction and the user. Within this, several countries have developed their own methods for sustainability assessment adapted to their reality and presenting them as capable of guiding the overall performance of this sector. Most of these methods are based on local rules and legislation, in locally conventional construction technologies, with the default weight of each indicator set according to the actual local socio-cultural, economic and environmental contexts. Through the years, these methods have contributed to the growth of the awareness about criteria and objectives of sustainability, and they have been improved to a more holistic approach. They become a reference to assess the sustainability of buildings in particular and construction in general.

This paper proposes to present the evolution of these methods after twenty-five years, comparing and critical analysing the most recognised ones. It will expose the results of comparation, regarding criteria, weights and final scores, and presented the new path these methods are now tracing. A new trend for method to support design rather than certifying an erected building is also presented. In conclusions it will be discussed the pros and cons of the appearance of them and their improvements.
Sustainable urban densification potentials: a geospatial analysis of Swiss post-war neighbourhoods
Authors: Eggimann S , Wagner M , Chen T , Ho Y , Schneider U , Orehounig K
Published: November 2020

Densification is a sustainable urbanization strategy for reducing per capita environmental impacts facilitating the achievement of sustainable cities as outlined in the sustainable development goals. We have developed a methodology for assessing sustainable densification potentials at a national scale based on urban structure units and perform an analysis for residential Switzerland. In contrast to single-building assessments, our methodology allows a differentiated spatial identification and evaluation of entire neighbourhoods. We focus on urban post-war neighbourhoods, which are of key importance for realising sustainable densification. Depending on the chosen methodological assumptions, between 1.1 - 1.6 million people are currently living in post-war neighbourhoods in Switzerland. We further classify post-war neighbourhoods into different geographical centrality classes to evaluate the suitability for densification from a sustainability point of view. We have calculated a first estimate of densification potentials of postwar neighbourhoods, i.e. the number of additional inhabitant which could be accommodated, across a range of density values. We estimate, that densifying post-war neighbourhoods to a minimum density value of 200 inhabitants per hectare building zone would enable the accommodation of an additional 4 – 10% of today’s Swiss population. More than half of this potential is located in central or very central urbanised geographical locations and thus most interesting from a sustainability point of view.
De-carbonizing Hong Kong-What energy strategies are effective?
Authors: Cheng Vincent
Published: November 2020

Buildings account for 67% of carbon emission and up to 90% of electricity consumption of Hong Kong. One third of our electricity is used on air-conditioning, which naturally become a key to decarbonization of the City. District Cooling System (DCS) is one of the most important sustainable infrastructures as stipulated in the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+. As one of the key initiatives to increase the awareness of energy efficiency concept to the community, the HKSAR Government has promoted the adoption of DCS in the Kai Tak Development (KTD) and other planned New Development Areas (NDA). By applying the DCS, the cooling load could be shared amongst the diversified cooling requirements of various building types in the same district, thus the benefits including the improvement of energy efficiency, reduction of standby capacity and spatial requirements can be enjoyed. In recent years, Hong Kong has amassed many experiences on DCS. Successful implementation of DCS at KTD has provided many valuable know-hows on its design, construction and operation. Many challenges on the implementing DCS including the land matter, design, planning, environmental and regulatory arrangements have been resolved and paved the way for the wider application in other NDAs such as the Tung Chung New Town Extension (East) and Kwu Tung North. For each of these NDAs, many site-specific constraints are required to be investigated and addressed. This paper will discuss the DCS implementation issues, highlighting the lessons learnt and the possible solutions for wider adoption of DCS in Hong Kong.
Barriers and Drivers Facing Architects in Adopting Energy Efficiency and the use of Zero-carbon Technologies in Nigerian Built Environment
Authors: Muhammad AY , Ibrahim S K , Dalibi S G
Published: November 2020

The study presents the driving factors of energy efficiency with barriers that persuade against the progressive development of affordable and clean energy. With the benefit of the use of zero-carbon technology to reduce carbon related emission in the built environment, these might pave the road in saving 2.9 Gt Co2e through the combined effort of design, models, stringent policies and management initiatives to enhance energy efficiency. However, these will bridge the gap by setting the rudiment steps for future energy-efficient in an urban environment. To ascertain a clear picture of the barriers and drivers facing the architects embracing energy efficiency and zero-carbon technologies for affordable and clean energy in the country. The study outline the positive correlations based on the Architects’ perspectives. The sources of the data were via questionnaire survey studies which were selected randomly, amongst various architects and professional architects in Nigeria’s built environment. The knowledge ranking of drivers and barriers where revealed based on the adopting energy efficiency technologies. Nonetheless, to save energy, funds, the environments and improve health being of end-users, were considered as greater achievement despite the resilience effects of Nigerian communities. The study concluded by pinpointing the future prospects of energy efficiency by identifying the driving factors, strategies, and approaches taken to reinforce energy efficiency with the use of zero-carbon technologies and renewable energy.
Meta-study of smart and local energy system demonstrators in the UK: technologies, leadership and user engagement
Authors: Gupta Rajat , Zahiri Sahar
Published: November 2020

Smart local energy systems (SLES) can intelligently and locally link energy supply, storage and use, and power, heating and transport in ways that dramatically improve efficiency. This paper undertakes a meta-study of the technologies deployed, leadership and extent of user engagement achieved in SLES initiatives undertaken in the UK from 2009-2018. An extensive review of literature revealed 122 SLES projects that have received some form of funding, deploy multiple vectors (heating, power or transport) and have an element of ‘smartness’ to them that includes innovative use of data, digitalisation or innovative energy management systems. Meta-data analysis reveals that more than 50% of the SLES projects were undertaken in Scotland and Southern England where grid constraints are prevalent. Nearly 30% of the projects were led by district network operators (DNOs) or energy suppliers and 27% were led by private sectors, while only 19% of SLES were undertaken in collaboration with community energy groups, local authorities and/or universities. Less than 50% of SLES projects had some form of user engagement through public events and workshops. Learning from this meta-study can inform the next generation of SLES projects that have been funded under the £102 million Prospering from the energy revolution programme.
Modelling of a Large Vertical Ground Heat Exchanger Integrated with a Heat Pump for Building Energy Simulation in China
Authors: Pei L , Schalbart P , Peuportier B
Published: November 2020

Vertical ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems used in buildings in China can help to increase the share of renewable energy and improve the energy efficiency. A building energy simulation (BES) tool including a vertical GCHP model is beneficial for analysing the system performance under dynamic building loads. This paper presents a large-scale vertical ground heat exchanger model integrated to a heat pump model in the BES tool COMFIE, in a Matlab-Delphi co-environment. This model was applied to a residential building block with a 26 × 26 borehole field in Wuhan, China. The heat pump performance improvement was investigated for different design parameters. For half-hourly simulation of 1 year, the specific calculation time of the proposed GCHP model is 4 seconds out of 8 minutes for the whole building. The proposed model can be used as a design aid to optimise the system performance.
Modeling the thermal response of geothermal boreholes during peak heating and cooling demands
Authors: Hermanns Miguel , Rivero Juan Manuel
Published: November 2020

Designing a geothermal heat exchanger requires special care with peak heating and cooling demands of the building as material damages in the installation can occur due to the extreme temperatures reached by the heat carrying liquid. These peak demands last a few days at most and require the inclusion of the thermal inertia of the heat carrying liquid, the grout, and the ground located close to the boreholes in the theoretical model used to predict the thermal response of the geothermal heat exchanger. The present work develops such a model by expanding the grout and ground temperatures in terms of conveniently chosen multipoles.
Relational materialism in passive house designs – mundane work and tinkering in Vallastaden’s low energy buildings
Authors: Glad Wiktoria , Gramfält Madelene
Published: November 2020

Sweden’s new showcase mixed-use neighbourhood of Vallastaden has been designed for social and environmental sustainability, with a specific focus on citizens’ active involvement in the early phases of the planning process, and the built environment has been designed to encourage social interaction between residents. One aspect of the Vallastaden concept is low energy buildings and passive house designs. All buildings are designed to be 25% more energy efficient than the requirements of the Swedish Building Code, and 12 residential buildings have been designed as passive houses. This research project focuses on the planning, construction and management processes, and on the everyday lives of the passive houses’ residents. The paper reports on the initial research conducted with a qualitative approach, including interviews with residents and stakeholders and diaries maintained by residents. Relational materialism is our theoretical approach for analysing empirical material and guiding our understanding of the sociomaterial as being intertwined in assemblages and how different elements and entities are enacted in everyday life for low energy thermal comfort in passive houses. Our conclusion is that building design and energy system design varies between the different buildings. There are many different passive houses in Vallastaden, which come in different shapes and with multiple relationships between the social and the material. Both residents and professional groups need to work to achieve the desired levels of thermal comfort, and this work includes what seems to be endless tinkering with the different parts of the energy system and buildings. Eventually, different practices become established for mundane management of thermal comfort.
Effects of substrate depth and native plants on green roof thermal performance in South-East Australia
Authors: Pianella A , Aye L , Chen Z , Williams N S G
Published: November 2020

Three experimental green roofs in Melbourne with depth of 100, 150 and 300 mm have been assessed to quantify their thermal performance. To evaluate the benefit of substrate depth, temperature was recorded every 50 mm along a vertical profile. Green roofs consisted of scoria substrate and a mix of three species of plants: Lomandra longifolia, Dianella admixta and Stypandra glauca. Statistical analyses applying the hierarchical partitioning technique showed that solar radiation is the main driver affecting the green roof surface temperature, air temperature has strong correlations with the variations of the temperatures recorded below the surface, while moisture content has the least influence. Temperature profiles of the green roof show that the first 50 mm do reduce the heat flowing through the green roof substrate regardless the total green roof substrate depth. Differences in thermal performance arise at deeper points, where thicker green roofs are able to delay the change of substrate temperatures. Similar effects were found for the heat fluxes measured at the interface between the green roof and building roof. These results confirmed that green roofs may be used as a sustainable passive technology to reduce building energy consumptions for South-East Australia climate.
Guidelines for analysing the building energy efficiency using BIM
Authors: Carvalho J P , Bragança L , Mateus R
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for the construction industry are already known and proved. One of the applications of BIM is to estimate buildings energy demand and foster the introduction of more efficient design alternatives. BIM creates information to support designers’ decision-making and to allow them to compare and select the best options, enhancing buildings energy efficiency. With the increasing use of BIM and energy simulation tools, there is a need to establish a common and valid procedure for buildings energy assessment.

Material and Methods

By carrying out a building simulation with BIM, this paper identifies and describes the fundamental stages and requirements to perform a reliable, concise and fast energy assessment. These guidelines will consider Autodesk Revit as a BIM platform to create and prepare the building 3D model.

Results

The proposed guidelines cover all the required tasks for a BIM energy assessment, as the building modulation details and requirements, the software interoperability modes and restrictions and the comparison and selection of improvement measures. Inputs and advice are given regarding the use of some of the existing energy simulation BIM tools.

Conclusions

With the increasing number of studies addressing energy simulations with BIM, it is essential to define a set of requisites to precisely perform them. By identifying the minimum requirements and tasks, the proposed guidelines will support future studies in achieving more reliable and comparable results.

The possibility to estimate and improve the energy demand of a building during the initial project stages allows for the opportunity to build high performance and more sustainable buildings. BIM capabilities might be an essential support to effectively improve the built environment energy efficiency and accomplish environmental goals.

Grant Support

The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for its financial support for this study (Reference SFRH/BD/145735/2019).
Sustainable renovation versus redevelopment of aged buildings, a comparative analysis of the legislative framework in South Korea
Authors: Schuetze Thorsten , Amoruso Fabrizio M. , Sonn Minhee
Published: November 2020

This research analyses, evaluates and compares the current South Korean legal frameworks and incentive programs that are related to the renovation and potential horizontal and vertical extension of existing buildings, and the construction of new buildings. The research focuses on the three different building categories and the associated urban zoning categories (i) high-rise apartment (residential), (ii) villa (residential), and (iii) mixed-use (residential, office, commercial).The research includes information about maximum building height and the number of floors, floor area ratios, building occupancy ratios, as well as building programs, safety, circulation, energy issues, and financial incentives. The results of this research illustrate the legislative framework and incentive system-based potentials and barriers for sustainable building renovations in South Korea.
Tiny house, tiny footprint? The potential for tiny houses to reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: Crawford R H , Stephan A
Published: November 2020

While considerable improvements to the energy efficiency of housing have been achieved over recent decades, the residential sector still represents a significant and increasing proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is exacerbated by an increasing global population and living standards, demand for larger houses, and smaller household size. Tiny houses have emerged as a potential solution to this issue. While research exists on the environmental benefits of smaller housing, there is little on that of tiny houses. This study quantifies the life cycle GHG emissions of a tiny house, and their potential to reduce residential GHG emissions. A hybrid analysis and a dynamic energy modelling tool were used to quantify embodied and operational GHG emissions, respectively, for a tiny house located in Australia. The study shows that a tiny house may result in a 70% reduction in per capita GHG emissions over its life compared to a traditional Australian house. This indicates the potential of tiny houses to be a useful option for reducing GHG emissions in the building sector.
Key Indicators & Assessment of Sustainable Buildings for (EU) Market Uptake through Housing Green Mortgages
Authors: Paez Camilo , Gonzalez Aránzazu Galán , Erten Duygu , Cristoforetti Sebastiano
Published: November 2020

This paper discusses the approach and implementation strategy of the Green Homes/Green Mortgages (GH/GM) programme being developed by the H2020 funded project SMARTER Finance for Families. We analyse the potential of this project for making step-change in the mainstream market of housing construction for it to adopt consistent environmental friendly practices at a large scale and involving all the value chain and stakeholders involved. One key feature of the project being analysed is the task to align the Green Certification requirements of the programme to the institutional initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate for Environment of an environmental performance reporting framework: The Level(s) framework.
The City of the Future: The Urban (Un) Seen Connecting Citizens and Spaces via Community Sensing
Authors: Zerza B , Park T
Published: November 2020

Maximizing the potential of digitalization, technologies of the virtual realm present an opportunity to rethink the experience of space, society, and culture. Cities designed with integrated smart technologies and sustainable energy sources can improve urban life. Given the impact of these technologies, this paper examines the connections between data, infrastructure, and the public realm. Artificial intelligence (AI) can transform the environment we live in, and cities are facing the rise of urban intelligence (UI). Mobile sensors and handheld devices, referred to as “urban tech,” allow cars, buses, bicycles, and citizens to collect data about air quality, noise pollution, and the urban environment at large. Smart urban infrastructures can address issues such as crime, environmental pollution, and public health and help improve quality of life. How will our lives change intellectually, physically, and emotionally as the Internet of things (IoT) migrates into urban environments? Twenty-first-century architecture can find new purpose by adopting a coherent vision for the future. Virtual space can function as a mediating layer between the real and the yet to come, between cultural identities and a truly global technological existence.
CLiAR A digital tool for the conscious use of resources
Authors: Nölle T
Published: November 2020

We need a paradigm shift that radically questions the dominant culture of waste and lack of responsibility. We need to transform our handling of resources and respect the human values of dignity and health. And last but not least: The buildings we design today should be recyclable for the future and they should have the ability to leave the planet respectably. For this reason waste production and recycling have to be considered in the design process as early as possible.

Strategies for buildings with these principles of design and construction, can only be successfully developed in the early phases of a project. In these early project phases, however, currently exists an enormous lack of information about the sustainable and digital performance.

The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) together with Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is helpful in the early phases of a project. These LCA are cost-intense, complex, time-consuming and therefore rarely used. As a result, decision-makers and executives in the building industry currently have no holistic information and no basis of decisions in the early phases of a project.

In order to close this gap, we started a research project at ETH Zurich, for a digital tool named CLiAR (Closed Loop in ARchitecture). The idea of the web-based tool, was to combine and overlap the sustainable and the digital project views. It offers a circular and digital index, to achieve a holistic project evaluation, by reviewing the 40 most relevant topics for the sustainable and digital transformation in 12 sectors and generates in addition an overall project rating.

CLiAR shows decision-makers in the building industry, the sustainable and digital project potentials in early phases of a project and provides executives a basis for further decisions.

CLiAR is advantageous, because it works without BIM and LCA.
Digital Twin in Circular Economy: Remanufacturing in Construction
Authors: Chen Ziyue , Huang Lizhen
Published: November 2020

Global warming attracts increasing public attention. However, in the past few decades, the contribution of construction to greenhouse gas emissions is around 40% of total emissions. The promotion of construction waste remanufacturing faces challenges. The application of digital twins in the remanufacturing of construction waste contributes to the tracking, recycling and management of construction waste. This article reviews the current research on construction waste remanufacturing and the application of Digital Twin in construction and remanufacturing, aiming at finding the current challenge of construction waste remanufacturing and the opportunity of Digital Twin to solve it. Then, the Digital Twin platform concept for construction waste remanufacturing is provided as a solution for the current challenges. Theoretically, this paper points out the shortcomings of the current research in construction waste remanufacturing based on literature review. Meanwhile, this article proposes the application of Digital Twin in construction waste remanufacturing, which expands the research scope of circular economy in construction. In fact, this research has driven the Digital Twin application in more industries. Besides, this research proposes a concept of potential solutions for the current challenges of construction waste in circular economy.
Implementation of digital technology for connected resilient communities, enhancing access to public services
Authors: Turner P , Bourikas L , Bahaj A S , Gauthier S , James P , Dalton H , Allott N , Lines J
Published: November 2020

Digital technology has been presented as part of the solution to revolutionise public services, such as social care with its rising costs and demand. Here we present the outcome of an ongoing trial of CareTeam, a digital platform used during the redesign of the commission of domiciliary care for Portsmouth City Council, UK. CareTeam comprises a mobile app and sensors developed to support independent living, enabling communication and coordination of the wider care network. Qualitative interviews with care workers and commissioners were conducted to understand the impact on the commissioning and administration of care for clients and care workers/management. Responses indicate that technology can enhance care provision through increased transparency and collaboration. CareTeam provided (a) assurances to formal and informal carers that the care was actually being delivered and (b) improved adherence and adaptability to the care schedule delivering a more cost effective and robust service. While previous research has shown digital technologies perceived as being in competition with traditional service provision, CareTeam was found to support human interactions. Results show that connected services can be deployed to support assisted living through providing person centric, efficient and cost-effective support in the budget-restrained social services reality.
Investigation of maintenance and replacement of materials in building LCA
Authors: Francart Nicolas , Malmqvist Tove
Published: November 2020

Recent life cycle assessments (LCAs) of buildings highlight the importance of global warming potential from construction materials, in particular in energy-efficient buildings. It is therefore important to address the influence of methodological choices related to materials on LCA results. This paper focuses on scenarios for the maintenance and replacement of building elements.

Methods: A literature review is carried out to summarize the state of the art regarding scenarios for maintenance and replacement in building LCA, their influence on LCA results and related methodological issues. Additionally, a case study is carried out to investigate whether assumptions about service lives in LCA could significantly influence the recommended design for a building’s roof, using a Monte Carlo analysis considering service lives as stochastic variables.

Results: The literature review reveals a broad range of impacts from maintenance and replacement in case studies. There is therefore no consensus about the relative impact of these processes. These differences can be partly explained by differences in scope (e.g. what elements are considered to be replaced and what kinds of processes are included), in methods for service life estimation and in future scenarios for the production and recycling of materials. Relative impacts from maintenance and replacement seem to be highest for energy efficient buildings with a long service life, and for elements such as carpets, paint, insulation, doors and windows. The case study of roofing materials exemplifies a case where assumptions about service lives could influence design decisions. Both the ranking of alternatives and the relative significance of maintenance and replacement processes depend on assumptions about service lives. An asphalt roof cover is preferred when considering only initial installation, but a clay tile roof cover is preferred over asphalt in roughly two thirds of the cases when considering maintenance and replacement. Metal roofs almost always had a poorer environmental performance under the assumptions considered.

Conclusions: Results from the case study are compared with previous studies of maintenance and replacement processes, and methodological issues deserving further consideration are highlighted. In particular, the case study is used to discuss the issue of whether a modelling based on independent service lives for various building elements accurately reflects industrial practices. Moreover, the relevance of including maintenance and replacement in regulations and climate declarations for buildings is discussed.

Grant support: This work is part of the research programme “E2B2 – Research and innovation for energy-efficient construction and housing”, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of urban roads: a literature review
Authors: Hoxha E , Vignisdottir R.R , Passer A , Kreiner H , Wu S , Li J , Bohne R.A
Published: November 2020

With the ratification of the Paris climate agreement to avoid the uncompensated effects of climate change, 197 countries will have to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. In the case of the urban space, roads are responsible for the consumption of 105M tons of bitumen and 115M tons of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, the reduction of the environmental impacts of road construction is becoming an urgent necessity. So far the vast majority of the Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to evaluate the environmental burdens of existing roads and new asphalt solutions. However, due to the different LCA methodological choices, recent studies have highlighted the difficulties in comparing the results of cases published in literature. Driven by this knowledge gap, the aim of the present study was to identify key aspects missing in the assessment of urban roads. Through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), 47 publications have been selected for further investigation. An intensive analysis of these documents clearly demonstrate the heterogeneity of the applied LCA methodological choices as well as the selected approaches regarding i.e. the goal of the studies, functional unit, system boundary, database and stratigraphy of the road pavement. Aiming to harmonize the LCA methodology, we have identified key aspects that require solutions for a robust LCA application. The results are expected to be useful for the National Road Administration (NRA) in assessing the environmental impacts of future urban road projects. As a response to the Paris climate agreement targets, the application of harmonized methods regarding LCA should lead to a more robust and structured process in terms of identifying low carbon urban road solutions and contributing to the SDGs respectively.
Environmental and economic optimisation of buildings for different climates
Authors: Kiss B , Silvestre J D , Madeira J F A , Santos R A , Szalay Zs
Published: November 2020

Introduction: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific method for evaluating the environmental impact of products. Standards provide a general framework for conducting an LCA study and calculation rules specifically for buildings. A challenge is to design energy-efficient buildings that have a low environmental impact, reasonable costs, and provide high thermal comfort, as these are usually conflicting aspects. Efficient mathematical optimisation algorithms can be applied to such engineering problems. Methodology: In this paper, a multi-objective optimisation technique, the Direct MultiSearch method, is described and its applicability is tested on a multi-story residential building’s case study for two locations, Portugal and Hungary. The objectives are to minimise the life cycle environmental impacts and costs. Results and conclusions: The results indicate that optimum solutions are found at a higher cost but lower Global Warming Potential for Portugal than for Hungary. Optimum solutions have walls with a thermal transmittance of about 0.23 and 0.15 W/m2K for Portugal and Hungary, respectively. Multi-objective optimisation algorithms can be successfully applied to find solutions with low environmental impact and eco-efficient thermal envelope.