bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vario-scale data structures
Authors: Šuba Radan
Published: November 2023

The previous chapter presents state-of-the-art in map generalization at NMAs’ and continuous generalization. There is a noticeable technological shift towards continuous generalisation which supports interactive map use where users can zoom in, out and navigate more gradual way. Despite some research efforts there is no satisfactory solution yet. Therefore, this chapter introduces the truly smooth vario-scale structure for geographic information where a small step in the scale dimension leads to a small change in representation of geographic features that are represented on the map. With this approach there is no (or minimal) geometric data redundancy and there is no (temporal) delay any more between the availability of data sets at different map scales (as was and is the case with more traditional approaches of multi-scale representations). Moreover, continuous generalisation of real world features is based on the structure that can be used for presenting a smooth zoom action to the user.

More specific, Section 3.1 and 3.2 provide historical overview of the development and the theoretical framework for vario-scale representations: the tGAP-structure (topological Generalized Area Partitioning). Section 3.3 describes the initial effort to generate the better cartographic content; the concept of constraint tGAP. Section 3.4 explains the 3D SSC (Space-Scale Cube) encoding of 2D truly vario-scale data. Section 3.5 shows idea how to combine more level of details in one map. Section 3.6 summarizes the open questions of the vario-scale concept and it indicates research covered in following chapters. Finally, Section 3.7 presents vario-scale data research in parallel to this PhD for progressive data transfer. Then, Section 3.8 summarises the chapter.
Conclusion
Authors: Šuba Radan
Published: November 2023

This thesis has researched further design and development of a system for vario-scale maps. Section 7.1 presents our ultimate vario-scale goal, which will give us perspective to understand issues addressed in the previous chapters such as further development of current generalization tools considering better vario-scale content (Chapter 4), pro- cessing of a large dataset not ﬁtting in main memory (Chapter 5) and smooth user in- teraction (Chapter 6). All these aspects are now brought together in this chapter where they will be summarized and critically evaluated. The main contributions will be put in the context of the thesis by answering the research questions in Section 7.2, mean- while new op r future research will be covered in Section 7.3.
Conclusions
Authors: Latka Jerzy F.
Published: November 2023

This study has demonstrated how paper and its derivatives can be used as a building material and main structural material in design and architecture. The usage of paper in architecture is limited by many factors, including its vulnerability to moisture, humidity and water, creep and the limited variety of products created by the paper industry. However, paper and paper products can be successfully used in several types of architecture and design. The advantages of using paper in architecture are its low price, the fact that it is mass-produced, its ease of recycling and the mechanical properties of the material.

The paper industry’s current focus seems to be on packaging materials and new functionalities of paper and cellulose-based materials. Paper will never replace traditional building materials, but it can fulfil a niche demand created by certain designers and architects. It can be used for products such as interior and industrial design, including everyday objects, partition wall systems, furniture, exhibition pavilions, stage sets, venues for temporary events such as trade fairs or major sporting events, medium-lifespan housing (with a lifespan of up to twenty years) for the private and public sectors, public buildings emergency shelters.

This Chapter 8 presents the conclusions of this thesis. First, the research questions and sub-questions are discussed. The research questions are answered in the relevant chapters of the thesis. Chapter 2 presents the some fundamental research on paper, including its history, production, mechanical properties and products produced by the paper industry. Chapters 3 and 4 present the scope of paper usage in design and architecture. Chapter 3 presents the types of paper designs in architecture, while Chapter 4 outlines developments in paper architecture on the basis of sixteen realised structures. The buildings are described in detail, with a particular focus on structural engineering and the paper products used in the various projects.

Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 follow a research-by-design approach which includes engineering and prototyping. These chapters present prototypes of paper furniture, pavilions, domes and shelters, made of paper products such as corrugated cardboard, honeycomb panels, paper tubes and U- and L-shaped cardboard profiles. The prototypes in question were built by the author of this thesis and his students and partners. They demonstrate different approaches to the potential use of paper in architecture.

Chapter 7 presents the project of the Transportable Emergency Cardboard House. TECH is the final project encompassing the author’s fundamental, material and design research and previous prototypes. There are three generations of TECH, each of which is subsequently improved with regard to its design, structural system and method of impregnation.

Chapter 1 outlined two primary research questions, as well as seven secondary research questions. The answers to these questions can be found in the present chapter.
Using satellite imagery analysis to redesign provincial parks for a better cooling effect on cities
Authors: Echevarria Icaza Leyre , van den Dobbelsteen Andy , van der Hoeven Frank
Published: November 2023

The purpose of this research is to analyse the thermal behaviour of South Holland provincial parks during heat waves, in order to provide design adaptation guidelines to increase their cooling capacity over the hotspots present in their urban surroundings.

This research analyses the thermal behaviour of different land use patches (forests, cropland, grassland, water surfaces, built areas and greenhouse areas) present in the six South Holland provincial parks during heat waves. It studies their average night land surface temperature (LST) (with Modis 11A1), day LST (with Landsat 5TM), NDVI, imperviousness, patch size and patch shape index, and analyses through a multiple regression analysis the impact of each of these last four parameters in the night and day LST for each land use. Based on these conclusions, a set of design guidelines are provided to improve the cooling capacity of Midden-Delfland park areas which are adjacent to hotspots with day LST above 41°C and with day LST between 36°C and 41°C.

The average day LST within South Holland provincial parks varies from 25.9°C for water surfaces, to 31.4°C for forests, 33°C for cropland, 33.1°C for greenhouse areas, 34.9°C for grassland patches and 37.9°C for built areas. Within each land use category, NDVI, imperviousness and patch shape index influence differently the thermal behaviour of the patches. NDVI is inversely correlated to day LST for all categories, imperviousness is correlated to day LST for all areas which do not comprise a significant presence of greenhouses (grassland and built patches) and inversely correlated to LST for areas with a high presence of greenhouses (cropland and warehouses). Finally, the shape index varies depending on the nature of the surrounding patches, especially for small patches (built areas, forests and greenhouse areas).

Most of the hotspots surrounding the Midden-Delfland park are adjacent to grassland patches. The measure to increase the cooling capacity of those patches would consist in a change of land use and or an increase of the NDVI of the existing grassland patches. These suggestions to increase the cooling potential of the parks remain deliberately open in order to allow combining these measures with other spatial planning priorities.
Higher Education
Authors: Maragakis Antonios , van den Dobbelsteen Andy
Published: November 2023

The progress of sustainability within higher education has steadily increased in focus over the last decade and has increasingly become a topic of academic research. With various scholars, journals and conferences exclusively dealing with the subject, a wealth of literature has been produced on best practices, suggestions, and assessments pertaining to sustainability within the higher education field.

Higher education stakeholders, who for this paper are defined as being the potential/ current students, staff and management, continue to become more conscious of the principles of sustainability. This higher level of understanding promotes the needs to assess existing literature in relation to the actual needs of the stakeholders in order to identify existing features, trends and needs so that there is continual improvement in the field.

This paper shows that sustainability is currently a socially desirable trait but other factors, such as becoming more competitive in the job market, supersede it in importance to stakeholders. It also shows that there is a general need for a standardized method for assessing institutions, with AASHE’s STARS system being the most used system.
Sustainability in Higher Education
Authors: Maragakis Antonios , van den Dobbelsteen Andy
Published: November 2023

There is a noticeable increase in interest with regards to sustainability in higher education. As institutions investigate, implement and market sustainability efforts, there is a myriad of sustainability assessment methodologies currently available. Although these assessment systems were created with the intention of helping sustainability in higher education institutions, they have ultimately led to an assortment of standards being used by institutions which do not help students and faculty assess the level of sustainability uniformly between institutions.

This paper combines relevant literature on sustainability assessment with empirical data to suggest an ideal assessment method to be used as the basis for a universal tool. It was found that the STARS system was the most suited system to be used as a basis for a future universal assessment tool.
Earning Capacity of Sustainable Education
Authors: Maragakis Antonios , van den Dobbelsteen Andy
Published: November 2023

There is a growing need to understand the economic returns of degrees as a function of a sustainable institution. The empirical data presented in this paper suggests that there is a difference between the economic perception of higher education stakeholders and reality. The data showed that the most important economic metric for a graduate is full-time employment. This metric, although important, is incomplete and does not address other important factors such as starting salaries and under-employment. This indicates a gap between reality and perception considering stakeholders expectation that education should not cost more than of 15% of future salaries and that the debt be repaid in less than ten years. Student’s focusing on full-time employment rather than the holistic economic realities of their educational choices may lead to an unsustainable future which is currently not captured in higher education sustainability assessments.
Validating the Need to Include the Economic Returns of Graduates as a Metric of a Higher Education Institutions Level of Sustainability
Authors: Maragakis Antonios , van den Dobbelsteen Andy , Maragakis Alexandros
Published: November 2023

Higher education institutions play an important role in sustainability, in their own management and operation, in research and education, and in the undergraduate and graduate degrees they deliver. Often ignored, economic sustainability and future perspectives of students are important indicators too. The research presented in this paper validates that a student’s post-graduation economic performance should be part of a higher education institution’s metric for sustainability. The data collected in this research, as well as in other research, shows that almost 90% of respondents agree that economic metrics should be considered part of a higher education institutions level of sustainability. While there is no doubt about the economic gains of higher education, the results indicate that students utilizing a manageable 8% repayment of economic debt would be in debt for decades after graduation, further supporting the need for institutions to inform their stakeholders before such a life changing commitment.
The clustering pattern of Chinese house price dynamics
Authors: Gong Yunlong
Published: November 2023

This paper investigates the clustering pa
Spatial interrelations of Chinese housing markets
Authors: Gong Yunlong , Hu Jinxing , Boelhouwer Peter
Published: November 2023

This paper comprehensively tests the spatial interrelationships of 10 housing markets in the Pan-Pearl River Delta (Pan-PRD) in China, including the properties of spatial causality, convergence and diffusion pa
Accounting for spatial variation of land prices in hedonic imputation house price indexes
Authors: Gong Yunlong , de Haan Jan
Published: November 2023

Location is capitalized into the price of the land the structure of a property is built on, and land prices can be expected to vary significantly across space. We account for spatial variation of land prices in hedonic house price models using geospatial data and a semi-parametric method known as mixed geographically weighted regression. To measure the impact on aggregate price change, quality-adjusted (hedonic imputation) house price indexes are constructed for a small city in the Netherlands and compared to price indexes based on more restrictive models, using postcode dummy variables or no location information at all. We find that, although taking spatial variation of land prices into account improves the model performance, the Fisher house price indexes based on the different hedonic models are almost identical. The land and structures price indexes, on the other hand, are sensitive to the treatment of location.
Conclusion
Authors: Gong Yunlong
Published: November 2023

This book is a collection of five chapters dedicated to discovering and understanding the spatial dimension of house prices, especially the spatial aspects of the Chinese interurban housing market after the introduction of market forces. The free mobility of labour and capital between cities in a market-oriented economy in contemporary China following the economic reform launched in the late 1970s shapes the spatial distribution of economic activities across cities, which in turn has profound effects on nascent urban private housing markets. Chapters 2 through 5 seek to illustrate the spatial pa
Population decline in Lithuania
Authors: Ubarevičienė Rūta , van Ham Maarten
Published: November 2023

Since the 1990s, Lithuania lost almost one-quarter of its population, and some regions within the country lost more than 50% of their residents. Such a sharp population decline poses major challenges to politicians, policy-makers and planners. The aim of this study is to obtain more insight into the recent processes of socio-spatial change and the role of selective migration in Lithuania. The main focus is on understanding who lives in those regions which are rapidly losing population, and who is most likely to leave these regions. This is one of the first studies to use individual-level Lithuanian census data from 2001 and 2011. We found that low socio-economic status residents and older residents dominate the population of shrinking regions, and unsurprisingly that the most ‘successful’ people are the most likely to leave such regions. This process of selective migration reinforces the negative downward spiral of declining regions. As a result, socio-spatial polarization is growing within the country, where people with higher socio-economic status are increasingly overrepresented in the largest city-regions, while the elderly and residents with a lower socio-economic status are overrepresented in declining rural regions. This paper provides empirical evidence of selective migration and increasing regional disparities in Lithuania. While the sociospatial changes are obvious in Lithuania, there is no clear strategy on how to cope with extreme population decline and increasing regional inequalities within the country.
Body Conjunction = Wavering Between Actual and Virtual Spaces
Authors: Chang Jia-Rey
Published: November 2023

In the present digital age, the body tends to extend beyond it being flesh, it can be extended, it is a body without organs, and it might belong to more than your own-self. The “Body” as a living entity with its embedded sensory system, not only embodies who we are but also lets us understand and explore the sensitive, unpredictable but fascinating world. The body is an information receiver as well as information reactor. Through years of medical experiments and research on the body, medical devices and instruments are able to allow us to look into the deepest and the most mysterious spots in the human body. For instance, if seen through an HD monitor, while being probed by an endoscope, the body appears as an immersive and infinite landscape. By observing the smoothness and the folds of the surfaces encountered within the body, it is quite simple to project your individual self into this body-scape for a while to imagine and experience this immersive organic space. Various potential ideas of designing a body-like space have become the subject of design fantasies of a number of architects.

The “Vitruvian Man”, which, Vitruvius described in the third book of De Architectura, and was later interpreted and illustrated by Leonardo DaVinci, has served as the human figure/body representation to be used as a measuring unit rather than being considered as a sensitive object. Unsurprisingly, it was a relatively long journey for architects to abandon this dogma. After the industrial revolution (during the modernist era), the concrete evidence of considering body proportions as potential measurements could still be seen in the projects of Le Corbusier, which accompanied his famous school of thought: “A house is a machine for living”. He developed the “Modular” in a mathematical proportion of space based on figures and intended to replace the old Vitruvian man with it as a new generation’s typical model. However, with the rapid development of electronic technology, the trend of realizing sensory environments akin to living bodies has no longer remained a thought but can be seen as an initial action to refuse to see the human body merely as a measuring unit. The turning point came about the time while the medium of news media, television, and social media became relatively mature, and thus started making people conduct critical reflections. Marshall McLuhan, a well-known pioneering media theorist, stated in his well-known publication, “Understanding Media: The Extension of Man” (McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, 1964). This explicit shot made the researcher foresee the potential and intimate relationships between the body, technology, and space, and somehow have a rational explanation to extend the physical body to endless space, which is crucial in this chapter.
Understanding the experiences of relocatees during forced relocation in Chinese urban restructuring
Authors: Li Xin , van Ham Maarten , Kleinhans Reinout
Published: November 2023

Despite the massive forced relocation of residents during urban restructuring in China, there is no systematic overview regarding how residents experience the process and its outcomes. Most studies concerning urban restructuring in China directly equate forced relocation with displacement, which has a negative connotation. This exclusively negative view overlooks the multifaceted effects of forced relocation on relocatees. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of relocatees’ experienced during urban redevelopment in China by establishing a conceptual model in which the time sequence of events and their context are central, and by analysing the existing research on this topic about China. It conceptualises forced relocation as a process with various and changing socio-spatial implications over time, and as a specific type of residential mobility that occurs in the context of urban restructuring. As such, the paper presents a conceptual model that includes different stages and contexts to analyse the experiences of relocatees during and after forced relocation. It divides the process of forced relocation into a pre-demolition stage, a transitional stage and a post-relocation stage and investigates the social, economic, physical, psychological and behavioural dimensions of the experiences of relocatees as affected by the macro and micro context. As such, the conceptual model is used to structure the analysis of the existing literature about residents’ experiences and subsequently identify the gaps in the literature that should be addressed in future studies of forced relocation in the Chinese context.
Taking risks to play it safe
Authors: Bos -de Vos Marina , Volker Leentje , Wamelink Hans
Published: November 2023

Project-based firms have to capture value from the projects in which they engage. This can be a challenging process, as firms need to reconcile project goals and organizational goals while attempting to avoid value slippage. Drawing on case-based interviews with architects and clients, this research reveals how architectural firms used the strategies of postponing financial revenues in a project, compensating for loss of financial revenues across projects and rejecting a project to capture value. The study contributes to the literature on project business by showing that firms will sometimes risk or accept slippage of financial value yet counteract the potential slippage of professional value in projects to enhance the overall benefits for the firm. These insights help to advance the research on value capture by project-based firms and can be used by managers to identify and overcome value capture difficulties at project and firm levels.
Energy efficiency state of non-profit housing stock in the Netherlands
Authors: Filippidou Faidra
Published: November 2023

Improving energy efficiency of buildings is widely considered as the one of the most promising, fast and cost-effective ways to mitigate climate change and achieve the 2020 and 2050 goals set for the built environment (European Commission 2011; Aedes 2017). Energy efficiency of the building stock is hard to achieve if we only focus on the design of new dwellings. In this chapter, we will analyse the energy efficiency state of the existing Dutch non-profit housing stock using data from 2015.

We examine the energy efficiency state of the stock using data from the SHAERE monitoring system. The data from SHAERE include the age, type, useful floor area, thermal resistance (Rc-value) of the envelope (roof, facades and floor), thermal transmittance (U-value) of the windows, heating and domestic hot water (DHW) systems, ventilation system, the predicted heating energy consumption and energy production systems, if present. We also use actual heating energy consumption data from Statistics Netherlands to calculate the mean actual energy consumption of the stock.

The chapter aims at setting the current energy performance state of the Dutch non-profit housing stock. A complete and detailed assessment of the current efficiency state of the non-profit housing stock in the Netherlands is necessary in order to examine the energy renovation pace and energy saving measures realised. The following sections present the results and conclusions drawn from this chapter. Section 2.2 presents the development of energy efficiency policies in the built environment. The SHAERE monitoring system is presented in 2.3. Section 2.4 sums up the methods used. Section 2.5 brings attention to the results of the research study. Section 2.6 presents the conclusions of this chapter.
Are we moving fast enough? The energy renovation rate of the Dutch non-profit housing using the national energy labelling database
Authors: Filippidou Faidra , Nieboer Nico , Visscher Henk
Published: November 2023

The existing housing stock plays a major role in meeting the energy saving targets set in the Netherlands as well as in the EU. Existing buildings account for 38% of the final energy consumption in the European Union (EU), and they are responsible for 36% of the CO2 emissions. Energy renovations in dwellings offer unique opportunities to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In this article, the renovation rates for the non-profit housing stock of the Netherlands are presented, based on the changes in the energy performance of 856,252 dwellings for the period of 2010 to 2014. The data necessary are drawn from a monitoring system that contains information about the energy performance of approximately 60% of all dwellings in the sector. The method used follows the changes of the dwellings’ physical properties and reported energy performance. The results show that although many energy improvements have been realized, they result in small changes of the energy efficiency of the dwellings. Deep energy renovation rates are very low. If this pace continues, the progress is too little to reach national and international policy targets. The renovation rates are not high enough and the trends seem difficult to reach.
Introduction
Authors: Raji Babak
Published: November 2023

The main aim of this research is to reduce the energy demand of tall office buildings through architectural design. To achieve high levels of energy-saving, however, it is important to acquire a good understanding of how architectural design strategies can influence the total energy use (and different energy end-uses) individually and as a group. Energy simulations, if well-validated, can help us to correctly apply design strategies to achieve considerable energy-savings.
Early-stage design strategies
Authors: Raji Babak , Tenpierik Martin J. , van den Dobbelsteen Andy
Published: November 2023

Decisions made at early stages of the design are of the utmost importance for the energy-efficiency of buildings. Wrong decisions and design failures related to a building’s general layout, shape, façade transparency or orientation can increase the operational energy tremendously. These failures can be avoided in advance through simple changes in the design. Using extensive parametric energy simulations by DesignBuilder, this paper investigates the impact of geometric factors for the energy-efficiency of high-rise office buildings in three climates contexts: Amsterdam (Temperate), Sydney (Sub-tropical) and Singapore (Tropical). The investigation is carried out on 12 plan shapes, 7 plan depths, 4 building orientations and discrete values for window-to-wall ratio. Among selected options, each sub-section determines the most efficient solution for different design measures and climates. The optimal design solution is the one that minimizes, on an annual basis, the sum of the energy use for heating, cooling, electric lighting and fans. The results indicate that, the general building design is an important issue to consider for high-rise buildings: they can influence the energy use up to 32%. For most of the geometric factors, the greatest difference between the optimal and the worst solution occurs in the sub-tropical climate, while the tropical climate is the one that shows the smallest difference. In case of the plan depth, special attention should be paid in a temperate climate, as the total energy use can increase more than other climates. Regarding energy performance, the following building geometry factors have the highest to lowest influence: building orientation, plan shape, plan depth, and window-to-wall ratio.
Envelope design strategies
Authors: Raji Babak
Published: November 2023

The main objective of this study is to assess the role of building envelope design strategies on reducing the energy consumption of typical high-rise office buildings in tropical climates. For this purpose, the KOMTAR building was selected as a typical case building, and the energy usage pattern prior to and after the refurbishment was compared through a computer simulation. Through the simulations, the effect of each strategy was quantified as the percentage of reduction or increase in the total energy usage compared to the reference model. However, to have a better understanding of how retrofitting strategies can contribute to energy-saving, the effect of each strategy on cooling and lighting energy demand will be discussed additionally. In some cases, in order to apply a new strategy, there is a need to change the floor plan configuration, which means a different floor area of the conditioned space. In order to make different strategies comparable, the total energy consumption per conditioned area was used as an indicator.
Conclusion
Authors: Zwiers Merle
Published: November 2023

This dissertation consisted of five chapters, one theoretical and four empirical chapters. These chapters are complete research papers, each with their own research question, theoretical framework, empirical analyses, results and discussion section. All papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals or are currently under review. The main findings from these chapters are summarized below. Section 7.3 then reflects upon this dissertation’s main contributions to the literature and provides some suggestions for future research. The following section (7.4) discusses the limitations of this dissertation. Section 7.5 concludes with a discussion of the policy implications.
Why Women Own Less Housing Assets in China? The Role of Intergenerational Transfers
Authors: Deng Weijing
Published: November 2023

After three decades of housing reform in China, housing assets constitute a sizable share of family wealth but are distributed unevenly, as registered homeowners are predominantly male. This is partly because males generally have higher incomes than females and can therefore contribute more to the financing, but also because males receive more intergenerational transfers. On the basis of 31 in-depth interviews from Chongqing, this article seeks to answer two questions: 1) How and why does the gender of the recipient affect the negotiation of intergenerational transfers? and 2)What are young women’s possibilities to accumulate housing assets? The research findings show that young women either ask their parents for help to secure housing assets before marriage or they attempt to co-own a home with their husbands after marriage. Women who do not succeed in either of these strategies do not accumulate housing assets and thereby risk their rights to the home if their marriage is dissolved.
Redistribution, Growth, and Inclusion: The Development of the Urban Housing System in P. R. China, 1949-2015
Authors: Deng Weijing , Hoekstra Joris , Elsinga Marja
Published: November 2023

This paper explains the development of the urban housing system in P. R. China from 1949 to 2011 with an emphasis on the factors driving housing inequality in each policy period. We argue that the logic underpinning the housing policy had shifted from socialist redistribution to the stimulation of growth in the process of market economy reform and has been shifting toward social inclusionary growth since the 2010s. Over the course of time, two institutional factors (work units and household registration/hukou) have played a key role in determining individual households’ housing opportunities. The role of the work units has gradually waned since the 2000s, but the hukou system continues to be important. In the last part of the paper, we set forth the latest changes in Chinese housing policy. Since 2011, the central government has been striving toward a more comprehensive system of housing provision with the aim of making the housing market more inclusive (though not necessarily more equal). Finally, we express concern about an emerging though embedded source of housing inequality: the unequal distribution of family wealth.
Introduction
Authors: Ioannou Anastasios
Published: November 2023

The focus of this study is to contribute towards both the above-mentioned directions of research. The first aim is to test the sensitivity of the parameters that affect energy consumption and comfort in the residential built environment in a theoretical basis. The second aim is to investigate if it would be possible, with the help of a sensor rich environment, to validate both prevailing models for indoor comfort, the PMV and adaptive model, and explore the dynamics between occupancy behavior, indoor comfort and energy consumption in the built environment. Sensor rich environments in the residential sector are not present yet in large scale; therefore, this study investigates a small, but still significant, sample of dwellings. The aim is not to achieve representativeness for the complete residential building sector but to research if the methodology of using sensors to gather quantitative and subjective data (related to thermal comfort, occupancy behavior, and energy consumption) is promising enough and could lead to potential energy savings without compromising the indoor comfort of occupants.
Conclusions and recommendations
Authors: Anastasios Ioannou
Published: November 2023

The broader aim of this thesis was to contribute towards a more sustainable built environment, by first looking at how to seek ways to improve the existing simulation software’s ability to predict the energy consumption of residential dwellings by identifying the most important parameters that affect energy consumption and indoor comfort, which is tightly related to energy consumption. The second aim of this study was to compare the results of both PMV and adaptive models with data obtained with the use of a sensor rich smart environment. Such environments in the residential sector are still in their infancy but improvements in information technology, sensor miniaturization, software development, and analysis techniques (such as pattern recognition methods) will result to a smarter built environment in the future.
Solar cooling evaluation – Climate feasibility
Authors: Prieto Hoces Alejandro Ignacio , Knaack Ulrich
Published: November 2023

Small-scale systems and integrated concepts are currently being explored by researchers to promote widespread application of solar cooling technologies in buildings. Chapter 7 presented a qualitative evaluation of these technologies in terms of their potential for façade integration. Moreover, this chapter expands the assessment of application possibilities by exploring the feasibility of solar cooling integrated façades, as decentralised self-sufficient cooling modules, on different warm climate contexts. The climate feasibility of solar electric and solar thermal concepts is evaluated based on solar availability and local cooling demands to be met by current technical possibilities.

Numerical calculations are employed for the evaluation, considering statistical climate data; cooling demands per orientation from scenarios simulated in Chapter 6; and state-of-the-art efficiency values as reference for current performance limits of solar cooling technologies, from Chapter 7. Main results show that in general, warm-dry climates and east/west orientations are more suited for solar cooling façade applications. Results from the base scenario show promising potential for solar thermal technologies, reaching a theoretical solar fraction of 100% in several cases. Application possibilities expand when higher solar array area and lower tilt angle on panels are considered, but these imply aesthetical and constructional constraints for façade design. Finally, recommendations are drafted considering prospects for the exploration of suitable technologies for each location, and façade design considerations for the optimisation of the solar input per orientation.
Amsterdam house price ripple effects in the Netherlands
Authors: Teye Alfred Larm , Knoppel Michiel , de Haan Jan , Elsinga Marja
Published: November 2023

Purpose: This paper examines the existence of the ripple effect from Amsterdam to the housing markets of other regions in the Netherlands. It identifies which regional housing markets are influenced by house price movements in Amsterdam.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper considers the ripple effect as a lead-lag effect and a long-run convergence between the Amsterdam and regional house prices. Using the real house prices for second-hand owner-occupied dwellings from 1995q1 to 2016q2, the paper adopts the Toda-Yamamoto Granger Causality approach to study the lead-lag effects. It uses the ARDL-Bounds cointegration techniques to examine the long-run convergence between the regional and the Amsterdam house prices. The paper controls for house price fundamentals to eliminate possible confounding effects of common shocks. Findings: The cumulative evidence suggests that Amsterdam house prices have influence on (or ripple to) all the Dutch regions, except one. In particular, the Granger Causality test concludes that a lead-lag effect of house prices exists from Amsterdam to all the regions, apart from Zeeland. The cointegration test shows evidence of a long-convergence between Amsterdam house prices and six regions: Friesland, Groningen, Limburg, Overijssel, Utrecht and Zuid-Holland.

Research limitations/implications: The paper adopts an econometric approach to examine the Amsterdam ripple effect. More sophisticated economic models that consider the asymmetric properties of house prices and the patterns of interregional socio-economic activities into the modelling approach are recommended for further investigation.

Originality/value: This paper focuses on the Netherlands for which the ripple effect has not yet been researched to our knowledge. Given the substantial wealth effects associated with house price changes that may shape economic activity through consumption, evidence for ripples may be helpful to policy makers for uncovering trends that have implications for the entire economy. Moreover, our analysis controls for common house price fundamentals which most previous papers ignored.
Conclusions
Authors: Nillesen Anne Loes
Published: November 2023

Is it possible to define an integrated method for strategic flood risk management and spatial quality enhancement, in which spatial quality is a decisive ex-ante criterion, and what would be the key elements and steps in such a method? This constitutes the primary research question.

The publications that together form this dissertation describe such a method and thus provide a positive answer to the primary research question. A key principle in the approach is the inclusion of multiple interchangeable (effective) flood risk reduction interventions at varying locations, so that the criteria of spatial quality can become decisive in flood risk management strategy development.

The ability to assess the impact of different interventions on spatial quality is essential. In order to do so, an assessment framework was developed; it combines the approach of a spatial quality criteria checklist with expert judgement. The checklist supports expert judgement in that it keeps a wide, open perspective while assessing the spatial quality of a conceptual intervention, and thus allows verifiable and reproducible assessments.

The method developed employs research-by-design to systematically test different interventions at different locations. It includes the following steps:

An inventory of current and potential flood risk protection strategies
An inventory of a region’s spatial characteristics, challenges, and potentials
A qualitative assessment of existing situations and a spatial impact assessment of reference flood risk strategies, if any exist
Systematic research on how flood risk management interventions at different scales can shift the location of a flood risk intervention; this includes qualitative assessments of interventions at various locations
Systematic research on how flood risk management interventions in different flood risk layers can shift the location of a flood risk assignment; this includes qualitative assessments of interventions at various locations
Selection of a combination of interventions that are preferred from a spatial quality objective
Introduction
Authors: Arkesteijn Monique
Published: November 2023

Corporate Real Estate

Corporate real estate is real estate that is necessary for an organization to conduct its business. CRE can be owned or leased space and is different than commercial real estate. CoreNet Global (2015) describes that in commercial real estate, real estate is core business, and the goal is to provide a risk adjusted return to the investor; whereas, in corporate real estate, real estate supports the business function. Corporate real estate represents the demand side or user side of real estate, while commercial real estate focuses on the supply side to meet that demand.

CRE function lacks tools to deliver the most business impact

Sharp (2013) concluded based on 636 survey responses that CRE teams face barriers to meet present challenges. The barriers are “C-suite resistance to capital expenditure; the sometimes small and fragmented structure of the CRE function; inadequate access to deep data and analytics to measure value; and a fundamental skill and knowledge gap within CRE teams ... . Furthermore, many CRE departments lack the tools and training to effectively identify, shape and execute the broader business strategies that would ultimately deliver the most business impact. Only 28 percent regard themselves as ‘well equipped’ to meet the various tactical and strategic demands now being placed upon them” (Sharp, 2013, pp. 232-233).

What if CRE departments were better equipped

... with an approach that enables them to choose the best CRE strategy and portfolio design that adds most value to all stakeholders in the organization?
Conclusions and recommendations
Authors: Arkesteijn Monique
Published: November 2023

Even though extensive research into existing CRE alignment models has provided us with valuable insights into the building blocks, components and variables that are needed in the alignment process, these models still fall short in two ways. Most models pay little to no attention to (1) the design of new CRE portfolios and (2) the selection of a new CRE portfolio that adds the most value to the organization. With the development of a new approach, the Preference-based Accommodation Strategy design and decision approach (PAS), I address the deficiencies of the previous alignment models that either place too much emphasis on financial measures or lack clarity in decision making due to the difficulties of quantifying the intangible and subjective. In this chapter the main research question will be answered and recommendations for further research are formulated.

How can the Preference-based Accommodation Strategy design and decision approach (PAS) successfully be developed and tested on corporate real estate portfolio level in order to enhance CRE alignment?
Conclusion and recommendations
Authors: SANCHEZ Marco Antonio ORTIZ
Published: November 2023

This research provided insights into the comfort and energy-consuming behaviours of home occupants and into grouping these home occupants based on their individual differences. This was achieved by using a human-centered approach to an engineering challenge, by assuming comfort as a holistic experience of the home environment, and by treating the ‘occupant-environment’ interactions as a dynamic system.

Such an approach drew methods typically used in design and ethnographic research, by gathering both qualitative and quantitative data from both the occupant and the building. The occupant data was collected quantitatively with the use of a questionnaire (self-reported) and qualitatively with interviews (procedural knowledge) and finally with generative techniques (interpretive knowledge). In such a way, different types of occupant knowledge were elicited and collected. The building data was gathered with checklists, monitoring, and energy readings.

With the questionnaire data and a clustering technique -the TwoStep cluster analysis- five distinct types of occupant, or archetypes, were discovered and they were progressively enhanced and substantiated with the interview and generative techniques data. Additionally, data of building characteristics, indoor environmental factors, and actual energy consumption completed the details of the archetypes.

The following paragraphs provide the conclusion and recommendations drawn from this research. First each of the key questions are answered followed by the answer to the main research question; in which the final description of the archetypes is presented. This is followed by the strengths and limitations of this work and recommendations for the future process. Then for each archetype, environmental design parameters are presented. This finishes with recommendations for future research and the implications of this work.
Characteristics of Territories-in-between
Authors: Wandl Alexander , Nadin Vincent , Zonneveld Wil , Rooij Remon
Published: November 2023

Much of physical territory of the Europe does not fit classic ‘urban–rural’ typologies but can best be described as ‘territories-in-between’ (TiB). There is considerable agreement that TiB is pervasive and very significant. However, typologies of territory or spatial development continue to employ only degrees of either urban or rural. Similarly, spatial planning and territorial development policies rarely make use of the notion of in-between areas but tend instead to divide the territory into urban and rural zones. Questions have been raised therefore about the lack of understanding of territories-in-between and their negligence in planning policy. This paper contributes to a better understanding of TiB, by proposing a method for their characterisation and mapping. It asks if there can be a common definition of TiB that reflects consistent and distinctive characteristics across the great variety of spatial development contexts in Europe. It proposes spatial and demographic criteria for their definition, mapping and comparison. The comparison with widely used urban–rural classifications shows that the presented classification of TiB has three advantages: (i) it maps the complexity of the spatial structure of urbanised areas on a regional scale, and thereby helps to overcome the prevalent idea that urbanised regions are characterised by a spatial gradient from urban centre(s) to rural periphery; (ii) it emphasises the network structure of territories-in-between and the underlying connectivity of places with different functions and (iii) it raises awareness that in some parts of Europe a settlement pattern has developed that cannot be understood as either urban or rural.
Discussions and Conclusions
Authors: Smits Joris
Published: November 2023

In the previous four chapters design considerations for bridges have been identified at the four principal scale levels of the design; the scale of the landscape and the city, the scale of the bridge itself, the scale of the detail and at the scale of the composing material and the material properties. This chapter provides an integrated discussion and conclusions on the broad field of bridge design as it is outlined in the main body of this dissertation. The following chapter, Chapter 7, presents the recommendations for future research.