bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A controlled study of the effect of deviations from symmetry of the potential energy surface (PES) on the accuracy of the vibrational spectrum computed with collocation
Authors: Manzhos Sergei , Ihara Manabu
Published: December 2023

Symmetry, in particular permutational symmetry, of a potential energy surface (PES) is a useful property in quantum chemical calculations. It facilitates, in particular, state labelling and identification of degenerate states. In many practically important applications, however, these issues are unimportant. The imposition of exact symmetry and the perception that it is necessary create additional methodological requirements narrowing or complicating algorithmic choices that are thereby biased against methods and codes that by default do not incorporate symmetry, including most off-the-shelf machine learning methods that cannot be directly used if exact symmetry is demanded. By introducing symmetric and unsymmetric errors into the PES of H2CO in a controlled way and computing the vibrational spectrum with collocation using symmetric and nonsymmetric collocation point sets, we show that when the deviations from an ideal PES are random, imposition of exact symmetry does not bring any practical advantages. Moreover, a calculation ignoring symmetry may be more accurate. We also compare machine-learned PESs with and without symmetrization and demonstrate that there is no advantage of imposing exact symmetry for the accuracy of the vibrational spectrum.
Makers of quantum dots share Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Authors: Lopatka Alex
Published: December 2023

By confining electrons to nanoscale spaces, the laureates created crystals that emit light at specific wavelengths. That behavior has been harnessed for displays and other technologies.
Back to the Moon ... to stay?
Authors: Neufeld Michael J.
Published: December 2023

Despite a lack of public enthusiasm, NASA’s Artemis program will endure because human spaceflight has strong congressional support and signals great-power status.
Reproductive phenology and the influence of temperature in two sympatric New Zealand freshwater mussel species
Authors: Melchior Michele , Clearwater Susan J. , Collier Kevin J.
Published: December 2023

Context Phenology plays a key role in shaping population dynamics, community structure and evolutionary adaptations. For freshwater mussels that rely on a parasitic larval (glochidia) phase on fish, shifts in reproductive phenology driven by environmental conditions may result in mismatches between glochidia release and host fish availability. Aims We investigated intra- and interspecific reproductive timing variations in sympatric Echyridella aucklandica and E. menziesii, and identified thermal cues (accumulated degree days, ADD) associated with brooding and glochidia maturation. Methods Brooding activity and glochidia maturation were assessed fortnightly–monthly over 1 year within four New Zealand streams. Results The previously unknown phenology of E. aucklandica showed earlier brooding (May–July) and longer gravidity (9–11 months) than for E. menziesii (August; 6–7 months). Both species exhibited peak brooding in late austral spring–summer (November–December). ADD played a key role in regulating the timing of brooding onset in both species, as evidenced by the narrow ADD range observed across sites, and the relationship between ADD and brooding onset in both species. Conclusion The demonstrated link between ADD and reproductive phenology has broad implications in the context of climate change. Specifically, it raises concerns about potential timing mismatches in glochidia release and host-fish availability, which could affect the survival and reproductive success of freshwater mussels.
Bimodular architecture of bacterial effector SAP05 that drives ubiquitin-independent targeted protein degradation
Authors: Liu Qun , Maqbool Abbas , Mirkin Federico G. , Singh Yeshveer , Stevenson Clare E. M. , Lawson David M. , Kamoun Sophien , Huang Weijie , Hogenhout Saskia A.
Published: December 2023

In eukaryotes, targeted protein degradation (TPD) typically depends on a series of interactions among ubiquitin ligases that transfer ubiquitin molecules to substrates leading to degradation by the 26S proteasome. We previously identified that the bacterial effector protein SAP05 mediates ubiquitin-independent TPD. SAP05 forms a ternary complex via interactions with the von Willebrand Factor Type A (vWA) domain of the proteasomal ubiquitin receptor Rpn10 and the zinc-finger (ZnF) domains of the SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) and GATA BINDING FACTOR (GATA) transcription factors (TFs). This leads to direct TPD of the TFs by the 26S proteasome. Here, we report the crystal structures of the SAP05–Rpn10
vWA
complex at 2.17 Å resolution and of the SAP05–SPL5
ZnF
complex at 2.20 Å resolution. Structural analyses revealed that SAP05 displays a remarkable bimodular architecture with two distinct nonoverlapping surfaces, a “loop surface” with three protruding loops that form electrostatic interactions with ZnF, and a “sheet surface” featuring two β-sheets, loops, and α-helices that establish polar interactions with vWA. SAP05 binding to ZnF TFs involves single amino acids responsible for multiple contacts, while SAP05 binding to vWA is more stable due to the necessity of multiple mutations to break the interaction. In addition, positioning of the SAP05 complex on the 26S proteasome points to a mechanism of protein degradation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate how a small bacterial bimodular protein can bypass the canonical ubiquitin–proteasome proteolysis pathway, enabling ubiquitin-independent TPD in eukaryotic cells. This knowledge holds significant potential for the creation of TPD technologies.
Negotiating academic conflict in discussion sections of doctoral dissertations
Authors: Esmaili F. , Abdollahzadeh Esmaeel
Published: December 2023

This study explores how doctoral students negotiated academic conflict (AC) in discussion section of their dissertations and what engagement resources they utilized to convey academic conflict. To this end, discussion chapters of 30 doctoral dissertations in Applied Linguistics (15 samples by each writer group) were analyzed using Huston’s (1991) academic conflict framework and Martin and White’s (2005) engagement system of Appraisal Theory. The functional analysis constituted discovering components of academic conflict and engagement resources in the discussions. We found that components of academic conflict determined engagement values used to convey them. The linguistic background of the authors was less of an issue in resolving conflicts. The two writer groups managed academic conflict and related engagement resources more or less similarly in different components of academic conflict. They mainly expressed their novel contribution readily and identified the flaws of previous research; however, both writer groups showed little tendency to explain controversial points. The findings have pedagogical implications for academic writing courses highlighting the importance of developing awareness of AC and resolving the conflicts.
Using intraspecific molecular and phenotypic variation to promote multi-functionality of reforestation during climate change – A review of tropical forest case studies in South-east Asia
Authors: Grady K.C. , Axelsson E.P.
Published: December 2023

The study of intraspecific genetic variation in plant traits for use in tropical forest restoration has broad potential for increasing our ability to achieve multi-functional objectives during this era of climate change. Developing seed-sourcing guidelines that optimize phenotypic characteristics best suited to a particular planting site as well as to future conditions imposed by environmental change could be useful for effective reforestation. Because evolution operates differently across tree species, this is an especially cumbersome task in tropical forests that contain thousands of species. Partially due to this high plant diversity, research and application of intraspecific variation in genetics, plant traits, and plant function in tropical forests wane far behind less diverse forest biomes. To examine the potential for improving reforestation efforts in tropical forests by considering intraspecific variation in plant traits and functions, we review the state of knowledge on intraspecific variation in South-east Asia as a case study. We focus on the dipterocarp family (Dipterocarpaceae), a highly diverse family of 16 genera with approximately 695 known species that often dominate lowland tropical rainforests of South-east Asia with many of these forests in a degraded state and in need of restoration. We found that there is research accumulating to understand genetic variation in approximately 10% of these 695 species. Intraspecific molecular variation exists at different spatial scales among species with 74% of species having moderate to high population differentiation (Fst > 0.10) and 92% of species with evidence of fine-scale genetic structure. Although this suggests a high potential for trait variation, few studies associated molecular with phenotypic variation. Seventeen tree species across 11 studies revealed intraspecific variation in traits or functions. Research indicates that intraspecific variation in growth may vary two-fold and drought tolerance four-fold among genotypes highlighting the possibility to pre-adapt trees to climate change during reforestation and to use intraspecific variation to promote the use of native species in commercial forestry. Our review presents opportunities and ideas for developing seed-sourcing guidelines to take advantage of intraspecific variation in traits and function by identifying how to locate this variation, which species would benefit, and how to test for trait variation. We also highlight an emerging area of research on local adaptation, common garden studies, and adaptive drought conditioning to improve reforestation during climate change.
The development of a 1.25 MHz 1024-channel sparse array for human transcranial imaging: in vitro characterization
Authors: McCall J R , Jones R M , Santibanez F , Latham K , Zou J , Dayton P A , Pinton G F
Published: December 2023

Ultrasound imaging is overwhelmingly used as 2D modality even though 3D imaging capabilities have existed for decades. Recent generational shifts toward super-resolution ultrasound imaging and functional ultrasound imaging, especially in the brain, have generated renewed and sustained interest in acquiring truly volumetric, 4D data. However, volumetric imaging approaches are currently limited to small animals, due in part to the difficulty of imaging transcranially in humans and due to a lack of imaging arrays designed for this purpose. Clinical translation of these recent techniques as well as conventional diagnostic B-mode imaging may thus benefit from array designs that capitalize on large channel count imaging systems. We have designed and developed a 1024-channel sparse array with a 65 mm circular aperture and a 1–2 MHz bandwidth. This unique transducer achieves an aperture that is far larger than conventional matrix probes using a sparse arrangement of elements ordered in a density-tapered spiral design. This design has significantly decreased grating lobes compared to a matrix array probe. The large aperture of this probe also enables acquisition over a large field of view with a significant depth of more than 100 mm. Simulations, acoustic characterization, and in vitro tests demonstrate that this transducer achieves a high focal gain that enables ultrasonic visualization beneath the human skull and at large depths due to its low F-number capabilities. Furthermore, we show that this transducer is capable of high point target contrast and high soft tissue contrast, with contrast-to-noise ratios up to 1.9 when imaging transcranially through a 3 mm thick section of human skull. Because of the large surface area of this probe, it can capture over 3 coherence lengths in each dimension and is, therefore, able to able to ‘average out’ the aberration over a large surface area. This transducer is poised to have a significant clinical impact in transcranial human imaging.
The rise of supercapacitor diodes: Current progresses and future challenges
Authors: Ma 马 Hongyun 鸿云 , Ma 马 Lingxiao 凌霄 , Bi 毕 Huasheng 华盛 , Lan 兰 Wei 伟
Published: December 2023

Supercapacitor has been widely known as a representative electrochemical energy storage device with high power density and long lifespan. Recently, with the deeper understanding of its charge storage mechanism, unidirectional-charging supercapacitor, also called supercapacitor diode (CAPode), is successfully developed based on the ion-sieving effect of its working electrode towards electrolyte ions. Because CAPode integrates mobile ion and mobile electron in one hybrid circuit, it has a great potential in the emerging fields of ion/electron coupling logic operations, human–machine interface, neural network interaction, and in vivo diagnosis and treatment. Accordingly, we herein elucidate the working mechanism and design philosophy of CAPode, and summarize the electrode materials that are suitable for constructing CAPode. Meanwhile, some other supercapacitor-based devices beyond CAPode are also introduced, and their potential applications are instructively presented. Finally, we outline the challenges and chances of CAPode-related techniques.
Evaluation of the impact of ventilation system daily operation on air quality, comfort and well-being in primary schools
Authors: Rey J F , Cesari M , Brunner C. , Muller Y. , Roulet C.-A. , Pernot J Goyette
Published: December 2023

The Scol’air-FR project is issued from the need to establish an inventory of indoor air quality conditions in primary schools of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. In Fribourg, the official trend is to promote mechanical ventilation systems in schools to ensure a good air quality. A properly designed, built, commissioned, and operated mechanical ventilation system should be able to deliver the anticipated flow rate, regardless of who uses it - the only person involved being the person responsible for ventilation system operation. In some cases, however, the expected objectives are not achieved. This similar observation applies to natural ventilation. A good ventilation concept, properly implemented and operated, should also achieve the same objective if the outdoor air quality is good. The aim of this article is to identify differences, in terms of indoor air quality and well-being, between naturally and mechanically ventilated schools. Moreover, we expect to identify if trends are attributable to the operation of ventilation systems or to occupant behaviours. We observed lower carbonic gas levels in building equipped with mechanical ventilation systems. This finding can be extended to VOCs and relative humidity. We also identified different and recurrent issues among the different mechanical ventilation systems. Our results highlight issues measured in buildings equipped by mechanical ventilation systems are mostly related to the balance of the system, while in natural ventilation systems, IAQ related issues are mainly due to the present context and its influences on occupants’ behaviour.
A numerical study on urban-like block arrays’ drag force and its correlation with ventilation efficiency
Authors: Zhang M , Palusci O , Buccolieri R , Gao Z , Guo X , Zhang J
Published: December 2023

This work conducted Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the drag force (F) and its relation to ventilation of four groups of urban-like block arrays with planar area index (λP
) ranging from 0.0625 to 0.56. Simulations were performed employing the standard k-ε turbulence model after conducting a grid sensitivity test and validating the computational settings against wind tunnel data. The results showed that cases with larger λp
, slab-shaped buildings, and staggered layout have higher values of F. As for the subcases within each group, F shows a significant increase for 0.0625 < λp
< 0.25, and then only a slight increase for 0.25 < λp
< 0.56; while the drag coefficient (Cd
) shows a linear increase along with λp
. The further linear regression analysis showed that the spatially averaged velocity and air change rate are strongly negatively correlated with F, which supports the effectiveness of F in reflecting ventilation efficiency, particularly for evaluating urban block-scale ventilation.
Low-cost carbon dioxide concentration sensors for assessing air quality in the built environment: an on-site evaluation of their measurement performance
Authors: Salamone F , Sibilio S , Masullo M
Published: December 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is commonly used to determine indoor air quality. However, wearable environmental monitoring devices have not considered CO2 content, because they have mainly focused on the outdoor environment. Our goal is to develop a new wearable monitoring system for indoor research purposes that also incorporates a CO2 concentration sensor. We evaluated the performance of two low-cost CO2 sensors, the Senseair K30 and the Sensirion SCD30, by comparing them with a professional reference sensor in two different environments: a Test Cell and the LabZEB of ITC-CNR. A first result shows that both low-cost sensors have acceptable performance, with the K30 showing a trend closer to that of the professional reference sensor and better overall performance. For this reason, we conducted a third test in which we encapsulated the selected K30 low-cost sensor in a 3D-printed, wearable housing that supports the sensor and control unit to see if the 3D-printed part could affect measurement performance. The result shows no interference in measurement performance. This suggests that low-cost sensors can be used in a wearable system to assess indoor air quality for environmental and human-centered research in the built environment.
Towards multi-domain user archetypes for user-centred façade design
Authors: Luna-Navarro A , Khandhachani P , Brembilla E , Barra P de la , Andriotis C
Published: December 2023

User experience and satisfaction with the facade play a significant role in user comfort and energy efficiency of buildings. This paper explores the concept of User-Facade archetypes to inform the user-centred design of shading devices based on the perceived level of importance of different environmental domains at the workplace. A questionnaire was developed to collect data on users’ perceived level of importance of different environmental domains, user characteristics and other preferences. Based on the associated level of importance of the domains affected by shading devices (thermal conditions, access to daylight, access to outdoor view, privacy and glare mitigation), users were then clustered into eight different archetypes, which associated different “weights” to each comfort domain. The study also found a significant correlation between the associated level of importance and the reported frequency of interaction with shadings because of thermal comfort, glare mitigation or privacy. Overall, users that associated high levels of importance to several environmental domains also reported high perceived levels of importance for personal control at the workplace. Only one archetype reported low importance for personal control at the workplace. Further work is required to validate these archetypes by capturing actual user behaviour and preferences in real workplaces. However, these findings provide preliminary and valuable insights into the possibility of clustering users on their preferences and using this for informing a more user-centred design or operation of shading devices.
Assessing the self-rated sleep quality in UK homes, based on an online survey
Authors: Bhadra J , Beizaee A , Lomas K J , Hartescu I
Published: December 2023

The aim of this study was to understand the self-rated sleep quality of occupants in UK homes and their association with bedroom condition. An online survey questionnaire was designed to understand the thermal comfort while sleeping, sleep quality and the physiological factors that affect sleep. The survey was administered for a period of two months (June-July 2022) in the UK. The survey asked particularly about the sleep disorder symptoms, sleep quality in summers, and thermal sensations and preferences while sleeping in summers. The study is observational and based on subjective responses of the occupants living in the UK homes. Analysis of SDS-CL-25 shows that only 22% (35 out of 158) respondents had no positive endorsements for any of the 13 sleep disorders. 41% respondents have a sleep efficiency less than 85% which is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep disturbance in majority was reported due to heat/warm bedroom conditions followed by noise and dryness in the air. More than 50% of respondents expressed poor satisfaction with sleep and bedroom temperature during summers. The study highlights the prevalence of sleep disorders, and dissatisfaction with sleep quality in UK homes.
Theoretical framework to develop an urban health index using built environment variables: the case of Ferrara, Italy
Authors: Mahakalkar Amruta Umakant , Morello Eugenio , Makki Farah , Eldesoky Ahmed Hazem , Caiani Enrico
Published: December 2023

The quality of our habitat strongly determines the well-being of both our society and us as individuals. The Urban Health (UH) index is an emerging tool for decision-makers to bridge the disparities in the quality of life in cities. Our study assesses the quality of the built environment as a proxy for urban health and proposes a theoretical framework for constructing a UH index. We first conducted a literature review and statistical analyses to select and screen a comprehensive array of urban health indicators, and then used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to obtain the indicators’ weights and build the UH index. On applying the framework on the city of Ferrara, Italy, we obtained promising results with four interpretable principal components explaining the contextual conditions. The autocorrelation of the UH index (Moran’s I = 0. 795) demonstrated strong clustering, with very healthy urban census tracts located within the city centre and decreasing overall urban health in peripheral census tracts.
Utilizing wearable technology to characterize and facilitate occupant collaborations in flexible workspaces
Authors: Maisha Kristi , Frei Mario , Quintana Matias , Chua Yun Xuan , Jain Rishee , Miller Clayton
Published: December 2023

Hybrid working strategies have become, and will continue to be, the norm for many offices. This raises two considerations: newly unoccupied spaces needlessly consume energy, and the occupied spaces need to be effectively used to facilitate meaningful interactions and create a positive, sustainable work culture. This work aims to determine when spontaneous, collaborative interactions occur within the building and the environmental factors that facilitate such interactions. This study uses smartwatch-based micro-surveys using the Cozie platform to identify the occurrence of and spatially place interactions while categorizing them as a collaboration or distraction. This method uniquely circumvents pitfalls associated with surveying and qualitative data collection: occupant behaviors are identified in real-time in a non-intrusive manner, and survey data is corroborated with quantitative sensor data. A proof-of-concept study was deployed with nine hybrid-working participants providing 100 micro-survey cluster responses over approximately two weeks. The results show the spontaneous interactions occurring in hybrid mode are split evenly among the categories of collaboration, wanted socialization, and distraction and primarily occur with coworkers at one’s desk. From these data, we can establish various correlations between the occurrence of positive spontaneous interactions and different factors, such as the time of day and the locations in the building. This framework and first deployment provide the foundation for future large-scale data collection experiments and human interaction modeling.
Carbon budgets at the component scale and their impacts on design choices: the façade as a case study
Authors: Oghazi N Rezaei , Jusselme T , Andersen M
Published: December 2023

In accordance with the Paris agreement, the Swiss Climate Strategy (SCS) defines the net-zero target to be reached before 2050, which demands for a thoughtful carbon budget allocation between the different contributors. Ongoing normalization tasks are currently defining life cycle carbon budgets at the building scale aligned with the SCS. While recent research has provided promising methodologies to break down a whole building’s carbon budget, SCS-aligned budgets cannot be calculated at the component scale yet. Having the ability to define carbon budgets at the components’ level could support a carbon-responsible design process by reducing the scope of the design problem: the idea is to ensure that the cumulative impact of all the building components (calculated per building energy reference area) remains below the allowed building carbon budget based on SCS targets. This would provide a straightforward link between SCS and carbon budgets at the component scale, a scale at which many decisions need to be taken during the design process. Moreover, based on the set SCS net-zero objectives to be reached by 2050, the carbon budget, whether for buildings or for their components, will have to decrease annually, thereby affecting design flexibility, i.e. the number of design solutions that can still comply with the building’s carbon budget on any specific year. The research presented in this paper aims to provide a framework able to set carbon budgets at the components’ scale and start discussing the consequences of such carbon budgets on façade design flexibility until 2050.
Environmental assessment of several scenarios of active and passive radon control measures
Authors: Felicioni L , Jiránek M , Lupíšek A
Published: December 2023

In buildings, radon gas mainly enters through cracks in the floors and gaps around pipes and cables in contact with the soil, thereby increasing indoor radon levels. Like other building components or systems, the radon control measures have embodied and operational environmental impacts that have been neglected to a certain extent. While many actions have been taken recently to achieve carbon-neutral yet energy-efficient buildings, even radon control measures should be investigated not only for protecting human health since radon gas is the major source of ionising radiation for humans but also for the environment. This paper aims to undertake a comparative analysis of the embodied and operational impacts of variant radon-protective measures installed at the floor foundation level (both active and passive solutions) for new and existing buildings. In particular, this analysis includes four different measures based on radon venting from i) floor air gap created from plastic components, ii) flexible perforated pipes embedded in the gravel layer under the floor, iii) radon sump placed in the sub-floor layer, and iv) perforated tubes drilled horizontally into the subsoil under the house. In all cases, radon will be removed through a vertical exhaust pipe terminated above the roof or by a roof fan. The impacts are calculated for the life cycle assessment (LCA) stages A1-A3 (production phase) and B6 (operational energy) to determine whether future research should be focused on the reduction of environmental impacts on the production stages or the operational ones.
How to build green substations? An LCA comparison of different sustainable design strategies for substations
Authors: Mohtashami Negar , Karuvingal Rahul , Droste Kai , Schreiber Thomas , Streblow Rita , Müller Dirk
Published: December 2023

The growing industry of Information and Communication technology necessitates an increase in the construction of data centers and substations that supply them with electricity at high voltage levels. The increase in the construction of data centers and therefore substations on the one hand, and their high energy consumption on the other hand, makes sustainable substation design of utmost importance to prevent environmental degradation. However, current studies often consider only the operation phase of the building and neglect other life cycle stages, resulting in biased decisions that shift the environmental problems from one stage to another that were not included in the scope of these studies. This paper investigates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a typical substation located in Germany, and applies three sustainable design strategies by creating scenarios, each varying in building material composition, waste heat utilization from data centers, and incorporation of green electricity from the grid. The environmental performance of these scenarios was evaluated using the One-Click LCA. Results indicate that switching to green electricity is the most impactful strategy that reduces the Global Warming Potential (GWP) to approximately 33 % compared to the base case. In the best solution which mixed all strategies, sharp reduction of GWP to 17.5 % was achieved. The highest impactful element of the building was its structure where the major building weight and a considerable amount of concrete cause the most GWP. Furthermore, the choice of materials is mainly important because of their embodied emissions, rather than their energetic values.
Quantification and specification of agricultural by-products as local resources for mycelium-bound composites
Authors: Yoo J G , Heath K , Wisniewska M H , Heisel F
Published: December 2023

The research focuses on Upstate New York and quantifies the available agricultural wastes and by-products to identify their application as substrates for mycelium-bound composites (hereinafter MBC) functioning as nutrient, aggregate, and reinforcement in the production of local biological building materials. The literature review indicates that the biggest contributor to the mechanical strength of MBC is the substrate’s ability to support strong and dense mycelial growth. To estimate the locally available agricultural wastes in the Finger Lakes region of New York, yield data, residue-to-grain ratio, moisture content, and weight are used to determine the dry tons of residue produced in 2021 in New York. Reports suggest that agricultural residues, particularly corn stover, are widespread and underutilized in the United States, representing a major potential resource. This research explores the potential of using corn stover, especially cobs as a material resource for new circular construction paradigms in the Finger Lakes region’s circular economy. Further research aims to increase control of growth parameters and material specification in the production of local biological building materials.
Development of climatic damage predictive tool for timber façade moisture-related damage
Authors: Ostapska K , Coelho G B A , Brozovsky J , Kraniotis D , Loli A
Published: December 2023

Development of the method for automated and adaptive assessment of mould growth in the timber frame facade is presented. A heat, air, and moisture (HAM) transport simulation using the open-source Python library HAMOPY is validated against a well-established software (WUFI Pro 1D). Climate input of the reference year in Norway, Oslo is used in validation. The material parameters of the 1D numerical model that influence mold growth conditions most are identified via a parametric study. The increased water vapor permeability and thermal conductivity of the outside envelope as well as the critical relative humidity threshold are selected as the model updating parameters to account for the risk of the thermal bridge, moisture leakage, and mold growth conditions variation in the model. The example of the automated parametric computation of the mold growth conditions in the facade is presented for a reference climate based on the developed and validated HAM model.
Energy-efficient residential building in Uzbekistan using local renewable raw materials based on the historical layout of housing
Authors: Azizova B M
Published: December 2023

This article delves into the benefits of using low-tech, renewable, and local materials in architecture. Specifically, it compares the use of clay and straw with modern construction techniques, highlighting the significantly lower energy costs associated with the former. Through studies of thermophysical conditions, the thermal properties of walls made from these materials have been determined, which plays a crucial role in creating a comfortable microclimate inside buildings. Furthermore, research has identified buildings at risk due to their load-bearing capacity, leading to the development of construction methods for strengthening earthen walls that can be applied in building design and construction practice. Thanks to these newly developed methods and technologies, the construction of earth and straw buildings is now possible on a wider scale, including both standard and special designs.
Mapping Urban Water Balance to support the integrated design of water cycles in the peri-urban areas
Authors: Dessi V , Clementi M
Published: December 2023

The paper tests the effectiveness of a methodology used to analyze the water element in the urban context, in supporting design choices oriented toward sustainable water management. In particular, it presents a mapping technique of the variables used for calculating the UWB (Urban Water Balance) using the open data available for Milan. The methodology is applied to a peri-urban area of the city’s southern outskirts, the Corvetto/Chiaravalle district. The availability of the data has allowed identifying the minimum spatial area on which to carry out a balance of water flows using open-source GIS in the census block (CB). The methodology’s effectiveness in supporting the design choices was verified on two specific census blocks, the first representing the diffuse residential built area, the second an existing farmhouse no longer productive with residential functions. The main design strategy’s goal was to reduce water withdrawal from the aqueduct and reuse part of the outgoing water to limit the discharge into the sewage system as much as possible.
Carbon, economics, and labor: a case study of deconstruction’s relative costs and benefits compared to demolition
Authors: Heisel F , McGranahan J , Lucas A , Cohen D , Stone G
Published: December 2023

The authors formed a collaborative working group with the “specific aim to investigate the circular potentials of the local built environment by researching and proposing methods for material reuse and recycling, reversible construction, reactivating embodied values, creating green jobs, and reinventing the underlying business models of construction.” Seeking to demonstrate deconstruction as an alternative to demolition, the group found a collection of 11 residential structures from the year 1910 that were planned for demolition. The group was able to convince the developer to deconstruct – instead of demolish – one of the structures. Over the course of five days in January 2022, a crew of up to eight workers methodically carved the 420 square meter, 13-bedroom structure into sections from top to bottom. Data was collected during this process on material quantities successfully salvaged from the structure in relation to its total mass, the associated carbon savings the salvage of these materials indicate, their resale value, and labor time and costs required to both remove and process these materials for resale. The results of the study show an increase in carbon savings and sequestration through deconstruction and reuse when compared to demolition, but increased labor and economic costs. However, the resale of materials significantly discounts a significant portion of the cost of the deconstruction, and as capacity and knowledge is built in the local reuse ecosystem the authors believe deconstruction can reach parity with demolition in the future.
Integrating irregular inventories: Accessible technologies to design and build with nonstandard materials in architecture
Authors: Cousin T , Marshall D , Pearl N , Alkhayat L , Mueller C
Published: December 2023

Circular principles are a promising method to reduce embodied carbon in construction. Material reuse has the potential to reduce waste and environmental impacts of the extraction, production, and transportation of new materials. However, its implementation can be limited by the challenging nature of irregular materials that do not fit traditional design approaches, fabrication tools, and standards. In response, this paper proposes a generalized, accessible framework for working with irregular material sources in architecture. This framework includes computational tools and fabrication strategies that enable, expand access to, and scale up this approach in the AEC industry. The methodology is demonstrated through four design-build examples that leverage the irregularity of different materials into new architectural assemblies.
Tool for evaluation of energy system options for municipalities
Authors: Meyer M , Linder E , Schilt U , Schneeberger S , Melillo A , Gökgöl E Köker , Schuetz P
Published: December 2023

To reach the goal of net-zero emissions in 2050, posed by the Swiss energy strategy, our society faces major challenges for the integration of renewable energy generation and distribution, and changes in the energy system are inevitable. The development of decentralised renewable energy sources and the necessary extensions of the power grid are only one aspect. A high percentage of the energy consumption in the residential sector consists of space heating and cooling of buildings. Therefore, the changes will also affect the thermal energy sector, e.g. through renovations of buildings, replacements of fossil heating systems with heat pumps or connections to district heating networks. To support the planning involved in the changes of the energy system, we provide a tool for visualisations of energy system options and scenarios and recommendations for optimisations based on publicly available data, modelling demands and simulating energy systems in a mixed-integer linear programming framework. We present a first version of the recommender tool which focuses on the support of municipality representatives for drawing up their communal energy strategies.
Estimating residential space heating and domestic hot water from truncated smart heat data
Authors: Leiria D , Schaffer M , Johra H , Marzsal-Pomianowska A , Pomianowski M Z
Published: December 2023

The EU aims to digitize the building stock across all member states to better understand energy use and achieve energy efficiency goals to address climate change. Smart heat meters are currently used for billing purposes in district heating (DH) grids. Their data is recorded as integer kWh values, which restricts usability for the modeling and analysis of DH networks. Previous research devised a methodology to estimate space heating (SH) and domestic hot water (DHW) energy from total heating data, but the data truncation process reduced accuracy. This study integrates the SPMS (Smooth–Pointwise Move–Scale) algorithm, which estimates decimal values from DH truncated measurements, to improve the accuracy of the DHW and SH disaggregation methods. The study applies these two methodologies to a dataset of 28 Danish apartments and compares the results against full-resolution and truncated data to evaluate performance. Another dataset, named “optimal dataset” is also assessed to determine overall estimation accuracy. Results show that SPMS reduces the disaggregation methodology error of SH and DHW compared to the truncated data. The optimal dataset outperforms the current methodology, indicating a potential for improving and scaling the methodology for larger datasets.
Comparison of electrical load forecast methods validated on the hourly consumption profiles of 10 heat pumps located in Switzerland
Authors: Melillo A , Linder E , Meyer M , Schilt U , Schuetz P
Published: December 2023

The integration of variable renewable energy in the electrical grid necessitates the exploitation of load flexibility. The high contribution of space heating to the residential sector, thereby, puts the balancing of heat pumps in focus. The paper compares three different approaches to predict the heat demand of 10 Swiss residential buildings on 9 winter days. We compare two different simulation based grey-box models and an elementary statistical model approach. Unexpectedly, the statistical approach almost always performs better than the others, although the anticipated advantages of the simulation-based approaches could be seen in several cases. The comparison between the simulation-based methods shows that the one requiring more detailed, higher data quality clearly outperformed the simplified version. The work led to the conclusion that in the used setup too little system information was available to fully exploit the potential of a simulation-based approach at one hour resolution.
Construction sites’ sustainability enhancement through earthworks optimization using Building Information Modelling
Authors: Maltese S , Papa L , Re Cecconi F
Published: December 2023

Earthworks are the very beginning of every new construction project, if not well designed and controlled, they may cause time and cost overruns and, overall affect the sustainability of the whole project. Industry 4.0 technologies like high-precision positioning GNSS/RTK and Building Information Modelling may help improving earthworks thus reducing waste, reworks, and energy demand. A novel workflow to integrate data coming from multiple sources within a reliable, BIM-based, digital terrain model is proposed. The proposed method allows professionals, as designers and managers, to receive updated and correct data, for better decision making and, thus, for more sustainable construction processes. Side benefits of the proposed process is an improvement in workers’ safety. A case study, a quarry in northern Italy, proved the usability of the method.
Towards emission free construction sites in Northern Norway: Results from a regional survey
Authors: Høyli Randulf , Wiik Marianne Kjendseth , Homaei Shabnam , Fufa Selamawit Mamo
Published: December 2023

The concept of emission free construction sites (EFCS) has emerged as a prioritised measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Norwegian construction activities. EFCS have been evaluated through several pilot projects in Southern Norway, whilst none are found in Northern Norway. This study aims to investigate the major barriers and success factors for developing EFCS-projects in Northern Norway through a digital survey amongst construction industry representatives. The results indicate that major barriers for EFCS implementation are related to limited access and capacity of electricity and power supply, and limited availability and high costs of emission free technologies. Similar challenges are identified from EFCS projects in Southern Norway, making the cold climate, poor infrastructure, and remote conditions in Northern Norway an amplifier of these challenges. The identified success factors are to a large extent aligned with the major barriers, emphasizing improved power supply and charging infrastructure, as well as increased availability of emission free technologies. Predictable and equal requirement specifications in public tenders that reward those who invest in emission free technology are requested, emphasizing the importance of implementing requirements. Further work is needed to gather experience from EFCS pilots in cold and remote areas.
Gothenburg Digital Twin. Modelling and communicating the effect of temperature change scenarios on building demand
Authors: Maiullari D , Nageli Claudio , Rudena Andreas , Thuvander Liane
Published: December 2023

The article presents the first prototype of a web-based City Digital Twin (CDT) viewer developed for the city of Gothenburg to promote the understanding of the interrelation between the spatial, energy and climate change domain related to building stocks and to support stakeholders’ collaboration. The focus is on the development process of the viewer and decisions taken to target the users. 3d spatial data about the current city combined with building energy demand modelling following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios provide the basis that potentially allows local actors to take informed decisions about decarbonization measures in a long-term perspective. First, future climate conditions are modelled for Gothenburg following the IPCC pathways 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 for the year 2050. Second, a Building Stock Model is employed to simulate the energy use of buildings by using the climate scenarios as climate boundary conditions. Finally, results are visualized in the CDT viewer showing that future climate conditions contribute to an overall decrease in final energy demand up to 18% in spring and autumn months and an increase up to 1.5% in summer months.
Parametric Integration of CFD-based Wind Pressure Coefficients into Building Energy Models: A Novel Workflow
Authors: Manapragada Naga Venkata Sai Kumar , Natanian Jonathan
Published: December 2023

By integrating computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-generated wind pressure coefficients (WPCs) into building energy models, recent workflows enable the evaluation of the impacts of local wind on the energy performance of buildings. With the current workflows, however, only manual integration of WPCs into building energy models is possible. This study provides a workflow for the parametric integration of CFD-based WPCs, sampled for each window in the model, into building energy models using the Rhino-GH platform. Using this workflow, this study performed a parametric block-scale energy evaluation of 324 iterations for courtyard and high-rise layouts in various urban and building design configurations in the climate of Tel Aviv to compare the cooling load deviations between CFD-based and default WPCs. The results reveal a significant cooling load deviation between default and CFD-based WPCs, particularly in compact configurations (courtyard typology, higher FAR, and narrower street widths), indicating that default wind pressure coefficients overestimate the natural cooling potential. Further investigation of the balance between solar gains and convective heat losses reveals a surge in the impact of solar gains on cooling loads when accounting for CFD-based WPCs in the climate of Tel Aviv. This workflow can assist designers and analysts in accounting for local wind patterns in energy-driven urban design workflows.
Development of an energy digital twin from a hotel supervision system using building energy modelling
Authors: Libralato Michele , D’Agaro Paola , Cortella Giovanni
Published: December 2023

In this work, the utilization of the supervision system of a five-story hotel located in Northern Italy as tool to calibrate and validate a building energy model (BEM) is evaluated. The BEM is created using the TRNSYS simulation environment with the aim to develop a digital twin, to study the energy consumption of the building-HVAC system. The procedure for the supervision system preparation and the data analysis procedure is presented. The digital twin is then used to compare two control strategies for the thermostats’ control during summer to increase the energy efficiency of the building-HVAC system, and to use the heat storage properties of the building envelope to shift and shave the peaks of power demands. Control rules that allow a better match between electrical energy demand and availability, developed, and tested using the BEM, are pursued with the final goal to prepare the inclusion of the hotel in a smart grid. The building is modelled using TRNSYS Type 56 as a multi-zone building, with 96 thermal zones while the building monitoring is performed during the summer season from June to October 2022.