cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287103
title: Assessing the energy performance of VAV and VRF air conditioning systems in an office building located in the city of Florianópolis

description: Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze the energy performance of two types of water-cooled air conditioning systems, variable air volume (VAV) and variable refrigerant flow (VRF), in terms of their cooling energy use through building simulation. These systems were designed to operate in an office building located in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. The analysis involved the application of two building use schedules: a) constant and b) variable. Moreover, an analysis of the coefficient of performance (COP) and partial load ratio (PLR), and the percentage of operating hours for each range of cooling COP and PLR for each air conditioning system, allowed the system cooling efficiency to be assessed and the results to be related to the annual energy consumption. The coefficient of performance of VAV and VRF is 6.7 and 5.0, respectively, but the VRF system presented the lowest energy consumption for both schedules. The difference in the cooling energy consumption values for the VRF and VAV systems, for the variable schedule compared with the constant schedule, is mainly influenced by the partial load performance during the hottest period of the year.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287100
title: Characterisation of leisure areas in vertical multifamily buildings aimed at proposing a leisure index

description: Abstract Vertical multifamily buildings now offer an increasing number of leisure environments. That is possibly in response to urban violence and the demands of consumer society, whose new needs demand commodities that turn into desires. What does the real estate market offer as recreational environments in these buildings? The objective of this paper is to characterise the scope and configuration of the environments and leisure areas at vertical multifamily buildings, aiming at proposing a leisure index. A total of 31 developments were selected from six construction companies in the city of Maceió/AL/Brazil, between 2010 and 2015. The projects were divided into 3 groups according to the area of the apartments, based on the Sales Velocity Index; leisure environments were grouped into four user ranges; the respective leisure rates were calculated. The study showed that the adult and shared leisure areas occurred throughout the sample; most of the leisure environments are located on the pilotis/ground floor area, some on the roof and on the mezzanine and a few in the basement. The condominiums with small apartments had lower leisure rates than those with larger apartments and isolated buildings. The proposed leisure index was adequate to express the varied offer of the local real estate market.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287099
title: Guidelines for planning and controlling the assembly process of prefabricated steel building systems

description: Abstract In recent years, the construction industry has been increasingly using industrialised construction systems, including steel structures, which can contribute to waste elimination and reduction in project duration. The aim of this research study is to propose a set of guidelines for planning and controlling the assembly process ofprefabricated steel structures, based on Lean Production concepts and principles. Design science research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation, which was developed in partnership with a company that designs, produces and assembles steel building systems. Several improvements were implemented in the planning and control process of the company, in two stages: the first one had the participation of one researcher as a facilitator, and the second one was led by company’s managers. Results indicate that there is a need to adapt modelsproposed in the literature for production system design and production planning and control to the context ofprefabricated steel building systems. The main contributionof this investigation is a set of guidelines that can be used to conceive the production planning and control process for companies that design, produce and assemble prefabricated steel structures.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287097
title: Customisation demands in residential buildings in Brazil: an empirical-qualitative cluster analysis based on the Skeleton/Infill System

description: Abstract The logic of housing production has excluded consumers from the decision-making process, assigning to them the responsibility for adapting the dwelling to their own needs after receiving the keys. This leads to waste of resources, it compromises dwellers’ safety and neighbourhood relations, and reduces a building’s lifespan. Thus, it is necessary to propose strategies to minimise the need for renovations of newly built apartments. To clarify the customisation demands in residential buildings in Brazil, we studied the scope of adaptations carried out by dwellers throughout the occupation span of a sample of 62 apartments in the cities of Sao Paulo and Santos. Based on the collected data, we conducted a cluster analysis, identifying three patterns of customisation demands: (1) alteration of finishing, equipment, layout, and openings; (2) addition of equipment unforeseen in the original design, such as bathtubs and air conditioners; (3) expansion through the addition of common areas with limited access, unclaimed by other dwellers. As the latter two patterns distress the building’s skeleton, needing works managed by specialists, we consider technical and legal approaches to enable them through mass customisation.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287096
title: Stimuli towards well-being in an environment with Complementary and Integrative Practices (CIPs)

description: Abstract This article presents a proposal to categorise stimuli that influence well-being in therapeutic environments following Complementary and Integrative Practices (CIPs). With the broader aim of understanding which environmental stimuli influence the well-being of CIP therapeutic environment users, this qualitative research adopted a multimethod approach: bibliographic and documentary research; walkthrough analysis; exploratory visits; environment observations; and finally, interviews. After cross-referencing a literature review and an environmental assessment of three case studies during 2017, a categorisation was drawn up, and it suggests that the stimuli which most influence well-being in CIP environments are: Artistic, Auditory, Biological, Luminous and Hygrothermal Comfort, Energetic, Spatial, Natural, Olfactory, Social and Socio-Spatial stimuli. Included in a broader debate on creating environments favourable to users’ health, and in line with an increasing demand of CIPs in Brazil, this categorisation aims at contributing to the knowledge of CIP environment-specific necessities and improving the quality from the early stage of project idealisation.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287094
title: Digital technologies in the contemporary design process: potentials and challenges for practice and academia

description: Abstract This paper addresses the adoption of digital technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) design process, including Building Information Modeling (BIM), parametric modeling and digital fabrication. The purpose of the study is to understand the implications of adopting digital technologies in the contemporary design process, based on the context of companies considered early adopters of these resources, in contrast to the prevailing practices of the sector. Questionnaires were applied and interviews were conducted with 30 professionals, as well as with 7 researchers, from different countries. As a result, the study presents a synthesis of the main potentials and challenges pointed out by the respondents regarding the adoption of digital technologies, as well as their relations with the design process. Lessons from the early adopters and measures that can be taken to achieve the potential of digital technologies in the AEC industry were also identified. The essential measures to be taken include the development of requirements and regulations by authorities and institutions aiming at the promotion of standards, the integration of professional practice with academic research and changes in the education of future professionals.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287090
title: Analysis of the correlation between comfort and thermal performance in social housing using computer simulation

description: Abstract In Brazil, thermal performance standards for buildings were created to improve the quality of buildings in the country. The NBR 15220-3 was the first technical standard to include the topic of thermal performance, followed by NBR 15575-1, which establishes three methods for that purpose. Building simulation is the most suitable method for evaluating thermal performance, since it analyses the building as a whole object. However, one limitation of the simulation method proposed by the standard is that it does not use thermal comfort indices, but only air temperature differences. The aim of this study is to investigate correlations and divergences of thermal performance, evaluated by the simulation method prescribed by NBR 15575, and adaptive thermal comfort. A social housing project was simulated in different scenarios and with different envelope configurations, using a factorial experiment and, under the same circumstances, a sensitivity analysis of the input variables was performed. The results showed correlation between thermal performance and comfort in some scenarios, which can be explained by the fact that part of the most influential variables in thermal performance were the same as in thermal comfort. However the inefficacy of the normative method is evident with regards to thermal comfort.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287089
title: Analysis of temperatures of a compartment during firefighting training

description: Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the influence of the type of firefighting technique at temperatures developed in a compartment used by the Minas Gerais Firefighting Department - CBMMG, Brazil, in its firefighting training. The types of firefighting varied according to the mode of deployment of water in simple pulses, two pulses or longer pulses. The results showed that the training appropriately represents real fires in buildings, presenting the fire ignition and growth phases, flashover and after flashover. The study showed that the rate of water application inversely affects the duration of the fire and the temperature in the region where the firefighters are located. Tests were also performed without intervention and showed that there is no significant difference in the maximum temperatures reached compared to normal training. The tests performed in the compartment also showed that they can be used for the study of building and structural elements in fire situations.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287088
title: Areas with natural potential in Brazil: an essay about the activities and the uses

description: Abstract A fast increasing process of urbanisation has led to the deterioration of the relationship between man and nature. The population has become increasingly more distant from natural areas, as these spaces are being lost due to the expansion of cities. The aim of this paper is to investigate trends in the use of natural spaces, their characteristics, and the activities that usually take place in them, based on the preferences of young people living in a southern Brazilian city. The Greenmapper online platform was used for data collection. It analyses the link between users and green areas at four levels: neighbourhood, city (region), country, and world. The results indicate that users choose to utilise urban green spaces for their well-being and the emotional bonds they create, regardless of their infrastructure, since walking and sightseeing are the main activities performed. The study’s results provide an understanding of the needs and the distribution of natural areas for the sustainable cities of the future, so as to improve their preservation and appreciation.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287087
title: Economic assessment of the environmental impacts of land use through the life cycle assessment approach: state of art

description: Abstract In the last decades, the Metropolitan Area of Mendoza has been the setting of a significant demographic expansion involving fertile or natural soils without considering the opportunity cost of urbanising and sealing soils. For this reason, the Territorial Ordinance Provincial Plan was developed, highlighting the need for a territorial planning that mitigates the risks of natural disasters, improves accessibility and economic and energy development. However, the plan does not take in to account the environmental impacts of this urbanisation in terms of economic and social costs and benefits, that is, how these transformations affect society as a whole. Hence the need to carry out a review of the literature in order to find out how similar situations have been analysed in other studies and to know if there are any methodologies that can be applied in the proposed case study. The review was carried out according to key words and it focused on 3 dimensions: Life Cycle Assessment, Territorial Planning, and Economic Valuation covering the period 2004-2018. As a result of this investigation, some studies were detected that can form the basis upon which an analysis methodology can be developed.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287085
title: Reflected sunlight efficiency and the performance of shading devices

description: Abstract The amount of reflected daylight and its distribution within a room varies according to different types of shading devices. In the case of brises, the number of slats, the specularity and the reflectance of the surfaces can influence the performance of daylighting and the use of sunlight. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of shading devices in classrooms, taking into account reflected sunlight efficiency (proposed index), which relates the reflected sunlight component to global illuminance. The study chose three variables related to these devices: number of pieces, specularity and reflectance. The resulting models were analysed for the efficiency of reflected sunlight, in Maceió. The program used for the computational simulations was TropLux. Statistical analyses were performed in order to identify the variables with greatest impact on reflected sunlight efficiency. The results showed that the reflectance of the devices is the variable that most positively influences reflected sunlight efficiency, increasing the index by up to 142%. The conclusion is that it is possible to increase the use of sunlight through the variation of certain characteristics of shading devices, bringing benefits to the daylighting of indoor environments.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287079
title: Mechanical characterisation of the stiffness and strength of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)

description: Abstract Ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a new material developed to present superior properties, such as high uniaxial compressive strength (superior to 100 MPa), high durability, low permeability and satisfactory ductile behaviour. This paper presents the mechanical characterisation of UHPFRC and compares it with a reference mixture of reactive powder concrete (RPC). The mechanical characterisation consisted in obtaining the following properties: compressive strength at 28 days (fc,28), static elastic modulus (Eci), toughness (T) and dynamic elastic modulus (Ed). UHPFRC presented 20% and 51% gain of strength and toughness, in relation of RPC. Nevertheless, the stiffness values (i.e., Eci and Ed) were very similar to RPC. This behaviour is explained by the fact that steel fibres are not activated at low levels of stress, however, at higher loads, the toughness increases in UHPFRC samples. Furthermore, Ed were monitored up to 365 days, and there was considerable gain in stiffness over time, mainly due the addition of silica fume. Furthermore, a constitutive compression law was obtained for UHPFRC and RPC, with R2 = 0,992.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287078
title: Post-Occupancy Evaluation of a Cost-effective Bioclimatic Building Chamber: a diagnosis of thermal and acoustic perception of the built environment

description: Abstract The Cost-effective Bioclimatic Building Chamber (CBBC) is a laboratory dedicated to comparative studies on environmental comfort and building performance. In this paper, a diagnosis of thermo-acoustic comfort conditions provided by CBBC’s original configuration is presented, based on some results from a Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) - which also included lighting, ergonomic, and functional comfort aspects. Firstly, a brief contextualisation of POE is presented. Regarding research procedures, the paper describes CBBC’s structure and functionalities, environmental parameters monitoring, CBBC’s operation protocol, and POE’s methodology. Subsequently, the results of the first POE application are discussed, accomplished by 136 volunteers in August 2018, under forced ventilated conditions without active air conditioning. Most occupants reported thermal comfort at CBBC (84,6%). On the other hand, more than one fifth of the occupants declared dissatisfaction (19,1%) or high dissatisfaction (2,2%) with the CBBC’s noise level.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287077
title: Hot age: thermal comfort parameters for elderly residents in the semi-arid region of Paraiba

description: Abstract Ageing, as we know, involves a series of physiological changes that have a negative impact on the individual's thermal perception. However, thermal comfort for the elderly has received little attention from researchers in Brazil, especially regarding the elderly people's own homes. In this context, what parameters can be applied to assess thermal quality in elderly people's homes? To answer this question, thermal comfort parameters have been determined for elderly people in their homes in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba State, Brazil. For this empirical research, a multiple-method strategy was implemented through the use of structured interviews to collect data concerning individual and subjective variables, as well as the measurement of data concerning environmental variables through the use of dedicated tools and equipment. The probit model for estimating probabilities was used to determine the parameters of thermal comfort, confirming the preference of elderly people for warmer environments. The results can help design home environments that are more comfortable for elderly people, through post-occupancy evaluation (POE) and simulations of the thermal performance of houses or building during the designing stage.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287076
title: Characterisation of the historical coating mortars in the Ilha Bela Plant located in the city of Ceará Mirim, RN

description: Abstract In order to preserve a society’s identity, it is fundamental to seek the conservation of its cultural heritage. Historic buildings are an integral part of this heritage, as they contain evidence about the building's constructive history, as well as methods and materials, which are of utmost importance in order to preserve these assets. This study aims to characterise the coating mortars of the Ilha Bela, RN Plant. In order to do that, the researchers undertook on-site visits for visual observation and photographic registration of the building, and also collected mortar samples from the administrative building, scale and factory of the Plant for subsequent physical-chemical and mineralogical characterisation through visual analysis and analytical techniques in the laboratory. The analyses revealed that the mortars studied are rich in lime, with calcitic binders and siliceous sand as aggregate, with the presence of clay. The study showed the existence of different traces in the mortars, whose binder/aggregate ratios are: 1:4 to 1:9, depending on the building and sample extraction site. Hence, from the information about the existing mortars, it is possible to design a mortar of compatible constitution for the accomplishment of the conservation of these historic monuments, emphasising their values.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287075
title: Thermal comfort in naturally ventilated patient rooms

description: Abstract Natural ventilation can be an interesting passive cooling strategy for hospital rooms with a low infection risk, especially in a hot and humid climate like in the city of Florianópolis in south Brazil. Although there is enough evidence to prove the positive influence of natural ventilation on patients’ healing, the Brazilian standard RDC50, on technical practices for hospital building projects, strongly recommends the use of HVAC systems for these rooms. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate thermal comfort in patient rooms using different configurations of natural ventilation. The methodology is based on CFD simulation for three configurations of natural ventilation in a basic patient room: single-sided ventilation, double single-sided ventilation and cross-ventilation. The thermal performance of each natural ventilation configuration is analysed for a typical summer day and a typical spring day, with wind coming from the north and northeast directions at three different speed levels: 1.0 m/s, 3.0 m/s and 6.0 m/s. The results show an overall higher ventilation performance for the double single-sided ventilation and for cross-ventilation. The trend to verticalise and densify hospital buildings makes it difficult to adopt cross-ventilation. Therefore, the conclusion of the study is that double single-sided ventilation should be considered as an effective alternative to achieve thermal comfort in patient rooms.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14287073
title: Performance ratings of impact noise insulation materials using the tapping machine and a non-standardized source

description: Abstract Studies conducted up to the present moment by researchers around the world show that the evaluation of impact noise depends both on the combined system of floor and on the type of impact source used in measurements. This implies that a particular solution for reducing the impact sound pressure level could work with great efficiency when using a tapping machine and not work so well when using a different impact noise source. The objective of this study is to discuss the performance of materials against the standardized and non-standardized source, determining which of two types of sources is most efficient in simulating real cases. Results of groups measured with the non-standardized source show that all materials behave similarly and do not represent a wide range of options to solve heavy impact noise real problems as results measured with the tapping machine suggest.