Architecture, Structures and Construction最新文献

After the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) religious architecture represented a pivotal era of transformation within the Catholic Church. This liturgical reform aimed to deepen the engagement of worshippers in the liturgy, fostering a more direct connection between the congregation and the celebrant. Architects responded by radically reimagining the design and aesthetics of sacred spaces and embracing innovative materials and construction techniques such as reinforced concrete. This shift enabled the creation of bold, symbolic structures characterized by simple geometric forms, fluid spaces, and enhanced transparency, utilizing natural light to evoke sacred atmospheres. An outstanding example of this architectural paradigm is the Church of the Holy Family in Salerno, Italy, designed by Paolo Portoghesi and Vittorio Gigliotti, starting in 1968. Built entirely in reinforced concrete, this church embodies the fusion of technical innovation with spiritual exploration, typifying ecclesiastical postmodernism. Despite their architectural significance, many postconciliar churches face challenges today, including insufficient conservation efforts and inadequate community recognition. This research focuses on the Church of the Holy Family in Salerno, investigating its evolution, technological advancements, and conservation needs. A comprehensive Conservation Plan is proposed to safeguard this architectural heritage, integrating analyses of degradation and restoration interventions. By addressing these aspects, this study aims to ensure the preservation of this postconciliar religious architecture within contemporary urban and social contexts.

One of the most significant and crucial issues in geotechnical engineering works, such as earth dams, embankments, and landfills to name a few, is slope stability assessment. Better methods are required to anticipate slope collapse because of its fatal effects. The goal of this research is to create a straightforward machine learning (ML) model for examining slope stability under seismic conditions. Four ML algorithms are examined, including Logistic Regression (LR), Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The models are trained and tested on the database containing 700 slopes. Tenfold cross-validation is utilized for parameter tuning, model training, and performance estimation of machine learning models using the training set. The best model is interpreted using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method, which is built on game theories. Among the studied models, the LGBM model is the most accurate based on ranking technique. Most influential features for slope stability prediction under seismic conditions are detected by the SHAP method as follows: peak ground acceleration, friction angle, and angle of inclination.

Seismic damage to building services systems, that is, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in buildings related to energy and indoor environments, affects the functionality of buildings. Assessing post-earthquake functionality is useful for enhancing the seismic resilience of buildings via improved design. Such assessments require a model for predicting the time required to restore building services. This study analyzes the downtime data for 250 instances of damage to building services components caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake in Japan, presumably obtained from buildings with minor or no structural damage. The objectives of this study are (1) to determine the empirical downtime distribution of building services components and (2) to assess the dependence of the downtime on explanatory variables. A survival analysis, which is a statistical technique for analyzing time-to-event data, reveals that (1) the median downtime of building services components was 90 days and, 7 months after the earthquake, the empirical non-restoration probability was approximately 32%, (2) the services type and the building use are explanatory variables having a statistically significant effect on the downtime of building services components, (3) the log-logistic regression model reasonably captures the trend of the restoration of building services components, (4) medical and welfare facilities and hotels restored building services components relatively quickly, and (5) the 7-month restoration probability was observed to be highest for electrical systems, followed by sanitary systems, then heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and finally life safety systems. These results provide useful information to support the resilience-based seismic design of buildings.

Construction workers engage in physically strenuous tasks while being exposed to adverse environments, rendering them susceptible to a multitude of health complications and safety risks. The effect of hot weather on the exposed individuals varies based on several demographic attributes. This study aims to examine the influence of hot temperatures on respiratory health, fatigue and workplace injuries based on socio-demographic attributes for construction workforce active in hot weather conditions. Therefore, to achieve the objectives of this study, a cross-sectional study design was adopted, where a comprehensive survey was designed and disseminated to workers in construction industry across the United States. The study adopted logistic regression method to develop separate models for workers’ respiratory health, fatigue, and injuries, to examine the relationship between these challenges and the socio-demographics. The results of the regression analysis revealed that, workers above 50 years of age had higher odds of experiencing workplace injuries, respiratory health problems, and physical fatigue than workers below 50 years of age. The odds of experiencing respiratory problems is higher in male construction workers than female construction workers. Also, construction workers involved in commercial and infrastructure project types had higher odds of experiencing injuries in workplace compared to workers involved in residential project types. The outcomes of this research can aid policy makers and employers in construction industry to identify the workers at risk. The findings can also be used to develop strategies and training to reduce workplace injuries for construction workers active in hot weather conditions.

Bolted connections offer advantages in terms of disassembly and reusability, potentially replacing conventional connections like screws, welds, or chemical bonds. This research investigates the behaviour of bolted connections between lightweight exterior infill walls and beams of primary structural members that are conventionally connected using screws. Although previous studies have investigated bolted connections in different structural members, understanding of the behaviours of these specific connections remains limited. The connections between infill walls and steel beams primarily experience shear loads under serviceability conditions. Therefore, an experimental study was conducted to gain insight into their shear behaviour. The obtained experimental results were analysed using existing predictive equations from design standards that are used across European, North American and Oceanian countries, to identify the most suitable equations for designing such connections.

The Heritage Buildings are the evidences of our history and culture, by passing the time these evidences are fading day by day, the neglecting behavior toward heritage showcase our interest in our culture and history. Some recent conservation work in the region give relief to this heart burnt scenario. Some heritage buildings and sites are declared as World heritage Site by UNESCO. But unfortunately, there are many heritage sites which are still ignored. Masjid Mahabat Khan Peshawar, KPK Pakistan is the most glorious heritage of the region. The condition of the Mosque is very carious, this research work is completely revolving around the conservation of this glorious mosque. Including the current condition statement of the building, numbers of required repair works, and conservation techniques. Conservation is a long reviving process with professional management and supervision attitude. Management and proper work frame is the main key of positive conservation. The conservation process is briefly discussed with respect to many aspects. It is advised that before starting the conservation process make sure the availability of local craftsmen, once the conservation work starts there should be zero break during all the process. Highlight the sensitive deteriorated part of the building to management panel, if it is hard to conserve or need reconstruction, the panel will sort out an alternative solution. The most important part in implementation phase is; Properties and composition of conserving materials. The bond between new and old material need to be strong and flexible, avoid the extra strength solutions in conservation, by executing hard or strengthen material in conservation process the thermal expansion and contraction in building is highly effected. The materials with same properties and composition take the thermal effect in a balanced way.

Reasonably evaluating the behavior of building structures gives rise to concerns associated with the design method considering interaction between superstructure and foundation. The pile plays a dominant role in the foundation, and varying pile spacing is an effective method for optimizing the pile group foundation. However, the interaction between the superstructure, foundation and subsoil is a complex physical process involving multiple objects. Quantitative assessment of the effects of varying pile spacing on the entire interaction system remains challenging. This study was aimed to accurately assess the effect of different pile spacing on the internal force redistribution of complex superstructures. Based on a case study of a high-rise building with a frame-core tube structure and pile-raft foundation, four cases with different pile spacing were considered. Special attention was given to the relationships of the load-transfer effects between the frame column and the core tube. Subsequently, using a series of numerical simulations, the whole construction process was modeled and calculated. The results confirmed that different pile spacings could affect the performance of the foundation-subsoil, and increasing the pile spacing outside the core tube is an economical and feasible method, which is more suitable for the mechanical characteristics of the frame-core tube structure.

This study explains the opportunities of prefabricated modular construction, which includes using building information modeling technology. The findings of this research can help managers and stakeholders understand the opportunities and risks of using modular materials and Building Information Modeling technology. This research also encourages them to use this technology to improve construction management and the quality of hospital construction projects, prepare for plan changes increase, and deal with epidemics. This study investigates the effect of increasing the prefabrication level in hospital projects. Initially, 21 essential criteria in evaluating prefabricated construction were identified by studying related articles and sources and interviewing experts. Then, using the weighted average and the Likert method, 7 top criteria were identified by distributing a questionnaire to experts in this field. The weighting of the criteria was then performed using the questionnaire data and the Shannon entropy method. Next, the best opinions were identified using the VIKOR technique and Excel software based on experts' opinions and selected criteria. The findings revealed that increasing the level of prefabrication reduced the amount of time, the prevalence of infection, the cost of completing the project, and, in some cases, the cost of changing the plan. Moreover increasing the level of prefabrication also improves environmental sustainability, quality, durability, ease of operation, and safety. There are restrictions, particularly in accessing projects built with various prefabrication levels.

The study is related to the historical and architectural heritage of the city of Tirana, based on the period of Italian influence until 1940. The stock of these buildings represents an interesting case, in terms of research, since they are close to the 100th anniversary after the construction and have great values for the city, as well as architectural heritage. The lifespan of these objects depends on interventions over the years, conservation, updating with digital monitoring technology and the inclusion of BIM and h-BIM tools in the treatment process. It is important to mention that the building does not only need facade maintenance and refinishing, but by getting to know its fragile parts we can have a seismic retrofit strategy ready. Specifically, this research focuses on several digitization processes, 3D models, simulation and intervention proposals. One of the main aspects is the communication between computer models, dealing with the FEM numerical model and the architectural model inside and outside the BIM environment, reducing the gap between them and without major data loss. After analyzing the collapse scenarios, it is intended to increase the accuracy of seismic retrofit interventions, with the sensitivity that belongs to a cultural heritage object. The application of numerical models for legacy objects presents a challenge since the complexity of handling an old building, the parameters of materials, calibrations and approaching the real response of the building in a seismic situation is known. Applications through BIM tools and files with numerous numerical data tend to make a contribution to the field of seismic engineering and heritage restoration in Albania. Variants with proposals on seismic retrofit strategies for protected buildings will be given at the end of this study.

Building foundation systems are a significant but understudied contributor to embodied carbon emissions of the built environment, and typically use excess material in prismatic, bending-dominated typologies. This paper identifies and characterizes a promising pathway for reducing the embodied carbon associated with reinforced concrete shallow foundations through an alternative typology, thin shell foundations. The main focus is a quantification and comparison of the environmental impact of typical spread footings and materially efficient shell foundations. Validated analytical engineering equations are applied in a parametric design workflow for the same design load and soil bearing capacity. By iterating through this workflow systematically, insights are gained regarding the applicability of shell foundations to various building typologies and site conditions. Results show that for small column loads and weak soils, shells reduce embodied carbon by about half compared to spread footings. For high applied loads, shells significantly outperform their prismatic counterparts, reducing the environmental impact by almost two-thirds. Foundations are then considered within the context of a whole building structural frame to determine the potential downstream savings when multiple systems are optimized to reduce material use and mass. When floor slabs are shape-optimized in addition to using shell foundations, a building structural system can be constructed for nearly one-quarter of the embodied carbon of a typical system. To take advantage of these potential savings, a method for fabricating thin shell foundations, where earth is compacted and milled to create the formwork, is presented following a review of digital fabrication methods.