Architecture, Structures and Construction最新文献

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.

This study explores the potential of employing AI, particularly text-to-image generators, in the architectural design process. It addresses three main research questions: (1) How do designers utilize text-to-image generative models in architectural design practices? (2) From a designer's perspective, what are the most significant limitations and potential threats associated with using text-to-image generative models? (3) What is the role of text-to-image generative models in enriching the design process? Using a qualitative research method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen experienced architectural designers who had recently incorporated text-to-image generative models into their practice and toolkits. The findings reveal that these models have the potential to enhance creativity, visualization, and imagination, particularly in the early design stages. However, participants also identified difficulties, limitations, and potential threats, emphasizing the need to improve the tools further to fit the architectural design field. The results of this study are demonstrated as a matrix that illustrates the different tools used by architects and designers during the design process and the addition of text-to-image models to these tools. Moreover, the research findings are summarized using a SWOT analysis, outlining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with incorporating text-to-image generative models in architectural design. This study will help designers in the architectural design field, including professionals, academics, and students, to boost their creative process when designing projects and empower them to be more productive in their specializations by facilitating the augmentation, exploration, and experimentation of new ideas.

With the tremendous increase of automobiles nowadays, the disposal of waste tire rubber has become a prime environmental concern, presenting a vast ecological hazard in all parts of the world. One of the potential solutions is using waste tire rubber into concrete/mortar to replace fine aggregate, which reduces the consumption of raw materials, resulting in increased economic efficiency and long-term growth in the construction industry. Based on previous research, this paper reviews and summarizes waste rubber's fresh properties, mechanical properties, durability, and electrical resistivity as the partial fine aggregate substitution in mortar/concrete. The results indicate that concrete containing crumb rubber (CR) reduces workability and fresh density. However, it can be improved by adding large sizes of rubber particles. Concrete's mechanical properties tend to decrease as the CR concentration rises. Therefore, treated CR particles, fibers, and additional binders can increase the mechanical properties of concrete materials. Moreover, the proper CR concentration exhibits high freeze–thaw resistance, water absorption and permeability, concrete shrinkage, electrical resistance, abrasion resistance, carbonation, chloride ion resistance, and resistance to acid and sulphate attack. Additionally, the chemical treatment of rubber aggregates has proved to be an effective and practical means of compensating for the loss of durability and mechanical strength of concrete containing rubber.