International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment最新文献

The bureaucratic approach to the management of the National Arts Theatre Complex (NATC) since inception has proved to be unsuitable and ineffective as indicated by its present maintenance status and public commentary over the years. Relying on observations made from a physical inspection of the NATC structure and its facilities, documented public commentary and information derived from questionnaire surveys, the moribund state of the complex is confirmed. Arguing that the complex is an investment in real estate and as well as a business property, this paper considers how it can be revitalized through the deployment of Facility Management (FM) service delivery which is a management concept suited to large facilities and multiple systems like the NATC. The findings are that the facility is in a moribund state as a result of which it has been unable for years now to serve the purpose for which it was established, that the mission-focused nature of FM service delivery has the potential to enhance its functionality as a centre for events and expositions as well as optimize its value as an investment property thereby serving to sustain this important component of Nigeria’s built heritage.

For many years central court houses have been used in parts of Iran with different climates. Though initially there appear to be many similarities, some aspects of these houses vary from one climatic zone to another. Several studies have also suggested that users of these houses moved within them as they sought for better thermal situations. This article sets out how differing sizes, forms and dimensional ratios of central courts in two climate zones of Iran (Yazd, hot and dry, and Bushehr, hot and humid) can support this behaviour. In both places these central court forms can provide good situations for human comfort on various sides and levels of the court. Consequently, residents could move within the house with the seasons to get their desired level of thermal comfort but these traditional patterns of movement differ for each climate zone.

This study examines vegetation, carbon sequestration, and spatial and temporal changes of green space at the premises of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). The primary objective of this study is to examine floral diversity of the OUSL premises that was rehabilitated from a landfill site and to determine suitable trees for landfill sites based on growth performance and biomass carbon stocks. The girth and height of plants ⩾5 cm dbh were measured to estimate biomass carbon stocks of each individual tree. GPS coordinates of each individual tree were taken for spatial mapping. Urban green spaces were extracted from Satellite view of Google Earth for a decade using screen digitizing techniques. A total of 722 individuals, comprising 95 plant species belonging to 75 genera and 33 families, were recorded. Of the total species 45% were native species. The above-ground and below-ground biomass were estimated to be 50 (t C/ha) and 10 (t C/ha) respectively. These results are comparable with above-ground biomass and below-ground biomass in the dry zone forest (60 and 17 (t C/ha) respectively). The study recognized that Terminalia catappa, Filicium decipiens, Mangifera indica, Cassia bacillaris and Tabebuia rosea species grow well in such landfill with effective carbon accumulation, and the species list presented in this paper will provide useful information that will help city planners to maximize biomass carbon sequestration by choosing optimal plants for landscaping in landfill sites.

Sustainability has become a significant aspect of real estate and has been integrated into the design, construction and operation of buildings. Now, emerging from the various initiatives around the world, the building information modelling (BIM) approach has been seen as a method that might deliver substantial gains in terms of designing and assessing the environmental cost of buildings.

Various research methodologies have been adopted, including a literature review exploring the benefits and challenges of BIM and of using a building performance modelling software (BPM) called Ecotect for sustainable building design. Finally, it introduces a design tool analysis of a case study using Ecotect to evaluate various what if scenarios on a proposed multi-use building.

The output revealed that BPM delivers information needed for enhanced design and building performance. Recommendations such as the establishment of proper mechanisms to monitor the performance of BPM related construction are suggested to allow for its continuous implementation. This research consolidates collective movements towards wider implementation of BPM and forms a base for developing a sound BIM strategy and guidance.

High demand of natural resources due to rapid urbanization and the disposal problem of agricultural wastes in developed countries have created opportunities for use of agro-waste in the construction industry. Many agricultural waste materials are already used in concrete as replacement alternatives for cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and reinforcing materials. This paper reviews some of the agro-waste materials, which are used as a partial replacement of fine aggregate in concrete. Different properties of fresh and hardened concrete, their durability and thermal conductivity when admixed with agro-wastes are reviewed. Agro-waste used in self-compacting concrete and mortar are also reviewed and their properties are compared. It has been seen that the agro-waste concrete containing groundnut shell, oyster shell, cork, rice husk ash and tobacco waste showed better workability than their counterparts did. Agro-waste concrete containing bagasse ash, sawdust ash and oyster shell achieved their required strength by 20% of replacement as fine aggregate, which were maximum among all agro-waste type concrete. Close relations were predicted among compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity and elastic modulus of agro-waste concrete. Addition of bagasse ash as fine aggregate in mortar increased the resistance of chloride penetration whereas inclusion of cork in mortar showed better thermal resistance and improved cyclic performance. After the review, it is of considerable finding that more research is deserved on all fine aggregates replacing agro-waste materials, which can give more certainty on their utilization in concrete.

Cooking with open fire has been crucial for occupants’ health due to poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in most of the rural households. IAQ is affected by many factors, such as firewood moisture, stove type, ventilation, etc. A monitoring system has been developed to find the general IAQ with Improved Cooking Stove (ICS) and Traditional Cooking Stove (TCS). Decay curve technique is utilized to calculate the Carbon Monoxide (CO) decay time. A preliminary health survey is also carried out to evaluate the dweller’s health complaints. The study is carried out in two adjoining remote villages of Palpa District in Western Nepal.

The mean CO and PM_2.5 concentration for ICS and TCS are 27.11 ppm and 825.4 μg/m³ (27.11 ± 14.24 ppm and 825.4 ± 730.9 μg/m³) with significant correlation (p < 0.0001) and 36.03 ppm and 1336 μg/m³ (36.03 ± 19.06 and 1336 ± 952.8) with significant correlation (p < 0.0481), respectively. From the overall sample, the mean CO and PM_2.5 concentration is reduced by 29.9% and 39%, respectively. The ventilation analysis result shows more than an 80 percentage deficit in ventilation as per the minimal rate of ventilation as prescribed by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Moreover, the placement of chimney at a short vertical height of 1.2 m adjoining to back window is the major cause of backflow. Therefore, the study has recommended a greater focus on ventilation to control IAQ of rural mountainous households.