Pub Date : 2023-07-20DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1201048
K. Kajiwara, A. Kishida, J. Fujiwara, R. Enokida
This study established an inversion based on a fishbone model to estimate physical parameters from the responses of elastic building structures subjected to an earthquake. A fishbone model, which has rotational springs and dashpots in addition to the elements in a lumped mass model, is effective for demonstrating structural rotations that happen at the connections of columns and beams. This model is commonly applied to computational calculations of seismic responses of structures and is classified into a forward problem obtaining responses from known systems and excitations. Although its effectiveness for the forward problem has been well demonstrated, it has rarely been applied to the inverse problem, where structural properties are estimated from known responses and excitations. First, this study inverted multi/single-mass-system fishbone models. Then, the inversion was applied to an elastic fishbone model of a 3-mass system, which was built based on an E-Defense shaking table experiment, and its structural responses were numerically simulated. This numerical simulation demonstrated its effectiveness for accurately estimating parameters in the fishbone model of the 3-mass system, especially when its structural responses are not contaminated by noises. Lastly, it was applied to responses containing some noise to examine its influence on the estimation accuracy. The estimation accuracy of damping elements was found to be sensitive to noise, whereas that of stiffness was more insensitive than the damping elements. The proposed inversion is particularly suitable for estimating rotational stiffness, which is not obtainable from the inversion of lumped mass systems.
{"title":"Fishbone model-based inversion to estimate physical parameters of elastic structures under earthquake excitations","authors":"K. Kajiwara, A. Kishida, J. Fujiwara, R. Enokida","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1201048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1201048","url":null,"abstract":"This study established an inversion based on a fishbone model to estimate physical parameters from the responses of elastic building structures subjected to an earthquake. A fishbone model, which has rotational springs and dashpots in addition to the elements in a lumped mass model, is effective for demonstrating structural rotations that happen at the connections of columns and beams. This model is commonly applied to computational calculations of seismic responses of structures and is classified into a forward problem obtaining responses from known systems and excitations. Although its effectiveness for the forward problem has been well demonstrated, it has rarely been applied to the inverse problem, where structural properties are estimated from known responses and excitations. First, this study inverted multi/single-mass-system fishbone models. Then, the inversion was applied to an elastic fishbone model of a 3-mass system, which was built based on an E-Defense shaking table experiment, and its structural responses were numerically simulated. This numerical simulation demonstrated its effectiveness for accurately estimating parameters in the fishbone model of the 3-mass system, especially when its structural responses are not contaminated by noises. Lastly, it was applied to responses containing some noise to examine its influence on the estimation accuracy. The estimation accuracy of damping elements was found to be sensitive to noise, whereas that of stiffness was more insensitive than the damping elements. The proposed inversion is particularly suitable for estimating rotational stiffness, which is not obtainable from the inversion of lumped mass systems.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43500035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-19DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1239757
Eugenia Gasparri, Samaneh Arasteh, A. Kuru, P. Stracchi, A. Brambilla
The current growing interest in the circular economy (CE) offers extensive opportunities to promote the adoption of more sustainable consumption and production practices across industries, which is a top priority in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The construction sector’s shift towards circular models is key to reducing carbon emissions and resource depletion but brings along considerable complexities and challenges, given the industry`s fragmented and conservative nature. Research on CE in construction has been growing exponentially over the past few years, producing a substantial amount of new knowledge in a short time. This study conducted a systematic review to map and synthesise the reported knowledge gaps in the literature. The analysis included forty-one (41) articles published between 2017 and 2022. One hundred fifty-five (155) knowledge gaps were identified and categorised according to seven (7) CE research dimensions—economic, environmental, governmental, methodological, societal, sectoral, and technological—and twenty-six (26) thematic sub-clusters. Findings critically analyse knowledge gaps’ frequency of occurrence over time and across dimensions. A new framework for CE implementation is proposed to support critical discussion and identification of future research trajectories towards a systemic transition to a circular economy in the construction sector. The framework identifies three innovation domains: circular product, circular process, and circular platform.
{"title":"Circular economy in construction: A systematic review of knowledge gaps towards a novel research framework","authors":"Eugenia Gasparri, Samaneh Arasteh, A. Kuru, P. Stracchi, A. Brambilla","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1239757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1239757","url":null,"abstract":"The current growing interest in the circular economy (CE) offers extensive opportunities to promote the adoption of more sustainable consumption and production practices across industries, which is a top priority in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The construction sector’s shift towards circular models is key to reducing carbon emissions and resource depletion but brings along considerable complexities and challenges, given the industry`s fragmented and conservative nature. Research on CE in construction has been growing exponentially over the past few years, producing a substantial amount of new knowledge in a short time. This study conducted a systematic review to map and synthesise the reported knowledge gaps in the literature. The analysis included forty-one (41) articles published between 2017 and 2022. One hundred fifty-five (155) knowledge gaps were identified and categorised according to seven (7) CE research dimensions—economic, environmental, governmental, methodological, societal, sectoral, and technological—and twenty-six (26) thematic sub-clusters. Findings critically analyse knowledge gaps’ frequency of occurrence over time and across dimensions. A new framework for CE implementation is proposed to support critical discussion and identification of future research trajectories towards a systemic transition to a circular economy in the construction sector. The framework identifies three innovation domains: circular product, circular process, and circular platform.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48439191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-17DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.999126
D. Walkinshaw, R. Horstman
From pandemic to seasonal, the COVID-19 pandemic experience suggests many common respiratory infections rather than likely having a fomite etiology as previously thought, are primarily caused by the inhalation of infectious aerosols shed by ill persons during coughing and normal breathing and talking. Given this new understanding, the good news is that, unlike indoor-sourced noxious and irritating gases that can only be mitigated practically by diluting them with outdoor air ventilation, the indoor infectious aerosol illness transmission route can be addressed by circulating already conditioned air through commonplace commercial filters. Given that infectious aerosols released from the breath of occupants were practically an unknown vector of respiratory disease in the healthcare community for many decades, understandably HVAC regulations have not addressed this issue yet. However, this is about to change. To further this new end, this paper develops the formulae needed to set conditioned air recirculation rates through such filters for design infectious aerosol emission and inhalation rates, HID values, exposure times and occupancies, and target significantly lower than currently normal airborne infection reproduction rates. The analysis extends the equations previously developed for group inhalation of infectious aerosols to develop equations predicting the number of infections likely to occur from this inhalation and the rate of disease spread (reproduction). The governing equations provided and exemplified use group exposures since the number of infections (reproduction number) is group based. Examples using the equations provided are given for many different settings and two case study findings are compared with their predictions. Some settings such as the typical office are shown to already have a relatively low infection reproduction rate. Alternatively, others such as a typical school classroom or a longer commercial air flight require increased filtered ventilation air flows to yield a similarly low reproduction rate. The formulae and their application will be of interest to government and industry health and HVAC standard setting bodies.
{"title":"Covid 19 and beyond: a procedure for HVAC systems to address infectious aerosol illness transmission","authors":"D. Walkinshaw, R. Horstman","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.999126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.999126","url":null,"abstract":"From pandemic to seasonal, the COVID-19 pandemic experience suggests many common respiratory infections rather than likely having a fomite etiology as previously thought, are primarily caused by the inhalation of infectious aerosols shed by ill persons during coughing and normal breathing and talking. Given this new understanding, the good news is that, unlike indoor-sourced noxious and irritating gases that can only be mitigated practically by diluting them with outdoor air ventilation, the indoor infectious aerosol illness transmission route can be addressed by circulating already conditioned air through commonplace commercial filters. Given that infectious aerosols released from the breath of occupants were practically an unknown vector of respiratory disease in the healthcare community for many decades, understandably HVAC regulations have not addressed this issue yet. However, this is about to change. To further this new end, this paper develops the formulae needed to set conditioned air recirculation rates through such filters for design infectious aerosol emission and inhalation rates, HID values, exposure times and occupancies, and target significantly lower than currently normal airborne infection reproduction rates. The analysis extends the equations previously developed for group inhalation of infectious aerosols to develop equations predicting the number of infections likely to occur from this inhalation and the rate of disease spread (reproduction). The governing equations provided and exemplified use group exposures since the number of infections (reproduction number) is group based. Examples using the equations provided are given for many different settings and two case study findings are compared with their predictions. Some settings such as the typical office are shown to already have a relatively low infection reproduction rate. Alternatively, others such as a typical school classroom or a longer commercial air flight require increased filtered ventilation air flows to yield a similarly low reproduction rate. The formulae and their application will be of interest to government and industry health and HVAC standard setting bodies.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45311544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-14DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1212423
O. Ayadi, S. Alnaser, M. Haj-ahmed, Hussam J. Khasawneh, Sereen Z. Althaher, Mohammad Alrbai, M. Arabiat
The global lockdowns adopted by many countries to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant transformation in the teaching methods adopted in higher education institutions toward dependence on online learning systems. Although this pandemic has placed a technical and financial burden on academic institutions to facilitate the successful transition to online learning, it provides opportunities to understand the impacts of adopting new policies and strategies to improve the efficient utilization of resources and thus reduce operational costs. The detailed analyses of the changes in energy consumption can support assessing the potential savings in electricity bills with the wide-scale adoption of online learning methods in the future as a business as usual to improve and modernize the education systems. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the electrical energy consumption of the buildings within the campus of the University of Jordan. The diversity of building types on the campus (e.g., university hospital, humanities schools, scientific schools) supports the provision of more general and robust recommendations to extend the results to other institutions, particularly in developing countries. The Energy Use Intensity (EUI) per unit area and EUI per student are employed for the first time for benchmarking the energy usage in educational buildings in Jordan. Overall, the analyses show that the total electricity consumption in 2020 was significantly lower than in 2019, with a decrease of 20.8% from 27.7 GWh in 2019 to 21.9 GWh in 2020. It is also found that the most significant reduction occurred in the humanities buildings (i.e., a 39% drop in energy consumption). However, this volume of energy reduction is still relatively low, considering the absence of students. Furthermore, the hospital has an extremely high EUI value (161 kWh/m2/year) compared to the other categories (e.g., the EUI for humanities schools is 32.5 kWh//m2/year). To conclude, the electrical energy consumption data suggests that there may be significant opportunities for energy conservation in all building categories, especially in the hospital.
{"title":"Impacts of COVID-19 on educational buildings energy consumption: case study of the university of Jordan","authors":"O. Ayadi, S. Alnaser, M. Haj-ahmed, Hussam J. Khasawneh, Sereen Z. Althaher, Mohammad Alrbai, M. Arabiat","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1212423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1212423","url":null,"abstract":"The global lockdowns adopted by many countries to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant transformation in the teaching methods adopted in higher education institutions toward dependence on online learning systems. Although this pandemic has placed a technical and financial burden on academic institutions to facilitate the successful transition to online learning, it provides opportunities to understand the impacts of adopting new policies and strategies to improve the efficient utilization of resources and thus reduce operational costs. The detailed analyses of the changes in energy consumption can support assessing the potential savings in electricity bills with the wide-scale adoption of online learning methods in the future as a business as usual to improve and modernize the education systems. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the electrical energy consumption of the buildings within the campus of the University of Jordan. The diversity of building types on the campus (e.g., university hospital, humanities schools, scientific schools) supports the provision of more general and robust recommendations to extend the results to other institutions, particularly in developing countries. The Energy Use Intensity (EUI) per unit area and EUI per student are employed for the first time for benchmarking the energy usage in educational buildings in Jordan. Overall, the analyses show that the total electricity consumption in 2020 was significantly lower than in 2019, with a decrease of 20.8% from 27.7 GWh in 2019 to 21.9 GWh in 2020. It is also found that the most significant reduction occurred in the humanities buildings (i.e., a 39% drop in energy consumption). However, this volume of energy reduction is still relatively low, considering the absence of students. Furthermore, the hospital has an extremely high EUI value (161 kWh/m2/year) compared to the other categories (e.g., the EUI for humanities schools is 32.5 kWh//m2/year). To conclude, the electrical energy consumption data suggests that there may be significant opportunities for energy conservation in all building categories, especially in the hospital.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46519419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-12DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1150826
Ken Tello-Ayala, Natividad García-Troncoso, Christian E. Silva, Carlos Zúñiga-Olvera, Julio Narvaez-Moran, C. Málaga‐Chuquitaype, Theodora Mouka
This study compares the seismic performance and environmental impact of a social housing structure designed with reinforced concrete with a structure using Guadua angustifolia “Kunth” cane. The aim is to contrast the implementation of an ecological material such as the Guadua cane, which is an accessible alternative due to its cost and construction time, versus the traditional reinforced concrete (RC) construction method. Both applied to social housing structures. The seismic performance of both methods is analyzed through nonlinear static analysis (pushover) with the objective of establishing the performance; structural and nonstructural damage, performance point, maximum displacements, and structural elements that induce structural failure; and acting forces, against a design earthquake (established by the NEC DS 2015 Standard), with a return period of 475 years. The environmental impact is evaluated through a life cycle assessment of the structure (LCA). Thus, the embodied carbon obtained from each structural element (foundations, beams, columns, floors, and roof support elements) was determined, considering material manufacturing, transportation, and construction. The results obtained demonstrated a higher seismic performance, with 70% less environmental impact on the Guadua cane structure.
{"title":"Comparative analysis of the sustainability and seismic performance of a social interest house using RC moment frames and bahareque as structural systems","authors":"Ken Tello-Ayala, Natividad García-Troncoso, Christian E. Silva, Carlos Zúñiga-Olvera, Julio Narvaez-Moran, C. Málaga‐Chuquitaype, Theodora Mouka","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1150826","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1150826","url":null,"abstract":"This study compares the seismic performance and environmental impact of a social housing structure designed with reinforced concrete with a structure using Guadua angustifolia “Kunth” cane. The aim is to contrast the implementation of an ecological material such as the Guadua cane, which is an accessible alternative due to its cost and construction time, versus the traditional reinforced concrete (RC) construction method. Both applied to social housing structures. The seismic performance of both methods is analyzed through nonlinear static analysis (pushover) with the objective of establishing the performance; structural and nonstructural damage, performance point, maximum displacements, and structural elements that induce structural failure; and acting forces, against a design earthquake (established by the NEC DS 2015 Standard), with a return period of 475 years. The environmental impact is evaluated through a life cycle assessment of the structure (LCA). Thus, the embodied carbon obtained from each structural element (foundations, beams, columns, floors, and roof support elements) was determined, considering material manufacturing, transportation, and construction. The results obtained demonstrated a higher seismic performance, with 70% less environmental impact on the Guadua cane structure.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49114603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-07DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1153892
B. E. Mohamed, Mohamed Elkaftangui, R. Zureikat, Rund Hiyasat
The provision of national housing to citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered a crucial topic. Over the past four decades, the process of developing national housing has emerged into multiple housing programs and schemes, all with the same aim of offering affordable and high-quality housing to citizens, in addition to meeting the needs of local families regarding spatial configurations while maintaining cultural values. However, despite all these efforts, the question has always remained: are the offered housing practices suited for family needs, socioeconomic trends, and environmental challenges? This study aims to offer an alternative approach for the design and delivery of national housing practices in the UAE. The proposed process is structured based on the following ethos: first, a conceptual approach for design flexibility toward offering customization while maintaining contextual and cultural qualities for inhabitants; second, a computational design strategy for facade optimization that illustrates the significance of incorporating environmentally conscious design strategies in response to local climatic conditions toward enhancing overall building performance; and third, a hybrid production model that relies on a prefabricated building approach that combines precast concrete systems with 3D printing technology. The efforts described in this article represent a significant phase of an ongoing research endeavor that explores how technological capacities could help rethink national housing in the UAE.
{"title":"Design and delivery of national housing in the UAE: an alternative approach","authors":"B. E. Mohamed, Mohamed Elkaftangui, R. Zureikat, Rund Hiyasat","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1153892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1153892","url":null,"abstract":"The provision of national housing to citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered a crucial topic. Over the past four decades, the process of developing national housing has emerged into multiple housing programs and schemes, all with the same aim of offering affordable and high-quality housing to citizens, in addition to meeting the needs of local families regarding spatial configurations while maintaining cultural values. However, despite all these efforts, the question has always remained: are the offered housing practices suited for family needs, socioeconomic trends, and environmental challenges? This study aims to offer an alternative approach for the design and delivery of national housing practices in the UAE. The proposed process is structured based on the following ethos: first, a conceptual approach for design flexibility toward offering customization while maintaining contextual and cultural qualities for inhabitants; second, a computational design strategy for facade optimization that illustrates the significance of incorporating environmentally conscious design strategies in response to local climatic conditions toward enhancing overall building performance; and third, a hybrid production model that relies on a prefabricated building approach that combines precast concrete systems with 3D printing technology. The efforts described in this article represent a significant phase of an ongoing research endeavor that explores how technological capacities could help rethink national housing in the UAE.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48479616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-07DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1210324
N. W. Alnaser, W. Alnaser, E. Al-Kaabi
Recently, the Kingdom of Bahrain doubled its renewable energy (RE) target to achieve 20% of energy mix by 2035 instead of 10%. Two RE sources are candidates among others, i.e., solar and wind energy. Both of these sources require, relatively, large spaces, and both are subject to fluctuation throughout the day, month, and year. Therefore, a thorough experimental evaluation of these two sources is necessary as theoretical assessment has been extensively made. Therefore, we are analyzing the result of two prototypes, solar and wind RE systems installed by the government. The first system includes installing two wind turbines (WT1 and WT2), each rated at 850 kW, and the second system is a 1 MW solar PV system. The annual result for 2022 is recorded for the wind turbine along with the results of 2 years (2017 and 2018) for the solar PV. The annual average produced by the first turbine (WT1), in the front, was found to be 899 MWh, while the second (WT2), at the back, was 872 MWh with an average capacity factor of 12%. Meanwhile, the 1 MW solar PV produced 1,632 MWh in 2017 and 1,497 MWh in 2018. Our analysis shows that each kW of wind turbine yields 2.9 kWh per day while each kW solar PV electricity yields, in average, 4.3 kWh per day. We also found that the average cost of wind electricity unit is 49 fils/kWh (USD¢ 13/kWh) and the payback is nearly 40 years while the average cost of solar electricity unit is 17 fils/kWh (USD ¢ 4.5/kWh) and the payback is nearly 12 years. Furthermore, we found that 1 MW of solar PV gives more electricity than 1 MW of wind by 42% and, subsequently, alleviates more CO2 by 42% than wind turbines’ installation; i.e., 1 MW solar PV will annually produce 1,500 MWh (alleviating 654 tons of CO2), while 1 MW produces, annually, 1057 MWh (alleviating 461 tons of CO2).
{"title":"Evaluating solar and wind electricity production in the Kingdom of Bahrain to combat climate change","authors":"N. W. Alnaser, W. Alnaser, E. Al-Kaabi","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1210324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1210324","url":null,"abstract":"Recently, the Kingdom of Bahrain doubled its renewable energy (RE) target to achieve 20% of energy mix by 2035 instead of 10%. Two RE sources are candidates among others, i.e., solar and wind energy. Both of these sources require, relatively, large spaces, and both are subject to fluctuation throughout the day, month, and year. Therefore, a thorough experimental evaluation of these two sources is necessary as theoretical assessment has been extensively made. Therefore, we are analyzing the result of two prototypes, solar and wind RE systems installed by the government. The first system includes installing two wind turbines (WT1 and WT2), each rated at 850 kW, and the second system is a 1 MW solar PV system. The annual result for 2022 is recorded for the wind turbine along with the results of 2 years (2017 and 2018) for the solar PV. The annual average produced by the first turbine (WT1), in the front, was found to be 899 MWh, while the second (WT2), at the back, was 872 MWh with an average capacity factor of 12%. Meanwhile, the 1 MW solar PV produced 1,632 MWh in 2017 and 1,497 MWh in 2018. Our analysis shows that each kW of wind turbine yields 2.9 kWh per day while each kW solar PV electricity yields, in average, 4.3 kWh per day. We also found that the average cost of wind electricity unit is 49 fils/kWh (USD¢ 13/kWh) and the payback is nearly 40 years while the average cost of solar electricity unit is 17 fils/kWh (USD ¢ 4.5/kWh) and the payback is nearly 12 years. Furthermore, we found that 1 MW of solar PV gives more electricity than 1 MW of wind by 42% and, subsequently, alleviates more CO2 by 42% than wind turbines’ installation; i.e., 1 MW solar PV will annually produce 1,500 MWh (alleviating 654 tons of CO2), while 1 MW produces, annually, 1057 MWh (alleviating 461 tons of CO2).","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41764222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-05DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1206474
E. Cirino, Sandra Curtis, J. Wallis, T. Thys, James Brown, Charles B. Rolsky, Lisa M. Erdle
Plastic pollution and climate change are serious and interconnected threats to public and planetary health, as well as major drivers of global social injustice. Prolific use of plastics in the construction industry is likely a key contributor, resulting in burgeoning efforts to promote the recycling or downcycling of used plastics. Businesses, materials scientists, institutions, and other interested stakeholders are currently exploring the incorporation of plastic waste into building materials and infrastructure at an accelerated rate. Examples include composite asphalt-plastic roads, plastic adhesives, plastic-concrete, plastic/crumb rubber turf, plastic lumber, plastic acoustic/thermal insulation, plastic-fiber rammed earth, and plastic soil reinforcement/stabilizers. While some believe this to be a reasonable end-of-life scenario for plastic waste, research shows such efforts may cause further problems. These uses of plastic waste represent an ongoing effort at “greenwashing,” which both delays and distracts from finding real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. Hypothesized effects of incorporating plastic waste in construction materials, including economic, environmental, human health, performance, and social impacts, are evaluated in this mini review. We compare known impacts of these treatments for plastic waste and provide recommendations for future research. Evidence shows that such practices exacerbate the negative ecological, health, and social impacts of plastic waste and increase demand for continued production of new (virgin) plastics by creating new markets for plastic wastes. We urge caution—and more research—before widely adopting these practices.
{"title":"Assessing benefits and risks of incorporating plastic waste in construction materials","authors":"E. Cirino, Sandra Curtis, J. Wallis, T. Thys, James Brown, Charles B. Rolsky, Lisa M. Erdle","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1206474","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1206474","url":null,"abstract":"Plastic pollution and climate change are serious and interconnected threats to public and planetary health, as well as major drivers of global social injustice. Prolific use of plastics in the construction industry is likely a key contributor, resulting in burgeoning efforts to promote the recycling or downcycling of used plastics. Businesses, materials scientists, institutions, and other interested stakeholders are currently exploring the incorporation of plastic waste into building materials and infrastructure at an accelerated rate. Examples include composite asphalt-plastic roads, plastic adhesives, plastic-concrete, plastic/crumb rubber turf, plastic lumber, plastic acoustic/thermal insulation, plastic-fiber rammed earth, and plastic soil reinforcement/stabilizers. While some believe this to be a reasonable end-of-life scenario for plastic waste, research shows such efforts may cause further problems. These uses of plastic waste represent an ongoing effort at “greenwashing,” which both delays and distracts from finding real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. Hypothesized effects of incorporating plastic waste in construction materials, including economic, environmental, human health, performance, and social impacts, are evaluated in this mini review. We compare known impacts of these treatments for plastic waste and provide recommendations for future research. Evidence shows that such practices exacerbate the negative ecological, health, and social impacts of plastic waste and increase demand for continued production of new (virgin) plastics by creating new markets for plastic wastes. We urge caution—and more research—before widely adopting these practices.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46555652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-03DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1165996
Sally ElDeeb, H. Masoumi
Despite the urgent need to adopt sustainable transportation methods to reduce pollution, some cities, particularly in developing countries, are still prioritizing the construction of roads for private cars. The Greater Cairo Region is experiencing increased reliance on cars, causing strain on the road network, leading to traffic congestion, decreased walkability, and social isolation, especially in gated communities. Old Cairo downtown has implemented sustainable transportation options, but more action is needed from city authorities to prioritize sustainable transportation methods for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit users to create livable cities and promote public health. The objective of this study is to assess the walkability and bikeability of three distinct city centers: Old Cairo, which represents the historic area of the Greater Cairo Region, and the newer extensions, namely, New Cairo and 6th October City. The analysis of walkability and bikeability will be based on the Walk Score metric, while the relationship with urban form integration will be evaluated using space syntax in-depth maps. The results indicate that the walkability rates in Old Cairo downtown surpass those of the newer extensions of the Greater Cairo Region due to the compact urban fabric and highly integrated street network and activities. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the reasons for car dependency in the new extensions of Greater Cairo and emphasizes the significance of collaboration between local public transportation authorities, the Ministry of Housing, global organizations, and international agendas.
{"title":"Investigating walkability and bikeability in compact vs. new extensions: the case of Greater Cairo","authors":"Sally ElDeeb, H. Masoumi","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1165996","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1165996","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the urgent need to adopt sustainable transportation methods to reduce pollution, some cities, particularly in developing countries, are still prioritizing the construction of roads for private cars. The Greater Cairo Region is experiencing increased reliance on cars, causing strain on the road network, leading to traffic congestion, decreased walkability, and social isolation, especially in gated communities. Old Cairo downtown has implemented sustainable transportation options, but more action is needed from city authorities to prioritize sustainable transportation methods for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit users to create livable cities and promote public health. The objective of this study is to assess the walkability and bikeability of three distinct city centers: Old Cairo, which represents the historic area of the Greater Cairo Region, and the newer extensions, namely, New Cairo and 6th October City. The analysis of walkability and bikeability will be based on the Walk Score metric, while the relationship with urban form integration will be evaluated using space syntax in-depth maps. The results indicate that the walkability rates in Old Cairo downtown surpass those of the newer extensions of the Greater Cairo Region due to the compact urban fabric and highly integrated street network and activities. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the reasons for car dependency in the new extensions of Greater Cairo and emphasizes the significance of collaboration between local public transportation authorities, the Ministry of Housing, global organizations, and international agendas.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46260966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-29DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2023.1216919
Mohammad Zaher Serdar, Sami G. Al‐Ghamdi
This research presents a novel framework that employs the resilience index and metrics, building on previous studies, to conduct a sequential evaluation of flooded road network performance at each timestep throughout the recovery stage. Subsequently, the mathematical integration of the performance-time diagram produces the Recovery Resilience Index (RRI) used to evaluate any recovery strategy/sequence. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis ensures the consistency of the results. As a case study, this research evaluated three post-flood interventions: Flood-susceptibility-based; Centrality-based; and Critical-links-first recovery strategies, within the context of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2018. The results showed that the best strategy to be dealing with the critical-links-first and flood-susceptibility strategy to be the worst. The suggested framework will expand the options for recovery planning and resource allocation. Also, it will provide the policymakers with a recommendation to improve the recovery process during FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2018 and any future mega event.
{"title":"Resilience-oriented recovery of flooded road networks during mega-sport events: a novel framework","authors":"Mohammad Zaher Serdar, Sami G. Al‐Ghamdi","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1216919","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1216919","url":null,"abstract":"This research presents a novel framework that employs the resilience index and metrics, building on previous studies, to conduct a sequential evaluation of flooded road network performance at each timestep throughout the recovery stage. Subsequently, the mathematical integration of the performance-time diagram produces the Recovery Resilience Index (RRI) used to evaluate any recovery strategy/sequence. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis ensures the consistency of the results. As a case study, this research evaluated three post-flood interventions: Flood-susceptibility-based; Centrality-based; and Critical-links-first recovery strategies, within the context of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2018. The results showed that the best strategy to be dealing with the critical-links-first and flood-susceptibility strategy to be the worst. The suggested framework will expand the options for recovery planning and resource allocation. Also, it will provide the policymakers with a recommendation to improve the recovery process during FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2018 and any future mega event.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46765916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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