BIM-based energy consumption assessment of the on-site construction of building structural systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Zhou ◽  
Ehsan Rezazadeh Azar
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach

Purpose Steel and reinforced concrete are among the most common structural materials used in the construction industry. Cost and the speed of construction have been usually the main criteria when selecting a building’s structural system, whereby the environmental impact of the structural material is sometimes ignored. Availability of an easy-to-use tool for environmental assessment of the structural alternatives could encourage this evaluation in the decision making. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an automated tool for the environmental assessment of the on-site construction processes of a building structural system, which calculates the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the structural system as a parameter for comparison. Design/methodology/approach This assessment tool is implemented using a building information modeling (BIM) platform to extract structural elements and their key attributes, such as type, geometrical and locational data. These data are processed together with a productivity database to calculate machine hours, and then predefined energy and carbon inventories are used to assess the energy consumption of the structural system in the erection/installation stage. Findings This assessment tool provides an automated and easy-to-use approach to estimate energy consumption and carbon emissions of different structural systems that are modeled in a BIM platform. The results of this tool were within the ranges reported by the available studies. Originality/value This research project presents a novel approach to use BIM-based attributes of the structural elements to calculate the required efforts, i.e. machine hours, and assess their energy consumption and carbon emissions during construction processes.

scholarly journals Parametric Analysis of the Shear Lag Effect in Tube Structural Systems of Tall Buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Ivan Hafner ◽  
Anđelko Vlašić ◽  
Tomislav Kišiček ◽  
Tvrtko Renić
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Analysis ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Tall Buildings ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Shear Lag ◽  
Shear Lag Effect ◽  
Lag Effect ◽  
Secondary Structural Elements

Horizontal loads such as earthquake and wind are considered dominant loads for the design of tall buildings. One of the most efficient structural systems in this regard is the tube structural system. Even though such systems have a high resistance when it comes to horizontal loads, the shear lag effect that is characterized by an incomplete and uneven activation of vertical elements may cause a series of problems such as the deformation of internal panels and secondary structural elements, which cumulatively grow with the height of the building. In this paper, the shear lag effect in a typical tube structure will be observed and analyzed on a series of different numerical models. A parametric analysis will be conducted with a great number of variations in the structural elements and building layout, for the purpose of giving recommendations for an optimal design of a tube structural system.

scholarly journals Dementia-friendly wards

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Jayne Eastham ◽  
Diane Cox
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Patient Interaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper, practice-based mixed methods small-scale study, is to explore the design features of a “dementia friendly” acute ward environment and, staff views on the implications of daily activity engagement for patients with dementia. Design/methodology/approach Eight staff members of the multidisciplinary team who work full time on an acute “dementia friendly” ward completed semi-structured questionnaires. Thematic analysis explored responses to the open-ended questions, and a further environmental assessment tool rated features of the “dementia friendly” ward design, on promoting aspects of well-being in patients with dementia. Findings Six overarching themes were found. These included: contrasting ward colours; clear ward signage; positive staff interaction; memorabilia, and activity rooms and items, had a positive influence on patient interaction, well-being and engagement in daily activities. The audit scores were rated highly for various aspects of the ward design. These included: the ward design promoting patient interaction, well-being, mobility, orientation, continence, eating and drinking and calm and security. Research limitations/implications This practice-based small-scale study highlights the importance that a “dementia friendly” ward environment may have on patient engagement and well-being, from a daily activity perspective. Further research into the key aspects of design that enable meaningful daily activity engagement is required. Practical implications This study supports staff perceived views of the positive influence that “dementia friendly” design may have for patients with dementia. Both the physical design modifications of the ward and staff interaction were highlighted as positively influencing patient well-being, and daily activity engagement. Staff members also felt that they needed to balance the clinical ward priorities, with the contextual requirements of patients with dementia, to establish an effective “dementia friendly” ward. Originality/value The value of this research is the combined consideration of an environmental assessment tool and qualitative interviews with members of the multidisciplinary team.

Damage Identification in Collocated Structural Systems Using Structural Markov Parameters

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Bighamian ◽  
Hamid Reza Mirdamadi ◽  
Jin-Oh Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
Damage Identification ◽  
Mode Shapes ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Markov Parameters ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Stiffness Matrices ◽  
Stiffness Characteristics

This paper presents a novel approach to damage identification in a class of collocated multi-input multi-output structural systems. In the proposed approach, damage is identified via the structural Markov parameters obtained from a system identification procedure, which is in turn exploited to localize and quantify damage by evaluating relative changes occurring in the mass and stiffness matrices associated with the structural system. To this aim, an explicit relationship between structural Markov parameters versus mass and stiffness matrices is developed. The main strengths of the proposed approach are that it is capable of quantitatively identifying the occurrence of multiple damages associated with both mass and stiffness characteristics in the structural system, and it is computationally efficient in that it is solely based on the structural Markov parameters but does not necessitate costly calculations related to natural frequencies and mode shapes, making it highly attractive for structural damage detection and health monitoring applications. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

ELASTOMERIC POLYMERS FOR BLAST AND BALLISTIC RETROFITTING OF STRUCTURES

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. C. C. Somarathna ◽  
S. N. Raman ◽  
A. A. Mutalib ◽  
K. H. Badri
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructures ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Impact Loads ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
New Development ◽  
The World

In many parts of the world, terrorism has become a major threat to nations, and terrorist activities and accidental explosions have been directed towards the destruction of buildings and critical infrastructures. As a result, almost every new development requires the consideration of safety and security aspects such that even a new building incorporates protective engineering features in its design. In this aspect, researchers have been investigating the use of elastomeric polymers (such as polyurethane and polyurea) for structural retrofitting applications due to attractive characteristics and morphology exhibited by these materials. This paper provides a review on this novel approach of strengthening structural elements and systems to enhance their capacity against blast and ballistic threats. The discussions in this review have been focussed on the application of this technique on the most widely used structural systems of masonry, concrete, metallic and composite structural systems. This technique offers an alternative to existing strengthening techniques in protecting structures against the risks of blast, ballistic and impact loads.  

Approach to Steel-Bamboo Composite Structure System

2013 ◽  
Vol 300-301 ◽  
pp. 1263-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Min Yan ◽  
Yong Fei Du ◽  
Jun Guo Huang ◽  
Yu Shun Li
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
Building Technology ◽  
Earthquake Resistant ◽  
New Type

Modern bamboo structural system is a new type of green sustainable building technology, conform with our country’s requirements of developing environment-protecting and energy-saving buildings. This paper presents a new lightweight, high-strength , earthquake-resistant and energy-saving system-steel-bamboo composite structural systems , and given the various structural elements of the composite structural systems of steel-bamboo production methods . This paper also gives the production methods of steel-bamboo composite elements. Steel-bamboo-structural system can per-fectly combine steel and bamboo to bear load together, and it have excellent mechanical properties and broad application prospects.

Do agriculture-based economies mitigate CO2 emissions?

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 638-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javaid Ahmad Dar ◽  
Mohammad Asif
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Real Income ◽  
Renewable Energy Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Causality Tests ◽  
Granger Causality Tests

Purpose This study aims to fill the gap in income-environment literature by adding agricultural contribution to the nexus. The authors investigate the short-run and long-run impact of agricultural contribution, renewable energy consumption, real income, trade liberalisation and urbanisation on carbon emissions for a balanced panel of five South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries spanning the period 1990-2013. Design/methodology/approach Pedroni and Kao cointegration techniques have been used to test the existence of long-run relationship between the variables. The directions of causal relationships have been verified using Granger causality tests. Further, the long-run parameters of the baseline equation have been estimated by using the fully modified ordinary least squares, the technique developed by Pedroni, (2001a) for heterogeneous cointegrated panels. Findings The result reveals that agricultural contribution and renewable energy consumption improve environmental quality in the long run, while urbanisation and per capita real income degrade it. The study did not find any evidence of “pollution heaven hypothesis” in the selected countries. The Granger causality tests confirm bidirectional causality between carbon emissions and income and between carbon emissions and urbanisation. In addition, there is unidirectional causality running from agricultural contribution to renewable energy consumption. Originality/value This is the only study to investigate the role of agriculture sector in carbon mitigation from a panel of South Asian economies. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is also the first study to test the applicability of “pollution heaven hypothesis” for SAARC countries.

Mathematical modeling for short term indoor room temperature forecasting using Box-Jenkins models

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1105-1136
Author(s):  
Kamal Pandey ◽  
Bhaskar Basu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Temperature Forecasting

Purpose The rapid urbanization of Indian cities and the population surge in cities has steered a massive demand for energy, thereby increasing the carbon emissions in the environment. Information and technology advancements, aided by predictive tools, can optimize this energy demand and help reduce harmful carbon emissions. Out of the multiple factors governing the energy consumption and comfort of buildings, indoor room temperature is a critical one, as it envisages the need for regulating the temperature. This paper aims to propose a mathematical model for short-term forecasting of indoor room temperature in the Indian context to optimize energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in the environment. Design/methodology/approach A study is conducted to forecast the indoor room temperature of an Indian corporate building structure, based upon various external environmental factors: temperature and rainfall and internal factors like cooling control, occupancy behavior and building characteristics. Expert insight and principal component analysis are applied for appropriate variables selection. The machine learning approach using Box–Jenkins time series models is used for the forecasting of indoor room temperature. Findings ARIMAX model, with lagged forecasted and explanatory variables, is found to be the best-fit model. A predictive short-term hourly temperature forecasting model is developed based upon ARIMAX model, which yields fairly accurate results for data set pertaining to the building conditions and climatic parameters in the Indian context. Results also investigate the relationships between the forecasted and individual explanatory variables, which are validated using theoretical proofs. Research limitations/implications The models considered in this research are Box–Jenkins models, which are linear time series models. There are non-linear models, such as artificial neural network models and deep learning models, which can be a part of this study. The study of hybrid models including combined forecasting techniques comprising linear and non-linear methods is another important area for future scope of study. As this study is based on a single corporate entity, the models developed need to be tested further for robustness and reliability. Practical implications Forecasting of indoor room temperature provides essential practical information about meeting the in-future energy demand, that is, how much energy resources would be needed to maintain the equilibrium between energy consumption and building comfort. In addition, this forecast provides information about the prospective peak usage of air-conditioning controls within the building indoor control management system through a feedback control loop. The resultant model developed can be adopted for smart buildings within Indian context. Social implications This study has been conducted in India, which has seen a rapid surge in population growth and urbanization. Being a developing country, India needs to channelize its energy needs judiciously by minimizing the energy wastage and reducing carbon emissions. This study proposes certain pre-emptive measures that help in minimizing the consumption of available energy resources as well as reducing carbon emissions that have significant impact on the society and environment at large. Originality/value A large number of factors affecting the indoor room temperature present a research challenge for model building. The paper statistically identifies the parameters influencing the indoor room temperature forecasting and their relationship with the forecasted model. Considering Indian climatic, geographical and building structure conditions, the paper presents a systematic mathematical model to forecast hourly indoor room temperature for next 120 h with fair degree of accuracy.

Decision-making models for promoting consumption of low energy-intensive broadband terminal products in the Chinese telecommunication industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 262-282
Author(s):  
Qing Liu ◽  
Senlin Zhao ◽  
Qinghua Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Telecommunication Industry ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Subsidy Policy ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend game analysis to explore decision-making mechanisms for promoting a specific type of products, low energy consumption for individual one while the total energy consumption is huge due to the high quantity of sales, that is, low for individual and high for total (LIHT) in terms of energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach Game models are developed to compare decisions of optimal prices for newly developed and environmentally friendly (NDEF) and regular products as well as associated sales quantity, profits, carbon emissions under different governmental policies, along with a case of low energy-intensive broadband terminal products in the Chinese telecommunication industry under the carbon tax and subsidy policies. Findings For both NDEF and regular products, optimal prices decrease under the subsidy policy while both increase under the tax policy. Manufacturers’ decision of optimal prices is highly relevant with unit carbon tax/subsidy and the consumers’ preference. Both the tax and subsidy policies can improve consumption of NDEF products while the subsidy policy can be more effective at the current initial stage. Research limitations/implications This paper provides decision support for manufacturers to promote sustainable consumption of LIHT products. Research ideas on models development and solutions for optimal prices can be applied to other LIHT products. Practical implications The results provide insights for governments on how to effectively evaluate and motivate sustainable consumption for LIHT products. Originality/value This paper first explores how to motivate sustainable consumption of LIHT products by developing models, examining effectiveness of potential governmental policies as well as associated carbon emissions.

Damage Identification in Collocated Structural Systems Using Structural Markov Parameters

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Bighamian ◽  
Hamid Reza Mirdamadi ◽  
Jin-Oh Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
Damage Identification ◽  
Mode Shapes ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Structural System ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Markov Parameters ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Stiffness Matrices ◽  
Stiffness Characteristics

This paper presents a novel approach to damage identification in a class of collocated multi-input multi-output structural systems. In the proposed approach, damage is identified via the structural Markov parameters obtained from a system identification procedure, which is in turn exploited to localize and quantify damage by evaluating relative changes occurring in the mass and stiffness matrices associated with the structural system. To this aim, an explicit relationship between structural Markov parameters versus mass and stiffness matrices is developed. The main strengths of the proposed approach are that it is capable of quantitatively identifying the occurrence of multiple damages associated with both mass and stiffness characteristics in the structural system, and it is computationally efficient in that it is solely based on the structural Markov parameters but does not necessitate costly calculations related to natural frequencies and mode shapes, making it highly attractive for structural damage detection and health monitoring applications. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Measuring carbon emission from energy consumption in a Hong Kong family

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 324-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Yat Hung Chiang ◽  
Lu Zhou ◽  
Tracy N.Y. Choi
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Residential Units ◽  
End Use

Purpose – This study aims to develop a prototype for measuring the carbon emissions arising from the utilization of electrical appliances in a typical Hong Kong family in Kowloon District. Design/methodology/approach – To estimate carbon emission coefficients of energy consumption, the US building energy database books are referred to, which include home appliances’ energy end-use expenditure splits and energy end-use carbon splits. Due to differences in climate, geography and culture, the estimation equations are refined with assumptions and constraints based on the context of Hong Kong. Findings – By calculating the amount of carbon emissions from different electrical appliances, including space cooling, water heating, lighting, refrigeration, wet cleaning and cooking, it is estimated that the carbon emissions from major home electrical appliances in Hong Kong’s residential building sector is 1,805,397 metric tons. According to the findings of this study, by adopting the energy-saving guidelines for space coolers, refrigerators, water heaters and washing machines, carbon emissions in Hong Kong’s residential building sector can be reduced by 155,443 metric tons, or by 8.6 per cent of the current emission. Research limitations/implications – Due to limited resources, the case study does not cover residential units in other districts of Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. In addition, relevant institutional and financing costs of implementing the proposed practices such as increasing the air-conditioning temperature and upgrading the lighting system should be further considered. Future research will be extended to the wider territory of Hong Kong and to obtain more cases for analysis. Originality/value – This paper provides a microscopic perspective on investigating the carbon emissions associated with energy consumption from major home electrical appliances in Hong Kong’s residential buildings. By unveiling the interaction between energy consumption and carbon emission, we formulate measures and strategies for implementing a cost reduction and carbon saving scheme of Hong Kong’s residential buildings, which is in line with government’s guidelines on green buildings.

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