A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Alessandra De Angelis ◽  
Fabrizio Ascione ◽  
Rosa Francesca De Masi ◽  
Maria Rosaria Pecce ◽  
Giuseppe Peter Vanoli

The paper introduces a new semi-probabilistic methodology for the definition of energy fragility curves suitable for a macro-classification of building stock inspired to and coupled with the widely adopted method of seismic fragility curves. The approach is applied to the reinforced concrete residential buildings of the Italian stock. Starting from a classification according to the climatic zone and the construction period, some reference buildings in terms of building envelope typologies have been defined and simulated by means of dynamic modeling tools. Then, cumulative distributions of the probability that the primary energy consumption for heating was comparable with certain threshold values are defined according to the climatic conditions expressed with the heating degree days, which constitute the intensity measure for the fragility curves. Finally, by focusing on the interaction points between structural and energetic aspects, it is shown how these curves can be useful for decision-makers with regards to definition of importance and or the level of intervention to be made to the building envelope for improving its seismic safety and the energy quality. Indeed, non-integrated interventions are more expensive and less efficient.

Heritage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1433-1468
Author(s):  
Marco Vettore ◽  
Marco Donà ◽  
Pietro Carpanese ◽  
Veronica Follador ◽  
Francesca da Porto ◽  
...  

More than the 60% of the Italian residential building stock had already been built by 1974, when seismic codes were enforced on a minimal part of the country. Unreinforced masonry buildings represent most of that share, but they are typical for each region, in terms of both materials and structural configurations. The definition of ‘regional’, i.e., more specific, vulnerability and exposure models are required to improve existing forecast models. The research presents a new geographic information system (GIS)-based multilevel procedure for earthquake disaster prevention planning at urban scale; it includes multicriteria analysis, such as architectural types, structural vulnerability analysis, microzonation studies, and socio-economic aspects. The procedure has been applied to the municipality of Pordenone (PN), a district town of the Friuli–Venezia–Giulia region, in Northeast Italy. To assess the urban seismic risk, more than 5000 masonry residential buildings were investigated and common types within sub-municipal areas and exposure data were collected. Simplified mechanical analysis provided a ‘regional’ vulnerability model through typological fragility curves. The integration of results into GIS tool permitted the definition of cross-mapping among vulnerability, damage scenarios (conditional and unconditional) and exposure (seismic losses, casualties, impact), with respect to various earthquake intensities expected in the town. These results are presented at different scales: from the single building, to submunicipal area and to the entire town.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
Darija Gajić ◽  
Slobodan Peulić ◽  
Tim Mavrič ◽  
Anna Sandak ◽  
Črtomir Tavzes ◽  
...  

Sustainable approaches for retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are becoming necessary in a time when the building sector is the largest energy consumer. Retrofitting building stock is effective for reducing global energy consumption and decreasing resource exploitation. Less developed EU member states and neighboring developing countries show reluctance towards healthy and renewable materials. Implementation of sustainable materials for energy retrofitting is slowed down due to gaps in legislation and effective strategic programs, availability of bio-based materials, lack of knowledge regarding use and maintenance of renewable products, and marketing lobbies. Use of bio-based materials in refurbishment is important due to their negative or low global warming potential (GWP), low primary energy (PEI) need for production, cost-effective benefits, and recycling/reuse potential. Role of environmentally friendly solutions and low-carbon economy growth is particularly relevant in developing countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, that cannot afford innovative energy recovery systems, yet possess a significant amount of poorly managed building stock. This research aims to analyze frameworks regarding retrofitting of residential buildings in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia. The analysis tackles indirect causes, studies the legal background, and examines strategic frameworks; thus, it indicates potential barriers for implementation of recommended retrofitting solutions based on renewable materials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 415-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Didier ◽  
Salome Baumberger ◽  
Roman Tobler ◽  
Simona Esposito ◽  
Siddhartha Ghosh ◽  
...  

A Rapid Visual Damage Assessment was initiated in the direct aftermath of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake to assess the safety and damage of residential buildings in the areas affected by the earthquake. Over 30,000 paper assessment forms have been subsequently digitized. The collected data set allows comparison of the observed damage to the residential building stock to the damage expected using existing fragility curves. Under certain conditions and respecting certain limitations, the post-earthquake building safety and damage data can be used to update the existing fragility functions for the Nepalese building stock. Recommendations are made for the improvement of post-earthquake building safety assessments in Nepal in order to: (1) make data collection more consistent, (2) increase the accuracy of the collected data, and (3) make more effective use of the collected data after future earthquakes.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6305
Author(s):  
Haibo Guo ◽  
Lu Huang ◽  
Wenjie Song ◽  
Xinyue Wang ◽  
Hongnan Wang ◽  
...  

As the climate changed in recent years, an increase in summer indoor temperatures in severe cold and cold regions of China has started to affect thermal comfort. However, the local design standard for energy efficiency does not recognize this phenomenon. This paper reports the potential overheating phenomenon in residential buildings and examines the rationale for the current thermal designs adopted in severe cold and cold regions of China. In this study, the two most commonly used building materials, reinforced concrete (RC) and cross laminated timber (CLT), are used separately in the design of an 18-story residential building envelope located in six different cities in the severe cold and cold regions. The energy consumption and indoor operative temperatures during the operation of these buildings are simulated using Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IES VE). The results demonstrate that both the RC and the CLT buildings experience varying degrees of overheating in any climate subregion. The CLT buildings have longer overheating hours compared to the RC buildings, especially in the cold regions. The results also indicate that for apartments on higher stories, the cooling energy consumption and indoor temperature also increase gradually. The research results suggest that the local design standard for energy efficiency needs to be adjusted by adding thermal design methods for summer to reduce the periods of overheating.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (01) ◽  
pp. 1350002 ◽  
Author(s):  
YOUNES KARTACHI ◽  
ABDELLAH MECHAQRANE

In this study, we analyze the impact of ventilation heat recovery with the heating and cooling potential of earth air heat exchanger in real climatic conditions in domestic buildings in the Middle Atlas region. In our case study, we calculate the primary energy used by a domestic building built as per the conventional house design parameters required by the Moroccan regulation. We use climate data for the city of Fes in Northern Moroccan. Three system configurations were considered. The first was the mechanical extract ventilation system both with and without heat recovery. The second was the mechanical extract ventilation system with earth to air heat exchanger system (EAHEX), and the third system was the mechanical balanced ventilation system coupled with EAHEX system. Primary energy use strongly influences natural resources efficiency and the environmental impacts of energy supply activities. In this study we explore the primary energy implications of the mechanical balanced ventilation system coupled with the EAHEX system in residential buildings. The results of this study shows that the use of a balanced ventilation system, with a high efficiency instead of a mechanical extract ventilation system, decreases the final and primary energy consumption. Moreover, it decreases or increases the CO2 emission depending on the primary energy sources.


Author(s):  
Darija Gajić ◽  
Anna Sandak ◽  
Slobodan Peulić ◽  
Črtomir Tavzes ◽  
Tim Mavrič

System of prefabricated modules installed on the existing building envelope is one alternativesolution for deep energy refurbishment of buildings in the European Union. It allows thermalupgrade installation of new parts in the HVAC system. Moreover, some elements of the envelopecan be made of renewable materials. This research compares the residential building stock andidentifies potential types of buildings for energy refurbishment in Bosnia and Herzegovina andSlovenia. It presents refurbishment possibilities of existing residential building stock in bothcountries with prefabricated timber panels. It also presents potential obstacles to the widerapplication of this refurbishment solution.


Spatium ◽  
2009 ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Krstic-Furundzic ◽  
Vesna Kosoric

Improvement of energy performances of the existing buildings in the suburban settlement Konjarnik in Belgrade, by the application of solar thermal systems is the topic presented in this paper. Hypothetical models of building improvements are created to allow the benefits of applying solar thermal collectors to residential buildings in Belgrade climate conditions to be estimated. This case study presents different design variants of solar thermal collectors integrated into a multifamily building envelope. The following aspects of solar thermal systems integration are analyzed in the paper: energy, architectural, ecological and economic. The results show that in Belgrade climatic conditions significant energy savings and reduction of CO2 emissions can be obtained with the application of solar thermal collectors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2230
Author(s):  
Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul ◽  
Rahma Hagi ◽  
Rahma Abdelghani ◽  
Monaya Syam ◽  
Boshra Akhozheya

The built environment accounts for the highest share of energy use and carbon emissions, particularly in emerging economies, caused by population growth and fast urbanization. This phenomenon is further exacerbated under extreme climatic conditions such as those of the United Arab Emirates, the context of this study, where the highest energy share is consumed in buildings, mostly used in the residential sector for cooling purposes. Despite efforts to curb energy consumption through building energy efficiency measures in new construction, substantial existing building stock and construction quality are left out. Construction defects, particularly in the building envelope, are recognized to affect its thermal integrity. This paper aims, first, to detect through thermography field investigation audit construction defects bearing thermal impacts in existing and under-construction residential buildings. Then, through a qualitative analysis, we identify the resulting energy, cost, and health impacts of the identified defects. Results indicate that lack or discontinuity of insulation, thermal bridging through building elements, blockwork defects, and design change discrepancies are the recurrent building and construction defects. The qualitative review analysis indicates substantial energy loss due to lack of insulation, thermal bridging with cost and health implications, while beneficial mitigation measures include consideration of building envelope retrofitting, skilled workmanship, and the call for quality management procedures during construction.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 419
Author(s):  
Jorge Torres ◽  
Roberto Garay-Martinez ◽  
Xabat Oregi ◽  
J. Ignacio Torrens-Galdiz ◽  
Amaia Uriarte-Arrien ◽  
...  

The present paper focuses on the architectural and constructional features required to ensure that building envelope renovation are safe, functional, and adaptable to the building stock, with particular focus on “plug and play” modular facade construction systems. It presents the design of one such system and how it addresses these issues. The outcome of early-stage functional test with a full-scale mock-up system, as well as its applicability to a real construction project is presented. It is found crucial to obtain high quality information about the status of the existing façade with the use of modern technologies such as topographic surveys or 3D scans and point cloud. Detailed design processes are required to ensure the compatibility of manufacture and installation tolerances, along with anchor systems that deliver flexibility for adjustment, and construction processes adapting standard installation methods to the architectural particularities of each case that may hinder its use or require some modification in each situation. This prefabricated plug and play modular system has been tested by reproducing the holistic methodology and new technologies in the market by means of real demonstrators. When compared to more conventional construction methods, this system achieves savings in a real case of 50% (time), 30% (materials) and 25% (waste), thus achieving significant economic savings.


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