Efficiency of Energy Consumption between Reinforced Concrete Structure and Cross-Laminated Timber Based Hybrid Structure in East Asian Cities

From the environmental perspective, wooden structures are favorable insulators that are suitable for carbon fixation and wooden-related products are considered the most sustainable material. Research has indicated that wooden structures have superior energy-saving performance compared to reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In this study, a CLT-based hybrid structure system that potentially improves the efficiency of energy consumption is proposed. The proposed hybrid structure system, which preserved original RC beams, columns and replaced CLT floors and walls, has less building weight compared to the original RC building. Additionally, less energy required for the manufacturing of building materials in the renovation of the aged building is achieved, compared to building a new CLT building. The energy consumptions for buildings with heights of 10 stories were compared. CLT and RC were selected as benchmark building materials to compare the energy-saving efficiencies with the proposed hybrid structure system. In addition, to examine the energy consumption differences at different latitudes, the energy consumptions in Taipei, Tokyo, Harbin, and Singapore were compared as well. The simulation results indicate the proposed hybrid structure system, which comprises RC beams and columns and CLT floors and walls, and has an energy-saving efficiency close to that of a CLT structure, by approximately 3–5% higher, however, had a superior energy consumption performance to the RC structure. In general, the proposed hybrid structure system can be effectively used for old building renewal in the selected Asian cities.

DIGITAL FABRICATION AS A LEARNING MEDIA FOR LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE WITH CASE STUDY OF SHELL STRUCTURE

The lightweight structure system is an effort to optimize the structure to distribute the load efficiently. Unfortunately, students often have difficulty imagining the learning outcomes application in the real world when studying light structural systems. However, the use of the scalar model can still explain several essential aspects of a lightweight structural system, one of which is the effect of connection and formation of material components on the structural capability. Therefore, this paper aims to bridge the learning process by utilizing digital devices from the concept stage of structural modeling with the help of software (Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, and Kangaroo) to the realization process using laser cutting. The method used is a semi-experimental method that applies Hooke's law principle, which produces a shell structure system with a digital fabrication approach that utilizes a lightweight material, namely, corrugated paper board, as the primary material. This paper concludes that digital technology and digital fabrication processes can help students understand the concept of lightweight structures because they can use computer simulations, cut them using laser cutting, and assemble them in the field in a series of simultaneous processes.