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The provision of sustainable housing should factor energy efficiency, the use of sustainable building methods and materials and address the current associated barriers. This consideration triggered an ongoing study in UK which has so far conducted a bibliometric analysis of 275 papers using the VOSviewer software. More papers have been published in the last 5 years compared to the previous 15, and the UK is less engaged in successful collaborations in comparison to other economically developed nations. The lesser use of innovation in the UK has been identified. Also, the uses of sustainable methods and materials in residential housing are not fully exploited for achieving energy efficiency. A future research direction emerging is the potential to study the combined impact of using innovative materials and methods to achieve greater energy efficiency in UK housing provision. Through technological innovations and the need to move from fossil fuels (for example, through the use of heat pumps) a new approach can move the UK closer to achieving net-zero in housing provision and operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the role of pollution for industry location and residence choice. We present a new economic geography (NEG) model in which manufacturing generates local pollution (that does not accumulate) and uses two types of labour input: unskilled workers that cannot migrate and work where they live; and high-skilled entrepreneurs that choose where to produce and where to live. Taking on board costless commuting or, in alternative, distance working, entrepreneurs can live in a different location from production. Both types of households enjoy utility from consuming all commodities (locally and imported variants) and suffer from local pollution. The resulting model is of the footloose entrepreneur variant, but involves two dynamic equations: the standard one governing the residential choice of entrepreneurs, and another one governing where production is located. The current paper analyses the discrete time dynamic process defined by a two-dimensional piecewise smooth map. Depending on parameters this map can have possibly coexisting attractors of various types (fixed points, cycles, closed curves as well as chaotic attractors). We analytically obtain stability conditions for the fixed points. Using numerical methods we describe also some global dynamic properties of the considered map. Finally, we propose an economic interpretation of the results concerning local stability analysis and global dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential large urban developments are the dominant mode of housing development in many cities around the world. They introduce new technologies to the residential setting that reshape the dwelling experience. Using digital ethnography and in-depth interviews with residents of three residential large urban developments at the center of Israel, this paper portrays how the digital dimension is embedded in and reshapes the performance and experience of the housing environment. We argue the centrality of the digital dimension to the emergence of a distinctly different dwelling experience and the transformation of residential power relations in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional seismic risk assessment is necessary for designing effective seismic risk mitigation measures. In general, such risk assessment studies consist of three components: hazard, vulnerability, and exposure modelling. This paper lays the foundations for regional seismic risk assessment of the residential building stock in Serbia and addresses each of the three seismic risk assessment components, either by reviewing the existing or proposing novel models. First, a review of seismic hazard models and seismic design codes used in Serbia in the past 70 years was presented. Next, an overview of Serbia's population metrics and historical development of Serbian's residential building stock was presented to provide the context for the exposure model. Furthermore, the paper proposed a novel building classification for Serbia's residential building stock, which is based on the existing building taxonomies, but it has been adapted to account for the local building characteristics. Building damage patterns reported in past earthquakes in Serbia and neighbouring countries were reviewed as a basis for damage classification pertaining to building typologies included in the proposed classification. Finally, the results of a preliminary vulnerability model were presented in the form of expert-based fragility functions derived for buildings typical of Serbia's residential building stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the significant hazards in the event of a fire in high-rise residential buildings in cities is the length of time taken to completely evacuate a large number of occupants. On a city scale, it is important that a city's fire and rescue services are in place to minimize the consequences which can be incurred in any potential fire incident. The paper presents the methodology and results of a study that evaluates the city-wide vulnerability in high-rise residential building fires in the City of Istanbul, Turkey. In the context of fire and rescue service arrival to burning buildings, a high-rise building can be considered vulnerable if the fire and rescue service arrives at the building site only after the expected completion of evacuation of the building, thus unable to fulfill its intended purpose of saving the occupants. The study is based on comparison of an agent-based evacuation model of safe escape times for 1167 high-rise residential buildings against their fire and rescue service arrival times estimated using GPS data. This methodology can be used to inform the decision about optimal locations of a city's fire and rescue services. As an example, this study indicates that adding a single new fire station in the City of Istanbul can improve its preparedness for fire accidents by reducing the risk of its most vulnerable district by more than 26%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most discussions of housing in the UK tend to focus on national or regional scales, the level of diversity within regions means that measuring trends at neighbourhood level is vital for a more complete understanding of how housing markets and housing conditions are changing. Using small area data also enables identification of hot spots of changing housing demand as well as charting changes in the composition of housing stock in neighbourhoods. This paper makes use of a new dataset, developed as a part of the PopChange project, which enables analysis of population and housing change using Census data for neighbourhoods across England since 1971. The data reveal considerable neighbourhood-level diversity in trends throughout this period. Notable trends identified include a marked increase in overcrowding in outer London over the period 1971–2011, a decrease in the number of rooms per person across much of the wider south east between 2001 and 2011, and large increases in average household size in parts of London, Birmingham, Bradford, and Oldham. Administrative data for 2015 and 2017 allow a post 2011 Census perspective on the number of dwellings per person. When measured in terms of dwellings per person, housing space increased at regional level over the period everywhere except London, but there is considerable variation and all regions contain neighbourhoods with declining numbers of dwellings per person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular construction has become exceedingly relevant against the current scenario of increasing housing demand and can respond to this need in Canada due to its advantages of rapid construction. However, a holistic environmental sustainability framework for this construction method is still lacking. This paper proposes a hierarchical-based framework to benchmark the environmental performance of modular buildings versus conventional buildings. The framework identifies criteria and indicators affecting environmental sustainability, makes composite indicators, and establishes performance benchmarks. Based on expert survey, six criteria (construction waste management, energy performance and efficiency strategies, site disruption and appropriate strategies, renewable and environmentally preferable products, regional materials, and renewable energy use) are first identified. The related indicators and sub-indicators are combined to develop indices using Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. Robust benchmark scales were established through application of Monte Carlo analysis on data collected through experts. Finally, the developed indices were compared against the benchmark scales at different assessment levels. The proposed framework was examined for two single-family modular buildings in British Columbia, Canada. The overall environmental performance benchmarking informs the policy makers on the usefulness of modular buildings, while the criteria-level indices direct the construction industry practitioners to improve the low performing indicators. The proposed framework will enhance the sustainability of modular and offsite construction in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) has emerged as a policy alternative to increase housing stock and provide affordable options for areas impacted by housing shortages, many local governments recently adopted ADU policies that promote the construction of ADUs. Taking the City of Los Angeles as the study area, this paper examines how the city's ADU ordinance impacts the relationship of the characteristics of the properties and neighborhoods with ADU development by constructing multilevel logistic regression models. The outputs of the models suggest that the ordinance contributes to diversifying the types and locations of the properties and neighborhoods where ADUs are built. The influence of the property characteristics associated with ADU development before the implementation of the ordinance significantly diminished after the ordinance. The outputs also indicate that the ordinance probably attracted ADU developments in the areas with higher accessibility to bus transit. These findings will help planners take appropriate actions and policies that support ADU developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the number of informal settlement dwellings are increasing rapidly; these areas are often associated with numerous large fires. Unfortunately, until recently, very little research has been focused on informal settlement fire issues leaving any attempts to improve their fire safety lacking the evidence base to support effective-decision making. However, over the past 4 years, a limited number of researchers have looked at better understanding these fires through full-scale experimentation and numerical modelling; starting to provide the necessary evidence base and future research directions. It is with this background in mind that this paper seeks to provide a more fundamental understanding of the effect of dwelling separation distance on informal settlement fire spread based on full-scale experiments and analytical equations. In this paper two full-scale experiments were conducted. Both experiments consisted of multiple dwellings, with the main difference between the experiments being the separation distance. Fire spread times, heat release rates, door and window flow velocities, ceiling temperatures and incident heat fluxes were recorded and are reported for both experiments. Theoretical neutral planes are derived and compared to the experimental neutral planes, which show relatively good correlation. The paper continues by calculating the expected incident radiation and time-to-ignition, using the flux-time product method, of the two fire scenarios (i.e., the two experiments) through means of analytical equations, and these findings are compared to the experimental results. Through configuration factors, the paper shows the effect of separation distance, dwelling height and dwelling length on the times-to-ignition, where it is clear that the heat flux received by an adjacent dwelling decrease approximately exponentially as the distance between dwellings increases, and consequently, the time-to-ignition increases exponentially as the separation distance between dwellings increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of economy, China's cities and villages have been changing with each passing day. The planning and updating of traditional settlements have become an important topic in the development of our country. By studying the theory of space syntax, the author extracted the technical method of updating traditional settlements. We chose a traditional settlement as the research object. Based on the regional function of traditional settlements, the spatial structure of the region has been used to plan and update the area. The method designed in this paper can effectively update and transform traditional settlements. This is of practical significance to the progress and construction of our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential and service (office) buildings consume a large proportion of primary energy in Europe in the form of electricity and all other energy carriers. In response to this, the concept of near Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) has been developed. These buildings have very low energy demands and integrate renewable energy to supply residual demand. nZEBs aim to increase energy efficiency from a demand-side user perspective. When looking at the entire energy system, there are also energy efficiency gains to be achieved on the supply-side. For example, from a district heating system. If an energy system becomes more efficient on the supply-side, then the question is how much energy needs to be saved on the demand-side, for instance by low energy buildings such as nZEBs. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and understand the implications from building new low energy buildings, i.e. nZEBs, within an energy system that is (a) transitioning to 100% renewable energy and (b) has substantially improved supply-side energy efficiency. A case study from Denmark is used to understand the outcome for the energy system when these new buildings are built in this context. The methodology and results of this study could be replicated for other European countries as well. The analysis looks at the total energy system heat savings, costs and biomass consumption. The paper shows that these new low energy buildings with very low heat demand do not deliver the expected benefits for the 100% renewable energy system transition in Denmark. This is due to the increased efficiency and flexibility of the energy supply system in the future. However, deep renovations of existing buildings are necessary. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates based on the Danish case, that as European countries decarbonise their energy systems over the next decades, they will need to carry out detailed energy system analysis to determine the extent to which heat demand should be reduced in buildings within the context of the transitioning energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the existing housing literature, there has been no academic consensus on how to combine the spatial dependence and the temporal dependence between housing transactions together. The combination is much dependent on the researcher's priori knowledge of a referent market. This paper attempts to combine them by utilizing an information entropy-based spatiotemporal approach. The validity of the proposed information entropy-based spatiotemporal approach is tested by spatiotemporal regressions in terms of prices estimation accuracy. The methodology is conducted by using data on dwelling transactions from the San Francisco Bay Area. The empirical results suggest that the proposed information entropy-based modeling technique is a reasonable and efficient way to combine the spatial dependence and the temporal dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time that it takes an occupant population to reach safety when descending a stairwell during building evacuations is typically estimated by measureable engineering variables such as stair geometry, speed, density, and pre-observation delay. In turn, engineering models of building evacuation use these variables to predict the performance of egress systems for building design, emergency planning, or event reconstruction. As part of a program to better understand occupant movement and behavior during building emergencies, the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has collected stair movement data during fire drill evacuations of office and residential buildings. These data collections are intended to provide a better understanding of this principal building egress feature and develop a technical foundation for future codes and standards requirements. Fire drill evacuation data has been collected in 14 buildings (11 office buildings and 3 residential buildings) ranging from six to 62 stories in height that included a range of stair widths and occupant densities. A total of more than 22,000 individual measurements are included in the data set. This paper provides details of the data collected and an analysis of the data. The intention is to better understand movement during stairwell evacuations and provide data to test the predictive capability of building egress models. While mean and standard deviation of the distribution of movement speeds in the current study of 0.44 m/s ± 0.19 m/s are observed to be quite similar to the range of values in previous studies, mean local movement speeds as occupants traverse down the stairs are seen to vary widely within a given stairwell, ranging from 0.10 m/s ± 0.008 m/s to 1.7 m/s ± 0.13 m/s. These data provide confirmation of the adequacy of existing literature values typically used for occupant movement speeds and provide updated data for use in egress modeling or other engineering calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 epidemic is changing people's lives, so it is necessary to continuously update the design of the residence to adapt to the changing life. This study aims to investigate the impact of unit space layout factors in MURBs on residents' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses the corresponding need for residential space renovations. Furthermore, this paper presents design adjustment recommendations for residents living in these constrained buildings and provides suggestions for future housing design to better meet the residents' housing needs. On the one hand, the layout of residential space should fully consider the use efficiency of space, with multi-functional and variable characteristics, so as to be suitable for different life cycles of the family. On the other hand, the spatial distance inside the house and the comfort of the environment should also be considered to help intergenerational communication, restore and improve the mental state of the residents, and promote the improvement of the quality of life of the residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixing in extrusion is a vital part of achieving consistent and high-quality extrudates, with residence time being an elucidative measure of the mixing performance. Recent studies around numerical modeling of residence time distributions in single-screw extruders appear to consider flooded extruders mainly. This paper introduces a new and general CFD model to characterize the extruder fill length and residence time distribution for a viscoplastic ceramic material in a starve-fed extruder, including free surface tracking. The CFD model simulates a pulse-injection test, where a fluid parcel is injected at the inlet, with subsequent outlet concentration measured over time. The study includes material characterization and model validation based on laboratory tests. Results quantify the impact of accounting for the partially filled extruder instead of assuming it to be flooded, addressing the potential error when only considering simple analytical approximations to calculate system average residence times. Results further show the ability to fit simulation results to more simple analytical models. This underlines the importance of including the entire extrusion system and forming the basis for further work toward enabling real-time model predictions in starve-fed extrusion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space is produced by a society in accordance with its habits, and habits, mostly in the Western society, have been heavily influenced by forms of production. Indeed, it is widely acknowledged that the Industrial Revolution definitely changed the space of modern landscapes, cities and dwellings life at all scales, and the way in which we perceive them. Cognitive capitalism is no exception. Since it fully established itself as one of the prevailing economic forces in the 21st century and in the Western world, it produced deep changes in the way in which people work, connect, and live. Starting from the assumption that changes in means of production generate new social relationships, this paper investigates how these changes might result in new ways of building architectural space. Without indulging in a deterministic attitude, it focuses on housing as one of the fundamental artefacts where a society expresses its approach to space. The house is a basic element of complex urban systems and is, therefore, the one calling for a more radical conceptual rethinking, marking an effective distance with the forms inherited from the previous centuries. Finally, the paper aims at understanding the repercussions of the digital paradigm on the space of dwelling, reasoning on some crucial questions to understand how housing might evolve, unfolding through its spatial configuration the new ways of life of the digital society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In defining a fire scenario for residential buildings, designers may need to consider the room of origin and temporal factors such as the time of day, day of the week, etc. that a fire may occur. It is commonly accepted that statistics from fire incidents can be used to help determine these factors. This paper examines fire incident data available from the West Midlands Fire Service in England to assess the likelihood of a fire starting within different room types in dwellings, accounting for both the property type and the time of day. Results of the analysis are compared to data available from the literature and, similar to other studies, kitchen fires have been found to be the most likely place that a fire starts irrespective of the dwelling type. The paper pays particular interest to fires in flats (apartments) since these dwelling types typically have a greater relevance to fire safety designers. The paper shows that fires in flats should be treated separately from other dwelling types where the likelihood of a fire starting in a kitchen is 76% on average compared to 68% in other dwelling types. Further differences are evident when the likelihoods are considered as a function of the time of day and other room types. The paper ultimately provides analysis from previously unexamined incident data which can be used to aid designers of residential buildings that comprise of dwellings, when considering fire safety strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inadequate consideration of the impact of building morphology on ventilation efficiency in many urban residential areas has resulted in a series of environmental problems that threaten human health. The purpose of this paper is to establish a predictive model between ventilation efficiency and building forms in residential areas. First, the characteristics of the vertical wind profile in residential areas were measured using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Second, the wind speed ratio (WSR) at different height levels under the impact of morphological index (floor area ratio, building density, average building height, enclosure degree, height fall, and maximum building height) in the residential area was simulated by ENVI-met. Two kinds of prediction formulas were finally obtained: (1) the average ventilation efficiency at the pedestrian level and (2) the prediction formula of WSR at different heights. The results show that the wind speed (WS) in residential area below 35 m is about 0.6 m/s lower than that in green park. The numerical simulation shows that the mean WSR at the pedestrian level is negatively correlated with each index, and the height fall morphological index has the largest impact on the WSR at different heights. The research provides a reference for the optimal planning and design of ventilation efficiency of residential buildings, especially those in static wind areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Located in the southwest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet is characterized by high cold, high radiation, and large differences in temperature between day and night. Tibetan residential buildings are famous for adapting to the harsh ecological environment and maintaining durability. Based on the residential buildings in Tibet, this paper extracts the technical process and color decoration culture in the construction process in order to adapt to the harsh natural environment. This paper first analyzed the four ecological construction modes of Tibetan residential buildings, analyzed the interior layout characteristics and cultural customs connotation, and introduced the architectural decoration characteristics and decorative color painting. The results show that the ramming type of adobe mainly includes the selection of building foundation, wall laying, floor and roof construction and so on, and its insulation effect is better. The rubble masonry type mainly adopts irregular gneiss, supplemented by clay, which has strong compressive capacity. Logs dry type using log masonry, heat preservation. and shock resistance is better. Concrete-infilled wall frame is composed of horizontal and vertical load-bearing system, which has stronger seismic performance. Tibetan residential buildings generally have two or three floors. The first floor is the enclosure and sundry room, the second floor is the rest place, and the third floor is the Sutra hall and sun terrace. The overall outdoor color of Kangba Tibetan buildings is mainly red and black, while the indoor color is mainly blue and red, with wood carvings and furniture. The layout of Tibetan villages can be divided into centripetal layout and scattered layout. Tibetan residential buildings provide a new sustainable development direction for the current global urbanization process at the expense of the ecological environment. It can alleviate the crisis of global resource shortage, climate warming, and biodiversity degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on current scholarship and empirical evidence from the research conducted by the author on Norwegian Turkish communities in the city of Drammen, Norway, this paper discusses the process of home-making by the descendants of Turkish immigrants in Norway, the so-called second- and third-generation. By doing so it develops a model of a transdimensional home that attempts to embrace the multiple and seemingly contradictory meanings and reflections of home involving eight dimensions identified in the narrations of the respondents: spatial, material, relational, home as routines and protection, home as origin, sensorial home, gendered relationships at home, and rejection from home. The model of a transdimensional home highlights people's emotional and practical balancing acts between the ancestral country of origin and the place they live in. It aims at grasping the dynamics between these dimensions, approaching home as occurring at their intersection. It also underlines the processual character of the making of home in relation to the surrounding circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The devastating consequences of tsunamis on coastal infrastructure have highlighted the urgent need for effective disaster risk reduction strategies. To mitigate tsunami disasters, the insurance industry plays a vital role in implementing risk transfer measures by providing financial protection against asset damage. However, the current research on catastrophe insurance policies for coastal infrastructure lacks consideration of climate change effects. It is essential to take into account the non-stationary effects of sea-level rise to develop long-term tsunami disaster mitigation measures and promote socioeconomic resilience in coastal communities. This paper aims to provide an insurance portfolio optimization framework for coastal residential buildings subjected to tsunamis considering non-stationary sea-level rise effects based on a stochastic simulation approach. A spatiotemporal probabilistic sea-level rise hazard assessment is carried out by utilizing available climate models and considering several emission scenarios. Tsunami propagation analyses under various sea-level rise cases are performed to evaluate the time-variant tsunami hazard curves based on Monte Carlo simulation. A life cycle-based stochastic insurance claim model associated with the cumulative loss of building assets is developed based on a non-stationary compound renewal process. Finally, a sample average approximation method is leveraged to estimate the optimum basic insurance premium rate by maximizing the insurer's profit under a cost-constrained insurance purchase decision of homeowners. As a case study, the proposed framework is applied to multiple municipalities situated in the tsunami-prone region of Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Sea-level rise substantially decreases the maximum profits of tsunami insurers and increases the premium rate and ruin probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study carried out to assess the probable seismic loss, in terms of damage to residential buildings, in the case of the west segment of the North Tehran Fault (NTF) seismic scenario in Karaj, Iran. Accordingly, it is crucial to first properly estimate the ground motion intensities. However, most of empirical ground motion prediction equations are poorly constrained at short ranges, and the data may only partially account for the rupture process. Hence, the stochastic finite-fault method with dynamic corner frequency was applied. This is an appropriate tool for addressing source, path, and near-source effects. It is noted that this method is dependent on many parameters which should be properly tuned. Thus, a set of sensitivity analyzes for the hypocenter locations and the quality factors were performed. The results from the simulations were used to develop a curve for estimating the ground motion values. Then, a high-quality building exposure model composed of 26 building classes based on the most recent census data was compiled. Finally, by applying appropriate fragility curves, damages to buildings from potential earthquakes were assessed. The outcomes showed that the mean damage ratio for the whole of the city is about 18.2% ± 5.3. In addition, a disaggregation analysis is done to identify the most vulnerable building types. The results showed that adobe and low-quality masonry buildings contribute the most to loss. The findings from this study can be used to provide risk reduction plans in Karaj. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the short-run immigration effects on prices for owner-occupied housing and rents in Switzerland, exploiting regional variation at the level of 106 local labor markets ("Mobilité Spatiale" regions) and 26 cantons, respectively. We propose two empirical strategies that exploit the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) with the European Union (EU), enacted in 2002, as an exogenous shock to immigration. The first approach uses the AFMP reform within an instrumental variable approach, instrumenting current regional inflows of immigrants based on the historical distribution of immigrants across regions. The second conducts an event study of housing price changes before and after the reform, distinguishing between regions with historically high, medium, and low immigration from EU-15 countries. The analysis based on data at the level of local labor markets for the years 1985–2016 suggests that immigration triggered off by the AFMP reform has substantially raised prices of single-family homes and of owner-occupied apartments. Before the reform, immigration has not affected house prices. Estimates based on cantonal data for the years 1998–2016 suggest that immigration has raised rental prices even more than prices of owner-occupied housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, Fragility Curves (FCs) of Reinforced Concrete (RC) building types with moment-resisting frame structure representative of the existing Italian building stock have been derived through an analytical approach. The proposed methodology is based on Non-Linear Dynamic Analyses encompassing all the steps required to bring about reliable as well realistic fragility results. First, prototype building types have been selected by considering the main attributes affecting the seismic vulnerability of existing RC buildings, that is: age of construction (i.e. '50 s, '70 s and '90 s), number of storeys (i.e. 2, 4 and 6 storeys), arrangement in elevation of infills (i.e. Bare-, Infilled-, Pilotis-frame) and design level (i.e. seismic or gravity loads). A simulated design has been used for detailing the building types at hand, whose non-linear dynamic response has been computed by using a large set of signals. The signals have been purposely selected in order to approach the elastic design spectra provided in the Italian seismic code for different return periods, being able to take into account also record-to-record variability and soil-amplification effects. A specific relationship between the considered engineering demand parameter (i.e. inter-storey drift ratio) and all damage levels proposed in the EMS-98 scale have been defined on the basis of empirical data and expert judgement. A set of FCs in terms of peak ground acceleration are finally derived and compared to point out the role of the considered vulnerability attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing privacy demands have led to the design and construction of new and diverse universities student residences across Northern America, that prioritize private spaces for students. This paper proposes the Housing Unit Classification (HUC) using historical professional standards (ACUHO-I) to generate a nuanced unit typology of student housing. The refined typology permits engagement with additional variables of agent control, including density of usage (i.e., density) and governance (i.e., territoriality), in addition to unit facilities (i.e., bathroom, kitchen, lounge). The HUC is complemented by the analytical tool Hierarchy of Isolation and Privacy in Architecture Tool (HIPAT), together classifying levels of privacy in built space through a visual matrix. HUC allows spatial analysis of how agents acting on built space can create different feelings associated with privacy, crowding, isolation, and socialization in university housing and enables further multidisciplinary study of housing challenges using common terminology and systematic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Houses are the largest component of most households' wealth and their risk is important. Recent research shows that pricier houses have lower price appreciation risk. This relationship can be due to competing reasons: risk is related to the price level, or risk is related to location-related features that are reflected in prices. This paper disentangles these two relationships by analyzing condo data from China with a special feature: Condos in the same subdivision have identical location but different prices. Our results indicate that larger and pricier condos are less risky than smaller ones in the same location. Furthermore, for condos with the same size, those with higher price per square meter are less risky. These results seem to indicate that pricier houses are less risky not due to location-related features that are reflected in prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes development of a data acquisition system used to capture a range of occupancy related modalities from single-family residences, along with the dataset that was generated. The publicly available dataset includes: grayscale images at 32-by-32 pixels, captured every second; audio files, which have undergone processing to remove personally identifiable information; indoor environmental readings, captured every ten seconds; and ground truth binary occupancy status. The data acquisition system, coined the mobile human presence detection (HPDmobile) system, was deployed in six homes for a minimum duration of one month each, and captured all modalities from at least four different locations concurrently inside each home. The environmental modalities are available as captured, but to preserve the privacy and identity of the occupants, images were downsized and audio files went through a series of processing steps, as described in this paper. This dataset adds to a very small body of existing data, with applications to energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Measurement(s) room temperature ambient air • room air relative humidity • Carbon Dioxide • total volatile organic compounds • room illuminance • Audio Media • Digital Photography • Occupancy Technology Type(s) Thermostat Device • humidity sensor • gas sensor • light sensor • Microphone Device • Camera Device • manual recording Sample Characteristic - Environment residential building Sample Characteristic - Location United States of America Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14920131 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To accomplish the national and international climate goals, building renovation and optimisation of their energy and resource efficiency are essential. Thus, reliable information on the building stock (BS) is necessary. Most previous building typologies are focussing on residential buildings and the operational phase. This paper shows the development of a methodology for generating non-residential building (NRB) typologies for life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) of building constructions. Hereby, archetypes of office, administration and department (OAD) buildings are developed, exemplarily for the German NRB stock. The methodology can further be utilised for quantity surveying of urban material stocks, related recycling scenarios and waste management. Furthermore, the exemplarily generated archetypes provide necessary information for the estimation of realistic refurbishment scenarios. Methods: Approaches for the development of NRB archetypes, the descriptions of associated building materials and the LCI of BS were analysed and integrated into a methodology. It provides a clear path on the classification in building usage categories and determination of relevant building parameters for conducting LCI studies. Its aim is the creation of NRB typologies, presenting construction materials and building geometry in a useful way for life-cycle assessments (LCA). To demonstrate the methodology's usability, it is applied to a case study with the sample of 161 OAD buildings, provided by the German NRB database ENOB:dataNWG. In combination with relevant literature on BS archetypes and materials, a sample OAD building typology has been created. Results and discussion: Minimum data requirements for conducting simplified LCI calculation of BSs were identified by analysing existing LCA methods, like the German BNB system. Important clusters for developing NRB archetypes were determined: building usage category, building construction types and building age. These data gaps between required information for simplified LCA studies and available information in ENOB:dataNWG were identified, and solutions for closing these data gaps were proposed and tested. Since building archetypes must reflect the overall BS, uncertainties were discussed. The ENOB:dataNWG database was not completed at the time this paper was written, so comprehensive uncertainty analyses are important next steps. Conclusions: This methodology development forms the groundwork for creating LCI building typologies for simplified LCA studies. It shows practically how to deal with a BS database and illustrates which typical values can be chosen for closing data gaps. The methodology was tested on an exemplary sample of OAD buildings. Based on this case study, the methodology concept was proven useful for the generation of a NRB typology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of the energy performance of residential buildings has gained importance because of the significant consumption of electricity in housing estate areas. For this aim, different approaches were utilized for robust and accurate prediction of the energy load in buildings. The use of different kind of construction materials, timely change in building parameters lead to imprecise and vague evaluation of energy consumption. For such kind of problems that are characterized with uncertainties, the use of fuzzy set theory is a more suitable approach for the modeling of energy consumption. This paper proposes a novel type-2 fuzzy wavelet neural network (T2FWNN) for modeling the energy performance of residential buildings. Based on the type-2 fuzzy rules, the multi-input multi-output T2FWNN model is proposed. For the construction of the T2FWNN model, the learning algorithm has been designed using cross-validation approach, clustering and gradient descent algorithms. During construction, the adaptive learning procedure was developed to stabilize and speed up the learning process. The proposed model is used for the solution of two problems. At the first stage, based on statistical data, the T2FWNN model has been designed for modeling the cooling and heating load of residential buildings. In the second stage, using T2FWNN the prediction model was designed for the energy consumption of residential buildings in Northern Cyprus. Comparative results have been provided to prove the efficiency of using the designed model in the prediction of the energy load of residential buildings. The obtained results indicated the suitability of using the T2FWNN system for estimation of the energy performance and prediction of the energy consumption of residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residential sector accounts for around 24% of the total electricity consumption in India. Recent studies show that air conditioners (ACs) have become a significant contributor to residential electricity consumption. Further, it is predicted that by 2037, the demand for ACs will increase by four times due to their affordability and availability. Not many studies have been found on residential AC usage patterns and the factors (AC load, setpoint, hours of usage) that influence household electricity consumption. This paper investigates the residential AC usage patterns and AC's contribution to total residential electricity consumption. Twenty-five urban homes from a wet and dry climatic region of India were monitored for nine months (in 2019) to determine overall household electricity consumption patterns, AC usage, and indoor environment during summer, monsoon, and winter. Analysis of seasonal consumption patterns shows a significant difference in electricity usage between homes with ACs and homes without ACs during the summer season. The average electricity consumption for AC homes was 15.1 kWh/day during summer, 6.6 kWh/day during monsoon, and 6.1 kWh/day during the winter season. Results showed that AC alone contributed to 39% of the total household consumption in summers. The peak AC usage in all homes is observed during sleep hours which was generally between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am and the average AC runtime was 6.2 h. The average indoor temperature was recorded as 26.9 °C during the AC ON period. The AC peak load, i.e., the maximum electricity demand during the AC ON period, is 1.7 kW on average during the study period. The average annual consumption of homes with ACs was 2881 kWh, and for non-AC homes, the consumption was 2230 kWh. Findings from our analysis provide a detailed understanding of AC consumption profiles and the difference in electricity consumption characteristics between AC and non-AC homes across different seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, improvement in building designs has been on a steady upward trend, precipitated by large greenhouse gas emissions of energy draining outmoded construction materials. Global energy crisis exacerbated by climate change has motivated the design and construction of energy-efficient Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). This paper proposes an energy management strategy for grid-connected Net Zero Energy Buildings that help to achieve a net zero balance of energy in Electrical Grid Photovoltaic-connected NZEB homes. The significance of NZEB was evaluated by providing insights into cost-savings for the consumer's net energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint. The proffered energy management strategy uses a single-objective Differential Evolution (DE) optimization algorithm that prunes the demand for electrical energy through an efficacious appliance scheduling routine. A novel mathematical energy index is introduced that enables consumers to monitor the net energy imported from the electrical grid and maintain a zero energy index. The proposed net zero energy concept is validated using DE and Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based optimization techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The building sector is one of the most relevant sectors in terms of environmental impact. Different functional units (FUs) can be used in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies for a variety of purposes. This paper aimed to present different FUs used in the LCA of buildings and evaluate the influence of FU choice and setting in comparative studies. Methods: As an example, we compared the "cradle to grave" environmental performance of four typical Brazilian residential buildings with different construction typologies, i.e., multi-dwelling and single dwelling, each with high and basic standards. We chose three types of FU for comparison: a dwelling with defined lifetime and occupancy parameters, an area of 1 m2 of dwelling over a year period, and the accommodation of an occupant person of the dwelling over a day. Results and discussion: The FU choice was found to bias the results considerably. As expected, the largest global warming indicator (GWi) values per dwelling unit and occupant were identified for the high standard dwellings. However, when measured per square meter, lower standard dwellings presented the largest GWi values. This was caused by the greater concentration of people per square meter in smaller area dwellings, resulting in larger water and energy consumption per square meter. The sensitivity analysis of FU variables such as lifetime and occupancy showed the GWi contribution of the infrastructure more relevant compared with the operation in high and basic standard dwellings. The definition of lifetime and occupancy parameters is key to avoid bias and to reduce uncertainty of the results when performing a comparison of dwelling environmental performances. Conclusions: This paper highlights the need for adequate choice and setting of FU to support intended decision-making in LCA studies of the building sector. The use of at least two FUs presented a broader picture of building performance, helping to guide effective environmental optimization efforts from different approaches and levels of analysis. Information regarding space, time, and service dimensions should be either included in the FU setting or provided in the building LCA study to allow adjustment of the results for subsequent comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building retrofits are strongly dependent on the individual refurbishment/rehabilitation cycles of buildings. In order to achieve the targeted climate goals for the building sector, it is necessary to make the best possible use of refurbishment opportunities for energy retrofits. Furthermore, it must be considered that the younger the building, the lower the potential for energy savings. The most challenging, yet required, energy retrofits are all yet to come. Given the importance of the refurbishment cycle, the question arises as to what the theoretical refurbishment rate is, what the actual energy retrofit rate is, and what it needs to be in order to meet the climate targets for the residential building stock. The aim of this paper is to model the evolution of the size and retrofit status of national building stocks. This is to be done against the background of the deviation from the actual and theoretical refurbishment cycle. Using current statistics and the past development of the German residential building stock, central parameters like living space, new construction, deconstruction, and the retrofit rate are modeled endogenously. For the latter, influences of economic conditions are implemented through an exogenously set black box variable. The retrofit rate represents a deep energy retrofit and thus allows an easy connection of the model with energy parameters for building classes defined in the web database TABULA for 20 European countries. The results are of relevance for modeling the energy efficiency status of the building stock and deriving suitable conditions for increasing retrofit rates also in other countries. The results show that increasing the energy retrofit rates to 2%/a or more is largely unrealistic. Instead, the focus should be on weak points, especially where short-term savings are concerned. This applies in particular to facades, basement ceilings, and heating systems as well as the efficient use of energy in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typological-observational methods still constitute one of the most commonly applied tools for evaluation of the seismic risk and vulnerability of the existing building stock. Their efficiency is mainly related to the effectiveness of the procedure for deriving fragility curves, and the reliability and completeness of the database that describes the building stock. This paper presents a comparison between the vulnerability and damage distribution assessment provided by fragility curves used in the Macroseismic and Heuristic methods, and a comparison of exposure evaluation methodologies according to two different approaches, namely a compartment- and a building-scale survey. An application to the case study of the residential building stock in the historic center of Alcamo, a town of 45,000 inhabitants in Western Sicily (Italy), shows the major reduction in fragility provided by recalibration of the masonry buildings' ductility values that characterize the Heuristic method. Moreover, the efficiency of the compartment scale survey approach, based on the CARTIS typological-structural characterization method of ordinary buildings in urban areas, is underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper consists of designing, modeling, and simulating a Dish-Stirling photothermal concentrator. The developed system intends to satisfy the electrical needs of a small residential building in a coastal Algerian city located at the edge of the sun-belt region, with the perspective of moving toward small-scale sustainable agglomerations. The adopted approach consisted of two steps. At the first step, the energy balances were established at the collector, receiver, absorber, and Stirling engine, considering hydrogen as a work fluid. The energy flows were reported to the surface unit of the reflector optical plane with three variants of concentration ratios, namely 500, 1000, and 1500. The second step consisted of parametric analysis of the effects of optical, thermal, and Stirling engine properties. This approach allowed us to design a Dish Stirling system of 10.52 m in diameter, with a concentration factor of 1000, and using hydrogen as a working fluid. The parametric study revealed that the highest effect is due to the regeneration efficiency; its increase of an order of 10% induces an enhancement of the delivered power exceeding 40%. The designed system showed a good performance during April, June, July, August, and September, as compared to the site demand. It proved to reach 23 kW in July around solar noon, which is equivalent to satisfying the needs of the households by around 153%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, the world's energy consumption is increasing largely, while residential buildings are the primary sector consuming about a quarter of the total energy produced. The researchers have made significant efforts to reduce energy usage in previous years by implementing energy monitoring and prediction techniques. Further, these techniques have been utilized for energy optimization in residential buildings and provide the consumer awareness about the usage patterns. In this paper, intelligent energy aware approaches have been reviewed by focusing on energy monitoring, prediction, optimization and performance evaluation using benchmark energy datasets. This review has been concluded with a discussion on future research directions for improving energy aware approaches in residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy system modeling has been following the energy transition to investigate challenges and opportunities of future energy systems on all grid levels. Necessary input for sector-coupled energy system models are residential electricity and heat demand curves. The increasing importance of distribution grids and their modeling requires demand profiles in high spatial resolution.This paper presents a method to assign pre-generated electricity and heat demand curves to georeferenced residential buildings in Germany. We aim at overcoming fundamental shortcomings of the Standard Load Profiles and enable new possibilities for the modeling of distribution grids. Our approach provides a large variety in residential load profiles which spatially correspond to official socio-demographic data. All used input data sets as well as implemented methodology and the resulting profiles are publicly available under open source and open data licences to enable further use. Our results are validated on different aggregation levels as well as compared and discussed with the commonly used Standard Load Profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'family house' has played a major role within the urbanisation processes that have been transforming the Italian landscape since the 1960s. It is a common feature of the widespread settlements that are part of what has been labelled the 'diffuse city' and was the subject of numerous studies during the 1990s. More than 20 years later, this paper returns to the topic of the Italian family house using a renewed methodological approach to describe relevant changes. The hypothesis here is that in order to grasp the tensions affecting 'family houses' in today's context of demographic transition and increased imbalances between dynamic and declining areas, and to contemplate their future, the qualitative gaze adopted by scholars in the 1990s must be integrated with other investigative tools, focusing on demographic change, uses, and the property values of buildings. Using this perspective, the paper provides a series of 'portraits' rooted in four meaningful territorial contexts, portraits which may help scholars to redefine their imagery associated with family house and be useful for dedicated building policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of underground structures in Lisbon's downtown, alongside with the fluctuation of the ground water level, generates settlement-induced damages to old heritage Pombalino masonry buildings. Assessing the potential damage caused by soil settlements to masonry structures is essential for adequate evaluation of their seismic performance and the definition of retrofit solutions. The seismic assessment procedures need to take into account the settlement induced damage and the non-linear behaviour of the masonry materials. This paper seizes a rare opportunity to join, in the same analysis, real settlement profiles imposed to well-characterized historical building typology, known as Pombalino, with the evaluation of their seismic performance simulated with advanced numerical models. Lisbon's downtown settlements were measured for seven years. From these settlement measures, two settlements' profiles and two settlements' rate were identified. This paper presents the results of a study developed on a representative Pombalino building where these settlement profiles were applied to assess their impact on the initial damage and on the seismic performance of the building. The expected level of damage for a given ground motion intensity was estimated through the employment of numerical modelling and nonlinear static analysis, which has shown that damages induced by settlements can reduce significantly the global seismic performance of the building. The level of damage of the building at a global level and local level was studied. For the latter, the damage on structural elements is defined by the mean of the drift parameter, while for the former, the damages levels are defined directly in the pushover curve. This study assessed quantitatively the effect of the differential settlement on the seismic performance of Pombalino buildings and their fragility curves. The results showed the seismic action intensity needed to reach the collapse of the structure is roughly half for longitudinal configuration with the curved profile and nearly 1/5 for transversal shape with the linear profile, when compared to the building without differential settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans and livestock have always dwelling together, especially in rural areas. Based on a multi-method approach of ethnographic fieldwork, grounded theory and one-way multivariate analysis of variance, this paper explores human and livestock dwelling. The findings show that human and livestock dwelling form a special type of human dwelling place, with forms defined as co-, mix- and dis-dwelling. Then, from co-, mix- to dis-dwelling constructed a story line to the evolution of human and livestock dwelling forms, which further explains the entire dwelling situation of humans and livestock, including the dimensions of human dweller, livestock dweller, the rural environment and special events. Among co-, mix- and dis-dwelling significant differences existed between human and livestock individuals, the nature of rural environment, vernacularity and rural tourism development. Between co- and dis-dwelling, significant differences existed in seventeen aspects; between mix- and dis-dwelling, significant differences existed in eleven aspects; meanwhile, no significant differences existed between co- and mix-dwelling. Accordingly, this suggested that human and livestock dwelling forms can be divided into mix- and dis-dwelling. This study on humans and livestock dwelling relationship offer a new perspective on rural and animal geography. This paper is an exploratory foray into rural dwelling geography as part of the Anthrozoology study and broadens the scope of extant scholarship on human dwelling morphology, as well as analyses the spatial relationships between human and livestock dwelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soiling of the external façades of buildings caused by air pollution has economic costs that are generally not borne entirely by the polluters but by society in general. The present paper attempts to estimate the maintenance costs attributable to the soiling of the façades of residential buildings exposed to ambient air pollution in Italy. In this study, dose–response functions were used to link the environmental concentrations of pollutants to the soiling rate of the opaque and transparent surfaces of the building façades. It was assumed that the spatial distribution of façade materials follows the distribution of population. The basic assumption was that maintenance is performed when critical levels, 35% loss of reflectance for opaque surfaces and 1% haze for glass surfaces, are reached. Several important elements seem to emerge from the analysis carried out. The cost of damage to opaque surfaces due to air pollution appears to be a non-negligible fraction of the total maintenance costs of building façades incurred in Italy. Moreover, the cost of soiling damage to residential buildings from particulate matter has the potential to significantly increase total external costs due to air pollution. The costs of cleaning window panes due to air pollution also appear significant. Finally, if the levels of atmospheric pollution in the most populated areas become similar to the concentrations currently present in the most remote areas in Italy, the overall cost at national level due to the soiling of the building façades could be reduced by about 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real estate research has primarily focused on examining aggregate shocks and dynamics to describe housing market trends; however, heterogeneity across housing types has been largely ignored especially on an intra-city level. In this paper, we address this heterogeneity through exploring how two different market types – single-family homes (SFH) and multi-family homes (MFH) within in a single metropolitan area – responded to the housing market bust and recovery between 2008 and 2016. Results from a robust series of specifications provide evidence that market dynamics of price, liquidity, and degree of overpricing deviated substantially both during the housing market bust and recovery period, and showed significant variation across housing types. These outcomes are novel in demonstrating that SFH and MFH are differentially affected by market shocks, and that a time-constant control for housing type may not accurately capture housing market dynamics in any single locale, potentially leading to erroneous conclusions about policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel seismic vulnerability model for the classification of the existing residential building stock. The vulnerability model rests on a data-driven approach, taking advantage of observed seismic damages detected on several Italian building typologies, struck by the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. Unsupervised machine learning techniques are exploited for clustering empirical damage data and objectively identifying vulnerability classes of decreasing vulnerability. The cascading use of different strategies, involving clustering analysis and probability theory, results in a comprehensive vulnerability model, which allows for determining, into a probabilistic framework, the degree of belonging of a given building typology to multiple vulnerability classes. The adoption of the peak ground acceleration for characterising the ground shaking is a further advantage of this study, overcoming several limitations related to the use of macroseismic intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of size when co-producing housing. Based on Olson's logic of collective action and a literature review of collaborative housing, the research builds an analytical framework comparing small, moderate and large co-produced housing projects. The research is based on a cross-disciplinary qualitative study of collaborative housing projects in Nantes, Brussels and Zurich. The analysis of the projects links a spatial investigation of the dwelling spaces with in-depth field observations and interviews to bring to light housing configurations, residents' practices and settlements' populations. Larger collaborative housing projects yield two major benefits. On the one hand, size reduces spatial particularisms, thereby allowing for a multiplicity of dwelling practices. On the other hand, the benefits generated by critical mass and the possibility for residents to avoid mandatory interactions with others can favour social inclusion both within the project and in the neighbourhood. Given their greater spatial diversity and social mix, large-scale collaborative projects tend to offer more resilience to familial and societal changes. Size could hence be a valuable asset in new sustainable design, provided some precautions are taken, viz: ensuring solidarity despite heterogeneity, preventing oversizing and establishing the cultural and legal conditions for alternative developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic risk analyses at large scale represents a fundamental support to effective mitigation policies. Evaluating fragility curves able to capture the huge variety of existing buildings is one key point of this analysis. Within this context, this paper proposes a procedure for the evaluation of the fragility curves that aims to limit the computational effort without losing the reliability of the achieved results. This is reached through the execution of a limited number of nonlinear static procedures based on the use of the sensitivity analysis carried out according to the simplified star design with central point approach. The main strength of the procedure is the ability to explicitly quantify the various contributions of uncertainty to the dispersion, associated to those on the structural capacity (taking into account both aleatory and epistemic sources) and on the seismic input. As known, the adoption of a nonlinear static approach for the seismic assessment implies various assumptions, such as the load pattern applied, the criteria adopted to compare the capacity and the demand, and the definition of the damage levels. All these issues potentially affect the reliability of the final fragility curves, which are defined through a proper combination of such various options or they can be selected based on the ones more representative of the expected behaviour of the class. To improve this aspect, the evidences from nonlinear dynamic analyses are used. The feasibility and effectiveness of the procedure is duly demonstrated in this paper through its application to a building stock typology, consisting of existing mixed masonry-reinforced concrete structures, representative of one of the largest portions of the existing residential buildings in Lisbon. The attention is focused only to the global in-plane behaviour by adopting as modelling approach the equivalent frame method, that has been proven particularly efficient and accurate enough in representing the nonlinear behaviour of the examined structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing buildings represent a significant energy saving potential in Europe, and retrofitting the building stock is essential to reach European targets. Retrofitting measures should reduce the energy consumption as well as improve the indoor climate while still being cost-effective. This can be challenging in European cold climates. This paper discusses energy performance requirements and challenges in the retrofitting process. It also presents an overview of the retrofitting status and relevant energy saving retrofitting measures with their potential for residential buildings. Measures to lower the building's energy demand and electrical energy consumption and measures to control and monitor the energy use are discussed. Some research directions for the future of building energy usage are suggested. The literature indicates that significant energy savings can be achieved from retrofitting the building envelope. Relatively few research papers have been devoted to the energy saving potential of building control systems for existing residential buildings. However, these savings seem low compared to those that can be achieved through energy conservation. The actual savings from retrofitting the envelope, HVAC-systems and control systems are case specific and should be assessed for reference buildings of each housing typology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the role of occupants' behaviors on building energy efficiency has been much more taken into account. Occupants' migration on a building scale is a phrase on which this article focuses as one of the best occupants' responses to the climate condition for comfort and energy efficiency in traditional architecture. This paper attempts to step towards recovering the role of traditional adaptive occupants in contemporary buildings for comfort and energy efficiency. To this end, this study aimed to achieve the following objectives: (1) to summarize the socio-environmental and psychological elements of traditional housing that help occupants migrate in a building for their needs, comfort, and energy efficiency. (2) to reveal the interrelated factors affecting occupants' migration in building scale for comfort and energy efficiency. (3) to present types of occupant migration in buildings for comfort and energy efficiency. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, first, a literature review was conducted on the socio-environmental and psychological elements of traditional housing that help occupants migrate in a building for their needs, comfort, and energy efficiency. Also, the interrelated factors affecting occupants' migration in buildings and the types of occupant migration in building for comfort and energy efficiency were considered via both content analysis of available literature, and field survey methodologies. Besides, a comparison is made between the traditional style of housing and migration and the new style. Finally, the results showed that psychological, environmental, and social factors not only motivated people to move around to survive; achieve more thermal, visual, and mental comfort; but also contributed to more environmentally friendly spaces, which ultimately provide people with health, well-being, and energy efficiency. These movements and their associated contributing architectural elements were interrelated and affected one another in mutual respect. People underwent these movements in vertical and horizontal directions for their needs and energy efficiency because the space potentials provided incentives for them to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-earthquake fire (PEF) ignition events constitute a secondary consequence of an earthquake and may result in the loss of life and substantial property damage, especially in urban areas where the potential for fire spread and conflagration exists. These secondary hazards can cause severe structural and non-structural damage, potentially more significant damage than the direct damage caused by the initial earthquake, and can lead to catastrophic structural failures, devastating economic losses, and casualties. To manage the impact of PEF in urban areas, it is important to identify the potential ignition sources and quantify the vulnerabilities of these ignition sources as a result of earthquake-induced structural damage. The results of such analyses can be used to offer resiliency improvement investments and mitigation strategies in urban areas located in seismically active regions. Most of the previous PEF studies are data-driven, utilizing ignitions reported following recent earthquakes. However, in areas for which historical PEF data are not available, such as the Midwestern United States, a different methodology for developing a PEF model is needed. This paper describes an analytical model for quantifying the vulnerabilities of residential buildings to PEF by estimating the failure of ignition sources upon a probable seismic event. The underlying concept in developing the method is that (1) ignition sources in residential buildings remain unchanged before and after an earthquake, and (2) the total probability of PEF occurrence can be estimated by adjusting the probabilistic fire occurrence data for normal conditions (everyday operation of ignition sources) to account for the effect of the earthquake. This paper's contribution to state of the art is in developing a new framework for estimating the probability of PEF for areas in which historical PEF data is unavailable. The developed framework uses the likelihood of ignition occurrence during normal condition as a baseline; this baseline is then adjusted using certain key parameters to capture spatial characteristics, ignitability, and potential seismic intensity of the study area to estimate the probability of PEF as a function of projected earthquake characteristics. The model was tested for St. Louis City as a populated area with potential future earthquake hazard because of its proximity to the New Madrid Fault zone. Using the National Fire Incident Reporting System dataset, the frequency of normal condition ignitions was determined as 1.97E−03 ignition per unit per year. Using the proposed PEF model considering PEFs caused by damage to drift and acceleration sensitive equipment and human actions, the projected frequency of PEF was estimated between 2.79E−06 and 2.81E−06 ignitions per household per year. Using this model, and the average number of households between 2010 to 2015, 175,854 households, it was estimated that in the next 50 years, approximately 25 households would experience fires related to probable earthquake events in St. Louis City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy renovations offer unique opportunities to increase the energy efficiency of the built environment and for the existing housing stock; they are the most important solution. Usually, energy savings are based on modeling calculations. However, recent research has shown that the predicted energy consumption differs largely from the actual consumption. In this paper, the effectiveness of energy measures is re-assessed based on actual consumption data. We use a monitoring system, which contains information about the energy performance of around 60% of the Dutch non-profit housing sector (circa 1.2 million dwellings). We connect the data from this monitoring system to actual energy consumption data from Statistics Netherlands on a dwelling level. Using longitudinal analysis methods, from 2010 to 2014, we are able to identify the energy efficiency improvements of the stock and determine the effectiveness of different measures in terms of actual energy savings. The results reveal the actual energy savings of different efficiency measures and highlight the significance of the actual energy consumption when a renovation is planned or realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy retrofitting of existing buildings is a central challenge for local, national, and international climate policies, and in several countries, single-family houses represent a major energy-saving potential. Although many municipalities are implementing local climate policies with initiatives to promote energy retrofitting of buildings, little research has been done regarding the role of single-family houses in local climate policies. Thus, we have little knowledge about specific initiatives to promote energy retrofitting amongst owners of single-family houses, we know little about experience from such initiatives, and we lack knowledge about the extent to which national and EU policies support local initiatives directed at homeowners. This article provides insights into these issues from an explorative study on local climate strategies in Danish front-runner municipalities where single-family housing is the dominating building segment. Based on a study of local governance strategies in 12 municipalities targeting homeowners' engagement in energy retrofitting, the paper finds that these municipalities have developed promising local network-based ways to engage homeowners in energy retrofitting, but finds simultaneously that the national policy mix is only partly supporting these local initiatives. The paper also points out that the local and regional context for the programmes, including the local economic situation, is of great importance, and this context creates both potentials and challenges for the local programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]