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Protests during the 2021 Climate Conference in Glasgow exemplified our dilemma. The establishment perpetuates old thinking, while young people demand a new approach to mitigate the impact of climate change. The authors agree with the young people, and as a solution we propose to replace the current fragmentary approach with a new holistic one. The passive house approach that was conceptualized by the University of Illinois and built in Canada in 1977 showed us that energy consumption can be reduced about half of that used in the traditional design. Seventeen years later, a European passive house was built in Darmstadt. In 2008, a demonstration house in Syracuse, NY, showed that integrated passive measures produced energy use by about half of the NY state code for 2004. At the same time, some advanced houses in the USA showed total energy use of about 70 kWh/(m2∙y). In 2008, at the first Building Enclosure Science and Technology Conference, two equally important objectives for 2030 were proposed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: (1) a 90% reduction of energy use in new buildings and (2) 50% for the retrofitting of existing buildings, i.e., to the level achieved in the 1980s. The first objective has recently been achieved in small buildings while the large residential buildings remain on the level obtained in the 2000s. Yet, the retrofitting of existing buildings (the second objective) has been a dismal failure. This paper acknowledges progress in hydronic heating and cooling involving electric heat pumps and hybrid solar panels, building automatics used for operation of HVAC, and modification of air distribution systems that comes from experience with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Furthermore, it highlights that to accelerate energy efficiency and carbon emission reductions, there must be broad public-private educational programs with demonstrations of a new generation of retrofitting. Economically and ecologically retrofitted buildings will create a new approach to real estate investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The architectural and construction professions are in a state of major transition. While wooden structures are known to have superior energy saving properties as compared with RC structures, this study establishes that hybrid refurbished structures in which RC beams and columns are retained, while floors and walls are replaced by new timber laminates, results in lighter, cheaper buildings, with energy performance superior to the replaced fully RC structures, yet only marginally less efficient than full wooden buildings. The fifth paper, "Automatically creating HVAC control strategies based on building information modeling (BIM)", Ref. [[6]] presents a method for optimizing building heating using BIM data. The imperative that the industry must embrace is "sustainability", and with that imperative is the requirement to develop applications that make buildings energy-efficient, eco-friendly, resilient, inclusive, and overall "greener". [Extracted from the article]

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]

In response to the intensification of urbanization, characterized by increasingly dense land use, the proliferation of high-rise residences has emerged as a predominant housing solution, particularly evident in developed cities like those in China. With a primary aim of enhancing the residential living environment within high-rise structures, this study advocates for a comprehensive whole life cycle perspective. By employing digital technology and conducting experiments centered on a representative case study, this paper focuses on optimizing the functional layout of public activity spaces within high-rise residential projects. Specifically, this article aims to address challenges such as the inadequate configuration and articulation of various public spaces, along with the underutilization of peripheral activity areas. Central to the optimization efforts is the utilization of the Kruskal algorithm, which enables the analysis of flow lines and functions, ultimately leading to the derivation of optimal solutions. Through a detailed analysis of our case study, this paper provides actionable insights into enhancing the feasibility and effectiveness of public spaces within high-rise residential projects. Recognizing the pivotal role of public space layout in shaping residents' living experiences, the importance of addressing this issue early in the design phase was emphasized. By integrating scientifically driven digital technology solutions, smart, inclusive, and convenient communities that cater to the diverse needs of their inhabitants are aspired to be created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on an overview of two programs applied to the residential building stock of Bucharest (Romania), namely, the seismic strengthening program and the thermal rehabilitation program. The methodology for seismic risk assessment given in the current generation of Romanian codes, as well as in previous regulations, is examined. A brief review of other seismic risk assessment methodologies currently applied in various seismically prone countries is also presented. Examples of high-rise buildings in Bucharest that suffered significant damage during the Vrancea 1977 earthquake and that were thermally rehabilitated without any strengthening works are shown in this paper. The consistent differences between the current outcomes of the two programs are presented and discussed. Finally, this review paper highlights the lack of coherence in terms of seismic risk assessments for the same class of buildings, inducing, in some situations, a false feeling of safety in the building inhabitants. In addition, a combined procedure for both seismic strengthening and thermal rehabilitation is mandatory, considering the seismicity of Romania, as well as ongoing climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on hooks' notion of 'homeplace', Ahmed's theorisation of 'strange encounter,' and Sharpe's rumination on Black being 'in the wake' or afterlife of slavery, this paper reflects on how Aidoo's The Dilemma of a Ghost can help examine the 'Year of Return' project in terms of dwelling. The paper argues that Aidoo's play proffers a pedagogy of intercultural communication and a radical deconstruction of home and kinship. By noting Aidoo's emphasis on intercultural communication, home, and dwelling, the paper demonstrates how the 'Year of Return' can be conceptually enriched and pragmatically organised in ways that seriously consider Aidoo's ethic of dwelling. The paper is, therefore, a corrective to the overemphasis in the 'Year of Return' celebrations on trade, capital, and investment. Finally, the paper sheds light on the relationship between literature and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy saving in buildings is essential as buildings' operational energy use constitutes 30% of global energy consumption. Urban building energy modeling (UBEM) effectively understands urban energy consumption. This paper applied UBEM to assess the potential of peak demand reduction and energy saving in a mixed-use community, using 955 residential buildings, 35 office buildings and 7 hotels in Shenzhen, China, as a case study. The building type and period were collected based on the GIS dataset. Then, the baseline models were generated by the UBEM tool—AutoBPS. Five scenarios were analyzed: retrofit-window, retrofit-air conditioner (AC), retrofit-lighting, rooftop photovoltaic (PV), and demand response. The five scenarios replaced the windows, enhanced the AC, upgraded the lighting, covered 60% of the roof area with PV, and had a temperature reset from 17:00 to 23:00, respectively. The results show that using retrofit-windows is the most effective scenario for reducing peak demand at 19.09%, and PV reduces energy use intensity (EUI) best at 29.96%. Demand response is recommended when further investment is not desired. Retrofit-lighting is suggested for its low-cost, low-risk investment, with the payback period (PBP) not exceeding 4.54 years. When the investment is abundant, retrofit-windows are recommended for public buildings, while PV is recommended for residential buildings. The research might provide practical insights into energy policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been fruitful publications on thermal comfort of urban residential buildings in China. However, there is a lack of reviews on this topic to perform a comprehensive analysis and find opportunities to meet occupants' thermal comfort needs while improving building energy efficiencies. This paper addresses this issue by presenting a systematic review on the advancements in research on thermal comfort in urban residential buildings in China. Firstly, two common thermal comfort research approaches, i.e., field studies and laboratory studies, are discussed. Secondly, eleven main thermal comfort evaluation indicators are summarized. Finally, this paper analyzes the thermal comfort survey data from different researchers, discusses the impacts of adaptive behaviors on human thermal comfort, and provides recommendations for future research on urban residential thermal comfort. It was found that people have higher and higher requirements for their indoor thermal environment as time goes by, especially in the winter; the thermoneutral temperature is higher in warmer climate regions in the summer but lower in the winter than in colder climate regions; the thermoneutral temperature tends to increase with the indoor air temperature due to an adaptation to the indoor thermal environment. The outcomes of this paper provide valuable information on thermal comfort behaviors of urban residents in different climate zones in China, which can serve as a resource for the academic community conducting future research on thermal comfort and assist policymakers in enhancing building energy efficiencies without compromising the occupants' comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the issue of the thermal refurbishment of residential buildings built between 10 and 40 years ago in some European countries. It suggests that, while facade retrofitting is the most effective solution for older dwellings, all actions are equally less effective for newer dwellings built in this millennium. According to the current situation, as society shifts away from the use of fossil fuels, this paper presents the expected energy and financial savings that were calculated using one of four different heating sources. The study shows that the efficiency of the additional thermal retrofitting of the structures is low when the building is heated with a heat pump. The addition of thermal insulation to already well-insulated roofs or floors results in minimal savings of approximately 0.15 kWh per square meter of heated floor area per year. The potential advantage of replacing existing windows with new windows in a top thermal quality was shown. After window replacement, the financial benefits could be twice as high in houses heated by district heating compared to houses heated by gas or a heat pump, including an alternative heat pump with photovoltaics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thermal upgrading is an important element in the economic transformation of Poland towards a low-emission economy. This paper presents the results of research into the current status and plans of inhabitants of rural areas in Poland with regard to thermal upgrading of residential buildings and other buildings used in the agricultural activity of the study participants. The main purpose of the article is to identify thermal modernization needs and to analyse factors influencing individual thermal modernization plans in terms of replacement or modernization of heating systems. A key element of the analyses was the issue of upgrading priorities and the dependency between declared intentions in terms of thermal upgrading work and the production and economic features of the farms studied. Results: The main research material were surveys conducted with a randomly selected sample of 480 farming households in Poland. The analyses used, amongst others, multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to determine and assess the relationships between the variables studied. Detailed correspondence analysis shows that there are strong dependencies between plans for thermal upgrading of farm buildings and the system of agricultural production (φ2 = 0.1503), the economic size of farms (φ2 = 0.1100), and the location of farms (φ2 = 0.0947). Conclusions: The research showed that there is a need for thermal upgrading in the examined area of study, especially with regard to the replacement or modernisation of heating systems. The issue of thermal upgrading of residential and farm buildings in rural areas in Poland requires support and engagement at all levels of administration, as well as the modernisation of assistance programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building projects as sub-sect of construction projects are complex and different in design and performance attributes. The prominent classes of building projects are high-rise residential buildings, hospitals, hotels, general offices, retail buildings/malls, educational institutions, and warehouses. In this study, building projects have been classified based on their end use. Complexities vary between construction projects and within various types of building projects, as well as across regions and countries. Understanding the sources of complexity is imperative to strategize their successful development. This research paper attempts to identify the sources of complexities using the design and performance attributes of seven prominent building types. A survey was conducted through experienced architects and construction professionals (the mean years of experience being approximately 13.88 years) over 34 different attributes or parameters under six categories. These attributes have been shortlisted from past research work by various authors, and the pilot study for this project. The Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to calculate the mean ranking and to confirm that the medians of each building type were not the same when compared against each attribute, irrespective of the level of complexity. Using data analysis and the mean ranking scores as a representation of relative complexity, primary sources of complexity in each class of buildings have been identified and listed. The results indicate that hospitals (as a building typology) are relatively the most complex building facilities in terms of design and performance attributes, showing the highest mean ranking towards 16 attributes (with only one shared ranking). Hospitals are followed by retail/malls (10 with one shared ranking), hotels (3), high-rise residential buildings (4), educational institutions (2), general offices (0), and warehouses (0). Strategies to manage these attributes have been proposed for each building typology so that the risks emanating from the complexities of these building projects can be mitigated and effectively managed at the design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most significant solutions suggested for estimating energy consumption and cooling load, one can refer to enhancing energy efficiency in non-residential and residential buildings. A structure's characteristics must be considered when estimating how much heating and cooling is required. To design and develop energy-efficient buildings, it can be helpful to research the characteristics of connected structures, such as the kinds of cooling and heating systems needed to ensure sui interior air quality. As an important part of energy consumption and demand of buildings, the assessment of cooling load conditions from the envelope of large buildings has not been comprehensively understood yet. In the present paper, a new conceptual system has been developed to anticipate cooling load in the sector of residential buildings. Also, the paper briefly describes the major models of the developed system to maintain continuity and concentrate on the prediction model of the cooling load. To predict cooling load, authors have modelled two methods of artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in conjunction with teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO). This article aims to illustrate how artificial intelligence (AI) approaches play an essential role in addressing the mentioned necessity and help estimate the optimal design parameters for various stations. The value of the multiple determination coefficient is also determined. The values of the training R² (coefficient of multiple determination) are 0.96446 and 0.97585 for TLBO-MLP and TLBO-ANFIS in the training stage and 0.95855 and 0.9721 in the testing stage, respectively, with an unknown dataset which is acceptable. The training RMSE values for TLBO-MLP and TLBO-ANFIS are 0.0685 and 0.11176 for training and 0.07074 and 0.12035 for testing, respectively, for the unknown dataset, which is acceptable. The lowest RMSE value and the higher R² value indicate the favourable accuracy of the TLBO-MLP technique. According to the high value of R² (97%) and the low value of RMSE, TLBO-MLP can predict residential buildings' cooling load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence highlighted the vulnerability of New Zealand light-frame wood buildings that are the predominant typology in residential construction. While life-safety performance was excellent, many buildings experienced widespread cracking of internal wall linings that resulted in costly repairs and disruption. Despite the widespread use of light-frame wood construction in New Zealand, no known shake table tests have been documented for this construction typology. Additionally, New Zealand light-frame wood building performance cannot simply be inferred from international testing because New Zealand adopts a different design philosophy from those of the US and Canada by relying on gypsum sheathing as the primary lateral resisting element. To further investigate New Zealand light-frame wood building performance, this paper discusses shake table testing of a light-frame wood building specimen, constructed on the University of Canterbury unidirectional shake table using modern New Zealand design and construction approaches. The observed damages during the tests were consistent with those observed in similarly built structures that were investigated after the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence. This paper also presents a modeling approach using the state-of-the-art software Timber3D, which was verified by simulating the shake table specimen and comparing the observed and predicted dynamic response from the test specimen and model, respectively. The Timber3D modeling approach included analysis and parameterization of screw-slip data using the Evolutionary Parameter Hysteretic Model, formulation of two-dimensional wall component models, and nonlinear time history analysis of a three-dimensional model of the shake table specimen. The model was shown to reasonably predict the displacement response of the shake table specimen and the strength degradation from cracking damage through repeated earthquakes. The modeling approach described is intended to further the development of residential building models toward the performance-based seismic design of light-frame wood buildings in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Belügyi Szemle / Academic Journal of Internal Affairs is the property of Ministry of Interior of Hungary and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Short-term load forecasting plays a crucial role in managing the energy consumption of buildings in cities. Accurate forecasting enables residents to reduce energy waste and facilitates timely decision-making for power companies' energy management. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid forecasting model designed to predict load series in multiple households. Our proposed method integrates multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD), the whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and a temporal fusion transformer (TFT) to perform one-step forecasts. MVMD is utilized to decompose the load series into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), extracting characteristics at distinct scales. We use sample entropy to determine the appropriate number of decomposition levels and the penalty factor of MVMD. The WOA is utilized to optimize the hyperparameters of MVMD-TFT to enhance its overall performance. We generate two distinct cases originating from BCHydro. Experimental results show that our method has achieved excellent performance in both cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ageing of the population in Western countries, the prevalence of disability and mobility problems is increasing, highlighting the urgent need to improve accessibility in environments where people spend a significant amount of time, such as collective housing. This paper examines the accessibility of building entrances in collective housing in the Region of Murcia, south-eastern Spain, where 9.8% of the population is estimated to live with disabilities. Starting with a thorough review of national and regional accessibility regulations, this study applies a robust methodology by conducting fieldwork in 150 buildings to assess compliance and identify barriers. The methodology involved a systematic assessment of the accessibility of entrances, using criteria derived from the regulations, and a specific proposal of the accessibility solutions required for each case. The key findings show that the most effective way for improving the accessibility is a properly constructed ramp, with over 40% of buildings requiring the installation or improvement of ramps, either as a stand-alone solution or in combination with other adaptations. In 54% of cases, a multi-faceted approach was required to meet accessibility standards. It was also noted that older buildings typically require higher adaptation costs. Based on these findings, the study provides specific recommendations, such as the construction of ramps and other critical interventions, to improve the accessibility of buildings. These recommendations have the potential to guide public policy and drive improvements in urban planning to make residential areas more accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People should be walking towards the inside of the dwelling through an appropriate visual environment in transitional space; this environment is the staircase in the collective housing. The proper understanding of visual adaptation parameters in the staircase helps architects provide a suitable environment for inhabitants. This paper aims to specify design elements of the staircase in collective housing, to achieve a visual comfort in this transitional space. The work involved two approaches: field measurements and a visual comfort survey using a questionnaire; 144 questionnaires are collected, in four residential buildings with different staircases treatment in the city of Arris, Algeria, to examine the illuminance levels in different staircase positions along the path from outside the building to inside, in summer and winter where illuminance ratios were calculated and compared with CIBSE Code. The discomfort sensations ranged from "subtle" to "dramatic". The results show that a staircase with the percentage of opening of 88% indicated "strong" and "dramatic" visual shock in many points and as this staircase is open, it is exposed to light conditions and so it does not ensure the necessary transition. This leads to advising against the open staircase. In the case of a staircase treated with transoms of clear glass with the percentage of opening of 11%, these transoms direct the light to specific areas creating "strong" visual shock in many points of the stair landings and hence it leads to advise against that. The staircases treated with vertical bays throughout the façade presenting a percentage of opening between 19% and 22%, these treatments allow the penetration of daylight in a diffused way which ensures a balanced distribution of daylight inside the staircases. The existence of a solid overhang at the entrance; the façade treated with vertical bays, where the percentage of opening of the façade is about 19% and 22%, provided adequate transition leading to reasonable visual comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing building energy consumption is of paramount significance in sustainability and energy efficiency (EE) studies. The development of an accurate EE prediction model is pivotal for optimizing energy resources and facilitating effective building planning. Traditional physical modeling approaches are encumbered by high complexity and protracted modeling cycles. In this paper, we introduce a novel evolutionary dendritic neural regression (EDNR) model tailored to forecasting residential building EE. Acknowledging the vast landscape and complexity of the EDNR weight space, coupled with the inherent susceptibility of traditional optimization algorithms to local optima, we propose a complex network-guided strategy-based differential evolution algorithm for training the EDNR model. This strategy adeptly strikes a balance between exploration and exploitation during the search process, significantly enhancing the predictive and generalization capacities of EDNR. To our knowledge, this study represents the inaugural application of dendritic neural regression in real-world prediction scenarios. Extensive experimental findings demonstrate the efficacy of EDNR in accurately predicting building EE with commendable performance. Furthermore, the results of two nonparametric statistical tests affirm the validity and stability of EDNR. Consequently, our proposed methodology exhibits high potential and competitiveness in machine learning applications within the energy domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption plays an important role in contemporary economies. Its significance extends beyond utilitarian value, impacting economic robustness, environmental protection, and residents' well-being. The escalating global energy requisites necessitate efficient energy utilization and a shift towards renewable sources to address climate change and strengthen energy independence. Developing accurate predictive models to forecast long-term energy costs and savings remains a complex problem. This paper aims to provide a methodology to identify the influence of building energy performance on real estate market efficiency, focusing on property maintenance costs. Real estate plays a crucial role in human life, serving both as a fundamental need and as a vehicle for achieving personal aspirations and secure financial investments, particularly during times of economic and social instability. Through interdisciplinary methodological architecture, this study addresses three key issues: the impact of rising energy costs on market efficiency, the responsiveness of the real estate market to energy price fluctuations, and the significance of property maintenance costs on market value. The research approach includes creating and applying AI algorithms capable of evaluating extensive datasets pertaining to real estate features. Utilizing machine learning methods, the algorithm determines the importance of energy efficiency measures as well as various other inherent and external attributes of properties. The suggested methodology provides a novel approach to improve the effectiveness of market efficiency analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in outdoor temperatures and heatwaves highlights the limitations of buildings in adapting to warming conditions, even in temperate climates. This paper analyses the indoor overheating of residential dwellings in Pamplona (a city in northern Spain, with a Cfb climate) using an urban-scale diagnostic methodology and presents different envelopes' retrofitting scenarios as a strategy to reduce it. The results come from energy simulations conducted during an extremely warm summer in 2022, considering the microclimate effects. The residential typologies most vulnerable to overheating are those with only one orientation, built before the EPBD 2002, and located on top floors. These dwellings show a 23.7% mean of indoor overheating hours (IOH), representing approximately 870 h above the EN 16798-1:2019 adaptive threshold from May to September. Renovating building envelopes to meet current energy standards reduces the IOH by an average of 8.6% and up to 15.35% in the most vulnerable typologies. In the retrofitting scenario with green roof systems, indoor temperatures are up to 0.5 °C lower than when roofs are renovated with traditional systems. This study assists policy-makers in preventing the risk of overheating within cities and encourages them to promote nature-based solutions in order to adapt urban residential buildings and cities to warming conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The housing industry faces challenges in product data management, resulting in negative effects on productivity, efficiency, and quality. The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to elaborate on requirements and functions of a support system to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry. As a support system, a pilot product lifecycle management (PLM) system was developed with functions to fulfill the requirements. The support system was installed and tested in a realworld setting, a wooden single-family house company, Company T. The paper contributes with the insights that a PLM system for industrialized house building can be developed, fulfilling the requirements in this specific industry. The functions developed were perceived to have value and could, for Company T, mitigate their challenges with product data management. The support system facilitate integration between the pilot PLM system, the building information modeling tool and the enterprise resource planning system at Company T. Based on the study carried out, the paper concludes that a PLM system is feasible, and that it might be a way to mitigate challenges with product data management in the wooden single-family house industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a pandemic-inspired, modern physics distance lab course, focused both on engaging undergraduate physics majors in scientific research from their homes and on building skills in scientific paper reading and writing. To introduce the experimental and analytic tools, students are first asked to complete a traditional lab assignment in which collections of Hexbugs™, randomly moving toy automatons, are used to model gas molecules and to confirm the ideal gas law. Subsequently, after consulting the literature, students propose and implement semester-long experiments using Hexbugs™, smartphones, and materials commonly found at home to model various concepts in statistical mechanics and electrical conduction. A sample project focused on the Drude model, in which Hexbugs™ on a tilted plane are used to model electrical conduction, is described in detail. Alongside the research projects, students write formal, peer-reviewed scientific papers on their work, modeling the professional publication process as closely as possible. Somewhat paradoxically, we found that the pandemic-inspired exigency of reliance on simple, home-built experiments enabled an increased focus on developing experimental research skills and achieving the laboratory learning objectives recommended by the American Association of Physics Teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the need for affordable sustainable housing has increased. At the same time, there has been a gradual rising interest in compact living. With the mounting impacts of climate change, a new way of thinking is needed to develop more resilient and climate responsive ways of living that are compact, affordable, and climate-conscious. In response to this need, the idea of a 'Z-Free Home' was born. The 'Z-Free Home' is a tiny mobile house equipped with essential passive and eco-cycle systems that achieves nine zero targets. The main design and construction concept is based on circular design and a return to nature life cycle principles. In this paper, the architectural design concept, building energy modelling, and simulation for the Z-Free Home design proposal is discussed. This paper describes the concept design and design development phases together with building modelling and simulation. A focus was made on the use of virtual reality in design development assessment as a new method for evaluating passive and eco-cycle systems. The results show that it's possible to achieve nine different zero goals while the analysis illustrates the challenges in achieving them. The paper also described the next steps planned for the proof of concept, i.e., the 1:1 house model. The project is ongoing, and it aims at a full-scale physical prototype as a proof of concept for the zero targets. The 'Z-Free Home' is designed for the cold Swedish climate but could be more widely applicable in other mild climates as well as hot climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security and privacy of smart home systems, particularly from a home user's perspective, have been a very active research area in recent years. However, via a meta-review of 52 review papers covering related topics (published between 2000 and 2021), this article shows a lack of a more recent literature review on user perspectives of smart home security and privacy since the 2010s. This identified gap motivated us to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) covering 126 relevant research papers published from 2010 to 2021. Our SLR led to the discovery of a number of important areas where further research is needed; these include holisticmethods that consider a more diverse and heterogeneous range of home devices, interactions between multiple home users, complicated data flowbetween multiple home devices and home users, some less studied demographic factors, and advanced conceptual frameworks. Based on these findings, we recommended key future research directions, e.g., research for a better understanding of security and privacy aspects in different multi-device and multi-user contexts, and a more comprehensive ontology on the security and privacy of the smart home covering varying types of home devices and behaviors of different types of home users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to research of the impact of the limited heat source capacity on indoor temperature and energy consumption in serial nZEB residential buildings. This is an innovative aspect as it explores the potential design simplification for different locations, allowing for cost optimization and quicker construction timelines. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of limited heat source capacity by utilizing thermal mass and optimizing the ventilation operation. Numerical results demonstrate that incorporating thermal mass increases heating energy consumption by up to 1%. The study addresses the impact of limited heating capacity on indoor temperatures and the need to manage ventilation's impact during peak temperatures using simulation software IDA ICE. The study reveals that a limited heating capacity reduces energy consumption up to 2.6%, but may result in lower indoor temperatures. By optimizing ventilation strategies, energy consumption can be reduced from 2.4% to 4.4% compared to the suboptimal solution, and from 2.8% to 6.5% compared to the initial case. Parametric analysis reveals optimal ventilation operation change-over point at an outdoor temperature of −17 °C during winter. The research provides practical recommendations for adjusting heating schedules, selecting appropriate heating capacities and implementing optimal ventilation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urbanization continues to advance rapidly, the emergence of biophilic design offers a positive perspective to address the alienation between humans and nature, becoming a hot research topic in areas related to human living environments. Biophilic design, as a design concept inspired by nature, has positive significance in promoting the development of ecological diversity and improving human physical and mental health. This paper makes a comparative analysis of two of China's residential communities in the same high-density environment through the main influencing factors of plot ratio, greening rate, external facades environments, and internal living space. Starting from the five senses of the human body, namely, sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, this paper aims to investigate the design of living spaces through the lens of biophilic design, and proposes a biophilic design model, along with strategies and recommendations tailored to high-density urban environments, in the hope of serving as a valuable reference and source of inspiration for future healthy dwelling design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution is focused on the issue of the application of energy-saving measures in the construction of new residential properties and their optimal combinations with regard to the life-cycle costs of these buildings. The aim of the research is to create a methodological basis for considering the economic and financial impacts of various combinations of energy-saving measures, aiming at the optimization of these measures and the sustainability of developer projects. The research methodology is based on the principle of building life-cycle costs, which serve as a key criterion for the process of choosing the optimal combination of energy-saving measures and for comparing a conventional solution with an innovative solution including the application of energy-saving measures. The result of the research is the methodological approach for the design of technologically proven combinations of energy-saving measures, which will lead to optimization of the life-cycle costs with regard to the reference variant represented by a conventional solution. This approach is subsequently verified on three case studies of residential properties with a proposal for the optimal combination of energy-saving measures in the form of photovoltaic panels and a water-air heat pump. The added value of the paper consists of the possibility of optimizing the building construction project from the point of view of energy-saving measures already in the design phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Research is the property of Sultan Qaboos University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper covers the results of development of alkali activated materials stable in the acid environment. Such materials can be used as main materials for reconstruction of the residential and industrial buildings, influenced by the acid pollution or exploitation conditions. It was shown possibility to obtain alkali activated cement able to be use in normal hardening conditions, meeting the requirements for normal cements (compressive strength up to 60 MPa, initial setting time over 45 minutes, coefficient of acid resistance over 0.8). Such results provide possibilities to develop acid resistant repairing mixes for reconstruction and various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]