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In view of the “severe housing unaffordability” issue Hong Kong currently has, it is usually suggested in housing policy debates that the solution lies in the supply of more residential land sites (presumably leading to a higher supply of housing). Nevertheless, when considering the different ways in which land is supplied in Hong Kong and uncertainties in various aspects, how these factors affect developers’ timing of housing development is unclear. This is, thus, the focus of this study, in which short- and long-run effects of these factors on the amount of housing development (in GFA), from 1995:2 to 2016:4, is investigated, using Vector Error Correction Modeling. The findings first challenge the generally-perceived notion concerning land supply, as it only has a minimal positive impact on housing development in the long-run. Yet, the extent to which developers are involved in the land transaction process (i.e. land exchange), due to uncertainties in the negotiations between them and the government, is negatively related to the amount of housing development. Rather, housing development is highly subject to property price movements (both its expected movements and its volatilities). Also, it is found that volatilities in construction cost movements and in interest rate movements play much bigger roles than their respective expected movements in deciding the amount of housing space to be developed, in that developers tend to withhold housing construction when these factors become increasingly uncertain, hence delaying the supply of housing. Some implications on the current housing affordability situations are then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hanging gardens, which follow the concept of ecology and sustainable development, inherit the design ideas of many classic works in the history of architecture, are an important means in improving the living environment of people when urban residential buildings in China are gradually characterized by high density and high floor area ratio. Through the analysis of the origin and development of hanging gardens, author of this paper summarized three typical types of hanging gardens in high-rise apartment buildings, analyzed advantages and factors affecting the design of hanging gardens, and concluded main design points of the gardens. It is believed that in the process of planning, design, construction and management of the hanging gardens in high-rise apartment buildings in China, demand characteristics of different use groups should be taken into account, much emphasis should be placed to service to people than visual pursuit, and human behaviors should be combined with built environment, thereby achieving the blending of people and scenery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: When subjected to long‐period ground motions, many existing high‐rise buildings constructed on plains with soft, deep sediment layers experience severe lateral deflection, caused by the resonance between the long‐period natural frequency of the building and the long‐period ground motions, even if they are far from the epicenter. This was the case for a number of buildings in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka affected by the ground motions produced by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake in Japan. Oil‐dampers are commonly used to improve the seismic performance of existing high‐rise buildings subjected to long‐period ground motion. This paper proposes a simple but accurate analytical method of predicting the seismic performance of high‐rise buildings retrofitted with oil‐dampers installed inside and/or outside of the frames. The method extends the authors' previous one‐dimensional theory to a more general method that is applicable to buildings with internal and external oil‐dampers installed in an arbitrary story. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical calculations using a model of a high‐rise building with and without internal and external oil‐dampers. The proposed method is effective in the preliminary stages of improving the seismic performance of high‐rise buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-based design is very significant in the Brisbane planning context. Brisbane City Council's Vision 2031 aspires to capitalize on the city's enviable subtropical climate and be a city renowned for livability and sustainability. This paper focuses on the impact of multi-story residential buildings on both the quality of public spaces around them, and the livability of private dwellings in the evolving subtropical city. The study analyzed 15 recently-approved apartment buildings as well as a prominent older apartment building, Torbreck. The city's Multiple Dwelling Code was reviewed against frameworks for urban design quality and climate-responsive architecture and was found to provide a sound set of metrics. While the historic building was exemplary, the findings generally describe formulaic outcomes for high-rise apartments that seem to ignore the code's objectives. Some cases demonstrate high-quality interface with the street, yet perform less well as places for subtropical living; others demonstrate reasonable climate-responsive credentials, yet contribute little to the public realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study on the dynamic performance of a multi-story traditional timber pagoda. A shaking table test was conducted with a 1:5 scaled pagoda model and various excitation intensities. Both artificial and recorded earthquake waves were considered. Ambient excitation test before seismic excitations and white noise excitation tests during the intervals of increasing seismic excitations were conducted to detect the fundamental frequencies and damping ratios of the model pagoda. Equivalent story stiffness was evaluated from the measured inter-story load-displacement hysteretic curves and a lumped mass model was established to determine the dynamic properties of the pagoda during strong excitations. It was found that the pagoda model survived all the input earthquake excitations (up to 0.44g in PGA) with only minor damages. The model frequencies detected after increasing earthquake excitations decreased only by 16% while the damping ratio increased from 1.24% to more than 10%, indicating a good seismic resilience of the pagoda. It was also found that the detected frequencies highly relied on the intensity of the excitations (up to 59% in difference), possibly due to the transition between static and sliding frictions amongst wood members and the recoverable looseness of the mortise-tenon joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-seismic performance of recycled concrete on top of high-rise buildings is influenced greatly by external environment. An analysis model for anti-seismic behavior of recycled concrete on top of high-rise buildings is proposed. The recycled concrete on top of high-rise buildings is divided into different layers, and anti-seismic signal at strong vibration signal of different level is separated to get the periodic characteristics variance of anti-seismic performance signal. Then, Doppler frequency shift parameters of the vibration signal are calculated to complete the anti-seismic performance test. The test results show that the anti-seismic performance of recycled concrete on top of high-rise buildings changes periodically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building energy modelling methods have been required to be more accurate by taking into account variation in building factors affecting on energy consumption. However, modelling approaches for high-rise apartment buildings have often disregarded variation arising from individual apartment units. This study aimed to develop a building energy model of high-rise apartment buildings by integrating variation derived from individual apartment units. The methods were designed in three steps: identifying unit-specific heating consumption in different locations; creating a building energy model, based on the physical characteristics of apartment units and identifying the influential heating controls on heating energy consumption; and integrating a new set of polynomial model of independent heating controls in units and their interactions between floors. The result indicates that the averaged heating energy consumption of whole-building has a limited interpretation to represent the wide range of heating energy use in apartment units with different locations from 96 to 171 kWh/m 2 /year. The integrated set of polynomial model found that apartment units on lower floors need either higher set-point temperatures or longer heating hours than the probable heating control in the building-scale. Moreover, the accuracy of the model estimation is also improved to CV RMSE 5.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architecture, the decorative arts, advertising, and patronage occupy most of the book, with Anselmi carefully charting the transition from theory to practice. Anselmi also explores housing in the form of high-rise apartment buildings and smaller residences for the middle- and working-class bourgeoisie. If Art Deco in Cuba has been largely overlooked or dismissed by historians and critics alike, then Alessandra Anselmi reminds us that the Art Deco architecture and monuments of Havana are in fact an integral part of the city and its marvelous cultural identity, and that they deserve our greatest attention, care, and respect. [Extracted from the article]

The stack effect creates uncontrolled vertical air movement in buildings. This air movement over the building envelope and internal parts of the building creates noise and draft through gaps of doors and increases energy consumption. The wind and mechanical ventilation may also have a pronounced effect on the air pressure conditions and the movement of the air along the shafts of the building. The objective of this study was to find solutions to minimize the stack effect. The effects of air tightness, air leakage distributions, and outdoor environmental conditions on air pressure conditions and energy consumption in a high-rise residential building were simulated in cold climate conditions. The stack effect is possible to prevent with spatial arrangements and improved air tightness. Based on the analysis carried out, internal air tightness is playing the major role in the control of the stack effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, a 13-story residential building founded on lightly reinforced prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) pipe piles in Shanghai collapsed completely during the excavation of an adjacent underground garage (i.e., on the southern side). In the course of construction, excavated soil had been dumped on the northern side of the building and formed a 10-m-high fill slope before the collapse. In order to identify the principal cause of the sudden building collapse, an extensive field investigation was carried out immediately after the accident. In addition to geotechnical exploration of soil properties, physical evidence was collected and documented including the layout of collapse debris, damage to piles, and induced pile movements. To assist in the investigation and provide insights into the collapse, three-dimensional finite-element analysis was carried out to simulate the process of excavation and dumping. For piles located adjacent to the dumped soil on the northern side of the building, uppermost fractures could be seen near the interface between the reinforced and unreinforced sections, which were located approximately 1-2 m below the original level of the pile head. Most of these failure surfaces were flat, implying that these piles failed under tension. For piles situated on the excavation (southern) side of the collapsed building, the uppermost fracture surfaces were tilted at an angle and the concrete was severely damaged, suggesting that these fractures occurred mainly from compression. Photographs of the pipe interior taken with a high-resolution digital camera and results of a low-strain pile integrity test revealed that most piles examined had generally broken into three or more sections. According to results of the numerical analysis, the largest bending moment was developed in the piles on the excavation side of the building at a depth corresponding to the interface of the soft and firm-stiff clay layers (13.5 m below the ground surface), under the combined effect of excavation and dumping. This suggests that the failure occurred first for piles on the excavation side, and eventually caused the building to fall flat onto the excavation site. A lesson learned from the accident is that geotechnical engineers and contractors should be better trained to improve their understanding of the effects of surcharge loading on PHC piles. Moreover, proper construction procedures and site supervision schemes should be explicitly spelled out and strictly followed by all parties during construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings are a main contributor to energy consumption and carbon emissions. The approach of low energy or low carbon building has been widely adopted. However, there exist challenges for energy and carbon modeling, particularly of high-rise buildings in high-density urban environments. The aim of this paper is to examine the challenges and develop strategies for energy modeling of high-rise buildings drawing on the case of public housing in Hong Kong. The paper reviews the knowledge barriers to the use of building energy analysis software and proposes a workflow to incorporate energy simulation into the design stage. Considering the urban environmental factors that may contribute to biased results of energy simulation, the technical issues during the conversion of data from BIM model to energy simulation software are investigated. Thermal zones and user behaviors are also examined as technical and subjective assumptions could lead the simulation to a wrong direction. The examined challenges and developed strategies will help achieve building energy simulation and carbon emission estimation of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong with efficiency and accuracy and also inform practices in other relevant urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasement of worldwide population, high-rise buildings of multi-dwelling units have been widely used as a residential building, especially in China, United States and India etc. At present, most of cooking exhaust shafts in high-rise residential building takes the form of central exhaust system. However, the mal-distribution of exhaust flow in central exhaust system often leads to oil fumes reflux and odor migration, which decreasing the performance of kitchen hoods. This study is conducted in a 32-storey residential building which employed central exhaust system. Static pressure and velocity distribution were investigated in central exhaust shaft with uniform cross section. In addition, Computational Fluid Dynamics was adopted to analyze flow characteristics and validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental data. The emphasis of this study lies in the effects of temperature differences and equally spaced operating rates of kitchen hoods on flow characteristics in central exhaust shaft. The results showed that when the temperature difference varies from −12 °C to 30 °C, the locations of maximum static pressure gradually moved downwards and presented a low-high-low distribution. The maximum occurred in the middle-low storeys under different operating rates. This paper is valuable for HVAC engineers to improve the design of central cooking exhaust shafts in high-rise residential buildings, and solve the mal-distribution problems of exhaust flow in central exhaust systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The void has been widely used in the multi-storey housing to induce natural ventilation in the living units for health and thermal comfort purposes. This research investigates the provision of the void to enhance natural ventilation performance in the living units of multi-storey housing. Malaysian affordable multi-storey housing (MAMSH), which is located in Malaysian suburban areas have been selected. The methods employed by the research are field measurement and computer simulation using CFD software. This study revealed that the indoor air velocity (m/s) in the living units of the studied building did not achieve the required rate for thermal comfort. However, by enlarging its size to 50% of the living units, natural ventilation performance in the living units is increased by up to 50.88%. The appropriate configuration of void been recommended based on the findings and venturi effect principle. This research contributes to the development of knowledge in enhancing natural ventilation performance in buildings. The suggestions might help the building industries to provide better designs option to enhance natural ventilation performance in the living units of multi-storey housing by providing an appropriate configuration of the void, and in turn, a sustainable living environment can be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viscoelastic (VE) dampers, composed of VE layers sandwiched between relative rigid steel plates, have been widely used as dissipation devices to improve performance of structures under dynamic loads. Corresponding analytical and experimental investigations have been carried out by many scholars. However, most of VE dampers studied before are typically traditional dampers applied in regular structures. This paper introduces a new type of VE damper with strong nonlinearity used in the complex and irregular structure of Nanjing Dabaoen Temple. The new VE dampers show obvious nonlinear behavior, improved capacity of dissipation, and larger additional stiffness compared to the traditional ones. Nanjing Dabaoen Temple is a high-rise steel structure by use of 112 new VE dampers. To investigate dissipation characteristics and control effect of the VE dampers in the complex structure, we established a suitable finite element model using SAP2000 software in which the VE dampers were simulated by Maxwell and Wen models connected in parallel, and then nonlinear time history analysis is executed using seven ground motions of moderate earthquakes and three of major earthquakes. Analytical results indicate that control effect of the VE dampers on structural displacement is preferable to that on structural acceleration and shear force due to dampers' additional stiffness. In addition, owing to incremental deformation of VE dampers under major earthquakes, damping effect of the VE dampers on all structural responses under major earthquakes is more obvious than that under moderate earthquakes. Analytical methods and conclusions in this paper will provide significant reference for analysis, design, and application of complex high-rise structures added with VE dampers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the relationship between verticality and home. It develops the idea of 'verticality as practice'. This appreciates verticality not as something that takes place in three-dimensional landscapes, but as the outcome of everyday practical activity. Examining a modernist high-rise estate, the Aylesbury Estate in London, the article identifies and examines a range of vertical practices, illustrating how they are intertwined with home. Vertical practices, such as those associated with the view, help to make a unique and special home, becoming intensely meaningful to residents. However, they also unmake dimensions of home when they interact with the estate's marginality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada and much of the world, high-rise residential buildings with large glazing areas are increasing in popularity. These buildings are associated with lower thermal resistance envelopes and higher solar gains than more traditional construction with smaller windows. This study explores the comfort implications and usability in condominiums by performing a field study of 20 units: 10 with large window areas (LW) and 10 with medium-sized window areas. Occupant comfort was assessed in summer and winter, through two open-ended surveys, infrared thermography, and recorded interior temperature and humidity. LW occupants more often report uneven interior temperature distributions and windows as a source of discomfort in winter. One quarter of condo units experience condensation on windows, indicating window and frame improvements may benefit both groups. This exploratory study identifies key issues and occupant preferences within condominiums to guide future research on this building type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines how regulatory focus, in terms of promotion-prevention discrepancy (promotion level minus prevention level), influences homebuyers' post-purchase evaluations and experiences. Field study data is collected by questionnaire and structural equation modelling (SEM) is used for data analysis. In China's urban real estate market, when the level of promotion focus exceeds that of prevention focus, homebuyers have better evaluation of their acquisition, less regret and higher satisfaction. Besides product and service attributes, a house's investment performance and financial burden are important in shaping purchasers' regret and satisfaction. The findings also show that some individual and purchase traits influence post-purchase evaluations and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the present situation of high-rise building fire rescue, the high-rise building fire rescue platform as a new kind of high-tech equipment was studied. This design is an integration of fire rescue equipment and the related technology, which provided the functions of fire fighting, life rescuing, smoke discharging and water supplying. First, a three dimensional model of the fire rescue platform was established by Solidworks. The typical fire environment and the temperature distribution were analyzed. Then, the thermal analysis of high-rise building fire rescue platform was carried out to get the temperature distribution of the platform under the working conditions. The capacity of fire resistance of the platform is analyzed. Then; the statistics analysis of the platform was carried out by Ansys Workbench. The dangerous working conditions were considered in wind load cases. The maximum stress and deformation of the platform were calculated and compared under the load conditions. According to the results, the respective actual safety factors was calculated and compared with those required for the load conditions to check if its rigidity meets the requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Korea, housing shortages have been a high-level social problem for decades. Since the late 1980s, a significant number of housing units (mostly high-rise apartments) has been constructed, with the goal of resolving this issue. In spite of the positive effects on housing supply, many undesirable socioeconomic consequences of urban housing development, such as social exclusion and polarization of housing affordability, etc., have been largely overlooked. Moreover, at this point, the number of high-rise apartments is arguably excessive, leading to particular concern with regard to their need for redevelopment after deterioration. The massive quantities of deteriorated high-rise buildings will be ubiquitous at a certain point in time. Due to changes in social and economic circumstances in Korea, many homeowners of high-rise apartments could be incapable of proceeding with redevelopment based on their own financial resources. The problems facing the present generation will be most likely to be passed on to future generations, further impeding such development efforts. This pervasive and mounting housing and development issue is directly antithetical to the definition of sustainable development proposed by the Brundtland Report. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Fire rescue of high-rise building is a worldwide problem, rescue method mainly divided into two types currently, includes he saved methods and self-help methods, due to the limited working height of these equipment, effectively rescue can not realized. In this work, a new type of embedded retractable fire rescue equipment based on system thinking presented, system includes three subsystem, the retractable guide rail, the fire extinguishing system, the ground remote central control system, corresponding function defined respectively, its constitutes designed and as well. by making use of the fire refuge floor of high-rise buildings jointly, install a certain number of these equipment in refuge floor according to scientific rules. Complete operating process of simulating the fire rescue of high-rise building obtained from the workflow of embedded retractable high-rise building fire rescue equipment. widely application of this technology and equipment in future, it will solve the difficult problem which has plagued human for a long time, also make a epoch-making significant contribution to world high-rise building fire rescue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apartment buildings have evolved to be self-sufficient for occupants. Thus, energy use is individually controlled in apartment units, which can be considered as independent thermal zones within buildings. However, this has been disregarded in conventional energy modelling which is mainly applicable for reducing energy demands of buildings with standardised conditions, rather than reflecting actual consumption. This approach has been questioned due to the high levels of uncertainty formed with real buildings. In this study, a model considering occupant random behaviour consuming heating and electricity is developed to reflect variations in actual energy consumption in apartments. Moreover, the effects of various parameters of occupant behaviour in relation to the model were examined. In total 96 apartment blocks in Seoul were used as samples. Gaussian Process Classification was applied to modify occupant random behaviours corresponding to the probability of energy consumption. As a result, it has been found that occupants’ general heating controls (25% deviation) are between three and eight hours, with 17–20 °C set temperatures. Moreover, the operating hours of electric appliances and lighting are also approximated with the probabilities. This methodology could reduce uncertainties in building simulations, and provide a broader application in buildings with similar development stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increasing number of people living in high-rise buildings presents unique challenges to care and may cause delays for 911-initiated first responders (including paramedics and fire department personnel) responding to calls for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We examined the relation between floor of patient contact and survival after cardiac arrest in residential buildings.Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study using data from the Toronto Regional RescuNet Epistry database for the period January 2007 to December 2012. We included all adult patients (≥ 18 yr) with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of no obvious cause who were treated in private residences. We excluded cardiac arrests witnessed by 911-initiated first responders and those with an obvious cause. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine the effect on survival of the floor of patient contact, with adjustment for standard Utstein variables.Results: During the study period, 7842 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest met the inclusion criteria, of which 5998 (76.5%) occurred below the third floor and 1844 (23.5%) occurred on the third floor or higher. Survival was greater on the lower floors (4.2% v. 2.6%, p = 0.002). Lower adjusted survival to hospital discharge was independently associated with higher floor of patient contact, older age, male sex and longer 911 response time. In an analysis by floor, survival was 0.9% above floor 16 (i.e., below the 1% threshold for futility), and there were no survivors above the 25th floor.Interpretation: In high-rise buildings, the survival rate after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was lower for patients residing on higher floors. Interventions aimed at shortening response times to treatment of cardiac arrest in high-rise buildings may increase survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Western Europe, France had the largest and longest postwar commitment to private social-market housing inside dense residential suburbs called grands ensembles d'habitation ( GEs). Social-Catholic activists and planners viewed the GEs as facilitating women's maternal mission within egalitarian communities, but others across the political spectrum saw them as pathological spaces, especially for women who supposedly contracted a psychological disease dubbed ' sarcellite', after France's flagship GE of Sarcelles. This article analyses how a phantasmatic gendered discourse of housing disaster, first circulated by the media, strategically influenced gendered actors' residential desires and legitimised policy shifts toward single-family housing. The discourse of sarcellite reveals how housing realities and imaginaries shaped gendered claims to housing as an evolving aspect of social citizenship. The article considers both suburban women's demands for subsidised childcare and other services and the nuances and contradictions of the evolving discourse of sarcellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of experimental and statistical modeling and the search for effective organizational solutions for reconstruction of high-rise engineering structures by the example of the Ostankino television tower. The dependences of the factors having the greatest impact on the studied parameters are found. Restrictions on possible organizational solutions, on effectiveness indicators are imposed. According to the analysis of diagrams containing restrictions the most efficient organizational options for reconstruction are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]