Journal of Architectural Engineering

The greenness of a building is measured through green building assessment tools. These tools have limitations because they cannot be applied to all regions. The aim of this research was to develop a green building assessment tool that can rate the greenness of new buildings in India. For this, a study was conducted by adopting nine green building components with 34 attributes relevant to the measurement of greenness. For evaluating the green building index (GBI), a three-level hierarchical structure was constructed in which the GBI is at Level 1, and the nine components and 34 attributes are at Levels 2 and 3, respectively. In this study, an integrated approach consisting of an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy integrals was used. The 42 responses obtained from green building experts were used to find the weights of the components using the AHP. The relative importance of different attributes was computed using fuzzy measures and fuzzy integrals. Finally, the weighted-sum method (WSM) was employed to get the overall GBI. The results of the proposed approach are compared with Indian case studies. The findings of this article can be helpful to green building planners, designers, and developers.

The most crucial architectural design stage is the early design phase, when most of the critical decisions are made. To address the significance of this stage, the design team is obliged to rapidly evaluate many design variations. The current research presents a framework to expedite this process, to assist architects early in the decision-making process. To create an effective methodology, the main criteria in the design of building envelopes (i.e., sustainability and energy consumption) were investigated while preserving the extendable nature of the proposed method. A full life cycle assessment (LCA), along with annual energy-consumption calculations for over a hundred exterior glazing system typologies, was performed. In the next step, a multiobjective optimization using Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2) was utilized to make the LCA and energy-consumption data obtained from the previous step comparable for designers by providing a set of optimized data and comparing the distance of the design variations from Pareto’s curve. The results will assist architects in mitigating the ecological footprint of their design more quickly and efficiently, specifically regarding material selection.

Timber shear wall systems dissipate energy through nail bending, nail withdrawal, and crushing of the sheathing around the nail hole. This dissipation mechanism is a pinching hysteretic response. Use of high-damping devices is an effective method for improving the earthquake resistance of a building. In this study, three wood friction connections were developed and tested to increase the damping of the wood shear walls. In this paper, cyclic experimental tests of the connectors and shear walls are presented. In addition, results of long-term performance assessments are also presented. The cyclic test response of the connections exhibited a rectangular hysteretic response, and the shear wall systems had an equivalent viscous damping ratio of around 0.3.

Geometric design methods for deployable structures matured considerably during the latter half of the twentieth century. This article presents the geometric formulation for axisymmetric spatial structures using angulated scissor units. The formulas for the principal parameters, namely, the semilengths and kink angles of angulated members, are derived using three methods. One of them is a simplified semi-analytical method based on a unique property of isosceles trapezoids. The method lends itself for use in graphical and parametric computer programs. It was found that predetermined shapes dictated by architectural or other reasons may not deploy or compact fully. The packaging of forms can be improved by using more polygon sides and fewer vertical layers. To calculate fully deployable and compact forms, a compactness criterion is defined and discussed. The influence of shape and geometric parameters is described to motivate intuitive understanding for the design of any axisymmetric form. Although research on geometric design seems to have advanced considerably, there is still scope for improved and simplified methods that lend themselves to implementation in graphical computer programs.

Refurbishment of existing buildings, in order to reduce environmental impact, both in terms of land take and CO₂ emissions, must be one of the priorities of the whole building sector. Quantitatively, residential housing built in 1950–1990 accounts for the highest energy consumption, since its low-quality technology has caused its swift material and performance-related decay (not to mention social and urban), as reported in 2011 by the Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE). In Italy, the earthquakes in Umbria and Marche (1997), Abruzzo (2009), Emilia (2012), and Lazio (2016) made it imperative to resort to seismic risk prevention, before the energy-consumption analysis. The paper presents the first results of the research concerning methodologies and qualitative analyses, whose objects have been twofold: (1) identifying the criteria and guidelines of intervention when adding floors, paying particular attention to construction-related and structural aspects within the seismic analysis; and (2) testing such criteria through one case study, namely a 1970s Azienda Territoriale Edilizia Residenziale (ATER) social housing building in Rovigo. The analysis of the building and its modeling through ad hoc software (Revit and Midas) has determined a first evaluation of its feasibility in a digital environment, analyzing the building’s structural behavior under seismic action before and after the intervention—besides while work was in progress—underlining the potentialities and drawbacks that adding floors implies.

There are many design techniques and philosophies intended to provide structural integrity or increase structural robustness, thereby making structures resistant to progressive collapse. However, studies that reveal origins and levels of inherent robustness in structural steel members and systems are limited. The present study sought to lay a foundation for the process of behavior evaluation of components and assemblages initially designed for purposes other than progressive collapse, such as gravity loads, and make recommendations regarding their performance and possible methods for improvements for the new scenario. These recommendations can lead to more economical design and safer structural steel systems in the event of localized damage that has the potential to spread to a disproportionately large part of the structure. Connections play a major role in ensuring general integrity of different types of steel structural systems. Hence, numerical investigations were performed to extend the current body of knowledge on connections and, consequently, the structural response in the event of progressive collapse. This study was intended to examine the response of steel frames with simple shear connections in the aftermath of unusual and extreme localized loads. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the behavior of some prevalent and economical one-sided (i.e., connected only on one side of the supported beam web) shear connection types—shear tab, tee (WT), and single angle—in buildings and perform numerical analyses on those connection configurations under extreme loading scenarios represented generically by the so-called column-removal scenario. Characteristic features of the connection response, such as the potential to develop a reliable alternative load path through catenary action and ultimate rotational capacities, are discussed to provide a solid foundation for assessing the performance of buildings with these types of connections. Observations regarding the analysis results were synthesized and conclusions were drawn with respect to the demands placed on the connections. The results of this research contribute to a better understanding of the resistance of steel structures with one-sided shear connections to progressive collapse.

Changes that occur during a project are a common and inevitable problem in the construction industry. Change is an important source of risk that could affect project performance significantly; thus, it is necessary to consider measures to predict and assess the risk of change. The purpose of this study was to develop a new framework for proactive change management in construction projects using fuzzy logic–based fault tree analysis. Fault tree analysis facilitates the evaluation of the change-formation process and assessment of the probability of change. In this study, fuzzy logic was used for quantitative analysis of the fault tree and to assess the impact of change on project objectives. A risk index was developed to assess the risk of change while considering the probability and impact of change. The use of the framework provides a better understanding of the change-formation process and the effect that the potential change will have on project objectives. It also helps to identify the most significant causes of change so that the project team can address these critical causes and establish more effective risk-response strategies.

For many years, the building industry in many countries has been plagued by issues of poor quality, cost overruns, and construction delays. This has been largely attributed to the continuous fragmentation of the industry and the consequent lack of effective coordination of various building services. Previous research efforts have sought to address the inherent lack of efficiency and productivity through various tools and techniques. This article proposes a framework that could facilitate the effective coordination of building services during the design, development, and review stages in building projects in Saudi Arabia. The framework was developed based on an investigation of the current professional practices in building services coordination. The developed framework model consists of five sequential processes: (1) develop the conceptual project design; (2) develop the preliminary design; (3) prepare the developed design of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) services; (4) prepare the detailed design of MEP services; and (5) prepare the construction documents of MEP services. The framework was developed in the integrated definition for function modeling (IDEF₀) graphical format. Further validation of the framework was carried out through interviews with 10 architectural and engineering design professionals. The adoption of the proposed framework will facilitate the efficient coordination of building services and thus is of paramount interest to all stakeholders.

Compressed and stabilized earthen masonry (CSEM) offers a sustainable, affordable, and locally appropriate alternative to traditional residential construction. It provides a method that can enable the community to solve their own housing needs instead of aiding them just one time. While a significant amount of work has recently been done to engineer earthen masonry systems, research gaps remain. To address some of these research gaps, the goals of this paper include understanding the capacity of unreinforced and reinforced CSEM walls against extreme wind loads and developing a systematic approach to the schematic design of residential structures with safe rooms utilizing a combination of empirical data, statistical analysis, and available codes and standards. For this purpose, experimentally obtained compressive strength data for compressed and 10% cement-stabilized earth blocks, soil-based mortars, and CSEM assemblies are statistically analyzed. The test data are then benchmarked to a similar study with concrete masonry units and traditional mortars to understand the relative level of variability of CSEM assemblies and interactions of units and mortar in each type of masonry. After such analysis, the CSEM characteristic strength is computed statistically, following TMS 602 (specification for masonry structures) criteria for concrete and clay masonry. The characteristic strength is then used in the design of a conceptual single-family dwelling with a tornado-resistant safe room, assumed to be located in Winnebago, Nebraska. The site selection has a significance in that the Indian reservation in Winnebago is a plausible location for this technology’s future adoption due to their acute housing needs and the habitants’ open-minded approach to sustainable building design. The study’s findings indicate that with a proper recipe for the local soils, a good workmanship of CSEM components, and a careful design of the CSEM walls and connections, this technology can be utilized in a residence located in an area subject to tornadoes.

Large-scale tornadoes in the United States can devastate the building stock of communities, leading to long-term negative effects in recovery. Resilience research has concluded that disaster losses are a predictable result of the interactions and interdependencies of the physical environment, the social and demographic characteristics of affected communities, and the built environment. To mitigate the growing losses incurred from natural disasters, these interactions must be quantified. An econometric modeling approach combining community data with building-level recovery measurements is presented to quantify these interactions among the physical, social, and built environments. A parcel-level aerial image analysis methodology for measuring building recovery is described that was tested for a 5-year recovery time frame following the 2011 Tuscaloosa tornado. Aerial images captured at 5, 18, 25, and 58 months following the tornado are used to document recovery efforts. Resilience curves at the census-block spatial aggregation as well as the affected region in Tuscaloosa are presented. To quantify the interactions of building recovery with the physical environment, built environment, and social and demographic characteristics, a resilience rapidity model is employed to identify correlations between the measured recovery patterns and variables describing the interactions found in affected parcels. Findings are presented for three categories of community characteristics: building-exposure characteristics, such as distance to the tornado path; building characteristics, such as building age; and social characteristics, such as insurance coverage.

The seventeenth century was the era in which İzmir became an international commercial center in the eastern Mediterranean. The vizier of the era, Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Paşa, noticed the scarcity of potable water in relation with the increasing population at the center of this harbor city and ordered the construction of an aqueduct on Melez Valley. The Vezirağa Aqueduct was constructed in 1674. This article aims to identify historical, architectural, and structural characteristics of the Vezirağa Aqueduct so that its heritage values and conservations problems can be understood. The geographical and historical characteristics of the Vezirağa Aqueduct are described by taking the effects of site and the sociocultural situation of city into consideration. The architectural characteristics of the aqueduct are prepared by using the site survey data to reveal the current condition and find out the original state. Seismic behavior of the aqueduct is investigated by using two approaches: analytical equivalent static analysis and finite-element analysis. The historical, architectural, and structural characteristics of the Vezirağa Aqueduct prove its historical, documentary, and aesthetic values.

This work focused on the structural condition assessment, repair, and rehabilitation aspects of old buildings built primarily with masonry and timber. Specifically, several school buildings that are old and considered historically important in the regional education landscape were considered for evaluation. Several visual and nondestructive load-testing techniques were used to evaluate the structural condition, stresses and deformations, structural and nonstructural issues, and building safety. Cost-effective designs were implemented to repair and rehabilitate damaged structural members with locally available materials that matched the visual needs while meeting the design requirements. Evaluations of buildings focused on masonry foundations and walls, wood floor joists and roof rafters, steel beams and truss members, and other structural elements. Energy losses were evaluated through infrared (IR) thermography techniques. After approximately a century of service, most of the building elements were found to have the required design strength and meet the serviceability criteria.

This study aims to contribute to the analytic studies on constructional aspects of the hayat house typology with an eye on its historical evolution for conservation purposes. The method used included a review of the surviving examples of the typology in İzmir and its vicinity and the selection of two intact examples whose structural components are legible: one from the earliest period and the other from the latest period. The examples selected are Kerimağa Konağı in Birgi, Ödemiş, İzmir and a house in Kırkağaç, Soma, Manisa. The early example (probably eighteenth century, constructed over the remains of an older house) sustains the traditional box system in its wooden upper story that integrates with the roof. The provision of level differences on the upper floor, the traditional relationship of the sitting level—window design, and masonry base are its authentic features. The late example (probably early twentieth century) presents signs of modernization, such as the establishment of a systematic wooden roof and wall frames in relation to each other, lack of diagonals in the perpendicular wall frame, avoidance of projections, and relatively elongated windows placed at higher positions.

The analysis to consolidate the historical masonry through reinforcement systems is presented. Savuto Castle, located in Cleto (in the south of Italy), of the thirteenth century, was chosen as a case study due to its architectural and historical value. Structural interventions carried out through this study consisted of applying reinforcement systems on the extrados of two historical barrel vaults in order to contrast tensile stresses on the two wall structures. Applied reinforcing materials were chosen in agreement with the building materials of the masonry support thanks to a petrographic, chemical, mineralogical, and mechanical characterization performed on the historical mortar and building elements. In particular, petrographic analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) microanalysis, and double flat-jack tests were carried out. Thanks to the obtained results, a fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) system composed by ultrahigh tensile strength steel (UHTSS) fabrics and a reinforcing mortar reproducing the characteristics of the historical binder were chosen, guaranteeing the optimal interaction with the support as well as a high mechanical resistance. Through a nonlinear analysis performed on the finite-element method (FEM) model of the reinforced wall system, the structural effectiveness of the adopted reinforcement system was also checked.

Posthandover defects present in the construction industry lead to reprocesses, cost overruns, and situations of dissatisfaction for purchasers. The analysis of past experiences through a feedback process with a view to continuous improvement reduces the occurrence of defects and increases control over the consequences. However, the data on the present defects are difficult to obtain and poorly structured due to the lack of uniformity in the classification systems of posthandover defects used by the construction companies; thus, their systematization and analysis is difficult. The present study examines the development of a system to classify posthandover defects for the construction sector in Colombia and its application for validation through a case study that integrates 14,772 posthandover defects from 125 projects for 19 construction companies in Colombia.

This study reports a rapid method of analysis for evaluating the flatness of the façades of historical buildings. This method applies topographic, digital photogrammetric, and image processing techniques to measurements acquired by a semimetric camera in order to provide a planar metrified and rectified image. The use of this technique allows for the virtual control of alterations of a building’s geometrical and physical surface characteristics that have been induced by environmental decay and have possibly resulted in some deviation from flatness. We used the semimetric cameras Rolleiflex 3003 and Rolleiflex 6006 and a two-dimensional (2D) algorithm to verify the flatness of the main façade of a monument, the Zisa Palace in Palermo (Italy). The results of this study, which highlighted some deviations in the left edge of the façade with respect to the points of support, were obtained with an estimated 10⁻³ accuracy. Accurate statistical analysis applied to the measurements showed that the façade of this historical building is not a flat surface, suggesting that decay processes have occurred. Hence, this method can be used to easily demonstrate nonflatness of a façade of a historical building and to highlight structural failures in areas of the façade.

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate the performance of a lightweight wet-room floor structure with two waterproof membranes with a water-resistant cast compound between the membranes (twin floor). The twin floor was developed for use in existing buildings with a reduced load-bearing capacity of foundation or floor division. A watertightness test in the laboratory clearly indicated that wet-room materials for structures with one membrane were workable in the twin floor. Hereafter, two twin floors were constructed in an existing building including sensors for measuring temperature and moisture content in the cast compound. Multiple moisture measurements and watertightness tests near one floor gully showed potential water ingress in the cast compound through either the primary membrane, floor gully, or their assembly. Neither in the laboratory tests nor in the full-scale twin-floor tests was water penetration through the secondary membrane observed. In conclusion, the twin-floor showed promising results for working in practice. However, a redundancy layer is crucial to implement in the twin floor, because of the difficulties in testing and constructing the twin-floor structure.