Housing developments consist of a variety of building elements, objects and open spaces. Design of such features can facilitate encounters among people and convey messages about the behavior appropriate to particular space. This paper investigates how design of blocks of flats can facilitate a sense of community among residents in urban housing developments, based on a small-scale exploratory study of two housing schemes in Canary Wharf, London, UK. Community has traditionally been characterized as being bound to place, holding shared values and being tight-knitted, thus evoking a feeling of nostalgia in our modern society which is full of uncertainty and insecurity. Today, community takes new forms: it is based on people’s cultural attachments, rather than their innate social orders. Community is now more heterogeneous and is ‘occasional’ in nature. Our conclusions are that the physical design of the building can promote the sense of community and communal activities among residents. We also emphasize that community is sought by most of our respondents ‘on selective terms’, and as such, design also needs to reflect residents’ diverse perceptions of community. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
The purpose of this article is to rethink the industrial areas in decline for new housing places. The tendency of planning policies to focus on the building structure at the expense of ecological elements has led to the abandoning of several urban areas, such as the old industrial areas. This article presents an urban project for Covilhã (in Portugal), centered on the ecological element of the stream of Carpinteira. The project aims to promote the urban rehabilitation and the returning of citizens to this forgotten area, by integrating the ecological structure and the old industrial buildings together as landmarks for landscape urbanism. Objectives of this urban rehabilitation project as promoting the integration and enhancement of the building structure / ecological component: – To propose measures of urban design for old industrial buildings and for ecological component of the stream in order to promote a balance between these two components of the city; – To create a leisure area with a riverside walk in order to promote the integration and enhancement of the stream in the local context and throughout the city; – To create an ecological corridor to ensure the environmental balance of this area by integrating the ecological structure into the urban system; – To allow the rehabilitation of old industrial buildings and, above all, the buildings heritage that goes back to an industrial past, present in the collective imagination of the citizens, in order to promote new activities in the derelict industrial buildings and new housing places; In summary, this landscape urbanism proposal aims to qualify and improve the image of the city. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
The presented model here represents one of a series of our applied research, aimed at providing easy and very simple design formulation to be a model for architects to illustrate to them the possibility of linking results of applied research with aesthetic and occupation human needs if adopted in large housing projects to be harmonious with our climate and environment. This model won a prize of the Iraqi Energy Consultative Committee in a competition for the best environmental design, and in retrospect evaluation after implementation, thermal, economical, and utilization measurements were performed on the model 20 years after its construction. The results were in agreement with initial design expectations, to verify the success of the bases on which the model was designed. The design style for this model was applied on a 2-storey house, construction area 380 m2, land plot area 288 m2, with eastern frontage. The house consists of 5 bed-rooms, reception, living area, office, kitchen, store-room, 4 bathrooms, and interior garden, proved that: 1- The internal temperatures for most days of the year were within thermal comfort limits for dry-hot climate areas; 2- During summer days, use of low-load air-conditioning appliances is sufficient to bring the house temperature to thermal comfort limits; 3- Day-time, since sunrise, the house enjoyed good natural lighting for most rooms; 4- With the introduction of more advanced wind catchers than traditional ones, the design provided natural air circulation, to cool people and building day- and nighttime during temperate months, and provided cooling for the night, and early hours of the morning during summer-time; 5- The design facilitated interior space (garden) of temperate temperature during summer and winter, where summer temperature was nearly 13 degrees less than for the outer garden; 6- Electrical power consumption for lighting, heating and cooling about 7500 KiloWatt for one year. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
Today’s construction business environment nurturing and training talent is a big hurdle for several organisations. Also due to increasing competition many construction companies has adversely affected their profit margins, customer loyalty, and ultimately shareholder return. The ultimate fact is that, most of the construction organization fails to attempt using advanced management tools which are unable to make the project participants working in the better collaborative and teaming environment. Also due to large participants than in any other industry, it is not possible to manage using traditional management tools and their concepts. Hence, we must ensure with need of multi-skills to complete these demands.a business driven by innovation, skilled employees are any organizations competitive advantage, because they act as sole resources for ideas. To overcome the present difficulties, the survey was conducted using a web based questionnaire and some direct approach among the construction industry professionals, which investigates and readdress the deficiency. This Investigation mainly focus on Emotional Intelligence (EI) with psychological approach; which shows a fundamental understanding of barriers and challenges to effective interaction among a diverse project team and necessary tool towards creating truly collaborative project teams in construction. Also this study introduces specific initiatives to reskill, groom and develop quality talent from the trainee level. In addition to that Performance Improvement systems (PIS), in practical construction have been carried out, which the performance metrics are defined using the SMART test as a management tool (i.e., Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) for accurate monitoring in construction projects. This work also focuses in using advanced technology with the application of value engineering like micro monitoring SmartCam in execution using internet via digital network applications. By adopting this EI & PIS in construction industry, the overall depressions like workplace stress, pressure due to deadlines & conflicting demands, non quality staffing, poor quality construction, unsafe execution, improper risk assessment can be eliminated. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
This article provides an analysis of a software-modelled reinforced concrete residential building, which has characteristics that would allow it to be constructed in different countries. The model was subjected to a high level of earthquake loading with properties specific to its site of construction. Using applicable and compatible earthquake and reinforced concrete codes, results were obtained and compared. The comparison results range from the consideration of seismic forces to the quantities of steel reinforcement required to strengthen the structural elements by examining their impact per square meter.this study, CYPECAD, a software program from CYPE Ingenieros (http://www.cype.com), was used as a tool for calculating the seismic response of the structure according to the seismic codes from a selection of countries in Europe, Northern Africa, and South and Central America. It was concluded that the seismic action depends heavily on the definition of the spectrum and the variability of the seismic factors considered according to each code, and that the American codes are more restrictive in terms of reinforcement requirements than the European codes. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that CYPECAD serves as an effective and powerful tool in obtaining results for the seismic analysis and design of structures. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
The study of the evolution of Italian anti-seismic legislation reveals the strategies and means of operating that have influenced and characterized the restoration of historical buildings in Italy. This work looks at some of the most important steps in anti-seismic legislation from the unification of Italy to the present day, with the aim of highlighting how legislation reflects the technical culture of differing periods, influencing the work practices involved in the restoration of the historical building patrimony, and how legislation has slowly changed to incorporate a growing interest in the safeguarding and conservation of the historical and architectonic patrimony. Safety legislation, in fact has often led to the incorporation of invasive structural elements that are out of place with respect to the original building tissue.the first half of the last century, the impossibility of applying the models of modern science to stone buildings led to the transformation into frame-schemes through the insertion of new resistant structures. The 1908 Norms amended over time then led to the passing of Law 64/74. The Law and decrees that followed have focused on new construction and only marginally on the problems linked to work on existing structures although the most recent decrees issued by the Ministry of Public Works have shown a growing awareness of this theme which is gaining more interest on a cultural and scientific level, introducing the concept of ‘upgrading’ as an alternative to ‘anti-seismic retrofitting’ and as natural means of acting on monumental buildings. The most recent legislation includes the Ordinance of the President of the Council of Ministers n° 3274/03 and its amendments, and ‘Technical norms for construction’ (Decree of the Ministry of Infra-structure and Transport n° 159 dated 14/9/2005), updated with the Decree of the Ministry of Infra-structure dated 14/11/2008. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
