Soil liquefaction is the phenomenon of temporary loss of shear of saturated cohesionless soil under the influence of vibrations caused by earthquakes. The extensive loss of lives and civil infrastructure system like buildings, bridges, highways etc. caused by liquefaction emphasize the need for strong and reliable methods for evaluating the liquefaction potential of sites. Simplified techniques based on in situ testing methods are commonly used to assess seismic liquefaction potential. Many of these simplified methods are based on finding the liquefaction boundary. Because of this importance, engineers developed various software programs to evaluate and model liquefaction potentials of sites. In these programs, the methods, properties, calculation types, coefficients and etc. differs from each other. In order to address liquefaction engineering, this paper proposed to focus on comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different software programs used to evaluate and analyze liquefaction potentials of sites based on different methods. In this paper, it is shown that to choose the correct software program is one of the key points in the liquefaction evaluation procedure. The definitions and the properties of all the liquefaction analysis software programs that are used in the engineering literature are search a part of doctoral thesis and the results are given as a summary in this paper. Also, a table that shows how to determine the correct method and program is formed to serve for engineers. Finally, in the future works, an analysis will be done to compare the site liquefaction potential results by using all the software programs. Copyright©2013 IAHS.
Every human activity influences and changes the environment. Building industry together with production of food belongs to principal spheres which lead to depletion of natural resources and consuming of energy sources. Buildings participate on consuming of approximately 40% of total energy produced in highly developed countries. During the whole life cycle of buildings every individual element contributes to generation of greenhouse and acidifying gasses, waste creation, eutrophication, pollution of soil, water or air, ozone layer depletion and other negative effects. Massive amount of CO2 has its origin in energy processes which are required for heating, ventilation or cooling of buildings. However, beside operation of building, a selection of material basis influences environmental profile in enormous way. Exploitation of raw material, production of building materials and components, transportation to site, build-up, operation as well as demolition of structures require massive amounts of energy and result in change of local, as well as global climate. Life cycle assessment – the state-of-art method is used for evaluation of the potential environmental impact and quantifying of environmental performance of building materials. In this paper, parameters such as global warming potential, acidification potential, amount of primary energy and amount of used materials in building materials of 3 selected dwelling houses of contemporary Slovak build-up were evaluated using Life cycle assessment. In this case study building of similar size and constructional system were selected, described and analyzed, however building materials and components combinations varied to illustrate diverse span of results of environmental assessment. Amount of primary energy intensity reached values from 563218.0 MJ to 1360382.8 MJ in all 3 houses. Values of global warming potential were in rage from 38364.2 kg CO2eq to 76320.3 kg CO2eq. Acidification potential of building materials ranged from 214.38 kg SO2eq to 430.47 kg SO2eq. The total weight of used materials was in range from 257.7 to 451.4 tons. Copyright© 2013 IAHS.
The work starts from a study whose aim is the interpretation of the idea of temporary constructions, choosing to assume and to confront two approaches: constructions for programmable events and constructions for emergency situations. Operating in the field of both these aspects, the aim is to develop a project that excludes the idea of a completely defined module (which implies a huge waste of resources) choosing instead to develop a system with changing and adaptable configurations. The concept phase brings to the design of an assembly kit composed of a limited number of simple elements, and that, considering the whole life cycle, is characterized by low costs, reversibility, recycling or reuse of the entire structure or of some of its elements. Finally, the project, called Changing Habit’, consists basically of a two-dimensional mobile frame, formed by bars and connections: thanks to few linear elements characterized by small size, it is possible to obtain a structure that is replaceable into different kinds of spaces and that can assume multiple configurations. This structure is also characterized by the development along a longitudinal direction, by the use of portals as basic modular element, and by the movement of its own constitutive elements to achieve different configurations. The aim is to achieve the minimum complexity with a system that, using the least possible amount of material, can convey multiple and variable spaces, with very few movements. Moreover, Changing Habit’ can be employed in different cases of temporary sites: in fact, the system is based on a structure that is mobile itself, in its parts, in its different configurations. Copyright © 2013 IAHS.
This research has the goal to define a scenario of the transformations that have taken place in the metropolitan area of Milan subsequent to those housing policies that, starting from the evaluation of critical issues and potential areas of intervention, propose possible integrations and modifications of the procedures actually adopted. In Italy, the satisfaction of housing needs is part of a complex picture that requires integrated policies and a common action of territorial governance at metropolitan level. In a context where the housing demand is critical, not only in terms of quality, but also quantitatively, it is necessary to adjust the housing policies to the growing social vulnerability of large and different sections of the population. The current debate is focused on promoting the development of Social Housing as a resource to ensure social security and inclusion. With reference to the principles of sustainability accrued during several debates among local operators, public and private stakeholders and research institutes, some case studies of urban transformation in the metropolitan area of Milan have been analyzed in this paper, with a specific focus on the project ‘Figino: sustainable suburb’. This project is a private initiative oriented to achieve the maximum coordination with the public social housing policies, to maximize amount of rented accommodations with low charge, with fee agreement or with social rent. © 2013 IAHS.
Buildings are created to provide adequate climate conditions for the activities performed by occupants. According to thermodynamics and heat transfer principles, the thermal inertia of indoor environments is directly proportional to the volume of that environment. Based on these principles codes of practice for thermal behaviour of buildings have been established in different countries allowing to reduce ceiling heights while influencing indoor air temperature and reducing the indoor environment thermal inertia. For hot weather locations, such as in tropical countries, during most of the year, the reduction of ceiling heights causes a small increase in indoor temperature of environments. In addition, studies both in laboratory and based on mathematical models show that the variation in temperature between the upper and lower layers of an internal environment can reach up to 4 °C. Another consideration to be observed is that internal environments must have openings for ventilation, a mechanism that helps to control air temperature and the human sensation of heat. Taking as example the Belo Horizonte Building Code, a town in southeast of Brazil, in Minas Gerais State, between 1940 and 2010, when the usual minimum ceiling height reduced 40 cm, there were no compensatory changes in the Building Code of Practice related to the ventilation openings or other heat-control mechanism. In the last decade, other standards and technical manuals on the subject emerged, with certification systems and energy efficiency rating similar to the Green Building, such those existing in several countries. Aiming to evaluate the ceiling height influence on the environments’ internal temperature, for this study three full-scale models, of 8 m2 room area, and window area of the 1/6 floor area, according to the minimum standards established by the Belo Horizonte Building Code of Practice were constructed. They were built in of ceramic blocks structural masonry, varying the ceiling height in the range of 3.00 m, 2.80 m and 2.60 m allowed by technical regulations since 1940 up today. In each one, thermocouples were installed at different heights for monitoring the internal temperature without ventilation, collecting data from winter to summer. Preliminary results indicates that temperature increases of 1°C for each 20cm reduction As the temperature range of human comfort is small, these variations, however subtle, may cause thermal discomfort to users. © 2013 IAHS.
Researchers are in a constant struggle to identify the relationship between housing location and users’ preferences for the last few decades. Various attempts made by William Michaelson (1977), Guido Francescato (1979), Fried (1970), and Lawrence (1986) have succeeded to propose logical links between residential choice, mobility, lifestyle and housing location. When focused only on mining towns, attributes and criteria vary as these towns have issues distinctly different from other metropolitan areas. The present study is based in Korba, the power capital of Chhattisgarh, India, which has Asia’s largest coalmine Gewra. Concentrating on the issues related to housing in Korba, the study identifies some generic issues related to location choice of housing in mining-towns. The study identified that the whole town’s economy in Korba, revolves around the mining activity. Both forward and backward linkages related to mining, are the supporting functions here and activity at the tertiary sector, is marginal. A fact file was generated through an extensive field survey of the 58 wards in the administrative boundary of Korba. A total of 590 household surveys were conducted along with 160 commercial surveys. All the mines, falling fully or partially within the municipal boundary, were surveyed. Finally, through a critical analysis of the findings from the survey, 8 different parameters related to housing conditions of different income groups, were adopted. With the help of these parameters, a multi criteria decision analysis was done followed by the ranking of the parameters. The study will help planners and policymakers to comprehend the demand of housing in mining towns across different income brackets and orient the housing production and location according to their typology. This will also add to the knowledge of the housing-market trends and typology of housing suitable for different income groups in mining towns. © 2013 IAHS.
The town of Pitesti lies at the confluence of Arges and Doamnei Rivers, on the coordinates 44*5′30″ wide, latitude North, 24*52′ long East, in Southern Romania. The objective of the study is the rehabilitation of urban infrastructure in Pitesti, targeting public space areas included between the buildings, bounded under study as follows: CENTRAL area, CALEA BUCURESTI area, TEILOR MARASESTI. The total area of intervention was 36,66 ha (48,17%) from the 76,102 ha (100%) studied. Territorial analysis focused on three systems: accessibility and mobility (to improve the existing network infrastructure, traffic and pedestrian safety); environmental systems and ecological networks (conservation of natural resources and environment and to create an ecological network, by the strengthening of existing ecological corridors); residential systems, services and urban centrality (i.e. balanced distribution of functions, meaning to locate central functional polarities allowing neighborhoods to be self-sufficient for basic needs of residents). The principles that are developed in the present paper and which constituted the premises of the planning process involved three levels of approach. AT THE CITY LEVEL, the project aimed at pursuing a constant coherence in the distribution of services and functions inherent to primary and secondary urbanization, spatial and formal coherence of mobility and accessibility, networks between different areas, expansion and achievement of an interconnection between ecological networks. AT THE ZONE LEVEL, the aim was to improve and streamline flows in networks linking districts and local areas in close proximity. It will also follow a consistent implementation and harmonization of urban functions and services in the area, taking into account the ecological networks and providing accessibility and mobility. AT THE SUBAREAS LEVEL, the aim was to improve the mobility and environmental quality of urban spaces, i.e. to create functional zoning and demarcation of their correct spaces, to rehabilitate planted and paved surfaces. © 2013 IAHS.
