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Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Opportunities for Catalytic Reactions and Materials in Buildings
Residential and commercial buildings are responsible for over 30% of global final energy consumption and accounts for ~40% of annual direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficient and sustainable technologies are necessary to not only lower the energy footprint but also lower the environmental burden. Many proven and emerging technologies are being pursued to meet the ever-increasing energy demand. Catalytic science has a significant new role to play in helping address sustainable energy challenges, particularly in buildings, compared to transportation and industrial sectors. Thermally driven heat pumps, dehumidification, cogeneration, thermal energy storage, carbon capture and utilization, emissions suppression, waste-to-energy conversion, and corrosion prevention technologies can tap into the advantages of catalytic science in realizing the full potential of such approaches, quickly, efficiently, and reliably. Catalysts can help increase energy conversion efficiency in building related technologies but must utilize low cost, easily available and easy-to-manufacture materials for large scale deployment. This entry presents a comprehensive overview of the impact of each building technology area on energy demand and environmental burden, state-of-the-art of catalytic solutions, research, and development opportunities for catalysis in building technologies, while identifying requirements, opportunities, and challenges.
  • 3.8K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
From Bioinspiration to Biomimicry in Architecture: Opportunities and Challenges
The term “bioinspiration” defines a creative approach based on the observation of biological principles and transfer to design. Biomimicry is the recent approach, which describes a large field of scientific and technical activities dealing with an interdisciplinary cooperation between biology and other fields with the goal of solving practical problems addressing innovation or sustainable development. Architecture has been influenced by many aspects of natural and social sciences, among these, biology is currently blending into design activities. Bioinspiration has evolved and shifted architectural practices towards numerous innovative approaches through different bioarchitectural movements from the past until the present. However, there is a blur of biomimicry within bioinspiration in architecture between the direct copy of mere natural forms and the true understanding of biological principles, which is the pivot of sustainable development. The main challenge remains in the gap between the profound knowledge of biology, its related scientific fields and the creative process of architectural design, including cross-disciplinary collaboration between architects and biologists. This entry presents main bioarchitectural movements and how it leads to today’s biomimicry. It proposes to define biomimicry methodologies and how this approach applies to architectural design contexts through the study of existing case studies. The opportunities, challenges and the future outlook of the field will also be discussed.
  • 3.8K
  • 03 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Fundamental Building Solutions for Expansive Soils
Expansive soils exist in many countries worldwide, and their characteristics make them exceedingly difficult to engineer. Due to its significant swelling and shrinkage characteristics, expansive soil defies many of the stabilization solutions available to engineers. Differential heave or settlement occurs when expansive soil swells or shrinks, causing severe damage to foundations, buildings, roadways, and retaining structures. In such soils, it is necessary to construct a foundation that avoids the adverse effects of settlement.
  • 3.8K
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Pavement Surface Types and Distress Assessment Indicators
Pavement or road surfaces can be categorized into four general classes, i.e., asphalt, concrete, gravel, and brick and block. Pavement condition is assessed by measuring several pavement characteristics such as roughness, surface skid resistance, pavement strength, deflection, and visual surface distresses.
  • 3.7K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Impacts of Lighting on Psychology, Physiology, and Productivity
People spend almost 90% of their time in indoor environments. Indoor environment quality has begun to play a more important role in people’s daily lives. The impact on occupants of various environmental factors of buildings has been actively studied. Among them, lighting conditions have been shown to have a significant influence on all aspects of human life and health.
  • 3.7K
  • 30 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Energy Piles
Energy piles are a relatively new technology that have dual function as heat transferring and load bearing. Due to the influence of temperature cycles, additional thermal stress and relative displacement of the pile will be generated; this is different from the load transferring mechanism of the conventional pile. In order to study the thermodynamic characteristics of the energy pipe pile under dual working conditions and temperature cycles, field tests were carried out on the PHC (prestressed high-strength concrete) energy pipe pile without constraining on the top of the piles. Displacement gauges were arranged on the top of the pile, and concrete strain gauges (temperature, strain) were embedded in the pile.
  • 3.6K
  • 31 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Geopolymers as Construction Materials
Utilising geopolymer as a construction material has gained institutional and commercial interest over the past decade, due to its favourable emissions profile as an alternative to carbon-intensive Ordinary Portland Cement-based concrete, which currently accounts for around 7% of global carbon emissions.
  • 3.6K
  • 11 May 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Sustainable Architecture–What’s Next?
Sustainable architecture encompasses more than energy efficiency, zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emission or renewable energy use in the built environment. It also needs to alleviate overall impacts on the natural environment or ecosystem that surrounds it. It may be argued that primitive vernacular architecture (architecture without architects) built and operated using local techniques and resources alone can be considered to be sustainable. Yet later, after the 1992 Rio Conference and its declarations, more specific definitions emerged putting weight on the rational use of land area, materials and energy, preferably local, as well as area efficient planning, economy and recyclability. The advantage of this is to reduce the ecological footprint of buildings and the climate gas emissions from a sector that represents 35–50 percent of global climate gas emissions, depending on how one counts. This paper clarifies concepts, questions cemented truths and points a way forward by asking; what’s next?
  • 3.5K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Technologies in Adaptive Dynamic Building Envelopes
Adaptive Dynamic Building Envelope (ADBE) is the term used to describe envelope systems that increase the adaptability of the building skin toward changing ambient conditions, resulting in better energy efficiency and thermal comfort. ADBEs exploit the benefits of passive and active technologies that manage the energy and mass transfer between building and outdoor environment. There is a range of technologies that an ADBE can incorporate to enhance a building’s energy performance. According to their usage, they can be sorted into four categories, i.e., technologies for energy harvesting, technologies affecting heat transfer, technologies for air conditioning, and technologies for storage systems. ADBEs vary from one another based on their level of active-passiveness, and user controllability. The first characteristic is the level of how active or passive the technologies used in the final ADBE product perform. The second characteristic is the level of occupant interaction with the envelope, meaning if the user has the ability to operate some functions on the ADBE manually, or through the usage of building energy management systems.
  • 3.5K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Passivhaus
Passivhaus or Passive House buildings are low-energy buildings in which the design is driven by quality and comfort, hence achieving acceptable levels of comfort through post-heating or post-cooling of fresh air. Additionally, Passivhaus building design follows the Passivhaus design criteria, as described in the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). This article aims to introduce the Passivhaus background, development, and basic design principles. Finally, it also presents a brief description of the performance of Passivhaus buildings. 
  • 3.4K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Construction and Demolition Waste Marketplace
Rapid population growth and urbanization have led to an increase in Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, prompting government and industry bodies to develop better waste management practices. Waste trading has emerged as a targeted intervention to divert waste from landfill sites and create a second life for waste material. This paper examines key barriers and enablers influencing the creation of a marketplace for waste trading. A systematic literature review was undertaken to examine global efforts in creating a marketplace for C&D waste. A framework on enablers and barriers for developing a marketplace for C&D waste emerged from the review, based on market-based, operational, and governance factors. References demonstrated that markets for materials such as glass and metals have already been established, but there are increasing marketplace opportunities for other recycled materials. Technology-based market applications are emerging as targeted interventions to facilitate online trading, which will provide a more accessible and user-friendly marketplace for sellers and buyers. Further research should test the complex interactions between people and technology associated with online waste trading platforms, as well as help develop the business case for a C&D waste marketplace.
  • 3.2K
  • 10 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Industry 6.0 and Their Implementation in AEC Sector
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Industry 6.0 is the sixth transformative phase of the architectural, engineering, and construction sector, built on Industry 5.0. Industry 6.0 pioneers advancements in quantum computing, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based energy solutions. Harmonization facilitates design, building, and maintenance processes, improving efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability. Construction has changed, like the 5.0 framework. Industry 5.0 uses AI and robotics to boost productivity, creativity, and supply chain alignment. 
  • 3.2K
  • 19 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Passive Downdraft Cooling Systems in Buildings
Energy demand for active mechanical space cooling is projected to double by 2050. Wider adoption of passive cooling systems can help reduce demand.
  • 2.9K
  • 16 Jun 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Merging Smart and Healthy Cities to Support Community Wellbeing and Social Connection
Urban planning has long pursued the improvement of health and wellbeing through the rapidly evolving scholarship and practice of health-supportive environments, underpinned by the seminal World Health Organization’s Healthy Cities Framework. Although a much more recent development, technology has been informing urban planning, as well as advancing healthcare and personal wellbeing monitoring and assessment. Known as the Smart City movement, it has much to offer regarding life in towns and cities, as well as how they are managed, maintained, and developed. There is also a growing appreciation of the potential for smart city technology to enhance human and environmental health in the context of urban planning and public place making. This has been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic with its reawakening of community interest in health and wellbeing, including mental illness, a greater awareness of the importance of local environments, and an explosion of technological knowhow in the embrace of remote working, online shopping, and education. Using the example of the authors’ “Smart Social Spaces” project, this entry discusses the potential benefits of an evolving integrative concept called “Smart Healthy Social Spaces”. The aim is to support community wellbeing as part of everyday living, especially associated with social connection, in densely populated and culturally diverse urban environments, where locally situated public spaces are increasingly important for all citizens.
  • 2.9K
  • 04 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Skywell Shape in Huizhou Traditional Architecture
The skywell is a typical feature of Huizhou architecture and an important space; thus, there is the saying that “all halls are wells” . In traditional Huizhou architecture, the skywell, as a transition space between the interior and exterior, not only has positive significance for the lighting and ventilation of the building interior but also contains a lot of traditional Huizhou culture. Huizhou is famous for Huizhou merchants, who do not lack money and pay more attention to the construction of their own houses and the comfort and beauty of their houses; they set up skywells in their houses to acquire the aura of the “unity of heaven and man” and the pride of “standing on top of the sky”. On sunny days, the sun shines through the skywell to the front of the hall and the rooms, which means “sprinkling gold”; in rainy and snowy weather, rainwater flows down from the eaves around the skywell and sinks into the tank below the skywell, which means “flowing silver” and is a metaphor for wealth, also known as the “four waters to the hall”. In the skywell, combined with the through corridors and open halls, when the outdoor wind speed is high, wind pressure ventilation makes up the majority of the wind entering into the room from the skywell out, reducing the amount of indoor ventilation. When the outdoor wind is still, the skywell-shaped thermal pressure, which promotes indoor and outdoor ventilation, thus forms a complete ventilation system and plays the role of “hiding wind and gathering air”.
  • 2.7K
  • 30 May 2023
Topic Review
Photovoltaics on Landmark Buildings
This study, framed in the Work group 4 “Photovoltaic in built environment” within the COST Action PEARL PV, CA16235, aims to examine applications of integrated and applied photovoltaic technologies on ten landmark buildings characterised by distinctive geometries, highlighting the aesthetics of their architecture and quality of PV integration based on a proposed set of seven criteria.
  • 2.7K
  • 24 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Recycled Concrete Aggregates Applications in Asphalt Paving
The sustainability of road pavements is highly influenced by the proper selection of the materials used in the production and construction. The material circularity principle aims to completely or partially replace traditional aggregates and fillers with wastes or by-products. Adapting asphalt mixtures to incorporate waste materials reduces the consumption of naturally mined materials, minimizing the carbon footprint and pavement industry’s impact on the environment. Furthermore, the use of waste materials minimizes landfill volumes and limits the disposal of waste produced from various sources. Thus, this document discusses the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) from construction and demolition waste (CDW) as alternative aggregates for application in asphalt paving.
  • 2.7K
  • 06 May 2022
Topic Review
Alternative Clinker Technologies for Reducing Carbon Emissions
The production of one ton of Ordinary Portland Cement releases considerable amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. As the need and demand for this material grows exponentially, it has become a challenge to increase its production at a time when climate-related problems represent a major global concern. The two main CO2 contributors in this process are fossil fuel combustion to heat the rotary kiln and the chemical reaction associated with the calcination process, in the production of the clinker, the main component of OPC. The current entry presents a critical review of the existent alternative clinker technologies (ACTs) that are under an investigation trial phase or under restricted use for niche applications and that lead to reduced emissions of CO2.
  • 2.7K
  • 24 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Implementation of Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies
The fourth industrial revolution (4iR) technologies offer an opportunity for the construction industry to improve health and safety (H&S) compliance. Therefore, implementing the technologies is of top priority to improve the endless H&S incidents in construction projects, which lead to poor quality of work, late project delivery, and increased worker injury claims. Central to improving the nature of work and other industrial processes, the 4iR technologies have emerged. Concurrent with this trend is the importance of 4iR technologies in enhancing health and safety performance on construction sites. 
  • 2.6K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Characteristics and Hazards of Lead–Zinc Tailings
Lead–zinc tailings are the typical solid wastes in mines with high yield and low utilization rates in some countries. They are mainly stockpiled in tailings reservoirs, occupying massive land resources and threatening the health of the environment. 
  • 2.6K
  • 17 Jan 2023
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