You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Robots in Building Inspection and Monitoring
Regular inspection and monitoring of buildings and infrastructure, that is collectively called the built environment herein, is critical. The built environment includes commercial and residential buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, and pipelines. Automation and robotics can aid in reducing errors and increasing the efficiency of inspection tasks. As a result, robotic inspection and monitoring of the built environment has become a significant research topic in recent years.
  • 2.2K
  • 21 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Building Design for Preventing COVID-19 Pandemic
Sustainable design methods aim to obtain architectural solutions that assure the coexistence and welfare of human beings, inorganic structures, and living things that constitute ecosystems. The novel coronavirus emergence, inadequate vaccines against the present severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-(SARS-CoV-2), and increases in microbial resistance have made it essential to review the preventative approaches used during pre-antibiotic periods. Apart from low carbon emissions and energy, sustainable architecture for facilities, building designs, and digital modeling should incorporate design approaches to confront the impacts of communicable infections. This review aims to determine how architectural design can protect people and employees from harm; it models viewpoints to highlight the architects’ roles in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and designing guidelines as a biomedical system for policymakers. The goals include exploring the hospital architecture evolution and the connection between architectural space and communicable infections and recommending design and digital modeling strategies to improve infection prevention and controls. Based on a wide-ranging literature review, it was found that design methods have often played important roles in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and could be a solution for combating the wide spread of the novel coronavirus or coronavirus variants or delta. 
  • 2.1K
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Low-Cost Sensors for Building Monitoring
In recent years, many scholars have dedicated their research to the development of low-cost sensors for monitoring various parameters. Despite their high number of applications, the state of the art related to low-cost sensors in building monitoring has not been addressed. To fill this gap, this article presents a systematic review, following a well-established methodology, to analyze the state of the art in two aspects of structural and indoor parameters of buildings, in the SCOPUS database. This analysis allows to illustrate the potential uses of low-cost sensors in the building sector and addresses the scholars the preferred communication protocols and the most common microcontrollers for installation of low-cost monitoring systems. In addition, special attention is paid to describe different areas of the two mentioned fields of building monitoring and the most crucial parameters to be monitored in buildings. Finally, the deficiencies in line with a limited number of studies carried out in various fields of building monitoring are overviewed and a series of parameters that ought to be studied in the future are proposed.
  • 2.1K
  • 18 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Waste Cooking Oil for Asphalt Modification
Waste cooking oil (WCO) is considered a potential bio-based waste material because it can lead to multiple topologies of the product. WCO is generated after frying activities, and the rising population has increased its quantity due to the increased demand for food. WCO is related to the vegetable oil family and mainly arises from the kitchen and food industry.
  • 2.1K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Materials and Systems in Envelope Energy Retrofit
Materials, methods, and systems related to building envelope energy retrofit, these energy retrofit measures can be applied to building envelope systems and areas such as walls, roofs, windows, floors, façades, and air leakage, and they are applicable in the residential buildings sector as the dominant sector in energy-saving research studies. Three heat gain/loss mechanisms influence building envelope energy retrofit: conduction, convection, and radiation. Most retrofit methods applicable to transparent or translucent components were developed to deal with radiation by limiting the radiative heat transfers, for example, by applying window films over the existing glass.
  • 2.1K
  • 19 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Green Building Standards and Sustainability in Iran
The concept of green buildings (GBs) is a recent response to addressing the problems that stem from the building sector. The World Green Building Council (WGBC) defines a green building as “a building that reduces or eliminates negative impacts, in its design, construction or operation and can have positive impacts on the climate and natural environment”. Green buildings use environmentally friendly materials and ensure the optimal use of natural resources, such as water and energy, and minimum waste production. Researchers have analyzed various aspects of GBs, such as technological innovation, energy savings, risk management, influencing factors for development, policy incentives and regulations, and economic benefits.
  • 2.1K
  • 22 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Shelter Self-Recovery
The term “self-recovery” is used in the humanitarian shelter and settlements sector to mean the process whereby disaster-affected households repair, build, or rebuild their homes using their own resources supplemented with assistance from humanitarian organizations. 
  • 2.1K
  • 01 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Life Cycle Assessment of Embodied Carbon in Buildings
The environment demands a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as building and construction are responsible for more than 40% of the energy consumed worldwide and 30% of the world’s GHG emissions. Many countries have aligned themselves with the Paris agreement, following its target of achieving net zero carbon emissions, although some governments are focused on the operational energy efficiency part of the equation instead of the whole equation. Building embodied carbon assessments can be compared to the more widely used and standardized life cycle assessment approach in terms of methodology (LCA), which focuses on quantifying carbon emissions throughout a building’s life cycle.
  • 2.0K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Sustainability Requirements of Residential Buildings
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing about changes, and alongside these, we can alter the way we design our living spaces. The need for a healthy and comfortable living space is essential to mental, physical well-being, and personal comfort. This entry shows how is COVID-19 Experience Transforming Sustainability Requirements of Residential Buildings.
  • 2.0K
  • 27 Jan 2021
Topic Review
External Horizontal Fixed Shading Devices
Solar protection is a passive strategy that directly influences thermal and visual comfort as well as heating, cooling, and lighting energy consumption of buildings. Using shading devices can produce some conflicts, such as the contradiction between winter requirements, summer comfort, and luminous comfort. This is why the shading device choice is a necessary issue for building design, especially in a hot and dry climate. Optimal solar protection must provide a maximum protection during the overheating period while permitting solar radiation penetration during the winter.
  • 1.9K
  • 21 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Sustainable Buildings Using Green Pyramid Rating System
Green construction management is an approach that aims to promote sustainable solutions in building design and construction. This research proposes a collaborative framework that utilizes automated and semi-automated simulations, third-party certification assessment through the Green Pyramid Rating System (GPRS), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) analysis tools to facilitate decision-making and improve sustainability aspects throughout the project lifecycle. The framework provides a structured approach for implementing green construction management practices, incorporating the GPRS to ensure sustainable solutions are advocated, interrogated, and refined.
  • 1.9K
  • 05 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Construction Risks Due to Fast-Track Activity Overlapping
Concurrent engineering through overlapping of activities (i.e., fast-tracking) has been used as a schedule acceleration technique. Fast-track construction projects are generally recognized as riskier and subject to risks arising due to the concurrency of work.
  • 1.9K
  • 01 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Sustainable Assessment of Concrete Repairs
In order to improve the sustainability of concrete structures and repairs over their life cycle, life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) should be applied. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a holistic method to determine the environmental impact of a product or process with a systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and energy during the entire life cycle. A life cycle is the interlinked stages of a product or service system, from the extraction of natural resources to final disposal (cradle-to-grave). LCCA is a systematic or analytical method to determine the economic performance of a product or process during the entire life cycle, when the initial cost is taken into account, along with future cash flows incurred throughout the lifespan over a predefined period of analysis. The future cash flows are often taken into account by discounting, which compares costs and revenues at different stages in time and emphasizes the importance of present cash flows rather than future ones due to inflation and the earning power of money.
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Vision-Based Vibration Monitoring
Contactless structural monitoring has in recent years seen a growing number of applications in civil engineering. Indeed, the elimination of physical installations of sensors is very attractive, especially for structures that might not be easily or safely accessible, yet requiring the experimental evaluation of their conditions, for example following extreme events such as strong earthquakes, explosions, and floods. Among contactless technologies, vision-based monitoring is possibly the solution that has attracted most of the interest of civil engineers, given that the advantages of contactless monitoring can be potentially obtained thorough simple and low-cost consumer-grade instrumentations.
  • 1.8K
  • 07 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Artificial Lightweight Aggregates Made from Pozzolanic Material
Production of artificial lightweight aggregate incorporating waste materials or pozzolanic materials is advantageous and beneficial in terms of being environmentally friendly, as well as lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, additives, such as geopolymer, have been introduced as one of the alternative construction materials that have been proven to have excellent properties.
  • 1.8K
  • 16 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Mould Growth Analysis
The external wall’s moisture accumulation and mould growth were simulated for a period of ten years using the transient hygrothermal simulation tool, WUFI® Pro, and the mould growth model, WUFI® VTT.
  • 1.8K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
PCM-Enhanced Buildings
The incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) in buildings has the potential to enhance the thermal efficiency of buildings, reduce energy cost, shift peak load, and eventually reduce air pollution and mitigate global warming. However, the initial capital cost of PCM is still high, and thus the establishment of a control strategy has become essential to optimize its use in buildings in an effort to lower investment costs.
  • 1.8K
  • 23 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Structure of Miruk-Jõn Hall Kumsan-Sa Temple in Korean
The Miruk-jõn Hall of Kumsan-sa Temple (reconstructed in 1635, National Treasure No. 62) is in Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do in the southern region of Korea. The Miruk-jõn Hall is a pagoda hall with a diminished structure, and the interior is thought to have been built in an ancient style. Miruk-jõn is a three-storied building, and the pillar spacing is five ken (2) (bays) for the first story, five ken for the second story, and three ken for the third story. In the second story, both Hatamas (the last interval between pillars) are narrowed.
  • 1.8K
  • 26 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Recycled Asphalt Mixtures with Rejuvenators
Rejuvenating agents are materials with certain physical and chemical attributes that may be incorporated into mixtures with high oxidisation level or high RAP content. Studies pertaining to rejuvenators can be traced as far as in the late 1970s. The ASTM D4552 was initiated based on the six grades of rejuvenating agents measured based on viscosity at 60 °C, so as to facilitate the selection of rejuvenators in ensuring good performance in the long run. Martin et al. divided rejuvenators into five general categories, namely: Paraffinic oils, Aromatic extracts, Naphthenic oils, Triglycerides & Fatty Acids, and Tall oils. Based on the chemical composition of asphalt and rejuvenators, Tabatabaee and Kurth classified the latter into three classes; insoluble and soluble softeners, as well as compatibilisers. Insoluble softeners have desirable effects on the rheological attributes of aged asphalt but portray durability and instability issues in the long run. Next, soluble softeners display better compatibility with naphthenic aromatic asphalt that has low polarity. Meanwhile, compatibilisers share some similarities with other numerous fractions found in asphalt.
  • 1.7K
  • 23 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Arch-Dams’ Building Risk Reduction
The are thousands of large dams over the globe. The importance of dams is rapidly increasing due to the impact of climate change on increasing hydrological process variability and on water planning and management need. This study tackles a review for the concrete arch-dams’ design process, from a dual sustainability/safety management approach. On one hand, Sustainability is evaluated through a design optimization for dams´ stability and deformation analysis. On the other hand, safety is directly related to the reduction and consequences of failure risk. For that, several scenarios about stability and deformation, identifying desirable and undesirable actions, were estimated. More than 100 specific parameters regarding dam-reservoir-foundation-sediments system and their interactions have been collected. Also, a summary of mathematical modelling was made, and more than 100 references were summarized. The following consecutive steps, required to design engineering (why act), maintenance (when to act) and operations activities (how to act), were evaluated: individuation of hazards, definition of failure potential and estimation of consequences (harm to people, assets and environment). Results show that the area to model the dam–foundation interaction is around 3.0 Hd2, the system-damping ratio and vibration period is 8.5% and 0.39 s. Also, maximum elastic and elasto-plastic displacements are ~0.10–0.20 m. The failure probability for stability is 34%, whereas for deformation it is 29%
  • 1.7K
  • 30 Oct 2020
  • Page
  • of
  • 14
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Academic Video Service
Feedback