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Acondicionamiento del borde portuario de Porto do Son (A Coruña). Cuestión de orden
Get PDFCuando se desdibujan los límites entre el pueblo y el océano, comienza a reinar el caos. Para evitarlo, Porto do Son ha querido ordenar el tráfico rodado en una zona de alto interés histórico y con un creciente uso social. Este ha sido el resultado
Predictive modelling of cooling consumption in nursing homes using artificial neural networks: Implications for energy efficiency and thermal comfort
No full textThe growing need for cooling within the built environment, propelled by climate change and the expansion of nursing homes due to the increase in life expectancy, highlights the urgency of implementing energy-efficient strategies in buildings occupied by older populations. As of today, there remains a need for comprehensive research into the influence of indoor and outdoor conditions, building, operational, and occupant characteristics, on energy consumption specifically for nursing homes. This study develops a systemic artificial neural network-based model with a multi-layer perceptron architecture to assess HVAC energy implications during the cooling season for older populations. Using monitored data from eight nursing homes, the model includes cooling area, construction age, outdoor and indoor temperatures, and outdoor relative humidity as inputs, and cooling consumption as the output. Results show excellent predictive capability (R2=0.95), with mean error of −0.5 kWh, root mean squared error of 13.7 kWh, mean absolute error of 10.2 kWh, and relative error of 0.051. These outcomes are better compared to linear models (R2≈0.65) under the same data set. Adjusting operative temperatures adaptively can significantly enhance resident comfort and achieve up to 23.4 % energy savings, particularly in hotter, drier climates. These findings are of paramount importance for effective energy management in buildings
Evaluation of the Water Footprint of the Use and Maintenance of Buildings. Application to Dwellings in Andalusia, Spain
No full textConstruction companies can both achieve financial success and reduce the environmental impacts of projects by carefully managing project budgets and simultaneously considering economic cost and environmental impacts. However, during their use and maintenance, buildings incur ramifications that go beyond their construction, which can be equally as significant. In this work, the water footprint (WF) of the maintenance-and-use stage of buildings is evaluated based on the information in the budgets of the construction projects. To this end, the computational tool PREDICE is employed. This tool forecasts indirect environmental impacts, by quantifying embodied impacts in construction materials and machinery from its life cycle analysis. This chapter also evaluates the direct impacts derived from the water consumption of the occupants based on reported data. This chapter explores residential building construction in Andalusia, Spain, using the construction cost database and work breakdown system of the region. The construction project, specifically its bill of quantities, is analysed to predict maintenance tasks throughout its life cycle. Ninety-five maintenance work units and their cost are defined and integrated in the PREDICE tool. Two actual projects are studied: a private single-family dwelling and a 10-storey multi-family building that provides social housing. The results demonstrate how the use of the tool makes it possible to locate the sources with the greatest impact throughout the life cycle, thereby facilitating decision-making regarding the reduction of economic and environmental costs. The WF of the dwellings consists of 80% direct consumption by dwellers while 20% is due to the water embodied in construction materials and energy production. Also, the embodied water in the energy production is significantly as high as the construction material footprint
Effect of basalt fiber length on the behavior of natural hydraulic lime-based mortars
No full textThe number of studies aimed at the characterization of reinforced lime-based mortars for use in the rehabilitation of historic buildings is still very small. This fact contrasts with the growing interest of the industry in these products as substitutes for cement mortars, both for their constructive advantages (compatibility requirements) and their lower cost (economic and environmental). For this reason, this study investigates the effect of basalt fiber length on the physical, mechanical, and durability properties of reinforced natural hydraulic lime mortars and provides criteria for selecting optical blends to meet the various performance requirements for their use as building materials for traditional and contemporary structures. Specimens with 1% volume of basalt fibers and lengths of 6, 12, 18, and 24 mm have been tested. The results in fresh mortar show that increasing the fiber length decreases the consistency and bulk density, as well as increases the air content. Regarding the durability properties of hardened mortar, no direct relationship is observed between fiber length and the decrease in the water absorption coefficient of reinforced mortars. Nor is there a clear relationship between fiber length and the increase in Shore hardness and the decrease in adhesive strength in the reinforced mortars. On the contrary, for small lengths (up to 12 mm), there is a direct relationship between fiber length and the increase in other fundamental mechanical properties such as flexural and compressive strength. Based on the results obtained, a predictive model is proposed to determine the amplification factor of flexural and compressive strength as a function of fiber length
Quantitative study of triboemission kinetics from polymer fiber-reinforced mortar paving blocks: Unravelling the dynamics of nanoparticle aerosol release
No full textTriboemission of nanoparticle aerosols from construction materials is a growing concern due to its potential impact on air quality and human health. In this study, we investigated the effect of aggregation of polyurethane fibers (PUFs) proceeding from waste on the kinetics of triboemission in cement mortars. A quantitative methodology was employed to assess the deposition rate, particle size distribution, and emissivity for the aerosols within the particle aerodynamic diameter range of 10–400 nm. The triboemission properties were correlated with the pore structure, morphology and tribochemical transformations of the particles and worn surfaces. Our results highlight the intricate influence of PUF aggregation on the kinetics of triboemission in cement mortars through both direct and indirect mechanisms and provide valuable insights into the mechanisms governing triboemission in construction materials
Mapping the Energy Performance of Existing Residential Building Stock: The Case of Seville
No full textResidential buildings account for a significant share of the total energy consumption in the European Union (EU). With the European Commission estimating that 75% of Europe’s building stock is energy inefficient, renovation of existing buildings is crucial to help reduce global energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This study provides insight into the energy performance of the residential building stock in the most populated city of Andalusia, Seville. The data contained in 45,920 energy performance certificates (EPC) of dwellings were processed and analysed according to the type of dwellings (single-family dwellings and individual dwellings in multi-family blocks), construction period, and their district location. The results obtained revealed that most of the dwellings have a poor energy performance rating (with approximately 66% classified under label E). The districts with the highest percentages of dwellings with the worst-energy performance (EPC “G” and “F”) are D4 Cerro-Amate district (36%) and D2 Macarena district (34%). The bottom-up approach used in this study provides useful information to assess the energy performance of Seville’s residential buildings on the urban scale. These findings can help define renovation strategies and public energy policies targeting districts having buildings with poor energy performance
Development and Characterization of Innovative Hemp–Gypsum Composites for Application in the Building Industry
No full textAt present, the development of new eco-friendly building materials for the production of lightweight partitions has become a challenge in order to advance towards the industrialization of the building sector. This work aims to design, characterize, and analyze the possibilities of applying innovative ecological gypsum composites lightened with hemp. To achieve this, samples have been prepared with partial replacement of 15% and 30% in volume of the original gypsum material by adding hemp both in the form of powder and fiber. The results show how the replacement of 15% of gypsum by hemp fiber with a length between 8 and 12 mm improves the flexural strength of the composites. Likewise, all the dosages prepared for this study have met the minimum requirements for mechanical strength required by current regulations, while also improving the water resistance behavior of gypsum composites. However, the main advantage derived from the use of these hemp-lightened gypsum-based materials lies in their reduced thermal conductivity, being up to 50% lower than that obtained for traditional materials. These results suggest the possible application of these materials to produce prefabricated boards and panels for a more sustainable construction
Assessment of fiber alignment through combined driven oscillatory and directional magnetic fields in matrix with similar rheological behavior to cementitious materials
No full textIn this paper a novel method to improve the effectiveness of the aligning of fibers used as reinforcement in Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (FRCC) through directional homogeneous magnetic fields is proposed. A combination of homogeneous magnetic fields, oscillatory and directional, are assessed as a new method for fiber aligning which increase the aligning index and mechanical efficiency index of the fiber in cementitious composites. Fresh cementitious materials present a Static Yield Stress (T0s), which must be overpassed to allow the rotation of the fiber immersed in the matrix. To reduce the T0s of the matrix, oscillatory magnetic fields (OMF) are applied firstly, as they generate a vibrational strain of the fiber. Later, fibers are aligned through a directional magnetic field which finds a lower opposition of the rheological torque. The fibers are subjected to an orientation rotation caused by the magnetic field, which is caused by a magnetic torque. This torque is opposed by two torques, one of rheological origin (Yield stress and viscosity) and another of inertial type (geometry and mass distribution of the fiber). The rheological torque is the torque that opposes to the rotation of the fiber and is a function of the rheological properties of the matrix. Two pairs of Helmholt coils have been used in this research, to be able to generate orthogonal magnetic fields to directional magnetic fields. When the OMF was generated, one of the pair of coils were connected to the net, with a frequency of 50 Hz. OMF was performed in 0.64mT-1.25mT-2.18mT. To evaluate its effectiveness each of them was applied in periods of time of 2–5–7–10 seconds before the directional magnetic field of 30 mT. To assess the method steel fibers has been submerged in a metaphor fluid to reproduce the rheological properties of cement materials. The initial and final angles of the batch of fibers have been determined through photography and Computer-aided design. The results obtained shown that the use of OMF increases the alignment index up to 35 % and the mechanical efficiency rate up to 24.35 % in the batches studied. The research followed also showed that previous vibration can be applied during periods of 5 seconds, with the same pair of coils that for aligning but also the use of the two pair of coils can be used simultaneously
Reverse Engineering Based on Digital Data Capture In Situ as a Methodology for the Study of Space Labor Risk in Construction Works and Its Applicability in BIM
No full textIn the intelligent manufacturing process and digitization, new research spaces have been created, such as reverse engineering and its use for the detection of risks in construction. For this reason, in this research, an analysis methodology is proposed that, through terrestrial laser scanner records in different phases of the work, allows for an analysis and evaluation of the identification of security risks. In addition, by capturing different processes, it can be determined not only interferences from different operators that can generate risk but also establish quality standards in construction, such as determining the thicknesses of the coating of the concrete manufactured “in situ”. Therefore, this research responds to quality analysis in the material execution of the activity and construction of formwork systems and their safety, as well as defining the location of the static and dynamic elements of the model. This value of the morphometric parameter of the building and the scene to be represented characterizes the morphometrics of the work execution activities and finally evaluates the semantic information model of the BIM construction, in which the deformations between the ideal model and what was executed. With the results of this study, it can be concluded that the latest 3D model reconstruction techniques (BIM), together with comparison algorithms, can determine millimeter precision, and with that, it can establish a better method for inspection, evaluation, and control through non-destructive technology
User Experience of Virtual Heritage Tours with 360° Photos: A Study of the Chapel of Dolores in Icod de los Vinos
No full textVirtual tours with 360 photos present a quick, easy and accessible way to create immersive experiences. The visualization on diverse devices provides a user experience that can be different. A virtual tour with 360 photos of the Chapel of Dolores (Tenerife) has been created. Access is limited to specific days, so the creation of a virtual tour allows you to visit it at any time; in addition, a pilot test has been carried out with students of the degree of restoration and conservation of cultural heritage in order to measure the user experience of the virtual tour, depending on the device used. The participants took a virtual tour of the Dolores Chapel, first with a cell phone and then with the virtual reality headset, and then completed a user experience questionnaire. The results obtained comparing both visualization technologies are detailed, highlighting the fact that when using the virtual reality headset no better results are obtained on the immersion subscale; in addition, the visualization on a smartphone is more comfortable and obtains better results for consequences such as dizziness and vertigo. Therefore, it may be an interesting strategy to have simple versions that work quickly on cell phones