1811 research outputs found
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COLORS IN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
No full textThe purpose of the research is to study the way colors contribute to architectural form and
space building and how color schemes correspond with inhabitants perception. Three famous buildings are analyses in the means of the way color serves the main designer idea
EVALUATION OF RECENT EARTHQUAKES IN ALBANIA
No full textEarthquakes are natural phenomena that impact the life of inhabitants who live in zones
prone to them. It is of great importance to understand the mechanism in order to undertake adequate precautions and design improvements to have a more resistant urban
infrastructure. This article takes into consideration the issues related to structural problems caused by the two earthquakes that shook Albania (September 21 and November 26) in 2019.A considerable number of structures suffered a lot of damages and a substantial amount was destroyed. The team of structural engineers did inspection and post assessment immediately after these incidents. This paper shares some of the findings achieved during these inspections. We find it necessary to summarize in a structural engineering point of view the main causes that the buildings suffered through these earthquakes. Moreover, we added some recommendations in order not to repeat the errors of for the future. This study also includes comparisons between Albanian seismic codes of construction and their equivalent Eurocodes and evaluates the adoption of them to nationwide
Students satisfaction with the online teaching process
Full text linkThis study is about student satisfaction in the online teaching process. The pandemic situation forced us to move the educational activities in the online environment for the safety of all its participants. The methodological design is the quantitative one, the research method used is the sociological survey. This study tried to identify students' perception, effectiveness, satisfaction, and self-perceived efficiency regarding the teaching process in the online environment. The questionnaire was translated and adapted into Romanian. It consists of 26 questions, divided into five dimensions (. The sampling method was the non-probabilistic convenience one, with voluntary participation. The results provided tell us those female respondents were more open to online methods, resulting in higher satisfaction despite common knowledge. However, the results should be viewed with reservations, as the data collected are not homogeneous, and the respondents were chosen by the voluntary participation method. This approach can be seen as a starting point for future research related to the satisfaction of the teaching process through e-learning
THE ROLE OF TERRITORIAL INVARIANTS FOR REGENERATION PROJECTS IN "FORGOTTEN" URBAN AREAS. EXPERIENCES FROM THE APULIAN CONTEXT
Full text linkIn times when territories are affected by radical changes which compromise the consolidated assets of the physical space, questioning the current practices of urban development, it seems necessary to define evolutive perspectives aligned with the territory identity without leaving aside considerations on the urban form, today strongly affected by abandonment and depopulation phenomena. Regarding these issues, in the Italian context is increasingly affirming a landscape-oriented approach to urban transformation that promotes territories valorisation on different levels by integrating environmental, landscape, social and economic dynamics. The approach is based on the comprehension and interpretation of the territorial palimpsest, reaching the recognition of the so-called “Structural Invariants”, which define the characters constituting the enduring identity of places and their landscapes. They relate to the constitutive rules, the result of co-evolutionary processes between human settlement and environment, which survive through historical fractures and changes. The Invariants, even if protected by a regulatory constraint system for conservation purposes, as much as they express physical integrity and territory identity, may represent vulnerability elements that can generate limitations in terms of use of certain city parts, causing abandonment, degradation and exclusion from urban dynamics. Under such circumstances, also considering the Pandemic condition and the importance of proximity as a value and the need for new spaces, it’s necessary to translate the recognized value into transformation objectives to reverse the degradation and abandonment tendency, generating conditions for a different territorial development going beyond the residential use dominance and finding the opportunity to be a development driver and a generator of new local economies. The contribution aims to highlight, through the analysis of some regeneration projects in Apulia (IT), how the acknowledgement of identity components, valorised as environmental infrastructures, with the ultimate goal of regaining and rehabilitate “forgotten” spaces, can give new meaning to certain city parts, also through the application of new generation “standards”
VLERËSIMI I PERFORMANCËS SIZMIKE TË NDËRTESAVE TË SHBALLIT TË BANIMEVE TË RREGULLAVE TË KUFIZUARAVE ME PËRDORIM TË PROCEDURAT E ANALIZAVE JOLINEARE
No full textRecent damaging tremors in the Balkans have shown insufficient earthquake performance
of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings intended for residential purposes. In Albania,
typified designs developed by the governmental authorities during the socialist era are used
for many of the buildings intended for residential and governmental services including
administrative centers, health clinics, hospitals, and schools as a common practice to save on architectural fees and confirm quality control. Therefore, such template-designed
buildings must be dealt with first.
This thesis assesses the seismic performance of residential buildings with the chosen
template designs in Albania considering the inelastic response of RC sections. Five
residential buildings with template designs were chosen to represent an important
percentage of residential buildings in mid-size cities located in high seismic districts of
Albania. Selection of template designed buildings and material properties were based on
site investigation on residential buildings in several cities of the region. Pushover curves
of studied buildings were constructed by nonlinear static and incremental dynamic
analyses conducted in two orthogonal directions. The nonlinear dynamic characteristics were represented by equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (ESDOF) systems and their
earthquake deformation demands were estimated under selected ground motions
represented by near and far fault recordings. Seismic performance evaluation was carried
out in accordance with modern seismic guidelines following the capacity spectrum
method. Reasons of building damages during the November 26, 2019 earthquakes are
examined using the results of the performance assessment of studied buildings. The effects
of material quality and detailing effect on the earthquake performance of residential RC
buildings were investigated. The detailed examination of capacity curves and
performance evaluation identified deficiencies and possible solutions for template
designs. Earthquake capacity evaluation was deployed in accordance with capacity
spectrum method.
Evaluation of the capacity curves for the investigated typologies points out that concrete
quality and detailing have remarkable effects in both displacement and lateral load bearing
the capacity of buildings.
The unsatisfactory performance of residential buildings makes the development of
effective and affordable retrofitting techniques essential. The rehabilitation techniques
are broken into two different categories: the local methods, which improve the response
of individual structural elements and the global ones, which operate on the whole
structure. Since in Albania poor material and construction quality is common
problem, the most suitable technique is the use of additional shear walls to increase
lateral load capacity and decrease deformation demands. As a result, existing weaknesses in frame elements would be less pronounced and poor construction quality in buildings could be somewhat compensated. Finally, conclusions are provided, and future research needs on the topic are outlined
Intuitive Learning in Moral Awareness. Cognitive-Affective Processes in Mencius’ Innatist Theory
Full text linkMencius, referred to as second sage in Chinese philosophy history, grounds his theory about original goodness of human nature on psychological components by bringing in something new down ancient ages. Including the principles of virtuous action associated with Confucius to his doctrine, but by composing them along psychosocial development, he theorizes utterly out of the ordinary that makes all the difference to the school. In his argument stated a positive opinion, he explains the method of forming individuals’ moral awareness by means of inseparable integrity of feelings and thoughts, saying human being are born innately good. According to Mencius, heart-mind correlation is the motivational complement of inner incentives. Knowledge and virtue, which are extensions of inborn goodness, comprehended intuitively; then affective motives respond to circumstance, what is learned transmits to cognitive process and eventually behavior emerges. Comparing during the years of Warring State period he lived, in western geography Aristotle, who is one of the pioneers of Greek philosophy, argues deductive and inductive methods in mental activity. On the other hand, Mencius uses analogical reasoning throughout his self-titled work. This essay is an attempt to assert that most postulates of developmental theories, which have been considered an integral part of modern psychology, begin with Mencius in early era. Secondly, this study also aims to discuss the main paradigm of Mencius across emotivist-rationalist opposition, which keeps emotion above thought as well as reason above emotion
SEISMIC STUDY OF HISTORICAL CASTLES AND THE EFFECT OF SOIL STRUCTURE INTERACTION : CASE STUDY OF THE CASTLE OF BASHTOV
No full textHistorical buildings and monuments of built heritage in Albania suffered great damages
during the earthquake of 26 November 2019. Most of them have a structural system of
traditional load bearing stone masonry. Field observations and the overview of past
interventions of several objects, suggested that the reported damages might have underlying
causes, which triggered the main damages during the earthquake. This article focused on
the study of damages of stiff masonry walls in castles and their relationship with the
earthquake. We took as a case study the Castle of Bashtova, which is one of the few Albanian
Castles located in flat terrain and on poor soil conditions. The purpose of this paper is the
study of the link between the recorded damages through the history of the structure, the
reported damages and the numerical analysis performed for the purpose of structural
consolidation interventions. The analysis performed was the linear dynamic analysis with the
response spectrum procedure for the calculation of stresses, displacements and their
distributions, along with checks of the overall stability of the most critical sections with the
Virtual Work Principle. The physical and mechanical properties of the materials were
determined in laboratory and in-situ. The study showed that most of the damages reported
after the earthquake were due to local effects of soil deposits or soil-structure interaction,
local degradation of masonry and not sufficiently connected walls of different phases of
construction
AN ADAPTIVE REUSE PROPOSAL FOR KING "ZOG" ROYAL RESIDENCE IN DURRES, ALBANIA
Full text linkThis research focuses on the Royal Residence of King “Zog I,” located in Durres, Albania. Designed at first as presidential palace and later reconceptualized as a summer royal residence this building was subject of different architectural proposals from Armando Brasini, Kristo Sotiri, Hans Kohler, and Florestano di Fausto. This research aims to reveal and revive the architectural values of the Royal Residence, which for years has been abandoned in a degraded situation. To achieve this goal, the study proposes an adaptive reuse approach. This proposal is seen as a strategic solution for providing the needed sustainability for the maintenance and conservation of the building. The methodology includes archival research, documentation of the architectural evolution of the building through redrawing, and visualization. Archival research is used to provide original drawings of buildings different periods, from National Technical Construction Archive [AQTN] and National Central Archive [AQSH]. Redrawing includes plans and section which are reproduced based on the original drawings from the archives. Visualization is used to achieve three dimensional images of the building’s exterior proposals and also interiors of the spaces according to the new functions. The adaptive reuse proposal, respects the restoration standards and architectural style of the building. Based on this, the new spatial configuration of the building is conceptualized into two main scenarios, including the first one of the permanent exhibition of Albanian Monarchy and the second, which adapts certain spaces for temporary usage to function for public/private events and conferences
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE KNOWLEDGE AND VALORISATION OF INACCESSIBLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN PHLAGRAEAN FIELDS
No full textThe paper proposes a project for the knowledge and the valorisation of the archaeological heritage in urban and natural areas characterized by a fragility high degree due to the urbanization’s pressures. The research proposes an infoscape for the Archaeological Park of Phlegraean Fields, i.e. an integrated project that aims, on the one hand, at surveying the heritage at risk of disappearance and, on the other, at using the 3d model obtained by digital photogrammetry to configure new spatial relationships between physically distant places (through theme-based tours), among lost spaces and archaeological remains, between real and digital spaces, in order to generate a new model of a widespread and more inclusive museum, in which digital information are not only related to the single monument, but recombined, remixed and recontextualized, so determining new physical and semantic geographies
TRAFIKIMI I QENIEVE NJERËZORE: A QËNDRON NEVOJA PËR NJË PËRGJIGJJE RAJONALE?
No full textTrafficking in human beings is one of the most persistent forms of crime, as well as one of the
most strongly damaging to the entirety of human rights. It, by nature, often involves the
crossing of borders and, as such, immediately becomes at least a bilateral problem. The
Western Balkans region has recognized the existence of human trafficking mostly from the
late 1990s onwards as a direct result of the conflicts, wars and insurgencies in the six
countries. In addition, trafficking in the region has been connected to loosely organized
criminal groups which work across the borders within and outside the region. While the
countries are recognized to have made significant progress in the fight against the trafficking
of human beings, much remains to be done in order to achieve the complete eradication of the
phenomenon. This paper raises and seeks to answer the question of whether a regional
response is the appropriate way to successfully fight the crime