Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2014 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
A typical building project has a long life in the maintenance stage. Also, the cost at this stage is\nenormously huge compared to planning, design and construction phases. In the earlier stage,\nwhich is planning or design phase, however, many project participants put little emphasis on the\nmaintenance information. As a result, important maintenance data is missing and erroneously\nfeedback to the 3D/BIM model. This research provides a generic process model for maintenance\ninformation management for building facilities. The authors have identified that there exist mostfrequently\nused information areas: checking information, material information, equipment information,\nsupplier information, and maintenance history information. Each information area\nshould be embedded in the BIM model in order to effectively feedback to the operation and maintenance\nstage in the project. Thus, the study has proposed a novel data format structure which can\neffectively link the 3D/BIM object with the maintenance data. The demonstration project shows\nhow the data format structure is used. The contribution of this study is to provide guidance to a\nproject practitioner by step-by-step approach in dealing with the significant maintenance information\nin the earlier stage of the construction project....
In this paper it is attempted to investigate the Leca blocks as sustainable construction material for\nthe exterior walls of passive house. The building physical properties of Leca design wall structure\nare studied along with the environmental impact and load-bearing capacity. To compare the results,\na similar analysis is carried out considering the traditional wooden wall construction of passive\nhouses. The results showed that Leca design wall structure can be an alternative sustainable\nsolution to the traditional wooden wall structure of passive house, mainly due to its low U-value,\nits ability to handle moisture, and comparable structural load-bearing capacity. However, the\nwooden wall structure is more environmentally friendly than the Leca blocks due to its lower\nemissions to the environment and reduced energy use, especially during the manufacturing process....
A safety audit measures the safety of 36 exterior attributes of properties and streets in a low-density\nresidential neighbourhood in terms of four principles of modern crime prevention through\nenvironmental design, namely, territoriality, natural surveillance, activity support and access\ncontrol. Eighty-three residents have walked around each of their small neighbourhoods, and audited\nthe safeties of its area, individual private properties, and adjacent area in daylight; and the\nsafeties of its area, properties, and exterior lighting in darkness. Findings are that older-urban\nneighbourhoods� overall safety percentages and attribute safeties in daylight and darkness were\nconsistently lower than those in newer suburban, rural or small-town ones; and frequently lower\nthan those in newer-urban neighbourhoods, or older suburban, rural or small-town ones. Recommendations\nare about improving 12 less safe or unsafe attributes by means of physical planning\nand environmental design. Also having identified those attributes, we speculate about replicating\nthe safety audit via online Street Views of existing Canadian neighbourhoods....
The light is an important element which helps people perceive objects. Therefore, it is important\nfor architects to make the light and space be in harmony with each other. In this study, we analyzed\nthe works of Alvaro Siza with a view to understand the conceptual value of the light expressed\nin his works and his principles in controlling it. According to the results of the study, the\nSiza�s architecture is not a mere theoretical one trapped inside formality, but is a sensual and experiential\none based on the locality. He was willing to use void spaces to invite the light in freeflowing\nplans, in order to invigorate and extend architectural spatiality to create deeper visual effect.\nIn addition, the refined light in his works helped visitors experience the continuous forms\nand spaces by their own movements, while using the changes of the light to stimulate the interest\nof visitors and highlight the sequence of spaces....
It has become an increased challenge for designers to define the boundaries between the university\nand its surrounding city. The amount of space serving as a nexus between universities and\nurban areas is gradually increasing. This study defines such intermediate spaces as ââ?¬Å?the university-\ncity interfaceââ?¬Âââ?¬â?areas that influence the universityââ?¬â?¢s physical and functional connection to the\nsurrounding city. The research presents comparative case studies of three universities in urban\ncontextsââ?¬â?Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and UniversitÃ?© Catholique de Louvainââ?¬â?\nby analyzing plazas and boulevards. These representative open spaces provide interfaces for both\nthe university campuses and their surrounding cities. This paper analyzes design elements from\nthe perspective of campus spatial structure, as well as locations and functions, to develop a comparative\nchecklist for plazas and boulevards. The results offer a set of urban design principles for\nuniversity plazas and boulevards that could significantly improve the quality of the university-city\nrelationship. While these checklists and principles may vary depending on circumstances, they\ncan be useful starting points for initializing design processes....
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