Search results for "Building"
showing 10 items of 1985 documents
Strengthening of Masonry Columns with BFRCM or with Steel Wires: An Experimental Study
2016
Nowadays, innovative materials are more frequently adopted for strengthening historical constructions and masonry structures. The target of these techniques is to improve the structural efficiency with retrofitting methods while having a reduced aesthetical impact. In particular, the use of basalt fiber together with a cementitious matrix emerges as a new technique. This kind of fiber is obtained by basalt rock without other components, and consequently it could be considered a natural material, compatible with masonry. Another innovative technique for strengthening masonry columns consists of applying steel wires in the correspondence of mortar joints. Both techniques have been recently pr…
A Methodological Approach to Determine Sound Response Modalities to Coastal Erosion Processes in Mediterranean Andalusia (Spain)
2020
Human occupation along coastal areas has been greatly increasing in recent decades and, in many places, human activities and infrastructures are threatened by erosion processes that can produce relevant economic and human losses. In order to reduce such impacts and design sound management strategies, which can range from the &ldquo
Sexism and Aggression in Adolescence.¿How Do They Relate to Perceived Academic Achievement?
2018
Sexist attitudes are rooted in patriarchal structures, which uphold traditional gender stereotypes, and which are still found in society today. Scholars have found gender differences in perceived academic achievement, with girls performing better than boys, and negative relationships between sexism and perceived academic achievement. Moreover, perceived academic achievement and sexist attitudes have been associated with aggression and different kinds of violence. This study examined the associations between sexist attitudes and perceived academic achievement (using self-report data). The study also assessed the mediating role of physical and verbal aggression in the relationship between sex…
Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings
2021
The refurbishment of the building stock is a key strategy towards the achievement of the climate and energy goals of the European Union. This study aims at evaluating the energy and environmental impacts associated with retrofitting a residential apartment to improve its vertical envelope thermal insulation. Two insulation materials, stone wool and cellulose fibers, are compared. The life cycle assessment methodology is applied assuming 1 m2 of retrofitted vertical envelope as functional unit. Moreover, to estimate the net energy and environmental benefits achievable in the retrofitted scenario compared with the non-retrofitted one, a second analysis is performed in which the system boundar…
Dried-fruit shell reuse in green construction and building materials
2023
Bio-architecture is a new way of designing and building in line with the European Green Deal and in light of the circular economy principles. This new green approach is guiding the entire construction life cycle toward eco-sustainability and environmental friendliness, from the beginning to the end of the building process. In addition to the use of environmentally-friendly and high-performance building and construction materials, it is necessary to use new technologies that can reduce the environmental footprint. This paper aims to examine the possible reuse of biological wastes of agricultural origin of the Mediterranean basin, whose massive production generates a number of problems for th…
Performance evaluation of a bio-based composite building material made of natural resin mixed with hay
2016
Recent years have seen an increasing public interest in issues related to energy saving and environmental pollution reduction in the building sector. As a result, many directives have been issued, the most important being the Directive 2010/31/EU (EPBD Recast) on the energy performance of buildings, which requires that “Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings”. This goal can be obtained not only by reducing energy demand for heating and cooling, but also, for example, by improving building envelope performances. In this work, a first analysis of the thermal and structural behaviour of a biocomposite material, constituted by a na…
Economic and Environmental Assessment of Biomass Power Plants in Southern Italy
2022
In 2019, Europe adopted the New Green Deal as a strategic plan to become a competitive, resource-efficient, and driven economy by reducing its gas emissions and carbon footprint. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, this strategic plan was recently updated to expedite the green transition of European industries. Therefore, the present paper deals with the problem of deciding an appropriate size for a biomass plant that directly produces electric energy by means of two different conversion processes: combustion and gasification. After an initial estimation of the energy potential in western Sicily, GIS data of biomass growth were used to identify the appropriate size for the power plants under investi…
En contexte ou hors contexte : lecture des matériaux et lecture du bâti
2020
Le choix des matériaux occupe une place importante dans l’élaboration du projet architectural, et détermine des orientations essentielles pour le chantier, dans la réalisation de celui-ci, son organisation, voire sa progression. Loin de se résumer à un simple descripteur ou accessoire de la stratigraphie du bâtiment, les matériaux de construction sont avant tout le reflet d’une réalité complexe du chantier à la fois matérielle et immatérielle : projet, exigences et capacité financière du commanditaire, réseaux d’échange, environnement sollicité. Leur prise en compte dans l’analyse du bâti transcende la logique stratigraphique, en épaulant celle-ci là où elle fait défaut et en replaçant la r…
Bright Cities and City Information Modeling
2019
The increasing urbanization and above all the increasing demand for more efficiency in energy consumption and in the management of natural resources makes ever more urgent to tackle the construction of buildings and the planning of cities in an innovative and sustainable way. In this perspective, some research lines have emerged referring to the concepts of smart, intelligent, and green/sustainable buildings. Starting from this analysis, the article aims to highlight how it is possible to synthesize both the environmental quality aspects and the integrated control of a building in the concept of bright green buildings, and how thus a wider conceptual reference framework is necessary: identi…
Green Roofs as Effective Tools for Improving the Indoor Comfort Levels of Buildings—An Application to a Case Study in Sicily
2020
In the line of pursuing better energy efficiency in human activities that would result in a more sustainable utilization of resources, the building sector plays a relevant role, being responsible for almost 40% of both energy consumption and the release of pollutant substances in the atmosphere. For this purpose, techniques aimed at improving the energy performances of buildings&rsquo