Search results for "Civil Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1216 documents
Ensuring the Conservative Process: The Roman Walls of Lugo Maintenance Plan
2016
In 2000 the walls of Lugo were added to the World Heritage List. In the Spanish scenario of UNESCO Sites this is the only one provided with a maintenance plan, which properly defines times for inspections and interventions, tools for the collection and management of data, human and financial resources. This plan has begun to ensure a conservation process which guarantees that this ancient artefact is used efficiently and safely over time. The walls are fully accessible and because of the dominant ramparts are used by citizens as a beloved and frequently used city park. This article aims to describe the strategy and the conservation process put in place on the Roman walls to preserve and kee…
Control of indoor environments in heritage buildings: experimental measurements in an old Italian museum and proposal of a methodology
2005
Abstract This paper describes some results from an experiment carried out regarding a procedure to be adopted for temperature and R.H. monitoring of indoor spaces designed for exhibiting events, such as museums and similar institutions. The monitored data employed in this study has been collected by the Department di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali of the Universita degli Studi di Palermo in co-operation with the Regional Gallery ''Palazzo Abatellis'' of Palermo. The study analyses a simple method for characterising the environmental quality of museums so as to ensure the optimal conservation of works of art. This methodology is based on the procedure (where thermal and hygrometry parame…
Compositional reference for the documented Archaic production of indigenous matt-painted pottery at Entella (Western Sicily)
2015
This contribution is focused on a specific class of indigenous Archaic pottery (sixth and fifth century BC) with matt-painted geometric decoration that was recovered in large quantities in the excavations at Entella, an indigenous site located in western Sicily. The site of Entella was strategically considerable in this part of Sicily, controlling the north-south routes running along the river Belice. Kiln structures were attested at Entella that, until today, it is the only Archaic site in the area with an unmistakable evidence of production of fine pottery. The present research is aimed at yielding a complete petrographic and chemical characterization of the table ware produced at Entella…
Design at the root of biophilia. Imitation. Nature
2021
According to the current state of research on the phenomenon of biophilia, the positive influence of nature's elements on humans has long been widely understood. Since the negative impact of urbanised areas on quality of life was noticed, human-friendly architecture has been redefined, where the physical and mental well-being of people using buildings, remains highly dependent on their contact with the environment. Selected examples of existing buildings analyzed two different approaches to contemporary biophilic architecture; one where nature is the pedestal of the whole building and one where the interpretation of nature translates into technological, engineering or structural solutions. …
BIM Modelling of Ancient Buildings
2018
In the last years, new procedures on design and management of constructions, based on 3D standardised models of building elements, have been proposed. It’s the case of Building Information Modelling (BIM) applications, that, differently from CAD ones, allow to work with libraries of 3D parametrical objects (smart objects) describing geometric, structural and material properties of building elements. This methodology is based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model, that represents a global standard for the building data exchange. Initially used for the design of new architectures, BIM methodology has been even more considered also for the management and the conservation of historical…
Artificial neural network decision support tool for assessment of the energy performance and the refurbishment actions for the non-residential buildi…
2017
The public buildings sector represents one of the most intensive items of EU energy consumption; the application of retrofit solutions in existing buildings is a crucial way to reduce its impact. To facilitate the knowledge of the energy performance of existing non-residential buildings and the choice of the more adequate actions, Public Administrations (PA) should have the availability of proper tools. Within the Italian project "POI 2007-13", a database and a decision support tool, for easy use, even to a non-technical user, have been developed. A large set of data, obtained from the energy audits of 151 existing public buildings located in four regions of South Italy have been analysed, …
Energy and economic analysis and feasibility of retrofit actions in Italian residential historical buildings
2016
Abstract The application of retrofit actions to existing building stocks can improve the energy performance of the residential sector. In this context, particular attention should be given to historical buildings, which represent a large part of the Italian building stock. To improve the energy performance of them, adequate retrofit actions must be applied. Many studies and regulations have focused on identifying the best refurbishment measures. However, the selection of these measures is difficult due to restrictive regulations, which are dictated by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, high retrofit costs, and variable climate zones. Thus, energy renovations in Italian buildi…
Environmentally Assessing Buildings Characterized by Complex Shape and Innovative Materials
2013
This paper addresses the emerging problem consisting in a correct energy and environmental evaluation of buildings belonging to the new architectural tendency. In fact, innovative buildings are often characterized by new materials that, not rarely, are not contemplated in current environmental databases. Moreover, unconventional shapes of these buildings could require further manufacturing processes that involve additional energy consumption not included in the commercial environmental database. Through the work a spotlighting of the problem is presented with reference to a real innovative building.
Innovative Industrial Technologies for Preventive Anti-Graffiti Coating
2017
Graffiti is the main issue in terms of acts of vandalism with public transport. Hardly any suburban train, commuter train or goods train, hardly any engineering building, station or noise barrier wall escape graffiti spraying. This means enormous expenses every year which one would rather use to the benefit of its customers. Furthermore, the temporary and permanent anti-graffiti protection systems used up to now do not ensure adequate graffiti protection. The costs for the application of graffiti protection and/or graffiti removal to a large part depend on the circumstances of the individual case in question, i.e. on the size of the surface, the type and size of the ground, the accessibilit…
The effects of vegetation on indoor thermal comfort: the application of a multi-scale simulation methodology on a residential neighborhood renovation…
2017
Abstract Despite the acknowledged positive effects of vegetation at urban, neighborhood and building scales, there are still only limited comprehensive design tools for multi-scale evaluation of the microclimate and thermal benefits of plants and building-integrated vegetation (BIV) systems. The paper describes a case study in the city of Palermo (Italy) that applied simulation methodology to quantitatively assess the microclimate effects of different neighborhood and building retrofit scenarios where vegetation plays a main role. The simulation workflow moves from a micro-urban to a building scale assessment by linking the ENVI-met software to the building energy simulation program EnergyP…