This book highlights the concept of informed architecture as an alternative to performance-based approaches. Starting with an analysis of the state of art, the book defines an operative methodology in which performative parameters lead to the generation of the shape becoming the design's input, rather than being mere quantitative parameters. It then uses case studies to investigate the methodology. Lastly, the book discusses a novel way of conceiving and using the manufacturing tool, which is the basis for the definition of informed architectures in relation to data usage and the optimization process.

This volume introduces and discusses the achievements and mechanisms of urban planning and construction in China from multiple professional perspectives, covering practices and processes ranging from ancient times to the present day. The book has 14 chapters, each addressing a specific Chinese urban planning and construction topic with examples and applications in various cities and regions, and each providing an all-around analysis of Chinese urban development issues at different scales, including government administrations, planning progresses, urban investments, social impacts and construction models. The book provides a comprehensive overview of urban planning and construction in China, especially its successful experiences in the historical period and modern era, which will greatly benefit scholars and readers who are interested in China, as well as urban planners, architects and historians. The book is organized into 4 main parts. Part 1 focuses on "historical wisdom" to summarize ancient Chinese efforts to cope with nature and the environment. It interprets the unique wisdom of ancient Chinese cities related to regional design, water conservancy system, and urban districts. Part 2 presents the "transformation" of urban planning in China by learning from both the traditional value and western experiences based on several cases, such as the spatial development of Beijing and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei capital region, the preservation of Qingdao city, the urban community development and regeneration in Chongqing city. Part 3 explores the "green and eco-city" by looking towards the future, illustrating Chinese practices and efforts to build more sustainable cities, such as green and low-carbon city construction in Wuhan, healthy city planning and eco-cities construction in China. Part 4 prospects the "modern miracles" brought forth by technological innovation and economic growth, and introduces the newest planning trends in China, such as the E-commerce Taobao villages in China and the innovation districts in Beijing. It also explains the driving force of the "growth machine" of Suzhou city.

This book brings together a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation of the main scientific and technological aspects of limestone mining. The book discusses how to excavate limestone from surface mines including the nuances of production and commercial aspects.It addresses topical issues related with the quarrying of limestone and environmental protection measures adopted in mining and manufacturing. The chapters in this book describe planning and designing of mining processes to produce limestone that meets with market requirements and customer specifications. The book also discusses the environmental stresses caused by mining as an industrial activity and their ramifications and remedies. The book includes case studies from different geo-mining environments. The contents of this book will be useful to professionals, researchers, and policy makers alike.

This book introduces the reader to contemporary issues in the management of facilities in the African context and includes case studies from across the continent and internationally. It consolidates theory and practical information useful for managers and researchers across Africa and other developing countries. It covers a cross section of the key elements of facilities management, including customer relations management, emergency preparedness, development of a facilities strategy, sustainable buildings management, and management of intelligent buildings in developing countries.

The book has been developed from a combination of degree level and professional course materials and academic resources and is therefore suitable for use by students on undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, professional short courses, and for practicing facilities managers and members of IFMA, SAFMA, IWFM, HEFMA, RICS, Association of Facilities Management Practitioners of Nigeria, Egypt Facility Management Association, Botswana Facilities Management Association, and the Africa Facilities Management Association as a key reference. This book is key reading for anyone:

Studying for a degree in Facilities Management, Real Estate, Estate Management, Workplace Management, or Surveying

Wanting to be more strategic in their facilities management and operations

Transitioning into a facilities management role from another profession

Benchmarking and analysing the performance of their built assets

Training themselves or their staff in emerging areas such as workplace productivity, sustainability, and intelligent buildings systems

Interested in researching emerging areas of facilities management in developing countries

This is the essential guide to the growing field of facilities management in some of the world’s fastest developing countries.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Work Productivity

3. Strategy in the Management of Workplace Facilities

4. Customer Relationship Management in the Management of the Workplace

5. Benchmarking in Facilities Management

6. Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity

7. Sustainable Management of Workplace Facilities

8. Intelligent Buildings

This book comprises select proceedings of the Indian Geotechnical Conference 2020 (IGC2020) focusing on emerging opportunities and challenges in the field of transportation geotechnics, scour and erosion, offshore geotechnics, and environmental geotechnology. The contents will be useful to researchers, educators, practitioners and policy makers alike.

This book examines ways of saving energy by using green roofs and facades, solar devices such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and thermal solar panels, as components of energy-efficient building envelopes. The author takes an interdisciplinary / multidisciplinary approach to the subject that analyzes several different scientific fields connected to building research-sustainability, sustainable architecture, energy efficiency in buildings, and building envelopes-while approaching other collateral domains, including history, archaeology, botanics, physics, engineering, and landscape architecture. Alternative Envelope Components for Energy-Efficient Buildings will be a welcome resource for researchers, students, and postgraduates in the fields of energy, building materials, and renewable energy, as well as architects, engineers, and specialists in industries related to building products. Looks at the impact of building envelopes on energy usage; Offers readers an introduction to the principles of sustainability; Presents passive and active approaches to using solar devices.

This volume highlights the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of sustainable concrete structures, as presented by scientists and engineers at the RILEM International Conference on Numerical Modeling Strategies for Sustainable Concrete Structures (SSCS), held in Marseille, France, on July 4-6, 2022. It demonstrates that numerical methods (finite elements, finite volumes, finite differences) are a relevant response to the challenge to optimize the utilization of cement in concrete constructions while checking that these constructions have a lifespan compatible with the stakes of sustainable development. They are indeed accurate tools for an optimized design of concrete constructions, and allow us to consider all types of complexities: for example, those linked to rheological, physicochemical and mechanical properties of concrete, those linked to the geometry of the structures or even to the environmental boundary conditions. This optimization must also respect constraints of time, money, security, energy, CO2 emissions, and, more generally, life cycle more reliably than the codes and analytical approaches currently used. Numerical methods are, undoubtedly, the best calculation tools at the service of concrete eco-construction. The contributions present traditional and new ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration between different specialists.

Construction Methods and Management, Eighth Edition, is designed to guide construction engineers and managers in planning, estimating, and directing construction operations safely and effectively. Comprehensive and up-to-date, the text integrates major construction management topics with an explanation of the methods of heavy/highway and building construction. It incorporates both customary U.S. units and metric (SI) units and is the only text to present concrete formwork design equations and procedures using both measurement systems. This edition features information on the latest developments in soil excavation, asphalt paving, and earthmoving equipment.

For all courses in construction accounting and construction finance, and for courses in engineering economics taught in construction management programs. This book helps construction professionals and construction management students master the principles of financial management, and adapt and apply them to the challenge of profitably managing construction companies. It integrates content that has traditionally been taught through separate accounting, finance, and engineering economics texts. Students learn how to account for a construction company's financial resources; how to manage its costs, profits, and cash flows; how to evaluate different sources of funding a company's cash needs; and how to quantitatively analyze financial decisions. Readers gain hands-on experience through 220 example problems and over 390 practice problems, many of them based on situations actually encountered by the author. This edition adds more than 100 new discussion questions, and presents financial equations and accounting transactions more visually to support more intuitive learning.

This book presents a simple analytical method based on the extended rod theory that allows the earthquake resistance of high-rise buildings to be easily and accurately evaluated at the preliminary design stage. It also includes practical software for applying the extended rod theory to the dynamic analysis of actual buildings and structures. High-rise buildings in large cities, built on soft ground consisting of sedimentary rock, tend to have low natural frequency. If ground motion due to an earthquake occurs at distant hypocenters, the vibration wave can be propagated through several sedimentary layers and act on skyscrapers as a long-period ground motion, potentially producing a resonance phenomenon that can cause severe damage. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to gauge the earthquake resistance of existing skyscrapers and to improve their seismic performance. This book was written by authors who have extensive experience in tall-building seismic design in Japan. The software included enables readers to perform dynamic calculations of skyscrapers' resistance to vibrations. As such, it offers a valuable resource for practitioners and engineers, as well as students of civil engineering.

Hybrid Composite Precast Systems: Numerical Investigation to Construction focuses on the design and construction of novel composite precast frame systems that permit almost effortless erection and structural efficiency. The precast frame systems discussed in the book are similar to that of steel frames, but offer similar savings to concrete frames. The design of connections and detailed analysis of their structural behavior is discussed in detail. Fundamentals with regards to the post yield behavior of concrete and metal are also presented to illustrate how these two different materials are integrated together to remove individual material drawbacks. Readers are given a broad introduction to existing technologies that are then combined with a description of the construction methods the author proposes. This book will help the end users become familiar with the existing types of structural forms, not just the "Lego" type frame system that the author proposes.

Nonconventional and Vernacular Construction Materials: Characterisation, Properties and Applications, Second Edition covers the topic by taking into account sustainability, the conservation movement, and current interests in cultural identity and its preservation. This updated edition presents case studies, information on relevant codes and regulations, and how they apply (or do not apply) to nocmats. Leading international experts contribute chapters on current applications and the engineering of these construction materials. Sections review vernacular construction, provide future directions for nonconventional and vernacular materials research, focus on natural fibers, and cover the use of industrial byproducts and natural ashes in cement mortar and concrete.

This book discusses the applications of fracture mechanics in the design and maintenance of asphalt concrete overlays. It provides useful information to help readers understand the effects of different material and loading type parameters on the fracture properties of asphalt concretes. It also reviews relevant numerical and experimental studies, and describes in detail design parameters such as aggregate type, air void, loading mode, and additives, based on the authors experience and that of other researchers.

This book covers the important aspects of greenery in buildings, both in the landscape and within buildings, examining how greenery improves comfort and appeal in sustainable buildings. The book is part of the World Renewable Energy Network's drive to encourage architects and builders to use greenery as much as possible in their design to reduce energy consumption and provide a pleasant appearance and pleasing aspect to their buildings. It shows and demonstrates how widespread the use of greenery is in buildings, and the books 17 chapters were chosen from 12 different countries representing a truly global look at the use and benefit of using greenery in buildings. This book is aimed at architects, building construction authorities, urban planners, and policymakers to encourage the use of greenery in their future buildings and explain why it is important to do so.

This book gathers the latest innovations and applications in the field of resource-saving technologies and advanced materials in civil and environmental engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 3rd International Scientific Conference EcoComfort and Current Issues of Civil Engineering, held in Lviv, Ukraine on September 14-16, 2022. It covers a diverse range of topics, including ecological and energy-saving technologies; renewable energy sources; heat, gas and water supply; microclimate provision systems; innovative building materials and products; smart technologies in water purification and treatment; protection of water ecosystems; and architectural shaping and structural solutions. The contributions, which were selected using a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book on flexible formwork for fluid architecture is a multi-faceted research that covers a broad field: from design to material and technology, and from history to future developments. It offers a pragmatic approach that can be extended with more cases, materials, techniques and methods for fluid architecture, and provides a better understanding of the main aspects of fluid architecture and to help them find the most suitable combinations of all aspects.The book is a challenging experience with many new discoveries, including two patents: one on moulding of fluid surfaces and one on 3D printing of fibre-reinforced ice. It also features two world records: the larges span (30 meters) and the highest thin shell structure (30,5 meters) in ice as well as a method for the construction of a fully laminated shell structure in insulated glass.

This book provides a single-source reference for whole life embodied impacts of buildings. The comprehensive and persuasive text, written by over 50 invited experts from across the world, offers an indispensable resource both to newcomers and to established practitioners in the field. Ultimately it provides a persuasive argument as to why embodied impacts are an essential aspect of sustainable built environments. The book is divided into four sections: measurement, including a strong emphasis on uncertainty analysis, as well as offering practical case studies of individual buildings and a comparison of materials; management, focusing in particular on the perspective of designers and contractors; mitigation, which identifies some specific design strategies as well as challenges; and finally global approaches, six chapters which describe in authoritative detail the ways in which the different regions of the world are tackling the issue.

Analyses, in conjunction with Internal Components, the performance requirements of building components and the effectiveness of typical solutions. External components integrates logically with the theoretical aspects explored in other titles in the Mitchell's building series. It encourages evaluation of alternative methods for putting components together.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Prefabricated Building Components 3. External Glazing 4. Windows 5. Roof-Lights And Patent Glazing 6. Structural Glazing 7. External Doors 8. Roofings

Through research and proven practice, the aim of the International Conference of Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) is to foster ideas on how to reduce negative impacts on the environment while providing for the health and well-being of society. The professions and fields of research required to ensure buildings meet user demands and provide healthy enclosures are many and diverse. The SEEDS conference addresses the interdependence of people, the built and natural environments, and recognizes the interdisciplinary and international themes necessary to assemble the knowledge required for positive change.

This book gathers selected papers from the International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering, Management and Sciences (ICSDEMS 2019), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It highlights recent advances in civil engineering and sustainability, bringing together researchers and professionals to address the latest, most relevant issues in these areas.

This book comprises selected proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Advancements in Civil Engineering and Infrastructural Developments (ICRACEID 2019). The contents are broadly divided into five areas (i) smart transportation with urban planning, (ii) clean energy and environment, (iii) water distribution and waste management, (iv) smart materials and structures, and (v) disaster management. The book aims to provide solutions to global challenges using innovative and emerging technologies covering various fields of civil engineering. The major topics covered include urban planning, transportation, water distribution, waste management, disaster management, environmental pollution and control, environmental impact assessment, application of GIS and remote sensing, and structural analysis and design. Given the range of topics discussed, the book will be beneficial for students, researchers as well industry professionals.

This book focuses on important mathematical considerations in describing the synthesis of original mechanisms for generating curves. The synthesis is manual and not based on the use of computer tools. Kinematics is applied to confirm the drawing of the curves, and the closed loop method, and in some cases the distances method, is applied in this phase. The book provides all the notions of structure and kinematics that are necessary to calculate the mechanisms and also analyzes other kinematic possibilities of the created mechanisms. Offering a concise, yet self-contained guide to the mathematical fundamentals for mechanisms of curve generation, together with a useful collection of mechanisms exercises, the book is intended for students learning about mechanism kinematics, as well as engineers dealing with mechanism design and analysis. It is based on the authors' many years of research, which has been published in different books and journals, mainly, but not exclusively, in Romanian.