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![Figure 3. Example of a post-and-beam structure modified from [137].](profile/Matheus-Cabral-3/publication/350739583/figure/fig3/AS:1010370944696323@1617902613316/Example-of-a-post-and-beam-structure-modified-from-137_Q320.jpg)
The main goal of this study was to review current studies on the state of the art of wood constructions with a particular focus on energy efficiency, which could serve as a valuable source of information for both industry and scholars. This review begins with an overview of the role of materials in wood buildings to improve energy performance, cove...
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Context 1
... to Li et al. [135], a post-and-beam building is very similar to a wood-frame building; however, the post-and-beam structure is composed of two-dimensional assemblies: (i) horizontal components, such as floors, ceilings and roofs; and (ii) verticals components, such as walls (See Figure 3). Post-and-beam is a simple construction method in which the (traditionally rectilinear) beams support transverse purlins that are covered by a wooden deck, and the posts supporting the beams are usually arranged in a regular grid. ...
Citations
... By constructing wooden buildings and maximizing space efficiency, we can effectively store large amounts of carbon within the building's structure, thus mitigating the carbon footprint associated with construction and operation. 3. Energy efficiency [14]: Efficient space planning in wooden buildings can lead to better natural lighting, ventilation, and temperature regulation, reducing the dependency on artificial lighting and heating/cooling systems. This translates to lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions over the structure's lifecycle. ...
Timber offices indicate a growing field, principally thanks to their potential to offer noteworthy ecological and financial gains over their entire life. Like many other building types, space efficiency is a crucial design parameter in timber structures to ensure a project’s feasibility. This factor is especially significant in office buildings, where maximizing rental income reflects effective planning. Currently, there is a lack of exhaustive inquiry providing a thorough insight of space efficiency in modern timber office buildings. This study fills this gap in the literature by
collecting data from 33 buildings through literature reviews and case study method to investigate space efficiency with the key architectural and structural factors that influence it. The results
showed that: (i) central cores stood out as the prevailing core layouts, while peripheral arrangements were noted as alternative preferences. Prismatic shapes emerged as the most favored
options; (ii) timber was extensively used as a primary building material, closely followed by combinations of timber and concrete. Load-bearing systems mainly relied on shear walled frames
and configurations; (iii) average space utilization across examined cases was 88 %, with variances ranging from 75 % to 95 % among different instances; (iv) average ratio of core area to GFA was
10 %, showing variations between 4 % and 19 % across various scenarios; and (v) there were no substantial variances noted in the effect of different core planning strategies on spatial efficiency.
Similar conclusions were drawn regarding building forms and structural materials. Our paper will assist in crafting design principles customized for diverse stakeholders, including architectural designers of timber offices.
... In addition, despite the consistency of the results presented with experiments and previous work [13], further research on this topic is advisable, as the number of samples studied is small. From a practical point of view, the results of research in the affected area can contribute to the implementation of specific projects in accordance with sustainable development criteria [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. ...
Compression tests of pine specimens of two types with initial dimensions of 40x40x80 mm and 40x40x80 mm with finger-joints are considered. Tests on similar specimens without finger-joints are also analyses for comparison. The experiments showed that the finger-joint in the investigated specimens reduced the peak load on the specimen as well as the load in the post-peak stage of plastic deformation. A methodology for modelling the load-displacement relationship taking into account the plastic deformation of wood with a finger-joint in the post-peak stage is proposed. The modelling results do not contradict the experimental data. The basic equation of the proposed mathematical model can be used in further studies to analyse the energy characteristics of the deformation process of wooden elements of building structures.
... Undoubtedly, these operations pose a negative impact on the environment. Although precise figures vary for the different wood products, both carbon emissions and embodied energy are significantly lower in timber construction [10,13,14]. ...
The construction industry has a notable negative impact on the environment; thus, the promotion of the use of timber structures is an alternative to mitigate its effects. The research develops an artificial intelligence-based decision approach in the calculation of timber structures focused on the enhancement of the sustainability of roof structures. Based on the optimization carried out through genetic algorithms and the framework established in Eurocode 5, a general set of equations has been proposed for a laminated timber roof structure. The tool, which determines the most suitable roof structure for each strength class of laminated timber, allows for the determination of the dimensions of beams and purlins and their respective separations in order to minimize wood consumption. The ultimate goal is to offer multiple solutions regarding strength classes and structural designs in order to foster informed sustainable choices that promote efficient use of resources in construction.
... (3) Colors of the environmental atmosphere Under normal circumstances, environmental colors are not fixed and are difficult to capture [46]. However, in this study, the colors captured through street-view photo samples are compared with traditional Chinese color cards, providing a concrete summary of the environmental colors of the historic blocks of Shiquan Street in Suzhou. ...
Currently, historical areas in China are facing issues of color authenticity and excessive commercialization. Colors, as an important element of historical areas, reflect their history and culture. However, there are some flaws in the existing research methods, so a more scientific and systematic method is needed to obtain accurate and objective color visualization results to promote the sustainable development of historical areas. In order to explore the methods and applications of visualizing the environmental color patterns of historical areas, Shiquan Street in Suzhou, China, was taken as the research object; ArcGIS 10.5 was used to obtain the street-view photo samples; Matlab was used to summarize the architectural colors of the historical areas; and K-means clustering was used to generate the central color card of the historical areas, thus completing the color visualization of the historical areas, followed by further searching for the color patterns and central colors, so as to explore the strategies for sustainable development of historical areas. The various quantified color models of historical areas can explore the regional uniqueness and color locality of historical areas, which avoids problems such as homogenization of block colors, unclear styles and features, and an excessive proportion of commercial colors caused by poor color guidance and control in the design related to historical areas, providing approaches to the research on the harmonious unity of environmental colors and features related to historical areas. A color-based research method has been proposed to protect and maintain the original appearance of historical areas. The application of this method provides a new perspective and possibility for the protection of historical areas, allowing these areas to achieve historical sustainability while maintaining their historical characteristics and values.
... (3) Colors of the environmental atmosphere Under normal circumstances, environmental colors are not fixed and difficult to capture [47]. However, in this study, the colors captured through street view photo samples are compared with traditional Chinese color cards, providing a concrete summary of the environmental colors of the historic blocks of Shiquan Street in Suzhou. ...
Currently, historical areas in China are facing issues of color authenticity and excessive commercialization. Colors, as an important element of historical areas, reflect their history and culture. However, there are some flaws in the existing research methods, so a more scientific and systematic method is needed to obtain accurate and objective color visualization results to promote the sustainable development of historical areas. In order to explore the methods and applications of visualizing the environmental color genes of historical areas, Shiquan Street in Suzhou, China was taken as the research object, ArcGIS 10.5 was used to obtain the street veiw photo samples, Matlab was used to summarize the architectural colors of the historical areas, and K-means clustering was used to generate the central color card of the historical areas, thus completing the color visualization of the historical areas, followed by further searching for the color patterns and central colors, so as to explore the strategies for sustainable development of historical areas. The various quantified color models of historical areas can explore the regional uniqueness and color locality of historical areas, which avoids problems such as homogenization of block colors, unclear styles and features, and excessive proportion of commercial colors caused by poor color guidance and control in the design related to historical areas, providing approaches to the research on the harmonious unity of environmental colors and features related to historical areas.
... However, it is important to comply with local building codes and earthquake codes during the design and construction of CLT buildings. Appropriate design and engineering practices ensure that CLT buildings perform safely and are durable against earthquakes (Cabral & Blanchet, 2021;Trutalli et al., 2019). ...
The February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes exposed the vulnerabilities of existing RC structures, causing thousands of buildings to collapse or sustain severe damage, especially in the hardest-hit provinces. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), one of the industrial wood materials, is used as an alternative to RC in buildings in earthquake zones around the world due to its lightness and many positive features. The aim of the study is to examine the dynamic behavior of multi-storey residential buildings built with the CLT shear wall system, with limited application in Turkey, under earthquake loads and to draw attention to the material selection and sizing to be used in the structural elements of earthquake-resistant buildings. Using TimberTech (2022) software, a five-story building with CLT walls was analyzed under linear dynamic conditions. The study shows while the model provides all the verifications in the solution according to Eurocode for soil type C, it is inadequate under the seismic data of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake.
... Wooden buildings represent a significant percentage of single-family homes in North America (90%), Europe (70-45%), and Japan (45%) [1]. In addition, other countries, despite having lower percentages, boast substantial volumes of wooden construction. ...
Material selection in buildings profoundly affects project success, encompassing durability, maintenance, customer satisfaction, production systems, lifecycle, usage, environment, and costs. Yet, there is a need for further research on indicators for choosing materials in prefabricated buildings. Therefore, this study’s main objective was to identify the indicators (criteria and sub-criteria) for selecting materials for prefabricated wooden construction and, subsequently, categorize these criteria and sub-criteria based on the perspective of industry professionals. To achieve this goal, three phases were carried out. First, a literature review was conducted to identify potential criteria for choosing structural and envelope materials in wooden prefabricated buildings. Second, a pilot survey was conducted in Canada and the United States to classify the priority order of the criteria obtained from the literature based on professionals’ opinions. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted with different iterations (1000, 10,000, and 100,000) using the data obtained from the previous phase to improve decision-making and classification processes. For the indicators to select materials, the literature review identified seven main criteria: performance properties, green materials, energy efficiency, circular economy, site conditions and material logistics, standards, and social impact. These criteria contained a total of 25 sub-criteria. The pilot survey data analysis demonstrated that the performance properties, site conditions and material logistics, and social impact criteria were consistently prioritized. The critical sub-criteria identified were fire resistance, watertightness, local availability, occupant health, and safety and protection. For the Monte Calo simulations, the predictions aligned with the pilot study, enhancing the robustness of the results.
... The building envelope is a barrier, offering resistance to air, heat, noise, light, and water. Lightweight-structure wooden envelope systems typically consist of structural elements such as OSB (Oriented Strand Board), plywood, and sawn wood, with insulation materials like fiberglass, cellulose, sprayed polyurethane, or mineral wool inserted into the frame cavities [11]. ...
Global energy demand continues to increase, and the construction sector has a fundamental role in this subject by achieving high hygrothermal performance. This study evaluates the impact of construction quality defects on the hygrothermal performance and airtightness of a lightweight-structure wooden envelope system. Four typical defects were evaluated, orifices in the weather barrier, staples in the vapor barrier, nails diverted to external insulation, and separated structural elements. The results showed that all the defects decreased the hygrothermal performance of the wood-frame envelope assessed. Structural separation and staples over the vapor barrier caused the most significant negative variations, increasing heat loss, the probability of interstitial condensation and air infiltration considerably.
... OSB is a commonly used material in wood frame construction as sheathing for shear walls and as coverings for ceilings. Furthermore, OSB can also serve as structural elements that add rigidity to the construction [7]. However, one of the main challenges faced by particleboards, including OSBs, as construction elements is linked to their performance loss due to moisture and biodegradation [8]. ...
The development of new materials for the construction sector is a global trend, and products that use by-products in their composition and have also incorporated technology are commercially competitive. Microparticles have large surface areas and can modify the microstructure of materials, positively affecting their physical and mechanical properties. In this context, this study aims to investigate the effect of incorporating aluminium oxide (Al2O3) microparticles on the physical and mechanical properties of oriented strand boards (OSBs) made from reforested residual balsa and castor oil polyurethane resin and to evaluate their durability performance under accelerated aging conditions. The OSBs were produced on a laboratory scale with a density of 650 kg/m3, strand-type particles measuring 90 × 25 × 1 mm3, using castor oil-based polyurethane resin (13%) and Al2O3 microparticle content ranging from 1% to 3% of the resin mass. The physical and mechanical properties of the OSBs were determined following the EN-300:2002 recommendations. The results obtained indicated that the OSBs with 2% Al2O3 presented thickness swelling significantly lower (at the 5% significance level) after being subjected to accelerated aging and internal bonding of the particles higher than the values obtained for the references, evidencing the positive effect of including Al2O3 microparticles in balsa OSBs.
... All activities will encourage investment in more sustainable buildings and accelerate the process of change throughout the building sector. The first step in improving the energy efficiency of a building is to create an intelligent and conscious energy system [5][6][7]. The energy system is part of the building management system (BMS). ...
This publication presents a system for integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions with building automation systems. The platform is based on cloud solutions and can integrate with one of the most popular virtual building management solutions, HomeAssistant. The System uses communication based on the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. The example machine learning function described in this publication detects anomalies in the electricity waveforms and raises the alarm. This information determines power quality and detects system faults or unusual power consumption. Recently, increasing electricity prices on global markets have meant that buildings must significantly reduce consumption. Therefore, a fundamental element of energy consumption diagnostics requires detecting unusual forms of energy consumption to optimise the use of individual devices in home and office installations.
