Not Only 'Spolia'

As the global climate change crisis intensifies, the integration of green building practices with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is increasingly emerging as a focal point of research within the architectural domain. Green buildings prioritize resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and long-term viability, while CCS technology serves as an effective mechanism for mitigating carbon emissions. This paper examined the application of CCS technology in green buildings and identifies its significant potential across various stages of building design, construction, and operation. Firstly, CCS technology can substantially reduce carbon emissions during the production processes of construction materials—particularly in high-emission sectors such as cement and steel manufacturing. Furthermore, by synergizing CCS technology with energy systems utilized in building operations, it becomes feasible to capture carbon emissions generated from routine energy consumption, thereby facilitating a near-zero carbon footprint. Nonetheless, challenges related to integration complexity and elevated costs hinder the deployment of CCS technology within existing structures—especially older buildings where spatial constraints and infrastructural limitations pose considerable obstacles. The lack of clear economic incentives has deterred numerous construction projects from investing in CCS solutions, further constraining its broader adoption within the built environment.

Purpose The Westernization and its reflections could be observed in the architecture, urbanism and social life in Istanbul in 19th century. The Tanzimat Edict (1839), Vienna Protocol (1855) and Islahat Edict (1856) affected the lifestyle of non-Muslims, especially in the administrative, religious and educational sphere. These political, legal and social reforms had also affected the Greek Orthodox community living in the Ottoman lands and their architectural activities about the churches. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the restoration works of Galatasaray Panagia Church conducted in the 19th century based on the archival documents. Design/Methodology/Approach The archival documents provide a comprehensive understanding of the changes, repairs, architectural implementations and formal procedure of the restoration of the Greek Orthodox churches. The methodology of the paper is mainly to analyze the archival documents and do the field survey. The archival documents about the extension of the Galatasaray Panagia Church was analyzed in detail. Then field survey was done. Present-day conditions of the church was observed and compared with the archival documents. Moreover, the analogical research was done to understand the situation before the implementation in 19th century. Findings The archival documents were the important proofs of the interventions of the conservations, which were applied at the end of the 19th century. They give information about to the drawing techniques, characteristics of interventions, construction materials, construction sector, responsible authorities and the process of getting necessary permissions for the restoration and the details of labors. At the end of the 19th century, restoration process of the Greek Orthodox churches was changed with the removal of the restrictions. For example, the new construction materials were used from European countries. Research Limitations/Implications This study examines the archival documents to provide the information about the church and aims to underline the importance of these documents to understand the history of the church, as well as the conservation methodology and process in the 19th century. Practical Implications The archival documents are not merely materials to help understand the building better, but they also serve as tangible evidences of past restorations. The technical details that archival documents include, guide the decision process of the future interventions. Moreover, they provide reliable and valuable information about the later additions that must be conserved. Social Implications The Greek Orthodox community was one of the important non-Muslim groups, had a significant role in the Ottoman Empire. Considering the present-day conditions, most of the Greek Orthodox churches could survive owing to the extensive repairs, restorations or, in some cases, reconstructions. This study made an important contribution to the research on the Greek Orthodox churches, which has a small population today. Originality/Value Most studies on this subject is based on just classification of the archival documents. However, this study is focused to analyze the documents in detail with the observation on the structure. The originality of this study is both to analyze historical archival documents and to observe present-day conditions together. Thereby while the past restoration process was understood, future implementation are shed light on.

<p><strong>Abstract Global warming is a pressing issue that requires immediate attention. Consequently, Architects have an immense responsibility to promote renewable bio-based materials with innovative construction technologies in the construction industry to reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions. This research, focusing on embodied carbon emissions of materials, aims to identify strategies for reducing these emissions in the construction sector by promoting strawbales as a building material. Unfortunately, despite its significant potential as a building material, strawbale remains underutilized in New Zealand. Additionally, there is a considerable knowledge gap regarding emission reduction strategies in the industry.</strong></p><p>This thesis investigates how effective strawbales are as a construction material in reducing embodied carbon emissions in comparison to conventional materials. The method involved conducting a life cycle analysis of materials to comprehend the areas where embodied carbon emissions occur throughout their life cycle. This approach uses the BRANZ LCAQuick tool to calculate embodied carbon emissions and visualise them using bar graphs. Furthermore, construction details also have been developed along with strawbale material properties to find solutions to adapt strawbale as a material for the construction industry.</p><p>The results have clearly shown that strawbale has a significant potential to reduce embodied carbon emissions due to strawbale’s carbon sequestering capability as compared to conventional materials. However, there were many challenges of quantification due to limited data and assumptions. The BRANZ LCAQuick tool has limited data, making it challenging to quantify certain materials and products. However, the work shows that a combination of strawbale and timber constructions may be a good solution to reduce embodied carbon emissions. Additionally, this combination of materials has the potential to sequester carbon in the built environment over a long period. Yet, careful management of the carbon cycle of materials is essential, even though these are biobased materials.</p><p>This thesis concludes that to build a zero-carbon environment going forward, all building elements and materials of the design should be considered through responsible management of the carbon cycle of materials. Simply changing one building element into a bio-based material may not be enough to achieve carbon budget levels in New Zealand. Also, it is essential to implement innovative construction techniques to promote biobased materials. Additionally, a well-developed standard method to calculate embodied carbon emissions for New Zealand is essential.</p>

The 222Rn concentration level has been surveyed inside dwellings in the seven more important and populated cities of Mexico, and the results are presented in this work. The measurements were made for six months, covering winter and spring, the coolest seasons of the year in Mexico. More than a hundred dwellings in each town were chosen, selecting three groups of basic architectonic styles. Different factors affecting the potential 222Rn concentration were considered in the study: construction materials, age of the dwellings, wall coverings, location of sites, and meteorological parameters such as indoor-outdoor temperature and relative environmental humidity. The passive integration of radon measurement method based on nuclear tracks was used. The closed end cup device, developed at the Institute of Physics of the University of Mexico, with CR-39 polycarbonate as material detector was chosen. The measurement methodology consists of the one step chemical etching process to develop the nuclear tracks and automatic track reading by a digital image analyser.

The provenance of medieval building stones links historic constructions with their quarrying areas, thereby revealing medieval trade routes and the spatial organization of past societies. In northern France, the Duchy of Normandy played a significant role in the medieval history of Europe, situated at the centre of the disputes between the English and French kingdoms. However, the historical documentation from this period is scarce, particularly in terms of the quarrying industry. Our study aims to define the quarrying areas and their diffusion zones and map the territorial organization of Eastern Normandy during the 10th–14th centuries. A multidisciplinary procedure using archaeological, geological and geochemical techniques was designed to establish the provenance of Normandy Chalkstone. First, we obtained a representative assembly of building stones by the selection and strategic sampling of 22 buildings. Second, we determined areas of chalk bedrock from a geological map rendered through GIS and sampled chalkstones from natural outcrops and quarries. In total, 118 samples from buildings, quarries and natural outcrops were characterized via optical microscopy and geochemical analyses for major, minor and trace elements (XRF, ICP‐MS and ICP‐OES), as well as for87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios (MC‐ICP‐MS). The application in situ of pXRF analysis allows for the identification of Normandy Chalkstone sources preserved in archaeological sites. The results indicate that all chalkstones came from five local varieties of Normandy Chalkstone and one of Shelly Limestone imported from nearby regions. The suitability of chalkstone as construction material was evaluated in situ using a sclerometer, which revealed that the singular and local geological features of the chalkstone make it suitable for walling. Our study demonstrates the development of a prominent and relatively continued quarrying industry over the 10th to 14th centuries in Eastern Normandy. The main quarrying areas were constituted of three chalkstone diffusion zones that run coevally with smaller and apparently sporadic quarries. The chalkstone diffusion was strongly related to the occurrence of singular and local geological resources and the stone transport system, which favoured the use of effective fluvial and maritime navigation for transport over 50 km from the quarrying areas.

Generally, natural soils are non-uniform, and their properties vary significantly from one location to another location. A brief discussion about the subsoil strata and their properties for different regions in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, which is situated at the central part, is presented in this chapter. In this state, soils vary in colour, texture, structure and composition from one region to another region. The geotechnical characterisation including the index and strength properties of the subsoil layer are presented, based on the data collected from different regions. From the subsoil strata and strength properties, it is evident that for minor/lightly loaded structures, shallow foundation is feasible for most parts of the state. The suitability of existing soil as a construction material, potential hazards considering subsoil strata and site location are also discussed in this chapter. Suitable measures to counteract the possible hazards that may occur during the design/construction phase are also discussed.

Chapter 30 - Novel Materials of Construction in the Food Industry

Design Inadequacies and the Maintenance of University Buildings In Ilf-Ife, Nigeria

The studies on the environmental database of construction materials or the evaluation systems are not sufficient to provide this support adequately during the design stage. This study aims to establish an environmental information database for construction finish materials organized by building element as part of an effort to develop an environmental effect assessment program for buildings. To this end, a classification system has been developed for building elements that satisfies the demands from construction project stakeholders to acquire environmental information. Furthermore, among the construction materials, an environmental database of the finish materials has been developed for each building element based on reference substances and the impact indexes of six environmental effect categories of the national LCI DB.

Islamic networks played a critical role in the regional integration of the Ethiopian highlands to the Red Sea basin, after the eighth-century collapse of the kingdom of Axum. However, the history of Ethiopia’s earliest Islamic settlements is still poorly known. Knowledge has increased over the last two decades, with the identification of several Islamic sites with the help of the local Muslim communities’ memory. In 2018‑2019, a cluster of several ancient Muslim cemeteries was surveyed by a French-Ethiopian team in the area of Arra (eastern Tigray). The preliminary results of the survey of Tsomar, a Muslim cemetery in use in the late 13th century, are presented here. Since no excavations have yet taken place, the study is based on surface observation, drone zenithal views and the analysis of nine Arabic inscriptions found on the Tsomar site.

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, intellectuals, mathematicians, and military engineers wrote treatises dedicated to the measurement of architecture and fortifications, while the practice of surveying was considered almost a profession.The Modo di misurare le fabriche (1674) by Guarino Guarini responds to the need for expeditious methods for measuring architectural elements in buildings under construction during the second expansion of Baroque Turin. Dedicated to the measurement of surfaces and volumes, unlike other texts, the treatise devotes very little space to the description of surveying techniques. The work stands out for its absolute novelty in the treatise landscape: it refers, in fact, to the construction phase of the architectural process.In this essay, new considerations are developed on the relationships between arithmetic, geometry, and measurements, to highlight their connections to the construction of buildings.The analysis carried out highlights the need to read Guarini's writings on architecture as a complementary system of highly integrated knowledge. In particular, the link between geometry and architecture, intrinsic to Guarini's treatises, is expressed in Modo di misurare le fabriche through the concept of measurement.

The problem of the durability of construction materials and engineering structures has always been and remains relevant. This parameter depends on many factors that daily effect the construction material such as operating conditions, temperature, precipitation, aggressiveness of the environment, and density. The issue of durability is especially relevant for bridges. The main role in the preservation of materials over time and durability is played by a binder on the basis of which they are made. Today, on the territory of Ukraine, there is a fairly large number of structures built in the 19th and early 20th centuries, where lime was used as a binder. Studying the construction materials from the Collegium building by Pavlo Galagan in Kyiv, it was revealed that the outer walls and foundation were authentic. As a result of the research, it was found that materials based on lime binder had high durability, despite the fact that they were used in an aggressive environment. The high durability of lime binders and materials that have lime as a base allows us to advice, after appropriate justification, the use of lime in enclosing structures, in cases where high strength is not required.

Smart structure systems and smart materials technologies have a vital role in many types of manufacturing in this century. Various construction materials can considerably improve functioning. Smart Materials have a vital role in the evolution of building technology. These materials are part of a smart structural system that can detect its surroundings and perform like living systems. The study state and recognize the relation between adaptive structure system and construction materials “smart concrete” in the construction scope through analysis, new techniques and innovative methods. The study’s goal is to explore how these two professions are inextricably linked, developing ever more symbiotic as time goes on. The paper presented the various categories of smart structure systems and materials that have unique properties. Furthermore, the paper revealed the effective behavior of smart materials that take into consideration at every level of design progression of civil engineering.KeywordsAdaptive systemSmart materialsSmart concrete

A systematic approach to finding materials that cause elevated gamma radiation exposure rates or 222Rn progeny working levels in buildings was tested in the Atlanta area. With the proposed procedure, exposure rates in planned structures would be derived from a radiation survey of the material performed with a NaI(T1) detector. Working level values under specified conditions would be inferred from an additional measurement of 226Ra concentration in the material. To quantify the procedure, surveyed building materials were analyzed for radionuclide content and categorized according to an exposure rate index related both to the survey meter count rate and the radionuclide concentration. An available calculational model was used to predict from the index the exposure rate in a room totally enclosed by radioactive material. An additional model was developed for application to structures where the radioactive material is only in the floor or walls. 222Radon concentrations in an enclosed space were also predicted according to an available model. Exposure rates were measured in newly constructed buildings to test the approach. Measurements in older buildings found elevated gamma-ray emission from concrete blocks made with phosphate slag from a phosphorus producer in Alabama. Buildings with walls of these blocks were used to test the prediction of 222Rn concentrations in building air due to 226Ra in construction material. The calculational models predicted that the 226Ra concentration of approx. 20 pCi/g in these blocks would result in increases of the average exposure rates by 10 mu R/hr and of 222Rn concentrations by 0.2 pCi/l. under specified conditions. Observed levels were consistent with these predictions, but the major fraction of 222Rn in room air was attributed to inflow from the ground beneath the building.

1.0. INTRODUCTION In the United States, K–12 school buildings spend more than $8 billion each year on energy—more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined [1]. Most occupied older buildings demonstrate poor operational performance—for instance, more than 30 percent of schools were built before 1960, and 53 percent of public schools need to spend money on repairs, renovations, and modernization to ensure that the schools' onsite buildings are in good overall condition. And among public schools with permanent buildings, the environmental factors in the permanent buildings have been rated as unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory in 5 to 17 percent of them [2]. Indoor environment quality (IEQ) is one of the core issues addressed in the majority of sustainable building certification and design guidelines. Children spend a significant amount of time indoors in a school environment. And poor IEA can lead to sickness and absenteeism from school and eventually cause a decrease in student performance [3]. Different building types and their IEQ characteristics can be partly attributed to building age and construction materials. [4] Improving the energy performance of school buildings could result in the direct benefit of reduced utility costs and improving the indoor quality could improve the students' learning environment. Research also suggests that aging school facilities and inefficient equipment have a detrimental effect on academic performance that can be reversed when schools are upgraded. [5] Several studies have linked better lighting, thermal comfort, and air quality to higher test scores. [6, 7, 8] Another benefit of improving the energy efficiency of education buildings is the potential increase in market value through recognition of green building practice and labeling, such as that of a LEED or net zero energy building. In addition, because of their educational function, high-performance or energy-efficient buildings are particularly valuable for institution clients and local government. More and more high-performance buildings, net zero energy buildings, and positive energy buildings serve as living laboratories for educational purposes. Currently, educational/institutional buildings represent the largest portion of NZE (net zero energy) projects. Educational buildings comprise 36 percent of net zero buildings according to a 2014 National New Building Institute report. Of the 58 net zero energy educational buildings, 32 are used for kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12), 21 for higher education, and 5 for general education. [9] Finally, because educational buildings account for the third largest amount of building floor space in the United States, super energy-efficient educational buildings could provide other societal and economic benefits beyond the direct energy cost savings for three reasons: 1) educational buildings offer high visibility that can influence community members and the next generation of citizens, 2) success stories of the use of public funds that returns lower operating costs and healthier student learning environments provide documentation that can be used by others, and 3) this sector offers national and regional forums and associations to facilitate the transfer of best design and operational practices.