To date, Philippine architectural research has been limited to the study of history, social factors, constructional data, and decorative characteristics. Although these are unquestionably useful, they are ineffectual in communicating the holistic value of architecture. Architecture is an integration of numerous factors through forms; thus, it becomes necessary for the initial visual analysis to be done on the basis of forms. This paper involves a formal analysis of the work of Philippine architect Leandro V. Locsin and how he utilized the concept of bipolarity in the dynamic formation of his architectural forms and spaces. The first three sections explain the significance of bipolarity as an element of Philippine culture and architecture by illustrating the phases of development of Philippine architecture and of Locsin. The fourth section deals with the data and analysis. 70 projects were subjected to a visual analysis of spatial form and object form, from which bipolarity emerged as a recurring concept; these manifestations were noted, classified, and further analyzed. From these, 4 major manifestations of bipolarity emerged: (1) Floating effect, (2) Grounded flight, (3) Enclosed Openness, and (4) Alternation of opposite spatial characters.

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The purpose of this paper is to review Aalto′s design conception on the basis of his critique of technology-oriented rationalism. Arguably, his critical attitude was best illustrated in his article ′The Humanizing of Architecture′ (1940), which anticipates Adorno and Horkheimer′s criticism against instrumentalized rationality (1944). For Aalto, true rationalism should be synthetic in order to cover all fields of human activities. However, man is not only a rational being but also a player. Aalto′s argument for the relevance of play in architecture corresponds to Johan Huizingha′s theory of Homo Ludens or ′Man the Player′. Play elements in Aalto′s design complements the unbalanced formula between form and function in architecture by covering humanitarian and psychological aspects. These elements are often proved to be astonishingly rational as he maintained, and symbolically functional in many cases. Nonetheless, all the discourses concerning Aalto′s architecture eventually converge on original matters concerning architecture, man and nature – architecture mediates man and nature. This relationship is reflected in Aalto′s design, directly and indirectly as well as practically and metaphorically, which is more fundamental than any other superlative theories. Therefore, this paper maintains that his architecture has a timeless value and that he demonstrated an example of humanizing architecture.

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One of the solutions which emerged in response to the limitations of modernism was the issue of ′in-between′. Concepts relating to the in-between have been suggested and argued simultaneously in the West and the Far East. This paper aims to compare the in-between concepts discussed by two representative theorists of each region: Van Eyck and Kurokawa. Dimensions of the in-between, factors for practicing the in-between, and types of the relationship between two elements which are the subject of integration, are clarified, and comparison of their works is done using the above criteria.

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This paper presents a study on spatial construction in relation to chants and cathedrals in the medieval period. First, studies on musical space in relation to visual space are surveyed. The gestalt notions of figure and ground are then described. These are used as a basic tool for an analysis of how cathedral arches of the nave were assembled vertically with regard to musical sound. From a formal analysis it is found that the vertical spatial construction of chants and that of naves in medieval cathedrals display a similar pattern.

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The Braxton-Shore house has been considered as an exemplar of ′space architecture′ – an architecture of ′space forms′ which R. M. Schindler believed distinguished his work from contemporary functionalists and internationalists. To achieve such′ space architecture′, Schindler utilized a proportional system of a space reference frame as a mental tool. This paper first outlines the spatial scheme of the Braxton-Shore house, explains Schindler′s space reference frame, and finally interprets the proportional design of the house in analogy with the ′row′ system, the Fibonacci and Lucas sequence, and musical ratios.

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This paper examines the relationship between the sugar industry and land use patterns in Taiwan from an extended historical perspective (1624–2008), covering the colonial era, the period of industrial development, and the island's current status as a newly industrialized country. Description and analysis of historical factors are used to provide insight into how an agricultural society copes with the pressures of development, industrialization, and urbanization, as well as the key factors pertaining to land use conversion, the land crisis, and the overall condition of rural industry. This paper focuses on the development of the sugar industry and the sugarcane plantations, and also includes an examination of the relationship between the sugar industry and nation's land use policies. By analyzing the related materials, we hope to reappraise the sustainability of current land use practices, and offer insight on how appropriate land use policies can be used to promote a new vision of urban planning and industrial heritage reuse during the course of rural industry transformation.

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As a result of investigating 16 architectural technical books and 72 buildings of modern architectural properties, this paper attempts to illustrate the various treatments of Western wooden roof trusses mixed with Korean roof elements in early 20th century Korea. During this time, new styles such as king post truss, queen post truss, wood-steel composite roof truss, and other roof structures were introduced; which resulted in a mixed style of wooden roofs that used braces, like a strut, in traditional Korean roof structures with a horizontal collar tie in the Western style for the purpose of increasing rigidity. Other changes also appeared in the various types of joint details such as rafter joint, principal rafter joint, and eave details. Korean carpenters tried to accommodate traditional elements and new western style systems in the structural aspect of roof construction. Through the extent to which the findings can be specified for some treatments in the historical and technical standpoint of Korean modern architecture, implications are briefly considered for a unique Korean roof shape in the process of modernization.

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This paper is about intelligent Program Management Information System (iPMIS) to support decision-making and management of urban renewal mega projects over their life cycle in Korea. Program management focuses on soft issues i.e. benefits, stakeholders, and governance. A challenge is the diversity of urban renewal projects in terms of process and organization structure. The authors clarify the general requirements of systems to support program management while coping with diversity as follows: openness, clearness, convenience and consistency. As solutions, the authors present a conceptual model for iPMIS featuring the following characteristics: a web-based platform in which general modules and external integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) with decision support logical models are operated; interfaces; cooperative operating IT and IS in urban planning and construction; and a protocol for managing data cooperatively at the level of nation, district, project and facility. Two main unique features are: a user-created ontological process map that provides the operation scenario and menus of the iPMIS; and plug & play techniques by which modules are selected and then operated immediately. These core concepts have been implemented as a prototype system and have been applied to a real construction project. The evaluation result shows that this technique can reduce systems implementation time by 90%.

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The concept of a spectacle as an element of urban landscape is demonstrated by the relationship between the idea of sensible urban experiences and the surface of architecture. The face of architecture can go beyond visual experiences and create surfaces that communicate images by expressing a spectacle. In other words, the installations and surface finishes of architecture make it possible for us to use architecture as a tool for experiential marketing. This study was conducted in order to understand the spectacle phenomenologically as a means of expression in urban consumer space that constantly changes according to the development of the media in urban consumer spaces, and according to the changes of visual perception. In addition, the spectacle is seen as a surface element of architecture that creates urban landscapes. The purpose of this study is to examine how rhetorical expressions of spectacles are used as strategic tools to merchandize architecture as a component of urban landscapes. In conclusion, the authors discuss what roles spectacles play in consumer spaces in order to determine the representative characteristics of surfaces in an attempt to understand architectural surfaces of contemporary urban landscapes as a phenomenon of perceptive communication.

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This study focuses on the use of parks planned for the open space network system, called the ″the Green Matrix System″ in Kohoku New Town. The main purpose of the Green Matrix System is to connect parks, communal facilities, and apartment houses with pedestrian and bicycle roads. We investigated the actual condition of park use, with special focus on the combination of parks, and pedestrian and bicycle roads, and in particular their use by pre-school children. We determined the status of use through observational investigation and questionnaire surveys for two areas. The results were, first, that active use was observed by different users for each time period, and that ″the extended-pass-type activities″ and compound use were observed as a feature of the combination of parks, and pedestrian roads. Second, we conclude that a combination of parks and pedestrian roads strengthens the function of intercommunication and recreation in pass-type activities, and encourages a variety of active uses. On the other hand, it raises safety aspects because of the large amount of bicycles and the strangers passing through the parks, and also because of the numerous blind spots arising because of the plentiful greenery in greenways. There is a possibility that these safety problems could diminish use of the GMS by young children.

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Intelligent Environments can respond to the changing needs of their users, activities, and contexts. They can automatically and dynamically adjust key environmental parameters, such as temperature, light, sound, furnishings, and more. However, most of the attempts to develop Intelligent Environments have focused on their technical aspects, and have largely ignored the dynamic interrelationship between the user and the built environment. As a result, the environmental conflicts among users, their activities and their physical settings have not been completely resolved. This paper applies concepts of environmental design to theorize a framework and propose a more comprehensive model for building Intelligent Environments. In contrast to the current approach, which is based on a systems theory, the method here looks to a collaborative design as a model: it views the modification of settings in Intelligent Environments as a dynamic, collaborative design activity akin to the work of a human design team. The proposed model is developed as a team-type structure of multiple intelligent agents, each of which can sense immediate changes in its domain of responsibility, and can propose corrective measures by negotiating with other agents to form a collective response.

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In recent years, the tendency to promote scholarly exchanges among Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the People′s Republic of China in researches in the field of rural planning as well as other fields has been increasing. For example, researchers report the field surveys of each country and exchange opinions on it; moreover, many studies comparing and analyzing each country have also been conducted. In modern society, rural space, which was earlier regarded as the producing area for agriculture, forestry, and fishing, has recently been playing various roles. This gives rise to the following question: Do the three countries possessing different agricultural policies in fact share the same interpretation of rural space or rural planning, which is the background of researches? This study clarifies the role of rural space and its change by using the results of a questionnaire survey of researchers in rural planning in the three countries. Further, a comparison and consideration is made regarding the research attitudes in Japan, Korea, and China.

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In the way finding system, visual and auditory information should be easily understood, and one information should not disturb the other. In the present study, the effects of additional information upon reaction time to simultaneously presented auditory and visual information was investigated. The results suggest that participants collated simultaneously presented information in order to make judgment. As compared with judgment based on a single piece of presented information, under some circumstances, the act of collation sped up reaction time, whereas in other circumstances collation slowed down this process. The following three conclusions can be drawn. 1) Reaction time decreases when additional information is easier to process than the information that the participant is tasked to focus on. 2) Reaction time increases when additional information is more complex than the information that the participant is tasked to focus on. 3) If the additional information requires a long processing time, collation of information does not occur, and reaction time does not differ from that of the reaction time when not presented with additional information.

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Suggested color combinations and actually existing color combinations for apartment bathrooms are empirically examined in this experiment to test the levels of color discernment for both normal and elderly vision. A YA3 filter was employed for simulating yellowed eyesight that commonly affects the color vision of the elderly. Results of the study imply most color combinations in apartment bathrooms found in Korea today are difficult to discern for both the elderly and young adults with normal vision. In elderly vision, the high discernment levels of the suggested combinations support the efficiency of the color schemes developed in the previous study. The color schemes were complemented and improved through analysis of other combinations, which showed low discernment levels in normal or elderly vision. In conclusion, with the perspective of universal design in mind, this study suggested color schemes that are easily discernable for both elderly and normal vision while maintaining the original mood.

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Progress management is demanding because of the volume of information exchanged among the various parties involved in a project. In particular, steel structures for high-rise construction projects are among the major work items that require more intensive progress management. This research aims at developing a real-time progress management system through an automated module for scheduling estimates and using an RFID system for real-time construction progress. We propose a new technique that preconstruction engineers can use to build a schedule estimation using 3D-CAD and a Database. By using these tools, engineers can visualize then analyze real-time, actual construction progress with on-site RFID and robot systems. The real-time progress management system developed in this study maintains the continuity of the information from 3D design, the accuracy of lists of materials, the automation of expected progress, and the management of actual progress.

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The aim of this study is to analyze and reveal similarities and differences between Bundang, Pyungchon and Ilsan as representative new towns in Korea. Each town was constructed during the same period in the 1990s. The study was carried out by following methods of comparison that recognize the aesthetic characteristics of buildings according to the opinion of the inhabitants. The survey was attributively categorized into criteria including, ′problems and appreciations regarding the appearance of buildings′, ′influential elements and plans for the improvement of the aesthetic characteristic of buildings′, and ′improvement systems concerning the aesthetic characteristic of buildings′. The authors can finally derive three important implications from this study: identify the city image and create variety as well as unity regarding the aesthetic characteristic of buildings, recognize the limit of the present architectural guidance, and continue a specific method of study to establish guidance regarding the aesthetic characteristic of buildings.

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This study attempts to understand how users use rest facilities and, through observation and surveys conducted in three plazas, tries to identify their demand on the rest facilities. The results showed activities in the plaza bringing in large crowds. Half of all users used the supplementary rest facilities such as green decks, railings, and stairs. As a result of ongoing user activities, the rest and other facilities were observed to be closely related. Additionally, children comprised more than 10% of users in the three plazas and tended to use the rest facilities in a dangerous manner. The survey results demonstrated that cleanliness and communication were crucial issues for users. Thus, suggestions include having a plaza design that is based on activities to be held there, that take into account the needs of children, and that consider the environment, users′ comfort, and the need to facilitate communication.

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This paper presents findings from a study on urban poor housing in Dhaka city. Dhaka is a burgeoning mega city and capital of Bangladesh with population of over 12 million, 30 percent of which lives in informal settlements and is classified as urban poor. To make housing programs accessible to the urban poor, the apportioned cost must be affordable to them. As the resources of Government are meager, housing programs can only be sustained if aimed at full cost recovery. This study seeks to contribute to a sustainable approach of affordable housing for the urban poor by reviewing existing housing situation and supply trend. With a particular reference to ′Bhashantek Rehabilitation Project (BRP)′, devised to house 80,000 urban poor, it addresses aptness of the project based on ′affordability′, ′cost recovery′ and ′replicability′ concepts. The study revealed that the foreseeable outcome of the project has a clear disparity with its aim which might not contribute well to curve the housing dearth. Later, the study approaches the concept of tenement apartments for the impoverished city dwellers. Study results expose the preeminence of tenement apartments by admitting the trilogy which is affordable, capital recoverable and sustainable to replicate housing.

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Project risk issues have seldom been addressed from the perspective of jobsite engineers. This study presents a novel approach for collecting risk management data in order to understand the realities of risk management in Taiwan. In this study, accumulation contributing ratio of risk and distance of controllability are utilized as the two proposed criteria to extract the consensus critical risks of practitioners. The data are analyzed from multiple points of view to explore the co-relationship among risk cause, risk strategy, risk result and project stage, and to clarify the risk mechanism and the realities of risk management. This analysis found that the risk is highest in the structure construction and finish work stages, and that schedule postpones and negotiation risk strategies are widely adopted by project managers in Taiwan for all risk results. Conclusions also included that contractors worries about the risk causes concerning natural phenomenon, and contract-related issues at the pre-construction stage which lead to schedule delay and cost overrun risk results.

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This paper studies landscape recognition of the Kamakura historical area by inhabitants. A region is composed of sets of individual events with a broad range of scales. Such embodiments constitute the regional environment that is made up of both nature and man-made structures. In a regional environment, the sharing of these mental spaces is considered to be a necessary precondition for regional coexistence. This study focused on landscape recognition as a shared mental space. A cognitive region map is drawn using the results of a questionnaire, and this map reveals the inhabitants′ recognition of the landscape. A visualization model was used to analyze the area′s environment and the relationships with the inhabitants′ recognition of the landscape. This paper quantifies the urban forms of the regional environment using fractal dimensional analyses of aerial photographs and considers their relationships to the inhabitant′s cognizance of the landscape. Therefore, the objective area of the fractal analysis is extended to include the region of ″a landscape, which has the identity of Kamakura,″ and ″a place that has changed (recognition),″ In this paper, the above analysis was used to quantify complex urban forms. The paper evaluates landscape recognition and the relationships of the urban forms in terms of the continuity of the fractal dimensions.

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This study aims to clarify the relationship that existed between traditional building functions and building components as well as to explain the way the change of building function relates to new space uses in the Kariakoo area. Firstly, the study reviewes the original architectural features, layouts, and meanings, of the Swahili/local architecture of the residential units which existed in the study area before their transformation. Secondly, changes in building functions are analyzed in the current situation while new architectural features and space uses caused by transforming residential units into commercial spaces were identified. Based on building components such as floor, façades, verandah, and roof, the study concludes typologies of new space uses obtained to facilitate the current commercial activities. Finally, the study observed that the change of building functions in Kariakoo has not only affected the building components but also that it has positively transformed the area in being place for both a living (residential) and working place (commercial) thus making Kariakoo an important hub in the city center.

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In this paper, the predictions of ultimate strength of circular concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) stub columns using current design codes such as AIJ-2001, AISC-2005, DL/T-1999, and Eurocode 4-2004, are examined and compared with published experimental tests of CFT short columns made with normal- and high-strength steel and concrete. Based on the investigations, a simple formula for predicting the ultimate strength of CFT stub columns is proposed. The concrete confinement, which depends mainly on the ratio of the external diameter of the steel tube to the plate thickness, the yield stress of the steel tube, and the unconfined compressive strength of the filled concrete, was reasonably achieved in the proposed formula. From comparisons with the published experimental data for CFT short columns of normal and high strength steel and concrete, the present formula is shown to give a good representation of the ultimate strength of circular CFT columns.

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When a concrete structure is exposed to heat such as a fire, its material properties, such as weight, compressive strength and elasticity, are degraded. The exposure also accompanies cracking, spalling and color changes. Therefore, a structure′s quantitative damage assessment is very critical in determining whether to dismantle or strengthen the structure after a fire. The purpose of this study is to consider the color change of heat exposed concrete as a major parameter in conjunction with material property changes, such as weight loss and compressive strength degradation, for the purpose of identifying the relationship between concrete color change and material property changes at high exposure temperatures. For this purpose we manufactured concrete samples with varying water-to-cement ratios and heated them to target temperatures of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800°C in an electric oven, whereupon their color changes, weight losses and residual compressive strengths were measured for analysis. Experiment results show that the color change into red in concrete samples exposed to higher temperatures has a consistent relationship with weight loss rate and residual compressive strength. This result indicates that measuring the hue value in a concrete material can enable assessment of its material property changes.

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New expressions to estimate maximum seismic lateral displacement profiles of regular plane RC frames at three different damage levels, slight, moderate, and severe damage, are developed in this study for the purpose of displacement-based seismic design. These expressions relating the maximum floor displacements with the maximum inter-story drift ratio over the height and the main structural characteristic of the frame are based on statistical analysis of the results of hundreds of nonlinear time history analysis conducted on a set of 25 plane RC frames subjected to a set of 16 physical accelerograms containing different frequency spectrum. The fundamental period, column-to-beam strength ratio, and damage level were identified as the main structural characteristic having significant effects on the maximum displacement profiles. A case study was conducted on a 12-story RC frame model tested on the shaking table before and shows good agreement between the estimated profiles and test results. The developed profiles are independent of sections and reinforcement of the structure so that they can be used as the starting design variables in displacement-based seismic design.

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Dynamic soil-structure interaction considering liquefaction is a very important topic in the field of earthquake engineering. A three-dimensional numerical analysis of pile-soil-structure interaction (PSSI) system in liquefiable site is carried out. General finite differential program FLAC3D is adopted in the analysis. Boundary condition of the model, soil nonlinearity, nonlinearity on the soil-structure interface and pore water pressure build-up process are taken into account in the calculation model. The computational model and analysis method is verified through comparison study between the calculation and the shaking table test results. The distribution of the pore pressure ratio in sand soil and the acceleration of PSSI system are disscussed in this paper. At last, some important findings are concluded.

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The strengthening of reinforced concrete structures using advanced fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is a very popular practice because they are light and highly resistant to corrosion. In particular, the behavior of FRP-reinforced concrete structures is a topic that attracted lot of interest in recent years. However, the application of FRP-reinforced concrete structures requires an extensive development of reliable design equations. This study focuses on the behavior of beams reinforced with different reinforcement ratios of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars and concrete strength. Displacement, strains, and crack width were measured to study the behavior of beams. The results of the investigation can be summarized as follows: (1) Deflections and strains of concrete beams reinforced with GFRP re-bars are generally larger than those reinforced with steel bars; (2) the strength of the concrete has a negligible effect on crack spacing and crack width; (3) and the FRP over-reinforced concrete beams in this study are safe for design in terms of deformability.

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Although the selection of a construction method for each type of work is an important factor in determining the quality of a building, the construction duration, costs, and methods are currently being selected according to the subjective judgment of the person in charge, without sufficient consideration of the characteristics of the work type. As a response to this issue, this study proposes a process model to support decision making when selecting the most suitable construction method for major types of construction work. The study used the risk response level model, which connects the conditions of the order and the site, the constructability of the type of work within the site, a review of the economic efficiency of the work site, the forced-decision method, and binary weighting analysis in the construction planning phase. As a result of the application of this model to the construction method selection process for the construction of soil-retaining walls, the factors to be preferably considered in the field cases were analyzed in the order of the environmental, ground, design, construction, structural, and site conditions. Further, the risk response level of each construction method was calculated via risk response level analysis, subject to four applicable construction methods.

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This paper presents aqueduct and bracket experiments under the action of low frequency cyclic pseudo static loading. A three-dimensional FE model is developed to carry out the nonlinear elastic-plastic model which is combined the elastic model and the nonlinear multi-spring model. In this model the nonlinear hysteretic characteristic of plastic hinge is simulated by the equivalent multi-springs and the biaxial moment in the cross section of the structure and axial deformation are all considered. The hysteretic characteristics of the relationship between deformation and loading of aqueducts and brackets under the action of low frequency cyclic pseudo static loading are studied by model tests. Good correlation is observed between the experimental and analysis hysteretic curves.

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This paper studies the summer natural wind environments inside an airport terminal building under two cases by the method of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The two cases have different opening areas for glass curtain wall. Case 1 has the opening ratio of 10% while Case 2 has 30%. The paper also uses DeST to simulate the annual natural temperature distribution under two kinds of opening ratio in a whole year. At last, the energy consumptions under two conditions—without opening for glass curtain wall all through the year and with the opening ratio of 30% when air conditioning is not run are calculated respectively. The numerical simulation results show that: when the opening ratio of the glass curtain wall is 10%, the summer indoor natural wind environment is bad. The air change rate is less than 6times/h. But when the opening ratio is increased to 30%, the summer indoor natural wind environment becomes better. The air change rate goes above 10times/h. In addition, if 10% opening area of the glass curtain wall is opened completely all through the year, there are at least 2707 hours in which air conditioning is not needed for the airport terminal building. But when 30% opening area is opened completely in a whole year, there are at least 5398 hours in which air conditioning is not needed. In a whole year, if air conditioning is run to make heat or cool when the indoor natural temperature is less than 16°C or higher than 29°C, opening 30% of the glass curtain wall at the time that air conditioning is not run can save 21% of the energy that the case without opening in a whole year consumes. Increasing natural ventilation in summer can decrease the cooling load effectively. But in winter, increasing natural ventilation may increase the heating load.

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Rainwater harvesting systems have been widely accepted as solutions to alleviate the problems of water shortages. The main purpose of this study is to establish a rainwater utilization indicator system to analyze regional rainfall characteristics, and to extract representative variables and weights, as well as develop a formula for an indicator. Then, acquired scores will show the potentials for discrepancies between different rainwater harvesting systems. This study has also compared the scores and long-term simulated water-savings percentages and constructed an effectiveness evaluation formula for rainwater harvesting systems. Eventually, according to the score range, the potentials have been clustered for the establishment of rainwater harvesting systems. Through this indicator system, weight in the scoring formula indicates the inter-relationship of the variables of a rainwater harvesting system and designers can review the system′s design to adjust the parameters for the optimal system. For future reference, the clustering of rainwater utilization potential reflects the potential for the establishment of rainwater harvesting systems in different districts. The proposed rainwater indicator system should be used for reviewing proposals and according to the potential, an optimal design and regulations can be chosen for the most suitable utilization and peak effectiveness of a rainwater harvesting system.

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As people age, they develop more health problems and suffer a decline in body function that can lead to physiological concerns that younger people do not face. One of those concerns is the issue of nighttime toilet usage – some elderly people go as often as three times in one night. These people must wake up during the night, walk to the bathroom, use the facilities, then return to bed and sleep again. They repeat this pattern 2 or 3 times in one night, reducing the time and quality of their sleep, it becomes harder to fall asleep again, and it also increases the risk of injury due to falls or slips. The purpose of this research was to check a variety of retirement homes and care facilities in and around the Tokyo area to see how they dealt with the issue, and how they used lighting to provide a solution. For this particular study, care was given to the differences of the living environment at each care facility, as well as an analysis of the needs and concerns of the people using those facilities.

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Consumer behavior is one of the most important issues with respect to household energy consumption. This paper will evaluate the energy-saving potential of improving consumer behavior on the basis of a field study. In the original survey plan, the monthly electricity use of households in three typical residential buildings in the city of Hangzhou, China, were monitored from April 2007 to July 2008. A total of 124 households in those buildings were selected as the subject households. Half of them were informed of 34 energy-saving measures before July 2008 to teach them how to improve their behavior and control electric appliances in their daily lives. Finally, a questionnaire survey was administered in the beginning of August 2008 to identify the changes in the occupants' behavior. Based on the comparison analyses among the differences in the electricity uses of the 71 remaining valid samples, the conclusions can be drawn that: (1) residential electricity use will increase continually in the near future in China due to improved standards of living and a greater dependency on electric appliances, and (2) more than 10% of household electricity use can be conserved by informing occupants of energy-saving measures to improve their behavior.

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The design of the double-skin façade system must consider the interactions between design parameters. The objective of this study is to propose a simple design process that considers these interactions for double-skin façades in apartment buildings in Korea. A quantitative basis was given by selecting and analyzing the design parameters related to the thermal environment. Using the Taguchi method of design of experiments, the main effects of all major design parameters and the interactions between five major parameters were revealed. The results show that the design parameters of building orientation, cavity height, cavity depth, blind position, outer skin U-value, and inner skin U-value, as well as the interaction between cavity depth and aperture size were found to be significant for total load. Based on the variance ratio of each parameter and the interactions between five parameters representing the cavity, blinds, apertures, and glass type, the design process of façade elements that considers interactions was found to be orientation - outer skin - blinds - apertures - cavity - inner skin.

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With the development of economic globalization, as well as the current industrial structure in which the interruption of business activities would have a worldwide impact, preparations to maintain the operation level of important business tasks in the event of a disaster have become increasingly important in both the public and private sectors. This study focused on the electrical power system in buildings and a field survey was performed on emergency power supply facilities to secure an emergency power supply in the major business districts of Japan. The objective of the study was to extract beneficial information regarding the emergency power supply capacity related to business continuity in buildings located in the central business district, to contribute to the future establishment of BCPs. The results of the analysis indicated that the percentage of the capacity of the emergency power supply in contract demand tends to be larger when running time equivalent to full-load operation is longer on the whole. The survey indicated that in the majority of the buildings, the maximum operating time on the emergency power supply is 24 h or less. Therefore, business continuity will be impossible if the power supply is interrupted for more than 24 h.

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In this study, we observed the vibrations caused by the construction of a roadway tunnel excavated using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) in an urban area. We analyzed the resulting vibrations and disturbances and their effect on a high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM). The characteristics of the construction equipment, various construction tasks, wave propagation and attenuation in the soil, along with the transmission of vibration forces to adjacent buildings were also clarified. These findings were combined and the effects on the HVEM were examined to model vibration-induced disturbances. The accuracy of these findings was confirmed by comparing the results obtained with actual observations that were recorded later. The findings of this study are expected to enhance the ability to distinguish between the many factors involved in vibration-induced disturbances caused by equipment. The findings could also be applied to monitoring construction activities and predicting the effects of vibration-induced disturbances on high-precision equipment.

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The present research introduces a technique to determine the location of pollution sources in urban areas through the use of inverse CFD modeling. The technique depends primarily on the solution of the transport equation with time integration in the negative direction. This is called the Reversed Time Marching Method (RTMM). In order to examine the accuracy of RTMM in identifying pollution sources, two examples were given. In the first one, a simple laminar flow was considered and a pollutant was emitted for variable wind conditions. In the second example, the wind flow around a single building was investigated for two different sources. Steady-state numerical simulations were carried out at first in order to estimate flow fields. Then, forward-time simulation was used to calculate pollutant concentrations. In the last stage, the scalar transport equation was solved again but with a reversed flow field and negative diffusion term. By using peak concentration, one could identify the source of the pollution. Results of the study demonstrated that RTMM can identify pollution sources in urban areas with a satisfactory degree of accuracy. However, more work is needed to decrease the wide spread of the concentration field around source location to facilitates the source identification.

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This paper presents a simple prediction strategy for estimating the pressure distribution in high-rise residential buildings, using key parameters that affect the magnitude and distribution of stack pressure. The strategy is composed of two procedures: first, the stack pressure is predicted from parameters such as the height of the elevator shaft, the location of the neutral pressure level for each shaft, and the interior temperature of each shaft. Then, the pressure distribution of each floor is calculated using the equivalent leakage areas of the exterior and interior walls, by which finally the pressure difference across the exterior walls can be estimated. To verify the feasibility of this strategy, the predicted pressure differences across exterior walls were compared to measured data of a high-rise residential building with multiple elevator zoning. The results show that this strategy can predict pressure distribution quickly with satisfactory results for both the architectural designer and HVAC engineer.

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As urbanization progresses, the outdoor thermal environment is deteriorating due to the decrease of vegetation and increase of constructed surfaces. Environmental problems such as the heat island phenomenon occur not only in large cities but also in mid-sized and small cites. Increasing tree or vegetation plantings is one of the most effective strategies to mitigate environmental problems and create a comfortable living environment. In this study, the microclimatic effect of a windbreak forest surrounding a residence was analyzed based on field measurements and numerical simulation results. Spherical thermographs of surface temperature distribution observed in an actual residence were used to identify the thermal effect of the windbreak forest and surface materials. A coupled numerical simulation method of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and outdoor thermal simulation was used to evaluate the microclimate and thermal comfort in outdoor living spaces. The proposed simulation method was validated by comparing the simulated results with the measurement data. In addition, the residence was modeled using the coupled simulation program to quantify the microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort. Simulation results show that this simulation method is capable of predicting the solar shading effect and wind speed reduction due to trees as well as thermal improvement from decreased ambient air temperature and surface temperature.

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The 403-seat Kung Hsue She (KHS) Concert Hall features a small proscenium stage designed to accommodate a wide range of performances. Attention to room acoustical design emphasized broadening the variability, while recitals by pianists and singers were considered primary. These competing purposes were realized by integrating stage curtains with the stage shell and the coupled volume outside the shell. Detached lateral reflectors were introduced to minimize sound level drop due to use of moveable curtains around the audience. The proposed design strategies were tested using a scale model and were verified in the completed hall.

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This study has prepared three models with two different types of ventilation systems including a natural ventilation system with a solar chimney installed, a mechanical ventilation system equipped with a fan which has a volume flow rate of 0.736 m³/min, and one type of natural condition that depends only on infiltration. The ventilation performance of each model was then measured and evaluated by analyzing the amount of concentration change of HCHO and TVOC. The results of this analysis showed that the concentration reduction rate of HCHO and TVOC were 38.9% and 68.4%, respectively, in the natural ventilation system that had a solar chimney, while concentrations were 31.5% and 64.9%, respectively, in the mechanical ventilation system that was equipped with a fan.

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