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The growing global interest in preventing and controlling fires in high-rise buildings reflects the increasing significance of this issue today. This research aims to establish an early warning framework for fire risk in high-rise buildings. Firstly, considering the importance of a scientific indicator system for the application of the model, this study combines the event analysis method with the building design fire code to identify 11 key risk factors that have a far-reaching impact on the prevention of fires in high-rise buildings. Based on identifying the risk factors, a high-rise building fire risk warning tree is also established, which scientifically solves the problem of the indicator system of the warning object. Subsequently, in response to the various complex issues arising from the uncertainty of fire occurrence in high-rise buildings, this study adopts the unascertained method to model the fire risk of high-rise buildings for early warning. In addition, the developed methodology was empirically validated through case studies and analyses of empirical data on fire risks in nine representative high-rise buildings. The results of the unascertained method were also compared with the results of the K-means method, from which it was concluded that the unascertained method can predict building fires more accurately. The research results provide a reliable decision support system for fire disaster prevention and control in high-rise buildings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In urban areas like Chicago, daily life extends above ground level due to the prevalence of high-rise buildings where residents and commuters live and work. This study examines the variation in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentrations across building stories. PM 2.5 levels were measured using PurpleAir sensors, installed between 8 April and 7 May 2023, on floors one, four, six, and nine of an office building in Chicago. Additionally, data were collected from a public outdoor PurpleAir sensor on the fourteenth floor of a condominium located 800 m away. The results show that outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations peak at 14 m height, and then decline by 0.11 μg/m 3 per meter elevation, especially noticeable from midnight to 8 a.m. under stable atmospheric conditions. Indoor PM 2.5 concentrations increase steadily by 0.02 μg/m 3 per meter elevation, particularly during peak work hours, likely caused by greater infiltration rates at higher floors. Both outdoor and indoor concentrations peak around noon. We find that indoor and outdoor PM 2.5 are positively correlated, with indoor levels consistently remaining lower than outside levels. These findings align with previous research suggesting decreasing outdoor air pollution concentrations with increasing height. The study informs decision-making by community members and policymakers regarding air pollution exposure in urban settings.

Nowadays, ultra-wide cross section highway is a hotspot in construction and brings some unique noise distribution characteristics. In this work, we further investigate noise distribution characteristics of diverse building layouts along ultra-wide cross section highway in Guangdong Province with multiple noise mitigation measures. By the aid of vehicle noise emission model and noise mapping, the influence of high-rise building layouts and shielding in the urban planning on noise mitigation is also considered. Some key findings are summarized as follows: (1) Under the same distance, the noise level of non-frontage building facades is higher than frontage building facades. After taking noise reduction measures, the noise reduction effect of non-street-facing building facades, buildings facing the road, and buildings at a long distance to the road is greater than street-facing building facades, buildings sideways to the road, and buildings at a short distance; (2) the distribution trend of insertion loss (IL) of non-frontage buildings is influenced by the height of the frontage buildings. Specifically, the trend of insertion loss first increases and then decreases as the floor rises when the height of non-frontage buildings is higher than frontage buildings. Comparatively, the trend of insertion loss decreases as the floor rises when the height of non-frontage buildings is equal to frontage buildings; (3) when double noise reduction measures are implemented, the noise distribution trend in buildings is similar to that observed with individual noise reduction measure, where the difference between both is only 0.6 dB(A). Thanks to the high representativeness of the case area, this work can provide some design guidance for the urban planning and the selection of noise reduction measures along the ultra-wide cross section highway., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The construction industry plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. Concurrently, the sector also generates enormous quantities of construction and demolition waste (CDW) that damages the ecology causing environmental pollution and deteriorating human health. Recently, various governments and other organizations realized the importance of implementing construction waste management (CWM) practices to attain sustainability in construction. The current decade can be called a pathway for achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals in which CWM plays an inevitable role. However, accurately quantifying construction waste is necessary to successfully implement any CDW management plan. A detailed literature review for the current research revealed that limited information on the magnitude of construction waste is available in India. Therefore, the current paper proposes a practically viable model to estimate the waste generation index (construction waste generated per total floor area) of high-rise residential buildings in India. The waste quantification is being done based on the project documents and expert interviews. The methodology is later validated through a high-rise building with G + 18 stories located in Kerala, India. The study indicated that a high-rise concrete framed structure generates 122.3 kg m -2 of waste during construction. It was also noted that, concrete, aggregates and blocks constitute 92% of the total waste generated in the project. The developed model can also be used as a cornerstone for establishing a construction waste database at the regional level., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: From 2010 to 2021, suicide rates in 15-24 age group in Taiwan increased by 70%, with jumping being the most common method in 2021. We examined the link between the rise in youth suicides and the increase in high-rise buildings during this period., Methods: Spearman's correlation coefficients and negative binomial mixed-effects models were employed to assess the association between the increase in high-rise buildings and jumping suicides over time., Results: Spearman's correlation coefficients of high-rise buildings and jumping suicide rates in youth decreased from 0.692 (p < 0.001) in 2010 to 0.354 (p = 0.11) in 2021. Negative binomial mixed-effects models showed that although jumping suicide rates in youths increased over time, the increase in numbers of high-rise buildings was not related to rates of youth suicide by jumping. Conversely, in older age groups, the correlations were still prominent., Conclusion: Despite the rising trend in youth suicides by jumping over the past 11 years, our study refutes the intuitive notion that the increase in high-rise buildings contributes to this trend. It is imperative to identify and address other potential factors, such as academic stress and/or family disruptions, for effective prevention of youth suicide., (© 2024 The Authors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Suicidology.)

We described the frequency of residential case clusters and the efficiency of compulsory testing in identifying cases using buildings targeted in compulsory testing and locally infected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases matched by residence in Hong Kong. Most of the buildings (4246 of 7688, 55.2%) with COVID-19 cases identified had only 1 reported case, and 13% of the daily reported cases were detected through compulsory testing. Compulsory testing notices could be essential in attempting to eliminate infections ("zero COVID") and have an impact early in an epidemic, but they appear to be relatively inefficient in response to sustained community transmission., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. BJC consults for AstraZeneca, Fosun Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Haleon, Moderna, Pfizer, Roche, and Sanofi Pasteur. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Recycling strategies and waste management for the source separation of recyclables are still in their infancy in China and many other developing countries. Unlike formal recycling systems with strictly regulated management in high-income countries, waste management and recycling activities in low-income and middle-income countries are predominantly informal. Formal recycling systems often have very small amounts of recyclables in comparison to informal recycling systems. Considering the Chinese case of urban Guangzhou, where formal and informal recycling systems coexist, this study investigated household recycling behaviour and explored the sociodemographic and contextual factors that affect this behaviour. Based on data collected through questionnaire surveys and interviews, a model of the use of public recycling facilities (UPRF) and a model of the use of informal recycling sectors (UIRS) were evaluated using correlations and multiple regression analyses. The findings indicated that the use of public recycling facilities can be significantly predicted by the launch of a source separation scheme, the physical setting and satisfaction with public recycling facilities. The sociodemographic variables did not significantly predict the use of public recycling facilities but did significantly predict the use of informal recycling sectors. This study's findings have implications for researchers and policymakers and shed light on public designs for sustainability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Curtain walls are the façade of choice in high-rise buildings and an indispensable element of architecture for a contemporary city. In conventional curtain walls, the glass panels are simply supported by the metal framing which transfers any imposed load to the building structure. The absence of composite action between glass and metal results in deep frames, protruding to the inside, occupying valuable space and causing visual disruption. In response to the limited performance of conventional systems, an innovative frame-integrated unitized curtain wall is proposed to reduce structural depth to one fifth (80%) allowing an inside flush finish and gaining nettable space. The novel curtain wall is achieved by bonding a pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) frame to the glass producing a composite insulated glass unit (IGU). This paper selects the candidate frame and adhesive materials performing mechanical tests on GFRP pultrusions to characterize strength and elasticity and on GFRP-glass connections to identify failure module and strength. The material test results are used in a computer-based numerical model of a GFRP-glass composite unitized panel to predict the structural performance when subjected to realistic wind loads. The results confirm the reduction to one fifth is possible since the allowable deflections are within limits. It also indicates that the GFRP areas adjacent to the support might require reinforcing to reduce shear stresses.

Excess concentrations of lead (Pb) were found in tap water from drinking water supply systems of high-rise buildings in 11 public rental housing (PRH) estates in Hong Kong, posing threats to public health. The copper supply lines are fitted with lead-soldered connections and brass fixtures and faucets. The causes of excess lead are studied through field sampling on occupied households, experiments on prototype supply chains, and 3D numerical modeling. The tap water lead concentration of 129 households in the PRH estates was sampled using a specially designed protocol, revealing the highly variable lead concentration variations induced by sources along the supply chain. Lead concentration variation at consumer tap and its relation with various lead sources are studied in a full-scale test rig. A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is successfully developed to interpret the time variation of lead concentrations at the consumer tap. Model predictions of the complex variation of dissolved lead are in good agreement with data and confirm lead solder in copper pipe connections as a major cause of the "lead water" episode in Hong Kong. The CFD calculations demonstrate the importance of turbulent diffusion and shear flow dispersion in the modeling of lead; the use of a "plug flow" approximation can result in significant overestimation of lead concentration. The findings provide a basis for lead risk assessment of different water sampling strategies in densely populated high-rise buildings in Megacities.

Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis ( Bti ) is an effective biological insecticide for killing mosquito larvae. However, choosing the suitable application method for larviciding is critical in increasing its effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Bti (VectoBac ® ) WG using various applications at high-rise buildings. Three different applications of Bti treatment were applied at three high-rise buildings in Bandar Saujana Putra. The ULV machine is used for Pangsapuri Impian, a mist blower for Pangsapuri Seri Saujana and a pressured sprayer for BSP 21. BSP Skypark does not undergo treatment and acts as a control. The efficacy of Bti treatment was measured by analyzing the ovitrap surveillance data collected (POI and MLT) for pre and post-treatment. Post-treatment ovitrap surveillance indicates that the Aedes sp. mosquito density was lower than the density at the time of pre-treatment surveillance. Overall, the Aedes albopictus species in both an indoor and outdoor environment setting had shown a reduction. The highest Aedes sp. density reduction is seen through the use of mist blowers in outdoor settings for Aedes albopictus , (%POI reduction = 87.4%; %MLT reduction = 93.8%). The mist blower yielded results that is significantly higher compared to other larviciding applications; the order from greatest to the least was mist blower > pressured sprayer > ULV. It can be concluded that each application produces different degrees of effectiveness in reducing the Aedes sp. density in different environmental settings.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of voids in tall buildings on the surrounding wind environment. With the development of modular technology, there has been a new method of building high-rise buildings. Currently, more and more high-rise buildings often use void spaces to reduce the wind resistance and utilize wind turbines by using wind power to create sky gardens. In this study, CFD (computer fluid dynamic) technology was used to simulate the wind environment around the buildings. The research focuses on the size, distribution and quantity of the concavity, which usually is defined as sky gardens. It is found that when the area of the opening is the same, the more number of opening, the more strengthened and distributed vertical wind velocity behind the building can be. The wind shadow area at the pedestrian height is further reduced. For holes distribution, the optimum ratio of the spacing between concavities to the void size for wind environment of tall buildings ranges from 1 to 3, which can disperse the surrounding heat in more efficiency and weaken the wind velocity in the lowest level. Therefore, in high-rise buildings, the number and distribution of the openings will have different effects on the wind environment around the buildings., (© The Author(s) 2019.)

In recent decades, various studies on policy, management, behaviour, norms and economic incentives related to food waste issues have been conducted. Many of the studies are from a quantitative perspective which has given a wider but general coverage of study and analysis on the matters. However, the impacts of context, such as living environments and social culture, on recycling activities from a qualitative as well as in-depth perspective have seldom been discussed, especially in densely populated communities. Taking Hong Kong as an example, some food waste recycling (FWR) initiatives have been launched in housing estates. However, most projects have been suspended due to many practical problems. Only a few cases are still on-going. Physical setting quality has been identified as a significant factor affecting sustainable behaviour. Inefficient and low-quality public designs that do not consider living environments and specific lifestyles may fail to encourage community participation. This study aims to provide a more in-depth investigation into people's attitudes and actual behaviour towards and to shed light on public design for sustainability. Using the FWR programme in Amoy Gardens as a case, this study uses qualitative research methods to explore FWR experiences and improve its weaknesses. The findings show three potential challenges to FWR in densely populated high-rise buildings: (1) limited space, (2) hygiene issues and (3) implementation and management. This study also provides implications for public design to improve sustainability in communities and encourage public participation in FWR in high-density residential areas., (© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper gives a brief description of the over quick urbanization sinceChongqing, one of the biggest cities in China, has been a municipality directly under theCentral Government in 1997, excessive development and exceeding increase of high-risebuildings because of its special geographical position which finally leads to the worseningof the urban outdoor thermal environment. Then, this paper makes a bright balance to thefield measurement and simulated results of the wind speed field, temperature field of onemultifunctional high-rise building in Chongqing university located in the city center, andthe contrasted results validate the correctness of CFD in the outdoor thermal environmentalsimulation, expose the disadvantages of high-rise buildings on the aspects of blocking thewind field, decreasing wind speed which results in accumulation of the air-conditioningheat revolving around and periscian region where sunshine can not rip into. Finally, inorder to improve the urban outdoor thermal environment near the high-rise buildingsespecially for the angle of natural ventilation, this paper simulates the wind environment indifferent architectural compositions and architectural layouts by CFD, and the simulatedresults show that freestyle and tower buildings which can guarantee the wind speed andtake the air-conditioning heat away are much suitable and reasonable for the specialChongqing geography. These conclusions can also be used as a reference in othermountain cities, especially for the one with a great number of populations.