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Accidents are events that occur unexpectedly during production or daily activities, causing personal injury or property damage. Analyzing accident trends and their influencing factors is crucial for policymakers to develop effective management systems and preventive measures, thereby significantly enhancing accident prevention strategies and promoting sustainability in construction practices. This study focuses on accidents in China's construction industry from 2008 to 2020, examining the macro factors that influence the growth rate of construction accidents and their underlying mechanisms. By employing a system dynamics model with incorporated delay functions, this study simulates the impact of 15 macro factors on the accident growth rate. The findings reveal that improvements in factors such as the power equipment rate and safety investments not only substantially reduce accident frequency, but also contribute to the sustainable development of construction practices by promoting safer and more resource-efficient methods. Furthermore, the introduction of delay functions validates the lag effects of various factors, emphasizing their long-term cumulative impact on both safety and sustainability. The simulation results demonstrate that the system dynamics model accurately reflects the actual growth trends of construction accidents, providing robust scientific evidence for policymakers. This study enhances the understanding of the mechanisms driving construction safety accidents and offers theoretical support for the formulation of effective and sustainable safety management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry, a major player in economic development, is facing increased pressure to address sustainability concerns amidst rapid population growth and urbanization. With global projections indicating a significant rise in building demand by 2050, sustainability has emerged as a crucial focus area and paradigm shift to enhance environmental friendliness, quality, and project outcomes. The UAE, renowned for its vibrant construction industry, offers a unique context for examining the integration of sustainable practices. The use of sustainable construction practices is growing in the UAE, where the built environment plays a key role in economic growth and environmental stewardship. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) aims to foster long-term sustainability while enhancing the standard of living for current and future generations by integrating social, environmental, and economic aspects within construction projects, while also reevaluating conventional sustainable development frameworks and embracing a triple bottom line approach. This research was conducted to explore sustainable construction material usage and evaluation in the United Arab Emirates. The literature was reviewed for sustainable building construction materials across the UAE in the SCOPUS index from 2014 to 2024, as well as the regional regulations concerning the subject. This study evaluated the increasing trend of sustainable construction material research works, as well as the sound regional parameters of sustainable construction materials implemented across the country. Through an exploration of the significance of sustainable construction materials, this research underscores the multifaceted benefits of locally sourced, recyclable, and renewable materials in reducing environmental impacts, fostering economic and social well-being, and improving overall project performance and project management practices. The construction sector's role in economic development and its substantial environmental impact are discussed in alignment with sustainable construction materials, sustainable construction practices, and the need to enhance environmental sustainability and create healthier built environments. In the realm of sustainable construction materials, project management knowledge areas encompass a range of factors. These include the properties of materials sourced regionally; the incorporation of recycled content; considerations for indoor air quality, energy, and water efficiency parameters; and how these properties relate to project scopes, scheduling constraints, and challenges. Additionally, the availability of resources and competency levels, quality control standards, specifications, communication strategies, and stakeholder involvement play crucial roles. It is important to assess both the positive and negative risks associated with these elements across construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability in construction is a growing concern due to the significant polluting waste generated before, during, and after a building's life cycle. The use of natural materials can significantly reduce the environmental footprint in obtaining, manufacturing, transportation, execution, use, maintenance, and demolition of the building, especially when locally sourced. Natural fibers, in particular, can be used in room acoustics, offering good acoustic absorption while meeting sustainability goals. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate cabuya fiber, grown in Ecuador, as an acoustic absorbing material and to introduce a novel approach using machine learning to simulate the material's acoustic properties. Eight samples of cabuya fiber, bound with a solution of water and Ca(OH)2, were prepared with thicknesses between 12 and 30.6 mm. The sound absorption coefficients (SACs) were calculated using an impedance tube, following international standards. A Gaussian regression model was built for the predictions. The results showed that the 30.6 mm sample achieved maximum absorption coefficients of 0.91 at 2 kHz and 0.9 at 5 kHz. The model predictions are very accurate, with a mean square error of just 0.0002. These findings offer valuable insights into using cabuya fiber and advanced predictive models to enhance building acoustic performance and reduce environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A couple of air quality (AQ) parameters were monitored with two types of low-cost sensors (LCSs) before, during and after the garden fence rebuilding of a dwelling house, located at the junction of a main road and a side street in a suburban area of Budapest, Hungary. The AQ variables, recorded concurrently indoors and outdoors, were particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) and some gaseous trace pollutants, such as CO2, formaldehyde (HCHO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Medium-size aerosol (PM2.5-1), coarse particulate (PM10-2.5) and indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios were calculated. The I/O ratios showed that indoor fine and medium-size PM was mostly of outdoor origin; its increased levels were observed during the renovation. The related pollution events were characterized by peaks as high as 100, 95 and 37 µg/m3 for PM1, PM2.5-1 and PM10-2.5, respectively. Besides the renovation, some indoor sources (e.g., gas-stove cooking) also contributed to the in-house PM1, PM2.5-1 and PM10-2.5 levels, which peaked as high as 160, 255 and 220 µg/m3, respectively. In addition, these sources enhanced the indoor levels of CO2, HCHO and, rarely, VOCs. Increased and highly fluctuating VOC levels were observed in the outdoor air (average: 0.012 mg/m3), mainly due to the use of paints and thinners during the reconstruction, though the use of a nearby wood stove for heating was an occasional contributing factor. The acquired results show the influence of the fence renovation-related activities on the indoor air quality in terms of aerosols and gaseous components, though to a low extent. The utilization of high-resolution LCS-assisted monitoring of gases and PMx helped to reveal the changes in several AQ parameters and to assign some dominant emission sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector, particularly in the context of highrise buildings, presents unique health and safety risk management challenges. This bibliometric study seeks to examine and assess the current research on risk management in health and safety, specifically in highrise building development. By examining scholarly articles, this study seeks to identify key themes, trends, and gaps in the current knowledge base. A comprehensive search of relevant databases using VOSviewer yielded diverse scholarly articles, journals, and conference papers. The findings show 1000 studies comprising 469 journal articles, 478 books, seven monographs, two reports, and 41 additional formats. The visualization shows the keywords "Safety" and "Health" as the most impactful. The analysis reveals the evolution of research over time and the interdisciplinary nature of studies in this critical domain. The results of this study enhance our comprehension of the corpus of data and offer valuable suggestions for potential avenues of future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to effectively utilize data related to building construction accidents by delving deeply into the correlations between key causes and accident attributes. Firstly, the authors gathered 1134 accident investigation reports and employed the "5W1H" analysis method to extract six types of accident attributes: time, location, cause category, activity, building type, and accident type. Subsequently, a word cloud map was employed to identify the primary direct causes, and the correlation characteristics among the four cause categories were analyzed. Finally, a heterogeneous correlation network of building construction accident attributes was constructed using Gephi software. Topological parameters were introduced to analyze the relationships among the six accident attributes. The results indicate that a complex network can effectively analyze the interplay among various construction accident attributes, thus revealing the correlation laws and accident characteristics between various accident attributes. The set of key nodes is represented as {F1, F2, B2, B17, F3, B4, B16, B5, F4, B15, D20}. Thirteen highly correlated sets of accident attributes were identified, highlighting the need for collaborative accident prevention strategies. These findings have the potential to visually present accident knowledge, offering innovative insights for the analysis of building construction accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant share of buildings from total energy consumption across the world has been mentioned and emphasized very well by several scholars. In this regard, there have been major developments and improvements in the expertise of developing and designing buildings to be adequately energy efficient. However, the recent studies show that there is still a considerable deviation between the intended and actual energy consumption of the completed buildings. Hence, this exploratory study aims to discover the origin of success and failure in achieving energy efficiency in building construction projects with a life cycle perspective and based on viewpoints of key participants in the project and constructed building's operation. To do so, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish project professionals representing client, design/planning experts, contractors and building operation/maintenance experts. Both thematic analysis and content analysis methods were employed for analysing the obtained research data. The findings reveal a set of challenges/barriers and solutions/enablers which account for failure and success of achieving energy-efficient buildings. The obtained results contribute to the existing body of knowledge and practices on achieving energy efficiency in building construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better protect the ecological environment, this study investigates the evolution of the landscape in Hubei Province and its impact on Net Primary Production (NPP). By utilizing landscape assessment tools and neighborhood proxy methods, it quantifies the changes in NPP resulting from landscape transformations over periods of 5 and 20 years. The results indicate significant NPP variations, with changes ranging from −406.199 to 507.181 g*C/m2. The geographical detector model identifies key drivers, particularly noting significant changes in landscape features at type boundaries, which affect NPP. Land cover, especially transitions between forests, shrublands, and croplands, is identified as a critical factor. This research highlights the complex relationship between landscape modifications and NPP variations, emphasizing the importance of ecological considerations in landscape management amid urbanization. It offers valuable insights for future landscape management and conservation strategies in Hubei, aiming for ecological preservation alongside development. Additionally, this work fills a theoretical gap by linking changes in landscape features to NPP, proposing new perspectives for landscape protection and ecological capacity enhancement, and providing practical guidance for improving NPP and coordinated landscape management in Hubei.

This paper discusses the home garden (Pekarangan) Physical structure in the current condition of Javanese agricultural villages. The discussion mainly focused on home garden layout, spatial elements, and vegetation characteristics. The study of Traditional Javanese village home gardens is summarized from the study of relevant literature. Current conditions were identified from the results of observation and field studies in three villages selected based on the distance of the urban area. A spatial analysis of the home garden’s layout and forming elements was carried out to determine the current condition of the home garden structure and its transformation. The result revealed that the typical Javanese home garden structure in the village still exists and is utilized by people. Some home gardens were also transformed into new structures based on their original form. Home garden spatial structure transformation can be seen in the changes in home garden spatial structure, land size, area coverage, and vegetation characteristics. Furthermore, the composition of the home garden’s spatial structure transformation influences the village’s spatial development.

The literature considers urban green spaces as a key to promoting physical activity and health. Despite the increasingly recognized walking exercise promotion benefits of urban green spaces, the relationship between walking exercise preferences and green space layout remains unclear. We extracted preferred routes for walking exercise and measured the route heat using a one-year shared data of walking exercise from a mobile outdoor assistant app in the old city of Fuzhou, China. We then evaluated green space layout features within a 500-m buffer zone along the preferred routes in dimensions of scale, form, and function. The relationship between the route heat and green space layout features was analyzed using a series of poisson regression models, with the influence of urban morphology and the built environment allocation being controlled. Results showed that there existed a significant association between preferred routes for walking exercise and the combination of green space layout, urban morphology, and the built environment allocation; the route heat had positive associations with NDVI and comprehensive park area density, and showed negative associations with patch shape index and patch density. This study illustrates the necessity for targeted intervention strategies to promote the development of walkable and healthy urban areas.

The contractor’s performance behavior is fundamental in improving project performance. However, few studies have investigated the impact of contractual mechanisms on contractor’s performance behavior and how this impacts project performance. Therefore, this study developed and tested a theoretical model to examine the mediating role of contractor’s performance behavior between risk allocation(contractual governance) and project performance. A total of 208 valid questionnaires collected from project managers in the Chinese construction industry were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the theoretical hypotheses. The empirical results show that proper risk allocation can induce both contractors’ perfunctory and consummate behavior and restrict opportunistic behavior, thus achieving basic project performance. Although the mediating effect of perfunctory behavior is insignificant, consummate and opportunistic behavior can mediate between proper risk allocation and value-added project performance, where the mediating role of consummate behavior is more critical. The findings contribute to the impact of contractual mechanisms on the construction project performance and guide the owner’s contract design strategy and the contractor’s choice of performance strategy.

Enhancing the resilience of urban agglomerations is crucial for regional sustainable development. By analyzing the regional resilience of Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle (CCEC) from 2006 to 2018, this paper explores the development level of regional resilience, and tries to apply the new perspective of niche related method to the research of regional resilience. Based on the urban resilience theory and the ecological niche theory, this paper constructs the regional resilience index (RRI) from the four dimensions of ecology, economy, society and resources, and selects the suitability, robustness and diversity indicators to construct the regional resilience evaluation index system. The results show that the regional suitability of the central urban area shows a positive trend, showing that the suitability of urban development in the core area is better, and the suitability of urban development in the second edge area is weaker. From the perspective of regional robustness characteristics, the differences in the four dimensions of ecology, economy, society and resources are on the rise, and there are certain risks of system robustness. From the characteristics of regional diversity, the interaction between cities at the same level is more frequent, the competition between core cities is fierce, the secondary cities are homogeneous, the system function and structure similarity within the region is high, and the diversity of regional resilience is poor. Finally, the current situation of resilience in the CCEC region is discussed and suggestions for optimization are made.

Following China’s reform and opening up in 1978, the image of European and American city construction has shaped China’s modern urban environment, but the creation of Chinese cities’ original intrinsic cultural landscape has been neglected. This leads to a break in the inheritance of garden culture in contemporary public and open urban landscape design. This study investigates the process of integrating traditional Chinese gardens into contemporary landscapes using grounded theory. In this study, In Vivo Coding is utilized to conduct a thorough analysis of textual materials through a three-step process: Open Coding, Axial Coding, and Selective Coding saturation test. The identified data are meticulously coded and summarized, culminating in the construction of a theoretical model. The study revealed that the incorporation of traditional Chinese garden elements in contemporary urban landscape design involves several key aspects: firstly, employing the traditional layout and spatial form of the entire design site; secondly, integrating modern public landscape design scenes with traditional garden design concepts to evoke a distinct Chinese ambiance; furthermore, utilizing both modern technology and materials alongside traditional techniques to create multi-dimensional elements within the site. The present study systematically synthesizes and examines the incorporation of traditional Chinese garden elements in contemporary urban design across six dimensions. This research offers a theoretical framework for the preservation of traditional garden culture and its integration into modern landscape, as well as furnishing mechanisms and methodologies for integrating traditional culture into contemporary landscape design practice. This research provides a valuable reference for preserving and practically implementing traditional garden elements in contemporary urban landscapes.

Cultural heritage conceptually addresses the conservation of physical and non-physical dimensions. Heritage conservation generally intends to create pleasant spatial experiences and socio-culturally friendly living environments while accommodating contemporary needs. Conservation frameworks for protecting urban fabric driven by physical authenticity and expert judgment need to pay increased attention to public-based assessment experiences to improve people’s perspectives on the quality of urban historic areas. The notions of inclusive conservation posit that community understanding is essential for appreciating historic urban areas due to various social, cultural, historical, and political conditions. According to public narratives and perspectives, this study describes the types of urban historic districts perceived as attractive. The investigation uses the qualitative method to analyze data from 170 participants obtained through an online questionnaire and content analysis methods with open, axial, and selective coding. The findings reveal that from the public perspective of environmental quality assessment, historic districts are categorized under three types according to attractiveness. Three types of historic areas are vibrant, relaxing, and dull districts. As such, the study emphasizes the importance of human sensory experience in urban planning and design and its consequences for urban heritage conservation.

Hospital construction projects require the integration of innovative technologies, making them complex and challenging to estimate accurately. Without reliable guidelines, lists of considerations, or predictive models, decision-makers may choose an unsuitable contractor, leading to cost overruns and project delays. This research used quantitative and qualitative methods, including expert opinions and focus groups, to address this issue and identify critical factors affecting cost estimation in hospital construction. Using multi-regression analysis, historical data was analyzed to establish a cost-predictive model. The study identified 24 factors that determine the most critical criteria affecting the cost estimation of hospital construction. This model can evaluate the estimated direct cost provided to decision-makers in the early stages of the project with over 95% accuracy. The research results can assist professionals in the construction industry in better estimating and managing the costs of hospital construction projects, reducing risks, and improving project outcomes. Key findings indicate that specific components such as site and electrical works show average percentage errors of 8.02% and 5.11%, respectively, highlighting areas prone to cost estimation inaccuracies. This insight directs focus on improving accuracy in these critical sectors, thus further refining cost management strategies for hospital construction projects.

Zhongshan, a city characterized by its profound historical heritage and distinctive rural civilization, has been consistently influenced by traditional agricultural practices throughout its history. This research conducts an in-depth exploration of Zhongshan’s unique rural spaces, systematically examining the evolutionary trends and determinants of Zhongshan’s water-town settlements across different historical epochs through the application of multidimensional spatial analysis techniques. The results indicate that these settlements exhibited cohesive spatial distribution characteristics across five historical periods. Notably, there was a significant clustering effect during the Ming and Qing dynasties, while Before the Qing dynasty, the spatial distribution of the settlements presented a pattern with multiple core areas coexisting. After the Qing dynasty, the spatial layout of these principal core areas stabilized and gradually diffused to surrounding areas, forming a balanced and continuous distribution pattern. Throughout the study period, the spatial pattern of the water-town settlements exhibited characteristics of five primary core areas and several secondary core areas. Concurrently, the centroid of the water-town settlements consistently shifted southeastward. When examining the intensity of influence on spatial evolution, the study found that socio-economic (q = 0.345) and accessibility factors (q = 0.356) exert a greater impact on the spatial distribution of rural settlements than do natural environmental factors (q = 0.136). However, the interaction between natural environmental factors and socio-economic and accessibility factors provides greater explanatory power than the interactions within natural factors alone. This suggests that in a specific socio-economic context, the impact of the natural environment on water-town settlements is enhanced. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrates that the rural population, regional economic status, proximity to urban centers, and the distribution of water bodies positively influence the spatial evolution of water-town settlements.

The modernization process in rural areas negatively impacts on local traditional cultural landscapes, and some spatial elements in villages are of great significance in maintaining traditional cultural landscapes. However, it is unclear about the impact of ancestral temple on the landscape pattern of rural villages. In this paper, we take the ancestral temples and the other buildings of 25 traditional villages in Zhejiang Province of China as research objectives, applying landscape pattern analysis and spatial syntax approach to explore the ancestral temple’s association with village landscape. The results show that the ancestral temple has impacts on the landscape of traditional Chinese villages. In addition, although all ancestral temples in the 25 villages are currently within walking distance, those at village edges are more likely to have lower accessibility. Therefore, in heritage conservation, we need to protect the key spatial elements and their surrounding buildings; in village planning, we need to set sensible boundaries for the villages, and plan new construction areas and the road network reasonably in order to maintain or enhance the accessibility of key landscape elements.

The urbanization development in India over the last few decades has been fast, very unequal, and not sustainable. The UN projects that by 2050, it will be one of the top three nations in terms of urbanization. India's urban population is expected to grow from 481 million to 814 million by 2050 an added 333 million. There will be significant effects on energy consumption patterns and GHG emissions when India's urban population increases from 34.93% now to 57.7% in 2050. Conventional construction materials have a high embodied energy, and buildings account for most of the world's energy usage. The production of today's standard materials accounts for 20% of global CO2 emissions and 25% of global energy usage. Rapid building is required to satisfy the need for housing, but if it is done wrongly, it will only meet the demand for housing temporarily and at the expense of livability, sustainability, pollution, resilience, and ultimately economic competitiveness. The Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) have the potential to revolutionize environmentally friendly construction in India. CSEBs provides the perspective of energy-efficient, cost-reduction, and environmentally-friendly building materials, overall contributing to sustainable development, at a time when there is a growing concern of awareness regarding environmental issue. Since CSEBs are unburned materials, no coal or other burning fuel is required in their manufacturing. The paper delves into the history of CSEB, passive architecture, and circular economy in Indian residences, incorporating many strategies into one plan, the potential to reduce a building's overall energy consumption while simultaneously improving its cost-effectiveness, usability, and social cohesion. The goal of this study is to demonstrate that stabilized earth walls may be utilized in low and medium-rise structures when paired with a frame constructed of today's standard materials, lowering total use while achieving density requirements.

Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are attractive vibration control devices, and their seismic attenuation depends on their frequency and damping coefficient. Structural characteristics are changed by the soil-structure interaction (SSI); therefore, SSI should be considered in the optimization of TMD. A high-rise building with 40 stories, including four different soil conditions, is proposed as a case study. For the objective function, considering the randomness of earthquakes, a stationary white noise stochastic process based on the Kanai-Tajimi spectrum was used as the input. To improve the performance of a TMD in controlling multimodal and overall dynamic responses, three objectives were considered in the objective function: the maximum and root mean square (RMS) displacements of the top story and the maximum displacement of all stories, respectively. The weight coefficient of each objective function was obtained according to the modal mass participation coefficient. To clearly observe the damping effect of the TMD with different parameter combinations, an ergodic parameter calculation is used. The TMD optimization parameters for each benchmark model with different soil conditions were proposed. Far-field ground motions were considered, and four optimized TMDs from reference were compared. The results show that the proposed TMDs can significantly mitigate earthquake oscillations in a great degree. They performed better than contrastively optimized TMDs under several earthquakes.

Fear of crime is one of the most significant factors affecting citizen’s quality of life. It isparticularly necessary to control the environmental factors that cause fear of crime in the neighborhood, as that is more worrisome. This study aimed to investigate women’s fear of crime in public streets in their neighborhoods and to identify the environmental factors that affect their fear of crime using a questionnaire and an eye-tracking experiment, respectively. Thirty participants watched four low-rise residential streets in Seoul and responded to a survey about their fear of crime. Through a multiple regression analysis, Factors such as “maintenance”, “pilotis”, “building entrance”, and “emergency bell” were found to largely influence fear of crime. This study contributes to the literature by identifying specific physical environment factors in parallel with eye tracking experiments, and our results have implications for future street design aimed at reducing the fear of crime.

The township traditional market environment is declining due to the lack of perspective and consideration of the behaviour needs of the crowd. In this study, the activity space of four township traditional markets in Taoyuan County, Changde City is taken as the research object, and the evaluation index of spatial environment experience of rural markets is established from the perspective of behaviour demand. Using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to study users’ views on the market environment. The results show that: (1) there are significant differences in users’ views on the importance and satisfaction of market environment elements, among which the gap between supply and demand is relatively large, such as spatial smoothness (C6), rationality of parking space planning (C9), ecological and cultural landscape (C22). (2) The people in township traditional markets pay more attention to the practicality of space and the low-level material needs, while the spiritual needs and humanistic elements are not very concerned. Therefore, in this study, we suggest that in the subsequent renovation, first of all, optimize the market space layout; Secondly, strengthen the safety management of township markets and standardize the market operation order; Thirdly, refine local cultural genes and enrich market cultural activities; Finally, adapt measures to local conditions and create a market landscape with regional characteristics.

Deep-plan buildings limit daylight use in spaces far from the building perimeter, leading to uneven daylight distribution. Integrating a Horizontal Light Pipe (HLP) as an optical daylighting system, reflective light shelves, and blinds as shading systems can reduce excessive daylight levels at the perimeter area of a building and improve daylight uniformity. Earlier investigations of HLP daylight performance concentrated on fixed building geometries, but few studies focused on the building aspect ratio, one of the design variables of building geometry that greatly influences daylight performance. This study aims to investigate the impact of the aspect ratio of buildings implementing HLP and shading systems on daylight performance. The research method was experimental, using IES-VE simulation as a tool. The daylight factor (DF), uniformity daylight factor (UDF), and useful daylight illuminance (UDI) of various aspect ratios and depths of office buildings implementing HLP and shading systems were analyzed. The results show that increasing the building aspect ratio from 1:1 to 2.1:1 sequentially increased the average DF and UDF values by 18.47% and 17.2%, respectively. Improving the building aspect ratio from 1:1 to 2.1:1 along the east-west axis improved the UDI by 3%, whereas the north-south axis decreased it by 10.2%.

Urban scenescapes are significantly influenced by cultural groups representing different ethnicities. In order to foster a cohesive and inclusive urban environment, it is crucial to comprehend the scale, type, and distribution of scenes associated with ethnicity. With the aim of exploring Tibetan cultural scenescapes in Chinese cities, this study employed the theory of scenes to develop a socio-spatial research method. By focusing on the five downtown districts of Chengdu as the study area, the study evaluated the effectiveness of urban facilities in expressing Tibetan culture and delineated the scenescapes related to Tibetan ethnicity in the designated region. This study’s findings indicate the following: 1) different urban facilities exhibited notable variation in their cultural performance; 2) currently, seven distinct scene clusters showcase Tibetan culture in downtown Chengdu; 3) these scene clusters can be categorised into three types. Based on the findings, this study has proposed strategies for planning scene clusters and designing facilities, with the overarching objective of fostering an inclusive and multicultural urban environment.

The cultural formation of the academy and ancestral hall buildings in Guangdong have similarities and are closely related to the influence of the patriarchal system. Taking kinship politics as a perspective, this paper draws out the relevant factors affecting the cultural formation of the academy and ancestral hall architecture through literature analysis, and then interprets the influence of social variables (economic, political, and cultural) on the development of the two from the historical dimension of the time series, revealing the convergence of the two in their historical evolution. The study reveals that 1) political drive constitutes a major vein in the formation of the architectural culture of the academy and ancestral hall, as reflected in the continuation and development of kinship politics attributes; 2) the geographical distribution of the two is similar; 3) the social attributes and functional transformations of the two are coupled in the historical process. To summarize, the cultural formation of the academy and ancestral hall buildings is a continuation of the early patrimonial system and has an interdependent relationship. The ancient Chinese bureaucratic system was hereditary, which made the patriarchal system class-based; the ancestral hall was a continuation of the earlier tomb ritual system, while the cultural formation of the academy can be said to be a development of the patriarchal system, and both can be considered to be a tool for the consolidation of power to a certain extent.

Solar radiation plays a pivotal role in urban microclimate, significantly, impacting building energy consumption and renewable energy utilization. Utilizing a comprehensive three- and-a- half-year dataset of high-precision urban microclimate, this study proposes a three-step approach to solar radiation prediction: 1) Data Preprocessing and Characterization: The microclimate data are meticulously preprocessed and categorized, with solar radiation values categorized into three resolutions: total daily solar radiation, hourly solar radiation, and 30-min solar radiation. 2) Feature Selection: Various climatic parameters are carefully selected for solar radiation prediction at different resolutions. 3) Machine Learning Models: Three machine learning models, namely Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Regression (SVR), are employed for solar radiation prediction. The results show that all three models exhibit prediction accuracy with closely matched errors. Particularly noteworthy findings include SVR’s superior performance in predicting total daily solar radiation with a minimal error rate of about 6.0% and an impressive coefficient of determination of 0.9789. LSTM exhibits adaptability, achieving R2 values of 0.9906 and 0.9956 for hourly and 30-min radiation predictions, respectively. This study offers valuable insights into solar radiation and its implications for building energy research. It underscores that large datasets enable accurate solar radiation predictions, even when excluding certain parameters like daily maximum temperature and relative humidity.

China has experienced rapid urban development and renewal. However the infrastructure of many old residential areas (ORAs) more than 20 years old is deteriorating, affecting the living standards of residents and urban vitality. In this paper, the outdoor space of ORAs is studied. The aim is to discuss the livability evaluation system for the outdoor space of ORAs, to analyze the weights of elements, and to analyze the livability grade of ORAs, providing a clear reference for decision makers and city managers. Doing so requires the use of relatively fair and objective elements. As a comprehensive multicriteria decision-making tool, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to solve these problems. This paper optimizes the element weights obtained through the AHP by using the expert judgment weight method, and it evaluates the livability score and grade by using fuzzy comprehensive mathematics.The results show that the parameters obtained by optimizing the element weights have clear meanings and that the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) results are robust. Taking the elements with high weights but low FCE scores as the priority targets, incorporating existing design guidelines and cases, this paper proposes a transformation scheme for the object plot and visualizes the analysis results.

The Road of Tang Poetry in Eastern Zhejiang is a cultural route where nature and culture harmoniously intertwine. Mountain-type scenic areas play a vital role in providing core cultural ecosystem services (CES). To investigate the significance and distribution of landscape resources along the Poetry Road, a preliminary study was conducted in the densely concentrated areas of Shaoxing, Taizhou, and Ningbo. From these regions, six representative mountain-type scenic areas were selected for the research: Kuaiji Mountain, Qinwang Mountain, Wanwei Mountain, Tianmu Mountain, Tiantai Mountain, and Xuedou Mountain. Based on their designation status, these areas were categorized into national and non-national scenic areas. The research employed a combination of online and offline questionnaires, as well as semi-structured interviews. An importance-performance analysis (IPA) was introduced, and SPSS software was utilized to conduct U-tests on the statistical results. This analysis aimed to compare the differences in importance and performance of CES among the various mountain-type scenic areas. Furthermore, an overall evaluation of CES for the mountain-type scenic area was carried out using an optimization demand zoning approach, involving categories such as “Keeping up the good job”, “Concentrate here”, “Possible overkill”, and “Low priority”. Additionally, a comparative analysis was conducted between the two types of mountain-type scenic areas, considering aspects like aesthetic value, leisure tourism, cultural diversity, and nature education. The findings indicate that the overall importance of the core CES provided by mountain-type scenic areas significantly exceeds the performance score, implying that public expectations for these sites surpass the actual experience. Notably, the distinction between the two types of mountain-type scenic areas, national and non-national, lies primarily in their performance. Among the evaluation subcomponents, respondents’ perceptions are notably influenced by natural resource advantages, architectural style, recreation offerings, site iconicity, and historical heritage and preservation. The abundance of cultural activities emerges as a crucial factor contributing to the substantial performance disparity between the two types of scenic areas, underscoring the significant impact of cultural heritage on the development imbalance in mountain-type region. Furthermore, cultural heritage plays a pivotal role in promoting the establishment and enhancing the competitiveness and identity of mountain-type scenic areas. Consequently, prioritizing the protection and utilization of non-national mountain-type scenic areas cultural heritage can effectively elevate the level of CES supply and meet the demand in mountain-type scenic areas. The IPA has promoted the CES performance of mountain-type scenic areas to be closer to its importance, thereby fostering a more balanced CES of the Road of Tang Poetry in Eastern Zhejiang.

Based on a new type of isolated structure, this paper studies the seismic response of the structure under single mainshock and mainshock-aftershock sequences. The new structure developed from the base-isolated structure and the inter-storey isolated structure. To compare its seismic performance with a fixed-base structure, a new staggered storey isolated structure model is developed using ETABS software. The results indicate that during both single mainshock and mainshock-aftershock sequences, the maximum inter-storey displacement of the staggered storey isolated structure is concentrated in the isolated layer, while the stress damage of the core tube mainly occurs between the upper and lower isolated layers. Under mainshock-aftershock sequences, the displacement of the isolated layer is larger than that under the single mainshock, and the distribution of plastic hinges of the frame is greater than that under the single mainshock, compared with the single mainshock sequences, the stress distribution of the core tube and the inter-story displacement of the structure increase by 19.80% anc23%% respectively. Consequently, the damage to the structure under mainshock-aftershock sequences is more severe. The hysteresis curve of the upper isolated layer bearings is more pronounced and demonstrates better energy absorption than that of the lower isolated layer bearings. Overall, the staggered storey isolated structure exhibits better seismic performance than the fixed-base structure. The isolated effectiveness and energy dissipation of the new staggered storey isolated structure improve when the upper isolated layer is lowered.

This study aims to clarify the characteristics of settlement composition and house layout in Mamasa Toraja and Tana Toraja, Indonesia, focusing on spatial differences. The study reviewed relevant literature, selected settlements for the survey, and prepared settlement layout maps based on satellite imagery. Field surveys were conducted in 2022 to revise the settlement layout maps, record house plans, and interview local residents. The study found that despite having the same cultural roots, Tana Toraja and Mamasa Toraja have different settlement configurations and house layouts. The Tana Toraja settlements have a straight composition with warehouses on the north side and houses on the south side, flanked by a street-like plaza. In contrast, the composition of Mamasa Toraja settlements in the mountainous area is curvilinear, following the natural topography. Although social restrictions based on the caste system have long since been abolished, the layout of houses in the Toraja settlement, especially in Mamasa, still shows a social structure from when the caste system existed. This study provides insights into the unique spatial forms and cultural practices of the traditional villages in Mamasa Toraja and Tana Toraja, highlighting the importance of preserving their cultural heritage.

Amidst today’s climate change-related environmental risks, both new and experienced investors may face uncertainty and lack of direction when preparing for investments, particularly in large-scale urban development projects. Therefore, guidance in construction investment, especially during the planning stage, becomes crucial to enhance the likelihood of success in coastal urban development projects and promote sustainable development. This study offers a valuable tool that integrates quantitative approaches like the “Balanced Scorecard” (BSC), “Analytical Network Process” (ANP), fuzzy theory, and “Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory” (DEMATEL) to create a strategic performance management framework focused on sustainable development. The model emphasizes the significance of investing in human resources, IT systems, and enterprise culture to foster business growth and development in urban coastal projects. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of internal control over project time, technology, quality, legal compliance, and resources, which serve as the driving forces behind operational processes. Furthermore, effective and flexible management of financial, social, and environmental activities is vital to ensure enterprise success while adhering to environmental, health, and safety requirements.

This paper utilizes deep learning and street view images to extract visual variables and explore the interactive effects and spatial impacts of the built environment on hotel prices with GeoDetector and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) models. The results indicate that hotel prices are influenced by multiple factors in a coupled manner, with combined effects more substantial than individual drivers; the visual quality of the built environment can influence consumers’ perception and willingness to stay, thereby affecting hotel prices; MGWR, compared to traditional statistical models, demonstrates superior explanatory power for hotels, accurately identifying the spatial heterogeneity of factors influencing hotel prices; and by elucidating the bandwidth influence and spatial differentiation pattern of each factor, this study provides a reference for hotel site selection, price adjustment, and urban planning.

The Typology of an artistic work needs to be identified to differentiate it from the others. Specific cultural wealth generally arises from the local wisdom of a community – the floating House in South Sulawesi, which has existed for half a century. The floating House originally served as a shelter during the fishing season but has developed into a homestay for local and foreign tourists. The development process is unique, and it’s interesting to know the type of floating House and the spatial configuration based on local wisdom. The research method analyzes the Typology of floating houses, changes in the configuration of floating homes, and the survival of floating houses using architectural and spatial ethno. Results of the Floating House Research are the development of a Kalumpang, a house where you work and take shelter on the lake during low tide during the fishing season. Its characteristics are the productive houses of Lake Tempe fishermen, who are dynamic, and their configuration moves in groups according to the tidal conditions of the lake. The orientation of the floating houses changes depending on the wind direction. The position of the floating houses depends on the distance to the fishing location and kinship.

Urban transformation and sustainability research are current issues in the construction industry. This study aims to comprehend the past and current trends in the relationship between urban transformation and sustainability through a literature review and bibliometric analysis, focusing on the themes that these studies concentrate on and determining the main subjects addressed within these themes. The study examined research articles that mention the concepts of “urban transformation” and “sustainability” in their title, abstract and keywords, published between 2002–2022 in the Scopus database. A total of 86 articles were analyzed in detail. The findings have clearly indicated 3 main issues of paramount importance: (1) Developing countries must prioritize sustainability in urban planning to align with global trends. (2) Collaborative initiatives involving diverse stakeholders are not just beneficial but essential for advancing sustainable urban development. (3) Integrating environmental, climate, and energy aspects into the framework of urban transformation and sustainability is not merely advantageous but crucial. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on urban transformation by providing a general framework and a systematized understanding of the issues related to urban transformation and sustainability. Furthermore, it is expected to raise awareness among implementers and policymakers regarding sustainable urban transformation issues that have emerged in recent years.

New building construction is often counted as a source of indoor air pollution because of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from new building materials, such as furnishings, wood, and finishings. The high levels of formaldehyde and VOCs in the early stage of new buildings could be linked to the negative health effects on occupants. The aim of this study is to examine the impacts of flush-out air flow rate and flush period in reducing formaldehyde and VOCs produced by building materials or furnishing of newly built residential buildings. Field measurements were conducted from September 2016 to August 2018 in nineteen newly built apartments to verify the effectiveness of the flush-out procedure. The field measurements showed that after the flush-out, the indoor concentrations of formaldehyde and VOCs in the newly built samples significantly decreased. The indoor concentrations of formaldehyde and TVOCs were reduced to about 61% and 41% of the initial concentration when the samples were flushed at 0.7ACH for nine days. The results of this study showed that the flush-out for a short term of below two weeks was more effective reducing the emission potential of VOCs than of formaldehyde. When the samples were flushed for more than seven days, the air change rates of the flushing did not significantly influence the reduction of indoor pollutants.

The present study simultaneously optimizes the three objective functions of pre-tensioned concrete (PT) beams, such as construction and material cost, beam weights, and beam depth, where multiple objectives optimizations (MOO) conflicting with each other are performed. MOO is performed based on 21 input parameters including tendon parameters and the 21 output parameters. Preassigned input parameters are defined by 16 equalities and design requirements are also implemented during the optimization through 19 code-based inequalities. Finally, the five-step ANN-based algorithms are presented to find optimized design parameters subject to external loads within ranges prescribed by inequalities. A Pareto frontier is presented based on the combinations of weight fractions representing contributions made by the three objective functions. ANN-based optimizations are capable of quantifying tendon ratios and rebar areas when concrete sections crack under service loads while optimizing multi-design targets and objective functions at the same time. The ANN-based optimized designs are verified with a structural mechanics-based software, AutoPT. Reductions of 9.1%, 30.1%, and 10.4% in beam depths, costs, and weights, respectively, obtained based on a Pareto frontier which simultaneously optimizes multi-objective functions are compared with probable designs by human engineers, demonstrating a design efficiency for a pre-tensioned concrete (PT) beam.

This exploratory study presents, for the first time, an analysis of how residential satisfaction (RS) can be related to earthen building materials. The study utilizes an ongoing world-renowned project in Auroville, India, which aims to promote the environmentally friendly Compressed Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) as a substitute for non-ecological fired-brick. The research employs the semantic differential (SD) method as a means to examine satisfaction. It seeks to explain the limitations of CSEB usage compared to fired-brick and compares satisfaction levels among different groups of residents. For the first time, it has been proven through our findings that CSEB has a significant positive impact on RS, while fired-brick demonstrates no influence on RS. The restricted use of CSEB cannot solely be attributed to its level of house-building-material satisfaction (HBMS), as CSEB surpasses fired-bricks in HBMS rating. Despite this, houses constructed with CSEB offer equivalent levels of RS to those constructed with fired-bricks, sparking a resourceful discussion on various interpretations related to RS theories. One perspective posits that CSEB technology may not be widely adopted, while others emphasize the importance of supporting its development despite the anticipated positive behavior toward it.

Urban green spaces exert beneficial effects on both individuals and communities. However, as urban sprawl intensifies, socioeconomic disparities widen, and populations burgeon, the concepts of green fairness and environmental justice confront substantial hurdles. The daily exposure to greenery emerges as a crucial determinant of these factors, yet no comprehensive methodologies currently exist to gauge the levels of daily accessible urban greenery or to probe the distribution of green inequities. In this research, we harness the capabilities of Spatial Design Network Analysis (sDNA) to scrutinize spatial choice and integration, using the metropolis of Chengdu as a case study. Three indicators representing daily accessed urban greenery are utilized, including the Green View Index (GVI) at the street level, the assessment of green spaces based on the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the level of greenery within the visible range of buildings. Green Accessibility Index (GAI) was further proposed and calculated for three states of commuting, recreation, and work to synthesize the accessibility and greenness levels. The distribution of green unfairness in the study area are evaluated using bivariate local spatial autocorrelation. Our findings reveal that (1) frequent expressway commuting and existing greenery does not satisfy urban fairness needs. (2) Significant differences in unfair areas of building visible greenery (3) Unfair areas are concentrated in high-income neighborhoods (4) Severe unfairness between greenery and population in large cities, where most people do not enjoy the benefits of adequate greenery. We provide recommendations based on these findings, thereby offering actionable insights to optimize the spatial distribution of green unfairness through enhanced accessibility of urban greenery.

In China, despite the continuous efforts to preserve traditional villages in recent years, a significant amount of cultural heritages continue to vanish. Commonly observed issues such as the lack of coordination between preservation and development, the imbalance in spatial environment conservation and utilization, are pervasive. Regrettably, there is a conspicuous absence of theoretical underpinning in addressing these challenges. In this study, The evaluation factor of spatial environmental protection was selected, and these factors were weighted through expert surveys and the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and applied the multi-objective linear weighting function method to obtain a comprehensive evaluation calculation formula. Subsequently, we conducted an assessment of 28 representative traditional villages in the southern Chinese regions of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi. Their current issues were systematically analyzed and cluster analysis was applied to discern 11 distinct typologies of traditional village development. Besides, the temporal evolution patterns of these villages were delved into, and their development were categorized into five stages: initiation, enhancement, prosperity, over-development, and decline. Ultimately, based on the spatial environment characteristics of each development type and evolution stage, corresponding guidelines for spatial environment conservation and utilization are proposed, which provides necessary theoretical frameworks for future work this region.

Introduction. For handling the problem of mixtures design for additive construction technologies, the paper presents the results of experimental studies of rheological behavior and production characteristics (plasticity and shape stability) of cement mixtures based on various types of fillers with different size, shape, and grade. Methods and materials. Rheological properties of 3Dprintable mixtures were investigated using squeezing rheometry methods. The constant strain rate mode of 5 mm/s was used to evaluate plasticity and the constant load rate of 5 N/s was used to evaluate form stability. Scanning electron microscopy method (Phenom XL) was used to evaluate the size-geometry characteristics of cement and filler particles. Image processing to determine particle length and width was performed using ParticleMetric software. The size and gradation of the cement and filler particles were evaluated using a laser particle size analyser “Analyzette 22”. Results and discussion. It was found that a necessary condition for the plasticity and stability of mixtures is the creation of dense spatial packing of disperse phase particles. The values of the plasticity limit rational for extrusion are ensured if the filler particles have a size comparable to cement particles and multi-size gradation. The characteristics of the fillers are not decisive for the shape stability of the mixtures. Conclusion. The numerical criteria of fillers for design of 3D-printable mixtures have been substantiated, including mean average particle diameter, particle shape factor, particle distribution constant as a characteristic of the particle size gradation.

Introduction. The article presents the results of studies of structural and heat-insulating cement-based foam concrete for monolithic individual housing construction using porous aggregates sand and superplasticizers. The relevance of the study is to improve the technological properties of foam concrete mixtures to enhance their transportation and laying in formwork, as well as to increase the strength and thermal insulation parameters of wall materials used in individual housing construction. A synergistic effect is ensured and increased stability of the foam concrete mixture is achieved, resulting in an increase in the grade of compressive strength of foam concrete and a decrease in thermal conductivity by partially replacing quartz sand with expanded clay or slag sand in the amount of 25% by volume and introducing the superplasticizer “Steinberg MP-4”. Materials and methods. The study of foam concrete mixture and foam concrete was carried out in the accredited laboratory of TSUAB in accordance with the requirements of national standards. Results. The use of combined additives, including a superplasticizer and a mineral porous aggregate, leads to increase the grade of compressive strength of foam concrete from B1 to B2 while maintaining the average density grade D600, and also allows reducing the thermal conductivity coefficient of foam concrete to 17% compared to the basic composition. Conclusion. The developed compositions for the production of monolithic structural and heat-insulating foam concrete of natural hardening with a combined additive, including mineral porous aggregate and current plasticizers, are recommended for individual housing construction of low-rise buildings.

Introduction. The active development of construction technologies entails the need to improve the properties of traditional materials, including giving them specific functional characteristics such as photocatalytic activity. One of the promising methods for solving this problem is the introduction of specialized additives into standard building mixes, which include photocatalytic composite materials. Within the framework of this article, the influence of various methods of fiber activation on the surface properties of a photocatalytic composite material created on its basis is considered. Materials and research methods. The effect of pre-activation of basalt (BF), glass (GF) and glass alkali-resistant (GAF) fibers on the surface properties of photocatalytic composite materials (PCM) based on them has been studied. The activation of the fiber surface consisted in thermal (T) and chemical (AA) treatment. The research methodology included: analysis of changes in the concentration of active centers of Brensted acids on the fiber surface before and after activation of their surface, after direct deposition of titanium dioxide on the obtained samples of various types of fibers, followed by an assessment of morphological changes. Results and discussions. The following growth trend has been established for the total number of active centers for PCM: PCM(BF+Т) → PCM(GF+AA) → PCM(BF+AA) → PCM(GAF+AA) →PCM(GF) → PCM(GAF+Т) → PCM(GAF) → PCM(GF+Т) → PCM(BF). According to the results of scanning electron microscopy, it was found that PCM(GF) and PCM(GAF+T) are characterized by a more uniform distribution of titanium dioxide particles over the entire surface of the fiber, creating a film-like appearance, unlike samples of PCM(BF) and PCM(GF), as well as PCM(GAF+AA), on which titanium dioxide particles are unevenly distributed, forming growths or aggregates. The analysis showed that sol-gel deposition of titanium dioxide has a significant effect on the properties of the fiber surface, which may affect the physical and mechanical characteristics of composites and their ability to self-clean, and should be taken into account when developing new functional materials with photocatalytic properties. Conclusion. The results obtained made it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of activation of the fiber surface for subsequent use as a substrate in the composition of photocatalytic composite materials

Introduction. The development of Kazakhstan's megacities has led the construction sites to the territories with weak, macroporous soils. Construction on such soils requires a set of measures to strengthen and improve their mechanical properties. Methods and Materials. The article discusses the development of a method of surface hardening by replacing weak soil. This development is associated with the use of different types geosynthetics. The principles of operation of a soil foundation reinforced with various geosynthetic materials are considered. The mechanical properties of geotextiles, geogrids and geogrids used to harden embankment soils have been studied. A new test procedure for geosynthetic materials has been developed. This procedure differs from the traditional method specified in GOST 32491 with a constant deformation rate. Results and Discussion. Tests of geosynthetic materials in kinematic mode have shown that a decrease in tensile strength is observed for all materials. The reduction ranges from 28% to 42% for different types of geogrids. The elongation at break decreased for the hexagonal and biaxial geogrid by 8.6% and 30%, respectively. An increase in relative elongation was noted for a uniaxial geogrid. According to geotextile, the tensile strength decreased by 15.7%, and the elongation increased by 26.5%. Conclusion. Research results have shown the effectiveness of the recommended reinforcement methods to increase the bearing capacity of the bases and the possibility of their application in various regions of Kazakhstan.

Introduction. The article considers the issue of modifying the initial chrysotile fiber and its bundles by the action of hydration products of Portland cement and various acidity value of the treated medium. A brief justification of the relevance of the research topic is provided. It is noted that recently, issues of production of composite materials based on natural and man-made raw materials, which are a promising area of modern economics, have aroused great scientific and practical interest. The availability and low cost of raw materials, as well as low energy, transportation, and overhead costs, contribute to reducing the cost of composite materials. At the same time, the high contractual prices and strong demand in both domestic and foreign markets provide incentives for increasing production volumes. The aim of the research is to study the behavior of the initial chrysotile fibers and their aggregates in the composition of the cement component under the influence of different acidity of the treated medium. Research objective: to investigate the behavior of chrysotile cement dust components under an aggressive environmental condition with electron microscopy examination; calculation of the number and dimensional characteristics of nanofibers and dust particles under the influence of various exposure times of the aggressive factor; microdifraction studies of the nanostructure of the studied samples after exposure to acidic media. Materials and methods. The materials used in the research and their characteristics are given, in particular, chrysotile cement dust containing fibers of commercial chrysotile, acidity of the medium, exposure time, micro- and nanofibers obtained after exposure to aggressive medium. Samples of chrysotile cement dust were taken at the slate production No.1 of JSC “BelACI” and collected at the place of sawing of chrysotile cement products, underwent the stage of dispersion using a centrifugal separator. In the work chrysotile cement dust was used as an object of environmental pollution and its further use in the production of composite chrysotile cement products. Results. The results of studies on the influence of aggressive environment on the components of chrysotile-cement dust, their size characteristics, and structural nano-changes are presented. The studied samples have been examined in a scanning ion-electron microscope at magnifications of 200x, 500x, 5000x, 10000x, and their chemical composition have been analyzed. Discussion. The results of analysis of the obtained experimental data are given. Quantitative composition of fibers and aggregates of fibers in chrysotile cement dust changes after its exposure in acidic medium in comparison with their quantity in initial chrysotile cement dust, and the quantity of separate thin fibers increases, it is explained by the fact that in acidic medium there is not only destruction of cement stone, but also splitting of bundles of chrysotile fibers into micro- and nanofibers. Conclusions. Electron microscopic examination of initial commercial chrysotile fibers and their bundles in cement dust have shown changes in their dimensional and quantitative characteristics, including the products of Portland cement hydration under the influence of the factor of aggressiveness of the environment

Introduction. Clay soil is a multiphase, multicomponent aluminosilicate dispersed system with specific properties determined not only by its composition but also by the formation of coagulative and transition contacts (binds) between the soil particles. One of the methods of changing soil properties is the introduction of active mineral additives that promote the formation of phase contacts (binds) between soil particles as a result of the pozzolanic reaction. The effectiveness of using carbide sludge, which is a multi-tonnage lime-containing waste (the content of active calcium oxide reaches 56%) as an additive, has been proved. However, to date, the proposed mechanism of interaction in the «clay soil – carbide sludge» system is based only on the literature data and has not been experimentally verified. The purpose of this research is to study the mechanism of structure formation in the «clay soil – carbide sludge» dispersed system. Methods and materials. A soil model has been created by mixing saponite-containing material with sand, which corresponds to the composition and properties of sandy loam. The carbide sludge in the form of a suspension was selected from the sludge collector, dried to a constant mass and sieved. Microstructural analysis, differential thermal analysis (DTA), and X-ray phase analysis were used to study the mechanism of structure formation. Results and discussions. Based the results of the differential thermal analysis, there is a decrease in the intensity of the endothermic effect in the range of 460 to 470°C associated with the decomposition of calcium hydroxide in the treated sample. Additionally, an endothermic effect is observed at 750°C, which indicating the decomposition of calcium silicate hydrate. The results of differential thermal analysis are confirmed by X-ray phase analysis, which shows the presence of tobermorite group hydrosilicates in the reaction medium. The study of the microstructure of the analyzed mixtures revealed a decrease in the specific volume of pores with a diameter of 4–5 nm in the modified clay soil. This is associated with gelling from particles of new hydrate formations. Besides that, the volume of pores with a diameter of more than 6 nm increased, which indicates the process of

The West introduced Citywalk to China; since then, the concept has undergone a significant transformation from mere walking or hiking activities, impacting people’s choices in transportation and urban spatial experiences. However, the defining characteristics of Citywalk remain unclear. To address this gap, this study considers representative cities in China as examples and employs a comprehensive approach including website information retrieval, SPSS software, and word frequency analysis to collect and analyze data on 611 Citywalk routes in 48 cities. The study objective is to examine the regional characteristics of Citywalk routes and elucidate the factors that shape Citywalk characteristics. Descriptive statistics are used to describe the regional characteristics of Citywalk routes, and three indicators – urban attributes, route features, and node types – are identified. Subsequently, correlation analysis is applied within and between groups. The results indicate a significant correlation among urban attributes, route features, and certain node types with high reliability. This study provides bottom-up data support for the design of linear spatial experiences in Chinese cities and the improvement of tourist route planning, thus offering valuable references for future endeavors in this field.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, China exported 16 foreign aid stadiums, which occupied a considerable proportion of China’s foreign aid construction and stood out due to their unique qualities. This study aims to explore the historical development of these stadiums in the initial period to clarify the development trends of early China’s stadium aid and the main factors influencing it. According to an exploration based on a series of historical studies, qualitative comparative analyses, interviews and case studies, this study reveals that China’s foreign stadium aid transitioned from labour support to design support under the influence of governmental, architectural and additional factors. This study fills a gap in the academic literature, provides new perspectives for current research into China’s foreign aid construction, and provides indispensable supplements for Chinese sports architecture and modern architecture.

In the global context of climate change and frequent occurrence of extreme temperature variations, the impact of harsh climates on the outdoor thermal environment in remote, cold, mountainous villages is particularly pronounced, leading to many negative effects. The geoorphology of the village sites and their building layouts are important factors affecting the outdoor thermal environment. Therefore, exploring the spatiotemporal characteristics of these factors is significant for optimizing village construction and improving living environments. In this study, taking Fangjialiang Village in a cold mountainous area as an example, we analysed the outdoor thermal environment from a spatiotemporal perspective through comprehensive field investigations and measurements. The findings obtained are summarized as follows: (1) Landform elements were limited by boundary and azimuth constraints (difference in time temperature decay rate between the valley interior and valley edge area: ΔK = 0.48°C/m). (2) The temperature inversion phenomenon in the valley was significant (the average rate of temperature increase with elevation was 0.037°C/m). (3) The vertical distribution of the temperature was more susceptible to the influence of the difference in elevation inside the village (ρ≈–0.48). The average rate of temperature decrease with elevation is 0.489°C/m. (4) A compact building layout could sustainably weaken the effects of topographic elements (e.g. the average temperature sequenced as: closed internal courtyard (Avg = 14.60°C)> semi-open horizontal village street (Avg = 13.58°C)> fully open space (Avg = 13.11°C)). Therefore, the results of the study further revealed the coordinated relationship between the natural environment and rural settlements, proved the integrated effects of village siting and building layout, and provided useful insights for the construction and living environment optimization of mountain villages.

Effective project management is crucial for the successful delivery of construction projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and to the desired quality standards. Project scope definition is at the heart of project management, which forms the basis for project planning, execution, and control. However, despite its importance, there is a lack of comprehensive investigation into project scope definition compared to other areas of management knowledge. This research paper identifies the key enablers and elements of project scope definition, as well as their relative importance. Moreover, this study develops an assessment model using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate the completeness of the project scope definition. Data was gathered through a questionnaire survey deployed to subject matter experts specialized in building projects in Saudi Arabia. The results highlight the significance of understanding the direct impact of scope definition on project success, which emerged as the most influential enabler in facilitating scope definition. Among the top ten elements of scope definition are project financial requirements, regulatory requirements, and building site location and geotechnical data. The findings and AHP assessment model can assist project stakeholders and managers in effectively defining project scope, potentially leading to efficient management of building projects.

Traditional Chinese villages, as rural settlements shaped over extensive historical evolution in agrarian societies, have lacked a systematic method for quantitatively analysing and understanding the historical spatial forms. This study takes a morphological research perspective, using Lohong Village, Su’er Village, and Shangyue Village in Guangdong Province as case studies of typical Cantonese traditional villages. It focuses on three key spatial texture elements: roads, plots, and architecture, employing parametric modelling techniques to investigate their combination patterns and quantitative characteristics. The findings indicate that: (1) Parametric analysis techniques can comprehensively, quantitatively, and accurately reveal the patterns of village spatial texture; (2) Comparing optimized parametric simulation results with original villages shows high similarity in spatial texture, demonstrating the method’s high fidelity and practical value; (3) The study explores a research approach suitable for the computer era – “data collection – parametric feature extraction and optimization – simulation and data calibration” – to study the spatial texture of traditional villages. Furthermore, it establishes a parametric-based platform for rural planning and construction management, providing a digital design pathway and management basis to preserve and inherit the historical village aesthetics.

The adoption of Western planning ideas has significantly shaped China’s Central Business Districts (CBDs) and spurred economic growth. This article goes beyond existing research by exploring the “provincialization” of Western planning concepts, resulting in unique CBD landscapes in Chinese cities. Through a study of the Guangzhou CBD, it reveals how introduced ideas and local agents mutually adjust and respond to each other’s needs during the provincialization process. Under the “Reforms and Opening-up” policy, Chinese authorities drew from Hong Kong’s experiences to introduce the CBD concept, adapting it to underdeveloped land in Guangzhou and blending it with American downtown design. To meet urban space demands, industrial growth, and land economy needs, urban authorities reorganized local resources to create a discourse of the “central axis” to integrate the CBD concept into the urban layout. Consequently, both introduced ideas and local agents are intertwined to address challenges posed by each other, resulting in Guangzhou’s CBD framing a hybrid urban landscape.