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Water damage affects both residents and buildings. Issues include moisture, climate impact and repair costs that amount to immense resources. Because of these, immense resources research is important to undertake to reduce and limit the extent and effects of water damage. This study aimed to compile and review the literature on water damage in buildings. Literature distribution, the status, consequences, effects, and strategies and methods for prevention of water damage were assessed by compiling and reviewing literature using quantitative and qualitative methods. Two scientific databases were searched to identify the relevant literature. Key findings of this study are that research conducted on water damage is embedded in the study of building defects and building pathology, and more specific research on water damage is needed depending on different rooms and buildings, the effect of moisture and sustainability. Informed and guided decisions, management and organizational structures have been internationally suggested as a part of the solution to reducing the amount and effect of defects and could have the possibility to reduce the amount and effect of water damage. However, there is a gap in research on water damage consequences, occurrence and costs in Nordic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular construction is gaining worldwide attention. Building services are the systems that make buildings comfortable and efficient. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems provide heating, cooling, lighting, energy distribution, and water services. Modular construction integrates building services into prefabricated modules at the manufacturing site, which are then transported to the construction site. A systematic review (SR) of building services integration within modular construction is thus necessary. Prior to the SR, a quantitative analysis of the retrieved 115 publications from the Scopus database was explored. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guide, 13 relevant publications from the Scopus database and via the Research Rabbit application were profiled. MEP systems integration approaches and research needs were examined. Recent literature emphasizes technology integration and sustainability, while early studies laid the framework for modular approaches. The findings highlight the potential of digital technologies like building information modeling (BIM) and recommend a holistic framework for the entire building's lifetime, from design to operation. Future research directions include performance studies, modular building service adaptation, and industry-wide standards building. Researchers and practitioners seeking to improve modular construction methods and integrate complex building services will gain insights from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular construction is gaining worldwide attention. Building services are the systems that make buildings comfortable and efficient. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems provide heating, cooling, lighting, energy distribution, and water services. Modular construction integrates building services into prefabricated modules at the manufacturing site, which are then transported to the construction site. A systematic review (SR) of building services integration within modular construction is thus necessary. Prior to the SR, a quantitative analysis of the retrieved 115 publications from the Scopus database was explored. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guide, 13 relevant publications from the Scopus database and via the Research Rabbit application were profiled. MEP systems integration approaches and research needs were examined. Recent literature emphasizes technology integration and sustainability, while early studies laid the framework for modular approaches. The findings highlight the potential of digital technologies like building information modeling (BIM) and recommend a holistic framework for the entire building’s lifetime, from design to operation. Future research directions include performance studies, modular building service adaptation, and industry-wide standards building. Researchers and practitioners seeking to improve modular construction methods and integrate complex building services will gain insights from this study.

This paper discusses margins in the context of building services, where the capacity in many buildings, such as hospitals, exceeds the requirements by huge amounts. This oversizing has a direct impact on building efficiency, capital, maintenance and operational costs, as well as environmental and societal impacts throughout its lifecycle. This paper analyses two in-depth case studies of oversized boiler and chiller systems within NHS hospitals, whereby a number of key factors leading to the oversized systems are identified. The excessive and uncoordinated use of margins that are applied during the various stages of building service projects for a variety of reasons, is one significant factor. The lack of requirements information such as energy demand profiles and the use of vague and unreliable data for initial project requirements specifications, is also a major contributing factor. The paper points to the need to develop robust processes that capture the scope and rationale for the margins applied, to communicate project assumptions and stakeholder requirements in a clear and unambiguous format and to develop systems for improved data capture and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The adaptation of emerging building designs for single room occupancy in off-campus university student housing during the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving. However, assessing its effects on student satisfaction to compensate for COVID-19-associated impacts is missing. As a result, the study examines the satisfaction of students with emerging building designs in single-room off-campus student housing in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: The study is quantitatively based on positivist philosophical thinking. A purposive sample of 202 purpose-built student housing facilities was selected across public and private universities in Ghana. Using systematic stratified sampling, the study sampled 1,212 student residents through a survey. A principal component method (PCM) was used to assess the availability of 10 emerging building design and basic building services variables across the study location. Multiple regression was employed to determine the satisfaction and predict potential variables for policy formulation. Findings: The analysis revealed that private space for social distancing, the availability of hands-free fittings in the toilet and bathroom, and the availability of hands-free fixtures in the kitchen unit was common single-room self-occupancy support systems. However, there is a huge gap in the availability of key emerging building designs and basic building services and their associated effects on students' satisfaction across the study locations. Therefore, relevant proposals to serve as fundamental requirements for developing an off-campus student housing model during pandemics were indicated. Research limitations/implications: It is seen that emerging building designs across the housing sector are equally evolving among off-campus student housing. The study helped to understand that student satisfaction with emerging building designs and basic services is a motivational need for students. However, the preparedness of student housing owners to adopt and satisfy the requirements of these design require further studies. Originality/value: While COVID-19 and its associated effect keep evolving in building design requirements, it is equally relevant to assess the students' satisfaction with these designs and services among single room occupancy-made off-campus student housing. This research is limited to Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study assesses the investment strategies private investors employ in student housing to remain viable by attracting students to the hostels with minimum impact of location on such decisions of students. The study used a mixed-methods approach involving surveys and interviews. The Hedonic Price Model through Multiple regression and ANOVA were used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data were analysed using themes. The study found a gradual rise in student housing rent with increasing distance from university campuses. As a strategy, investors in student housing distant from university campuses offer special building services over and above those hostels near campuses. It allows distant hostels to stay competitive in the student housing market. In addition, the paper highlights student's' preferences such as internet services, private lavatories and security, which investors should consider in the provision of student housing to enhance occupancy rate and eventually increase returns. The study also reiterates the need for specificity in using the Hedonic Price Model in housing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is undergoing a deep transformation to contribute to meeting the climate neutrality goals set by policymakers worldwide. This process entails the transition towards smart energy-aware buildings that have lower consumptions and better efficiency performance. Digitalization is a key part of this process. A huge amount of data is currently generated by sensors, smart meters and a multitude of other devices and data sources, and this trend is expected to exponentially increase in the near future. Exploiting these data for different use cases spanning multiple application scenarios is of utmost importance to capture their full value and build smart and innovative building services. In this context, this paper presents a high-level architecture for big data management in the building domain which aims to foster data sharing, interoperability and the seamless integration of advanced services based on data-driven techniques. This work focuses on the functional description of the architecture, underlining the requirements and specifications to be addressed as well as the design principles to be followed. Moreover, a concrete example of the instantiation of such an architecture, based on open source software technologies, is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human inhalation exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), including the PM2.5 of outdoor origin, predominantly occurs indoors. To limit outdoor PM2.5 penetration into buildings, ventilation standards often require the filtration of outdoor air with a minimum efficiency. Nevertheless, the PM2.5 filter selection recommended by the standards is based on the annual average outdoor concentrations without considering seasonal or diurnal fluctuations. This could result in a waste of energy or elevated indoor PM2.5 exposures. Representative outdoor PM2.5 data from 37 cities worldwide in conjunction with a simulated office building are used to examine the impact of filtration strategies on indoor PM2.5 levels and the fan’s energy consumption. Two energy-saving methods are tested: (1) the optimum filter selection that maintains the indoor PM2.5 below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines; and (2) the baseline filter recommended by standards in combination with a filter bypass. Relative to a standard recommended baseline case, the two applied methods could reduce energy demand by between 4% and 17%. This indicates that the outdoor air is over-filtered in the majority of the investigated cities. In cities with low-to-moderate outdoor PM2.5 levels, using a filter bypass can be an effective energy conservation method without compromising PM2.5 exposures indoors. 'Practice relevance' Protecting building occupants from outdoor originating PM2.5 without a high energy penalty is not a simple task. The majority of recommendations for ventilation system design typically do not consider temporal variation in outdoor PM2.5. This study’s data suggest that outdoor air filtration efficiencies required by building standards are not sufficient to protect the building occupants living in severely polluted areas. In these areas, outdoor air filtration should be supplemented with other measures to limit outdoor PM2.5 penetration. In areas with low or intermittent outdoor PM2.5 levels, bypassing the filter can significantly reduce the energy consumption from fans without compromising indoor air quality. The energy-saving potential increases with the increase of outdoor air quality. This study suggests that improved outdoor air filtration can be achieved by a stronger reliance on continuous outdoor air quality data recorded on site.

Human inhalation exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), including the PM2.5 of outdoor origin, predominantly occurs indoors. To limit outdoor PM2.5 penetration into buildings, ventilation standards often require the filtration of outdoor air with a minimum efficiency. Nevertheless, the PM2.5 filter selection recommended by the standards is based on the annual average outdoor concentrations without considering seasonal or diurnal fluctuations. This could result in a waste of energy or elevated indoor PM2.5 exposures. Representative outdoor PM2.5 data from 37 cities worldwide in conjunction with a simulated office building are used to examine the impact of fıltration strategies on indoor PM2.5 levels and the fan's energy consumption. Two energy-saving methods are tested: (1) the optimum filter selection that maintains the indoor PM2.5 below the World Health Organization's (WHO) air quality guidelines; and (2) the baseline filter recommended by standards in combination with a filter bypass. Relative to a standard recommended baseline case, the two applied methods could reduce energy demand by between 4% and 17%. This indicates that the outdoor air is over-fıltered in the majority of the investigated cities. In cities with low-to-moderate outdoor PM2.5 levels, using a filter bypass can be an effective energy conservation method without compromising PM2.5 exposures indoors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large grandstands provide areas for human activities and leisure pursuits. The degree of vibration comfort for people has an important effect on the functionality of grandstands. In this paper, the changes of the dynamic properties of the stand owing to different human postures are demonstrated. The comfort degree for human vibration in the large stand is also examined by full-scale measurements and questionnaire surveys. In addition, the analysis of the influence of different parameters on acceleration responses of the stand is presented via numerical simulation. Thereafter, it has been observed that ISO10137-2007 and BS6472 are more suitable than GB10070 and AISC-11 for evaluating vibration serviceability owing to crowd jumping loads during football matches in the large grandstand environment. Moreover, it has been observed that females and the staff are more likely to feel uncomfortable during matches, whilst students younger than 30 years old are the least sensitive group to vibrations of large stands. When the frequency of the jumping loads is close to the fundamental frequency of the stand or the synergy rate is high, the resonance is more likely to occur, which should be avoided by designers and users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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End users' maintenance requests gathered from computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) configure a rich source of information to evaluate the occupants' satisfaction and the building systems. Nevertheless, the non-standardized data gathered from CMMS makes it difficult to carry out analytics. This paper presents a text mining approach to extract information from end users' maintenance requests and an analysis of 6,830 maintenance requests derived from 46 buildings including offices, academic buildings and laboratories over two and a half years. The research results reveal that the most common maintenance requests during building operation and maintenance are related to problems in electrical and HVAC fixtures. Although the year of construction is not related to the occupants' maintenance requests, the type of building use and building property do influence them. The implementation of control and preventive strategies based on these results may increase facility managers' productivity and building systems' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployment of CTA-2045–enabled devices is increasing in the U.S. market. These devices allow utilities or third-party aggregators to control appliance energy use in homes, and could also be applied to end uses in small commercial buildings. This study focuses on a field study using CTA-2045–enabled water heaters to shift electric load off the peak and toward periods when renewable resources are more prevalent (e.g., near noon for solar resources and near midnight for wind resources). The following load shifting strategies were compared to understand effects on the aggregate load-shifting capabilities of Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) and on consumer hot water supply: non-targeted (traditional), targeted (grouped, with different shifting schedules) and “smart” (adaptive control commands). The results of this study show that targeted and smart control strategies yield significantly more load-shifting potential from a population of water heaters than the non-targeted approach without sacrificing hot water supply to occupants. However, as control commands become more aggressive, aggregators may face challenges in meeting consumer hot water demand. The findings and lessons learned can benefit electric utilities and inform updates to manufacturer controls and communications standards. The data collected may also be useful for developing and validating HPWH models.