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Open ground story (OGS) buildings, prevalent in urban areas of countries like India, are structurally unique due to the absence of infill walls in the ground floor. This characteristic increases their seismic vulnerability. Traditional design practices often neglect the stiffness contribution of upper-story infill walls, leading to inadequate ground floor column design, which cannot withstand the amplified bending moments and shear forces during an earthquake. This study identifies the most vulnerable story in OGS buildings through a comprehensive seismic fragility analysis. The findings from the probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDM) log-log graph reveal that the ground floor is the most vulnerable, exhibiting significantly higher inter-story drift (ID), compared to upper levels, due to its reduced lateral stiffness from the absence of infill walls. ID, used as the demand variable in a power law model, captures this vulnerability, providing critical insights into the ground floor's heightened risk during seismic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on the bases as the most significant component facilitating the interaction of tall buildings with the urban environment. It chronologically examines how bases have evolved from the 19th century when tall buildings were first produced to the present day, and evaluates their typological developments in six (6) distinct periods. The study investigates the Functional period, Eclectic period, Art Deco period, International period, Postmodern period, and High-Tech period, and assesses the shaping of bases through ten (10) representative buildings from each period. Data related to the buildings were obtained from the database of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The study evaluates how bases in tall buildings evolved in terms of factors determining their design, such as form, texture, color, solidity-void ratio, transparency, and material usage, in accordance with the different periods. According to the findings of the study, bases carry different meanings in each period, and their purposes and requirements vary. The structural design of bases is seen to be shaped by the technological advancement of the periods, the influence of architectural movements and styles, zoning regulations, investor demands and climate conditions. In the Functional period, podiums were integrated with the mass of the building, while in the Eclectic and Art-Deco periods, podiums started to be massively separated from the whole building. In the International period, podiums raised from the ground, while in the Post Modern period, podiums were used only to emphasise the visual effect of the building. With the high-tech period, the functionality of the podiums started to come to the fore. As a result, this study reveals how the podiums have changed according to the historical periods of the high-rise buildings and fills the gap in the literature in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Simple Added Weighting (SAW) method for evaluating the thermal insulation performance of the ground floor of an A++ class public building. Four alternative insulation materials (ŠILPUTA EPS100; FF-EPS100S; FINNFOAM F-200; PAROC GRS 20) were evaluated on the basis of six criteria: the compressive strength up to 10% deformation, the design value of thermal conductivity coefficient, the thickness of the thermal insulation layer, the cost (Q4 2023), the global warming potential (GWP) and the long-term water absorption of the insulation material. The results of the empirical research indicate that FINNFOAM F-200 is the most effective thermal insulation material for the ground floor insulation of a nearly zero-energy public building. The highest relative performance score (0.87) was achieved by this material. Rock wool PAROC GRS 20 is the least effective (0.51 points) alternative (from the four tested materials). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the influence of the floor level on housing prices based on the vertical dimensions of the building. A two stage least squares regression (2SLS) and two stage quantile regression (2SQR) are utilized to analyze the urban regions in Taipei City by using data obtained from the online actual price registry of real estate transactions from August 2012 to April 2020. After considering the spatial autocorrelation, the following conclusions are reached. First, in addition to the ground floor, the floor level premium is 0.55% for residential buildings with an elevator, and the premium increases when the housing price quantile increases. However, for walk-up apartments, there is a floor level discount of -4.21%, and the price discount increases when the quantile for the housing price increases. Secondly, when compared to the other floors, the ground floor premium is 9.61% for residential buildings with an elevator, which is a little higher than walkup apartments for which the ground floor premium is 8.54%. The results reveal that the influence of the type of residential building and the total number of floors on the ground floor premium is not as high as expected. Finally, regardless of whether the residential buildings have an elevator or are walk-up apartments, the ground floor premium increases when the housing price quantile increases. The ground floor premiums for residential buildings with an elevator range from 7.30% to 11.85%. They are a little higher than those for walk-up apartments which range from 6.25% to 9.69%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]