Christina L. Kolbmann, Carrie Leslie, Chris Anderson, Jeff F. Kelly, Jeremy D. Ross, Lori Jervis, Justin Reedy, E. S. Bridge
{"title":"Perceptions of the crowded sky as assessed through response to aerial infrastructure","authors":"Christina L. Kolbmann, Carrie Leslie, Chris Anderson, Jeff F. Kelly, Jeremy D. Ross, Lori Jervis, Justin Reedy, E. S. Bridge","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1035592","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1035592","url":null,"abstract":"Ever increasing numbers of wind turbines, communication towers, power lines, and aerial vehicles are clear evidence of our growing reliance on infrastructure in the lower aerosphere. As this infrastructure expands, it is important to understand public perceptions of an increasingly crowded sky. To gauge tolerance for aerial crowding, 251 participants from across the US completed a survey where they rated tolerance for a series of aerial infrastructure images (i.e., towers, turbines, and airborne vehicles) in four landscapes with varying degrees of pre-existing ground-level infrastructure that approximated rural, suburban, and urban settings. We predicted lower tolerance for aerial infrastructure 1) in more natural scenes and 2) among rural residents. In general, participants preferred an open aesthetic with relatively little aerial infrastructure across all landscape types. No clear association was found between infrastructure tolerance and natural scenes nor rural residency, with participants slightly less tolerant of infrastructure in the suburban scene. Tolerance scores were generally similar across age, income levels, and political affiliations. Women indicated less crowding tolerance than men, with this effect driven by a disproportionate number of women with zero tolerance for aerial infrastructure. African Americans and Asians had higher tolerance scores than other racial/ethnic groups, but these trends may have been affected by low sample sizes of non-white participants. Our survey revealed fewer differences in crowding tolerance across demographic groups than might be expected given widely reported political and geographic polarization in the U.S. Attitudes toward aerial infrastructure were varied with few associations with demographic parameters suggesting that public opinion has not yet solidified with regard to this issue, making possible opportunities for consensus building with regard to responsible development of aerial infrastructure.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42832266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Moohammed Wasim Yahia, E. Mushtaha, Samar Adel Yassin, Kawthar Ahmad AlFoudari, Yasmeen Adnan Atoum, A. Opoku, S. Dirar, Aref Mohamad Maksoud
{"title":"Cohousing design guidelines for better social integration in the United Arab Emirates","authors":"Moohammed Wasim Yahia, E. Mushtaha, Samar Adel Yassin, Kawthar Ahmad AlFoudari, Yasmeen Adnan Atoum, A. Opoku, S. Dirar, Aref Mohamad Maksoud","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1155179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1155179","url":null,"abstract":"Considering cohousing as a new typology in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) housing market is a challenge due to the cultural and societal dimensions. However, the variety of societies in the Emirates reflecting various habits, experiences, and traditions can allow testing such new types of housing which can be adapted to the local context, considering the needs of the society. This study aims at developing design guidelines for future cohousing in the UAE, considering the pillars of the Estidama program, i.e., social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects, in addition to the role of architecture design. The present study is based on an empirical investigation from the viewpoint of future cohousing residents in the UAE. Semi-structured interviews considering 87 individuals were conducted. Moreover, a focus group discussion targeting eight professionals was performed. Furthermore, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method was applied to include the people’s voices directly when developing the design guidelines for cohousing in the UAE. The study showed that the aspects of culture and privacy are crucial in the future of cohousing in the UAE. In addition, providing local facilities such as majlis and praying rooms is vital to consider. Moreover, other aspects such as sustainable design, universal design, and safety are also valuable. For the outdoor environment, the study highlighted the importance of urban design quality, landscape solutions, shading, and natural ventilation strategies in outdoor spaces. Future cohousing in the UAE is expected to enhance social interaction and contribute to sustainability in the long-term perspective.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47534330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ashik Iqbal, Ismat Jahan, Qudrati Al Wasiew, Imtiaz Ahmed Emu, Dipta Chowdhury
{"title":"From existing conventional building towards LEED certified green building: case study in Bangladesh","authors":"Ashik Iqbal, Ismat Jahan, Qudrati Al Wasiew, Imtiaz Ahmed Emu, Dipta Chowdhury","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1194636","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1194636","url":null,"abstract":"Green Building refers to the planning, design, construction, and operation of buildings considering indoor environment quality, occupant health, using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing waste, pollution, and the overall environmental impact. Among the Green Building guidelines, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) offers a certification and rating system by which buildings are certified in different categories. The LEED rating system is used to rate an existing building how much it is fulfilling the criteria of Green Building (GB) or not. This research explored how an existing conventional building can be retrofitted to satisfy green building standards. An academic building of KUET has been selected for the study. A field survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools (i.e., Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII)) were used for the data collection and then the data was analyzed by comparative analysis concerning the LEED 2009 rating system for assessing the building. The New Academic building receives 31 points out of 110 and so cannot earn any certification level. The lacking for which the points were not gained is identified and the installation of water and energy efficiency features, rooftop gardening is suggested as retrofitting options to earn the green building certification level.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45754228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Prozuments, A. Borodinecs, Kristina Lebedeva, Arturs Palcikovskis
{"title":"Examining the efficacy of cooling pad technology to address increasing building cooling demand in Latvia","authors":"A. Prozuments, A. Borodinecs, Kristina Lebedeva, Arturs Palcikovskis","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1258625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1258625","url":null,"abstract":"Over the past decades there has been a strong evidence of a temperature rise across the world that has led to a growing concern of more extreme weather patterns and regular seasonal heat waves globally. As such, building occupants are at a continuously growing risk to overheating exposure inside the premises throughout the warm season of the year. This study investigates the utilization of cooling pad technology as a potential solution to enhance cooling efficiency. Compared to traditional cooling methods, the implementation of cooling pads leads to significant reductions in temperature and enhanced humidity control, while consuming relatively lower amounts of energy. The study contains a comprehensive analysis of the climatic conditions in Latvia, focusing on temperature and humidity variations throughout the year over the last decade in three cities–Riga, Daugavpils and Liepaja, that extensively represent the scope of climatic variations across Latvia, featuring coastal and continental climate patterns. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of cooling pad technology in Nordic climate, focusing on three Latvian cities. The novelty of the study lies in its analysis of cooling pad technology’s effectiveness in Nordic climatic conditions in addressing the increasing cooling demand. The paper examines the fundamental principles behind cooling pad technology, its impact on chiller performance, and its ability to optimize the cooling process. The utilization of cooling pad technology as an effective means to enhance cooling efficiency across the building stock to improve occupant comfort level and IEQ is highlighted. The results demonstrate 5.47% COP increase during average summer temperature conditions, and 17.78% COP increase in peak summer temperature conditions after implementation of cooling pads. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on cooling technologies, offering practical recommendations for the implementation of cooling pad systems use in Latvia and across the wider Nordic region, which is experiencing the gradual rise in summer temperature and humidity level.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45166988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hira Abdul Razzak, Amin ElShamy, Alya Harbi, Mubarkah AlKarbi, Lubna Al Shaali, Rasha Salama, Ahmed Alosi, Haifa H. N. Madi
{"title":"A cross-sectional study: exploring the relationship between commuting time and subjective wellbeing in the UAE","authors":"Hira Abdul Razzak, Amin ElShamy, Alya Harbi, Mubarkah AlKarbi, Lubna Al Shaali, Rasha Salama, Ahmed Alosi, Haifa H. N. Madi","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1257198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1257198","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Commuting has become an integral part of modern life, impacting individuals’ daily routines and overall wellbeing. The duration of commuting has been recognized as important determinants of subjective wellbeing, with potential implications for public health. Aim: To examine the association between commuting time and subjective wellbeing across the seven emirates of the UAE. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on adults aged 18 years and above, encompassing both officially employed and self-employed individuals in the UAE. The sample of 5,476 participants was randomly selected from the population across the seven Emirates. To assess subjective wellbeing, the WHO-5 instrument, available in 31 languages and known for its ease of completion, scoring, and interpretation, was employed. Both Arabic and English versions of the tool were provided to the participants. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between commuting time and wellbeing, while controlling for individual, social, economic, and environmental factors. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated to determine the association with poor wellbeing. Results: The commuting time was associated with a higher odds ratio (OR) of experiencing poor subjective wellbeing. This association remained consistent even after accounting for individual, social, economic, and environmental factors in the analysis models. Among employees with commuting times greater than 60 min, the adjusted OR of poor subjective wellbeing was 2.24 (95% CI, 1.82–2.77) times higher compared to individuals with less than 15 min of commuting time. Similarly, for employees with commuting times between 31 and 60 min, the adjusted OR of poor subjective wellbeing was 1.7 (95% CI, 1.39–2.09) times higher, while for those with commuting times between 15 and 30 min, the adjusted OR was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.04–1.53) times higher, both compared to individuals with less than 15 min of commuting time. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that commuting time plays a crucial role in determining the subjective wellbeing of employees in the UAE. Specifically, employees with longer commuting times tend to report lower levels of subjective wellbeing. This suggests a potential opportunity to implement policies aimed at reducing commuting durations, which could ultimately enhance the wellbeing of the employed workforce. Such measures have the potential to positively impact the mental wellbeing of employees in the United Arab Emirates.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135831311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparing the environmental impact of poultry manure and chemical fertilizers","authors":"N. Kiss, J. Tamás, V. Mannheim, A. Nagy","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1237476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1237476","url":null,"abstract":"One of the challenges in livestock production is the significant volume of manure generated, which must be appropriately managed to mitigate its environmental impacts. Untreated manure poses a potential hazard to soil, surface water, groundwater, and human and animal health. Based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, the research aims to evaluate the ecological load of composted-pelletized poultry litter (CPPL) in maize and winter wheat production. Furthermore, the environmental loads of CPPL applications are compared with those of other N, P, and K fertilizers. The research study utilized the openLCA software with the Agribalyse 3.1 database to calculate eleven impact categories. In the case of maize, only ozone depletion has higher emissions. For winter wheat production, scenarios where the P fertilizer was MAP had lower impacts for NPK combinations. While for the CPPL, fuel was the main contributor to loads, for the NPK fertilizer scenarios, energy use for fertilizer production contributed more. The results can be relevant to the burdens of using different nutrient replacement products and creating diverse feed mixtures. The application of CPPL promises to reduce the burden of crop production and, consequently, feed production. Additionally, it allows for the recovery of manure not useable by the livestock industry.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48830169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aerodynamic mitigation of low-rise building with complex roof geometry","authors":"R. Al-Chalabi, A. Elshaer","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1200383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1200383","url":null,"abstract":"During strong wind events, building roofs are subjected to high wind uplift forces (suctions), which often lead to severe roofing component damage, or even roof total failure, flying debris, and water intrusion, hence, interior damages. Typical roof shapes (e.g., gable and hip) are generally designed using provision codes and standards to accurately estimate peak load impacting the roofs during wind events for design purposes. Complex roof geometry can be efficiently examined using wind tunnel testing and computational modeling to provide quantitative assessment for wind to narrow down the design alternatives and to examine the improvement gained from mitigation techniques. In this study, an isolated low-rise building with a complex roof shape is examined using large eddy simulation (LES) to numerically assess wind load prediction by validating it with wind tunnel results. This study presents two roof modification scenarios using parapets added to roof corners and ridgelines to displace the flow from the separation locations to reduce the wind impact on the roof. The current study aims to 1) evaluate wind load on an isolated low-rise building with complex roof geometry for various angles of attack and 2) mitigate the roof aerodynamically using parapets, added corners, and ridgeline to reduce the wind impact on the roof. The validation shows that both the mean and RMS of the pressure coefficients are in good agreement with the wind tunnel results. The research results suggest that parapets with 500 mm height located at the corner and edges of complex roof geometry can effectively reduce extreme corner suction by 29% and roof uplift by 5.6%.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43359920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluating design features to support inclusive, self-directed, and active healthy living behaviours","authors":"E. Tracada, MaryAnn Sorensen Allacci","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1232248","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1232248","url":null,"abstract":"Active healthy living design has typically focused on urban and community environments to support physical activity; this article looks at an expanded definition of active healthy living opportunities at building level design for various groups. We wanted to engage youth, adults, and diversely abled people through a form of inclusive design that encourages individuals to venture out of their private homes, workplaces, or other isolating conditions and explore areas of shared spaces or get outside of personal environments and buildings for self-directed, restorative activity. Incentives for people to venture outside of private spaces became even more important for maintaining healthy minds and bodies during the recent pandemic. The objectives of this discussion are to propose a multidisciplinary tool to facilitate decisions around creating shared spaces in different building typologies that promote active, self-directed behaviour by occupants to engage physically, socially, or psychologically with features that support health and wellbeing. We first examined a wide range of theories and design practices for potential applications to building-centred design that supports healthy behaviour, reduces environment stress, and employs space syntax and the Biophilic Healing Index to help encourage healthy behaviours by a wide range of occupant ages and abilities in and around buildings. A rating scale was then associated with criteria representing evidence-based guidelines, and capable of being fitted for use as a teaching-learning and discussion aid. An overview of data from demonstration of the tool is presented, along with feedback on proposed improvements and how these might impact professional practice.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42584814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: New approaches for sustainable and resilient processes and products of social housing development in the Arabian Gulf Countries","authors":"Khaled Galal Ahmed","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1271527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1271527","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43204716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Makram Bou Hatoum, H. Nassereddine, Sean Musick, Mahmoud El-Jazzar
{"title":"Investigation of PESTEL factors driving change in capital project organizations","authors":"Makram Bou Hatoum, H. Nassereddine, Sean Musick, Mahmoud El-Jazzar","doi":"10.3389/fbuil.2023.1207564","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1207564","url":null,"abstract":"In a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment, organizational change has been a central concern for capital project organizations, that continue to suffer from poor project performance in a growing industry. As such, capital project organizations must understand the changing environment and the factors driving change within their organizations to remain successful in a changing environment and adapt to change. To help the capital projects industry achieve successful organizational change efforts, this paper aims to 1) identify the external factors that are pushing capital project organizations to change and 2) investigate whether these factors impact organizations differently. To achieve the desired objective, a total of 22 PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal) factors were identified and validated with a group of 14 subject matter experts and defined via the context of literature. Then, the factors were evaluated via an online survey to understand whether they impact organizations differently based on their age maturity (including contemporary, transitional, and legacy organizations) and type of work (including owners, contractors, and service providers). Findings from this study can provide capital project practitioners and researchers with valuable insights needed to understand the external factors shaping change within the industry.","PeriodicalId":37112,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Built Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43382935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}