Sustainable Methods and Techniques in Old and New Public Constructions

This article is about the methods and techniques used in the building ＂retrofit＂ in modernist style designed by the architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy in the fifties, and also about the project of the new Rio de Janeiro MIS （Museum of Image and Sound）, under construction, by The North-American office Diller Scofidio ＋ Renfro, both located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. These constructions present a wide view of the concept of sustainability, not commonly used in public buildings in Brazil. In the building designed by Reidy, which belongs to the State of Rio de Janeiro, the regeneration to host the new headquarters of the State Department of Taxation and Finance respected its original characteristics and used smart and sustainable design techniques, as well as recyclable materials. On the other hand, the project of the new museum at Copacabana Beach was entirely planned on sustainable bases and it includes the application of building techniques concerning that purpose. This article presents a study of these two cases and evaluates the techniques and materials used in one another. Observing the principles of sustainability in construction is a pioneering initiative of the State Government. This article aims at making the scientific community aware of the needs of immediate adoption of sustainability techniques in Civil Engineering, not only in the construction of new buildings, but also in the regeneration of the existing ones, as well as the need of imperious adoption of sustainable techniques when it comes to maintainability.

The Challenges in Providing Affordable Housing in Nigeria and the Adequate Sustainable Approaches for Addressing Them

Despite multiple schemes implemented by various governments around the country, affordable housing remains elusive to the average Nigerian. Because the situation is comparable to that of other developing nations, it remains a key concern in these countries’ socioeconomic development. Over 52% of Nigeria’s population has been claimed to live in shanties, squatter communities, and informal settlements. This article, therefore, reviews the challenges to the provision of affordable housing in Nigeria and the Sustainable approaches to address them. The article’s findings were based on a thorough examination of the literature. The article’s findings indicated that sustainable approaches for addressing Nigeria’s affordable housing barriers may best be examined through the economic, ecological, social, institutional, and technical factors. The paper urges the present regime, investors, lawmakers, and private developers in Nigeria to implement these approaches for affordable housing provision. The findings from this article will add to the current body of knowledge by providing important information on affordable housing provision and re-directing research interest towards affordable housing in Nigeria and other developing countries.

APROVECHO’S SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:A FOCUS ON NATURAL BUILDING

Aprovecho is a non-profit research and education center dedicated to living,learning,organizing and educating to inspire a sustainable culture.Located on a forty acre land trust in the Coast Range outside of Cottage Grove,Oregon,Aprovecho’s campus features a living demonstration of sustainable human settlement,organized around five core areas:food,shelter,water,forests,and energy.Aprovecho offers educational opportunities in all five of its core areas,including shelter through the Natural Building program.The Aprovecho Natural Building program trains students in the use of locally-sourced,non-toxic building materials for the construction of energy-efficient,affordable,healthy homes that work within natural communities and that enrich local economies.

＂Societa Nazionale Officine di Savigliano＂： The History through Case Studies

Societa Nazionale Officine di Savigliano was a company specialized in railway constructions, metallic bridges and mechanical and electrical constructions. Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the company became well known in Europe especially for metallic constructions, having built the majority of metal bridges in the north of Italy such as the famous Paderno bridge （1887-1889）, one of the biggest arch bridge for the period. In the 1930s, the company built some interesting examples of steel frame buildings, applying the electrical welding technique, acquired in industrial constructions, to civil buildings. The steel frame was quite rare in Italian buildings, especially in the matter of civil constructions and Savigliano made an effort in modernizing the Italian construction system, through research and innovation. The paper will discuss some examples of Savigliano＇s works dating back to 1930, and in particular, it will present a specific example never studied before： the hangar at the Elmas military airport, in Cagliari （Sardinia）. The building is worth mentioning for the innovations experimented, as the new welding technique allowed a series of improvements in the construction process.

Nanoscale 3D Printing Technique Uses Micro-Pyramids to Build Better Biochips

This nanoprinting process allows researchers to 3D print more material on a biochip than ever before,making it easier to study biomedical issues.Making biochips,a key technology in studying disease,just got a little easier.This new nanoprinting process?uses gold-plated pyramids,an LED light,and photochemical reactions to print more organic material on the surface of one single biochip than ever before.The technique uses an array of polymer pyramids that are covered in gold and mounted onto an atomic force mi-