Color Landscape Planning and Design of Urban Street Buildings:A Case Study of the Western Section of Zhongshan Road in Shenyang City

Through exploring color landscape planning and design of buildings in the western section of Zhongshan Road in Shenyang City, this paper proposed color landscape design methods adaptive to Chinese urban construction, concerning various tasks such as reasonable orientation of street building colors, effective control of street building colors, realization of regional characteristics and cultural connotations of urban colors via designs, so as to provide references and theoretical support for the future landscape design of urban streets.

Path for the “Interaction between Industrialization and Urbanization” in Low Hilly Areas of Sichuan Against the Background of New Urbanization: A Case Study of Overall Planning of Lianjie Town in Weiyuan County

Taking the practical experience of Lianjie Town, Weiyuan County for example, this paper analyzed regional characteristics of the low hilly areas in Sichuan and interaction mechanism of "industrialization and urbanization", explored the path for the interaction between industrialization and urbanization from 5 perspectives, namely accelerating industrial upgrading, optimizing industrial structure, breaking through the dual system, industry back-feeding town, and protecting ecological background.

Investigation of Vegetation Resources on City Wall of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing City and Ecological Evaluation of the City Wall

Phyto-groups on 5 remained city wall sections of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing City was investigated through on-the-spot survey,99 species of 93 genera,60 families were found,and species of Asteraceae and Poaceae accounted for the largest ratio.Plants on the city wall are characterized by strong drought resistance and precocity,their seeds can grow out of the wall cracks,and roots secrete acidoid and obtain nutrients from wall bricks.Plants on different wall sections are different,and human interventions influence phyto-groups on the city wall greatly.On this basis,it was concluded that plants had negative influence on city wall,especially plant roots destroyed the wall seriously.Corresponding researches were carried out and prevention suggestions proposed to provide scientific support for the protection of ancient city walls in Nanjing City.

Optimization of Building Layouts to Increase Wind Turbine Power Output in the Built Environment Assumed to Be Installed at Fukushima City and Tsu City in Japan

It is very important to consider proper intelligent integration and locations of renewable energy sources into the built environment for developing smart cities. Wind speed distribution study in the built environment is very essential for analyzing the wind turbine performance located in the built environment. In this work, the building layout like nozzle is proposed and the objective is to optimize the building layout for increasing electrical energy output of wind turbine, assumed to be installed in actual cities of Japan. The wind speed distribution across buildings is numerically simulated by using CFD-ACE+. Wind turbine power output is estimated using the power curve of a real commercial wind turbine and wind speed distribution is simulated using CFD software. The meteorological data of Fukushima city and Tsu city of Japan are utilized for evaluating the wind speed distribution profile across the building and for finding the electrical energy output from wind turbine. The proposed building models, which have the angle between two buildings like nozzle of 90°, 135° and 180°, can provide the wind acceleration at the back of buildings for the wind blowing from the main wind direction and the angle of 135°is optimum building layout. In the case of installing the proposed building model in Fukushima city and Tsu city, the wind energy output in winter season is higher while that in summer season is lower irrespective of the buildings’ angle. The interaction between the change in frequency distribution of wind speed and direction throughout the year and the location of open tip of building model decides the power generation characteristics of the proposed building model.

The Effects of Building Form on Microclimate and Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Tropical City

The urban microclimate has direct implications with regards to thermal comfort indoors as well as outdoors. In the tropics, the outdoor thermal comfort conditions during daytime are often far above acceptable comfort standards due to intense solar radiation and high solar elevations. This study aims to know effects of simple and fundamental building forms on microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort in a high dense tropical city, focusing on Dhaka, Bangladesh as a study city. Investigations are carried out on existing area and model areas with modified building forms （in respect of height and shape） on the microclimate as well as on outdoor thermal comfort during daytime in summer. This study has demonstrated that the model using less ground coverage and higher buildings can offer a better thermal climate than the models using maximum ground coverage in a high-density tropical city.

Post-occupancy Evaluation for Ceremonial and Public Buildings： A Case Study of Amman City Hall, Jordan

POE （post-occupancy evaluation） of buildings is one of the most important mechanisms which ensures that ceremonial and public building performance including its facilities is sustained. POE studies concerned with efficiency of building performance after using and implementing with the end-user. It provides feedback on the current status of the building and proposes solutions to existing problems in addition to guidelines and design criteria for the best solutions in the future. Despite precedent research which have been undertaken in the context of building performance, aspects of evaluating building performance have not been specified and used widely in Jordan. At the commencement of this research, the concept of POE is still new in Jordan, and the local building practitioners are still unfamiliar with this approach for the evaluation of a building performance in Amman. Accordingly, there is a need to undertake this kind of research in Jordan to identify the main guidelines of POE to be applied effectively in ceremonial and public buildings. This study therefore applies POE of indoor environment of the public buildings by exploring the guidelines that can constitute a successful and effective framework for the public buildings in Amman. This was achieved using the learnt lessons from Amman City Hall building which was used as a case study and reflecting them on these where needed. Analytical and descriptive approach basis was applied, adopting a mixed method approach （qualitative and quantitative method） by using observation tool and a questionnaire survey with occupants. Context-derived data and statistics analyzed together were used to explore the guidelines of POE to be applied effectively in public buildings. A field visit and observation tool was adopted for gathering information leading to the findings and recommendations. A questionnaire was also used to extrapolate core findings of this research. This research provides a significant contribution of POE result towards improving indoor environment to ceremonial and public buildings in Jordan.

Theoretical Research,Practice Exploration and Policy Suggestions on Scenescape Development and Ecological Value Transformation in Chengdu’s Park City Construction

The“Park City”concept presents a new,urban development model that can be used as a guide for planning the growth of a city.Advancing the transformation of Chengdu into a park city is an important and unique strategic option for maintaining and strengthening the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.The construction of a park city in Chengdu has many potentially positive and favorable outcomes,including maintaining natural ecosystems while improving biodiversity,livability,and enhancing the city’s historical and cultural heritage,all while establishing Chengdu as a national leader for this new urban development model.In recent years,park city scenescape modeling and the resulting ecological value transformations have been analyzed through theory,mechanism designs,and limited practice,but throughout the explorations on scenescape building and ecological value transformations,the actual construction of a park city is still facing many problems.This article argues that Chengdu should take lessons from the advanced experience in urban ecological construction efforts of other cities,both in China and overseas,focusing on sustained scenescape building,theoretical research in ecological value transformations,establishing meaningful and compatible interaction mechanisms between ecological value transformations and capital markets,improving the levels of planning and designing needed for scenescape building,establishing innovative scenescape building and ecological value transformations management systems and mechanisms,and cultivating park city scenescape brands.Related and detailed scenescape building and ecological value transformation measurement and policy suggestions are also provided in this article.

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Damaged Buildings in Historic Benghazi City

The primary focus of the study is to assess and classify the damage in the old Benghazi City.Specifically,it aims to evaluate buildings within a designated area,which is bordered by Umar Ibn Al-Aas Street to the south,Omar Al-Mukhtar Street to the north,Ben Issa Street to the east,and the extension of Gamal Abdel Nasser Street to the west.The main objective is to gather valuable insights and data that can support effective rehabilitation or reconstruction efforts.By comprehending the extent of the damage and categorizing it accordingly,the study seeks to provide essential information for decision-making processes and determine the most appropriate approach for restoration.The ultimate aim is to ensure the safe return of residents to the affected area.In addition to this,the restoration process aims to preserve and revitalize the city’s religious,historical,and distinctive features.This includes safeguarding religious structures,landmarks,and elements that contribute to the city’s unique identity.To achieve this,the study proposes separate rehabilitation schemes tailored for ordinary buildings and historic buildings.

Simulation of the response of base-isolated buildings under earthquake excitations considering soil flexibility

The accurate analysis of the seismic response of isolated structures requires incorporation of the flexibility of supporting soil. However, it is often customary to idealize the soil as rigid during the analysis of such structures. In this paper, seismic response time history analyses of base-isolated buildings modelled as linear single degree-of-freedom （SDOF） and multi degree-of-freedom （MDOF） systems with linear and nonlinear base models considering and ignoring the flexibility of supporting soil are conducted. The flexibility of supporting soil is modelled through a lumped parameter model consisting of swaying and rocking spring-dashpots. In the analysis, a large number of parametric studies for different earthquake excitations with three different peak ground acceleration （PGA） levels, different natural periods of the building models, and different shear wave velocities in the soil are considered. For the isolation system, laminated rubber bearings （LRBs） as well as high damping rubber bearings （HDRBs） are used. Responses of the isolated buildings with and without SSI are compared under different ground motions leading to the following conclusions： （1） soil flexibility may considerably influence the stiff superstructure response and may only slightly influence the response of the flexible structures; （2） the use of HDRBs for the isolation system induces higher structural peak responses with SSI compared to the system with LRBs; （3） although the peak response is affected by the incorporation of soil flexibility, it appears insensitive to the variation of shear wave velocity in the soil; （4） the response amplifications of the SDOF system become closer to unit with the increase in the natural period of the building, indicating an inverse relationship between SSI effects and natural periods for all the considered ground motions, base isolations and shear wave velocities; （5） the incorporation of SSI increases the number of significant cycles of large amplitude accelerations for all the stories, especially for earthquakes with low and moderate PGA levels; and （6） buildings with a linear LRB base-isolation system exhibit larger differences in displacement and acceleration amplifications, especially at the level of the lower stories.

Building damages in Deyang city by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

The Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 caused huge casualties, economic losses, and building damages , which are analyzed. The results show that damages of houses designed according to the current seismic code were significantly smaller than those without such design, suggesting that the code has achieved the desired goal of seismic fortification. Buildings of different kinds of structures showed large differences in damages ： Houses with steel-frames and shear walls or steel structures suffered the least damages ; those with frames or with brick-and-concrete structures suffered more; old cottages, the most.

Influence of soil——structure interaction on seismic collapse resistance of super-tall buildings

Numerous field tests indicate that the soilestructure interaction （SSI） has a significant impact on thedynamic characteristics of super-tall buildings, which may lead to unexpected structural seismic responsesand/or failure. Taking the Shanghai Tower with a total height of 632 m as the research object, thesubstructure approach is used to simulate the SSI effect on the seismic responses of Shanghai Tower. Therefined finite element （FE） model of the superstructure of Shanghai Tower and the simplified analyticalmodel of the foundation and adjacent soil are established. Subsequently, the collapse process of ShanghaiTower taking into account the SSI is predicted, as well as its final collapse mechanism. The influences ofthe SSI on the collapse resistance capacity and failure sequences are discussed. The results indicate that,when considering the SSI, the fundamental period of Shanghai Tower has been extended significantly,and the collapse margin ratio has been improved, with a corresponding decrease of the seismic demand.In addition, the SSI has some impact on the failure sequences of Shanghai Tower subjected to extremeearthquakes, but a negligible impact on the final failure modes. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extended consecutive modal pushover procedure for estimating seismic responses of one-way asymmetric plan tall buildings considering soil-structure interaction

Performance based design becomes an effective method for estimating seismic demands of buildings. In asymmetric plan tall building the effects of higher modes and torsion are crucial. The consecutive modal pushover （CMP） procedure is one of the procedures that consider these effects. Also in previous studies the influence of soil-structure interaction （SSI） in pushover analysis is ignored. In this paper the CMP procedure is modified for one-way asymmetric plan mid and high-rise buildings considering $SI. The extended CMP （ECMP） procedure is proposed in order to overcome some limitations of the CMP procedure. In this regard, 10, 15 and 20 story buildings with asymmetric plan are studied considering SSI assuming three different soil conditions. Using nonlinear response history analysis under a set of bidirectional ground motion; the exact responses of these buildings are calculated. Then the ECMP procedure is evaluated by comparing the results of this procedure with nonlinear time history results as an exact solution as well as the modal pushover analysis procedure and FEMA 356 load patterns. The results demonstrate the accuracy of the ECMP procedure.

FROM LOW-ENERGY TO NET ZERO-ENERGY BUILDINGS: STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES

“Net Zero-Energy Building”has become a popular catchphrase to describe the synergy between energy-efficient building and renewable energy utilisation to achieve a balanced energy budget over an annual cycle.Taking into account the energy exchange with a grid overcomes the limitations of energy-autonomous buildings with the need for seasonal energy storage on-site.Although the expression,“Net Zero-Energy Building,”appears in many energy policy documents,a harmonised definition or a standardised balancing method is still lacking.This paper reports on the background and the various effects influencing the energy balance approach.After discussing the national energy code framework in Germany,a harmonised terminology and balancing procedure is proposed.The procedure takes not only the energy balance but also energy efficiency and load matching into account.

The Vertical Change of Atmospheric Particulates and Evaluation on Its Influence of the Resident's Floor-Choosing in Beijing

In order to investigate the vertical change of atmospheric particulates and it’s influence of the resident’s floor-choosing in Beijing,we take PM10 as the research object,the 18th building whichis 49.2 m in height of China University of Geosciences as the representative of resident building in Beijing,use the TSP/PM 10/PM2.5-2 particulate-sampling machine to sample PM10 on the south balcony of 1,4,8,12,16th floor respectively in 72 hours from 12 o’clock of January 31st to 12 o’clock of February 2nd,2007, weigh the accurate weight of the fiberglas filter membrane on the Sarlorius electronic balance

The Assessment of Depok as Age Friendly City (AFC)

Depok has a big opportunity to become an age friendly city (AFC) because it has a large number of posbindu, increased elderly population, it does not have yet the pension security for the elderly people, and it does not have yet the number of infrastructure and social facilities needed for the elderly. Before Depok City becomes an age friendly city, an assessment of the eight-dimensional indicators of AFC had been carried out by a team of UI researchers from Center of Ageing Studies in collaboration with the Institute for Survey METER in March 2013. One of the main finding was the presence of the three indicators of AFC in Depok which still lack, they are buildings and open space, housing, and civil participation and employment. The purpose of the study was to assess the public’s opinion on the three indicators of AFC that still lack in Depok. The study shows that the majority of people and government as stakeholder assess that Depok is ready to become AFC as long as supported by the government of Depok City with the good coordination with related institutions for the budget and programs prioritizing the interests of the elderly. Moreover, the existence of Komda (Comission Area) of Elderly Depok City can support the establishment of a friendly city towards the elderly. The community prefers to choose the indicators of buildings and open spaces as a top priority for elderly-friendly city rather than chooses the indicators of housing and civil participation and employment for the elderly people. Therefore, hopefully Depok City Government with related institutions can build the building which is elderly-friendly as well as AFC socialization to the government and private sectors in order to achieve rapid implementation of Depok as an AFC.

Intelligent System Application to Monitor the Smart City Building Lighting

A smart city incorporates infrastructure methods that are environmentally responsible,such as smart communications,smart grids,smart energy,and smart buildings.The city administration has prioritized the use of cutting-edge technology and informatics as the primary strategy for enhancing service quality,with energy resources taking precedence.To achieve optimal energy management in themultidimensional system of a city tribe,it is necessary not only to identify and study the vast majority of energy elements,but also to define their implicit interdependencies.This is because optimal energy management is required to reach this objective.The lighting index is an essential consideration when evaluating the comfort indicators.In order to realize the concept of a smart city,the primary objective of this research is to create a system for managing and monitoring the lighting index.It is possible to identify two distinct phaseswithin the intelligent system.Once data collection concludes,the monitoring system will be activated.In the second step,the operation of the control system is analyzed and its effect on the performance of the numerical model is determined.This evaluation is based on the proposed methodology.The optimized resultswere deemed satisfactory because they maintained the brightness index value(79%)while consuming less energy.The intelligent implementation system generated satisfactory outcomes,which were observed 1.75 times on average.

Interpretation of Low-carbon City Planning and Design——A Case Study of Gaochun Zijin Science and Technology Special Community

It is an important and unique approach of achieving sustainable urban development to save and use energy intensively, reduce carbon emission, and take the low-carbon development road. Taking Gaochun Zijin Science and Technology Special Community for example, this paper introduced planning measures for building a low-carbon city, including building a green network, compound utilization of urban spaces, establishing green transportation, using renewable resources, development of green architecture, so as to provide references for the future researches on the low-carbon urban development.

Policy Analysis on Building Regulations and the Recovery of Earthquake and Tsunami Affected Areas

The paper examines the situation and causes of recent big earthquake and tsunami disasters especially in the case of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and analyzes the damage to extract lessons on safety of buildings and recovery of cities from the view point of building regulations such as the Article 39 of the Building Standard Law. In addition, the Article 8 of the Ordinance of City Planning Law resulted in not so effective against tsunami in March 2011. Control mechanisms of building construction should be integrated into socio-economic, institutional, technical and other policy tools. In order to mitigate earthquake risk, all stages of building construction, from location, planning and construction to maintenance are important. Awareness creation is instrumental for building culture of safety and demands for intervention in disaster mitigation. The demands ultimately help in creating conducive environment for policy intervention, in realizing institutional mechanism of building code enforcement and land use control for the municipal authorities and in creating demand for competent professionals.

Instruments of Urban Planning in Algerian City： Reality and Challenges

The year 1990 marks a line of rupture in the history of Algeria in general by the fundamental changes that have occurred, especially in the fields of urbanism and the land use planning, which has an important impact on space of the city and its environment. However, the absence of directives based on the reality of upstream territories and sometimes the conflict and the weakness of the instruments created at different levels： national, regional and local, have accelerated the galloping development of urbanization （the irrational consumption of land reserves inside and around the city）, often at the expense of the agricultural land. On the other hand, the involvement of new actors in the production of the framework built in the Algerian town was made without compliance with the rules of architecture and urbanism contained in the build permit and in the MPU （Master Plan of Land Use and Urbanism） and the SOP （Soil Occupation Plan） approved. The analyses conducted in the cities such as the capital Algiers and Setif illustrate this situation well. This article presents these situations of paradox, identifies their causes and suggests the recommendations to implement in the framework of studies and actions to take, to correct and regulate their mutations.

Zero Energy Hotels and Sustainable Mobility in the Islands of Aegean Sea (Greece)

The goal of this work is to evaluate and to give evidence to innovative and sustainable technologies applied in the construction industry to carry out self-sufficient energy and to use the surplus energy for the production of hydrogen vector. An architectural integration design along with high technological systems is performed. The intermittency of renewable energy sources along with climatic conditions dependency imposes to store the energy produced, since it is clean and having a big calorific value: the hydrogen vector is currently the better energy carrier. The energy to obtain hydrogen by dissociation of water is supplied by a photovoltaic (PV) system. Through the computations of the annual energy balance between building’s demand and supply energy, it is shown that the extra energy produced by the solar generation system is used also for the hydrogen sustainable mobility. The renewable systems, model’s design and case study are tackled for the bigger one of the Dodecanese islands in the South Aegean Sea: Rhodes (Rodos). The Zero energy building’s integrative design-based approach, applied to the Hotel Buildings type industry is targeted to have new hotels buildings, in the Mediterranean typical warm climate, with zero energy consumption. The designers, authors of this work, have studied a real case or pilot project of an hotel, in the resort formula, suitable to the Greek landscape, showcasing technologies and innovations supporting environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, electricity storage by fuel cells that are tools particularly applicable to hotel facility [1]. The feasibility of this case study or pilot project is aligned jointly to the target of Zero Emission and Energy Efficiency EU Policy, as imposed by EU Directives. The strategic position of Rhodes in a geographical point full of sun and wind renewable energy power, enables to ensure the clean energy production, the current interesting development of the hydrogen as energy vector in the buildings [2] and also to satisfy the demand of tourists’ accommodation by having at the same time zero energy costs. Moreover, the presence in the island of the best example worldwide of ancient and sustainable built environment (UNESCO World Heritage site), represents also the best motivation to give witness there of a zero impact environmental urban development through the adoption of these achieved scientific results for a major success of Zero Energy Buildings.