New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 6251

Special Issue Editor

School of Building Engineering, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: innovation in building engineering; mathematical methods applied to management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Buildings is proposed to gather a selection of contributions in the forthcoming Fourth Building and Management International Conference (BIMIC), which will be held in Madrid (Spain) from 16 to 18 November 2022 and has been organized by the School of Building Engineering (Technical University of Madrid).

Every year, the BIMIC brings together leading researchers, engineers and scientists in the sectors of architecture, engineering and construction, with the aim of discussing the most recent advancements in the field of management processes associated with buildings in any phase of their development. Conference potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Management in construction processes;
  • Prevention and safety;
  • Accessibility;
  • Sustainability and circular economy;
  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) systems;
  • Industrialization and prefabrication;
  • Innovation and research in building technologies;
  • The technology and management interface.

The proposed Special Issue aims to include selected conference contributions that cover these topics. A list of potential contributors to the issue is provided. Overall, topics of interest include theoretical, methodological and/or practical advances in building management—one or several processes—within any life phase of the building: project, construction, in-use, maintenance and end-of-life.

Dr. Jose A. Capitan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • management
  • construction processes
  • prevention and safety
  • accessibility
  • sustainability and circular economy
  • building information modeling
  • industrialization
  • prefabrication
  • building technologies
  • technology and management interface

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4430 KiB  
Article
The Thermal Potential of Wastewater for Heating and Cooling Buildings: A Case Study of a Low Exergy Building in Madrid
by Diana Gualotuña-Gualoto, Inmaculada Martínez-Pérez, Rossana Laera and Luis de Pereda
Buildings 2023, 13(8), 2057; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082057 - 12 Aug 2023
Viewed by 616
Abstract
The use of technologies that allow for the utilization of renewable energies wasted around buildings is one of the ways to ensure the decarbonization of the sector. Wastewater from buildings is a renewable source of thermal energy. Groundwater and rainwater are important components [...] Read more.
The use of technologies that allow for the utilization of renewable energies wasted around buildings is one of the ways to ensure the decarbonization of the sector. Wastewater from buildings is a renewable source of thermal energy. Groundwater and rainwater are important components of wastewater that flow into sewerage systems. The main objective of this research is to estimate the thermal potential of wastewater for the heating and cooling of buildings. In this paper, an office building with a low-energy system (TABS) was studied for one year to assess the energy contribution of wastewater in a hybrid system that includes geothermal exchangers and a wastewater exchanger. This study shows that wastewater from sewerage systems that flows faster than 5 L/s can make enough heat to power an office building with a power demand of 45 kW (60 W/m2). The energy contribution of wastewater from the sewerage system is more favorable in heating scenarios than in cooling ones, improving the system efficiency by over 22% compared to geothermal systems. Rainwater enhances cooling efficiency by over 14% compared to geothermal systems. This finding could help to establish a predictive method or guidelines for the design and sizing of heat exchangers in sewerage systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management)
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29 pages, 9601 KiB  
Article
The Mercerization Process and Its Impact on Rice Straw Surface Topography
by Oswaldo Hurtado-Figueroa, Alfonso Cobo Escamilla and Humberto Varum
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1573; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071573 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 935
Abstract
The present study shows the mercerization process (NaOH) and its effect on the physicochemical characteristics of rice straw. In total, 12 samples were analyzed, 3 as a comparative basis and 9 that were exposed to different concentrations of NaOH (1%, 2%, and 3%) [...] Read more.
The present study shows the mercerization process (NaOH) and its effect on the physicochemical characteristics of rice straw. In total, 12 samples were analyzed, 3 as a comparative basis and 9 that were exposed to different concentrations of NaOH (1%, 2%, and 3%) and times, in hours, of exposure in an alkaline environment (1 h, 2 h, and 3 h). The loss of silica and reduction in lignin and hemicellulose contents identified in the chemical characterization allowed for a visualization of the surface topography and cross-section of the treated samples, making it possible to contrast them with the three untreated samples by comparing their roughness, the appearance of their pores, and the contractions of vascular bundles in their conductive tissue. An analysis of the data showed that the results between some treatments were similar, suggesting a reduction in resources in future research. The mechanical resistance allowed for identifying that the NaOH-1%-1 h treatment obtained a better mechanical resistance in the treated samples. However, NaOH-3%-1 h, with the third lowest resistance, obtained the highest % elongation compared to the other samples. These physicochemical changes with NaOH facilitate the selection of the treatment concerning the fiber–matrix interaction and final performance of the composite material that intends to use rice straw as a reinforcing fiber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management)
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15 pages, 4414 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Electric Arc Furnace Dust (EAFD) on Improving Characteristics of Conventional Concrete
by Sajjad Saeb, José A. Capitán and Alfonso Cobo
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1526; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061526 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
The steel industry is one of the key industries and its use is inevitable in many industries including construction. In addition to steel, this industry produces massive amounts of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) that is classified as hazardous waste. Using this material [...] Read more.
The steel industry is one of the key industries and its use is inevitable in many industries including construction. In addition to steel, this industry produces massive amounts of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) that is classified as hazardous waste. Using this material as an admixture can improve the characteristics of concrete, neutralize potential risks and be beneficial to the circular economy. Considering the differences in EAFD between different steel companies, which in turn is caused by the type and percentage of input materials, the optimal percentage and specific application of EAFD from steel companies of each region is unique. In the present study, samples from 11 different sources of EAFD in Khuzestan Steel Company (KSC) were collected. Then, they were classified into three groups depending on the size and origin (fine and coarse, both obtained by filtering those particle sizes directly from furnaces, and a third class obtained in the interior of the steelmaking site close to material handling (MH) belt conveyors) based on their physical and chemical characteristics. To test the effect of EADF as an admixture, several conventional concrete samples were prepared by replacing 0% (control), 2%, 5% and 8% of cement with each EAFD group. Finally, the resulting material was characterized through several tests, namely: (i) compressive strength test at 7, 28 and 90 days, (ii) depth of water penetration under pressure test and (iii) electrical indication of concrete’s ability to resist chloride ion penetration. The result shows that replacing 2% of the cement with MH caused the largest improvement in compressive strength of 7 day concrete, but also showed negative effect on water penetration, while coarse had a negative effect in almost all tests except in the chloride ion penetration test. The best results were obtained by replacing with 2% of cement with fine EAFD, showing significant improvements in all tests, as well as in the observed trend of increasing compressive strength over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management)
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15 pages, 3036 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Properties of Cement Mortars Reinforced with Polypropylene Fibers Subjected to High Temperatures and Different Cooling Regimes
by Yorly Alvarez, María Isabel Prieto and Alfonso Cobo
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1445; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061445 - 01 Jun 2023
Viewed by 990
Abstract
This study experimentally investigated the mechanical properties of cement mortars that were reinforced with polypropylene (PP) fibers after being exposed to high temperatures and cooled under different regimes. PP fibers were added in amounts of 2, 3 and 4 kg/m3, the [...] Read more.
This study experimentally investigated the mechanical properties of cement mortars that were reinforced with polypropylene (PP) fibers after being exposed to high temperatures and cooled under different regimes. PP fibers were added in amounts of 2, 3 and 4 kg/m3, the residual strengths of the mortars exposed to various temperatures up to 500 °C and cooled under different regimes were determined. It was found that the addition of PP fiber at the level of 2 kg/m3 improves the residual flexural and compressive strengths up to 300 °C. The residual flexural strength was approximately 75%, which is 15% higher than that observed in the simple mortar, and the same happens with the residual compressive strength which was approximately 85%, which is 17% higher than that observed in the simple mortar, regardless of the types of cooling used on the specimens. It was determined by means of a statistical analysis that there are no significant differences in the mechanical properties of the mortar according to the cooling regimes used, after having been exposed to high temperatures. The correlation of the residual flexural and compressive strengths was achieved with a coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.82, and the relationships between the variables were considered acceptable regardless of the types of cooling used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management)
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27 pages, 3044 KiB  
Article
A Semi-Explicit Practical Coding Method for Prefabricated Building Component Parts in China
by Zhi Shan, Dingkang Fu, Lijie Qiu, Yuling Liang and Chao Huang
Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051236 - 08 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1222
Abstract
In the context of building industrialization, the dissemination and transmission of information related to prefabricated building component parts are of paramount importance throughout the building’s life cycle and the entire industry chain, necessitating high standards of information integration. At present, the development of [...] Read more.
In the context of building industrialization, the dissemination and transmission of information related to prefabricated building component parts are of paramount importance throughout the building’s life cycle and the entire industry chain, necessitating high standards of information integration. At present, the development of information coding for prefabricated building component parts in China is hindered by various challenges, such as the lack of uniform norms and standards across different regions, as well as significant differences in the composition and character length of coded information categories. Through reviewing academic papers and society, group, and local standards related to the coding of prefabricated building component parts, this article identifies the importance of component part coding information categories. Considering the readability of codes, a practical coding system is adopted for the coding design, proposing a semi-implicit practical coding method for prefabricated building component parts. This method has strong flexibility and wide applicability. Additionally, a common coding system for component parts is devised to address the issue of missing information caused by the limited characters of component parts codes. This system enables comprehensive life cycle information management of component parts of prefabricated buildings and promotes the application of prefabricated buildings in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Building Innovation Technologies and Management)
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