Academic literature on the topic 'Building adjustments'

Abstract The Building Performance Indicator (BPI), not fully applied in Brazil, expresses objectively the overall condition of a building based on the performance assessment of the building systems that comprise it. Although BPI was originally developed for hospital facilities, it can be used in different types of buildings since its methodology is generic. The objective of the study is to adjust the BPI to allow its application in the maintenance management of Brazilian university buildings. The stages of the research consist of (1) adjusting the factors and criteria that comprise the BPI; (2) implementing the adapted BPI; and (3) verifying its utility and ease of use. The adjustment and implementation included a building for classrooms and another that houses a teaching and research laboratory, both located at University X. The results obtained allowed the comparison of the overall condition between the inspected buildings, which establishes the intervention priority helping to adopt the most adequate maintenance strategy.

Bandung is one of the historical cities in Indonesia. Therefore, there are many historic heritage buildings adorning the city. According to local regulations, there are at least around 1700 cultural heritage buildings in the city of Bandung. The effort to preserve historic buildings has been carried out by the Bandung city government to maintain the historical value that exists in each building and its area. Along with the changing times, changes or shifts in the environment often occur in historic areas including social, cultural and economic. This has an effect on the complexity of preserving historic buildings, especially those included in class A cultural heritage buildings. One area that has a high historical value is Jalan Braga. Along the Braga street there are many classes A cultural heritage buildings, one of which is the Insulinde Building. The Insulinde building was built in 1917 as an oil factory office. During its establishment, the Insulinde building has changed functions 6 times. Its location in the Braga area makes adjustments to the building to the area need to be considered to see changes in the environment that occurs from year to year. This research uses qualitative methods by collecting data through literature studies and field observations. From the implementation of this research, it is expected to be able to contribute to the preservation of historic areas through its buildings as well as the adjustment of building functions seen from the shifting environment of the region.

By combining the green ecological wisdom on traditional Chinese residential buildings, this paper summarized the ideas that can be used for references and applications in modern green energy-saving design. In addition, in view of the inherent shortcomings of traditional residential buildings, this paper proposed a green energy-saving design method for traditional residential buildings based on 3D modelling technology, which is complementary to the traditional ecological construction concept. Based on the establishment of a 3D building information model of traditional residential buildings, the optimal solution for the energy-saving design of green buildings is found through energy-saving adjustments to the building space structure and building spacing parameters.

AbstractLong-term maintenance of camp constructions on snow and ice surfaces involves repeated adjustments of the vertical position of buildings due to snow accumulation or ice ablation. The principle of a low-effort vertical-adjustment station structure is presented. The basic idea is to construct a floatable spherical-shaped building that can be lifted by adding water underneath, which will then refreeze, or can be lowered by melting ice away from the base. Under cold polar conditions, the power requirement for melting the base free is approximately 100 Wm–2 and is usually available as waste heat from the electric power generator of the station.

Thermal adjustment is one of the most important behaviours. In daily life, we use some behavioural adjustments. It is not always obtained the optimal condition by the thermal adjustments. For example, it happens to use excessive air conditioning for thermal adjustments. Especially, the excessive air conditioning use is important issue not only for the human comfort but also for the energy use. The occupant behaviour stochastic model was proposed by some previous researches around the world. However, these models show only the state of the occupant behaviour, and thus the excessive adjustments are not known. The objective of this research is to clarify quantitatively the excessive thermal adjustments which are happened to be in the stochastic model. The thermal measurement and occupant behaviour survey was conducted in 120 dwellings during 4 years period in Kanto region of Japan. The number of samples collected was 36,114. We analysed the occupant behaviour stochastic model of the excessive cooling and heating use. The thermal sensation vote (TSV) and the thermal preference vote (TP) were used to classify the excessive air conditioning use. The proportion of excessive cooling use were increased when outdoor air temperature was increased. In addition, there were no significant difference between TSV and TP for calculating the proportion of the excessive air conditioning use in Japanese dwellings. These models are useful to understand the possibility of the energy saving. In the future, the model will be implemented in the building thermal simulation to predict the energy use in building.

Passive building design reduces a building’s energy consumption through mainly non-mechanical design strategies. The Passive House (or Passivhaus) Standard certifies such buildings that comply with its strict energy performance criteria. Achieving the Standard is very challenging for dwellings in extreme climates. There is limited knowledge of the Standard’s potential in Arctic regions, particularly the High Arctic. Through a review of the literature and energy modelling of a hypothetical dwelling, the challenges in achieving the Standard in Longyearbyen (78°N), Norway are investigated. Very low temperatures and 112 days without daylight create a high heating demand. Whereas previous studies measured actual building performances or used simple calculations, the findings in this investigation show the limitations of individual design parameters and technical limits of the building envelope. In theory the Standard can be achieved in Longyearbyen; however, the potential in practice is low due to the very tight margins in the heating criteria. The results show the significant impact of applying contextual (climatic) adjustments to the boundary conditions of the Standard. The investigation could contribute to a discussion on modifying the Passive House Standard for dwellings in the High Arctic and improving building design for the region. Practical application: Current knowledge regarding energy efficient building performance in Arctic climates is limited, while the urgency for improved efficiencies is extremely high. The modelling in this work shows the valuable impact of contextual adjustments to the Passive House boundary conditions; the impact of individual design parameters; and the potential for significant energy savings through adopting passive house principles for dwelling design in Longyearbyen or similar climates. This investigation could encourage new policy making, additional research and the development of an optimized Passive House Standard that considers High Arctic climate conditions, thus encouraging new energy efficient building construction in cold climates.

ABSTRACT Concern about effective auditing of fair value measurements (FVMs) has risen in recent decades. Building on prior interview-based and experimental research, we provide an engagement-level analysis of challenging FVMs, using quantitative and qualitative data on audit phases from risk assessment to booking adjustments. Challenging FVMs have high estimation uncertainty, high subjectivity, significant/complex assumptions, and multiple valuation techniques. Estimation uncertainty is associated with higher inherent risk assessments, which are, in turn, predictive of client problems identified during the engagement. The use of a valuation specialist by auditors, associated with higher inherent risk and client specialist use, is a key decision: procedures performed by specialists have the highest yield in identifying problems. Auditor-client discussion of an adjustment increases with problem identification and auditors' expressions of residual concern about uncertainty post-testing. However, booked audit adjustments are infrequent; the only factors explaining income-decreasing adjustments are better evidential support and breadth of problems identified.

The article discusses the monumental buildings of Bilyar, located in the citadel of the fortified settlement. Great mosque of Bilyar and other public buildings were investigated in the 70s of XX century. At the same time their reconstruction, which became canonical were made. Consideration of Bilyar buildings in the context of the architecture of the entire Muslim world makes it possible to make some adjustments both in the interpretation of buildings and in the elements of their reconstruction. The building with underfloor heating near the Juma mosque was considered the house of a feudal lord and was reconstructed as a two-story domed building. Another multi-room building with heated floors was interpreted as a caravanserai. Underfloor heating, plastering floors and walls with a water-resistant mortar, and a water drainage system indicate that these buildings were public baths. Like all eastern baths, they had one floor and were multi-domed buildings.

With computer technology contentiously improving, parametric design has been playing much more important role in architectural design. Parametric Design, as a design method and a tool arisen with information age, is the most recent trend in architecture. Parametric design tool improvements and wide application options has undoubtedly motivated building structural design and brought up more complex architectural works, especially on nonlinear structures. Sports buildings, due to their special functions, it calls for structures that provide large span. Therefore, there are many technical requirements in the design of sports buildings. Traditionally, sports building form is limited by structural calculation. With improved computer technology, especially parametric design tools, sports building forms become more diversified, complex and nonlinear. Parametric design helps with the dynamic interaction between architects and heir work, consequently achieves quick design and dynamic adjustments of complex structures, simplifies the design process, and finally provides more efficient and direct design method for sports building design.

In this article, a multi-objective optimization is presented to find optimal cable adjustment for statically indeterminate cable structures. Combining a constrained least-square method and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, a trade-off curve of potential solutions is generated from which a final set of cable adjustments can be chosen by the designer. Optimal solutions are measured against solutions found by a trial-and-error method on the George C. King Bridge case study. Results show that the proposed strategy can successfully find adjustments that significantly reduce overall tension errors, with fewer cables involved.

This thesis deals with the methodology, implementation and evaluation of diagnostic work units and structural elements of the historic schoolhouse building. Includes a static assessment of the horizontal structure and conceptual design layout adjustments for potential revitalization in case the object.

The rental price adjustment mechanism is a fundamental component of the model for forecasting future office space requirements. This is an important area of study given the increasing significance of office buildings in the urban environment. This has resulted from the large growth in service oriented employment. Very little academic work has been completed in this area because of the lack of sufficient data. To date, only the U.S. market has been examined. The objective of this thesis is model the rental price adjustment mechanism in the Canadian office market. The intent is to further test the theory in this area, provide a comparison with the results obtained in the U.S., and provide some insight into the workings of the Canadian office market. This thesis reviews the relevant literature on inventory theory, and empirical work performed on the housing market and on data from the U.S. office market. The review points to a series of propositions about the rental price adjustment mechanism in the office market, the most important being the strong relationship between rents and vacancies. The extensions to the model developed in this paper are the specification of the vacancy variable in non linear terms and an attempt to include some proxy for growth expectations. The model is tested using data from Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. The data has been collected primarily from the Royal LePage Market Survey. Visual inspection of the data uncovers unique characteristics in each individual office market. The underlying reasons point to the importance of integrating growth expectations in the model. The regression results support some degree of asymmetric price behaviour, however the specification of the vacancy variable in non linear terms is not conclusive. Inflation expectations seem to be important as landlords attempt to pass inflationary rises on to the tenants. Operating costs and interest rates do not appear to be significant factors in the model. This leads to the conclusion that they are not important in the cost of holding inventory in the short run. Finally, the proxy used for growth expectations is not significant. The most likely reason for this result is that the variable is not properly specified. The low explanatory power of the model may be attributed to the misspecification of the growth proxy and limitations in the data set. Both of these factors should be considered in future work in this area.
Business, Sauder School of
Graduate

This thesis survey on juxtaposition choice waies evaluation for real property type residence and non-residential space in locality Lesná, where there are built - up type sectional construction namely more - housing type J. Are here used most common manners evaluation for these print real property. On top enclosed is several formulation of several estate agency (juxtaposition offers with demand) in given to locality. Further also design documentation housing periods in type panel building.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
State social security transfers for families existed in South Africa only in the form of state maintenance grants, which paid up to R700 to single parents. The system was not appropriate in the South African context, being racially biased and financially unsustainable. The Department of Welfare - following in principle the recommendations of the "Lund report" - introduced with effect from 1 April 1998 a child support grant which is payable to the primary care-givers of children, regardless of their family status. The level of benefit was set at RIOOper month per child for children up to the age of six (incl.). The Department declared that 48% or 3 million children should be targeted. At the same time, the SMGs are to be phased out over a three year period. This research was conducted between November 1995 and March 1998. The analysis of the different suggestions during the policy process and the final policy is based on two pillars: • A situation analysis of the living conditions of South Africa's children on the basis of a composite index. • An evaluation of policy scenarios on the basis of a microsimulation model. The index tries to give a complex picture of the living conditions of children by looking at the financial situation, housing, health, and employment opportunities of the households the children are living in. The analysis reveals that nearly 70% of South Africa's children up to the age of six (incl.) live below the poverty line as defined. A further analysis of the household structure indicates that poorer children are likely to live in larger households. The overall policy shift from a support of single parent families to children in poverty regardless of their family status is espoused. However, the microsimulation model which analyses the impact of different factors like the 'level of benefit', the 'age-cohort', the 'means-test', and the 'administrative requirements', reveals that there are still serious flaws in the current policy. Due to the fact that the means-test is based on the total household income, nearly 40% of the children living below the poverty line are excluded. In addition, the administration needs urgent attention as its capacity is the decisive factor in the success of the programme. The thesis calculates that in the next five years up to R2 billion less will be spent on poor children and the goal of reaching 3 million children will not be achieved, if the problems identified are not addressed. The thesis develops an alternative suggestion to the current policy. While microsimulation has become quite a standard procedure in the analysis of social policies in industrialised countries, there is so far no application in developing countries. It is hoped that by taking this policy analysis as a case-study, this thesis is a step towards the introduction of this method here. Microsimulation models provide important information to enhance the transparency and accountability of policy processes. In this case, civil society was able to challenge Government's decision on a very informed basis, to put pressure on decision makers successfully, and to make workable alternative suggestions. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that against Government's promise redistribution does not take place. Instead a shift towards a more neo-liberal approach in social policy is observed.

Hur länge ett bygglov är giltigt finns reglerat i plan- och bygglagen (PBL) 9:43 som att den åtgärd ett bygglov avser ska ha påbörjats inom två år och avslutas inom fem år från den dag då bygglovet vann laga kraft. Huvudfrågan i studien handlar om svårigheten i att bedöma om åtgärden verkligen blivit påbörjad. Det finns ont om rättspraxis kring vad som avses med "påbörjats" vilket antagligen innebär att landets kommuner gör olika tolkningar i frågan. En annan fråga som studien behandlar är hur ändringar efter ett bygglovsbeslut hanteras. Rimligtvis händer det att byggherrar behöver göra justeringar under byggnationens gång. Syftet är att undersöka hur kommunerna tolkar PBL 9:43 med avseende på begreppet "påbörjats" samt hur giltighetstiden för byggnationens påbörjande efterlevs. Vidare är syftet att ge en beskrivning av den rättsliga grunden för vad som avses med "påbörjats" i nu gällande lagstiftning. Studien ska även utreda om PBL ger möjlighet att justera bygglov under byggnationens gång och hur kommunerna hanterar sådana fall i praktiken. Studien byggs upp av en juridisk analys som avser att beskriva de rättsliga grunderna kring bygglov och speciellt regeln i PBL 9:43. För att undersöka hur tvåårsfristen efterlevs genomfördes en kvantitativ undersökning av 500 bygglovshandlingar i sex kommuner. En enkätundersökning skickades ut till 75 kommuner för att ge svar på frågor kring kommunens tolkningar av "påbörjats" i PBL 9:43 och hanteringen av justeringar efter bygglovsbeslutet. Resultatet av den juridiska analysen visar att det sannolikt krävs att ett arbete med byggnadens grund ska kommit igång för att byggnationen ska bedömas som påbörjad. Enkätundersökningen visar på stora skillnader i hur kommunerna tolkar "påbörjats" i PBL 9:43. Den visar även att häften av kommunerna inte gör någon aktiv kontroll av giltighetstiden för byggnationens påbörjande. Av undersökningen framgick även att det är vanligt förekommande att byggherrar vill göra justeringar under byggnationens gång och de flesta kommunerna hanterar det inom det befintliga bygglovet. Av bygglovsgranskningen framgick inget fall där startbesked lämnats efter tvåårsfristens utgång. Slutsatser som dras i studien är bland annat att ett förtydligande av lagstiftningen troligtvis skulle ge en mer enhetlig bedömning av "påbörjats" i kommunerna, samt att det är oklart vilket stöd PBL ger för kommunernas hantering av justeringar av bygglov.
How long a building permit is valid is regulated in the Swedish planning and building act (PBL) 9:43. The validity of the permit is defined as the actual works with the building must be commenced in two years and ended in five years. The main question in this study is about the difficulty in assessing whether the actual works with the building has been commenced. There are few law cases that define the meaning of "commenced", which probably means that municipalities make different interpretations of the issue. Another question the study addresses is how changes in building permits are handled after the permit has become valid. Reasonably it happens that developers need to make adjustments of the building permit during the actual construction. The aim of this study is to examine how municipalities interpret PBL 9:43 with respect to the term "commenced" and how the building permits limitation of two years is complied with. Furthermore, the purpose is to give a description of the legal basis of what is meant by "commenced" in the current legislation. The study also intends to investigate whether PBL provides the ability to adjust the building permit during the time of the construction, and how municipalities deal with such cases in practice. The study is based on a legal analysis that aims to describe the legal grounds surrounding the building permit and especially the rule in PBL 9:43. To examine how the two-year period is complied, a quantitative survey of 500 building permit documents in six municipalities was completed. A questionnaire was sent out to 75 municipalities to provide answers to questions about the municipalities interpretations of "commenced" in PBL 9:43 and how adjustments of building permits are being handled. The outcome of the legal analysis shows that work with a building's foundation is probably a requirement that is needed for the work to be assessed as "commenced". The questionnaire survey reveals large differences in how municipalities interpret "commenced" in PBL 9:43. It also shows that half of the municipalities do not perform any active controls of the building permit's two year limitation. The investigation reveals that it is common that developers make adjustments during the time of construction and that most municipalities deal with it within the existing building permit. The investigation of building permits shows no case where starting clearance was given after the two year limitation. We conclude that a clarification of the legislation would likely provide a more uniform assessment of "commenced" in the municipalities. Likewise, it is unclear what support PBL provides considering adjustment after the building permit has become valid.

AbstractThis chapter covers the history of the international market development of the researched firms and in addition how these companies established agent networks, built sales subsidiaries worldwide, or enlisted partnerships, and how they reacted to constantly changing market developments requiring adjustments in their distribution networks. The early founders of Swiss SMEs engaged in extensive travel to promote their companies at a time when the transport infrastructure was still rudimentary. Distributors and agent networks were built and still maintained by smaller companies, at times expanded to include formal distribution partnerships. Subsidiary networks were the preferred choice of larger companies which had greater volumes per country markets. Sometimes, market entry was achieved by building or acquiring manufacturing operations. Cracking some of the most difficult markets, such as Japan, posed special challenges. And finally, when industry conditions changed, even well-planned distribution strategies needed to be changed.

AbstractIn recent years, generative design methods are widely used to guide urban or architectural design. Some performance-based generative design methods also combine simulation and optimization algorithms to obtain optimal solutions. In this paper, a performance-based automatic generative design method was proposed to incorporate deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and computer vision for urban planning through a case study to generate an urban block based on its direct sunlight hours, solar heat gains as well as the aesthetics of the layout. The method was tested on the redesign of an old industrial district located in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. A DRL agent - deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) agent - was trained to guide the generation of the schemes. The agent arranges one building in the site at one time in a training episode according to the observation. Rhino/Grasshopper and a computer vision algorithm, Hough Transform, were used to evaluate the performance and aesthetics, respectively. After about 150 h of training, the proposed method generated 2179 satisfactory design solutions. Episode 1936 which had the highest reward has been chosen as the final solution after manual adjustment. The test results have proven that the method is a potentially effective way for assisting urban design.

AbstractThe daunting effects of climate change are more visible and acute among rural people in most developing countries. Smallholder farmers in rural communities are more encumbered by climate change impacts and they have been reeling with climate induced shocks for some time. Their vulnerability to climate change impacts is aggravated by high dependence on the climate volatile natural resource base, high poverty levels, lack of adaptive capacity, low educational levels, and lack of technoscience-based technologies among other key compounding factors. In the light of this, Zimbabwe is still crawling to implement and administer effective climate change management measures aimed at disaster risk reduction and management, vulnerability reduction, social resilience, and capacity building because of political and socioeconomic quagmires trapping the country. Consequently, rural people are the hardest hit by these developments. Climate change management connotes a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases and adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities through mitigation and adaptation. Nevertheless, rural people are on record of engaging in a plethora of activities to manage climate change and its actual or potential risks. However, their efforts are marred by an avalanche of setbacks which serve as barriers to climate change management. Against this backdrop, this book chapter intends to delineate the factors serving as barriers to climate change management in Zimbabwe’s rural communities.

Healthcare buildings are one of the most critical facilities in any country for their important roles just after an earthquake. In this context, working on the resistance of healthcare facilities against earthquake is of great importance for a probable future earthquake. However, in today’s world, in either private or governmental agencies, buildings earthquake resistant design is not within the primary criteria such as social facilities and architectural details need for the residents. While the structural system in any building are often considered the most important in the performance, it represent approximately only 20% of the total building cost. Consequently, structural engineers should look the seismic performance in an extensive context, looking at all the systems of the building than just the damage to structural items and life-safety. So to response to this issue, a next generation of seismic performance-based design methodology and tools have been outlined in the FEMAP58 documents to allow engineers to query out the seismic performance of an entire building in terms of future life loss, facility repair cost and repair time and that we summarized and applied in this chapter for a six (6) story special moment frame healthcare building.

Reinforced concrete is a global material, the utilization of which has no limits. India is a country that uses mostly RC framed structures as the routine building construction type. The building is made of inter-connecting elements in horizontal and vertical directions. To showcase the effectiveness of high grade of concrete and confining reinforcement much research has been carried out till date from 1980s. However, in design of structures we do not consider the effect of confining reinforcement in resisting stress in any member element. Various tools have been developed to find the capacity of member at element level to resist forces. For performance-based design of buildings, it is necessary to evaluate the performance at individual local level and at global levels. In this study, the effect of available tools (for section analysis) and design codes for member limit calculation is demonstrated and structure is evaluated for the threshold limits given in ASCE-41. It is observed that the code designed members are sufficient to resist lateral earthquake forces effectively for the estimated hazards if proper design tools are employed.

Many organisations around the world are beginning to move towards a position of increased diversity in their numbers. There are many ways to look at the issue and achieve satisfactory outcomes. This paper explores an approach which offers strong advantages and benefits for the functional integration of minority groups. Operating on the theoretical principles of Diversity Acceptance and Organisational Inclusive Behaviour, the paper will explore the two cycles of diversity. The first cycle follows a ‘vicious’ path, where diversity adjustments are not applied or effective. This cycle highlights the problems that occur as a result of increased heterogeneity. The second cycles follows a ‘virtuous’ path, where diversity adjustments are successful, and the benefits of Diversity Acceptance and Organisational Inclusive Behaviour can be realized. The paper will close with a presentation of the strategies that can be employed to deliver effective diversity adjustments through Diversity Acceptance and Organisational Inclusive Behaviour.

Shape–controlled adaptable buildings constitute a major excursion from traditional architectural approaches with a potential for superior performance and enhanced flexibility compared to traditional fixed–shape building structures. A building concept is examined whose skeleton structure consists of a parallel arrangement of planar closed–loop n–bar linkages and it is covered with a flexible material. Shape adjustments involve coordinated reconfigurations of the constituent closed–chain mechanisms. Each individual linkage is equipped with one motion actuator as well as brakes installed on every joint. For the reconfigurations an “effective 4–bar” concept has been proposed that involves stepwise adjustments. Each step involves the selective locking of (n – 4) joints of each linkage so that it is effectively reduced to a single–DOF 4–bar mechanism the configuration of which can be adjusted using the available motion actuator. Appropriately planned control sequences can be used for a complete reconfiguration of the linkage. Motion planning is concerned with the generation of optimal control sequences while taking into account imposed limitations arising from the moving structure as well as the flexible envelop. This paper is a continuation of a prior work paying special attention to the envelop design. Simulation examples as well as an experimental study are used to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and investigate relevant issues.

In owner-occupied facilities, it is easy to justify the incorporation of high-performance building features because commonly recognized hard and soft benefits (cost savings, productivity gains and improved occupant health, etc.) are directly recovered by the investment entity. Developers or owners of multi-tenant office buildings and retail developments, on the other hand, encounter both perceived and real barriers that often prevent the inclusion of high-performance, climactic responsive features in new or retrofit projects. Good design, proper lease formulations, market education and intelligent operation will help overcome these barriers and allow the benefits of high-performance buildings to be realized and shared amongst various stakeholders. To demonstrate this process, strategies were analyzed for a multi-tenant building in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The Alpine Professional Building (APB) is a three-story, 18,537 gross square foot building that was originally built in 1950 and was remodeled in 1981. The building has fifteen tenants, ranging from 143 SF of leased space to an entire floor. The HVAC systems are in need of upgrading and little has been done to the building beyond typical maintenance to keep systems in operation. This is a fairly typical scenario across the industry, which enables this analysis to be widely applicable and adaptable. Building walkthroughs, surveys, utility bill analysis and energy analysis concluded that an upgrade was needed consisting of the following package of measures: improved occupant control (thought tenant education and digital thermostats), upgrading the light fixtures in the common areas and tenant spaces, and replacing the boiler. This package has a payback period under nine years would enable the building to achieve the ENERGY STAR label and can be profitable for both tenants and the landlord. The financial analysis evaluated four different methods of financing the upgrades so that both the tenant and landlord would benefit financially from the upgrades. The financial method recommended is the ‘CAM Adjustment method’ in which the landlord would provide the initial capital for the upgrades and recover those costs (plus interest) through adjustments to the Common Area Maintenance (CAM) fees. This method would have minimal tenant disruption and enable the landlord to bridge costs and savings across tenants during turnover. This paper also compares the four financing mechanisms and demonstrates their industry applicability through commonly applied energy conservation measures.

Abstract The Kenyan photovoltaic industry has been growing steadily in recent years. Since 1990 more than 2.5 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity have been sold in Kenya and 60% of these sales have gone into home systems as part of new energy supplies. The demand for energy in Kenya exceeds the supply and for this reason renewable energy is regarded a priority in the energy sector. A solution to this problem lies in four areas: technology development, environmental protection, energy economics and socio-cultural adjustments. This paper discusses the state of current research and applications of stand-alone building-integrated PV home systems by looking at the possibilities and limitations in this developing country. Houses need a PV panel-surface area of about 36m2 to meet basic energy needs.

The day-to-day practice of architecture must navigate within a system of contexts often replete with competing values dictated through external forces by clients and patrons to effectively execute the work. This requires the process of design and construction to respond to constant tactile adjustments made by the demands of clients, codes, budgets, etc. to address the landscape of contingency. Every project, decisions are made about quality of materials versus reality of budget and time constraints or owner-prescribed values and requirements versus site and building code constraints. Engaging these conflicts defines the profession of architecture.

Shape–controlled adaptable building structures have a potential of superior performance and flexibility compared to traditional fixed–shape ones. A building concept is proposed consisting of a number of interconnected planar n–bar linkages performing coordinated motions thus resembling a system of cooperating closed–loop robotic manipulators. For shape control an “effective 4–bar” linkage concept is proposed. That is, each individual n–bar mechanism is equipped with one motion actuator, and at any time of motion its degrees–of–freedom are reduced to one through the selective locking of (n – 4) joints using brakes. Shape adjustments of the overall structure can be carried out through appropriate control sequences where in each step exactly four joints of each linkage are unlocked giving rise to an effective 4–bar system. Motion planning is considered together with the relevant limitations arising from singular configurations that need to be taken into account. The concept is demonstrated through simulation examples.

In May 2015, Kyrgyzstan became a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, participation in which requires regulation of the economy, taking into account the goals and objectives of the Union. Today Kyrgyzstan is interested in the future of its membership in the EAEU: can we radically change the economic situation in the country and the structure of the economy. Kyrgyzstan's economy requires coordination with external actors in terms of domestic consumption and increasing export potential. To achieve this it is necessary: first, to develop a reasonable program of development of the industry, including the formation of large enterprises and their balanced arrangement in accordance with the level of productive forces; secondly, to make adjustments to the work of the construction sector in the building of not only housing complex, but also the development of infrastructure in all regions of the country and, thirdly, to follow the path of consolidation of the agricultural enterprises based on specialization, taking into account the export interests of Kyrgyzstan.

<p>Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology is currently widely used in a large number of sectors linked to the construction industry. The present work intends to conduct a state of knowledge regarding the BIM technology, mainly focusing on the development of the structural project. In the study, the capability of BIM-based tools applied to the structural design is analysed and an optimized work-flow, from the viewpoint of the structural engineer, is presented. BIM structural models of two study cases were created, the consistency of the correspondent analytical model is verified and the transposition process of the model to the structural analysis software is carefully examined. During the process inaccuracies are identified and adjustments are referred in order to optimize the application of BIM methodology on structure projects. The assessment of the level of interoperability is based on the analysis of the quality from the information transposed between software and from the consistency of the final product.</p>

This research estimates the achievable CO2 emissions reductions for a medium sized office building located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Four strategies that required minor retrofits or changes to a building’s operational controls were considered: automatic window shading, changes in window construction, lighting intensity, and temperature setpoint adjustment. Since 70% of energy consumed by the building sector is for heating, cooling and lighting, the methods introduced were targeted to reduce these sources of demand. The model building used was selected from the U.S. DOE’s commercial reference buildings. The simulations were run using the DOE’s EnergyPlus building energy modeling software and a TMY3 weather data file for Salt Lake City. The effect of these possible building changes on energy consumption and the CO2 emissions resulting from the production of this energy were examined. The impact of the automatic window shade was the lowest of the strategies considered with a 1% reduction in GHG emissions. This is likely the result of a low solar irradiation area to building volume ratio and should be explored for smaller residential and commercial buildings. Window construction was more promising with GHG emissions reductions between 2% and 6%. Lighting strategies and altered temperature set points demonstrated GHG emissions reduction of up to 15%. This research establishes a technique to evaluate building emissions reductions with respect to location, building construction, and operation.

Between territories: Incremental changes to the domestic spatial interface between private and public domains. Agnieszka Wir-Konas¹, Kyung Wook Seo¹ ¹Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. Newcastle City Campus, 2 Ellison Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST. E-mail: agnieszka.wir-konas@northumbria.ac.uk, kyung.seo@northumbria.ac.uk Keywords (3-5): building-street interface, incremental change, micro-morphology, private-public boundary, territory Conference topics and scale: Urban form and social use of space In this paper we investigate incremental changes to the relationship between private and public territory on the micro-morphological scale of the residential building-street interface. The building-street interface lies on the edge between two distinctively different spatial domains, the house and the street, and provides a buffer which may be adjusted to aid the transition from private to public territory. The structure of the space impacts both domains: it provides a fit transition from the private dwelling to the public territory, creates a space for probabilistic encounters between inhabitants and strangers, and maintains the liveability of the public street. The aim of this paper is threefold: Firstly, we recognise morphological differences in the structure of the interfaces and the way the transition from private to public territory was envisioned and designed in different societal periods. Secondly, we study incremental changes to the interface, representing individual adjustments to the private-public boundary, in order to recognize common types of adaptations to the existing structure of the interface. The history of changes to each individual building and building-street interface was traced by analysing planning applications and enforcements publicly provided by the city council. Lastly, we compare the capacity of each building-street interface to accommodate incremental change to the public-private transition. We argue that studying the incremental change of the interface and the capacity of each interface to accommodate micro-scale transformations aids in the understanding of the complex social relationship between an individual and a collective in the urban environment. References (180 words) Conzen, M. R. G. (1960). Alnwick, Northumberland: a study in town-plan analysis. Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers) 27, iii-122. Gehl, J. (1986) ‘Soft edges in residential streets’. Scandinavian Housing and Planning Research 3(2), 89-192 Gehl, J. (2013) Cities for People (Island Press, Washington DC). Habraken, N. J. and Teicher, J. (2000) The structure of the ordinary: form and control in the built environment (MIT press, Cambridge). Hillier, B. and Hanson, J. (1984) The Social Logic of Space (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Jacobs, J. (1961) The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Middlesex: Penguin, Harmondsworth). Lawrence, R. J. (1987) Housing, dwellings and homes: Design theory, research and practice (John Wiley, Chichester). Palaiologou, G., Griffiths, S., and Vaughan, L. (2016), ‘Reclaiming the virtual community for spatial cultures: Functional generality and cultural specificity at the interface of building and street’. Journal of Space Syntax 7(1), 25-54. Whitehand, J. W. R. and Morton, N. J. and Carr, C. M. H. (1999) ‘Urban Morphogenesis at the Microscale: How Houses Change’, Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 26(4), 503-515.

This report looks at transition from central to federal responsibilities for health and education in Nepal and Indonesia. Federalism is a complex process and it was outside of the scope of this review to investigate the extent to which it has been developed in these countries and the nature of its functioning. Challenges identified in the literature on transition to federalism and decentralisation include ensuring equitable distribution of finances and resources across states, slow transfer of power and lack of coordination between government levels, lack of capacity at local levels and incoherence in capacity building, ensuring continuity of medical supplies and continuity of health services during transition, and training local level health personnel in procurement. This report also notes some recommendation from experience on transition to decentralisation, including the need to put a clear legislative framework, to make a slowly phased transition is needed to allow for changes and adjustments, to consider conditional grants to ensure that health is not de-prioritised in a federal system.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.