Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Earth Building'

This paper discusses earth as a building material and the extent to which earth building technology has evolved over the years. In particular it addresses the adobe, compressed and rammed earth techniques of earth building as suitable techniques for Liberia consumption. In addition, the paper investigates the suitability of the Latosols soils of Liberia for earth building construction purposes using standardized earth building principles and requirements. A local Johnson City, Tennessee, earth sample found to have the same physical characteristics of the Latosols of Liberia was used to simulate Liberia soils to produce specimen blocks at different configurations of moisture content and stabilizers (Bentonite and cement). Following 14 days of cure, the blocks were tested for compressive strength. It was found that blocks produced from the natural soil with no stabilizer added were structurally adequate for building construction purposes. A cost-benefit analysis involving blocks with and without stabilizer (cement) added was also performed.

At Jones Point in Alexandria, Virginia, it is easy to perceive the movements of the tides, the stars, and the sun, or to point to the markers and structures that dot the peninsula. However, the rules that govern the heavenly bodies and the intended purposes of the earthly constructions are not as readily discerned. Situated here, a marina and sailing school on the banks of the Potomac River finds order in the astronomical rhythm and man-made history of Jones Point, and they structure the significance of the site through building. This project first aspired to re-imagine the ceiling and the floor as primary architectural elements. The floor and the ceiling became an analogy: The floor is the Earth, the ceiling is the sky. This building orders its site by unifying the diverse elements at Jones Point and allows one to find orientation in the terrestrial as well as the celestial. It is by building that we put ourselves in relation to the world. We imbue materials and our constructions with significance. In Architecture, it is the construction of our ideals, desires, and wonder -- rendered in material -- that shelters us from the biting cold or the beating sun. We draw our stories in the sky and we build them on the earth.
Master of Architecture

Pas de résumé en français disponible
Locally available building materials are proven energy efficient and eco-friendly, making them a sustainable building material. In the last two decades, use of raw earth as building material is augmented, owing to the environmental concerns construction industry is also reconsidering the use of raw earth, researchers on the other hand are working to understand the mechanical and dynamic behaviour of earthen buildings, yet the study of mechanical parameters possess multiple challenges due to material inert properties exposing the need of new experimental approaches to extract accurate mechanical parameters. Building techniques such as adobe, compressed earth blocks, rammed earth, and laterite building stones are on a verge of reclaiming elite position in construction industry. In this study, experimental investigation on two naturally available building materials, unstabilised rammed earth (USRE) and laterite building stones (LBS) are carried out. The work focuses on the parameters that need to be considered in the experimental procedures, which influences the mechanical properties of USRE and LBS are seen. The locally available soils in the region of Rhone-alps, France and laterite building stones from Burkina Faso are used in this experimental campaign. Rammed earth walls are constructed by compacting moist soil in layers, due to manufacturing technique there is a density gradient within the layer that leads to heterogeneity. On the other hand, the manufacturing parameters of the USRE such as compaction energy and manufacturing water content have a direct influence on the dry density of the material and therefore the strength. The manufacturing parameters and specimens replicating the in-situ condition are very important to understand the behaviour of USRE wall. Hence an experimental procedure to study the unconfined compressive strength, considering the influence of manufacturing parameters and specimens replicating in-situ conditions are performed along with the cyclic loading and unloading to study the elasto-plastic property of the USRE. The test procedure is performed on two different soils that are used to build USRE structures. Along with the compressive strength of USRE, the tensile strength and flexural strength are also presented by subjecting specimens under split tensile test and four point bending test. Another important parameter is the mechanical strength properties of USRE layer interface under lateral loads. A novel experimental procedure to study the interface strength properties are discussed in this study. The experimental procedure is simple and xii compact that can be performed using a simple uniaxial press using inclined metallic wedges that allows rectangular prism to undergo bi-axial loading. With the help of inclined metallic wedges, shear stress and normal stress can be induced on the specimen interface allowing to obtain coulomb’s failure criteria and hence the strength properties of the interface. Laterite building stones (LBS) which are mainly used in tropical countries are porous in nature. The moisture retention capacity of porous building material will bring indoor comfort, but the presence of water molecules within the material and their variation to the outdoor environment is responsible for complex mechanical behaviour. Hence an experimental investigation to analyse the moisture ingress of LBS and their influence on mechanical strength is designed. The moisture ingress is studied by subjecting LBS for moisture sorption and desorption test and moisture buffering test. Then the influence of moisture ingress on mechanical strength (flexure and compression) are investigated using three point bending test and unconfined compression test with loading and unloading cycles. This experimental investigation allows studying the moisture ingress and their influence on strength along with elasto-plastic behaviour of LBS

Cette étude se concentre sur les performances hygro-mécaniques de la terre crue compactée comme matériau de construction alternatif aux matériaux de construction classiques à forte empreinte énergétique. Les briques en terre ont été fabriquées en appliquant des pressions de compactage élevées (jusqu’à 100 MPa, d’où la dénomination d’hyper-compactage) pour augmenter la densité du matériau et ainsi obtenir des propriétés mécaniques similaires à celles des matériaux de construction traditionnels tels que les briques cuites, les blocs de béton et la terre stabilisée. Une vaste campagne expérimentale a été menée sur des échantillons constitués de différents mélanges hyper-compactés de terres à leur teneur en eau optimale respective. La rigidité et la résistance mécanique ont été mesurées par des essais de compression non confinés et triaxiaux, tandis que l’adsorption/désorption de vapeur a été évaluée par la valeur de MBV (Moisture Buffering Value). La durabilité à l'érosion hydrique a été étudiée en effectuant des tests de adsorption capillaire, d'immersion et de goutte-à-goutte conformément aux normes DIN 18945 (2013) et NZS 4298 (1998). Les résultats ont confirmé que l'hyper-compactage améliore les performances mécaniques de la terre crue compactée, mais qu'une augmentation sensible de l'humidité ambiante pouvait entraîner une réduction considérable de la résistance. Néanmoins, les tests de durabilité ont révélé que la terre compactée non stabilisée ne pouvait pas être utilisée pour la construction des parties de structures exposées aux intempéries naturelles en raison de sa sensibilité vis-à-vis de l’eau liquide. Les expériences ont démontré la dépendance de la résistance, de la rigidité, du comportement hydrique, de la sensibilité à l’eau liquide et de la durabilité à la taille des particules. En particulier, il a été observé qu'un mélange de terre à faible granulométrie et calibrées présentait des caractéristiques pour les propriétés susmentionnées supérieures à celle d’un sol à la granulométrie grossière et non maîtrisée. Un défi important a été l'amélioration de la durabilité de la terre crue à l'érosion hydrique en adoptant de techniques de stabilisation à faibles impacts environnementaux, ce qui a conduit à la mise au point d’une méthode originale de stabilisation basée sur l’utilisation d’extraits de plantes. Cette méthode était conforme à la précipitation de calcite induite par voie enzymatique via l'action de l'enzyme uréase pour catalyser l'hydrolyse de l'urée. Cette réaction produit des ions carbonates, qui réagissent ensuite avec les ions calcium du sol dissout dans l’eau interstitielle pour précipiter sous forme de carbonate de calcium, liant ainsi les particules du sol
The present work investigates the hygro-mechanical performance of compacted earth as an alternative to conventional energy-intensive building materials. Earth bricks were manufactured by applying high compaction pressures up to 100 MPa (hyper-compaction) to increase the density of the earth and hence to obtain mechanical properties that are similar to those of traditional construction materials such as fired bricks, concrete blocks and stabilised earth. A wide campaign of laboratory tests was performed on samples made of different earth mixes that were hyper-compacted at their respective optimum water contents. Stiffness and strength were measured by unconfined and triaxial compression tests while vapour adsorption/desorption was assessed by measuring moisture buffering value (MBV). Durability to water erosion was also evaluated by performing suction, immersion and drip tests according to the norms DIN 18945 (2013) and NZS 4298 (1998), respectively. Results showed that hyper-compaction largely improved the mechanical performance of compacted earth but that a marked increase in ambient humidity could produce a considerable reduction of strength. Durability tests highlighted that the unstabilised compacted earth could not be employed for the construction of structures exposed to natural weathering. The experiments also demonstrated the dependency of strength, stiffness, moisture buffering capacity and water durability on particle grading. In particular, it was shown that a fine and well-graded earth mix exhibited higher levels of strength, stiffness, moisture buffering capacity and durability than a coarse and poorly-graded one. One important challenge lied in the improvement of the earth durability against water erosion by adopting novel stabilisation techniques, which led to the development of an original stabilisation method based on the utilisation of plant extracts. The method was consistent with the principles of Enzymatic Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP), which utilises the action of the urease enzyme to catalyse the hydrolysis of urea. This reaction produces carbonate ions, which then react with the calcium ions dissolved in the pore water to produce the precipitation of calcium carbonate (i.e. calcite), thus binding the soil together. The novelty of the present work resides in the utilisation of crude plant-derived urease enzyme instead of pure reagent-grade products available from chemical suppliers, which reduces environmental and financial costs. In particular, the urease enzyme was obtained from a liquid soybeans extract, inside which the urea and calcium chloride were subsequently dissolved to induce the precipitation of calcite. Measurements of pH, electrical conductivity and precipitation ratio indicated that the optimum equimolar concentration of urea and calcium chloride (leading to the largest precipitation of calcite) was 2.5 mol/L. An experimental campaign was finally undertaken to implement the proposed bio-stabilisation method into the manufacture of compressed earth bricks. The most promising versions of the proposed bio-stabilisation method were also the object of further investigation to assess the hygro-mechanical behaviour of the stabilised earth by means of unconfined compression and moisture buffering value tests. The findings, although preliminary, suggested that a noticeable improvement of strength and water durability could be achieved by the proposed stabilisation protocol, in spite of the difficulty in replicating exactly quantitative results

The study explores the possibility that a transition zone can become a ‘filter’ that surrounds an urban core. As a filter, the transition zone can regulate and rehabilitate ecosystem services to support human well-being. The main research question focusses on how eco-systemic development can act as a filter while supporting human well-being. The two sub-questions concern (a) how architecture can become a buffer between urban and suburban areas in Pretoria, and (b) how architecture can aid in ecosystem rehabilitation to regenerate urban and human well-being. Through the research done in this study, it is evident that transitional zones around city centres are commonly derelict and unsafe. Human well-being is under pressure as a result of the increasing degradation of ecosystem services, which is brought about by human misuse and urban densification. As cities and human populations grow, urban cores expand. This expansion results in constant re-zoning as well as the demolition and degradation of existing spaces (Preston, 1966:240). Basic human well-being is dependent on successful ecosystem services and the biodiversity of urban environments (Bolund & Hunhammar, 1999:299). This study aims to identify, reintroduce and rehabilitate ecosystem services on an urban edge to facilitate the health and well-being of the community living there. The study addresses three main themes, namely: (1) urban zoning and development, (2) human well-being, and (3) ecosystem-service rehabilitation and reintroduction. By analysing the themes of urban development, well-being as well as social sustainability and ecosystem services, different theories and principles are identified to provide lenses through which the dissertation will be approached. The main lens is that of Vitruvius and the principles he sets out in Ten books on architecture, which relates all design decisions back to nature. Other theories, such as Ernest Burgess’ concentric circle model and the circular economy theory, and the guidelines of the Living Building Institute led to the selection of the site, the development of the urban framework and the design of the intervention. By combining these theories with a programmatic intervention, which was derived from the site and themes, the end result aims to revive the community, the well-being of its members and to reinforce the existing development while ensuring ongoing rehabilitation of the ecosystem services. This intervention aspires to become a catalyst according to which all transition zones in urban environments can be transformed from eye sores and barriers to filters and activators.
Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2020.
Architecture
MArch (Prof)
Unrestricted

Building rammed earth structures provides a sustainable alternative to concrete. As a building material, rammed earth exhibits very varied physical and material properties depending on the proportion of constituting soil types. When very sandy soil is used in rammed earth production, the properties are different from when a clayey soil is used. This variability can be seen as a very great advantage in the use of rammed earth as a building material. Builders are able to adjust specific properties by changing mix proportions to obtain a desirable balance in the characteristics of the resulting rammed earth structure. This research work looks at selected mechanical and physical properties of different mixes of rammed earth. It describes typical range of values in density, thermal conductivity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, water ingress and compressive strength. It examines how these factors interrelate in the same soil mixes. Samples were prepared by blending various soil types in specific proportions to ensure that each definition of soil grade is as specific as possible. Unstabilised rammed earth was tested as was cement stabilised rammed earth. Rammed earth was tested at various levels of stabilisation and it was discovered that higher rates of stabilisation was not always beneficial to every material property. The research also looked into the potential disposal of waste materials in rammed earth. As rammed earth is a monolithic material that largely remains undisturbed throughout its life span, it was suggested that waste materials could be stored in an inert form inside of rammed earth rather than dumping it in otherwise agricultural landmass. Pulverised Fuel Ash and Palm Kernel Shells were identified as wastes to be disposed in rammed earth. Pulverised Fuel Ash, a by-product of industrial furnace is found in abundance in developed countries that burn carbonaceous materials in power plants. Disposals have been seen as a problem as only a small proportion of high loss on ignition (LOI) Pulverised Fuel Ash has found application. Palm Kernel Shell is a by-product of the oil palm industry and is currently a menace in many developing countries that need to dispose large quantities of the shell in landfills. At an early stage of the research, experimental trial runs quickly showed that these supposedly waste materials had a positive effect on some of the material properties of the rammed earth walls they were made into. This research effort evolved to look into exploiting these materials to improve the physical and material property of rammed earth and to suggest their effect on stabilised and unstabilised rammed earth. The extent to which these materials could be useful and the level at which diminishing returns set in was also investigated. It was discovered that soil mixes that would otherwise not be considered suitable for use in rammed earth wall production can now be utilised as their characteristics can be improved on simply by adding Pulverised Fuel Ash or Palm Kernel shell in the right proportion. Incorporating Pulverised Fuel Ash in rammed earth resulted in increased compressive strength. Palm Kernel shell improved thermal properties without compromising compressive strength.

Earth has been used as a reliable building material for many thousands of years. Recently there has been a world wide renaissance in the use of earth as a building material due to its architectural versatility and environmental sustainability. However, in the United Kingdom it is regarded by the majority of building professionals as either obsolete or a novel historical material. The utilisation of earth as a modern building material and the repair of historic earth building structures is retarded by the uncertainty of the knowledge of the properties of the material. This thesis considers earth building materials as composite materials containing a cohesive, low compression modulus binder fraction, a high compression modulus aggregate fraction, and a fibre fraction. The compression properties of a building material without fibre content (cob matrix material) are described in terms of the interaction between the binder and aggregate fractions, and moisture and the binder fraction. The effect of the moisture content of the material upon the compression failure mechanisms is described. Values of compression modulus predicted by a rule of mixtures equation are compared to experimental results for this material. The following mechanisms are proposed to account for the apparent discrepancy between the predicted and experimental results: • the effect of pore size distribution and the proportions of binder and aggregate fractions upon strain magnification within the material • the effect of an efficiency factor, primarily dependent upon the proportion of binder and aggregate fractions, which determines the degree to which the potential modulus of the material is realised. Time Domain Reflectometry is employed for repeated, real time, non-destructive measurement of the moisture content of an external cob wall. The results of these measurements are analysed and discussed. This thesis proposes that consideration of cob as a composite material has developed a paradigm which will enhance the level of understanding of all earth building materials, enabling the manipulation and accurate prediction of their structural properties. This will be an important contribution to the realisation of the significant sustainable qualities of earth building materials by the current construction industry. -

“What does it mean, to make a genuine generalization, to create an objective concrete abstraction of a phenomenon?”—Evald Ilyenkov. As Guy Debord writes in his Society of the Spectacle, “the lack of general historical life also means that individual life as yet has no history.” These poems are my process of coming to understand history, and many of them are critiques of histories per se. If, as Frank O’Hara writes, “these anxieties remain erect,” they also shape the poems that I have written here. I want to be in dialogue with the spectacle that shapes postmodernism. I want to live in communication with the memories of events that have shaped my speech over the years. The title is a struggle to regain a home while not forgetting the displacement of the proverbial poet, a poet to whom I am forever indebted and probably likely to become.

In this thesis I use a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate two areas of active mountain-building within the Alpine-Himalayan belt: the Altai range in western Mongolia, and the Zagros mountains in southern Iran. I begin by studying a clustered earthquake sequence that struck a previously unrecognised fault zone in the NW Altai mountains in 2003. By combining seismology and field observations with satellite radar interferometry (InSAR), I attempt to unravel the detailed history of faulting in time and space. Differences between body-wave and InSAR-based models prevent me from matching individual seismic events with individual fault segments, and I explore the cause of these discrepancies. In the following two chapters, I establish late Quaternary slip-rates on major right-lateral and thrust faults in the eastern part of the Altai. In particular, I explore the use of in situ-produced cosmogenic Be-10 and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) for dating offset alluvial fans and river terraces. My results suggest that faulting has migrated toward the eastern margin of the range from the high, interior Altai, presumably in response to stresses introduced by topography. In the final, main chapter, I investigate a link between buried reverse faulting and surface folding in the Zagros Simply Folded Belt. Using surface displacements measured with InSAR, I show that a major anticline on Qeshm Island was uplifted during an earthquake in 2005. However, the pattern of uplift is discordant with the growth of neighbouring folds, preventing us from establishing a simple connection between faulting and folding. All in all, my work demonstrates the importance of using several techniques in parallel when studying regions of active continental deformation.

This thesis presents the work carried out towards the implementation of RE-doped Si-based light emitting devices as integrated optoelectronic building blocks for Silicon Photonics. This work spans from the fundamentals such as the structure, the morphology of active layers containing Si-ncs and/or RE ions or the origin of the EL emission under different voltage excitations, to the development of advanced Si-based light emitting devices, providing insights on the device design, mask layout, device fabrication and the optoelectronic characterization. Also, novel layer architectures are proposed to overcome some of the inherent limitations of studied devices, paving the way towards efficient and reliable Si-based light emitting devices. This thesis is divided in two main blocks: one dedicated to the study of Er-doped Si-based light emitting devices emitting at 1.54 µm for on-chip optical data routing, and another one focussed on the structural and luminescence properties of Tb3+ and Ce3+ doped silicon oxide and oxynitride thin films with different layer compositions as enabling materials for sensing and RGB micro display applications. Also, different multilayer architectures containing alternated RE-doped single layers are explored.
Aquesta tesi presenta el treball dut a terme en la implementació de dispositius luminescents basats en silici i dopats amb terres rares pel desenvolupament de nous pilars optoelectrònics fonamentals compatibles amb la fotònica del silici. Aquest treball abasta des dels aspectes més fonamentals tals com l’estructura, la morfologia de les capes actives que contenen nano-cristalls de silici i/o ions de terres rares o l’estudi de l’origen de l’electroluminescència dels dispositius quan són polaritzats per diferents voltatges alterns, fins al desenvolupament de nous dispositius avançats basats en silici. En aquest cas, l’estudi portat a terme bé acompanyat d’una descripció detallada del disseny de cada dispositiu, el disseny de la màscara de procés elaborada especialment per a la fabricació dels dispositius en cas que sigui necessari, així com el procés de fabricació dels mateixos i una caracterització optoelectrònica detallada amb les pertinents conclusions al final de cada capítol. També, al final d’aquesta tesi es proposen nous dissenys i arquitectures de dispositiu que pretén establir un mapa de ruta per millorar els dispositius estudiats en aquest tesi, i que està basat en l’experiència adquirida durant els quatre anys d’investigació en dispositius electroluminescents basats en silici.

La thèse s'inscrit dans un projet de recherche national (ANR Primaterre) qui a pour but d'étudier les performances (mécaniques et thermiques) réelles des matériaux de construction premiers à faible énergie grise que sont la terre crue et la limousinerie.Le travail de thèse se concentre sur les aspects thermiques et hygrothermiques de la terre crue, c'est-à-dire le couplage entre les transferts de masse d'eau (liquide et vapeur) et de chaleur au sein du matériau. Dans une première partie, une analyse des performances thermiques et hydriques d'une habitation comportant des murs en pisé (terre crue compactée) instrumentés a été réalisée. Cette étude a été complétée par la mesure, en laboratoire, des propriétés thermiques et hydriques du matériau. Le lien entre les paramètres matériaux mesurés et les performances (hygro)-thermiques a été appréhendé à la lumière d'un modèle numérique couplé, adapté aux caractéristiques particulières du matériau. Cette étude a mis en évidence que, de par leur aptitude à stocker puis restituer l'énergie solaire, leur capacité de stockage hydrique et la complexité des transports et changements de phases de l'eau se produisant en leur sein, les murs en terre crue présentent de nombreuses particularités qu'il convient de prendre en compte pour une bonne prédiction de leur impact sur les performances d'une habitation
The Ph.D. is part of a national research project (ANR Primaterre) aiming at promoting real performances (mechanical and thermal) of primary construction materials with low embodied energy such as raw earth.This work focuses on the thermal and hygrothermal behaviour of rammed earth, i.e. coupled transfers of heat and moisture (liquid water and water vapour) within the material. On the one hand, an evaluation of the thermal and hygric performances of a monitored house with rammed earth walls is provided. This study is completed with laboratory measurements of the thermal and hydric properties of the material. A numerical coupled model, suitable for the specific characteristics of the material, provides a better understanding of the link between the characterization parameters measured and its (hygro)thermal performances. Because of their ability to store and release heat from the sun, their capacity to store moisture and the complexity of the transfers occurring in their pores, earthen walls display many distinctive features that are essential to count for in order to provide an accurate prediction of their impact on the global performances of a building

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2006.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed December 7, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 447-467).

Research on conceptual change provides strong evidence that not only children but also many adults have incorrect or incomplete understanding of science concepts. This mixed methods study was concerned with preservice and inservice teachers’ understanding of six earth and space science concepts commonly taught in elementary school: reasons for seasons, phases of the moon, reasons for the wind, the rock cycle, soil formation, and earthquakes. The first part of the study determined and compared the level of conceptual understanding held by both groups on topics they will need to teach in the Georgia Performance Standards [GPS]. The second part focused on whether readings or hands-on learning stations, in some cases combined with concept mapping, improves preservice teachers’ understanding of these concepts. The third part described the application of conceptual change strategies of one group of preservice teachers during their field placements. The overall sample was two cohorts of preservice teachers, one cohort of preservice teachers from an alternative initial certification program, and two masters’ cohorts consisting of inservice teachers. Four data sources were: a six item open-ended survey, concept maps, the field assignments, and the researcher’s field notes. Rubrics were used to score answers to each survey question. Concept map scores were calculated based on the criteria developed by Novak and Gowin (1984). The first part of the study shows that both preservice and inservice teachers have low conceptual understanding of the earth science concepts taught in elementary school. Independent samples t-tests results indicate that both groups have similar understanding about these concepts. A two way ANOVA with repeated measures analysis demonstrated that readings and learning stations are both successful in building preservice teacher’s understanding and that benefits from the hands-on learning stations approached statistical significance. A paired samples t-test shows that concept mapping added to the participants’ conceptual understanding whether the participants learned the concepts through readings or stations. Finally, field assignments allowed the participants to apply knowledge that they learned in their science methods course in their classroom placements. This study has implications for teacher preparation programs, staff development, and conceptual change practices in field placements.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgia State University, 2006.
Title from title screen. Olga S. Jarrett, committee chair; Barbara Meyers, Geeta Verma, Susan Swars, committee members. Electronic text (235 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May 14, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-204).

Modern building procedures and requirements demand that the selection and stabilisation of soils for the purposes of rammed earth construction be better quantified. This study examines the relationships between soil properties, stabiliser treatments, and stabilised strength and density for 111 soil samples taken from sites in New South Wales (Australia), and develops new quantitative criteria for soil assessment, selection, and stabilisation. Laboratory measurements of soil particle size distribution, plasticity, and shrinkage were made for each soil. Various quantities from 0-6 % of lime, cement, and asphalt were added to the soil samples, and the resulting 230 specimens were compacted, and cured for 28 days. Determinations were made of the optimum moisture content, maximum dry density, and compressive strength of the stabilised material. The samples showed stabilised strengths ranging from 1.0-5.4 MPa, with a mean of 2.62 MPa, and densities from 1.44-2.21 t/m3, with a mean of 1.86 t/m3. The results show that over 90 % of the variation in stabilised strength and density of the samples is due to variation in soil properties, with differences in stabiliser type or stabiliser quantity being relatively minor. The most important soil properties explaining stabilised strength are linear shrinkage and plasticity index. These properties have been used to categorise the soils into three groups on the basis of their suitability for stabilisation as measured against a compressive strength criterion of 2 MPa. Favourable soils have shrinkages of < 7.1 % and plasticities of < 16 %, and 90 % of these samples passed the 2 MPa criterion. Satisfactory soils have shrinkages of 7.1-13.0 % and plasticities of 16-30 %, and 65 % of these samples had strengths in excess of 2 MPa. Unfavourable soils have shrinkages of > 13 % and plasticities of > 30 %, and only 10 % of these samples exceeded the 2 MPa value. Soils in the favourable and satisfactory categories can be further discriminated using textural information. On that basis, all soils classified as favourable, and those classified as satisfactory and which also have sand contents < 60 %, are recommended as being suitable for stabilisation. Soils not fulfilling these criteria are unlikely to be successfully stabilised and should be rejected. These results stress the importance of selecting a soil favourably predisposed to stabilisation. Field techniques to search for such soils could be refined on the basis of the new soil criteria presented. Use of the criteria should also minimise unnecessary laboratory testing of the density and strength of soils that subsequently prove unsuitable for stabilisation. A flow chart is presented to guide practitioners through the different stages of soil testing, assessment, and rammed earth stabilisation.

L'utilisation de matériaux locaux, naturels et non transformés offre des solutions prometteuses de construction à faible impact environnemental. La grande variabilité spatiale de ces matériaux est cependant un obstacle à une utilisation à plus grande échelle. Les stratégies de construction développées par les anciens bâtisseurs ont été dictées par le climat local et la qualité ainsi que la quantité de matériaux de construction disponibles localement. Ces stratégies de construction peuvent être considérées comme une gestion optimisée des ressources locales, naturelles et variables et sont une source d'inspiration pour la construction durable moderne. Malheureusement, cette connaissance a été perdue dans les pays occidentaux au cours du 20ème siècle. La redécouverte des savoir-faire traditionnels requiert le développement de moyens rationnels d’analyse du patrimoine. Un autre problème concernant l'utilisation de matériaux de construction naturels et variables est leur conformité vis-à-vis de la réglementation du secteur du bâtiment. Le développement de procédures d’essais performantiels est proposé comme solution pour faciliter l'utilisation des techniques de construction en terre. Une approche multidisciplinaire est proposée, combinant micromorphologie, pédologie, géotechnique et étude du patrimoine pour analyser le bâti vernaculaire en terre. Cette approche fournit des outils complémentaires pour évaluer la source des matériaux de construction et identifier les caractéristiques géotechniques de la terre employées dans le patrimoine. Il fournit également une description détaillée des processus vernaculaires de construction. En utilisant ces résultats, il a été possible d'élaborer des cartes de ressources et d’estimer l’ordre de grandeur de la disponibilité des ressources à l'échelle d’une région. Deux procédures d’essais performantiels ont été proposées afin de tenir compte de la variabilité naturelle des terres dans le contexte réglementaire actuel. La construction en terre jouera un rôle important dans la construction durable du 21ème siècle si les acteurs du secteur adoptent des procédés de construction capables de répondre à la demande sociale, avec un faible impact environnemental et à un coût abordable. L'étude du patrimoine en terre a démontré la capacité des anciens bâtisseurs à innover afin de se conformer aux variations de la demande sociale et aux développements techniques. La construction en terre bénéficie d'un passé ancien et riche et il convient de tirer profit de ce retour d’expérience. L'analyse du patrimoine en terre et la redécouverte des techniques de construction vernaculaire est une source d'inspiration précieuse pour la construction contemporaine. La valorisation des connaissances vernaculaires permettra d’économiser du temps, de l'énergie et d'éviter de répéter les erreurs passées. L'avenir de la construction de la terre doit s’inscrire dans la continuité de la construction en terre vernaculaire
The use of local, natural and unprocessed materials offers promising low impact building solutions. The wide spatial variability of these materials is, however, an obstacle to a large-scale use. The construction strategies developed by past builders were dictated by the local climate and the quality and the amount of locally available construction materials. These construction strategies can be regarded as an optimized management of local, natural and variable resources and are a source of inspiration for modern sustainable building. Unfortunately, this knowledge was lost in Western countries during the 20th century. Vernacular earth construction know-how rediscovering requires the development of rational built heritage investigation means. Another issue regarding the use of natural and variable building material is their compliance with modern building regulation. The development of performance based testing procedures is proposed as a solution to facilitate the use of earth as a building material. A multidisciplinary approach is proposed, combining micromorphology, pedology, geotechnics and heritage disciplines to study vernacular earth heritage. It provides complementary tools to assess pedological sources of construction material and geotechnical characteristics of earth employed in vernacular earth heritage. It also provides a detailed description of the construction process of vernacular earth heritage. Using these results, it was possible to draw resource maps and provide a scale of magnitude of resource availability at regional scale. Two performance based testing procedures were proposed in order to take into account the natural variability of earth in a modern building context. Earth construction will play an important role in the modern sustainable building of the 21st century if the actors of the sector adopt earth construction processes able to meet social demand, with low environmental impact and at an affordable cost. The study of earth heritage demonstrated the ability of historical earth builders to innovate in order to comply with social demand variations and technical developments. Earth construction benefits of an old and rich past and it would be a non-sense to leave this past behind. The analysis of earth heritage and the rediscovering of vernacular construction techniques is a valuable source of inspiration for modern earth construction. The valorisation of vernacular knowledge will save time, energy and avoid repeating past mistakes. The future of earth construction should be a continuation of past vernacular earth construction

Pisé de terre or rammed earth is a building technique that has existed for over ten thousand years. Although this technique was first documented for Western Civilization by the Roman Pliny the Elder circa 79 AD, evidence of its use prior to his time is found in China, Europe, and elsewhere. Rammed earth achieved notoriety in the United States during three distinct periods in its history: the Jeffersonian era, the Great Depression, and the Back-to-Nature Movement of the 1970s. In the United States earth buildings are uncommon and usually deemed marginal or fringe. This is true even though at times the U.S. government has been a proponent of alternative building techniques, especially rammed earth. Intended for those interested in material culture, this thesis provides a brief history of rammed earth, articulates its importance to the building record of the United States, and describes methods for its preservation, repair, and maintenance.

Cob is an earth based building technique that may be an alternative for the construction of new homes in developing countries. Earth based constructions techniques commonly used in the past, like adobe and wattle-and-daub, have increasingly been replaced by buildings using more processed materials commercially available such as bricks or concrete blocks. The cost of such commercial materials is often unreachable for a large part of the population in developing countries. Cob buildings could be an appropriate option in rural areas, where human labor is a less restricted resource compared to monetary capital, and most of the materials needed are locally available. The cob technique is based on a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water that enables the builder to combine different materials and to create a variety of shapes. A recently constructed cob building in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was studied using screening LCA methodology applied to the construction phase, as well as by applying a diffusion of innovation framework (specifically the five perceived attributes of an innovation). Results regarding fossil CO2 emissions due to material production and material transportation were contrasted to an equivalent concrete block building. The highest contribution to CO2 emissions from the cob building was generated by paints and solvents, and bricks and tiles (cooked earth); whereas in the concrete building it was due to the concrete bricks and iron. According to this case study, cob building technique seems to have the potential to be an affordable option for rural housing in Nicaragua, and at the same time accountable for rather limited emissions of fossil CO2 emissions in its construction phase. At present, some obstacles to the use of cob technique are lack of examples for people to see and experience, and a general limited knowledge on how to work with cob technique.
Cob är en byggteknik med jord som främsta material som kan vara ett alternativ vid byggande av nya bostäder i utvecklingsländer. Några jordkonstruktionstekniker, som adobe och ”bajareque”, var vanligare förr, men har ersatts av byggande med förädlade material som tegel eller betongblock. Kostnaden för dessa material är oftast hög och blir oöverkomlig för en stor del av befolkningen. Cob hus skulle kunna vara ett alternativ på landsbygden, där arbetskraft är en mer tillgänglig resurs än kapital, och de flesta av de material som behövs finns lokalt. Cob tekniken är en blandning av lera, sand, halm och vatten som även kan kombineras med andra material för att skapa olika former. Byggnationsfasen för ett nyligen konstruerat cob hus i Matagalpa, Nicaragua, studerades med en screenande LCA. Valda delar av Rogers teori ”diffusion of innovation” användes (främst de fem attributen för innovationsspridning). Resultaten avseende CO2-utsläpp från produktion och transport av material jämfördes med ett hus i liknande storlek, byggt i betongblock. Det största bidraget till utsläpp av CO2 från cob huset genererades av färger och lösningsmedel, tegel och kakel (bränd jord), medan det i betongblockshuset berodde på betongblock och järn. Enligt denna fallstudie verkar cob byggteknik att ha potential att vara ett prisvärt alternativ för bostäder på landsbygden i Nicaragua, och resulterar i relativt små CO2-utsläpp under byggskedet. Några av de hinder för spridningen av cob tekniken som föreligger för närvarande är brist på exempel för människor att se och uppleva, samt dålig allmän kunskap om hur man arbetar med denna teknik.
Cob es una técnica de construcción en tierra que puede ser una alternativa para la construcción de nuevas viviendas en los países en vía de desarrollo. Algunas de las técnicas de construcciones en tierra como el adobe y el bahareque fueron comunes en el pasado, sin embargo han sido sustituidas por construcciones con materiales procesados como ladrillos o bloques de concreto. El costo de estos materiales suele ser alto volviéndose inasequibles para una gran parte de la población. Las construcciones en cob podrían ser una opción adecuada en las zonas rurales, donde la mano de obra es un recurso abundante a bajo costo, y la mayoría de los materiales necesarios están disponibles a nivel local. La técnica del cob se basa en una mezcla de arcilla, arena, paja y agua que puede ser combinada con otros materiales para crear una gran variedad de formas. La fase de construcción de una casa en cob en Matagalpa, Nicaragua; fue estudiada por medio de un LCA preliminar. Igualmente se utilizó el marco de difusión de la innovación propuesto por Rogers para evaluar los cinco atributos que hacen que esta técnica pueda o no ser difundida en Matagalpa. Los resultados en relación con las emisiones de CO2 por la producción de material y del transporte de material se contrastaron con una casa de dimensiones similares construida en bloque de concreto. La mayor contribución a las emisiones de CO2 de la casa de cob fue generada por las pinturas y solventes, y ladrillos y tejas (tierra cocida), mientras que en la casa de bloque de concreto las emisiones se debieron a los bloques de concreto y al hierro. De acuerdo con este caso de estudio, la técnica de construcción cob parece tener el potencial de ser una opción asequible para la vivienda rural en Nicaragua, generando emisiones de CO2 más bajas que las construcciones de bloque de concreto durante la fase de construcción. En la actualidad, algunos de los obstáculos para la difusión de la técnica del cob son la falta de ejemplos para que las personas puedan ver y experimentar, y un escaso conocimiento general sobre cómo trabajar con esta técnica.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
PROGRAMA DE EXCELENCIA ACADEMICA
Informações precisas sobre a distribuição da população são reconhecidamente importantes. A fonte de informação mais completa sobre a população é o censo, cujos os dados são disponibilizados de forma agregada em setores censitários. Esses setores são unidades operacionais de tamanho e formas irregulares, que dificulta a análise espacial dos dados associados. Assim, a mudança de setores censitários para um conjunto de células regulares com estimativas adequadas facilitaria a análise. Uma metodologia a ser utilizada para essa mudança poderia ser baseada na classificação de imagens de sensoriamento remoto para a identificação de domicílios, que é a base das pesquisas envolvendo a população. A detecção de áreas edificadas é uma tarefa complexa devido a grande variabilidade de características de construção e de imagens. Os métodos usuais são complexos e muito dependentes de especialistas. Os processos automáticos dependem de grandes bases de imagens para treinamento e são sensíveis à variação de qualidade de imagens e características das construções e de ambiente. Nesta tese propomos a utilização de um método automatizado para detecção de edificações em imagens Google Earth que mostrou bons resultados utilizando um conjunto de imagens relativamente pequeno e com grande variabilidade, superando as limitações dos processos existentes. Este resultado foi obtido com uma aplicação prática. Foi construído um conjunto de imagens com anotação de áreas construídas para 12 regiões do Brasil. Estas imagens, além de diferentes na qualidade, apresentam grande variabilidade nas características das edificações e no ambiente geográfico. Uma prova de conceito será feita na utilização da classificação de área construída nos métodos dasimétrico para a estimação de população em gride. Ela mostrou um resultado promissor quando comparado com o método usual, possibilitando a melhoria da qualidade das estimativas.
The importance of precise information about the population distribution is widely acknowledged. The census is considered the most reliable and complete source of this information, and its data are delivered in an aggregated form in sectors. These sectors are operational units with irregular shapes, which hinder the spatial analysis of the data. Thus, the transformation of sectors onto a regular grid would facilitate such analysis. A methodology to achieve this transformation could be based on remote sensing image classification to identify building where the population lives. The building detection is considered a complex task since there is a great variability of building characteristics and on the images quality themselves. The majority of methods are complex and very specialist dependent. The automatic methods require a large annotated dataset for training and they are sensitive to the image quality, to the building characteristics, and to the environment. In this thesis, we propose an automatic method for building detection based on a deep learning architecture that uses a relative small dataset with a large variability. The proposed method shows good results when compared to the state of the art. An annotated dataset has been built that covers 12 cities distributed in different regions of Brazil. Such images not only have different qualities, but also shows a large variability on the building characteristics and geographic environments. A very important application of this method is the use of the building area classification in the dasimetric methods for the population estimation into grid. The concept proof in this application showed a promising result when compared to the usual method allowing the improvement of the quality of the estimates.

Natural and accelerated erosion from trail users affects the sustainability of trail systems. Designing and building sustainable trail systems will greatly decrease the effect that erosion has on a trail. Trails that allow multiple types of users, such as hiking and mountain biking, must be able to sustain both groups. At East Tennessee State University the trail system was originally designed for hiking. Mountain bikers have become the main user group on the trail system leading to erosion problems on certain areas of the trail due to trail design flaws. The study seeks to identify the problem areas of trail and make recommendations towards correcting the trail in order for the trail system to adequately sustain both hikers and mountain bikers on the East Tennessee State University trail system.

Scotland’s vernacular earth-built heritage has received inadequate recognition over a number of decades, being the reserve of a small group of academic, architectural and conservation practitioners, with negative perceptions of the structures and their inhabitants having been developed over the long-term. This has ultimately contributed to the loss of a wide number of earth building traditions previously widespread across Scotland. Heritage custodians have invested in the restoration and maintenance of a select few sites, but wider recognition of the significance of extant structures, including the intangible aspects of inherited traditions, remains limited. This thesis therefore seeks in the first instance to promote improved understandings of Scotland’s earth-built heritage through historical appraisals that underline its wider heritage value within global, regional and local contexts, whilst demonstrating the limitations of survey evidence hitherto relied upon. Heritage policies and management procedures are increasingly driven in response to the climate changes projected for the remainder of the twenty-first century, partly informed by the impacts of changes that have already been observed. As a result of this, new fields of research such as heritage climatology have developed with a view to offering bases from which to develop longer term mitigation and management strategies that recognise potential changes to the causes and processes of deterioration in the historic environment. Alongside the development of academic interest in climate and heritage has been an ever-increasing accessibility to advanced analysis methods through technical apparatus (often portable) that can be used to create improved evidence repositories based on processes-led approaches to investigation. Scotland’s earth-built heritage is susceptible to a range of climate-related phenomena that are likely to manifest in different ways over coming decades. Conservation strategies have continued to rely, however, upon the empirical observations and the experience of very few individuals since the latter-twentieth century. Consequently, the ad hoc approaches to the management of Scotland’s earth-built heritage and lack of strategic planning that have been typical to this point require amendment. This interdisciplinary thesis therefore seeks to contribute to addressing the issues outlined above through the exploration and application of portable scientific sampling apparatus that allow for in situ, rapid and non-intrusive insights to be gained at various scales of interest. These, together with other minimally intrusive approaches to assessing performance in earth building materials, allow for the development of processes-led strategies to extending the evidence base beyond that presently relied upon. Amongst the key outcomes of this are the generation of a locally-focused dataset of climate projections that are used to develop understandings of future climate conditions in the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire, and in turn garner insights as to how these will impact in relation to the earth-built heritage for which this region is noted. Temperature and humidity monitoring evidence gathered from within the walls of extant structures over the course of fourteen months from March 2012 to April 2013 are set against contemporary external weather conditions and alongside measurements of moisture ingress. These serve to highlight both aspects of inherent resilience and points of particular risk to the future integrity of earth-built structures. An extended benefit of this work is the demonstration that the novel procedures used are easily replicated and could be employed in a variety of local contexts to develop suites of intra-site data across Scotland, with the potential for offering evidence-based inferences relevant to management procedures and policy discussion. The utility of the understandings and methods of investigation long established in the field of soil science but conspicuously overlooked in earth buildings research is also addressed, with insights into micro-scale processes offered using micromorphological and micromorphometric methods and the results being directly related to macro-scale observations.

[EN] Over time, the construction potentialities and traditional architecture of Saudi Arabia have declined substantially. The modern generation in Saudi Arabia has neglected the traditional structural and architectural designs for building towns, cities and homes. The materials used in the construction of traditional structures has been replaced by more westernized building materials such as concrete, cement and glass. Westernized methods of design and architecture often fail to last long due to the climatic and topographical conditions of the country, such as extreme heat and fast sand-blowing winds. Reviving traditional architectural and structural building married with westernized building technologies will yield strong structures that are capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of the country. This research seeks to identify the most applicable methods of structural procedures that can be used in historical earthen buildings in Saudi Arabia for conservation purposes. This dissertation addresses the important structural and architectural perspectives of traditional Saudi Arabian buildings. It also examines the perspectives of the Saudi population that affect the selection of building materials and architectural styles that are widely used. An examination of the old techniques employed in traditional Saudi Arabian buildings, how they can help in the formulation of a new approach for contemporary architecture and how this can be implemented in Saudi Arabia are also discussed in this dissertation. In the preparation of this dissertation, conforming processes were performed in order to fulfil the set objectives of the study. The first step was configured to examine different earthen architectural structures in Saudi Arabia. This stage involved travelling to different locations, observing the structures and also conducting interviews with older contractors. To collect more information on the topic, visits to Yemen and South Morocco were made, as these are two countries that have already married earthen architecture with modern architecture. The traditional architecture of Morocco and Yemen is similar to that of Saudi Arabia, but it has taken longer for these countries to shift to modern architecture. A laboratory examination was carried out to examine the relationship between the soil composition, stability, and strength of the structures that are built. Empirical studies were also conducted to examine the compactness, solidity, dimensional steadiness and permeability of the materials used in the constructions. These factors influence the choice of building materials for the conservation of traditional architecture and to solve the current need for cheap housing in the urban fabric. The results of this study indicate that the Adobe and Cob traditional architectural styles are two of the leading architectural styles in Saudi Arabia, with each style symbolizing the perspective of the people living in a particular locality. This dissertation also found that different architectural patterns were influenced by functionality, convenience, efficiency and availability of the construction materials needed. This explains the reason for different structural and architectural patterns in different parts of Saudi Arabia. This study concludes that mixing traditional architectural methods with modern technologies would serve to construct stronger and longer-lasting houses in Saudi Arabia. The new houses would not only serve to conserve the magnificent architecture of the country but would also help in building cheap houses, hence solving the rising demand for housing in urban areas. This study will add to the literature available on architectures in Saudi Arabia.
[ES] Con el tiempo, las posibilidades de construcción con técnicas tradicionales en Arabia Saudita han disminuido considerablemente. La nueva generación de Arabia Saudita ha dejado caer en el olvido los diseños arquitectónicos y estructurales tradicionales a la hora de construir pueblos, ciudades y viviendas. Los materiales utilizados en la construcción de las estructuras tradicionales han sido sustituidos por materiales de construcción más occidentalizados, tales como el hormigón, el cemento y el vidrio. Los métodos arquitectónicos y de diseño occidentalizados no suelen perdurar mucho tiempo debido a las condiciones climáticas y topográficas del país, tales como el calor extremo y las fuertes tormentas de arena. La revitalización de la construcción de estructuras y arquitecturas tradicionales, unida a las tecnologías de construcción occidentalizadas, dará como resultado unas estructuras sólidas capaces de soportar las duras condiciones del país. Esta investigación busca identificar los métodos de construcción de estructuras más aplicables que puedan ser utilizados en edificios históricos de tierra en Arabia Saudita para fines de conservación. Esta tesis aborda la importancia de las perspectivas estructurales y arquitectónicas para los edificios tradicionales de Arabia Saudita. La tesis también analiza el punto de vista de la población saudí frente a la selección de materiales de construcción y a los estilos arquitectónicos utilizados frecuentemente. En esta investigación también se examinan las antiguas técnicas empleadas en los edificios tradicionales de Arabia Saudita, cómo éstas pueden ayudar en la formulación de un nuevo enfoque para la arquitectura contemporánea y cómo pueden introducirse en la construcción actual en Arabia Saudita. En la preparación de esta tesis se ha trabajado con una metodología que permite cumplir con los objetivos establecidos al inicio del estudio. El primer paso fue examinar las diferentes estructuras arquitectónicas de tierra de Arabia Saudita. Esta etapa consistió en viajar a diferentes lugares para observar las estructuras así como para realizar entrevistas a los antiguos constructores. Para recopilar más información sobre el tema se hicieron también visitas a Yemen y al sur de Marruecos, dado que en estos dos países ya se ha unido la arquitectura de tierra con la arquitectura contemporánea. La arquitectura tradicional de Marruecos y Yemen es similar a la de Arabia Saudita, pero en estos países la nueva arquitectura contemporánea se ha desarrollado más tarde. Se han realizado ensayos de laboratorio para determinar la relación entre la composición del suelo y la estabilidad y solidez de las estructuras construidas. También se realizaron estudios empíricos para determinar la compactación, solidez, estabilidad dimensional y la permeabilidad de los materiales utilizados en las construcciones. Estos factores influyen en la elección de materiales de construcción para la conservación de la arquitectura tradicional y para resolver la necesidad actual de construir viviendas económicas en el tejido urbano actual. Los resultados de este estudio indican que las técnicas constructivas tradicionales del adobe y el cob (pared de mano) son dos de las principales técnicas de Arabia Saudita, y cada una de ellas tiene relación con las particularidades de las poblaciones que viven en un determinado lugar. Con esta tesis también se ha determinado que los diferentes patrones arquitectónicos estaban influenciados por la funcionalidad, la comodidad, la eficiencia y la disponibilidad de los materiales de construcción necesarios. Esto explica la razón por la que existen diferentes tipologías estructurales y arquitectónicas en distintas partes de Arabia Saudita. Este estudio concluye que la unión de los métodos arquitectónicos tradicionales con las nuevas tecnologías puede servir para construir viviendas más sólidas y de larga duración en Arabi
[CAT] Amb el temps, les possibilitats de construcció amb tècniques tradicionals a l'Aràbia Saudita han disminuït considerablement. La nova generació d'Aràbia Saudita ha deixat caure en l'oblit els dissenys arquitectònics i estructurals tradicionals a l'hora de construir pobles, ciutats i habitatges. Els materials utilitzats en la construcció de les estructures tradicionals s'han substituït per materials de construcció més occidentalitzats, com ara formigó, ciment i vidre. Els mètodes arquitectònics y de disseny occidentalitzats no solen perdurar molt de temps degut a les condicions climàtiques i topogràfiques del país, com ara la calor extrema i les fortes tempestes d'arena. La revitalització de la construcció d'estructures i arquitectures tradicionals, unida a les tecnologies de construcció occidentalitzades, donarà com resultat unes estructures sòlides capaces de suportar les dures condicions del país. Esta investigació pretén identificar quins són els mètodes de construcció d'estructures més aplicables que es poden utilitzar en els edificis històrics de terra d'Aràbia Saudita amb fins de conservació. Esta tesi aborda la importància de les perspectives estructurals i arquitectòniques per als edificis tradicionals d'Aràbia Saudita. La tesi també analitza el punt de vista de la població saudita front a la selecció de materials de construcció y als estils arquitectònics més àmpliament utilitzats. En esta investigació també s'examinen les antigues tècniques emprades en els edificis tradicionals d'Aràbia Saudita, com estes poden ajudar en la formulació d'un nou enfocament per a l'arquitectura contemporània i com poden introduir-se en la construcció actual a Aràbia Saudita. En la preparació d'esta tesi s'ha treballat amb una metodologia que permet complir amb els objectius establerts a l'inici de l'estudi. El primer pas va ser examinar les diferents estructures arquitectòniques de terra d'Aràbia Saudita. Esta etapa va consistir en viatjar a diferents llocs per a observar les estructures així com per a realitzar entrevistes als antics constructors. Per a recopilar més informació sobre el tema es van fer també visites al Iemen i al sud del Marroc, ja que en aquests dos països ja s'ha unit l'arquitectura de terra amb l'arquitectura contemporània. L'arquitectura tradicional del Marroc i del Iemen és semblant a la d'Aràbia Saudita, però en estos països la nova arquitectura contemporània s'ha desenvolupat més tard. S'han realitzat assajos de laboratori per a determinar la relació entre la composició del sòl i l'estabilitat i solidesa de les estructures construïdes. També es van realitzar estudis empírics per a determinar la compactació, solidesa, estabilitat dimensional i la permeabilitat dels materials emprats en les construccions. Estos factors influeixen en l'elecció de materials de construcció per a la conservació de l'arquitectura tradicional i per a resoldre la necessitat actual de construir cases econòmiques en el teixit urbà actual. Els resultats d'este estudi indiquen que les tècniques constructives tradicionals de l'adob i el cob (paret de mà) són dos de les principals tècniques d'Aràbia Saudita, i cada una d'elles té relació amb les particularitats de les poblacions que viuen en una lloc determinat. Amb esta tesi també s'ha determinat que els diferents patrons arquitectònics estaven influenciats per la funcionalitat, la comoditat, l'eficiència i la disponibilitat dels materials de construcció necessaris. Açò explica la raó per la qual hi ha diferents tipologies estructurals i arquitectòniques en distintes parts d'Aràbia Saudita. Este estudi conclou que la unió dels mètodes arquitectònics tradicionals amb les noves tecnologies modernes pot servir per a construir habitatges més sòlids i de llarga duració a Aràbia Saudita.
Alaidarous, AAH. (2016). Investigating the best methods for structural stabilization procedures for Historical earthen building conservation in Saudi Arabia: a technology-led construction analysis [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/68476
TESIS

Pisé de terre or rammed earth is a building technique that has existed for over ten thousand years. Although this technique was first documented for Western Civilization by the Roman Pliny the Elder circa 79 AD, evidence of its use prior to his time is found in China, Europe, and elsewhere. Rammed earth achieved notoriety in the United States during three distinct periods in its history: the Jeffersonian era, the Great Depression, and the Back-to-Nature Movement of the 1970s. In the United States earth buildings are uncommon and usually deemed marginal or fringe. This is true even though at times the U.S. government has been a proponent of alternative building techniques, especially rammed earth. Intended for those interested in material culture, this thesis provides a brief history of rammed earth, articulates its importance to the building record of the United States, and describes methods for its preservation, repair, and maintenance.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. This landlocked country in the west has an extremely warm climate. Temperatures over 45°C are not uncommon and there is an almost constant need to keep the buildings cool to maintain a temperate indoor climate. Air-conditioning is an option to maintain the temperature but it overloads the power grid and only a few people can afford it. This thesis examines, through laboratory experiments, the thermal and mechanical properties that can be obtained by vibrating clayey soil and mixing it with water, lime or cement and organic fiber (Bissap). The report also examines different building projects utilizing local materials, both of a traditional and more modern nature.Energy required to produce building elements of soil is negligible compared to that of concrete and steel. Soil can be used in constructing houses but it is sensitive to water.The insulation is inadequate for a passive house so an extra layer of insulating material is required.The experiments performed during this project were inconclusive so it is impossible, from the results in this paper, to say if vibration is a good method for forming a building material of soil. The high water content needed, is however a major problem, shrinkage was about 20% and cracks were hard to avoid. Further investigations into the subject is necessary.
Burkina Faso är ett av de fattigaste länderna i världen. Som ett kustlöst land beläget i Västafrika har det ett extremt varmt klimat. Temperaturer över 45°C är inte ovanligt och det är ett nästan konstant behov av att kyla byggnader för att behålla ett behagligt inneklimat.   Idag byggs det två typer av byggnader i Burkina Faso; de traditionella lerhusen och de mer moderna husen med väggar av cementstenar och plåttak. Cementväggarna har ett U-värde på 3W/m2K och tillsammans med plåttaket så bildar det ett undermåligt klimatskal utan möjligheter att skydda mot hettan. Det leder idag till endera ett obehagligt varmt inneklimat eller en hög och kostsam energianvändning av luftkonditionering. Överbelastningen på elnätet på grund av luftkonditionering är påtaglig under den varmaste säsongen med frekventa strömavbrott till följd.   Denna rapport undersöker via laboratorieexperiment vilka termiska och mekaniska egenskaper man kan erhålla genom att vibrera lerjord och blanda med vatten, organiska fibrer samt kalk och/eller cement. Litteraturstudier och fältbesök i Burkina Faso har gjorts för att undersöka och förstå vilka svårigheter som kan uppkomma genom att bygga med lera. Rapporten tar även upp konkreta exempel på byggnader i Burkina Faso gjorda av lokala material, historiska såväl som moderna projekt.   Lerjord behöver extremt lite energitillförsel för att bilda ett byggmaterial och den negativa miljöpåverkan är försumbar jämfört med betong och stål. Det kan användas för att bygga energisnåla hus men det är känsligt mot vatten, vilket måste beaktas noga under projekteringen. Värmeledningsförmågan är för hög för att vara tillräcklig som isolering för att erhålla ett inneklimat enligt dagens standard, utan tillförsel av energi, så någon form av extra isolering krävs.   Experimenten som gjordes gav inte tillräckligt exakta resultat för att visa om vibrering är en bra metod att göra byggmaterial eller inte. Den höga vattenhalten som krävs för vibrering är ett stort problem. Krympningen var ungefär 20 % och sprickor var svåra att undvika. Vidare studier på området rekommenderas.

This Diploma thesis deals with possibilities of utilizing earth as a building material for con-struction of detached houses using the rammed earth technology. Research in domestic and foreign literature led to description of the historical development of building from earth, overview of historical technologies and historical development of the technology of rammed earth. Subsequently, the thesis deals with nowadays very relevant problematics of sustainable construction, which is closely related to the use of natural materials, such as earth. Furthermore, the thesis describes the technology of rammed earth with examples of already realized buildings, both in the Czech Republic and other countries. The last part of the research describes selected methods of testing the physical-mechanical properties of rammed earth used abroad. The first section of experimental part deals with the design of earth mixtures for three specific sites (Dolany, Valchov and Dolní Těrlicko), using a computer model in Excel. The rest of experimental part contains the design of methodology for the production of test specimens for the pressure testing, and selected tests are performed for better knowledge of the physical-mechanical properties of the designed earth mixtures. The last part of the thesis discusses the problematics of legislative process of permitting rammed earth buildings and practical construction recommendations.

Today, buildings consume 40% of total energy demand in the EU and are responsible for 36% of GHG emissions. For this reason, and due to the delicate situation of climate change that planet Earth is experiencing, solutions are being sought to make the building sector more sustainable. In the current project, the use of natural materials has been chosen as a solution in line with the EU 2050 long-term strategy. This research broadens the knowledge on sustainable building with natural materials as an alternative to conventional construction. To this end, first, an extensive state of the art has been carried out to gather information and identify research gaps on natural building materials and energy efficiency, proving the suitability of natural construction materials. Special emphasis has been put on straw bale construction and rammed earth construction, which have been studied individually. In addition, geometrically identical building models of both building techniques have been developed and simulated in Stockholm and Valencia in order to see how they would perform in different climates. Total energy demand for the straw-bale building of 140.22 kWh/(m2·year) in the case of Stockholm and 37.05 kWh/(m2·year) in the case of Valencia has been obtained. For the rammed earth building, a total demand of 301.82 kWh/(m2·year) has been obtained in Stockholm and 78.66 kWh/(m2·year) in Valencia. Once passive measures are applied in the different models, a reduction in demand for the straw bale building of 77.8% and 36.3% has been achieved for Stockholm and Valencia, respectively. In the rammed earth building, in contrast, the demand has been reduced by 86.3% in Stockholm and 73.9% in Valencia. Heat recovery ventilation and high insulation level have been identified as imperative needs in Stockholm, in contrast to Valencia. Other improvement strategies such as windows substitution, air permeability improvement, or natural ventilation for cooling have been implemented. Apart from that, better performance of the straw-bale buildings has been identified for both climates. Additionally, focusing on thermal inertia, its influence has been identified as not completely significant in terms of annual demand in the simulated climates.

Environmental consciousness leads the construction industry to greater concerns about local adaptation, less waste of resources and energy efficiency In Brazil, earth construction is a feasible approach to house building in many locations and can play a useful part in resolving the housing problems faced by that country, being already a popular approach to providing affordable housing for low income groups within the population, particularly in the Northeast Region of the country, although usually not built correctly. Although used since the colonial period, from 1500, knowledge around earth systems is not formally embedded within the Brazilian building standards and this is unhelpful in terms of promoting quality of performance of buildings thus constructed. For example, appropriate use of high thermal mass in conjunction with natural ventilation, which is frequently used in Brazil due to energy costs, can significantly influence the thermal comfort within residences, but appropriate guidance is lacking. This research considers the combined effects of earth construction and natural ventilation upon thermal comfort within social housing in Northeast Brazil. The main thesis hypothesis is that the use of thermal mass provided by earth construction combined with natural ventilation results in acceptable levels of thermal performance with respect to thermal comfort in both hot and humid and hot and dry climates. The aim is to evaluate the thermal performance of high thermal mass dwellings using adobe system combined with natural ventilation in the bioclimatic zones of Brazil's Northeast Region. The method explores thermal performance simulation using Design Builder, a graphical interface for Energy Plus program. The assessment uses parametric analysis and the adaptive thermal comfort index from de Dear and Brager (1998). The results suggest that earth construction provides a high number of comfort hours in all bioclimatic zones in Northeast Brazil and ventilation use enhances the comfort sensation.

This paper presents an analytical framework of governing innovative building practices at a municipal level based on conclusions drawn from the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) approach. The analytical framework viewed the Village House Block demonstration project and EnSURE transnational research collaboration as important facilitators to create the necessary conditions for governing innovation during the renovation of the outdated building stock located in the 3rd District Municipality of Budapest, Hungary. These necessary conditions were articulated in accordance with the three internal processes (the articulation of expectations and visions, the building of social networks and the fostering of learning processes) defined by SNM research. Additionally, the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) methodology was considered as a viable tool to guide energy efficient urban development in the district. It was found in this research that the Village House Block renovation represented a local technological niche project during which the feasibility of active and passive building technology was tested. This study revealed that the necessary conditions for governing innovation were present in this project. EnSURE was a collaborative research project which did not represent a clear example of technological niche development. It was defined as an important initiative to collect and accumulate knowledge and experiences from local niche projects to create a strategic tool for supporting energy efficient urban development at the municipal level. In this case study, the tool was the Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Overall, it was found that the necessary conditions did not only appear in technological niche projects, such as the Village House Block demonstration project but also in other types of projects, such as EnSURE. Furthermore, it could be argued that the governance of innovative approaches requires an operational framework in which different projects are managed to create these necessary conditions for local technological niche development. At global niche-level, it was revealed that the SEAP or other action plan methodologies could offer a tool to utilise experiences gained from local niches to create an energy efficient urban development strategy. In practice, it was shown that the importance of experimentation with new technologies and the governance of innovation on a strategic way still in its infancy in the 3rd District.

Buildings account for 39 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions, therefore the way buildings are constructed and utilized plays an important role in the transition to a sustainable future. Environmental Certification Systems (ECS) functions as a catalysator for sustainable solutions within the building industry and is seen as a hygiene factor for property owners today. The market offers numerous environmental certifications for buildings to choose from, and Swedish property owners are frequently users of them. However, most of the environmental certification systems does not cover the social aspects of sustainability that directly include human health and wellbeing in the building. This has led to the creation of the sustainability certification WELL Building Standard – a global certification system for buildings that exclusively addresses the users in the building, in terms of health and wellbeing. There are currently 298 WELL-certified projects around the world, and in Sweden there are six property companies that have registered different project for the certification. Due to the Swedish property owners’ relatively modest efforts regarding the social sustainability work, this paper explores what the drivers is for these six companies into working with a WELL-certification. By exploring that, this study aims to contribute to the understanding on what can drive the willingness of corporations to invest in sustainability certifications in general, and in what ways a WELL-certification can fill a potential gap in the Swedish property market. The findings reveal that a WELL-certification has a unique selling point due to its human-centred approach. It can be a beneficial tool, both for property companies, who may attract new clients, as well as for the tenants that are renting their space, in terms of increasing their own employer brand and corporate reputation. According to Herzberg’s two-factor theory, this human centred approach can be used as motivation factor for the property owners, rather than a hygiene factor. The findings also reveal that there is a need in society for addressing health issues, due to the increasing numbers of sick leave in Sweden the past years. Furthermore, the study reveals that there have been a “competence gap” in the built environment for addressing this kind of issues and that a WELL-certification is therefore helpful in addressing areas of the built environment that the property owners never have thought of before.

Este trabalho de investigação destina‐se a conhecer a arquitetura em terra da Serra de Monchique, recolher informações que possam constituir as bases de um plano para a conservação futura deste património construído, assim como indicar métodos de conservação. São abordados aspetos arquitetónicos, como as tipologias e os métodos de construção mais especificamente a caracterização do solo, definição da capacidade resistente da taipa e métodos de estabilização da mesma. A investigação incide ainda sobre o comportamento da arquitetura de terra face aos sismos e aos incêndios, neste campo foram aprofundados conhecimentos já desenvolvidos no estudo do “lnventário dos danos resultantes dos incêndios ocorridos de 8 a 16 de Agosto 2003 e de 11 a 18 de Setembro de 2004” e da informação regional existente sobre os danos do terramoto de 1755, do “Inquérito aos prejuízos causados pelo sismo de 28‐2‐69 em habitações no Algarve”. /ABSTRACT ‐ The aim of the research is the knowledge of rammed earth architecture in Serra of Monchique and gather information for a future conservation plan of such buildings, as well as describing conservation methods for their rehabilitation. Architectural aspects, as typologies and building techniques are treated as do engineering ones such as soil characterization, definition of the resistant capacity of rammed earth and methods earth stabilization. The “survey of the resulting damages from the fires between 8 and 12 August 2003 and 11 to 18 September 2004" the information on the damages caused by the 1755 earthquake and from the “lnquiry of the damages caused by earthquake of 28‐2‐69 on households in the Algarve” as well as the most recent investigation on the subject were used to describe the behavior of rammed earth in situation of earthquakes.

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In my dissertation I argue that because the European Union and the United States of America have been largely treated as unique or at least special cases, both the literature on American-state building and that on European market integration have missed how close comparison alters both our descriptive views and social-scientific explanations of the shape of each polity. In particular, scholars have not sufficiently recognized that the European Union has gone further than the United States in many elements of the creation of a centralized, liberalized single market, nor have they produced explanations that account well for this development. This study challenges the dominant assumption that the United States is generally more hierarchical and centralized than the European Union and more of a single free market in the sense of fewer allowable trade barriers. By analyzing the rules of market integration in services (over 70% of GDP), public procurement (15 - 20% GDP) and the regulated goods markets (goods like elevators with their own regulatory regimes), I demonstrate that in all these major cases the European Union has adopted rules that open exchange to competition more than the United States. While the actual integration of flows on the ground is still generally less across European states than American ones, the political rules are more - and more liberally - integrated in Europe. I offer an institutional and ideational argument to explain these differences, with two main parts. First, there is no American parallel to the institution of the European Commission, which is mandated to continually push liberalization forward. My research shows that Commission leadership has been critical to each of the examined cases. Second, broader norms of legitimate governance favor centralized authority - including liberalizing central authority - more in the European Union than in the United States. Despite all the criticism we hear of the European Union, the basic notion of federal governance of market integration is far more strongly accepted across Europe at both elite and mass levels than in the United States. As interview evidence in this study displays, many Americans consistently object to any role for the federal government.
Committee in charge: Dr. Craig Parsons, Chairperson; Dr. Gerald Berk, Member; Dr. Lars Skålnes, Member; Dr. Alexander B. Murphy, Outside Member

Climate change has caused severe vulnerabilities for the global food production system and alternative agriculture methods are needed as a solution. Urban agriculture (UA) can be a sustainable solution, making the global food system more resilient and increasing the global food security. Using available empty rooftops to implement green roofs for food production can be a solution to challenges faced by urban agriculture, such as unavailability of land and proper amount of sunlight. The aim of this thesis is to explore the potential of green roofs in Uppsala city, looking into the food production capacity and the energy conservation benefits for buildings having a green roof. With the help of GIS software, 745 flat roofs with a total available area of 877408 m2, were considered feasible for implementing green roofs. Upon calculations based on yields obtained from other studies, the results revealed that the annual vegetable production on potential green roofs in Uppsala city is 23550 T of tomato, 48 T of cabbage and 96 T of chilli. On comparing the tomato production with the amount of tomato consumed annually by the population of Uppsala city, the data reveals that less than 10 % of the estimated production can meet the annual demand.Upon investigating the thermal insulation effects of green sedum roof on a building in Uppsala city, the thesis reveals that annually, 824 kWh or .824 MWh can be saved, providing a monetary benefit of SEK 543. The results point out that, on implementation of green sedum roofs on 100 buildings, about 82 MWh amount of energy can be conserved, thus reducing the overall consumption of fuels such as peat and oil and reducing the emissions of green house gases. Green roofs in comparison with conventional roofs can also act as a heat sink to keep the building cooler during warmer summers, thus reducing the demand for artificial cooling. Keywords: Sustainable Development, Urban Sustainability, Food Security, Energy Security, Resilience, Urban Agriculture, Green Roof, Thermal Insulation, Energy Conservation, Climate Change.

Cross-collaborations and interdisciplinarity have become buzzwords in academia as it has been identified and argued, that going beyond traditional academic boundaries is essential for providing solutions to complex, societal problems. Currently, most of the scholarly literature on collaboration focusses on sub-issues, such as arguments for and against the crossing of fields and disciplines, while there is a lack of practical case studies exemplifying its effect. The objective of this research was therefore to explore the arguments underlying initiatives to start an introductory collaborative program for young academics, identify these programs’ roles in the researchers' collaboration capacity, and thus, to gain understanding of how collaborative programs can contribute in the process of equipping young researchers with valuable tools to tackle today's and tomorrow's complex challenges linked to United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. The research for this thesis was done in two steps: (1) to search for a conceptual framework on the topic of research collaboration, and (2) presenting a single-case study of one example of a collaborative research enhancing program by conducting qualitative interviews with key respondents. This thesis explicitly includes an assessment of current theories on the development of collaborative and interdisciplinary research teams and the relevance of these for enhancing scientific capacity of innovation, effectiveness and progress. It concludes that collaborative research is an ambiguous and fluid concept. Although concepts and theories around this phenomenon have been proposed, there is no coherent consensus on the concept in the scholarly literature. Furthermore, the case study presented in this thesis offers a unique insight into young researchers’ experiences of participating a collaborative research program. It is recognized that there is a consensus among the persons interviewed that participating in a collaborative research program has greatly contributed to the individual researcher’s professional development. It is further recognized that the lack of standardized indicators for collaborative outputs implicates on the possibility to argue for the proposed benefits of collaborative research in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Tese de Doutoramento em Arquitetura com a especialização em Design e Computação apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Doutor
Ao longo do tempo os arquitetos fizeram uso de métodos gráficos e estudos volumétricos para planejar, projetar e representar os projetos arquitetônicos. Experimentam as possibilidades desde o início do processo criativo até a elaboração do projeto arquitetônico. Atualmente os recursos informáticos permitem estender as capacidades de representação dos projetos para além do universo da mera representação geométrica, associando dados técnicos, quantitativos e descritivos às referidas representações facilitando sua execução e a comunicação das suas complexidades técnicas, onde se destaca o paradigma de representação BIM (building information modelling). O SuperAdobe, também conhecido como “adobe ensacado”, “saco contínuo de terra estabilizada”, “earthbag building”, “Earth-filled bags” ou “domo em adobe”, consiste na técnica construtiva onde as paredes são construídas essencialmente por sacos preenchidos com areia e empilhados, sendo estabilizados com arame farpado entre os sacos. São construções duráveis, fortes, climaticamente eficientes, formalmente flexíveis e são compostas por recursos renováveis e reaproveitáveis favorecendo o desenvolvimento sustentável. Esta investigação responde à questão de como a modelação paramétrica, inserida em ambiente BIM, pode auxiliar na concepção específica de projetos em SuperAdobe. A técnica de construção em SuperAdobe é mais vantajosa do que as demais com terra, pois não é necessário o uso de fôrmas de madeira ou outro material semelhante, é mais resistente às ações sísmicas, exige menos manutenção e tempo de construção, e pode ser autoportante para tipologias de até dois pavimentos. Apesar de a construção em terra ser uma solução reconhecida de baixo impacto ambiental, as ferramentas informáticas existentes ainda são fatores limitantes neste tipo específico de projetos. A tese tem por objetivo, a criação de alternativas informáticas para auxiliar a concepção de projetos em SuperAdobe. Objetivamente na fase de criação de modelos virtuais em 3D com dados técnicos associados. Com relação às metodologias, trata-se de uma pesquisa de cunho experimental dividida em duas fases, modelação paramétrica e estudos em ambiente BIM. Os experimentos foram validados por aplicação de inquéritos (baseado nas dez heurísticas de Nielsen) e simulação em computador respectivamente. A principal contribuição dessa investigação é a introdução da tecnologia de construção com sacos de terra/superAdobe no ambiente BIM. Os resultados mostram que, com o uso destas ferramentas, é possível modelar domos e absides em menos de 5 minutos e depois associá-los a qualquer outra tecnologia construtiva em ambiente BIM com geração automática de dados técnicos.
ABSTRACT: Architects have been using graphic methods of representation, together with volumetric studies, for architectural design since the beginning of the creative process. Nowadays the technology available expands the projects’ representation capabilities beyond the geometric representation, presenting associated technical, quantitative, and descriptive data. The building information modelling (BIM) paradigm facilitates building execution and the communication of technical complexities. The SuperAdobe (also known as earthbag, bagged earth, or earth-filled bags) is a construction technique where the walls are made with interspersed layers of bagged inorganic soil and barbed wire. These constructions are durable, strong, energy efficient, capable of producing organic forms, and composed by renewable and reusable materials, supporting sustainable development. The aim of this research is answering the question: How can generative design, together with BIM, help to improve the design of earthbag building projects? Earthbag building techniques are more advantageous than other earth-building techniques because they don’t require formwork, they are more resistant in earthquake-prone zones, they benefit from both lower maintenance and construction time, and they are self-supporting up to double storey typologies. Although earth construction is recognized as a low environmental impact solution, existing software tools continue to be limiting factors in this specific type of project. This thesis aims to present design computational tools that are suitable for earthbag construction technology, with a focus on generating 3D models with associated technical data. The research methodology is an experiment involving two phases: (1) parametric modelling and (2) studies in BIM environment. The validation of this research encompasses surveys (based on the ten heuristics of Nielsen) and a computational simulation. The main contribution of this research is the implementation of earthbag/superAdobe technology in the BIM environment. The proposed tool allows modelling earthbag/superAdobe domes and clusters in less than five minutes, associating the generated model with any other standard constructive technologies and other variations of earthbag/Superadobe shape walls, generating the technical data automatically.
N/A

Le bâti ancien est aujourd’hui confronté à des enjeux normatifs, environnementaux et patrimoniaux qui favorisent sa réhabilitation et engagent une multiplicité d’acteurs dans cette activité. Ces engagements mettent en débat les savoirs, les mondes professionnels et les attachements que ces acteurs tissent autour des espaces édifiés. La thèse explore ces dynamiques autour du cas particulier du bâti ancien en pisé (bâtiments construits en terre crue damée dans des coffrages) dans le département de l’Isère. L’objectif de ce travail est de comprendre et de décrire comment et par qui ce bâti est mis en projet et réhabilité, dans un double sens d’amélioration physique et de revalorisation d’un objet aux significations multiples. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que les projets de réhabilitation, par les multiples formes d’engagement qu’ils construisent, participent à détacher l’expérience de ce bâti d’une expérience ordinaire. Ces projets mettent à l’épreuve les attachements que leurs porteurs développent autour du bâti existant et de la matière terre qui le constitue autant que les savoirs et les pratiques constructives qui s’y appliquent. Ces épreuves participent à l’émergence de collectifs qui tissent un maillage politique au sein duquel se composent des espaces de dialogue et d’appropriation des usages, de la pratique et du devenir du bâti existant.Pour explorer cette hypothèse, la recherche s’inscrit dans une perspective interdisciplinaire qui articule ressources théoriques et méthodes développées en architecture, en ethnologie et en sociologie. Elle développe une anthropologie pragmatique des cultures constructives qui compose une problématisation commune entre ces disciplines autour des questions soulevées par la réhabilitation du bâti ancien. L’exploration de ces questions se base sur un travail d’enquête qualitative multi-située. Il décrit les mondes de la réhabilitation en action, en suivant des parcours de projet portés par plusieurs catégories d’acteurs (habitants, professionnels, institutions). La thèse revient d’abord sur les différentes formes d’engagement qui participent à mettre le bâti ancien en projet, de l’intervention sur un bâtiment spécifique à sa mise en valeur de manière générale. Ces expériences de réhabilitation portent l’attention sur différentes qualités du bâti et contribuent à le faire sortir de l’ordinaire. Le bâti ancien en pisé est ainsi engagé – et engage lui-même – dans de multiples réalités. À la fois maison, lieu de vie, lieu de travail, patrimoine local ou architecture de terre, il fait agir, réagir et rentrer en relation les acteurs qui s’y intéressent. La deuxième partie de l’analyse décrit comment la difficulté d’appliquer des protocoles de réhabilitation entraine les porteurs de projet à s’engager dans des épreuves et à chercher des prises leurs permettant de mener à bien leurs projets. Ces épreuves entrainent les acteurs qui s’y investissent à ajuster leurs relations entre eux et avec le bâti au fur et à mesure du processus de projet. À mesure qu’ils s’approprient les savoirs de la réhabilitation, ils développent différentes formes d’attachement autour du bâti. Les projets de réhabilitation contribuent alors à l’émergence de collectifs plus ou moins pérennes qui se réapproprient les modalités d’intervention sur le bâti et les décisions qui le concernent. La thèse s’attache finalement à mieux comprendre les dimensions plurielles (matérielle, constructive, architecturale et interactionnelle) des cultures constructives du pisé et de sa réhabilitation et propose les éléments d’un dialogue à poursuivre avec les acteurs de terrain autour de l’intérêt et des conditions permettant de faire tenir un espace politique autour des usages et du devenir du bâti existant
Ancient buildings face today normative, environmental and patrimonial issues which foster their renovation and engage a great diversity of actors. This multiplicity initiates a debate around knowledge, professional worlds and attachments which are woven around existing buildings. This thesis delves into these dynamics focusing on the case of ancient rammed earth building (raw earth compressed into an external formwork) in the French department of Isere, France. It aims at describing how and by whom rammed earth buildings are involved in retrofitting projects, considering both their physical and representational improvement. We make the hypothesis that retrofitting projects, through the multiple ways of engagement they imply, help to free the experience of this buildings from an ordinary experience. Indeed, they put on trial the attachments developed by the actors around existing buildings and earthen material as much as the building knowledge and practices. These trials bring out collectives that weave a political meshwork. At different scales, this meshwork composes spaces for dialogue and appropriation of uses, practices and futures of existing buildings.The exploration of this hypothesis follows an interdisciplinary perspective that connect theoretical resources and methods developed in architecture, ethnology and sociology. It develops a pragmatic anthropology of building cultures composing a common problematic for these disciplines to discuss ancient building retrofitting. The investigation is based on multi-sited qualitative ethnography. Following projects paths carried by different actors (inhabitants, professionals, institutions), it describes the retrofitting worlds in action. First, the thesis describes the various forms of engagement in retrofitting projects, from the intervention on a specific building to its evaluation as heritage. These experience draw attention on different qualities of the buildings and bring them out of their ordinary status. Ancient rammed earth buildings are therefore engaged – and engage themselves – in multiple realities: house, place of life, workplace, local heritage, earthen architecture. It makes the actors act, react and interact. Then, the analysis shows how the difficulty of applying strict rehabilitation protocols leads the actors to engage in trials and to develop holds to carry out their projects. As the project progresses, these trials lead them to adjust their relations with each other and with existing buildings. As they grasp knowledge about retrofitting, they develop different attachments. Therefore, retrofitting projects contribute to the emergence of collectives, more or less durable. At their own scale, these collectives reclaim the methods of interventions on buildings and the decision that concern them. The thesis eventually aims to better understand the plural dimensions (material, constructive, architectural and interactional) of rammed earth building retrofitting and propose components for a dialogue to carry on with local stakeholders around the interests and conditions that would make possible to hold a political space around the uses and futures of existing buildings

Nuestro País, posee grandes riquezas en su territorio, Áreas naturales, restos arqueológicos, entre otros que lo dotan de un gran potencial turístico. Sin embargo, muchos de estos son desconocidos y considerados como lugares de paso. Esta es la situación en la que se encuentra La Reserva Natural Salinas y Aguada Blanca, ubicada entre la ciudad de Arequipa y el Cañón del Colca. Un bello lugar con atractivos paisajísticos, restos de pintura rupestres, y hogar de vegetación y fauna en peligro de extinción. La reserva es transitada por miles de turistas, por lo cual, la propuesta consiste en consolidar el Poblado Pampa Cañahuas, punto medio en la ruta y lugar en el cual hoy en día hay una parada de descanso en la que los turistas pueden consumir algún mate o comida y comprar artesanías elaboradas por los pobladores. El planteamiento del poblado es entorno a la plaza principal y unas plazuelas denominadas “Eco-Patios” con los cuales se busca dotar al poblado de un desarrollo autosostenible y bioclimático. Así mismo el elemento principal del poblado es el Museo, lugar que servirá para dar a conocer la Reserva. La propuesta además de la exposición interna incluye espacios que se relacionan directamente con el paisaje, permitiendo que a través de visuales el visitante se pueda relacionar con su entorno. El Museo y poblado, tienen la finalidad de dar a conocer a la Reserva, no solo sus atractivos turísticos sino también a los pobladores, un Tambo moderno.
Our country has great wealth in its territory, natural areas, archaeological remains, among others that endow it with great tourist potential. However, many of these are unknown and considered as places of passage. This is the actual situation of the Salinas and Aguada Blanca Nature Reserve, located between the city of Arequipa and the Colca Canyon. It’s a beautiful place with attractive landscapes, remains of cave paintings, and home of vegetation and fauna in danger of extinction. The reserve is traveled by thousands of tourists, so the approach is to consolidate the Pampa Cañahuas Village, a midpoint on the route and place where today there is a rest stop where tourists can consume some typical beverage or food and buy handicrafts made by the villagers. The new design of the town is developed around the main square and some minor squares called "Eco-Patios" with which it seeks to provide the town with a self-sustainable and bioclimatic development. Likewise, the main element of the town is the Museum, a place that will serve to publicize the Reserve. In addition to the internal exhibition, the proposal includes spaces that relate directly to the landscape, allowing visitors to interact with their surroundings through views. The Museum and town, have the purpose of making known the Reserve, not only its tourist attractions but also the inhabitants, a modern “Tambo”
Tesis

Am Übergang von Brückenbauwerken zu den angrenzenden Hinterfüllungen treten teilweise größere Unebenheiten der Fahrbahnoberfläche im Längsprofil auf. Eine Ursache dafür können Setzungen innerhalb der Hinterfüllung sein. Um diesen Anteil unter realen Bedingungen zu untersuchen, wurden an zwei Autobahnbrücken acht unterschiedlichen Hinterfüllungen ausgeführt und die Verformungen unter Verkehrsbelastung mit einem aufwändigen Messprogramm über einen Beobachtungszeitraum von bis zu vier Jahren erfasst. Im Ergebnis konnte für diese beiden Brücken gezeigt werden, dass die Setzungen unter Verkehrsbelastung nur wenige Millimeter betrugen und deutlich kleiner waren als die Höhenungenauigkeiten beim Einbau der Asphaltdeckschicht. Die Fahrbahnebenheit im Längsprofil wurde allein durch den Zustand vor Verkehrsfreigabe geprägt. Einfache Sofortmaßnahmen zur Erhöhung der Einbaugenauigkeit werden in der Arbeit vorgeschlagen. In einem weiteren Teil werden Erddruck- und Verformungsmessungen an zwei Hinterfüllungen einer integralen Rahmenbrücke vorgestellt.

La conception des bâtiments à faible consommation d'énergie est devenue un enjeu très important à travers le monde afin de minimiser la consommation d'énergie et les émissions de gaz à effet de serre associés. Au Maroc, le secteur du bâtiment représente 25% de la consommation énergétique finale du pays avec 18% réservée au résidentiel et 7% pour le tertiaire (ADEREE 2011). L'intégration de systèmes passifs ou semi-passifs de rafraîchissement/chauffage dans le bâtiment est désormais indispensable pour la réduction de la consommation énergétique tout en améliorant le confort thermique. Un de ces systèmes est l’échangeur air-sol (EAHX). Le principe du rafraîchissement à l'aide de l’échangeur air-sol est bien établi, mais le comportement d'un tel système dépend des conditions climatiques et de la nature du sol. L’échangeur air-sol étudié est installé dans une maison type villa située dans la banlieue de Marrakech. Un monitoring de ce système a été réalisé durant l’été 2013 à travers un suivi des températures et de l'humidité durant 39 jours. Les résultats montrent que l’échangeur air-sol est un système adapté pour le rafraîchissement de l’air dans les bâtiments à Marrakech, puisqu’il procure une température de soufflage quasi-constante d’environ 22°C pour le débit 244 m3/h et 25°C pour le débit de 312m3/h, avec une humidité relative autour de 50 % alors que la température extérieure dépasse 40°C. Le modèle mathématique choisi et l’outil de simulation associé, Type 460 opérant sous le logiciel commercial TRNSYS, sont analysés et validés par confrontation avec les résultats expérimentaux. Cette confrontation a montré une excellente concordance, avec un écart absolu moyen entre la mesure et la simulation toujours inférieur à 0,5°C et décroit à 0,2°C à la sortie de tube enterré. La validation de l’outil de simulation avec un échangeur air-sol enterré dans un sol soumis à conditions météorologiques extérieures n’a pas été réalisée auparavant. D'autre part, les simulations dynamiques de l’échangeur air-sol sont réalisées en fonctionnement continu, avec 1 et 3 tubes durant la période chaude de l’année (mai-septembre). Les résultats montrent que le système procure une température à la sortie de tube enterré de 25,1°C (1 tube) et 26 °C (3 tubes). Il en résulte une capacité de refroidissement de 58w/m2 (1 tube) et 55w/m2 (3 tubes) pour une température à l’entrée de 44,6°C. Une étude de sensibilité, utilisant la méthode de Sobol, de la performance thermique de l'échangeur durant la saison chaude (mai-septembre) a permis de dégager les paramètres les plus influents. Par la suite, une étude paramétrique complète sur l’énergie sensible totale perdue par l’air lors dans son passage dans l’échangeur air-sol est réalisée en fonction des paramètres les plus influents déterminés auparavant
The low energy buildings tendency has become a major worldwide key to minimize energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions issues. In Morocco, the building sector represents 25% of the total final energy consumption, whereas 18% is dedicated for residential and 7% for the tertiary sector (ADEREE 2011). The integration of passive or semi-passive for cooling/heating purposes into buildings is an essential act for reducing energy consumption while improving thermal comfort. One of these systems is the Earth to Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX). Its principle to use the ground-coupled heat exchanger for cooling is well established, but the behavior of such a system depends on the climate and the soil, which influences the choice of design parameters of this system. We performed a numerical and experimental study on the thermal performance of an Earth to air heat exchanger installed in a villa type house in the suburbs of Marrakech. A monitoring survey was conducted during the summer period of 2013, to acquire temperature and humidity measurements for 39 days. The results show that the earth to air heat exchanger is a system more adapted to refresh the air in buildings in Marrakech, as it provides a quasi constant air temperature of approximately 22°C for flow 244 m3/h and 25°C for flow of 312 m3/h, with relative humidity that is around 50% when the outside temperature exceeds 40°C. The mathematical model chosen and the associated simulation tool used is Type 460 operating under the TRNSYS commercial software, analyzed and validated by comparison with experimental results. This comparison showed excellent agreement, with an average absolute difference between the measurement and simulation that is always lower than 0.5°C and 0.2°C as it decreases at the output of the buried pipe. On the other hand, dynamic simulations of the EAHX using TRNSYS software (TYPE 460) were performed with one pipe or three pipes continuously running. The achieving specific cooling capacity is 58 W/m2 (one pipe) and 55 W/m2 (three pipes) obtained for air temperatures of 25 °C and 26 °C respectively, at the EAHX outlet and 44.6 °C at its inlet. A sensitivity analysis, using the method of Sobol, of the thermal performance of the earth air heat exchanger (EAHX) in the hot season (May-September) has identified the most influential parameters. Thereafter, a complete parametric study on the total sensible energy lost through the air when in passing through the air-ground heat exchanger is made based on the most influential parameters determined previously

Este trabalho busca otimizar a utilização de biomassa de macrófitas aquáticas na produção de adobe (tijolos de terra crua, secos ao sol), baseado na determinação e estudo de suas características físicas e mecânicas, assim como nas características físicas e químicas destas plantas. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no reservatório de Salto Grande, no município de Americana - SP. Este lago está localizado em uma área com déficit de habitações de interesse social, apresentando altos índices de urbanização e industrialização, o que acarreta no seu avançado processo de eutrofização artificial, decorrente das ações antrópicas. As macrófitas aquáticas predominantes no reservatório (Brachiaria arrecta, Eichhornia crassipes e Pistia stratiotes) apresentam níveis elevados de metais pesados e nutrientes (nitrogênio e fósforo), o que torna inviável sua utilização como forragem ou fertilizante. A utilização desta biomassa em materiais de construção é aqui apresentada como uma alternativa de manejo integrado do lago, na forma de encapsulamento (ou solidificação / estabilização) destas substâncias químicas, além de possibilitar a autoconstrução de habitações de baixo custo. Uma outra função do uso da biomassa no adobe é a estabilização do solo, que apresenta alto teor de argila (59 %, com 21 % de silte e 20 % de areia, classificado como A-7-6 HRB) e sofreria grandes retrações durante o processo de secagem, com surgimento de fissuras excessivas e conseqüente redução de resistência mecânica dos tijolos. A adição da biomassa contribuiu com a redução destas fissuras e da massa específica dos tijolos. Os resultados demonstraram ser esta utilização perfeitamente viável, com expressiva retirada de biomassa (juntamente com os metais e nutrientes) do sistema, além de significativas melhorias na qualidade do adobe, tanto físicas como mecânicas. Em linhas gerais, Eichhornia crassipes se mostrou a mais eficiente neste aspecto. Além de tudo, os resultados da pesquisa mostram que, apesar do adobe ser talvez o mais antigo material de construção manufaturado, sua aplicação se mostra perfeitamente viável, numa perspectiva mais ampla de sustentabilidade, se apresentando como um material completamente ecológico e adequado para regiões tropicais.
This work intends to optimise the utilization of aquatic macrophyte biomass in the adobe (a sun-dried mud brick) production, based on the study of the physical and mechanical characteristics of these bricks and the macrophytes biomass estimate as well as their chemical characteristics. The research was developed in the Salto Grande Reservoir region, in Americana (a town in São Paulo State, Brazil). This lake is located in an area of high urbanization and industrialization level, with common dwelling deficit, which is in advanced artificial eutrophication process by human activity action. The aquatic macrophytes found in that place (Brachiaria arrecta, Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes) present a high level of heavy metals and nutrients that make impracticable their utilization as forage or fertilizer. The biomass utilization in the construction of materials appears here as an alternative of integrated management of the lake in the stabilization/solidification (or “encapsulation”) of these chemical substances, in addition to the fact that it makes possible the self-building of low cost dwellings. The other biomass function is to stabilize the soil that has a high clay concentration (59%, with 21% silt and 20% sandy) and would suffer a large drawing back during the drying process, with the introduction of excessive fissures. This biomass addition was made to reduce these fissures and the specific mass of the bricks. Besides, the research results show that, even though the adobe bricks are perhaps the oldest manufactured building material, their application persists practicable mainly in the sustainability hopes for being a completely ecological building material and adequate for the tropical regions.

The thesis of this project focuses on some possibilities for present day interpretation of the prairie style as it relates to the third dimension i.e. trying to use Frank Lloyd Wright as a departure point for my personal design explorations. I consider this thesis project to be an important step in the ongoing process of my personal development as an architect looking for some new ideas in the realm of the third dimension.
Master of Architecture

In the past 30 years the size of new houses has varied considerably with a general trend to larger houses. These larger houses use more materials in their construction and consume more energy to heat and cool than a more compact house would. Meanwhile, the amount of resources that are available have not increased, and the environmental condition of the planet has become more and more tenuous. To end this trend of larger houses that make inefficient use of natural resources, architects need to design houses that are smaller and use energy more efficiently. By building houses more in tune with the natural rhythms of the sun and seasons the home becomes more energy efficient and can take better advantage of the natural energy supply available from the sun. Such a house will have less of an impact on the environment and keep the residents in touch with natural cycle of life. With this project I have addressed these issues and have designed a row of houses that provide a meaningful place to live that is also in tune with the environment. As with any project, I have found the answers to many questions and I have also discovered new ideas to develop further
Master of Architecture