The most common method of benchmarking energy use in buildings is to compare the energy use of the building under consideration with the energy use of a population of like buildings. Usually there is some empirical compensation for features and factors that affect energy use such as the size of the building and the weather conditions. Two fundamental limitations of this approach are: 1) only si...

results does not imply CIEE endorsement of or agreement with these findings, nor that of any CIEE sponsor. developed this project for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company under Contract S9902A, to support PG&E's energy efficiency programs in new and existing residential buildings. The Project manager for PG&E is Lance Elberling (with the assistance of Marshall Hunt). The authors would like to t...

This paper describes a method for controlling the growth of the carbon footprint of buildings during the preparation, design and procurement stages of construction projects. The process utilizes prevailing cost estimation techniques. As an outcome, new indicators for carbon efficiency and carbon economy of buildings are proposed. They have been developed together with the city of Espoo in a res...

1. Something is possible. 2. Whatever is not a categorially possible thing is not a possible thing. 3. Suppose there were nothing (i.e., nothing exists). 4. By definition D-things are categorially impossible if and only if nothing is D and nothing is D. 5. For any D, nothing is D and nothing is D. (by 3) 6. For any D, D-things are categorially impossible, (by 4 and 5) 7. For any D, D-things are...

Vapor intrusion (VI) has been recognized since the 1990s as a potential pathway of concern at contaminated sites. VI is the migration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the subsurface soils into overlying buildings. The major sources of organic vapors are waste disposal sites (landfills), contaminated old industrial sites, contaminated subsurface soils, and contaminated groundwater. The ...

Over the past several years many issues have come to light that have highlighted the need for improved ventilation in multi unit residential buildings (MURB's). High-rise buildings, for example, are all too often connected with poor indoor air quality. When looking at this issue from the perspective of urbanism and the trend to increasing the density of our urban centres, there is a dramatic ne...

This paper presents a methodology for the assessment of ductility and strength capacities in low-rise buildings. This method utilizes the characteristics of force-displacement for the lowest story level or considers the weakest story in any given low-rise building for its primary analysis. Calculations are based on two levels of earthquake motions, namely strong earthquakes (PGA=0.3 g), and ver...

Modern architecture has vital impact in Nigerian architecture even though there are somesocio-cultural and religious factors and elements of traditional architecture and use of traditional materials andprinciples of design that still exist. This paper will be discussing on how modern architecture failed in the aspectthe of conservation and restoration of palace buildings which are the focal poi...