The need to integrate BIM with education has increased recently to meet the labour market. Many international studies have provided BIM maturity models for companies, organisations, and individuals, but there is a great lack of BIM maturity models for higher engineering education institutions. The research is concerned with the development of a BIM maturity matrix model to measure and improve the maturity of BIM in the faculties of civil and architectural engineering. The model relies on selecting the most appropriate criteria for evaluating the maturity of BIM and defining several levels of maturity, based on interviews with stakeholders in engineering colleges and companies. The developed maturity model includes three domains: technology, processes, and policies. It measures maturity against 26 criteria. This model introduces a framework for adopting BIM in Syrian colleges. The model was fed with data collected from 26 engineering colleges in Syrian private and public universities. The maturity model was analysed to obtain a general assessment and description of the maturity of engineering colleges in Syria, and then the maturity degree of the criteria was analysed, which indicated the strengths and weaknesses of adopting BIM in engineering education in Syrian universities
This paper reviews the thermal properties of earth bricks, specifically examining research conducted between 2010 and 2020. The study focuses on key thermal properties, including thermal conductivity, resistance, diffusivity, effusivity, and transmittance, while also exploring the effects of additives on these properties. Findings from multiple studies are summarised, showcasing the performance of earth bricks across parameters like density, water absorption, and specific heat. The review highlights the promising thermal properties of earth bricks, making them suitable for sustainable building applications. However, it also identifies significant variations in thermal performance across different studies, primarily due to variations in soil type, additives used, and manufacturing processes. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, emphasising the need for broader material performance metrics, the development of multi-functional earth bricks, the integration of computational models, comparisons with other sustainable materials, and the standardisation of testing protocols.
The building construction industry is one of the most important contributors to waste production globally; therefore, researchers' efforts focused on reducing construction waste - CW. Design is a crucial stage in the formation of construction waste by determining the sizes and dimensions of building elements, items, and the resulting formation of some remaining/unused materials or resources. The research aims to develop a method to reduce construction waste using Building Information Modelling (BIM) techniques in the design and implementation phases. The developed methodology showed the possibility of reducing floor finishing waste by an average of 92% of the waste in previous conventional methods, using Dynamo visual programming. This model helps to develop the concept of worker-oriented implementation in carrying out activities based on the results of waste that will appear in each part of the building during the design phase, which saves the project cost as a result of reducing waste.
In this paper, the problem of approximating the yield domain of a generic masonry section subjected to a compressive normal force is addressed. The masonry is modelled as a no-tension material with limited strength in compression and the actual yield domain is a surface described by nonlinear functions dependent on the normal force and bending moments. A suitable polyhedral approximation of such a domain is proposed. Since the goal is its use in limit analysis, to assess the practical applicability of the polyhedral domain, the multiplier of collapse loads is estimated for an elementary case study under different loading conditions.
The earthquakes in Turkiye on February 6, 2023, resulted in devastating losses, impacting approximately 14% of the country's population and causing severe structural damage to historic buildings. This study focuses on the historical structures in Hatay, Adyaman, and Kahramanmara & scedil;, with particular attention to & Scedil;anlurfa, home to some of humanity's oldest monumental sites. These buildings, primarily constructed using masonry techniques, experienced varying degrees of damage from the earthquakes. Some structures suffered partial collapse, while others total collapse. The study includes a comparative examination of selected buildings in the affected area, assessing their condition before and after the earthquakes. It explores the cause-and-effect relationships regarding the damages observed and offers recommendations for future preservation and resilience. Additionally, the research provides detailed historical context for the examined structures, highlighting their significance and the impact of the earthquakes on their integrity and heritage.
The Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia was previously considered seismically inactive, but the recent earthquake in the Jeddah region has raised concerns. Therefore, the safety of the holy cities (Madinah and Makkah) must incorporate seismic effects in design. This research focuses on the performance of multi-story office buildings under lateral loads in the Madinah region. Furthermore, the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis has been carried out to pinpoint the detailed scenario of the retrofitting ideology. The study showed that retrofitting systems can highly increase the lateral strength of the existing structures. It has been proved that a non-earthquake-resistant building can be transferred to an earthquake-resistant facility by following solutions with a level arrangement. The mechanism appears to increase the lateral strength resistance of the seismically vulnerable building. The bracing system exhibits the highest increase in strength. Such retrofitting approaches demonstrate their potential to be applied to vulnerable structures.
The conventional gabion wall is gaining popularity due to its simplicity, rapid construction, flexibility, and versatile applications. Nevertheless, it does have some drawbacks, including large cross-section areas, inefficiency in gabion mesh usage, and challenges in sourcing suitable stones. Therefore, the conventional gabion wall requires modifications to address these limitations. To address these concerns, an experimental study was conducted on an externally reinforced open joint block masonry wall using gabion mesh. This paper provides insights into the construction process, testing arrangements, and the results of these modifications. The modified gabion wall proved to be cost-effective, reducing the cross-section area by approximately 50%, while being time-efficient, eco-friendly, and reusable. These modified walls are very effective in landslide area due to its flexibility and simplicity as compared with conventional gabion wall. Additionally, there is potential for further adaptations to suit specific site conditions.
The characteristics of the materials used in the construction of masonry buildings have a considerable influence on the general behaviour of these structures throughout their growth. The study technique comprises a number of different components, such as data from experiments that were obtained via on-site sampling, tests and analyses that were carried out, historical information, and observations that were made during field surveys. It was feasible to undertake research into the basic physical and mechanical features of the components of the masonry by making use of stone blocks, mortars, and core-infill materials. This study was the result of the utilisation of these materials.
Slurry-infiltrated fibre concrete (SIFCON) combines the strengths of conventional concrete and high-performance fibres. It demonstrates exceptional strength, durability and resistance to cracking, making it suitable for diverse construction applications. SIFCON's enhanced mechanical properties, including tensile, flexural, and impact strength, render it ideal for structures requiring high load-bearing capacity and structural integrity. Comprised of cement, fine aggregates, and fibres, SIFCON provides an advanced solution for structures needing high strength, longevity, and crack control. The incorporated fibres arrest crack propagation through the matrix. Experiments have shown considerable improvements in SIFCON's strength with increasing steel fibre content. Compressive strength increased by 293%, split tensile strength by 612%, and direct tensile strength by 415% with steel fibres ranging from 2-6%. SIFCON's constituent materials, namely cement and fine aggregates, must meet specific physical property and testing standards. SIFCON represents a milestone innovation in construction materials, offering engineers and architects amplified properties compared to conventional concrete.
The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) is a necessary parameter for the effective control and monitoring of the wastewater treatment plants, and predicting the removal of BOD5 would eliminate the delay in measuring the BOD5 using laboratory methods. In this paper, the artificial neural networks were used to build a predictive model for BOD5 removal in integrated fixed film activated sludge process, when 'pumice stone' was used as a biological carrier in the aeration tank in the experimental plant. The experiments were conducted by changing the organic loading and the filling ratio of the pumice stone. The model was built based on two parameters, which are (organic load rate - OLR, pumice filling ratio - P). The ideal network architecture was reached after a number of trials and errors (2-90-1), where the root mean squared error (RMSE) value for the best network was (0.665). The value of the correlation coefficient was (99.45%).
