A key approach to protecting historic buildings is adapting them for public use, which requires choosing suitable functions and making appropriate modifications. While exteriors should be preserved to maintain historic value, interiors must offer functional, modern spaces. Beyond design of the building and building materials, the indoor environment, especially daylighting - is crucial. Higher daylight levels reduce energy demand for artificial lighting. This paper analyzes a historic lecture hall from the last century located on the campus of the Technical University of Košice. Although the building is used daily and its space is efficiently organized, daylight in the auditorium is significantly limited. The study evaluates real measured data, later validated through simulation tools, and compares the resulting values. It further explores the benefits of improving visual comfort by enhancing daylighting. Proposed interventions include adding new openings such as windows, light guide, or skylights. Simulated variants demonstrate substantial improvement, achieving the recommended average daylight levels.
This paper investigates the use of 3D printing technology in concrete construction, with a focus on the compressive strength of 3D-printed structures. The study highlights the growing interest in 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) due to its potential for creating complex geometries, optimizing material usage, and reducing environmental impact.
Wetland roofs provide an innovative solution for sustainable urban development, addressing challenges such as limited green spaces, climate change impacts, and urban water management issues. These specialized green roofs feature a permanent water element and wetland vegetation, providing enhanced ecosystem services compared to conventional green roofs. Key benefits include effective stormwater management, greywater treatment, significant cooling effects, and increased biodiversity. Wetland roofs also offer socio-economic advantages by utilizing rooftop spaces, improving aesthetics, and providing long-term cost-effectiveness. Despite requiring active water management and having higher structural demands, successful global implementations demonstrate their functionality and durability. Continued research is vital to optimize design, address knowledge gaps, and promote wider adoption of this multifunctional green-blue technology in urban planning.
Phase Change Materials (PCMs) represent a promising technology for passive thermal management, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings. However, their widespread implementation is limited by the corrosion risk associated with metallic encapsulation materials when in contact with PCMs, which compromises their long-term stability and integrity. This contribution describes in detail and introduces the Planned Interval Test (PIT) methodology as a standardized and comprehensive approach for the systematic analysis of metal corrosion processes within dynamic PCM systems. Unlike conventional static tests, PIT enables the precise monitoring of corrosion kinetics as a function of total exposure time and the number of thermal cycles, while also identifying individual degradation phases. This information is crucial for predicting durability and designing robust encapsulation systems. The primary objective of this work is to validate a procedure for the accurate evaluation of metallic corrosion resistance, thereby supporting the development of safer and more durable PCM solutions for sustainable construction and mitigating the environmental burden resulting from premature material failure.
The article deals with a quick assessment of the architectural envelope of the building from an energy perspective in the design process. The software Grasshopper implemented in Rhino 3D, in combination with the energy simulation add-on Ladybug Tools, is used for evaluating passive energy savings. The first part presents the results of optimizing the orientation of the building and its impact on improving the building’s energy efficiency. The second part of the article assesses the impact of passive shading on the building’s energy balance.
This article focuses on the evaluation of concrete substructures of 10 road bridges in eastern Slovakia, built between 1960 and 1970, based on core sampling and compressive strength testing performed in accordance with current European procedures for in-situ strength assessment. The results confirm that the concrete was predominantly site-batched, characterized by a large aggregate size and significant strength variability. Although all tested specimens meet the design requirements valid at the time of construction, only about half of the bridges achieve the prescribed characteristic strength when assessed according to present-day European standards. Despite their age of 60–70 years, the substructures (abutments and piers) remain in very good condition. In contrast, the superstructures show extensive deterioration, dominated by reinforcement corrosion and alkali–silica reaction, which will require costly rehabilitation or replacement in the near future.
Humanity during its existence seriously harms the world around it. One of the negative consequences of thoughtless human activity is the global warming. There are many physical reasons for this, one of them is uncontrolled emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere, which entail a greenhouse effect. It is investigated that a large contribution to the heat emissions into the atmosphere is made by construction activity. In this article, we propose to use green walls as an effective solution to increase the energy efficiency of buildings by reducing heat emissions from them, which, accordingly, will improve the quality of the atmosphere. We analyzed different green wall systems, their characteristics and we have measured the internal and external temperatures. The result of the experiment showed that the best thermal performance was observed in the green wall module with sandy substrate with vegetation. The use of this system allows to reduce temperature by several degrees, depending on the type of vegetation. The green wall module demonstrated the highest thermal performance. This system can lower temperatures by several degrees, depending on the plant species used. For optimal thermal effectiveness, the substrate should retain enough moisture to support healthy plant growth, but not so much that it leads to consistently high thermal conductivity from oversaturation. Green walls are environmental elements of urban infrastructure that help inhabited cities reduce, in particular, the effects of their warming due to the climate change.
In modern construction projects, the proportion of integrated technologies is constantly increasing, which brings higher demands on their monitoring and management. These technologies generate vast amounts of data that are crucial not only for routine maintenance and ensuring reliable operation but also for addressing unexpected emergency and crisis situations. The digitalization of processes throughout the entire life cycle of a building represents a key step towards more efficient management, operation, and maintenance. An essential role in this process is played by the Building Information Model (BIM) in combination with Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) systems, which enable data integration, simplification of management, and increased overall efficiency. To assess the level of awareness and preparedness in the application of digital tools in building management, a questionnaire survey was conducted among professionals active in the field of facility management. The collected data provide a valuable source of information that can serve as a foundation for further research and the advancement of knowledge in the digitalization of building management and maintenance.
This work examines the performance of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) shear connectors within concrete composite beams with attention to their mechanics and wider applications for sustainable structures. Beyond comparing two different connector geometries, the work broadens to cover their suitability for cyclical loading, long-term deflection, and structural fatigue exposure. By drawing on both experimental push-out testing and numerical simulation using the finite element method (FEM), the research provides a rich picture of GFRP-based joint mechanics. The analysis further delineates recommendations for long-term use of GFRP members of civil applications with a focus on design optimization, benefit-cost ratios, and resistance to corrosion. These findings form the basis for next generation building material aimed at lowering maintenance costs and carbon impacts.
This study deals with the acoustic assessment of the concert hall of the Elementary Art School, aiming to verify its suitability for chamber music performances and to propose optimal acoustic modifications. The assessment was carried out using a combination of theoretical analysis and numerical calculations based on wave, geometrical, and statistical acoustics in accordance with standards STN 73 0525:1964, STN 73 0527:2024, and ISO 3382-1:2009. The main parameters of room acoustics were evaluated-reverberation time, evenness of sound distribution, and diffusive behavior. The results showed that the original design exhibited an extended reverberation time, particularly in higher frequency bands. After implementing Fantoni Letwood 5L acoustic panels, the values stabilized within the optimal range of 1.25–1.30 s, and the sound uniformity improved to ±5 dB. The resulting design meets the requirements for chamber concert spaces and demonstrates the effectiveness of combining geometrical and material modifications in optimizing the acoustic environment.
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the design and management of vegetative elements in green architecture offers new opportunities to optimize their life cycle. This study examines how AI can generate input parameters for simulating the post-construction phase of green facades with BIM-based tools. A selected modular system was modeled and simulated in the BEXEL Manager environment, utilizing AI-generated data on component lifespan, operational requirements, as well as maintenance frequency and duration. Results show that AI enhances simulation accuracy and planning efficiency while addressing the limitations of current BIM libraries in sustainable design. The presented approach integrating AI into BIM modeling reflects the principles of Construction 4.0 and supports sustainable solutions in digital construction.
Biosolar roofs, which combine photovoltaic (PV) panels with green roof, offer a way to connect renewable energy generation with benefits such as reduced surface temperatures and improved urban microclimates. Despite growing interest, practical field data from Central Europe remain limited. This study introduces a measurement strategy developed at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, TUKE, to evaluate thermal and electrical behavior of systems. The setup includes two identical PV panels with the same orientation and tilt-one installed above a sedum green roof and the other above an asphalt roof. Temperature sensors placed on the panel surfaces, beneath the modules, and on both roof types record thermal conditions, while weather data are collected from a nearby station. Electrical performance is monitored through periodic I–V curve measurements using a portable tester. The methodology provides a consistent basis for comparing roof types and supports future simulation and BIM-based modeling in temperate climates.
The study explores the use of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model to determine the water resources available and allocate them among competitive users, comprising domestic, agricultural, industrial, and hydropower users. The resultant optimization result shows the initial total water demand for the base year (2010) to be 3.74 Mm3, which increases to 8.32 Mm3 for the projected year 2035. The study has provided valuable insights into optimizing available water resources, with total unmet demand estimated at 0.92 Mm3 for 2010 and 2.04 Mm3 for the foreseeable year 2035. The correlation coefficient between simulated ungauged (Shonga) rainfall and convoluted runoff (0.72) to a similar nearby basin (Jebba) with known rainfall and runoff data shows a good NSE validation result (0.63). Beyond water allocation modelling, the study suggests strategies such as water conservation policies, infrastructure improvements and community engagement for efficient regulation of the basin’s water use.
Green and blue infrastructure represents a category of nature-based solutions that serve to preserve critical ecosystem services in densely built-up environments. However, its integration is insufficiently adapted and often subject to a fragmented legal framework. This study critically examines the regulatory deficits limiting the implementation of these innovative approaches in spatial planning. It identifies the primary obstacles, namely the absence of a binding, cross-cutting definition of green and blue infrastructure across national legislations; and duplicative competences and fragmented responsibilities between vertical and horizontal public administration structures, which prevent coherent, multifunctional design. It is essential to establish binding standards for the proportion and quality of green and blue components in new development projects and to revise subsidy and financial schemes in favor of unconventional solutions. Overcoming the current regulatory inaction is a prerequisite for the transformation of cities towards a sustainable and environmentally functional structure.
The thermal sensitivity of bitumen-bound materials is a well-documented phenomenon. Variations in temperature significantly alter the mechanical response of asphalt mixtures, transitioning their behavior from predominantly elastic to viscous, and affecting parameters such as complex modulus, phase angle, and other rheological characteristics. This investigation evaluates the influence of elevated and reduced temperatures on the fatigue performance of an asphalt mixture intended for road surface layers. Experimental assessments were conducted using the four-point bending test on an asphalt concrete with a nominal maximum aggregate size of 11 mm, incorporating polymer-modified bitumen. The high-temperature condition was set at 27 °C, in accordance with the Slovak pavement design methodology, while the low-temperature condition was defined at 5 °C, constrained by the operational limits of the testing apparatus. Standard fatigue testing temperatures, as stipulated by European specifications, include 10 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C. Material structural evolution under cyclic loading was analyzed via energy dissipation calculations per loading cycle. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the mechanical response of the asphalt mixture under non-standard thermal conditions.
Documentation of historic buildings, not only in Slovakia, is often chaotic, incomplete, and the information is unclear. Managers of historic buildings and monuments offices preserve historical and building information mainly in text documents, which are fragmented and unstructured. The aim of this article is to propose a consistent data structure in the form of a data model that will enable the systematic classification and management of specific data on the historic buildings. The model also makes it possible to identify which types of data are relevant for different user groups and supports more efficient evidence, analysis, and utilization of information in decision-making processes. The developed data model reflects the interconnection of several entities, such as Building, Architecture, Technical Specifications, Legal Protection, and Economic Data. The proposed approach provides a basis for the digitization and integration of data on historical objects, contributes to improved renovation planning, and offers a framework for more efficient decision-making in the field of cultural heritage protection.
Water management seeks the optimal solutions to the challenges posed by society’s demand for food security, energy production, socioeconomic advancement, and sound ecosystems. In the 21st century, the complexities of natural disasters and human-induced factors impede the ability to address water security issues. Sub-Saharan Africa is at a critical juncture where it must implement substantial reforms in the planning and management of its water systems to enhance the sustainability of its water resources. Yet, the region faces numerous water-related issues due to complex natural disasters and human factors such as urbanization and population growth, particularly in countries like Ethiopia and Mauritania. This paper delves into the availability, sustainability, management, and governance of water in these two regions of Horn Africa (Ethiopia) and Western Africa (Mauritania). It also highlights the practices involved in planning, managing, and utilizing water systems and services in these areas. Therefore, this paper provides a foundation for further research and the development of sustainable water resources management in the region.
The main objective of this research is the formulation, and the rheological and mechanical characterization of steel fiber-reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) based on an industrial by-product, marble powder. This study aims to develop a fiber-reinforced SCC with optimal rheological and mechanical properties. The rheological results of the SFRSCC indicate that the addition of steel fibers directly affects the workability of the mix, with this influence depending on the fiber dosage. Indeed, the introduction of fibers leads to a noticeable reduction in slump flow, along with an increase in flow time. Simultaneously, the mechanical results show a significant improvement in flexural strength and ductility as the fiber dosage percentage (℅f) increases. However, the compressive strength is only slightly affected by the increase in fiber dosage. Moreover, marble powder plays a crucial role in improving the flowability and stability of the SFRSCC. It enhances the mix’s compactness by filling the voids between aggregates, which promotes more homogeneous flow and reduces the risk of segregation. This synergy between steel fibers and marble powder optimizes the performance of SCC, making it suitable for various applications in the construction field.
Soil stabilization techniques play a crucial role in improving soil quality, reducing construction costs, and addressing environmental and mechanical challenges encountered in civil engineering. Faced with low-quality soils, several researchers have explored innovative solutions by using natural waste materials. New approaches are being developed to recover local waste and reuse it in civil engineering applications, particularly in earthworks. In this study, the goal is to experimentally compare the impact of two types of waste on the stabilization of clay soils, by testing different percentages (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%) through various laboratory tests, such as compressive strength, shear strength, and oedometer compression test. The results obtained are analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of these wastes in soil treatment. The preliminary study conducted on the clay soil showed a significant improvement in its mechanical properties, which could enhance its stability and bearing capacity.
Reinforced concrete domes with meridian ribs present a suitable solution for covering large spaces, but their optimization in terms of strength and stability remains a challenge not yet mastered. This work presents a new global mathematical approach to optimizing these structures, starting with a primary configuration braced at the top and bottom with ring beams. This configuration will undergo optimization via numerical simulation to ensure its mechanical performance. The main variables studied include dome diameter, rib spacing, thickness and supported load. A Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is then used to correlate these parameters. Ultimately, a cost-oriented objective function is derived, incorporating a load-bearing capacity coefficient. This approach proves effective and can serve as a valuable tool for designers seeking to optimize their projects.
