Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemA Scenario Analysis Approach to Distributed Energy System Optimisation(MODELLING & SIMULATION SOC AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND INC, 2013)
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ItemSustainable Prefabricated Modular Buildings(ICSB, 2014)Economy, speed of construction and improved environmental performance are critical variables that challenge the modern construction industry to strike a balance between. Employing innovative prefabricated modular structures is one key strategy used to achieve these goals. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for detailed scientific research that deals with the potential environmental benefits of prefabrication, particularly in areas of embodied energy savings resulting from waste reduction and improved efficiency of material usage. This paper gives a brief overview of prefabricated modular structures and aims to highlight the sustainability characteristics of this technology compared to conventional construction methods. A case study was carried out on an eight-storey, residential building. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in a significantly reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in an increase in embodied energy compared to the concrete building mainly due to the inherent characteristics of steel manufacturing processes. This form of construction has the potential to contribute significantly towards improved environmental sustainability in the construction industry while providing fast outputs with value for the investments.
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ItemFinancial analysis of solar cooling systems in Australia(The University of Melbourne, 2013)
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ItemTime-efficient post-disaster housing reconstruction with prefabricated modular structures(Open House International Association, 2014-09-01)With many natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, bushfires and tsunamis destroying human habitats around the world, post-disaster housing reconstruction has become a critical topic. The current practice of post-disaster recon- struction consists of various approaches that carry affected homeowners from temporary shelters to permanent hous- ing. While temporary shelters may be provided within a matter of days as immediate disaster relief, permanent hous- ing can take years to complete. However, time is critical, as affected communities will need to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible. Prefabricated modular construction has the potential to drastically improve the time taken to pro- vide permanent housing. Due to this time-efficiency, which is an inherent characteristic of modular construction, it can be a desirable strategy for post-disaster housing reconstruction. This paper discusses how prefabricated modular struc- tures can provide a more time-efficient solution by analysing several present-day examples taken from published post- disaster housing reconstruction processes that have been carried out in different parts of the world. It also evaluates how other features of modular construction, such as ease of decommissioning and reusability, can add value to post- disaster reconstruction processes and organisations that contribute to the planning, design and construction stages of the reconstruction process. The suitability of modular construction will also be discussed in the context of the guidelines and best practice guides for post-disaster housing reconstruction published by international organisations. Through this analysis and discussion, it is concluded that prefabricated modular structures are a highly desirable time-efficient solu- tion to post-disaster housing reconstruction.
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ItemMaintenance of building structural systems(Nethwin Printers, 2016)The aim of this paper is to review the current literature on maintenance of building structural systems. It emphasises the importance of maintenance as an item for consideration from the beginning of the conceptual design stage. Building sustainability concept is generally understood to have better energy efficiency focus and maintenance of structural components ensures they serve their designed service life and beyond. The conventional design approach considers structural maintenance during the “product use” phase. This paper argues that if the accessibility of the building and maintenance (inspection, repair and retrofitting) are considered from the early conceptual design stage, it would save resources and maintenance cost. Case studies of buildings subject to earthquake loading and corrosion and their maintenance are presented.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableApplications of design for excellence in prefabricated building services systems(Nethwin Printers, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka., 2016-12-16)Prefabrication is a sought after area in the AEC industry for manufacture of building components in an off-site controlled environment. Although, most of the structural element such as panels and modules are efficiently prefabricated and assembled onsite, prefabrication of complete mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems is not achieved in many cases. This is mainly due to the limitations during assembly of different systems, poor implementation of building information modelling (BIM) and lack of standards for offsite manufacturing. The research will introduce the concept of Design for Excellence (DFX) which is currently used efficiently in the automotive, aerospace and shipbuilding industries. Applications of the DFX concept for building services in residential buildings were studied. This paper presents the overall concept of holistic approach to arrive at an optimum solution for design integrated building services systems for prefabricated buildings.
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ItemEffects of phase change material roof layers on thermal performanceof a residential building in Melbourne and Sydney(Elsevier, 2016-04-05)This paper assesses the effectiveness of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for the improvement of the thermal performance and the thermal comfort of a residential building in Melbourne. The incorporation of PCMs in buildings with their significant heat storage capacity can delay the heat transfer and reduce the cooling and heating loads. Numerical simulation is a useful tool for comprehensive assessments and optimization of PCM applications in buildings. Thus an available TRNSYS component, PCM Wall: Type1270, was implemented with Type56 (Multi zone component). PCM Wall TRNSYS component has been validated with some experimental data published in the open literature. The validated model was then utilised to simulate the thermal performance of a residential building which has a PCM roof layer. The building is a typical single-storey, three bed room residential building in Melbourne. It was found that the PCM roof layer can reduce the cooling and heating loads whilst providing better thermal comfort for occupants with reduced indoor temperature fluctuations.
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ItemTime efficient post-disaster housing reconstruction with prefabricated modular structures(The Urban International Press, 2014-09-01)With many natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, bushfires and tsunamis destroying human habitats around the world, post-disaster housing reconstruction has become a critical topic. The current practice of post-disaster reconstruction consists of various approaches that carry affected homeowners from temporary shelters to permanent housing. While temporary shelters may be provided within a matter of days as immediate disaster relief, permanent housing can take years to complete. However, time is critical, as affected communities will need to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible. Prefabricated modular construction has the potential to drastically improve the time taken to provide permanent housing. Due to this time-efficiency, which is an inherent characteristic of modular construction, it can be a desirable strategy for post-disaster housing reconstruction. This paper discusses how prefabricated modular structures can provide a more time-efficient solution by analysing several present-day examples taken from published postdisaster housing reconstruction processes that have been carried out in different parts of the world. It also evaluates how other features of modular construction, such as ease of decommissioning and reusability, can add value to postdisaster reconstruction processes and organisations that contribute to the planning, design and construction stages of the reconstruction process. The suitability of modular construction will also be discussed in the context of the guidelines and best practice guides for post-disaster housing reconstruction published by international organisations. Through this analysis and discussion, it is concluded that prefabricated modular structures are a highly desirable time-efficient solution to post-disaster housing reconstruction.