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Artificial intelligence (AI) is breaking through more and more into all sectors of the economy. A groundbreaking tool that can change several industries is still at the beginning of the journey and mass implementation, with questionable results. Sustainability and safety in the construction industry have been a priority for the last decades. Pursuing sustainable and safe implementation of construction projects brings several challenges regarding innovations and implementation in practice. This research solves the ...

In order to valorize our natural resources especially dune sand, the physical and mechanical properties of adhesive mortars based on local mineral additions, have been studied in this present work. The experimental study was carried out on various adhesive mortars made with different contents of dune sand by partial substitution of cement. Adhesive mortars were made from Portland cement (PC; at 35%, 30% and 25%wt), Dune Sand (DS; at 60%, 65% and 75%wt), fillers and redispersible polymer powder (RDP; at 0.6%, 1.0% ...

Biopolymer-based packaging materials are increasingly favored for their eco-friendly and biodegradable properties. Among the promising biopolymer materials, agar-based biodegradable films stand out since they are made from water and plasticizers like glycerol. However, they often suffer from reduced mechanical strength and higher moisture sensitivity compared to synthetic alternatives. To address these issues, this study explores the incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into agar-based films using Aloe ve...

The excess demand for natural River sand (NRS) as a construction material is increasing day by day. As a result of demand, there are server environmental impacts such as lowing the water table, damaging the flora and fauna etc. This study is to focus to prevent the environmental impact by developing artificial sand as a replacement for natural river sand (NRS). Development of artificial sand by mixing high volume fly ash, cement, natural river sand, and locally purchased high solid content polycarboxylate ether-ba...

Construction is a branch of the economy that occupies a leading place in waste production. The problem is both the demolition of buildings ending their activity and the construction process itself. During the demolition process, waste is segregated, and most often concrete and brick rubble is recycled. In addition, wooden and wood-based elements, metal and glass are most often recycled. However, there is still a large amount of mixed waste, which often contains hazardous waste. It is necessary to store them safely...

Although the construction sector is aware of climate change, it still does not have sufficient knowledge of its impact on infrastructure and a detailed strategy for possible adaptation and mitigation measures. The strategy for adaptation to climate change in the Republic of Croatia is presented in this paper, with a focus on measures for the construction sector. Croatia is one of the three most vulnerable countries in the European Union, with an estimated highest share of climate change damage in relation to gross...

Accounting for 40% of final energy consumption and 34% of emissions in the European Union, buildings have a significant role to play in achieving a carbon neutral Europe before 2050. But to make buildings more sustainable we need to assess and reduce carbon emissions at every stage of their life cycle, from construction materials to ongoing energy use. As heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are the primary energy consumers in buildings, they offer significant potential for energy saving and it...

In the context of the pressure to reduce the production of CO2 emissions in cement manufacturing, cement plants are significantly changing their product portfolios. Changes in the composition of cement products also lead to changes in their properties. This paper focuses on the monitoring and non-standard evaluation of initial volume stability. Several different types of currently used cements produced in various cement plants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2022 and 2023 were tested using the -initial volum...

In addition to excellent mechanical, physical and chemical parameters, magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites offer numerous environmental benefits, particularly with regard to the necessary reduction of carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of Portland cement based building materials. However, the limitation to the wider use of MOC is its low water resistance. Therefore, the possibility of improving the water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites by nano-adjustment u...

This paper presents the experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of a newly developed two-coat system (TCS) for the protection and repair of concrete. The optimized system consists of a penetrating layer of modified low-viscosity resin of BPA (bisphenol A) type and a top coat based on aliphatic polyisocyanate resin of HDI (hexametyl diisocyanate) type. TCS was applied to reference concrete specimens, which were subjected to various tests to evaluate their basic physical properties, mechanical strength, hygric ...

Every day, human activities generate large amounts of solid waste. To ensure the quality of the environment, waste must be further treated to prevent it from accumulation in landfills. In the case of materials that cannot be recycled or reused, such as municipal solid waste, burning in waste incineration plants to generate heat or electricity appears to be the appropriate solution of such waste disposal. However, combustion processes generate residues, such as bottom or fly ash, which must be stored. Fly ash gener...

Heart rate (HR) is a fundamental physiological parameter that reflects cardiovascular health and fitness levels. Accurate HR monitoring is essential for diagnosing medical conditions, guiding physical training, and monitoring stress and recovery. With the increased development of wearable devices, the new direction of research appeared in the field of personalized comfort based on the physiological response and closing the HVAC control loop based on the occupant-s involuntary reaction. This article reviews current...

While the interaction between the cement-based binders and different types of fillers is described sufficiently, the behaviour of composites, containing gypsum and any type of filler was studied less frequently and studies focused on the interaction between the composite binder and filler are rare. We studied ternary binder composed from gypsum, lime and silica fume in combination with several types of fillers (sand, expanded perlite, expanded clay and waste polyurethane). The strength of the composites was measur...

Innovative construction materials and techniques can be sourced from natural resources and traditional methods, and applied to green housing concepts to enhance energy efficiency and occupant well-being. Innovation in vernacular traditions can be achieved by integrating the modern, current methods and techniques, materials and tools within local traditional technologies and associated natural raw materials (clay, sand, wood, straw, and wool) in order to enhance ecologic housing facilities with improved overall per...

Architecture construction and engineering (ACE) is one of the most widespread industries in the world. At the same time, the construction industry consumes 50% of extracted primary sources of raw materials, 50% of energy consumption, 33% of water consumption and produces a third of the generated waste to create buildings and construction products. A lean construction represents an innovative approach in the construction industry that aims to maximize efficiency, minimize waste and improve the overall performance o...

In an increasingly competitive economy, we are facing fierce competition in the construction materials industry, where the use of recyclable waste from demolitions has become more than a necessity. The compensation for the loss of certain properties, which could otherwise lead to a reduction in mechanical characteristics, has been achieved through the addition of nanoparticles with superior qualities. This paper will present the main nanoparticles introduced as subtle additives (ranging from 0.01 percent to a maxi...

In this paper, there are presented the characteristics of reinforced concrete structures that are subjected to a corrosive environment. These structures allow for the appearance and opening of short-term and long-term cracks within certain limits during operation, as well as the variation in the moisture of the concrete depending on the ambient humidity. The basic nature of the concrete allows it to react with acids, while its increased porosity enables the absorption of liquids and gases, including aggressive one...

One of the main monitored parameters related to road traffic safety is the visibility of road facilities and how they are perceived by drivers. Areas where visibility is suddenly limited, or where road sections become unclear due to inadequate design and technological arrangements, pose significant safety risks. Monitoring the optical properties of the applied coating surface, particularly its retroreflection and colour, is crucial for traffic safety. The paper describes research leading to the design of a system ...

The construction industry is one of the largest air polluters. This fact, along with the increasing demand for savings of heating energy, is leading to a growing interest in more eco-friendly materials for building thermal insulations. New thermal insulating material, prepared from the Posidonia Oceanica (commonly known as sea grass or Neptune grass) was prepared and studied. Posidonia Oceanica is an endemic plant that grows in large quantities in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a protected spec...

This manuscript presents the comprehensive chemical and physical analysis of two types of biomass ashes derived from power and heat generation in order to highlight their positive parameters and properties and to propose the way for their safe reuse in the production of building materials. The analysis of biomass ashes included the assessment of chemical composition, dry matter content, loss on ignition, particle size distribution, Blaine fineness, dry powder density, specific density, pozzolanic activity, SEM mor...

The core insulators of vacuum insulation panels are mostly made from inorganic raw materials with a high SiO2 content, either in the form of nanoparticles or microfibers, while the proportion of organics is usually up to 3 %. The contribution is devoted to the study of reaction to fire in hybrid insulation materials made from a combination of nano SiO2-based particulate raw materials and organic-based fibrous raw materials, where the total proportion of organics is significantly greater than 3 %. Considering that ...

Chile is one of the largest copper producers in the world, which implies a significant generation of waste, particularly copper slag (CS). On the other hand, the high demand for concrete mixes generates a high consumption of natural aggregates as sand. However, specialized literature indicates that the fine aggregate can be partially replaced by CS keeping (or improving) the concrete properties. Then, this paper presents a sustainability analysis of the partial replacement of fine aggregate of concrete by CS. The ...

Old buildings, in particular, those coming from the first half of 20th century often suffer with increased dampness in masonry coming from different sources. Some of them, however, have aesthetically rendered valued facades which are worth saving. For the design of new alternative mortars for renovation interventions, it is essential to obtain properties of original renders. Mechanical properties of mortars are in general assessed on standardized test samples; however, this approach cannot be always well applicabl...

Different forms and combinations of degradation attacks cause the damage of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. Among the most usual belong ingress of chlorides and carbonation that influence the quality of the concrete and also affect its ability to protect reinforcement. The resistance of concrete against the mentioned attacks is given also by other surrounding conditions, like temperature, mechanical load, etc. In this paper, experimental findings are presented focused on the investigation of the effec...

The study attempts to examine the current and potential effectiveness of selected tools used in environmental planning of construction projects in Poland. Environmental planning is a complicated and demanding process, and as such it should be supported by the use of environmental management applications. At the early investment planning stage, it is necessary to verify whether a construction project to be developed, in addition to a building permit, does not require a decision on environmental conditions. This dec...

The paper presents the procedures of introducing the unsteady state numerical analysis domain for simulating the mechanical behavior of glue laminated timber (glulam) elements when subjected to high temperatures. For any analysis applied to characterize the fire resistance of wood, glue laminated timber implicitly, the unsteady state numerical analysis domain must be applied, considering the heat propagation, humidity percentage loss and the overall change of the mechanical characteristics of the components throug...