Open Access

Article

Article ID: 3076

Reimagining public spaces for a new generation: Gender mainstreaming and inclusive design in future urban landscapes

by Kiara Rampaul

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

Public spaces are increasingly shaped by intersecting global challenges, including demographic shifts, technological integration, climate resilience, and social equity. Yet traditional design frameworks often overlook the lived experiences of women, youth, the elderly, and other marginalized groups. This paper addresses a critical research gap by proposing an inclusive public space design model that integrates gender mainstreaming and intergenerational needs into building engineering and spatial planning practices. Drawing on international policy frameworks and empirical case studies from Vienna, Zurich, Luxembourg, and South Africa, the paper outlines a context-sensitive, adaptable model emphasizing safety, digital engagement, social cohesion, and environmental resilience. Evaluative evidence from post-occupancy studies and participatory planning outcomes demonstrates the effectiveness of inclusive approaches. The study contributes a forward-thinking framework that can inform both policy and practice in rapidly urbanizing, socially diverse settings.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2196

Benefiting from smart materials in the shell of desert buildings in order to control the thermal conductivity of interior spaces

by Mohammadmehdi Moulaii, Arezoo Lotfi, Hadi RezaeiRad

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

Integrating smart materials into the building envelopes of desert architecture offers a promising solution for optimizing thermal regulation and reducing energy consumption. Traditional Iranian architecture has long adapted to extreme climatic conditions through passive design strategies and indigenous materials such as adobe, fired brick, and stone. However, contemporary construction demands necessitate advanced materials with higher thermal inertia, adaptability, and energy efficiency. This study explores the application of high-performance smart materials, including BetoShell, AnnanoMirror, SmartWrap, Electrochromic and Thermochromic glazing, and vacuum insulation panels (VIPS), in the façades of desert buildings to mitigate heat transfer and enhance sustainability. Descriptive-analytical envelopes can reduce thermal conductivity, optimize solar gain, and enhance passive cooling strategies, thereby improving occupant comfort while significantly lowering energy demand in arid climates. This research methodology was adopted, utilizing qualitative content analysis, experimental performance data, computational modeling, and case studies to assess material efficiency. Findings indicate that incorporating these responsive materials in building highlights the pivotal role of smart façades and kinetic materials in advancing the principles of climate-responsive and sustainable architecture.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2131

Living room arch engineering design: Structural, aesthetic, and construction analysis

by Abubakar Ahmad Rabiu

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

This study investigated the structural performance and durability of a living room arch design (more-than-half-cycle design) by evaluating its material properties, mechanical properties, safety, and load-bearing behavior. The materials used for the arch construction, including reinforced concrete and wood composites, were tested for density, tensile strength, and compressive strength. Mechanical tests assessed load distribution, deflection under various loads, and resilience. Safety analysis included stability checks under different loading conditions, including static, dynamic, and lateral forces. To simulate long-term performance, the arch underwent accelerated aging tests to evaluate material fatigue and deformation over time. The results showed that the selected materials exhibited high compressive strength and durability, ensuring adequate safety margins under all tested conditions. However, slight deflections were observed under peak loading scenarios. Overall, the arch demonstrated excellent stability, uniform load distribution, and minimal material degradation over time. These findings highlight the robustness of the design and its potential application in modern living spaces.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1653

Effects of structural irregularities on the seismic response of a steel structure

by Joshua Omer, Zoe Almazan

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

Steel structures are commonly used for buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure, due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and versatility. However, the dynamic response of steel structures can be affected by irregularities such as variation in mass, elevation, stiffness, and plan geometry. Therefore, analysis of structural irregularities is important and allows the structural designer to maximize the efficiency of structures in resisting seismic and other dynamic actions. This paper presents a review of the existing methods of analysis of the effects of structural irregularities on the dynamic response of low to medium-high-rise steel buildings. Methods that are used with Eurocode 8 (BS EN 1998:2004) design procedure are discussed. Also, reviewed are the provisions of Eurocode 8, regarding structural irregularity in design, including discussion of the effects of irregularity in mass, elevation, stiffness, and plan. To quantify and compare the effects of different irregularities, SCIA finite element program is used to analyze dynamic response of hypothetical structures with and without irregularities. The computed results of salient deformations and stresses in the structures are compared and discussed, including reference to other researchers’ findings. Finally, the implications of various structural irregularities on analysis and design of steel structures are also discussed. The novelty of this research is that it analyses the dynamic response of a predefined structural model, for four types of structural irregularity simultaneously, based on the same control parameters and computational method. Also, even though the use of a building may change at some time, current literature on seismic vulnerability does not adequately address the impact of unexpected changes in mass distribution, but this research does. The findings may help engineers in optimizing design of irregular structures to enhance seismic performance, mitigate risks of seismic damage and promote consistency in design and construction of earthquake resistant structures.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2207

CFD-based comparative simulation analysis of flow field under different natural ventilation boundary conditions in the room

by Yuanyuan Fu, Bin Zhao

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

In order to achieve reasonable indoor layout design, reduce building energy consumption and better meet human body thermal comfort requirements, flow fields under different natural ventilation conditions are compared based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in this paper. Firstly, a theoretical model of the indoor flow field under six different ventilation conditions is constructed, and boundary conditions, wall functions and meshing structure are confirmed. Simulation analysis is carried out for six different working conditions. Through comparative analysis, it is concluded the window opening location should be located in the center, and the direct airflow through the convection field is evenly distributed, and the direct airflow is conducive to the improvement of indoor cleanliness. In addition, when organizing natural ventilation, the window orientation is inclined to the dominant wind direction in summer by about 45° angles, it can improve the ventilation effect. And by analyzing temperature contours, 45° angles can better meet people’s needs about temperature: 18 ℃–26 ℃. When temperature contours’ temperature is above people’s comfortable temperature in specific rooms or places, mechanical ventilation and evaporative cooling can be combined. Research results can not only significantly improve the quality of living and working environments, but also help promote the development of green buildings and achieve energy-saving and emission reduction goals.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1703

Impact of activity time stochasticity on critical paths and their completion probabilities in construction projects

by Saurabh Gupta, Riya Catherine George, Deepu Philip, Syam Nair

Building Engineering, Vol.3, No.2, 2025;

Accurate planning and project control activities are essential in ensuring the timely completion of construction projects. Even though the classical scheduling techniques like Gantt charts, critical path method (CPM), program evaluation and review technique (PERT), etc., are well-designed and can effectively support construction scheduling functions, they do not account for the variability in activity times arising out of the random/stochastic nature of the activities involved. The study utilizes a simulation-based approach to identify the impact of variability in activity time durations on critical paths and on the probability of timely completion of construction projects. The effectiveness of four different probability distribution functions, namely uniform, triangular, bound exponential, and unbound exponential, in capturing the stochasticity of activity times in construction projects was also evaluated as part of the study. A MATLAB-based simulation framework was developed to sample random durations of project activities and compute various project scheduling parameters based on PERT assumptions. Activity time variability was introduced in the network by extending pessimistic time (t_p) by up to 50%. Observation in the study suggests that for projects that experience delays during execution, allocating additional resources to the preassigned critical path may not always be effective in addressing these delays. Instead, dynamic corrective measures (time extensions, resource allocation, etc.) that consider all possible scenarios of project completion and can account for any possible changes in critical path due to the incurred delay may be adopted to ensure a higher probability of project completion within the revised schedule. Exponential bounded distribution was found to provide a more realistic estimate of project completion time with a high probability of timely completion of construction projects. The study also suggests exponential unbound distribution to be effective in simulating worst-case scenarios encountered in construction projects. Future research could validate this approach on real projects and use machine learning to automate scheduling adjustments for delays.