Kofi Agyekum, Karen Blay and Alex Opoku
Capillary rise of water in buildings has been an issue of concern among past and present researchers. Despite the research efforts devoted to the proper elimination of the problem…
Abstract
Purpose
Capillary rise of water in buildings has been an issue of concern among past and present researchers. Despite the research efforts devoted to the proper elimination of the problem in masonry construction, it still remains a challenge that needs to be addressed. The purpose of this paper is to explore treatment mechanisms that can be used to prevent rising damp in new building infrastructure.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 14 test walls are constructed, conditioned, subjected to various treatments and monitored for four years. The treatments applied to the walls include the use of polyethylene damp proof courses, damp proof coatings and dense concrete bases. The walls are then monitored with reference to the two climate seasons in Ghana.
Findings
The results highlight that rising damp is present, as suggested by the constant increase and decrease in the height of the water levels in the walls during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. The findings further reveal that within the four-year period, the walls treated with the damp proof coatings, together with those with the dense concrete bases performed better than those treated with the polyethylene damp proof courses.
Research limitations/implications
The economic and commercial impact of these preventive mechanisms were not considered in this study. A future research can be directed at these issues.
Practical implications
The proposed treatment mechanisms highlight the effectiveness of some treatments applied to walls to prevent the capillary rise of water from the ground into the superstructure.
Social implications
Building regulations, especially in Ghana and other tropical settings should be amended to include ways to prevent rising damp phenomena by including effective methods against rising damp during the building design or construction.
Originality/value
Series of studies worldwide have been conducted in laboratories to simulate the capillary rise of water in walls of buildings. This is among the few studies that look at how water rises from actual ground conditions into the walls of buildings.
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Karen B. Blay, Martin Morgan Tuuli and Jojo France-Mensah
The purpose of this paper is to validate perceived benefits and challenges of managing change in Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 projects and to further explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to validate perceived benefits and challenges of managing change in Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 projects and to further explore the opportunities for enhancing the benefits and reducing the challenges. This research is timely because, hitherto, the benefits and challenges of managing change in BIM Level 2 remained largely unvalidated and the opportunities for enhancing the benefits and reducing challenges remained relatively unexplored.
Design/methodology/approach
A combination of a questionnaire survey and interviews with BIM Level 2 practitioners in the UK was employed in this study. In all, 41 responses were received from the questionnaire survey and ten subsequent interviews with BIM practitioners were carried out to explore opportunities for reducing challenges and increasing benefits of managing change in BIM Level 2 projects.
Findings
The study confirms benefits and challenges of managing change in BIM Level 2 projects identified and synthesised from literature, a much needed validation. Additional benefits and challenges were also identified in this study, such as cost saving and risk reduction (benefits) and social dimension issues in the BIM Level 2 processes (challenges). Opportunities identified to enhance benefits and reduce challenges were mainly socially driven, and were either reactive or proactive in nature.
Research limitations/implications
Opportunities for reducing challenges and increasing benefits identified from this research can inform the change management processes in BIM-Level 2.
Practical implications
The findings provide concrete basis for shaping BIM Level 2 change management processes and requirements.
Social implications
The identification of behaviours as shaping the social requirements for BIM-Level 2 confirms the need for a socio-technical approach to successful BIM implementation.
Originality/value
The identification of behaviours as shaping the social requirements for BIM Level 2 confirms the need for a socio-technical approach to successful BIM implementation.
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Karen Blay, Kofi Agyekum and Alex Opoku
Dampness in buildings affects the health of occupants, structural stability and energy efficiency of buildings. Solutions to managing dampness focus on promoting the use of…
Abstract
Purpose
Dampness in buildings affects the health of occupants, structural stability and energy efficiency of buildings. Solutions to managing dampness focus on promoting the use of damp-proof construction materials, enhancing methods to avoid the introduction of moisture during construction and creating the awareness on the health effect of dampness. These solutions are incomplete without the identification of behaviours that occupants require to manage dampness. Given that dampness is characterised by the availability of a source, a route for the moisture to travel and driving force for moisture movement, the occupants can be said to play a significant role in contributing to dampness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
As a result, this study seeks to examine the behaviours of occupants manifested to manage dampness in residential buildings. To achieve the aim, a qualitative research method was employed, under which interviews were carried out. Occupants in households in the northern and southern parts of England were interviewed to identify the actions, attitudes and beliefs in managing dampness.
Findings
The findings revealed actions such as aeration and the use of anti-damp sprays. From the findings, dampness instilled attitudes such as anger, moodiness and unhappiness. In addition, dampness instilled cleaning habits in occupants due to the lack of comfort moulds create and the awareness of its health impact.
Research limitations/implications
This research also contributes to existing debates on dampness reduction specifically in residential buildings.
Originality/value
The identification of these behaviours creates the awareness for occupants on their roles in managing dampness and how dampness affects their behaviours in addition to the health impact.
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Karen Banahene Blay, Christopher Gorse, Chris Goodier, Jack Starkey, Seongha Hwang and Sergio Henrique Pialarissi Cavalaro
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels have been extensively used in the UK since the 1960s as structural roofs, floors and walls. The lack of a longitudinal…
Abstract
Purpose
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels have been extensively used in the UK since the 1960s as structural roofs, floors and walls. The lack of a longitudinal, objective, consistent defect data capture process has led to inaccurate, invalid and incomplete RAAC data, which limits the ability to survey RAAC within buildings and monitor performance. Therefore, an accurate, complete and valid digital data capture process is needed to facilitate better RAAC performance and defect monitoring. This paper presents the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven RAAC crack defect capture tool for improving the quality of RAAC survey data.
Design/methodology/approach
RAAC crack defect image data were collected, curated and trained. A deep learning approach was employed to train RAAC surveyed defects (cracks) images from two hospitals. This approach mitigated unavoidable occlusions/obstructions and unintended “foreign” objects and textures.
Findings
An automatic RAAC crack identification tool has been developed to be integrated into RAAC survey processes via an executable code. The executable code categorises RAAC survey images into “crack” or “non-crack” and can provide longitudinal graphical evidence of changes in the RAAC over time.
Originality/value
This paper identifies the role of AI in addressing the intrinsic defects data capture issues for RAAC and extends current debates on data-driven solutions for defect capture and monitoring.
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Phil Mount, Shelley Hazen, Shawna Holmes, Evan Fraser, Anthony Winson, Irena Knezevic, Erin Nelson, Lisa Ohberg, Peter Andrée and Karen Landman
This chapter explores the relationships between organisational type, rationales and the barriers that prevent community food projects from increasing the scale of their…
Abstract
This chapter explores the relationships between organisational type, rationales and the barriers that prevent community food projects from increasing the scale of their operations. From a broad survey of community food projects, organisations were divided according to their primary rationale (e.g. rural economic development and distribution), and then subdivided – by form – as a non-profit, private business, governmental agency or cooperative. Data from the interviews and surveys were coded using a qualitative grounded theory approach, to reveal the barriers experienced by each. Overall, access to long-term stable income is a recurrent theme across all types of projects. However, income sources dramatically change how these organisations prioritise barriers. Similarly, the organisation’s primary rationale and experiences influence the interpretation and approach to collaboration and education. Despite these differences, our results suggest a large degree of convergence that cuts across organisational forms and rationales, and offer a base for broader regional food system conversations.