Buildings demand a significant amount of energy during their life cycles, hence, effective design measures need to be adopted to ensure efficient energy usage and management in buildings. This study proposes a framework based on various performance parameters to enable decision-makers utilizing standard procedures and software to empower the process of sustainable energy use and management in buildings, through a parametric analysis in different climatic conditions. Experimental design is adopted within the framework via the use of various performance parameters related to the building design (i.e., construction materials for exterior walls and roofs, as well as a set of window-to-wall ratios). Results indicate that climate data plays a fundamental role in the choice of design factors that are best suited for effective energy consumption in buildings. In particular, sub-type climate classifications, as opposed to the primary climate group, have a minor influence. Around 15% improvement in the energy consumption in buildings is noticed due to changes to the design factor such as the window-to-wall ratio. Insights that can be gleaned from this study include the impact of space area, exterior openings and material thickness and choice for the envelope of the building in all climate classifications, aiding in the design of low-energy buildings.

This paper explores different building maintenance strategies in commercial buildings in Sydney, Australia, focusing on corrective maintenance (CM) and preventive maintenance (PM). While CM involves rectifying issues after they occur, PM aims to enhance productivity by anticipating potential issues. Although PM seems more logical, the decision to implement this type of maintenance strategy are typically made based on item reliability, failure frequency, and downtime cost, commonly found in manufacturing facilities or critical environments. However, as found in the selected/surveyed commercial real estate buildings, CM was more frequently adopted in aged facilities with older infrastructure, and PM was favoured for buildings without structural deficiencies; however, operating equipment failures were common. However, in many cases, decision makers did not consider the broader effects of downtime beyond direct financial losses, costs associated with customer satisfaction, worker efficiency, rent abatements, and reputation damage. While each building is unique and may require a bespoke maintenance schedule, this study’s insights may help managers select the most appropriate maintenance strategy. Nonetheless, further research is needed to investigate the role of innovative technologies (such as machine learning and artificial intelligence) in enhancing maintenance efficacy and explore the influences of economic shifts, corporate and financial objectives, and the availability of technical resources.

Over the last decades, new materials with outstanding performance have been introduced in the construction industry. Considering these new technologies, it is worth mentioning that nanotechnology has revolutionized various areas of engineering. In the area of civil engineering and construction, cement is used for various purposes and the search to improve its performance has been receiving growing interest within the scientific community. The objective of this research was to evaluate the behavior of cement mortar produced by the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in different concentrations by comparing their physical and mechanical properties with the properties of the nanotube-free composite. Motivated by the lack of consensus in the literature concerning to the optimal dosage of CNTs in cementitious matrices, three different carbon nanotube ratios, 0.20, 0.40 and 0.60 wt % Portland cement, were investigated with the aim of evaluating the mechanical properties. Destructive tests were carried out to determine the compressive strength, flexural strength and split tensile strength. Additionally, a non-destructive test was performed to determine the dynamic elastic modulus and density. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed the interaction between the MWCNTs and the hydration products of Portland cement mortar. The results indicated the potential contribution of 0.40 wt % cement CNTs to the enhancement of the mechanical properties of the cement composite as a promising construction material.

Construction and demolition waste is composed of fragments of ceramic tiles, steel, wood, plaster, glass, concrete and mortar. Reduction and reuse of this waste can minimise the consumption of natural resources and energy in the construction industry. In addition, high population growth followed by a large housing deficit in many countries highlights the need to obtain low-cost and technically viable building materials. Experimental results of the mechanical and physical characterisation of ceramic waste fragments obtained from the renovation of the Construction Materials Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil are presented. This material was crushed and sieved to produce recycled fine aggregate and the influence of recycled fine aggregate on the production of masonry mortars was investigated. Five levels of sand replacement by ceramic waste were investigated (0, 20, 30, 50 and 100%). The properties of the fresh mortar were mostly influenced by the absorption, shape, texture and density of the recycled fine aggregate. The mixture with 50% sand replacement (by weight) resulted in an increase of 23% and 10% in compressive strength and split tensile strength, respectively.