Architecture

Creation of cities leads to the removal of natural landscape with built up spaces, parking lots, roads etc, through highly reflective materials, affecting the local climate in a dramatic scale. The climatic changes in the urban areas are often characterized by ...

Urbanization results in the phenomenal shift of human population towards urban centers, affecting the urban environment quality and standard of life. Urban growth along with the increased impervious built infrastructure, determines the climate in cities resulting in a distinct climatic condition termed the "Urban Heat Island". Tropical cities characterized by high temperatures and humidities, suffer extensively due to the urban heat island effect and urban climate studies are crucial in improving the thermal comfort outdoors. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the impact of urbanization on thermal comfort conditions in the hot humid city of Chennai, India. Although, urban climate studies have gained significant attention globally, in India, climate studies are restricted to the investigations of the intensity of urban heat island and are primarily conducted by the India Meteorological Department. Scientific research correlating the link between climate and comfort trends are often neglected, but are essential in improving the comfort conditions in urban areas.

Creation of cities leads to the removal of natural landscape with built up spaces, parking lots, roads etc, through highly reflective materials, affecting the local climate in a dramatic scale. The climatic changes in the urban areas are often characterized by increase in air temperatures and are termed as the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE). Major factors contributing to the elevated air temperatures include the size of the city, population, density of builtup spaces, street canyon geometry, thermal properties of materials, vegetation cover and waste heat from buildings. Therefore it is vital for urban designers and urban planners to study the nature of the climate variation trends in urban areas to equip them in planning sustainable and comfortable cities, and mitigate the adverse effects. This paper aims to assess the intensity of urban heat island effect in the city of Chennai and their relationship to various urban factors, through mobile recordings of urban air temperatures du...

Creation of cities leads to the removal of natural landscape with built up spaces, parking lots, roads etc, through highly reflective materials, affecting the local climate in a dramatic scale. The climatic changes in the urban areas are often characterized by increase in air temperatures and are termed as the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE). Major factors contributing to the elevated air temperatures include the size of the city, population, density of built-up spaces, street canyon geometry, thermal properties of materials, degree of vegetation and waste heat from buildings. Therefore it is vital for urban designers and urban planners to study the nature of the climate variation trends in urban areas to equip them in planning sustainable and comfortable cities, and mitigate the adverse effects. This paper aims to assess the intensity of urban heat island effect in the city of Chennai and their relationship to various urban factors, through stationary and mobile recordings of urban...

Urban planners and designers often consider the comfort conditions indoors while neglecting the same in the outdoor urban spaces. In particular, the outdoor comfort conditions in the developing countries are generally unnoticed, and the most affected are the urban poor who spend most of their time outdoors. Therefore, this paper aims at the enhancement of outdoor thermal comfort conditions, through the analysis of urban built form and climate parameters in Chennai Metropolitan Area, India. The study examines the thermal comfort conditions of six urban built forms (dense compact mid-rise urban form and dispersed low-rise urban form) in relation to urban geometry (the density of buildings, height to width ratio), sky view factor (SVF) and green cover (vegetation), using RayMan a computer model used to model the radiation fluxes in simple and complex urban environments. The comfort conditions of the outdoor urban spaces are analyzed in terms of air temperature and Physiologically Equiv...

Cities often experience a distinguished climate termed the “Urban Climate”. Urban climates are characterized by differences in climatic variables (air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and amount of precipitation) from those of less built-up areas. The major factors contributing to these differences are the land use and land cover transformations. These land use changes often includes replacements of natural surfaces with highly reflective parking lots, concrete masses, asphalt roads etc affecting the thermal environment in cities. Researches show that urban places are warmer than surrounding rural environments and are generally termed as "urban heat island". The aim of this study is to analyze the variations in the thermal environment that exists throughout the city due to different land cover conditions. This study analyzes the land surface temperature differences in the city of Chennai and compares with the land use and land cover types using TM and ETM+ ...

Creation of cities leads to the removal of natural landscape with built up spaces, parking lots, roads etc, through highly reflective materials, affecting the local climate in a dramatic scale. The climatic changes in the urban areas are often characterized by increase in air temperatures and are termed as the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE). Major factors contributing to the elevated air temperatures include the size of the city, population, density of built-up spaces, street canyon geometry, thermal properties of materials, vegetation cover and waste heat from buildings. Therefore it is vital for urban designers and urban planners to study the nature of the climate variation trends in urban areas to equip them in planning sustainable and comfortable cities, and mitigate the adverse effects. This paper aims to assess the intensity of urban heat island effect in the city of Chennai and their relationship to various urban factors, through mobile recordings of urban air temperatures d...

Background: Urban morphology plays a critical role in controlling the factors that influence outdoor thermal comfort. This research aims to quantify the impact of urban growth pattern characterized by orientation, ground cover, street geometry etc. on variations in climate parameters. Method/Analysis: Air temperature and relative humidity data were recorded in nine different locations of the study area (T. Nagar, Chennai, India) characterized by different urban morphology on a typical winter day. The data collected were simulated using Rayman Pro to analyze the impact of sky view factor, height to width ratio on thermal comfort parameters. Also the relationship between the spatial distribution of the recorded values and urban morphology were analyzed. Findings: The results of the study establish a clear relationship between urban character and microclimate modifications. The distribution curve of air temperature and humidity establish high thermal stress during day time in high activity zone due to anthropogenic heat and hard surfaces. The isotherms clearly reinforce the presence of urban heat island effect in dense areas during night time attributed to lesser opportunity for re-radiation. Further wider streets show high difference in the diurnal temperature which in turn create cool pockets. The role of urban parks and vegetation in improving the comfort conditions are clearly evident in the study. Applications/Improvements: The study can be applied on the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) map of tropical city of Chennai. This will help in establishing a new development control rules for the city which will be responsive to the Micro Climate.

Objectives: Construction is a result oriented organization; however, some projects are completed unsuccessfully due to the lack of efficient coordination. This paper aims to study the importance of coordination in construction as a vital tool for successful completion of projects. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The present scenario of coordination in the Indian construction industry has been analyzed and a detailed study has been carried out to understand how coordination is being achieved in Architectural/ Project Management Consultant (PMC) firms through questionnaire surveys targeted at Architects and Project Managers. Finally, with the help of SPSS tool, various aspects of coordination are prioritized with regards to the three major phases of a construction project. Findings: The findings of the study would act as a framework for all stakeholders in a project in creating an awareness of what should be done, when and how to achieve effective coordination, thus helping in successful completion of the project. Applications/Improvements: This study can be applied for the preparation of a model/manual for effective coordination in the Indian construction sector which can be a guideline to coordinate projects effectively in India.

Development and promotion of nano materials and technology has gained more attention of research scholars world wide spreding to different disciplines. In this research an approach has been made to study and investigate the behavioural properties and examine the microstuructural qualities of nano composite bricks replacing the cement with microsilica (mS) and nanosilica (nS) additives. The investigation was conducted using four types of specimens being normal concrete mixture with 0% of mS and nS, with 5%, 6% and 7% of mS, with 1%, 1.5% and, 2% of nS and replacing the cement with mixure of 5%+1%, 6%+1.5% and 7%+2% of mS and nS respectively. The results showed that, the maximum compression strength of 27.62MPa and 37.67MPa with the maximum flexural strength of 22.76MPa and 33.56MPa were possible when 6% of mS and 1.5% of nS were replaced respectively. Also, it was found that the maximum compression strength of 31.47MPa and flexural strength of 31.95MPa were achieved when we add 6%+1....

The urban built geometry alters the microclimate significantly which in turn affects the outdoor thermal comfort. The outdoor thermal comfort depends on the ability of the materials to absorb solar radiation (albedo) and the geometrical arrangement of the buildings and its morphology. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the built geometry and its morphology on the outdoor thermal environment in a mixed residential neighborhood in the hot humid city of Chennai. The study is twofold. Firstly, the impact of built geometry on the microclimatic conditions was assessed through field measurements and secondly a questionnaire survey on thermal sensation was conducted to study the subjective response of the users to the outdoor thermal environment. The field measurements included the monitoring of meteorological parameters such as air temperature Ta, relative humidity RH, wind speed v and mean radiant temperature Tmrt. Outdoor thermal comfort conditions were assessed thr...

Background: Urban morphology plays a critical role in controlling the factors that influence outdoor thermal comfort. This research aims to quantify the impact of urban growth pattern characterized by orientation, ground cover, street geometry etc. on variations in climate parameters. Method/Analysis: Air temperature and relative humidity data were recorded in nine different locations of the study area (T. Nagar, Chennai, India) characterized by different urban morphology on a typical winter day. The data collected were simulated using Rayman Pro to analyze the impact of sky view factor, height to width ratio on thermal comfort parameters. Also the relationship between the spatial distribution of the recorded values and urban morphology were analyzed. Findings: The results of the study establish a clear relationship between urban character and microclimate modifications. The distribution curve of air temperature and humidity establish high thermal stress during day time in high activity zone due to anthropogenic heat and hard surfaces. The isotherms clearly reinforce the presence of urban heat island effect in dense areas during night time attributed to lesser opportunity for re-radiation. Further wider streets show high difference in the diurnal temperature which in turn create cool pockets. The role of urban parks and vegetation in improving the comfort conditions are clearly evident in the study. Applications/Improvements: The study can be applied on the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) map of tropical city of Chennai. This will help in establishing a new development control rules for the city which will be responsive to the Micro Climate.

Creation of cities leads to the removal of natural landscape with built up spaces, parking lots, roads etc, through highly reflective materials, affecting the local climate in a dramatic scale. The climatic changes in the urban areas are often characterized by increase in air temperatures and are termed as the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE). Major factors contributing to the elevated air temperatures include the size of the city, population, density of built-up spaces, street canyon geometry, thermal properties of materials, degree of vegetation and waste heat from buildings. Therefore it is vital for urban designers and urban planners to study the nature of the climate variation trends in urban areas to equip them in planning sustainable and comfortable cities, and mitigate the adverse effects. This paper aims to assess the intensity of urban heat island effect in the city of Chennai and their relationship to various urban factors, through stationary and mobile recordings of urban air temperatures during the hottest month. Air temperatures were recorded in 30 stationary locations covering urban, suburban and rural stations. A mobile survey was also conducted covering the major areas of the city. The results indicate the existence of heat island effect in the city of Chennai with increasing air temperatures in a radial fashion from the suburbs towards the city centre where the mean max UHI intensity reaches 5.5°C in stationary survey and 2.53°C in the mobile survey. The study reinforces the relationship between the urban air temperature increase and the land-use characteristics. Areas with dense vegetation recorded lesser air temperatures and high density built up spaces along with heavy traffic areas recorded higher temperatures. Further studies between these urban factors and urban air temperatures can lead to arrive at appropriate strategies to mitigate the heat island effect.

The population in urban areas is increasing rapidly around the world in most of the cities. In India, this growth has forced the local governments to review the planning norms regularly with the main focus of making an affordable urban living. This resulted in increasing the built density without evaluating the effect of such developments on human thermal comfort. Outdoor microclimate is one of the significant factors that determine the quality of outdoor spaces. This study investigates the potential impact of the built geometry guided by the newly published development control rules of Chennai, India on the various parameters that influence microclimate. The existing and future scenario has been modelled for three locations in a typical mixed-use neighborhood of Chennai. Further, air temperature and relative humidity were measured in three locations on a typical summer month of May 2018. The recorded data was used for validating the simulated model and calibrating the model settings. Most of the studies on outdoor thermal comfort compare a base case scenario and project future scenarios. This paper is a more realistic comparison of outdoor thermal comfort between the actual resultant built environment guided by the new Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 for selected locations and the existing built geometry which is the outcome of revised development control rules of 2013. The study found a significant reduction of 18 C in mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) and a reduction of 12 C in Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) between the 2013 and the predicted built geometry as per 2019 building rules. Further the duration of extreme heat stress in the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) scale show a reduction of 3 h during the day time. The study will assist urban planners and designers to include outdoor thermal comfort also as an important factor while developing building rules.

P t b lic acid (hg. S-I bottom) G the mot abu ndant form Of phosphorus (P) i n plant seeds, accounting for 60 to 80% of seed total P (Loft et al., 2000). Phv tic acid has a strong negative charge that is maintained over a wide pH range. Its six phosphate groups form "phytate" or "phytin" salts of various mineral cations, such as K, Ca 2*' Mg2', Fe'', and Zn 2' (Tsao et al., 1997). Cereal grains phytates are primarily K/Mg salts, and contain >50% of the seed's total K and Mg. These cations, along with phytate's P and niio-inositol, form a pool used by seedlings during the early stages of development. Phy tate breakdown occurs in germinating seeds. In addition to the release of cations, phytic acid is hydrolyzed into inorganic P and myo-inositol by a class of nonspecific phosphomonoesterases called phytases (Reddy et al., 1989). Phytasc catalyze the stepwise removal of the inorganic orthophosphate from phytic acid. There is a small amount of enzymatic activity in nongerminated seeds, but phytase-encoding genes are highly expressed during germination. Much of the interest in phytic acid has been based on its role in human and animal nutrition. The human digestive tract contains little endogenous phytase activity. Some phytate complexes are insoluble, whereas others are soluble. The soluble phytic acid forms new complexes with minerals that are present in the gut (Schlemmer et al., 1995). This process decreases the bioavailability of P and cations, especially iron and zinc, stored as a part of the complex. In the case of iron, the negative impact of dietary phytic acid is on iron consumed concurrentl\ in a meal. However, the impact of dietary phytic acid on zinc differs from non in that phytic acid in the gut binds to both the zinc consumed concurrently in a meal and to endogenous zinc that is secreted into the gut along with digestive enzymes. Humans consuming plant-based diets rich in phytate are at risk for iron and zinc deficiency (Mendoza, 2002). More than half the population of the developing world receives inadequate micronutrient levels in their diets (Bouis, 2003). Two of the most widespread micronutrient deficiencies are that of Fe and Zn. Iron deficiency affects 3700 million people (Welch, 2002), and an estimated 49% of the human population is at risk for inadequate nc in the r diet (Would Health Association data discussed in Brown et al.

Broadly speaking, there has been a paradigm shift in the relationship between humans and technology: modern technologies are now seamlessly fused with our everyday existence, and digital media form a surface-scape that rivals our cityscapes and landscapes.

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.

Fractals have been around in nature for thousands of years and people have been influenced by all forms of art and architecture. The word fractal was coined by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975 and his approach to fractals revolutionized the way we see these patterns. Today creative architects bring their theoretical knowledge into the international context of science and reflect its architectural flow. This study aims at suggesting "fractal" as a suited way of interpreting contemporary architecture and of exploring its potential as a new 21st century paradigm. It covers the fundamental concept of fractals in theory and their development over time as well as recent examples of how different architects have incorporated them into architecture.