This is a repository copy of A review on recent developments of thermoelectric materials for room-temperature applications.

The study aimed at evaluating the extent to which different building materials specifications affect building lifecycle environmental performance, using a Building Information Modelling (BIM) enhanced lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A combination of Revit Architecture which is a BIM based design and analysis tool, an energy simulation tool known as Green Building Studio (GBS) and LCA tool known as ATHENA Impact Estimator were used for the assessment. The LCA was carried out on a life case study of a 2100m 2 one-storey school building as well as its variability analysis, by varying materials specifications in terms of whole building materials. The lifecycle performance of the buildings was primarily evaluated in terms of its Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Health Impacts.The findings of the study show that irrespective of materials used, buildings that are based on renewable energy perform better than those based on fossil fuels over its lifecycle. In terms of building materials, both environmental and health preference of buildings congruently range from timber, brick/block, steel, to Insulated Concrete Foams, in a descending order. The study suggests that as buildings become more energy-efficient during operational stages, serious attention needs to be given to their embodied impacts.The study lay out a methodological framework that could be adopted by industry practitioners in evaluating lifecycle environmental impacts of different BIM modelled materials options at building conception stage. This has the tendency of ensuring that most lifecycle environmentally beneficial materials combinations are selected during specification and construction.

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This paper reports on the application of a simulated annealing algorithm to the minimum cost design of reinforced concrete retaining structures. Cantilever retaining walls are investigated, being representative of reinforced concrete retaining structures that are required to resist a combination of earth and hydrostatic loading. To solve such a constrained optimisation problem, a modified simulated annealing algorithm is proposed that avoids the simple rejection of infeasible solutions and improves convergence to a minimum cost. The algorithm was implemented using an object-orientated visual programming language, offering facilities for continual monitoring, assessing and changing of the simulated annealing control parameters. Results show that the simulated annealing can be successfully applied to the minimum cost design of reinforced concrete retaining walls, overcoming the difficulties associated with the practical and realistic assessment of the structural costs and their complex inter-relationship with the imposed constraints on the solution space.

In this paper the method for sustainable design analysis (SDA) integration with building information modelling (BIM) is explored, through the prism of a complex case study based research. BIM model federation and integration challenges are reported, including issues with combining geometry and managing attribute data. The research defines SDA as rapid and quantifiable analysis of multitude of sustainable alternatives and ‘what if’ questions posed by a design team during the early stages of the project, when the benefits of correct decisions can significantly exceed the actual investment required. The SDA concept and BIM integration findings are explained from conceptualisation to calculation stage, emphasising the importance of an iterative over a linear approach. \ud The research approach adopted has led to more informed sustainable solutions at earlier stages of project development, with a generally lower level of development (LOD) and computational/modelling effort required

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To mitigate climate change attributed to the built environments, there have been tremendous efforts to improve air conditioning systems in the buildings. The possibility of harvesting body heat as a renewable energy source to power a wearable personal heating system is investigated. The aim of this study is to integrate a wearable personal heating system with a thermoelectric generator (TEG) that harvests the body heat which is used to convert it into electricity. Moreover, the interaction between the TEG configuration and power output is studied. The power generation of TEG system is obtained by COMSOL Multiphysics software. The simulation results concluded that all the four proposed heat sink configurations can improve the power output of the wearable TEG at 1.4 m/s and 3m/s compared to that of the reference model. Furthermore, the perforated and trapezium shapes of heat sinks have a significantly better performance in comparison to conventional heat sinks.

This paper reports on the application of the Lagrangian Multiplier Method (LMM) to the minimum cost design of both singly and doubly reinforced concrete rectangular beams under limit state design conditions. Cost objective functions and stress constraints are derived and implemented within the optimisation method. Cost sensitivity analysis, detailed testing and comparisons with conventional design office methods are performed and the results reported, showing that the Lagrangian Multiplier Method can be successfully applied to the minimum cost design of reinforced concrete beams. The proposed approach is effective and reliable without the need for iterative trials. Optimum design curves have been developed that can be used without prior knowledge of optimisation. Despite the simplification of the cost model and the assumptions made, satisfactory and reliable results have been obtained and confirmed by using standard design office procedures