Publications

Buildings are subjected to deformations of their reinforced concrete structure due to vertical loadsthat can lead, in certain cases, to the significant cracking of the unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls,therefore requiring the development of specific knowledge of these types of deformations in order to minimisethem.Aiming the evaluation of buildings with reinforced concrete structures subjected to vertical deformations, themechanical characteristics of their infill masonry walls, as well as of their interface with the supportingconcrete elements, are here analysed. The basic compression behaviour of brick masonry is assessedparticularly through the previous analysis of a vertical compression test of a masonry specimen. Themechanical behaviour characteristics of the constituents (bricks, and mortar joints) are analysed to account fortheir influence on the compression behaviour of masonry infill, aiming particularly for the prevision of theircracking in case of vertical deformations of the supporting reinforced concrete (RC) elements. Based on thatevaluation, the analysis of masonry walls subjected to vertical deformations of their supports is made throughthe assessment of the relevant characteristic behaviour of masonry wall-beam/slab assembly in case of verticalload. A general modelling approach of the behaviour of URM infills and the interaction with their supports isgenerally accessed. Finally, the preventive control of deformations of masonry wall-beam/slab assembly isdiscussed.

Buildings are subjected to deformations of their reinforced concrete structure due to vertical loads that can lead, in certain cases, to the significant cracking of the unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls, therefore requiring the development of specific knowledge of these types of deformations in order to minimise them.Aiming the evaluation of buildings with reinforced concrete structures subjected to vertical deformations, themechanical characteristics of their infill masonry walls, as well as of their interface with the supportingconcrete elements, are hereanalysed. The basic compressionbehaviour of brick masonry is assessedparticularly through theprevious analysis of a vertical compression test of a masonry specimen. Themechanical behaviour characteristics of the constituents (bricks, and mortar joints) are analysed to account for their influence on the compression behaviour of masonry infill, aiming particularly for the prevision of theircracking in case of vertical deformations of the supportingreinforced concrete (RC) elements. Based on thatevaluation, the analysis of masonry walls subjected to vertical deformations of theirsupports is made throughthe assessment of the relevant characteristic behaviour of masonry wall-beam/slab assembly in case of vertical load. A general modelling approach of the behaviour of URM infills and the interaction with their supports is generally accessed. F inally, the preventive control of deformations of masonry wall-beam/slab assembly is discussed

As funções financeiras e as funções relacionadas com o desempenho técnico e funcional (não financeiras) estão incorporadas nas atividades de gestão do ciclo de vida de qualquer dos ativos construídos. Essas funções fornecem informação relevante para o estabelecimento de estratégias de operação e de manutenção, bem como para o processo de tomada de decisão relacionado com investimentos a longo prazo em reparações, substituições e reabilitações. O objetivo deste artigo é demonstrar os efeitos da utilização destes dois tipos de funções nas decisões estratégicas de longo prazo da gestão de ativos. Esta demonstração é feita por recurso a uma análise de informação financeira, técnica e funcional de portefólios de edifícios. Para tal, apresenta-se um caso de estudo de dois edifícios escolares públicos construídos, respetivamente nas décadas de 40 e 80 do século passado, nos quais foram realizadas intervenções profundas de reabilitação no ano de 2010. Consideram-se e comparam-se os efeitos das funções utilizadas para apoiar o processo de tomada de decisão nos períodos que antecederam e sucederam essas intervenções. Os resultados dos cálculos de taxas de depreciação funcional equivalente e financeiras, mostram um desalinhamento entre funcões financeiras e não financeiras e realçam a importância de que se promova esse alinhamento, tendo em vista uma otimização da gestão do ciclo de vida destes edifícios.

A segurança das pessoas e o elevado valor dos bens construídos e dos seus conteúdos, bem como a sua criticidade na satisfação das necessidades básicas e bem-estar das comunidades, sempre suscitaram preocupações quanto à sustentabilidade, resiliência e fiabilidade do ambiente construído. A resiliência dos ativos construídos está frequentemente ligada à formulação de políticas e estratégias para o ambiente construído após eventos catastróficos ou traumáticos. É um conceito multidimensional que abrange aspetos físicos, infraestruturais,ambientais, económico-sociais, regulamentares e organizacionais. O presente artigo apresenta os resultados da aplicação de um sistema de classificação de resiliência assente numa abordagem holística, abrangente e sistemática, a diferentes tipos de edifícios, em qualquer fase do seu ciclo de vida. Em particular, analisa a resiliência de edifícios de escolas públicas portuguesas a diferentes riscos do ponto de vista da engenharia, nomeadamente no que diz respeito à segurança estrutural e de manutenção do edifício. Os edifícios escolares analisados, construídos ao longo do século XX, tiveram intervenções alargadas, entre 2009 e2011, no âmbito de um programa nacional de investimento público. Os edifícios foram analisados antes e após intervenções de reabilitação. Relativamente a indicadores económicos e a investimento potencial, nota-se que as intervenções de reabilitação apresentam impacto positivo na classificação da resiliência

The external envelope of buildings with reinforced concrete structures (RCS buildings) is subjected to environmental actions, particularly related to wind-driven rain (WDR), external humidity variations, and rising dampness, which can cause significant variations in moisture content to their unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls, mainly associated to water penetration across that envelope. The consequent moisture transfer across the envelope can change the mechanical response of the URM infill walls and lead to their cracking, which could aggravate the referred water penetration, with a subsequent increase in the risk of building envelope degradation. In reverse, the effects of mechanical loads on moisture transfer across that envelope can be also relevant, in terms of change in the moisture content of these URM infill walls. The aim here is to analyze this type of mutual effect between moisture transfer and mechanical response in URM infill walls of RCS buildings. Essential elements about the characteristics of moisture transfer across URM infill walls and of the interface resistance with moisture flows are summarily described, and the essential evaluation of the mechanical behavior of URM infill walls when subjected to moisture variations is carried out. Moisture transport characteristics are discussed, focusing on analyses of the behavior of masonry elements when subjected to moisture variations. An initial assessment of the mechanical behavior of URM infill walls when subjected to different moisture variations is made through a compression test of a brick masonry specimen with variable moisture content. Following that analysis, an evaluation is made of the moisture transfer in URM infills, as well as the influence of the interface between layers in that moisture transfer and, subsequently, an assessment is made of hygromechanical couplings. Finally, elements for prevention about the causes of degradation of URM infill related to humidity and mechanical actions in the RCS building envelope are discussed.

Buildings with reinforced concrete structure (RCS buildings), including unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls, can be negatively affected by anomalies in their envelope, such as cracking and water penetration, which worsen the aesthetic aspect and reduce the safety and level of comfort of those buildings. To access the relevance of these anomalies and their evolution along service life, a corresponding survey and monitoring during service life are essential. Non-destructive test methods (NDT), in particular ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) testing, are currently used in that survey and monitoring. In the context of monitoring the degradation of the URM infill walls and access their impact on the durability of the RCS building envelope, UPV testing can be a type of NDT method to be used, considering that it can contribute to the evaluation of the state of conservation of the construction elements, such as masonry and concrete. It is intended here to access the potential use of UPV testing in the monitoring of anomalies related to the degradation of building facades due, particularly, to cracking and to water penetration associated with WDR (wind driven-rain). The preliminary assessment of the use of UPV testing is made through the previous analysis of the results of the application of UPV testing for the detection of sub-surface and surface cracking in compression tests of masonry specimens. Following that analysis, an evaluation is made of the conditioning aspects of the use of UPV testing to access durability problems of the building envelope. Particularly, the main characteristics of cracking with interest for the assessment of the potential use of UPV testing are generally discussed. And, finally, an evaluation is made of the risk of water penetration through the cracks, for potential use of UPV testing in monitoring the presence of humidity in the cracks.

Buildings with reinforced concrete structure (RCS buildings), including unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls, can be negatively affected by anomalies in their envelope, such as cracking and water penetration, which worsen the aesthetic aspect and reduce the safety and level of comfort of those buildings. Toaccess the relevance of these anomalies and their evolution along service life, a corresponding survey andmonitoring during service life are essential. Non-destructive test methods (NDT), in particular ultrasonic pulsevelocity (UPV) testing, are currently used in that survey and monitoring. In the context of monitoring thedegradation of the URM infill walls and access their impact on the durability of the RCS building envelope,UPV testing can be a type of NDT method to be used, considering that it can contribute to the evaluation of the state of conservation of the construction elements, such as masonry and concrete.It is intended here to access the potential use of UPV testing in the monitoring of anomalies related to thedegradation of building facades due, particularly, to cracking and to water penetration associated with WDR(wind driven-rain). The preliminary assessment of the use of UPV testing is made through the previous analysis of the results of the application of UPV testing for the detection of sub-surface and surface cracking in compression tests of masonry specimens. Following that analysis, an evaluation is made of the conditioning aspects of the use of UPV testing to access durability problems of the building envelope. Particularly, the main characteristics of cracking with interest for the assessment of the potential use of UPV testing are generally discussed. And, finally, an evaluation is made of the risk of water penetration through the cracks, for potential use of UPV testing in monitoring the presence of humidity in the cracks.

Urban resilience is an increasingly important topic because of the need to protect and optimize the value derived from the urban built environment with its constructed assets. But there is still no harmonized definition or a consensual set of descriptors for this multi-dimensional concept. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by outlining an Urban Resilience Evaluation System (URES) with a breakdown structure of 16 indicators and 75 parameters grouped into five interrelated dimensions: environmental, economic, organizational, social, and technical. The resilience scoring of the constructed assets relies on a novel Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach adapted from the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. This novel approach involves Automated Rational and Consistent Decision Making (ARCDM) to pre-conceptualize and simulate behavior scenarios of a virtual panel of experts with different perspectives. These behavior scenarios are organized into a pairwise multilayer decision-making matrix that overrides the need for surveys. The authors use a portfolio of buildings with seven different use types (residential, research facilities, schools, hospitals, industrial facilities, shopping centers, and hotels) to test the applicability of the proposed URES breakdown structure for buildings with different levels of importance. This allows the comparison and validation of various ranges of results expressing different perspectives.The proposed methodology can be readily used by various stakeholders of the Architecture, Engineering,Construction, and Operation (AECO) sectors involved in the lifecycle management decisions and activities ofconstructed assets. It impacts feasibility studies, design, construction, operation and maintenance, rehabilitation, and disposal of constructed assets that comprise the built environment for cities and societies.

A reabilitação de edifícios tem crescido nos últimos anos, sendo uma das áreas com maior investimento do setor público e privado. O desafio na reabilitação de edifícios permite reduzir o uso de recursos, tentando reduzir o impacto ambiental e tornando o setor de construção mais eficiente. O principal objetivo da pesquisa desenvolvida é compreender como o uso de ferramentas digitais permite uma abordagem mais eficiente na reabilitação energética de um edifício. Desta forma, e considerando diferentes soluções de reabilitação, é possível realizar uma análise de alternativas, comparando-as com a solução base e assim sendo capaz de compreender quais são os ganhos energéticos, bem como a solução ótima. Os resultados serão apresentados possibilitando a comparação com medidas reais e os parâmetros de referência dos padrões para desempenho térmico. A possibilidade de editar as propriedades térmicas dos materiais de construção considerados, permite a realização de várias simulações com diversas combinações de possíveis melhorias. Os resultados obtidos podem ser parte integrante de uma análise de custo-benefício para apoiar a tomada de decisão

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The reshaping of civil engineering education and training has been found to enhance student performance and improve their skills when facing the challenges of the real world. The industry is asking for engineers with better communication and teamwork skills, and most importantly, a broader understanding of how to solve real working market problems and create value in the marketplace. Moreover, the professional research institutions throughout the world and particularly in Portugal, such as engineering schools, are beginning to integrate entrepreneurship and business concepts into their training options.The present paper intends to present an overview about the challenges for maintenance and asset management, education and training of future generations and reshaping of research institutions. Moreover, a proposal is presented for the reshaping of maintenance and asset management education and training considering Portugal´s needs. Additionally, the development of new approaches is presented, as well as a proposal for reshaping maintenance and asset management education and training: roadmap for Portugal needs. The main conclusions of the paper are also stated.

Maintenance and Asset Management are very important for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) sector. The increase in associated information makes necessary to have greater control of it, with the emergence of Construction Information Classification Systems (CICS), which are fundamental in the classification of information and its use. The built environment is vulnerable to risks that are impossible to eliminate, and this prompts the need for managing and classifying the resilience and sustainability of different constructed assets.This paper presents contributes to a discussion on the ways to measure the resilience and sustainability of built assets, namely based on rating systems composed by different dimensions, several indicators and parameters. It covers not only the building's intrinsic qualities, but also its interdependence with the community, surroundings, and users in the context.

Resilience evaluation systems have been used to aggregate and calibrate multi-dimensional resilience-related inputs. But these evaluation systems do not offer comprehensive outputs nor sufficient analytical capacity to support the design and implementation of city and community recovery and resilience plans. Urban resilience research covers multiple fields of study like earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis, amongst other types of disaster risks. This study focuses on the strategic needs of resilience and recovery plans for Portuguese cities and communities and proposes a sophisticated mapping system to address this gap. The main output of the proposed approach is a multi-layer heatmaps with scores based on various disastersfor all Portuguese cities. The resilience score is obtained through real statistical geo-data analysis.

A segurança das pessoas e o elevado valor dos bens construídos e dos seus conteúdos, bem como a sua criticidade na satisfação das necessidades básicas e bem-estar das comunidades, sempre suscitaram preocupações quanto à sustentabilidade, resiliência e fiabilidade do ambiente construído. A resiliência dos ativos construídos está frequentemente ligada à formulação de políticas e estratégias para o ambiente construído após eventos catastróficos ou traumáticos. É um conceito multidimensional que abrange aspetos físicos, infra-estruturais, ambientais, económico-sociais, regulamentares e organizacionais. O presente artigo apresenta os resultados da aplicação de um sistema de classificação de resiliência assente numa abordagem holística, abrangente e sistemática, a diferentes tipos de edifícios, em qualquer fase do seu ciclo de vida. Em particular, analisa a resiliência de edifícios de escolas públicas portuguesas a diferentes riscos do ponto de vista da engenharia, nomeadamente no que diz respeito à segurança estrutural e de manutenção do edifício. Os edifícios escolares analisados, construídos ao longo do século XX, tiveram intervenções alargadas, entre 2009 e 2011, no âmbito de um programa nacional de investimento público. Os edifícios foram analisados antes e após intervenções de reabilitação. Relativamente a indicadores económicos e a investimento potencial, nota-se que as intervenções de reabilitação apresentam impacto positivo na classificação da resiliência.

Transport infrastructures such as roads, railways and runways are under increased traffic loading and their rehabilitation has to be performed in an efficient way, structurally and financially. In this process, monitoring of structural and functional capacity of transport infrastructures using nondestructive tests is performed in a systematic way. It is important to take advantages of these measurements to plan a future rehabilitation.Using the BIM methodology, it is possible to obtain a model that, besides containing the three-dimensional graphic representation of the pavement or rail track and its physical and mechanical characteristics, also has information regarding the structural condition resulting from the continuous inspections.The authors developed case studies of Building Information Modelling (BIM) applied to roads, runways, and railways. In the road and airport pavements cases, the integration of structural capacity in the modelling was studied. Regarding the railway

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The recognition of the high costs of the vulnerabilities of cities and communities due to various types of disaster risks have helped build the business case for improving the investments of the quality and resilience of buildings and civil engineering works. This important issue has attracted the attention of several stakeholders, including engineering professionals from different fields, scientists, standardization bodies, investors and financial institutions, regulatory agencies, user groups of several, as well as administrative services at national and regional level.This paper discusses the application of a resilience rating system to show the impacts of capital investment in building refurbishment and renewal. It highlights aspects in building renovation programs that efficiently and quickly increase their resilience in face of extreme events. The work presented builds on previousdiscussions on ways to measure the resilience of built assets, namely based on a rating system composed by different dimensions, several indicators, and parameters. It covers not only the building's intrinsic qualities, but also its interdependence with the community, surroundings, and users in the post-disaster context.

Innovations in Road, Railway and Airfield Bearing Capacity

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The real-estate valuation is still complex when it comes to the quantification of the areas and all the factors and coefficients involved in the tax asset value calculation. Automatic methods developed for this purpose have been using various possible approaches and tend to be quite complex for the calculation speed required in most cases. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has as its main advantage the possibility of a precise representation of the geometry of building elements, with integration of information and data in several dimensions. In this sense, this work intends to show the interests that exist in the creation and use of the BIM three-dimensional digital model, providing evidence of the value created for owners, designers, and investors through its use, creating better quality projects and more efficient construction processes, with economy of time and money. The present research work aims to develop the use of an automatic method for the real-estate value calculation, using BIM methodologies. Through BIM, the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) sector can take major evolutions in process optimization, following other major industries. These concepts allow for great speed and efficiency in post-project phases with many advantages compared to current methods. In the scope of the work, an automatic method is developed to calculate the real-estate value in two case studies. The application of the automatic method gains even more importance due to the possibility of its implementation in any developed three-dimensional model. Finally, the results obtained are analyzed and the main conclusions stated.

Nesta Nota Técnica aborda-se o tema das flechas admissíveis de elementos de betão armado de suporte de paredes de alvenaria. Analisam-se os aspetos característicos do comportamento das paredes de alvenaria e dos seus elementos de apoio, bem como algumas questões relacionadas com a fendilhação de paredes de alvenaria devida essencialmente a situações de deformabilidade excessiva dos seus elementos. São feitas considerações sobre a limitação das flechas de suporte e analisadas algumas das recomendações constantes da regulamentação nacional e internacional.

No presente estudo faz-se uma abordagem sobre o tema do movimento das fundações de edifícios, dando especial destaque aos edifícios que utilizam alvenarias no preenchimento de malhas estruturais de paredes e na execução de divisórias interiores. Referem-se as conclusões de estudos realizados por diversos autores envolvendo aspetos relacionados com a segurança e avaliação dos assentamentos admissíveis das construções. No final, descrevem-se modelos de análise do comportamento dos edifícios e a sua aplicação na determinação dos assentamentos admissíveis em edifícios com diferentes soluções construtivas.

No presente estudo faz-se uma abordagem geral sobre a problemática dos pavimentos térreos em edifícios industriais, procurando-se desenvolver aspetos essenciais sobre o solo de fundação e sua interação com o pavimento, dimensionamento e processos construtivos. O estudo pretende restringir-se fundamentalmente a pavimentos constituídos por lajes de betão fracamente armadas e localizadas no interior de edifícios industriais, embora se possa generalizar a outras situações.

O que se procura realizar no presente estudo/livro é uma reflexão prática e sistematizada sobre um extenso quadro de qualificação residencial, que harmonize sistematicamente e na medida do que se considera ser possível, a perspetiva da satisfação dos habitantes com os aspetos associados à qualificação da própria conceção arquitetónica, considerando nesta os respetivos aspetos de desenho urbano. Visam-se, assim, neste livro ideias e caminhos de investigação sobre a relação profunda que existe entre a qualidade da Habitação

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