Sustainability assessment method for healthcare buildings: criteria for materials selection in the Portuguese context

The health sector has a strong influence on the economy of nations and their policies and is based in a group of buildings where the quality of the indoor and outdoor environment is quite important. The impacts of these buildings are relevant compared to other buildings because they are directly related to human health. The healthcare providers...

Adaptive capacity of buildings: A determination method to promote flexible and sustainable construction

The subject adaptive construction is already for decades on the agenda of the construction sector. The adaptive capacity of a building includes all properties and qualities that enable the building keeping its (economic feasible) functionality during the technical life cycle, under altered conditions and needs. Meanwhile, the interest in...

Perception Coherence Zones in Vehicle Simulation

A perception coherence zone (PCZ) designates the range of inertial motion levels that, although not being a one-to-one match with the visual motion levels, are still considered by the subjects as being part of a coherent movement. Two types of PCZs were studied: amplitude PCZs and phase PCZs. Amplitude and phase coherences zones were measured...

Assessment method for buildings' Rehabilitation needs: Development and application

The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment method of a building rehabilitation needs. It was considered that a building needs rehabilitation if it would not comply with the functional requirements defined in Portuguese legislation or determined by good practices of design and construction. The functional requirements considered were:...

The practice of forward-looking transport Ppolicy assessment studies

New railways? Extra roads? Pricing policies to reduce environmental harmful transport emissions? Politicians face tough choices. What are the costs of these proposals? Will the plan result in the expected impacts? What are the risks of a plan? Who wins, who loses? This thesis is about the Dutch practice of helping public decision-making by...