Intramolecular Bromoamination of Conjugated N-Tosylaminodienes Using N-Bromosuccinimide. Synthesis of Bromoallyl-Substituted N-Heterocycles and Their Applications as Building Blocks

The bromonium-promoted cyclization of conjugated aminodienes is described. The reaction proceeds smoothly in the presence of N-bromosuccinimide as halonium promoter, and using N-tosyl-protected aminodienes as substrates, to give the corresponding halocyclization products in high yields and with high diastereoselectivities. It can be envisaged that the formation of these products is the result of an SN2′-type ring-opening of a terminal bromonium intermediate in a 5-exo-trig or 6-exo-trig cyclization mode. The presence of an allyl bromide moiety in the haloamination products makes these molecules highly attractive from a synthetic point of view, as it opens the way for further transformations. Thus, allylic substitution reactions with different nucleophiles (acetate, azide, cyanide, and malonate), palladium-catalysed Suzuki coupling, and silver-mediated bromine displacement reactions were carried out successfully.

Comparative analysis of constructive solutions for thermal insulation by using computer applications in building rehabilitation in Mediterranean climate. The Spanish case

The new Spanish legislation in Energy Saving, similar to European regulation, provides new technical requirements to adequate technical solutions used in integral rehabilitation of existing buildings. The aim of this paper is to present, analyze and discuss the main thermal insulation constructive solutions best suited to a Mediterranean climate, and conclude on their suitability under the legislation in Energy Saving. The proposed methodology is based on the most usual constructive solutions in integral rehabilitation of buildings by analyzing their outstanding design features, by studying its construction details and then by applying the software provided by the Spanish legislation of energy efficiency in buildings. The results of the study evaluate and classify several solutions for façade rehabilitation according to energy efficiency criteria and their suitability for this type of weather, verifying the necessity of using software applications in energy saving for the proper design of constructive solutions in building rehabilitation.

Building from building waste: The development of an instrument to determine the circularity of materials from the existing building stock in order to maximise high quality reuse

On a global level the population growth and increase of the middle class lead to a growing demand on material resources. The built environment has an enormous impact on this scarcity. In addition, a surplus of construction and demolition waste is a common problem. The construction industry claims to recycle 95% of this waste but this is in fact mainly downcycling. Towards the circular economy, the quality of reuse becomes of increasing importance. Buildings are material warehouses that can contribute to this high quality reuse. However, several aspects to achieve this are unknown and a need for more insight into the potential for high quality reuse of building materials exists. Therefore an instrument has been developed that determines the circularity of construction waste in order to maximise high quality reuse. The instrument is based on three principles: ‘product and material flows in the end of life phase’, ‘future value of secondary materials and products’ and ‘the success of repetition in a new life cycle’. These principles are further divided into a number of criteria to which values and weighting factors are assigned. A degree of circularity can then be determined as a percentage. A case study for a typical 70s building is carried out. For concrete, the circularity is increased from 25% to 50% by mapping out the potential for high quality reuse. During the development of the instrument it was clarified that some criteria are difficult to measure. Accurate and reliable data are limited and assumptions had to be made. To increase the reliability of the instrument, experts have reviewed the instrument several times. In the long-term, the instrument can be used as a tool for quantitative research to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste and contribute to the reduction of raw material scarcity.

Optimal model through identified frequencies of a masonry building structure with wooden floors

The paper presents the analysis of an important historical building: the Saint James Theater in the city of Corfù (Greece) actually used as the Municipality House. The building, located in the center of the city, is made of carves stones and is characterized by a stocky shape and by the presence of wooden floors. The study deals with the structural identification of such structure through the analysis of its ambient vibrations recorded by means of accelerometers with high accuracy. A full dynamic testing was developed using ambient vibrations to identify the main modal parameters and to make a non-destructive characterization of this building. The results of these dynamic tests are compared with the modal analysis of a complex finite element (FE) simulation of the structure. This analysis may present several problems and uncertainties for this stocky building. Due to the presence of wooden floors, the local modes can be highly excited and, as a consequence, the evaluation of the structural modal parameters presents some difficulties.

How to measure healthiness in buildings: Experiences in teaching with BIM tools

Introducing teaching about healthy solutions in buildings and BIM has been a challenge for the University of Alicante. Teaching attached to very tighten study plans conditioned the types of methods that could be used in the past. The worldwide situation of crisis that especially reached Spain and the bursting of the housing bubble generated a lack of employment that reached universities where careers related to construction, Architecture and Architectural Technologist, suffered a huge reduction in the number of students enrolled. In the case of the University of Alicante, students’ enrolment for Architectural Technology reached an 80% reduction. The necessity of a reaction against this situation made the teachers be innovative and use the new Bologna adapted study plans to develop new teaching experiences introducing new concepts: people wellbeing in buildings and BIM. Working with healthy solutions in buildings provided new approaches for building design and construction as an alternative to sustainability. For many years sustainability was the concept that applied to housing gave buildings an added value and the possibility of having viability in a very complex scenario. But after lots of experiences, the approved methodologies for obtaining sustainable housing were ambiguous and at the end, investors, designers, constructors and purchasers cannot find real and validated criteria for obtaining an effective sustainable house. It was the moment to work with new ideas and concepts and start facing buildings from the users’ point of view. At the same time the development of new tools, BIM, has opened a wide range of opportunities, innovative and suggestive, that allows simulation and evaluation of many building factors. This paper describes the research in teaching developed by the University of Alicante to adapt the current study plans, introducing work with healthy solutions in buildings and the use of BIM, with the aim of attracting students by improving their future employability. Pilot experiences have been carried out in different subjects based on the work with projects and case studies under an international frame with the cooperation of different European partner universities. The use of BIM tools, introduced in 2014, solved the problems that appeared in some subjects, mainly building construction, and helped with the evaluation of some healthy concepts that presented difficulties until this moment as knowledge acquired by the students was hard to be evaluated. The introduction of BIM tools: Vasari, FormIt, Revit and Light Control among others, allowed the study of precise healthy concepts and provided the students a real understand of how these different parameters can condition a healthy architectural space. The analysis of the results showed a clear acceptance by the students and gave teachers the possibility of opening new research lines. At the same time, working with BIM tools to obtain healthy solutions in building has been a good option to improve students’ employability as building market in Spain is increasing the number of specialists in BIM with a wider knowledge.

Structural Analysis with ANSYS on Stone Constructions in the Historical Spanish Heritage

According to the importance of rehabilitation and recovery of Architectural Heritage in the live of people, this paper is aimed to strengthen the traditional methods of stone vaults calculation taking advantage of the technological characteristics of the powerful program ANSYS Workbench. As an example of this, it could find out the possible pathologies that could arise during the construction history of the building. To limit this research, the upper vault of the main chapel of the Santiago parish church in Orihuela -Alicante- is selected as a reference which is a Jeronimo Quijano´s important building work in the XVI century in the Renaissance. Moreover, it is an innovative stone masonry vault that consists of 8 double intercrossed arches with each other and braced by severies. During the seventeenth century there was a lantern in the central cap and it is unknown why it was removed. Its construction could justify the original constructive solution with intercrossed arches that freed the center to create a more enlightened and comfortable presbytery. By similarity with other Quijano’s works, it is considered a small lantern drilling the central spherical cap. It is proposed to carry out a comparative study of it with different architectural solutions from the same period and based on several common parameters such as: a vault of square plant with spherical surround, intercrossed arches, a possible lantern, the dimension of the permitted space, similar states of loads and compact limestone masonry. The three solutions are mainly differentiated by their size and the type of lantern and its comparison lets us know which one is the most resistant and stable. The other two building works maintain some connection with the Quijano's professional scope. It has selected the particular case of the Communion chapel of the Basilica in Elche (a large prismatic lantern with a large cylindrical drum that starts from the own arches and an upper hemispherical dome), for its conservation, its proximity to Orihuela and its implementation during the century XVIII. Finally, a significant Dome Spanish Renaissance complete the selection: a cross vault of the Benavides Chapel of the Saint Francisco Convent in Baeza - Jaén-, designed by Andres of Vandelvira in the sixteenth century (a large hemispherical dome that starts from the own arcs). To simplify the calculation and standardize the work that have to be contrasted, all of them were considered with some similar characteristics: 30 cm constant thickness, the intercrossed arches were specifically analyzed and had identical loads, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Regarding the calculation solutions, in general terms, the compressive stresses predominate, influencing on it the joint collaboration of the filling material on the vault, the vault itself, the thick side walls, the buttresses and the top cover weight . In addition, the three solutions are suitable, being the Orihuela one the safest and the Baeza one the riskiest for its large dimensions. Thus, the idea of intercrossed arches with suitable thickness would allow carry out the heaviest lantern and this would confirm it as a Renaissance architectural typology built in stone.