Search results for: sustainable energy
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Green analytical chemistry : theory and practice
PublicationThis tutorial review summarises the current state of green analytical chemistry with special emphasis on environmentally friendly sample preparation techniques. Green analytical chemistry is a part of the sustainable development concept; its history and origins are described. Miniaturisation of analytical devices and shortening the time elapsing between performing analysis and obtaining reliable analytical results are important...
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Digitalization of High Speed Craft Design and Operation Challenges and Opportunities
PublicationIn recent years, global demands for safe and sustainable ships led to dramatic changes in the maritime industry. Digitalization is expected to play an important part in the future. This is supported by analysis of the autonomous ships market which shows that digitalization of large ship types such as tankers and container ships is well on track. Although to date designs of autonomous High-Speed Craft (HSC) have been developed,...
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CSR – A FASHION OR REAL COMMITMENT? THE CASE OF POLISH LISTED COMPANIES
PublicationThis article, without claiming to be the ultimate reference, aims at assessing the social commitment of the large and solid financially, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), Polish companies, on the eve of the implementation of the EU directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information (2014/95/EU). The selected companies seem perfect to form a vanguard of CSR in Poland, but the results of the analysis indicate...
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System architecture of an INSPIRE-compliant green cadastre system for the EU Member State of Poland
PublicationIn response to the need for a sustainable agricultural policy, which would support activities such as decision making in precise agriculture and mitigation of crop threats, a concept agricultural information system was developed for the area of Poland. This innovative concept, called Green Cadastre (GC), proposes to create a uniform system designed for use on a national scale by both state administration as well as local farmers....
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Trends in the new generation of green solvents in extraction processes
PublicationAnalytical chemistry, like other scientific fields, has undergone a number of changes to make it more consistent with the concept of sustainable development. Among the various steps of chemical analysis, without a doubt, sample preparation is the bottleneck in regard to following a green protocol, especially in terms of solvent consumption. Therefore, many attempts have been made to improve the environmental friendliness of this...
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Annual changes of basic parameters of bottom sediments from the Klodnica River Catchment
PublicationThe Klodnica River Catchment is heavily contaminated ecosystem located in area of the Upper Silesia Industrial Region. In this area various forms of human activity can be observed (e.g. mining coal underground, metallurgy, power/heat plants, wastewater discharged directly into the river). The impact of industrial and municipal wastes on this aquatic system causes to changes in the hydrographic network of river and the waters quality. In...
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Cadmium accumulation by Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus from stormwater in floating treatment wetlands microcosms: Insights into plant tolerance and utility for phytoremediation
PublicationEnvironmentally sustainable remediation is needed to protect freshwater resources which are deteriorating due to severe industrial, mining, and agricultural activities. Treatment by floating wetlands could be a sustainable solution to remediate water bodies. The study aimed to examine the effects of Cd on Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus growth (height, biomass, root length and chlorophyll contents), anatomy, Cd accumulation...
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Removal of nitrogen from wastewater: Unsolved problems and possible solutions with partial denitrification/anammox systems
PublicationAbstract Nitrate (NO3−) is more stable than ammonia (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2−) among the majority of emerging pollutants in wastewater that can harm the ecosystem by depleting oxygen and water quality, thereby posing environmental and human health risks. Despite anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) being a common method for nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater, it leaves behind residual NO3− of around 11 %. Maintaining the stability...
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Rhodotorulic Acid and its Derivatives: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
PublicationSiderophores are low molecular weight compounds produced by microorganisms to scavenge iron in iron-deficient environments. Rhodotorulic acid, a natural hydroxamate siderophore, plays a vital role in iron acquisition for fungi and bacteria. As the simplest natural hydroxamate siderophore, it exhibits a high affinity for ferric ions, enabling it to form stable complexes that facilitate iron uptake and transport within microorganisms....
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Space syntax analysis - methodology of understanding the space
PublicationNowadays space is considered as a net of connections between different areas. The questions how to delineate its character and how it is possible to objectively compare two spaces is the matter under consideration. This was the reason for creating new theories about the structure of place. "Space syntax analysis" (SSA) or simply "Space Syntax" defines a number of theories and research areas devoted to the analysis of space configuration....
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Gender, equality, science and information systems
PublicationIn the entire Europe more women than men graduate from tertiary education institutes1. However, they are underrepresented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Women researchers still constitute a minority in the Government and Higher Education Sectors that both are related to power. A number of industry reports highlight a low number of women in IT occupations2. The EU Member States have, on political levels, committed themselves...
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Quadrotor Flight Controller Design Using Classical Tools
PublicationA principal aspect of quadrocopter in-flight operation is to maintain the required attitude of the craft’s frame, which is done either automatically in the so-called supervised flight mode or manually during man-operated flight mode. This paper deals with the problem of flight controller (logical) structure and algorithm design dedicated for the man-operated flight mode. The role of the controller is to stabilise the rotational...
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Urban space recovery. Landscape-beneficial solutions in new estates built in post-industrial and post-military areas in Bristol, Poznań and Gdańsk
PublicationThe limitation of territorial expansion and the implementation of the idea of a compact city are generally accepted paradigms of spatial development of contemporary cities. In consequence, actions are taken to improve the quality of city landscape and revitalise vacant areas. This study approaches the process of city regeneration as transformation and supplementation of the existing urban structure as well as creation of multifunctional, structurally,...
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Comparative tests of the wall thickness effect of a glass-reinforced thermosetting plastic coating with a non-circular cross section in a soil-coating object for economic aspect
PublicationCulvert structures made of plastics are employed extensively in the construction of new facilities as well as the renovation of existing ones. Due to the high costs of materials required for the manufacturing of these goods, the objective of this research is focused to lessen the thickness of the walls, which may, on the other hand, result in a reduction in the stiffness of the system. In the course of the testing, the structure...
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An Analysis of Airline GRI and SDG Reporting
PublicationThis study aims to increase our understanding of the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) topic-specific disclosures and the sustainable development goals (SDGs) addressed in the global passenger airline industry’s sustainability reporting (SR). Based on a quantitative content analysis of the industry’s sustainability reports from the financial year 2019 (FY19), this study reveals that airlines focused more on reporting environmental...
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Network design for surface water quality monitoring in a road construction project using Gamma Test theory
PublicationRoad construction has a negative environmental impact on the surrounding aquatic environment, requiring the continuous monitoring of surface water quality. Here, optimization of the water quality monitoring network (WQMN) is an essential step in supporting the sustainable development of road construction projects. This study introduces Gamma Test theory (GTT) as a practical method for optimizing the WQMN of surface waters during...
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Understainding solid-phase microextraction: key factors influencing the extraction process and trends in improving the technique
PublicationAnalytical chemists are faced with the daunting challenges of accurately monitoring the state of the environment and the processes taking place in it and of determining an enormous range of analytes often present in trace and ultratrace amounts in sample matrixes with complex or variable compositions. Further challenges are presented by the need to introduce new methodologies into current analytical practice and equipment to comply...
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A survey of strategies for communication networks to protect against large-scale natural disasters
PublicationRecent natural disasters have revealed that emergency networks presently cannot disseminate the necessary disaster information, making it difficult to deploy and coordinate relief operations. These disasters have reinforced the knowledge that telecommunication networks constitute a critical infrastructure of our society, and the urgency in establishing protection mechanisms against disaster-based disruptions. Hence, it is important...
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Effect of strain level on the stiffness of cold recycled bituminous mixtures
PublicationCold recycling is a sustainable technology for the rehabilitation of bitumi-nous pavements. This study investigates the stiffness response of cement-bitumen treated materials (CBTM)manufactured with 80% reclaimed asphalt and treated with 2.0% Portland cement and 4.0% bitumen emulsion. Indirect tensile stiffness modulus tests were carried out to assess the strain dependence of stiffness at target horizontal deformation levels between...
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Improving Social Justice, Environmental Integrity, and Geopolitical Resilience in EU Electric Mobility Transition
PublicationWe recommend improving social justice, environmental integrity, and geopolitical resilience in electric mobility transition. To achieve this policy recommendation, we propose the following: (1) Increase societal acceptance and justice of climate policies by engaging local stakeholders; (2) Prioritize sustainable mobility practices over replacement of internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) with battery electric vehicle (BEV);...
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Degradation of stiffness of building columns exposed to bending and impact load during ground motions
PublicationThe safety of civil engineering structures under external loads, including ground motions, is one of the issues related to the idea of sustainable society. The earthquake-induced soft-storey failure is a typical type of damage observed in buildings due to seismic excitation. The failure of an intermediate soft storey of a structure results in large vertical impact loading acting on the lower floors due to the fall of the upper...
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Gender and Digital Divide - Information and Communication Technologiesand their Impact on Equality
PublicationIn the entire Europe more women than men graduate from tertiaryeducation institutes. However, they are underrepresented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Women researchers still constitute a minority in the Government and Higher Education Sectors. A number of industry reports highlight a low number of women in IT occupations49. This has led to a variety of public policy measures, such as subsidies on community provision,...
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Smart Innovation Engineering (SIE): Experience-Based Product Innovation System for Industry 4.0
PublicationThis paper presents a semi-automatic system capable of facilitating product innovation process. This system, known as Smart Innovation Engineering (SIE) system, helps in decision-making by using the explicit knowledge of formal decision events. The SIE system carries the promise to support the innovation processes of manufactured products in a quick and efficient way. It stores and reuses the past decisional events or sets of experiences...
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Stabilizing lactate production through repeated batch fermentation of food waste and waste activated sludge
PublicationBio-valorization of organic waste streams, such as food waste and waste activated sludge, to lactic acid (LA) has recently drawn much attention. It offers an opportunity for resource recovery, alleviates environmental issues and potentially turns a profit. In this study, both stable and high LA yield (0.72 ± 0.15 g/g total chemical oxygen demand) and productivity rate (0.53 g/L•h) were obtained through repeated batch fermentation....
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Enhanced photocatalytic activity of transparent carbon nanowall/TiO2 heterostructures
PublicationThe synthesis of novel tunable carbon-based nanostructure represented a pivotal point to enhance the efficiency of existing photocatalysts and to extend their applicability to a wider number of sustainable processes. In this letter, we describe a transparent photocatalytic heterostructure by growing boron-doped carbon nanowalls (B-CNWs) on quartz, followed by a simple TiO2 sol-gel deposition. The effect on the thickness and boron-doping...
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Landscape as the tool of coherence in the land management of rural communes
PublicationEconomic and social transformation of rural areas in Poland after 1990 reveals itself through disintegration of previous spatial order. Building a new pattern requires a vision, which would counteract complex causes of disintegration. The latter belong to institutional domain of planning strategies and the area of common practices. Therefore, agreement on aims and means between spatial policy strategies and tactics of space users...
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Reactive extrusion of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters in the presence of free-radical-initiators: A review
PublicationNowadays, growing attention is being paid to the environment and sustainability, what fully justified research works focused on modification of biodegradable polymers and their composites. In this field of research reactive extrusion seems to be the most promising approach, which fits well to sustainable development strategy. In In the present work, the in-situ modification of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters and the compatibilization...
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The sensors-based artificial intelligence Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) for managing the railway transport fleet
PublicationRailways deliver a safe and sustainable form of transport and are typically pointed as one the safest form of transportation. Nevertheless, train accidents still happen, and when they happen, the consequences concern serious fatalities and injuries. Since every case is unique, the most frequent causes of train accidents are mechanical derailments, failures, as well as human errors and ignorance. In order to mitigate the risks posed...
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Analysis of the Environmental Impact of the Hull Construction of a Small Vessel Based on LCA
PublicationIn recent years, issues related to the impact of human activity on the natural environment have become pressing, and the challenge of global warming necessitates immediate action. To support environmental protection efforts, it has become imperative to adopt a broader perspective when evaluating various products and systems. A valuable tool for such assessments is a life cycle assessment (LCA), which enables a comprehensive analysis...
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Recent applications and future prospects of magnetic biocatalysts
PublicationMagnetic biocatalysts combine magnetic properties with the catalytic activity of enzymes, achieving easy recovery and reuse in biotechnological processes. Lipases immobilized by magnetic nanoparticles dominate. This review covers an advanced bibliometric analysis and an overview of the area, elucidating research advances. Using WoS, 34,949 publications were analyzed and refined to 450. The prominent journals, countries, institutions, and...
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Recommendations for Urban Freight Policy Development in Gdynia
PublicationThe purpose of this paper was to provide practical recommendations on how to develop Gdynia’s urban freight policy based on actual planning experience and characteristics of potential measures. Freight policy scheme was developed as a result of three interrelated factors: a) the general procedure of the urban freight planning, b) the city's current planning stage analysis and, c) characteristics of urban freight objectives and...
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Mixed-use buildings as the basic unit that shapes the housing environment of smart cities of the future
PublicationThe contemporary approach to creating the residential function is confronted with the trend of increasing the volume of buildings and expectations regarding the future urban environment focused on sustainable development. This paper presents an overview of the residential structure in the context of defined thematic scopes. Namely, it is a systemic approach to the problem of designing mixed-use buildings which create a modern residential...
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Ultrasound assisted extraction
PublicationThe use of green and sustainable extraction techniques is very popular topic in the multidisciplinary area of chemistry, biology and technology. There is no doubt that extraction constitutes a very important step of analytical procedures of separation, detection, identification and determination of wide spectrum analytes from samples characterized by complex and very often nonhomogeneous composition of matrix. Traditional techniques...
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COMPOSITE FOOTBRIDGE - SYNERGY EFFECT IN COOPERATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND INDUSTRY
PublicationPaper presents conditions of science and industry cooperation in Poland (restrictions, barriers, good practice). A key role in initiation of collaboration between units has financial support. What is also important, it is much easier to create innovative solutions on the base of combining the potential of individuals. That is why many countries all over the world look for innovative solutions using budget funds to support grants...
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30 years of treatment wetland application in poland- progress and reserch
PublicationThe experiences with design and operation of constructed wetlands in the Pommerania region during last 30 years followed by carried out investigations of treatment processes lead to the following conclusions:First applications of constructed wetlands for biological sewage treatment were made in 1984-92. The later implementations of multi-stage constructed wetlands in the individual household and local scale enable wastewater treatment...
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Modal analysis of a steel grandstand
PublicationAmong the issues related to the idea of sustainable society is the safety of civil engineering structures devoted to satisfy different needs of people. One of the types of structures devoted to satisfy recreational needs are grandstands, which are used during sport events or music concerts. It is obligatory to consider interaction between structure and crowd load especially when the crowd movement involves rhythmic jumping, dancing,...
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Selected issues related to the toxicity of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents—a review
PublicationGreen Chemistry plays a more and more important role in implementing rules of sustainable development to prevent environmental pollution caused by technological processes, while simultaneously increasing the production yield. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) constitute a very broad group of substances. Apart from many imperfections, ILs and DESs have been the most promising discoveries in the world of Green...
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Mass Spectrometry-Based Direct Analytical Techniques
PublicationDirect analysis of samples is considered as one of the most environmentally sustainable solutions in analytical chemistry. In the ideal case, such solutions do not require sample preparation and analytes separation steps, therefore do not consumpt harmful substances (or consumpt only minimum amounts of them) and do not generate hazardous waste. Technical solutions for direct analysis also offer miniaturized and field-portable analyzers...
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Waste tire rubber as low-cost and environmentally-friendly modifier in thermoset polymers – a review
PublicationNowadays, waste tire rubber (WTR) management is a growing and serious problem. Therefore, research works focused on the development of cost-effective and environmentally-friendly methods of WTR recycling are fully justified. Incorporation of WTR into polymer matrices and composite materials attracts much attention, because this approach allows sustainable development of industrially applicable waste tires recycling technologies....
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Extraction with environmentally friendly solvents
PublicationThe ever-increasing demand for determining compounds at low concentration levels in complex matrices requires a preliminary step of analytes isolation/enrichment in order to employ a detection technique characterized by high sensitivity at low LOQ. Sample preparation is considered as crucial part of analytical procedures. Previously the parameter of “greenness” is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic...
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The application of environmental issues in designing urban structures – a framework for comprehensive local planning policies
PublicationThe implementation of environmental issues in planning and designing urban structures is becoming a novel approach and a common practice consistent with the paradigm of sustainable development. Maintaining environmental quality in urban areas, managing natural resources and understanding the complexity of urban systems is becoming increasingly challenging. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies for the integration of...
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Ancient settlements-atavistic solutions for present water supply and drainage problems engendered by urbanism
PublicationWater is the most valuable resource available on earth. Although it is present in abundance, its usable volume is very scarce. This is the reason behind the existence of both floods and droughts around the world. However, human settlements face water scarcity issues that are primarily engendered by improper town planning measures. To create a balance between the available fractions of water, it is therefore imperative to have proper...
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Optimization of Stabilizing Systems in Protection of Cultural Heritage: The Case of the Historical Retaining Wall in the Wisłoujście Fortress
PublicationThe aim of the paper is to propose new quantitative criteria for selecting the optimal method of securing and repairing a historical object, which take into account Structural, Conservation and Architectural aspects (the S–C–A method). Construction works on cultural heritage sites tend to be challenging and require an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, they are strictly related to the philosophy of sustainable development which...
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Towards Greater Citizen Participation in Financing Public Cultural Institutions—Legal Barriers and Proposed Solutions
PublicationThe paper contains a conceptual proposal that aims at indicating new models of participatory financing of cultural institutions as well as actions towards supporting culture. It presents results of a qualitative study in the form of action research, on identifying legal barriers of financing of cultural institutions in Poland. Additionally, it presents practical suggestions to the encountered problems that were worked out after...
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Investigating COVID-19 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) degradation using Peroxydisulfate/FeMnOx binary metal oxide/Ultrasound System
PublicationDegradation of Favipiravir using a hybrid system of peroxydisulfate, FeMnOx binary metal oxide, and ultrasound irradiation was studied. A novel catalyst was synthesized with deep eutectic solvent (DES). The effects of DES type on catalytic performance was evaluated and the catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, XPS, and EDS. DES-based catalysts exhibited higher efficiency due to structure change, surface area enhancement...
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Characterization of PVDF/Graphene Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Desalination with Enhanced Antifungal Activity
PublicationSeawater desalination is a worldwide concern for the sustainable production of drinking water. In this regard, membrane distillation (MD) has shown the potential for effective brine treatment. However, the lack of appropriate MD membranes limits its industrial expansion since they experience fouling and wetting issues. Therefore, hydrophobic membranes are promising candidates to successfully deal with such phenomena that are typical...
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Enhancement of PUR/PIR foam thermal stability after addition of Zostera marina biomass component investigated via thermal analysis and isoconversional kinetics
PublicationIn the present work, a thorough thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of bio-based polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR–PIR) foams in both nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere is performed. A sustainable element of the foam is a biopolyol obtained via acid-catalyzed liquefaction of Zostera marina and Enteromorpha Algae biomass. Based on isoconversional analysis and apparent activation energies, several conclusions are obtained. In contradiction...
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Nexus between stock markets, economic strength, R&D and environmental deterioration: new evidence from EU-27 using PNARDL approach
PublicationThis research investigates the impact of stock market indices, economic strength, and research and development expenditures on environmental deterioration in the EU-27 countries for the period 2000–2020. This study utilized linear and non-linear panel ARDL to estimate the short- and long-run effect. According to the results, the stock market indices have negative effect on environmental deterioration in the symmetric form. However,...
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Is the Concept of Zero Waste Possible to Implement in Construction?
PublicationThe scientifically treated problem of reusing building materials appeared in the literature more than 50 years ago. This paper includes an analysis of the characteristics of recycled building materials, which is a prerequisite for rational recycling. The analysis and simulation of building stocks at different scales has led to the conclusion that the most important link in the transformation of the construction industry towards...
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Ideas of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) in architectural education
PublicationThe New European Bauhaus (NEB) is an interdisciplinary project initiated by the European Commission in 2020 [1], based on three values: sustainability, beauty and community (social inclusion). Its aim is to support the European Green Deal programme [2] by accelerating the transformation of various economic sectors, including construction, to improve the quality of people’s lives and protect the natural environment. Even though...