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Sustainability is well understood to encapsulate economic, environmental and societal parameters. The efficiency of maintenance interventions for historic buildings is no exception and also conforms to these broad factors. Recently, environmental considerations for masonry repair have become increasingly important and this work supports this growing area. The purpose of this paper is to give insight on how an option appraisal approach of “Green Maintenance” modelling for historic masonry buildings repair practically determine and ultimately substantiate the decision-making process using a calculation procedures of life cycle assessment, within delineated boundaries.

Calculation procedures of the model enables an assessment of embodied carbon that is expended from different stone masonry wall repair techniques and scenarios for historic masonry buildings during the maintenance phase.

It recognises the importance roles Green Maintenance model can play in reducing carbon emissions and underpins rational decision making for repair selection.

It must be emphasised that the calculation procedures presented here, is not confined to historic masonry buildings and can be applied to any repair types and building form. The decisions made as a result of the utilisation of this model practically support environmentally focused conservation decisions.

The implementation of the model highlights the efficacy of repairs that may be adopted.

The paper is a rigorous application and testing of the Green Maintenance model. The model relays the “true” carbon cost of repairs contextualised within the longevity of the materials and its embodied carbon that consequently allows rational appraisal of repair and maintenance options.

The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of perceptions of suitability of different materials for a repair. The use of highly cementitious materials in the repair of historic masonry is causing great concern due to their incompatibility with adjacent stone and the associated accelerated deterioration which results from their use. The relatively recent development of so‐called “restoration mortars” based on a “mix and go” application, combined with the enhanced weathering of stone in a changing climate, may be contributing to the use of “plastic” repair materials on stone across Scotland.

Following a literature review, case studies of repairs are presented to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using such materials, and comparisons are made with the alternative options.

The case studies presented highlight the use of a number of different stone repair materials, sometimes in combination with stone replacement, representing functional and philosophical approaches to masonry repair. However, the research has also highlighted the increasing use of plastic repairs for large‐scale repair including façade rendering, which fail to incorporate these systematic and informed approaches, and can ultimately lead to failure of repairs.

An evaluation of the current standing of the materials, methods and the extent of this type of repair, is vital for the substantiation of further research, and to enhance the empirical knowledge of in‐use performance, longevity and failure. The increasing emergence of restoration mortars, and their manufacture and supply on an international scale, highlights the global impact and relevance of this research.

Material properties, such as shear and compressive strength of masonry, have a crucial impact on the seismic analysis results of masonry structures. Considering that most of the historical buildings are masonry structures, the damage caused by obtaining shear strengths with known methods exceeds acceptable limits. Instead of traditional shear strength index tests, this paper presents a test technique that has been developed which causes less damage to the structure, to obtain mechanical properties in masonry structures.

A new approach to shear testing and a test probe has been developed to minimize the destructive effects of mechanical in situ testing on masonry structures. The comparison of the results obtained with reduced destruction level using the novel shear strength index test probe with those obtained from the traditional method is addressed. Masonry specimens were tested in the laboratory and in situ tests were carried out on 12 historical buildings.

Test results obtained from the proposed probe shear strength index test were consistent with the results obtained from the conventional shear strength test both at the laboratory setting and in situ. Although a large number of data is needed for the validation of a method, satisfactory agreement with the conventional shear strength index test method was obtained.

The authors believe that the proposed method would give the opportunity to collect more mechanical strength data with much less destruction. The experimental work in the laboratory and in situ tests and their comparisons are the supportive and original values of this research.

The purpose of this study was to determine how people protect against strong seasonal winds from the mountains and to examine the relationship between windbreaks and local settlements.

The study site was the Tsuchigoya area of Hongu-cho in Japan. Measurement surveys were conducted to record the distribution, heights, widths, types and current conditions of the stone walls. At the same time, interview surveys were conducted to gather information about the history and local practices of coping with strong winds.

This study contributes knowledge of different methods of coping with strong winds, such as windbreak forests, stone walls, local stones and metal wire and bars. The sloping terrain and strong winds contributed to the construction of stone walls, which influenced the residential property layout and settlement layout. Abundant stones were available at nearby rivers and it is evident that masonry craftsmanship shaped the stone walls and landscape, which should be considered as holding cultural value for the village.

This study has some limitations. First, because of it being the case study of one study area, the findings cannot represent all the possible situations or contexts in different regions or countries. Further studies are necessary to understand the climate-responsive knowledge of other locations to address and establish a comprehensive understanding and future suggestions.

By re-examining the stone walls assembled by the people, this study was able to gain insight into such matters as the wind conditions, local topography and geography, acquisition of materials, masonry craftsmanship and social conditions such as flood influences in the area. The study showed the climate-responsive local knowledge and influence on local settings.

It is now necessary to record traditional disaster prevention methods, even in such small villages, to consider how the diverse methods of disaster management and resilience against climatic conditions have been preserved through the ages. The stone walls and landscape should be considered to have cultural value for the village.

The study showed that climate-responsive local knowledge and settlement layout have been developed through the local topography, weather conditions, resource availability and social conditions.

This paper aims to present the studies which were carried out to determine building typology in Northern Pakistan, which is a seismically active region.

A total of 41 towns and cities were surveyed to collect the data of building types. Help was also taken from global positioning system and satellite imagery.

In total, 14 different types of buildings were identified in the region based on the structural system and combination of wall and roof materials; each of them was assigned an appropriate designation. The walls in these buildings were made of block, stone or brick, whereas the roof consisted of corrugated galvanised iron sheet, thatched roof, precast concrete planks or reinforced concrete (RC). Only 6 per cent buildings were found to be engineered RC buildings; this indicates a significance proportion of non-engineered building stock in Northern Pakistan.

The surveys were conducted in some of the selected areas. Other areas are beyond the scope of this work.

The presence of a huge deficient building stock in Pakistan indicates a major seismic risk. The seismic losses are largely dependent on the earthquake resistance of existing buildings and building stock. An inventory of existing buildings and their types can help in assessing seismic vulnerability of the built environment, which may lead to the development of policies for seismic risk reduction.

Presently, housing encyclopaedia does not exist in Pakistan. As a result, housing typology in the country is not known. The presented study addresses this gap in part. Housing typology surveys were conducted to study the typical construction practices in the selected areas and to determine the proportions of different building types in the overall building stock.

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the experimental campaigns on Cultural Heritage buildings. By adopting integrated procedures it is possible to limit the invasiveness of the destructive techniques leading to reliable results. The purpose is the proper definition of the structural system, which represents the starting point of the following analysis's phases, not treated in this work. A methodology based on normative references and acknowledged non-destructive and partial destructive strategies has been conceived. The latter aims to an accurate comprehension of the structural information.

An integrated approach for the structural assessment of cultural heritage buildings is presented. The methodology defines an interdisciplinary procedure based on normative references, non-destructive and minor-destructive techniques. A funnel-shaped workflow is developed to characterize the structural system of the buildings. The non-destructive campaigns are widely extended. Then, in-depth analysis concerning partial demolitions and minor-destructive tests are performed. The dynamic identification of the building is executed to detect its global response. The final validation of the assumed mechanical values is obtained by comparing the experimental modes coming from the ambient vibrations and the analytical modes of the structural modelling.

This research belongs to the Protocol signed between the Municipality of Florence and Department of Earth's Science and Department of Architecture of the University of Florence for the seismic vulnerability assessment of relevant and strategic buildings.

The descripted methodology is targeted for monuments and special buildings where the use of destructive techniques is not possible or unrecommended.

Social implications are related to the conservation of Heritage buildings. The latter deals with: (1) risk assessment of the targeted buildings towards different hazard sources (e.g. earthquakes, floods); (2) knowledge path developed through non-invasive diagnostic campaigns oriented to the conservation of the manufact. Furthermore, the paper encourages towards the recognition of non-destructive techniques and ambient vibration tests for the achievement of higher knowledge levels.

This paper defines a funnel-shaped procedure defining hierarchical roles between the different available strategies. The originality of this contribution is firstly related to the methodological flowchart. It is targeted to limit the invasive tests and consequently achieving accurate levels of knowledge. Secondly, some novelty can be found in the adoption of improvement parameters from a regional database adopting a Bayesian approach.

The author’s interest in vernacular architecture, over the years, has attracted the author’s attention to three distinctive and similar forms of architecture in faraway regions of the globe. These are; Asir region of Saudi Arabia, The Caucasus including the republic of Georgia, Chechenia, and North Ossetia, and Sichuan region in China. Stone towers dominate the landscape of these remote regions. The similarity of these towers in these far away regions is quite remarkable.

This paper will introduce these towers in their geographic, social and natural context. Although several studies have been done on these regions, it is the aim of this paper to introduce their architecture in a comparative approach to explore how these remotes corners of the globe with different historical, ethnic and cultural backgrounds developed similar architectural forms in total isolation from each other.

Architecture is a physical production of different and diverse factors. Geographically, isolated regions with similar natural and social factors, mountainous landscape, tribally-based, agrarian societies, produces similar architectural forms.

This paper is a clear testimony to the human nature and how people think, react and build, under similar conditions. Architecture becomes a manifestation of human oneness, unity, believes and behaviour.

Preservation of historic structures meets ecological criteria of sustainable development. In Mount Lebanon, the traditional house is a cultural asset built of native stone one-meter thick double-wythe walls. Today, lack of public policies is causing those environmental assets to approach extinction. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

The methodology uses multivariate regression on 128 data points. A mathematical model is developed and empirically tested on public attitudes toward restoration. Independent variables represent the need for protectionist policies, X1; contribution of restoration to environmental sustainability, X2; contribution to culture, X3; and financial benefits, X4.

It is found that stone houses transfer heat significantly slower than modern construction. There is a statistically significant and positive correlation with X1, X2, and X3, but negative with X4, most likely due to favoring return on investment of multistory buildings over the attractiveness of stone houses.

As future research implications, the undergirding of urban planning policies need to be revisited. Current policies neither protect heritage, nor offer legal means to restore heritage houses.

Practical implications include revisions to building laws in Mount Lebanon, as they marginalize old stone structures. Environmental valuation techniques, use value and existence value, are recommended.

Social awareness needs to be built about valuation techniques to account for complex assets that cannot be approximated through short-term real estate market price. Social rather than financial cost-benefit analysis must be performed to quantify environmental assets.

This research illustrates a pilot restoration project with critical issues faced by heritage stone houses. These assets are underrepresented in building laws which warrants social and environmental activism.

Despite being located in earthquake sensitive region and often experiencing seismic tremors the State of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas exhibits an elaborate tradition of constructing multistoreyed houses. Both the local dialects of the State (Kumaoni and Garhwali) have unique words for identifying four different floors of a building. This is suggestive of a common occurrence of multistoreyed structures in the region. This paper attempts to establish that the people inhabiting this rugged earthquake prone terrain have evolved the art of constructing earthquake safe structures well before the evolution of the structural engineering principles governing such a construction.

Detailed investigations were undertaken in the area to establish the antiquity of the traditional structures, as were also earthquake safety provisions incorporated traditionally in these. Radiocarbon dating of the wood used in the structures was used to establish the time of the construction of these structures.

Investigations suggest that the region has evolved a distinct, elaborate and magnificent earthquake‐safe construction style. This construction style, designated Koti Banal architecture, attained its zenith around 880 years ago. This architectural style exhibits the existence of elaborate procedures for site selection, preparing the platform for raising the multistoreyed structure, also for the detail of the entire structure that was constructed on principles somewhat akin to that of framed structures of modern times.

The representative structures of this architecture are observed to be deteriorating fast due to lack of patronage, resources and awareness. This article brings forth awareness regarding the heritage value of these structures, enabling organized efforts for the conservation and upkeep of these structures.

This article is the result of original research undertaken by the authors and paves the way for the conservation of the age old traditional structures.

One of the major issues present in this case is whether there is significant industry pressure to internationalize. Yip’s (1989) global strategy drivers are a helpful approach for examining this issue. This case also applies two important marketing concepts – the product life cycle and diffusion of innovation theory – and how differences across international markets impact these concepts. Finally, there are significant cultural issues at play in this case as well. Theoretical models of national culture, such as Hofstede, Hall and others, can be used to examine cultural influences on an industry that is not often associated with culture.

The case is based upon a combination of secondary research and primary research. The lead researcher and a team of graduate students conducted interviews with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) executives in the USA and Chile in 2017.

This three-part case examines the internationalization of LP into South America. Case A begins in 1999 as LP attempts to decide whether to take its oriented strand board product international. The reader is asked to consider where LP should go in South America. Case B examines the factors LP used to decide to enter Chile and then outlines the key decisions that led to its impressive growth between 2000 and 2015. Case C begins in 2015 as LP now considers whether to expand its markets into Argentina or Colombia.

Given the complexity of issues raised in the case and the need to narrow these issues down to an implementable decision, this case is most appropriate later in the schedule of a graduate or executive-level business course in international business or international marketing.