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Wood is one of the materials that is used for building construction either as structural member or as finishes from ages past to contemporary generation. It is composed of elongated, hollow spindle shaped cells that are arranged parallel to each other along the trunk of a tree. The resistance to water, chemicals, strength properties, appearance and decay rate is dictated by the fibrous cells. The purpose of this paper was to examine the application and use of wooden floor finish (an extract from wood) in residential buildings in Lagos, Nigeria, with a view to determine its effectiveness.

The study adopted a dual stage survey approach before the administration of questionnaire on 100 respondents that were selected through purposive sampling after the initial inquiry on the use of the material from 384 randomly selected samples from the entire population.

The study shows that the material is applied in all interior spaces except bathrooms and toilets. Minimal adoption is also seen in the kitchen area. Users indicate that wooden floor finish requires little maintenance, has low impact on users' health, considered safe-minimal occurrence of home accidents is recorded, has moderate thermal insulation and affordable.

The usage has impact on the environment due to continuous lumbering activities and lack of adequate plan for reforestation. This suggests that its sustainability depends on afforestation programmes. Its poor performance in sound insulation, water and fire resistance requires further attention. The maintenance is relatively easy and affordable.

The author made a new foray into investigating the performance of wooden floor finish due to its resurgence in the area bearing in mind the unseasoned condition of wood in circulation in the area. Previous adoptions were done by a less aggressive generation of well-trained artisans. Best places for its usage within the interior spaces are identified.

The purpose of this paper is to make a comprehensive research on serenders including observation, determination and documentation of the architectural details of serender. Moreover, computer simulation-based performance evaluation is also planned to be applied in order to make a contribution to architectural, social, cultural and historical sustainability of serender.

The study employs strategies based on qualitative research techniques and methods. In order to clarify the architectural details of serender structures, literature review and a case study analysis are conducted.

Within the scope of this paper, the early findings of this ongoing research, which are about the architectural details, are presented regarding the regional characteristics as borders. This part of the study presents the determination of all the original architectural details of serender.

Serenders in Rize, Turkey, have original, architectural, cultural and historical values. However, they have not been preferred to be built and used in recent years. Therefore, the original architectural style, details and construction techniques have started to fade away. These facts highlight the importance of their documentation and preservation in terms of traditional architecture, material and craftsmanship. This study aims to provide comprehensive documents about their architectural characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of regulations, perceptions, and promotions on the emergence of an innovation system for wood‐framed multi‐storey buildings in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom (UK).

This descriptive paper made a qualitative analysis of information collected mainly from secondary sources such as reports, newspapers, journal publications, conference proceedings and general internet search.

Results showed that the conditions for market growth of multi‐storey construction seemed to be the most favourable in Sweden followed by the UK and Germany. The regulations are stringent in Germany, followed by the UK and Sweden. In all countries, the construction professionals seemed to have negative perceptions regarding engineering properties of wood. Similar negative perceptions exist among the general public in Germany and the UK, but not in Sweden. The wood construction promotional activities in Germany and the UK are directed to all types of houses, while in Sweden multi‐storey buildings are targeted.

An important implication of this paper was that it highlighted the usefulness of cross‐country surveys at the European level, in order to better understand observed differences in the adoption of innovative systems. However, there might be shortcomings in the comparability of the information across the countries analysed because it was difficult to make an objective assessment of the claims made in some of the information sources. Also, there was varying and limited information about the survey methodologies used in some of the reviewed studies.

The study showed that market intervention is needed to promote radical or really new innovations such as wood construction. The variations in the promotional measures undertaken partly explained the variations in growth of wood construction system in the three countries.

The paper applied a theoretical framework on technology transition to analyse emergence of wood construction system in Germany, Sweden and the UK. The framework can be applied to analyse the development of wood construction system in other countries also.

China is among one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The massive land mass of China also means that the Chinese people are subject to weather extremes as well as topographical variety in a country which cuts across alpine heights, treacherous deserts, lush valleys, dusty plains and lengthy rivers. With these weather extremes as the backdrop, it is crucial for the Chinese people to develop appropriate environmental control techniques for their dwellings as well as to ensure the structural integrity of their buildings. This paper discusses the protection, heating, anti‐seismic and dampness techniques developed and implemented in ancient China. It also documents the measures taken by the ancient Chinese to ensure the structural integrity of their buildings. The examples highlighted in this paper suggest that the building science principles adopted in ancient China remain relevant in the construction industry today.

This paper addresses the evaluation of traditional wooden floors, based on (1) visual strength grading (VSG) techniques adopted for ancient wooden structures; (2) a new approach to biological damage and (3) structural safety analysis. This assessment includes complex concepts. Therefore, the study presents a highly needed practical tool to help technicians make a preliminary assessment whereby many of the timber elements in our heritage can be saved from removal.

A simple and effective procedure was developed for each step. An inspection and diagnosis datasheet was drawn up, and the structural analysis presented by the Eurocodes was summarized. This methodology was then applied in a case study to demonstrate the complete procedure. During the assessment of this sort of structures, the drilling technique was a relevant method utilized as it provided essential and clear information about the beams' conservation.

The case study results indicate that 70% of the beams of the analysed structure exceed strict minimum performance criteria. This shows that other similar buildings can have their wooden elements saved from demolition, which is not the current regular refurbishment approach.

The current reality shows that the technicians' lack of capacity for a pragmatic assessment of the timber members’ structural capacity promotes their disinterest in them. To avoid that, this text presents a process for evaluating wooden floors using a simple and clear approach. This will prevent the demolition of wooden elements and instead encourage their preservation.

Construction works, which contributed to the built environment of the primitive, slave and feudal societies in ancient China, constitute an important component of Chinese history. This paper discusses the nest and cave dwellings as well as the tools used in the primitive society (before 2100 BC) of China. Construction works in the Slave Society (2100‐500 BC) encompassed the construction of city walls as well as wood and earth structures, covering roofs, wall and floor facing, and drainage facilities. The invention of new building materials and construction tools as well as standardization in working procedures and material consumption are discussed in “Feudal society” (221 BC‐AD 1840). The paper suggests that the more than 5,000 years of rich history of construction works in China should not be ignored.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the energy efficiency and life cycle carbon footprint of temporary homes in Japan after the Great Eastern Tohoku Earthquake in 2011.

An energy simulation and life cycle assessment have been done for three alternative shelter models: prefabricated shelters, wooden log shelters and sea container shelters.

Shelter materials have a very high share of life cycle emissions because the use period of temporary homes is short. Wooden shelters perform best in the comparison. The clustering of shelters into longer buildings or on top of each other increases their energy efficiency considerably. Sea containers piled on top of each other have superb energy performance compared to other models, and they consume even less energy per household than the national average. However, there are several gaps of knowledge in the environmental assessment of temporary homes and field data from refugee camps should be collected as part of camp management.

The findings exemplify the impacts of the proper design of temporary homes for mitigating their energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions.

The preventive health institutions were founded in Istanbul as a result of the Ottoman Empire's policy to fight epidemic diseases that affected all parts of the world in the nineteenth century. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical and current state of these heritage buildings.

Through the original documents, photographs and floor plans dating nineteenth and early twentieth century obtained from the Ottoman State Archives, historical development and architectural features of the buildings have been identified. And the original geographical locations of the buildings, especially the destroyed ones, are investigated by the historic maps. Plan and façade features, construction techniques are examined according to the information gained from the newspapers, journals and health annuals of the period.

This paper presents the findings of an MSc thesis conducted on the historical approach of preventive health institutions and preservation problems of the Pendik Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology. In the study, it has been examined that institutes in five different functions which were established after the foundation of the Quarantine Council in 1838 with parallel to the course of epidemics and scientific development in the West. In Istanbul, eight quarantine stations, three disinfection stations, one rabies laboratory, one vaccination institute and five bacteriology institutes have been documented. Some of these institutions fell out of use due to the loss of their original function and have been abandoned and demolished, some of them have survived with functional changes. The extant samples of these preventive health institutions are studied on the purpose of investigating their conditions of preservation.

Late Ottoman period preventive health institutions in Istanbul have been the subject of the researches within the field of medicine and science history to date. There is no study in Turkish and International literature discussing these institutions in terms of architecture. In the study these buildings have been thoroughly examined based on their architectural features and heritage values. The glass plate photographs of the Pendik Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, floor plans and some photographs of the other institutions which are obtained from Ottoman State Archives and newspapers of the period have been published for the first time in this paper.

CasaZeroEnergy is the prototype for a building that does not use energy produced from non-renewable sources, but produces its require energy by using alternative energetic systems. Designed according to the principles of bioclimatic architecture, the building was integrated with passive systems for optimizing the site's climatic conditions for heating in winter and for cooling and ventilation in summer. The house was constructed with natural, renewable, recycled and recyclable materials. For this reason it can be classified as a “natural building”. Its main feature is the integration between the building and the alternative systems in order to produce energy from renewable sources: sunspace, solar collectors, photovoltaic panels, a geothermal system and a pellet boiler system. Home automation manages all the mechanical systems to ensure comfort and reduced energy consumption at the same time. The sunspace is a passive solar system used mainly for heating indoor spaces during the winter season. The building's cooling system is based on natural ventilation strategies and on geothermal heat pumps. The building is provided with shading systems. A smart system was devised to guarantee user safety and security. This kind of system can be controlled remotely and provides constant security for the building.

The purpose of this paper is to show that the Philippines is often described as the melting pot of natural disasters (typhoons, floods and torrential rains). As part of the Pacific ring of fire, the Philippines is also prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In the current disaster management scheme, the poor are likely to be put last. Conventional risk reduction mitigation methods (such as land use and building codes) are failing. A paradigm shift is needed – one that enables poor communities to maximize their limited resources and contribute to risk reduction.

Interviews and field investigations were conducted between 2001 and 2006 in three case study neighborhoods in Metro Manila to understand the risk components that exist and the resources (or lack of) for dealing with them.

Field surveys highlighted three major risk components: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), illegal electrical connections, and residential buildings. Mitigation efforts need to be implemented by: developing hybrid community organizations; minimizing direct physical damage; developing neighborhood cooperatives through microfinance schemes; and developing an in‐kind community insurance system.

While this research focused on earthquake impact mitigation, the inquiry and findings with respect to the urban poor in high risk areas, have applicability to other localities in the developing world. Furthermore, Manila's situation is not unique. Disaster threats, rapid substandard urban development, growth in the number of the poor, and degradation of social capital, are phenomena present in other parts of the developing world. In such settings, traditional mitigation approaches are difficult to carry out effectively as well.