Suchergebnisse

The development of concrete in the 19th & 20th centuries led to new possibilities and advancement in construction. Concrete was exploited to address the post-war needs for economical and faster construction. Significant reinforced concrete structures are recognized as cultural heritage. Long term durability problems present conservation challenges and the understanding of failure mechanisms is fundamental for restoration. The diagnosis of historic structures, materials investigation, monitoring and assessment are important steps towards the understanding of deterioration and appraisal of concrete heritage. Long-term effects of conservation and repair also need to be considered. The assessment of concrete heritage is addressed through military and industrial heritage concrete structures in Malta, including coastal structures in aggressive environments. A methodology for appraisal is proposed taking into consideration materials and structural performance and degradation mechanisms. ; peer-reviewed

Theatre as performance space has to satisfy important requirements to address the needs of users. It has a central role in society, linking different user groups in promoting culture as a popular experience. As a space, theatre presents significant challenges due to factors such as the variety in type and size, the ways the spaces are used, and the user groups. The assessment of cultural space is of major significance in the context of Valletta Capital of Culture, linking in to the key principle of a legacy in the longer term. The Capital of Culture presents an ideal opportunity to examine theatres across Malta and Gozo as focal cultural spaces. This research presents a first initiative in Malta toward a structured method for the assessment of theatre as a cultural space with a view to defining its needs and those of its users. The objective is to develop a new integrated quality assessment method, which addresses different attributes of the theatre as a space used for cultural activities, in a structured manner with the aim of recording a comprehensive profile of the space. The appraisal allows for the development of rehabilitation strategies, where the methodology serves as a useful tool for the prioritisation of interventions. The first assessment was conducted on eight theatres in Valletta and the Grand Harbour Region, and Victoria Gozo. It includes five public theatres, two community theatres and one which belongs to the University of Malta. This quality assessment addresses pressing technical issues, social and cultural aspects, management and financial constraints but also the wider needs of the space, all of which contribute to its quality. The methodology provides the framework for a tool which can evolve and adapt to the wider context of all theatres in the Maltese Islands, with the aim of establishing a framework for continued assessment to define priorities for refurbishment and upgrading of cultural spaces. ; peer-reviewed

Over the past few years, the property market and the construction sector in Malta have been passing through a downturn, which is, among other things, characterised by what appears to be a substantial oversupply of residential properties together with a decline in the demand for such properties. This state-of-affairs has led to demands from different sectors for a comprehensive redevelopment/upgrading strategy through which the property and construction sectors can be revived. An approach of this type had been adopted since the late-1980s in the social housing sector, and several redevelopment projects have been undertaken in the private sector. It is now thought that a more concerted endeavour is required. ; N/A

Malta, or more specifically the Maltese Archipelago, comprises the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, together with a few uninhabited islands, collectively termed as Malta. As an entity, Malta, after its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, and after becoming a democratic republic in 1974, joined the European Union in 2004. It is concurrently part of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. It is an independent Island State and has had its own self government since 1964. As a hierarchical system of governance, Malta has a President, as head of state, the Prime Minister, Parliament, and finally Local Councils (equivalent to Municipalities — albeit on a town- scale). ; peer-reviewed

This research aims to analyze the perception of experts in the field of wind energy generation as shapers of renewable energy policy in Europe. Experts as members of society have an impact on social perception of renewable technologies. They can lead influential roles in changing -generated fossil fuels. Wind power continues to have a major role as part of the emerging global shift to diversify sources of the energy supply and its mix, to spur sustainable development and security of energy supply. ; N/A

The climate and energy package of the European Union, consists of binding legislation which aims to ensure that the European Union meets its ambitious climate and energy targets for 2020 [1]. These targets, known as the "20-20-20" targets, set three key objectives for 2020: A 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels; Raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 20%; A 20% improvement in the EU's energy efficiency. The major contributors to locally produced renewable energy are principally photovoltaic systems, solar panels and combined heat power systems, whereas there is also a significant potential contribution from small and medium (15kW-100kW) wind turbines. In recent years, a significant growth in the sector of small and medium turbines has been noted with further expansion of this sector being expected in the coming years. ; peer-reviewed

Renewable Energy (RE) sources, such as wind energy, are preferred over non- renewable sources, due to the potential reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On the other hand, large scale Wind Turbines (WTs) also present significant challenges as discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, recent developments in micro-generation and hence small scale WTs, through state-of-the-art technologies effectively manage the demand, load and instabilities with effective planning, control and efficiency yield. A life cycle assessment (LCA) allows for environmental impact evaluation during the whole life cycle stages from production, to operation and generation of energy on site. In this way a LCA leads to a comprehensive evaluation of performance of a technology. This paper presents a comprehensive LCA review of WT technologies. ; peer-reviewed

CABARET (Capacity Building in Asia for Resilience EducaTion) is a co-funded by an EU Erasmus+ programme project run for three years and led by the University of Huddersfield's Global Disaster Resilience Centre, based in the UK. They are joined by a group of experts from a consortium of 14 European and Asian higher education institutions from Bulgaria, Indonesia, Latvia, the Maldives, Malta, Myanmar, the Philippines, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre and the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities are Associate Partners helping to promote the benefits across Asia and beyond. http://cabaret.buildresilience.org/images/CABARET_flyer.pdf CABARET emphasises the role of Higher Education in supporting global priorities and targets on disaster risk reduction. The project provides capacity development to support regional cooperation on multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) in coastal communities, with a particular focus on Asia. The paper deals with the main tasks of the project, their execution and outcomes and benefits after it finished. ; peer-reviewed

Current solutions for new concrete constructions in Extremely Aggressive Exposures, as recommended and enforced by design codes, are not taking into account new cement-based construction materials, such as Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete, neither new constituents specifically conceived to improve the concrete durability, because of the lack of standards and technical awareness by most designers and contractors. The H2020 ReSHEALience project will upgrade to the concept of Ultra High Durability Concrete (UHDC), combining nano-scale constituents (nano-cellulose, alumina nanofibers) and self-healing promoters (crystalline admixtures). The paper will present the approach pursued in the project together with a synopsis of the results of ongoing research. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 760824. ; peer-reviewed