Building Performance Analysis

Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) informs and enhances the usability and sustainability of building designs with lessons learned from evaluation of building performance throughout the building life cycle, from initial planning through occupancy to adaptive re-use. A key feature of BPE is that it examines design and technical performance of buildings alongside human performance criteria. That is, it seeks to examine facilities in order to determine whether they will work for the people that will use and occupy them. Rigorous BPE helps to improve design practice by providing feedback on the effectiveness of the choices made about the building to ensure that its design is optimised for stakeholders’ uses. The overarching theme for Enhancing Building Performance is to present the next generation of BPE work. The book provides an updated systematic approach for BPE as well as chapters written by experts from around the world who demonstrate how to apply BPE to enhance building design. Topics covered include: evidence-based and integrative design processes, evaluation methods and tools, and education and knowledge transfer. In addition, case studies provide specific examples of how BPE has been used to study such things as the impact of workplace design on human productivity and innovation. Written primarily for design professionals and facility managers who wish to use BPE to deliver improved building performance that is responsive to the needs of stakeholders, Enhancing Building Performance will also be of great value to researchers and students across a range of architecture and construction disciplines.

The book presents some key mathematical tools for the performance analysis of communication networks and computer systems. Communication networks and computer systems have become extremely complex. The statistical resource sharing induced by the random behavior of users and the underlying protocols and algorithms may affect Quality of Service. This book introduces the main results of queuing theory that are useful for analyzing the performance of these systems. These mathematical tools are key to the development of robust dimensioning rules and engineering methods. A number of examples illustrate their practical interest.

A building fire is dynamic. A continually changing hostile fire environment influences time relationships that affect fire defenses and risks to people and building functions. The fire and fire defenses in each building interact with different sequences and distinct ways. Risks are characterized by the building’s performance. Significantly updated and restructured new edition Fire Performance Analysis for Buildings, 2nd Edition organizes the complex interactions into an analytical framework to evaluate any building – at any location – built under any regulatory jurisdiction or era. Systematic, logical procedures evaluate individual component behavior and integrate results to understand holistic performance. The Interactive Performance Information (IPI) chart structures complex time-related interactions among the fire, fire defenses, and associated risks. Quantification uses state-of-the-art deterministic methods of fire safety engineering and fire science. Managing uncertainty is specifically addressed. Key features: Emphasizes fire performance analysis for new or existing buildings. Augments fire dynamics calculation methods with qualitative methods to form a more complete understanding of the effects of hostile fire characteristics on building performance. Describes fire ground operations for engineers with no fire service experience. An analysis evaluates ways the site and building design help or hinder manual fire suppression. Establishes a transition from traditional structural requirements to modern calculation based structural analysis and design for fire conditions. Structural concepts are described for non-structural engineers to enable the roles of each profession to be integrated into comprehensive performance evaluations. Addresses techniques of managing uncertainty to improve understanding and communication with professionals of other disciplines. Describes methods of risk management using information from the building’s performance analysis. Fire Performance Analysis for Buildings, 2nd Edition has been completely restructured around a performance based framework. Applications integrate traditional fire defenses with fire science and engineering to combine component performance with holistic performance.

Focusing on up-to-date artificial intelligence models to solve building energy problems, Artificial Intelligence for Building Energy Analysis reviews recently developed models for solving these issues, including detailed and simplified engineering methods, statistical methods, and artificial intelligence methods. The text also simulates energy consumption profiles for single and multiple buildings. Based on these datasets, Support Vector Machine (SVM) models are trained and tested to do the prediction. Suitable for novice, intermediate, and advanced readers, this is a vital resource for building designers, engineers, and students.

For many years asset management was considered to be a marginal activity, but today, it is central to the development of financial industry throughout the world. Asset management's transition from an «art and craft» to an industry has inevitably called integrated business models into question, favouring specialisation strategies based on cost optimisation and learning curve objectives. This book connects each of these major categories of techniques and practices to the unifying and seminal conceptual developments of modern portfolio theory. In these bear market times, performance evaluation of portfolio managers is of central focus. This book will be one of very few on the market and is by a respected member of the profession. Allows the professionals, whether managers or investors, to take a step back and clearly separate true innovations from mere improvements to well-known, existing techniques Puts into context the importance of innovations with regard to the fundamental portfolio management questions, which are the evolution of the investment management process, risk analysis and performance measurement Takes the explicit or implicit assumptions contained in the promoted tools into account and, by so doing, evaluate the inherent interpretative or practical limits

Updated and expanded coverage of the latest trends and developments in fiber composite materials, processes, and applications Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition features updated and expanded coverage of all technical aspects of fiber composites, including the latest trends and developments in materials, manufacturing processes, and materials applications, as well as the latest experimental characterization methods. Fiber reinforced composite materials have become a fundamental part of modern product manufacturing. Routinely used in such high-tech fields as electronics, automobiles, aircraft, and space vehicles, they are also essential to everyday staples of modern life, such as containers, piping, and appliances. Little wonder, when one considers their ease of fabrication, outstanding mechanical properties, design versatility, light weight, corrosion and impact resistance, and excellent fatigue strength. This Fourth Edition of the classic reference—the standard text for composite materials courses, worldwide—offers an unrivalled review of such an important class of engineering materials. Still the most comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of the mechanics, materials, performance, analysis, fabrication, and characterization of fiber composite materials available, Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition features: Expanded coverage of materials and manufacturing, with additional information on materials, processes, and material applications Updated and expanded information on experimental characterization methods—including many industry specific tests Discussions of damage identification techniques using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) Coverage of the influence of moisture on performance of polymer matrix composites, stress corrosion of glass fibers and glass reinforced plastics, and damage due to low-velocity impact New end-of-chapter problems and exercises with solutions found on an accompanying website Computer analysis of laminates No other reference provides such exhaustive coverage of fiber composites with such clarity and depth. Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition is, without a doubt, an indispensable resource for practicing engineers, as well as students of mechanics, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering.

Critical insights for savvy financial analysts Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is the essential desk reference for CFOs, FP&A professionals, investment banking professionals, and equity research analysts. With thought-provoking discussion and refreshing perspective, this book provides insightful reference for critical areas that directly impact an organization’s effectiveness. From budgeting and forecasting, analysis, and performance management, to financial communication, metrics, and benchmarking, these insights delve into the cornerstones of business and value drivers. Dashboards, graphs, and other visual aids illustrate complex concepts and provide reference at a glance, while the author’s experience as a CFO, educator, and general manager leads to comprehensive and practical analytical techniques for real world application. Financial analysts are under constant pressure to perform at higher and higher levels within the realm of this consistently challenging function. Though areas ripe for improvement abound, true resources are scarce—until now. This book provides real-world guidance for analysts ready to: Assess performance of FP&A function and develop improvement program Improve planning and forecasting with new and provocative thinking Step up your game with leading edge analytical tools and practical solutions Plan, analyze and improve critical business and value drivers Build analytical capability and effective presentation of financial information Effectively evaluate capital investments in uncertain times The most effective analysts are those who are constantly striving for improvement, always seeking new solutions, and forever in pursuit of enlightening resources with real, useful information. Packed with examples, practical solutions, models, and novel approaches, Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is an invaluable addition to the analyst’s professional library. Access to a website with many of the tools introduced are included with the purchase of the book.

Offering complete and comprehensive coverage of modern sonar spectrum system analysis, Underwater Acoustics: Analysis, Design and Performance of Sonar provides a state-of-the-art introduction to the subject and has been carefully structured to offer a much-needed update to the classic text by Urick. Expanded to included computational approaches to the topic, this book treads the line between the highly theoretical and mathematical texts and the more populist, non-mathematical books that characterize the existing literature in the field. The author compares and contrasts different techniques for sonar design, analysis and performance prediction and includes key experimental and theoretical results, pointing the reader towards further detail with extensive references. Practitioners in the field of sonar design, analysis and performance prediction as well as graduate students and researchers will appreciate this new reference as an invaluable and timely contribution to the field. Chapters include the sonar equation, radiated, self and ambient noise, active sonar sources, transmission loss, reverberation, transducers, active target strength, statistical detection theory, false alarms, contacts and targets, variability and uncertainty, modelling detections and tactical decision aids, cumulative probability of detection, tracking target motion analysis and localization, and design and evaluation of sonars

A technological overview of LTE and WiMAX LTE, WiMAX and WLAN Network Design, Optimization and Performance Analysis provides a practical guide to LTE and WiMAX technologies introducing various tools and concepts used within. In addition, topics such as traffic modelling of IP-centric networks, RF propagation, fading, mobility, and indoor coverage are explored; new techniques which increase throughput such as MIMO and AAS technology are highlighted; and simulation, network design and performance analysis are also examined. Finally, in the latter part of the book Korowajczuk gives a step-by-step guide to network design, providing readers with the capability to build reliable and robust data networks. By focusing on LTE and WiMAX this book extends current network planning approaches to next generation wireless systems based on OFDMA, providing an essential resource for engineers and operators of fixed and wireless broadband data access networks. With information presented in a sequential format, LTE, WiMAX and WLAN Network Design, Optimization and Performance Analysis aids a progressive development of knowledge, complementing latter graduate and postgraduate courses while also providing a valuable resource to network designers, equipment vendors, reference material, operators, consultants, and regulators. Key Features: One of the first books to comprehensively explain and evaluate LTE Provides an unique explanation of the basic concepts involved in wireless broadband technologies and their applications in LTE, WiMAX, and WLAN before progressing to the network design Demonstrates the application of network planning for LTE and WiMAX with theoretical and practical approaches Includes all aspects of system design and optimization, such as dynamic traffic simulations, multi-layered traffic analysis, statistical interference analysis, and performance estimations

The comprehensive reference on the basics of structural analysis and design, now updated with the latest considerations of building technology Structural design is an essential element of the building process, yet one of the most difficult to learn. While structural engineers do the detailed consulting work for a building project, architects need to know enough structural theory and analysis to design a building. Most texts on structures for architects focus narrowly on the mathematical analysis of isolated structural components, yet Building Structures looks at the general concepts with selected computations to understand the role of the structure as a building subsystem—without the complicated mathematics. New to this edition is a complete discussion of the LRFD method of design, supplemented by the ASD method, in addition to: The fundamentals of structural analysis and design for architects A glossary, exercise problems, and a companion website and instructor's manual Material ideally suited for preparing for the ARE exam Profusely illustrated throughout with drawings and photographs, and including new case studies, Building Structures, Third Edition is perfect for nonengineers to understand and visualize structural design.