José Antonio Huesca-Tortosa

Ventilation management is a key component of smart building performance, directly affecting indoor air quality, occupant comfort, and energy consumption during operation. The increasing complexity of building systems and variability in occupancy and environmental conditions challenge conventional static or centralised ventilation strategies. This study presents a conceptual and methodological framework for intelligent ventilation management based on the integration of distributed environmental sensorisation, multi-agent systems, and digital twins. The proposed approach focuses on structuring the architecture and decision-making mechanisms that enable adaptive and predictive ventilation strategies, including multi-source air intake selection (6D ventilation). Rather than providing experimental or simulation-based validation, the study defines a coherent framework intended to support future quantitative evaluation and implementation. The expected benefits of the approach, in terms of improved energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and life-cycle performance, are discussed in relation to existing research. The framework contributes to the development of smart buildings by providing a structured basis for advanced, adaptive, and sustainable ventilation management.

This paper analyses the consolidation and accessibility improvement work carried out on one of the heritage sites in the province of Alicante, the slopes of Callosa de Segura Castle. The intervention is characterised by the use of a completely industrialised material, iron sheet metal, with the aim of ensuring reversibility, respect for the historical context and the integration of contemporary solutions in environments of high heritage value. It also highlights the strategic role of architectural rehabilitation as a driver of tourism, social and economic development in municipalities.

Fortified heritage requires documentation that accurately reflects its construction, and to achieve this, it is essential to use photogrammetric and LiDAR techniques in conjunction with topographic tools for global geographic positioning. The cases presented in this document reflect this reality, and in both cases, three-dimensional models of optimal quality and precision are required for both the drafting of their Master Plan and the study and analysis of their structural stability. In each of these cases, a methodology has been followed in accordance with the particular conditions of accessibility, safety and suitability, both of their immediate surroundings, the work area and the tools and techniques to be used. In the case of Callosa de Segura Castle, a digital model of the terrain and the building has been obtained (using UAV+GNSS), documenting the existing wall structures and part of the layout of its wall, which has now disappeared, providing the graphic basis required for the drafting of its master plan. In the case of Forna Castle, a 3D digital model (using TLS) of part of the fortification has been obtained in order to study and analyse, geometrically and in terms of its load conditions, the structural safety of a recently restored barrel vault. In both cases, the techniques and methodologies used to capture the built reality have been key to obtaining accurate three-dimensional digital models that form part of an inventory of real estate within the plan to safeguard monuments and built historical and cultural heritage.

Radon gas anomalies have been investigated as potential earthquake precursors for many years. In this work, we have studied the possible correlations between radon emissions and the seismic activity rate for a given region to test if the existing correlation may be later used to forecast the occurrence of earthquakes larger than a given magnitude. The Vrancea region (Romania) was chosen as a study area since it is being surveilled by a multidisciplinary real-time monitoring network, and at least seven earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4.5 Mw have occurred in this area in the period from 2016 to 2020. Our research followed several steps: First, the recorded radon signals were preprocessed (detrended, deseasoned and smoothed). Then, the station’s signals were correlated in order to check which stations are recording radon anomalies due to the same regional tectonic process. On the other hand, the seismic activity rate was computed using the earthquakes in the main catalogue of the region that are able to generate radon emissions and can be registered at several stations. The obtained results indicate a significant correlation between the seismic activity rate and the temporal series of radon anomalies. A temporal lag between the seismic activity rate and the radon anomalies was found, which can be related to the proximity to the epicentre of the main earthquake in each of the studied subperiods. Changes in the regional tectonic stress field could explain why the seismic activity rate and radon anomalies are correlated over time. Further research could focus on obtaining a function to forecast the seismic activity rate using the following as dependent variables: the radon anomalies recorded at several stations, the distance from the stations, and tectonic factors such as the fault system, azimuth, type of soil, etc.

For the assessment of seismic effects on RC buildings, the real structural condition has to be modelled as accurately as possible. Medical facilities and hospitals have to resist seismic actions and remain operational after seismic events. For this reason, a detailed seismic vulnerability assessment of a hospital building located in Orihuela, Spain, is presented in this paper using a combination of field monitoring data and numerical analysis. Ambient noise measurements from field monitoring using Raspberry Shake-based sensors are used to capture dynamic characteristics that describe the building behaviour. Data from these sensors were used to update and refine the finite element model of the structure for a detailed analysis of the building’s seismic performance. The different analytical procedures included both elastic and inelastic modelling, as well as static and dynamic assessments, to provide an exhaustive evaluation of the building’s behaviour under seismic loads. In the numerical model, the effect of masonry infill walls is considered, taking into account detailed material properties and structural configurations. Furthermore, the study carefully selects ground motion records representing two limit states—Damage Limitation (DL) and Severe Damage (SD)—to conduct an extensive seismic analysis. In each limit state applied to the structure, there are 14 bidirectional ground motions with components alternately directed along the two principal directions of the building. This analysis evaluated the structural response, focusing on torsional effects, inter-storey drift ratios, and the seismic performance of individual components. The results were compared to other analysis types, considering both overall and localised behaviour, to determine the reliability of different approaches. The findings support the idea that field monitoring data should be combined with advanced modelling techniques to achieve a more accurate evaluation of the building’s seismic vulnerability, considering bidirectional effects.

This work evaluates the effectiveness of various consolidating treatments applied to Pugliese tuff (Gravina Calcarenite). This type of stone has been used in numerous historic buildings in the Puglia area (southeast of Italy), which presents durability problems due to high porosity, low cohesion between clasts, and low mechanical resistance. Eco-friendly treatments that generate CaCO₃ have been selected, specifically bioconsolidant KBYO biological and lime water, which a priori are capable of consolidating without occluding the pores or reducing them excessively, thereby creating compounds similar to those contained in the stone and being respectful of the environment. Nano-sized treatments have also been tested, including nanosilica and nanolime, to compare results with eco-friendly treatments. The bioconsolidating treatment has been applied in two different ways, the usual way consisting of two applications a day for 7 days, as well as a double treatment that is applied in two batches of 7 days with a rest of 7 days between applications. Double treatment has shown a great improvement in consolidation compared to the usual 7-day application; this treatment has obtained the best results in both mechanical and petrophysical properties. This study not only demonstrates the effectiveness of the bioconsolidant but also expands eco-friendly conservation strategies to improve the preservation of historical structures built in calcarenite.

This paper deals with the study of construction and geometry, as well as with the analysis of deformations and active degradations of the natatio belonging to the Western Baths in La Alcudia archaeological site. Its location in Elche-Alicante, Spain (Colonia Iulia Ilici Augusta), is widely known for the discovery of The Lady of Elche in 1897. The dimensions of this natatio in the frigidarium are 6.60 x 9.30 m (22 x 31 Roman feet) and 1.50 m deep, making it one of the largest Roman swimming pools documented to date on the Iberian Peninsula. The natatio has several cracks sealed with materials used in earlier interventions at the end of the third century. Its comparison with the hypothetical original form allowed the researchers to quantify the current deformations. A damage evolution study has been made comparing the 2016 point cloud with the 2022 cloud, both obtained by light detection and ranging (LIDAR). There is evidence that an active process of degradation and deformation is gradually increasing damage to the pool. By studying the geometry and constructive systems of the natatio, relevant data to understand the historical evolution of the Western Baths have been provided. A results analysis conclusion is that the pool was built in two different stages. The eastern half corresponds to the original natatio, while the western half was extended or rebuilt after having collapsed. The early abandonment of the use of the natatio was most likely due to deformations caused by differential settlement; this occurred when the western half was cemented on landfill between the ancient wall and that of the last third of the 1st century AD.

This work provides new data on the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Biar, combining the investigation of documentary sources with the analysis of the geometry obtained using LiDAR technology and the study of stone materials. This monument has a Proto-Renaissance façade of great architectural value, as it was the first building in the province of Alicante, in Spain, to use Renaissance decorations at the beginning of the 16th century. Its main façade reflects the four centuries of its construction from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The building has been digitised using LiDAR technology and photogrammetry. The graphic representation of the point cloud obtained from the aforementioned techniques makes it possible to study deformations in colour gradient with respect to a reference plane. The results obtained after the analysis of these data show that the method used in this work has served to detect and corroborate the constructive evolutions of the church obtained from the documentary sources investigated. This work serves as an example for similar works, proposing the incorporation of the analysis of anomalies in the geometry of the facings as a new variable that should be considered to complement the rest of the usual studies, bringing to light deformations and irregularities that at first sight may go unnoticed.