Neapolis University Pafos

HEPHAESTUS

Welcome to HEPHAESTUS, the Institutional Repository of the Neapolis University in Cyprus.

HEPHAESTUS is an open source institutional repository which gathers all the digital material of Neapolis University's various activities, particularly original research studies produced by the members of the University. The HEPHAESTUS Repository demonstrates the intellectual life, research activities and publications of the University, preserving, acknowledging and promoting scientific research to benefit the local and international community.

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Recent Submissions

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    Seismic Response Analysis of a 3-story Steel MRFCoupled with Pressurized Sand Dampers
    (Wiley, 2026) Konstantinos N. Kalfas; Intekhab U.A. Chy; Vasileios C. Kamperidis
    Seismic resilience is critical in the design of modern structural systems, particularlyfor steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs). Traditional energy dissipation mecha-nisms, such as viscous or friction dampers, are effective but often involve high in-stallation and maintenance costs. This study investigates the performance of pres-surized sand dampers (PSDs) as an innovative and cost-effective passive controldevice for mitigating seismic vibrations in steel MRF structures. The proposed sys-tem leverages the frictional and dissipative behavior of PSDs. This study presents anumerical analysis using a representative 3-story steel MRF building. The PSD isintegrated at selected locations within the frame. Time-history analyses are per-formed using different earthquake input motions. The study focused on key struc-tural response parameters, including the inter-story drift ratio, the base shear, andthe peak floor acceleration comparing the performance of the MRF with and withoutPSDs. The use of pressurized sand dampers reduces these seismic demands. Thisresearch provides insight into the practical implementation of PSDs for seismic con-trol in multi-story steel MRFs, offering a sustainable and adaptable solution for en-hancing earthquake resistance
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    Numerical and Neural Network Investigation of a New Dual Self-centering Energy Dissipation Device
    (Wiley, 2026-09-14) Vasileios C. Kamperidis; Dan V. Bompa; Georgios Chliveros; Themelina S. Paraskeva; Konstantinos N. Kalfas; John Bellos
    Proposed self-centering (SC) seismic systems can reduce residual drift, but their SCand energy-dissipating (ED) solutions often face limitations, including reliance onyielding components, full-bay tendon layouts, and detailing complexity in beam-column connections. This paper investigates a compact SC-ED sub-assembly com-prising a high-strength post-tensioned multi-wire steel tendon routed in a 180° patharound a roller bearing, with both tendon ends aligned. A three-dimensional nonlin-ear finite element (FE) workflow, building on earlier numerical work and selectivelyrefined here, is used to evaluate response under a displacement-controlled cyclicprotocol representative of seismic demands. Results show stable flag-shaped hys-teresis without residual displacement and elastic behaviour of the primary compo-nents. ED is interpreted as arising from tendon-bearing interface friction and curva-ture-activated internal mechanisms in the multi-wire tendon. An artificial neuralnetwork (ANN) surrogate model trained on force-displacement data reproduces thenonlinear response on unseen data, enabling rapid prediction. The study demon-strates the feasibility of a tribology-driven curved tendon-bearing SC-ED sub-as-sembly for seismic-resilient structural connections.
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    The Impact of Indoor Environmental Quality on User Comfort and Well-Being in Sustainable Office Buildings
    (Property Valuation and Development Programme, School of Architecture, Engineering and Geo-Environmental Sciences, Neapolis University Pafos, 2026-07) Popov, Gennadios
    This dissertation examines the impact of Indoor Environmental Quality on user comfort and well-being in a sustainable office building. The dissertation focuses on Be.On Paphos in Cyprus as a single case study and examines how users perceive indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort and visual comfort. It also investigates how these perceptions relate to overall comfort, well-being, productivity and job involvement. The research was based on a questionnaire survey completed by 28 office users. The questionnaire used a five-point Likert scale and included both closed questions and one open-ended question. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including mean scores, percentages and comparisons between the main IEQ categories. The findings show that the indoor environment of Be.On Paphos was generally perceived positively. All main questionnaire categories received average scores above the neutral midpoint of the scale. Visual Comfort received the highest average rating, followed by Productivity and Job Involvement and Indoor Air Quality. Acoustic Comfort received the lowest score, mainly because of issues related to sound privacy, noise disturbance and workspace layout. The open-ended responses added further detail to the findings. They showed that user comfort is influenced not only by technical IEQ factors, but also by privacy, type of work, human behaviour, view quality and the use of shared spaces. Therefore, the study concludes that Be.On Paphos provides a generally successful sustainable office environment from the users’ perspective. However, the results also show that sustainable design and positive overall ratings do not guarantee equal satisfaction with all indoor environmental factors.
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    Η Επίδραση των Τεχνολογιών Έξυπνων Πόλεων στις Αξίες των Οικιστικών Ακινήτων
    (Πρόγραμμα Εκτίμησης και Ανάπτυξης Ακινήτων, Σχολή Αρχιτεκτονικής, Μηχανικής και Γεωπεριβαλλοντικών επιστημών, Πανεπιστήμιο Νεάπολις Πάφος, 2026) Κυριακίδης, Θεμιστοκλής
    Η παρούσα διατριβή διερευνά τον τρόπο με τον οποίο οι τεχνολογίες έξυπνων πόλεων επηρεάζουν τις αξίες των οικιστικών ακινήτων, αξιοποιώντας ως θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο τη θεωρία της ηδονικής τιμολόγησης. Η μελέτη υιοθετεί ποιοτική ερευνητική προσέγγιση, βασισμένη σε συστηματική ανασκόπηση της ακαδημαϊκής βιβλιογραφίας και σε συγκριτική μελέτη περίπτωσης, με σκοπό τον εντοπισμό των μηχανισμών μέσω των οποίων οι ψηφιακές τεχνολογίες συνδέονται με τις αγορές ακινήτων. Το ένα σκέλος της έρευνας συγκρίνει επιλεγμένες διεθνείς έξυπνες πόλεις, τη Ζυρίχη και τη Σιγκαπούρη, με τη Λευκωσία και τη Λεμεσό, ώστε να αξιολογηθούν ομοιότητες, διαφορές και ευκαιρίες μελλοντικής ανάπτυξης στην Κύπρο. Η βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση εξετάζει έξι επιμέρους τεχνολογικές κατηγορίες ευρυζωνική συνδεσιμότητα, τεχνολογίες έξυπνου σπιτιού, πιστοποίηση πράσινης δόμησης, ηλιακή/έξυπνη ενέργεια, υποδομές φόρτισης ηλεκτρικών οχημάτων και έξυπνη αστική συγκοινωνία. Από τη σύγκριση των τεσσάρων πόλεων προέκυψε ότι η επίδραση των τεχνολογιών έξυπνων πόλεων στις αξίες κατοικιών δεν είναι ίδια σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις. Σύμφωνα με τη θεωρία της ηδονικής τιμολόγησης, παράγοντες όπως οι σύγχρονες υποδομές μεταφορών, η ευρυζωνική συνδεσιμότητα και οι ποιοτικοί χώροι πρασίνου φαίνεται να συμβάλουν στην αύξηση της αξίας των κατοικιών, με χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα τη Σιγκαπούρη, όπου η μείωση της απόστασης από σταθμούς MRT έχει συνδεθεί με αύξηση των τιμών. Παράλληλα, διαπιστώθηκε ότι η υψηλή θέση σε διεθνείς δείκτες, όπως ο IMD Smart City Index, δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα ότι οι ψηφιακές επενδύσεις οδηγούν και σε υψηλότερες αξίες ακινήτων, όπως φαίνεται στην περίπτωση της Ζυρίχης. Η Λευκωσία και η Λεμεσός έχουν προχωρήσει στην υλοποίηση προγραμμάτων ψηφιακού μετασχηματισμού, ωστόσο εξακολουθεί να υπάρχει έλλειψη ολοκληρωμένων και δημόσια διαθέσιμων δεδομένων. Επομένως, το βασικό ζήτημα στην περίπτωση της Κύπρου δεν φαίνεται να είναι η απουσία στρατηγικής, αλλά η περιορισμένη διαθεσιμότητα δεδομένων που θα επέτρεπε την αξιόπιστη αξιολόγηση των υφιστάμενων πολιτικών.
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    Branded residences in emerging real estate markets: consumer perception, brand trust and implications for cyprus
    (Μaster in Real Estate, School of Architecture, Engineering, Land and Environment, Neapolis University Pafos, 2026-08) Tarnaeva, Nadezhda
    This dissertation examines the role of branded residences in emerging real estate markets, focusing on how brand affiliation shapes consumer perception and buyer trust, and on the implications of these dynamics for Cyprus. In markets with limited transaction history and a strong reliance on foreign demand, branding is understood to operate as a signalling mechanism that reduces perceived risk for international purchasers; the study asks whether this trust-conferring function automatically translates into superior market performance, or whether its effectiveness depends on brand type, service offering, and alignment with price and construction quality. The question is addressed at a formative moment: the termination of the Citizenship-by-Investment Programme in 2020 removed the principal demand engine of the prime coastal segment, leaving developers competing for a shallower and more discerning pool of international buyers. The study adopts a qualitative, comparative case study methodology. An integrated conceptual framework drawing on five theoretical strands: customer-based brand equity, luxury management, brand-extension and luxury-legitimacy, real-estate consumer behaviour, and multi-tier place- and asset-branding - structures a comparative analysis of mature, emerging, and early-stage Mediterranean markets, which is then applied to Cyprus. Because the national transaction registry does not reliably capture the branded segment, absorption rates and pace of sale for the Limassol tower segment are computed from developer-published price and availability information, the first evidentiary basis on which true absorption could be established for these schemes. The findings position Cyprus within the early-stage Mediterranean cluster, where branding performs a market-shaping function distinct from the value-enhancing role it plays in mature markets. Hypothesis H1, that hotel-branded residences outperform non-hotel-branded residences, receives qualified directional support: the sole hotel-branded scheme is the segment's only fully absorbed one, although its performance reflected the pairing of an internationally trusted brand with accessible prime pricing, not the extraction of a premium, and non-branded schemes achieved near-complete absorption through the same alignment logic. Hypothesis H2, that brand affiliation alone is not a sufficient determinant of success, is strongly supported by the econometric evidence academic literature and by the primary Cypriot data, in which performance is organised by the alignment of product, pricing and demand - not by brand category. The study concludes that a brand's trust signal is only as valuable as the alignment behind it: affiliation amplifies an already sound development proposition but cannot substitute for one, a finding with distinct implications for developers, international brands, and purchasers in emerging and early-stage markets alike.