How bio-inspired solutions have influenced the built environment design in hot and humid climates

The rapid increase in the population, which has been concentrated mainly in urban areas, has caused an environmental imbalance over the years since the built environment developed as a foreign element to the ecosystem, which prevents having resilient environments capable of adapting to the challenges posed by climate change. This research aims to provide an updated knowledge base of bio-inspired strategies emulated in hot and humid climates to achieve an efficient built environment, restoring resources, and bringing nature closer to cities. A systematic review is conducted based on keyword selection to answer i) what has been achieved in built environments to be more efficient and sustainable (including tropical climates) and ii) how natural patterns, strategies, and models are mimicked. Implementing these strategies is very little in regions with hot and humid climates. Bio-inspired approaches are concentrated in those that try to emulate the functions of nature, followed by approaches that imitate the form of nature, biomimicry, and biomimetics being the most used approaches, leading to the development of efficient and resilient cities

Review of Zero Energy Building Concept-Definition and Developments in Latin America: A Framework Definition for Application in Panama

In recent decades, European countries have developed concepts, definitions, and construction technologies for Zero Energy Building (ZEB) that are effective and correspond to their specific climates. Latin American countries are still trying to find adequate solutions which respond to the local climatic, cultural, social, technical, and economic context. As such, this paper aims to establish the basis of the minimum energy efficiency and the renewable threshold for the definition of ZEB in order to better understand the application in Panama, based on assessing the energy regulations implemented in Panama. To achieve this aim, a review concentrated on the concept-definition and implementation adopted by Latin American countries is presented first before the paper converges into defining a framework for application in Panama. Finally, a case-study-based theoretical framework proposing a ZEB definition for Panama is discussed. The results of this study showed a net primary energy balance, of which the range falls into a plus energy building definition, indicating that all of the cases studied could supply their electricity needs using Photovoltaic generation. All dwellings studied have the potential to become a plus energy building, depending on the available roof surface area. Finally, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis is presented in order to assess and support the introduction of such a ZEB definition and framework.In recent decades, European countries have developed concepts, definitions, and construction technologies for Zero Energy Building (ZEB) that are effective and correspond to their specific climates. Latin American countries are still trying to find adequate solutions which respond to the local climatic, cultural, social, technical, and economic context. As such, this paper aims to establish the basis of the minimum energy efficiency and the renewable threshold for the definition of ZEB in order to better understand the application in Panama, based on assessing the energy regulations implemented in Panama. To achieve this aim, a review concentrated on the concept-definition and implementation adopted by Latin American countries is presented first before the paper converges into defining a framework for application in Panama. Finally, a case-study-based theoretical framework proposing a ZEB definition for Panama is discussed. The results of this study showed a net primary energy balance, of which the range falls into a plus energy building definition, indicating that all of the cases studied could supply their electricity needs using Photovoltaic generation. All dwellings studied have the potential to become a plus energy building, depending on the available roof surface area. Finally, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis is presented in order to assess and support the introduction of such a ZEB definition and framework

Experimental Study of a natural ventilation strategy in a Full-Scale Enclosure Under Meteorological Conditions: A Buoyancy-Driven Approach

The performance of a natural ventilation strategy, in a full-scale enclosure under meteorological conditions is studied through an experimental study, a buoyancy-driven approach, by means of the estimation of the air exchange rate per hour and ventilation power. A theoretical and an empirical model are proposed based on the airflow theory in buildings and blower-door tests. A preliminary validation, by comparing our results with standards in air leakage rate determination, is made. The experimental study conducted here has shown that the natural ventilation strategy implemented reach promising air exchange rate levels, as they are rather high compared to other experimental studies found in the literature.  The proposed models have shown good potential and further analysis should take place. Also, other methods for validating these models should be implemented (for instants: CFD simulation or tracer gas methods), as the one in the standards is rather rough estimations.Keywords: Buoyancy-driven, natural ventilation, ventilation power, blower-door test, airflow in buildings

Biomimicry-Based Strategies for Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A Numerical Case Study under Tropical Climate

In recent years, demographic growth has caused cities to expand their urban areas, increasing the risk of overheating, creating insurmountable microclimatic conditions within the urban area, which is why studies have been carried out on the urban heat island effect (UHI) and its mitigation. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the cooling potential in the application of strategies based on biomimicry for the microclimate in a historical heritage city of Panama. For this, three case studies (base case, case 1, and case 2) of outdoor thermal comfort were evaluated, in which the Envi-met software was used to emulate and evaluate the thermal performance of these strategies during March (highest temperature month) and October (rainier month). The strategies used were extracted from the contrast of zebra skin, human skin, evaporative cooling, and ant skin. The results showed a reduction of 2.8 C in the air temperature at 11:00, the radiant temperature decreased by 2.2 C, and the PET index managed to reduce the thermal comfort indicator among its categories. The importance of thinking based on biomimicry in sustainable strategies is concluded; although significant changes were obtained, high risks of discomfort persist due to the layout and proximity of the building.In recent years, demographic growth has caused cities to expand their urban areas, increasing the risk of overheating, creating insurmountable microclimatic conditions within the urban area, which is why studies have been carried out on the urban heat island effect (UHI) and its mitigation. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the cooling potential in the application of strategies based on biomimicry for the microclimate in a historical heritage city of Panama. For this, three case studies (base case, case 1, and case 2) of outdoor thermal comfort were evaluated, in which the Envi-met software was used to emulate and evaluate the thermal performance of these strategies during March (highest temperature month) and October (rainier month). The strategies used were extracted from the contrast of zebra skin, human skin, evaporative cooling, and ant skin. The results showed a reduction of 2.8 C in the air temperature at 11:00, the radiant temperature decreased by 2.2 C, and the PET index managed to reduce the thermal comfort indicator among its categories. The importance of thinking based on biomimicry in sustainable strategies is concluded; although significant changes were obtained, high risks of discomfort persist due to the layout and proximity of the building

A Critical Review onMathematical Descriptions to Study Flux Processes and Environmental-Related Interactions ofMangroves

Trees are resources that provide multiple benefits, such as the conservation of fauna, both terrestrial and marine, a source of food and raw material, and offering protection in storms, which makes it practical to understand their behavior against different phenomena. Such understanding may be possible through process modeling. Studies confirm that mangrove forests can store more carbon than other forests, influencing the fight against global warming. Thus, a critical and systematic review was carried out regarding studies focusing on mangroves to collect information on the models that have been applied and the most influential variables highlighted by other authors. Applying a systematic search for the most relevant topics related to mangroves (basic as well as recent information), it is possible to group models and methods carried out by other authors to respond to certain behaviors presented by mangroves. Moreover, possible structuring of a mathematical model applied to a species of interest thanks to the analyzed references could provide justified information to the authorities on the importance of these forests and the benefits of their preservation and regeneration-recovery.Trees are resources that provide multiple benefits, such as the conservation of fauna, both terrestrial and marine, a source of food and raw material, and offering protection in storms, which makes it practical to understand their behavior against different phenomena. Such understanding may be possible through process modeling. Studies confirm that mangrove forests can store more carbon than other forests, influencing the fight against global warming. Thus, a critical and systematic review was carried out regarding studies focusing on mangroves to collect information on the models that have been applied and the most influential variables highlighted by other authors. Applying a systematic search for the most relevant topics related to mangroves (basic as well as recent information), it is possible to group models and methods carried out by other authors to respond to certain behaviors presented by mangroves. Moreover, possible structuring of a mathematical model applied to a species of interest thanks to the analyzed references could provide justified information to the authorities on the importance of these forests and the benefits of their preservation and regeneration-recovery

Estimación del nivel de arborización para edificaciones en clima tropical: Enfoque estadístico y simulación dinámica

Humans have always sought comfort in various aspects of their day to day, thermal comfort is one of those since it directly affects their performance activities they carry out, it can improve or worsen these daily activities. The search for thermal comfort in the spaces where we live, leads, in many cases, to excessive electrical consumption due to poor design planning of the structure where we live, where high temperatures remain throughout the day and force us to use air conditioning equipment to achieve thermal comfort. In this research we seek to increase the energy efficiency of a building, reducing internal solar gains through DesignBuilder simulations of different scenarios that combine the use of tree planting: an environmentally friendly passive method which uses trees as a barrier between solar rays and the building with the green structure index, which takes into account the pattern with which the trees are planted to reduce the electrical consumption of the building by lowering its internal temperatures. This is supported by other optimization techniques that use certain construction parameters of the building, to get more out of it from its design. The use of trees has proven to be efficient in reducing electricity consumption in buildings, mainly when they are used to block the sun’s rays that fall on the windows, which are the main source of internal temperature gains.El humano siempre ha buscado el confort en varios aspectos de su día a día, el confort térmico es uno de esos ya que afecta directamente el desempeño del mismo en actividades que realiza, puede mejorar, como empeorar estas actividades diarias. La búsqueda de confort térmico en los espacios donde convivimos, conlleva, en muchos casos a un consumo eléctrico desmedido por una mala planificación de diseño de la estructura donde habitamos, donde las altas temperaturas permanecen durante todo el día y nos obliga a usar equipos de aire acondicionado para lograr el confort térmico. En esta investigación buscamos aumentar la eficiencia energética de una edificación, disminuyendo las ganancias solares internas mediante simulaciones en DesignBuilder de diferentes escenarios que acoplan el uso de la arborización: un método pasivo amable con el ambiente el cual utiliza los árboles como barrera entre los rayos solares y la edificación con el índice de estructura verde, el cual toma en cuenta el patrón con el que se siembran los árboles para disminuir el consumo eléctrico de la edificación disminuyendo las temperaturas internas de la misma. Esto apoyado con otras técnicas de optimización que utilizan ciertos parámetros de construcción de la edificación, para sacarle un mayor provecho a la misma desde su diseño. El uso de la arborización ha demostrado ser eficiente para reducir el consumo eléctrico en edificaciones, principalmente cuando se utilizan para bloquear los rayos solares que inciden en las ventanas, que son la principal fuente de ganancias internas de temperatura

Including Nature-Based Success Measurement Criteria in the Life Cycle Assessment

Conventional life cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life or process. Such impacts along the product life or process are assessed via criteria to establish success when accounting for resource intake, waste, and emissions fluxes. In most cases, the assessment range may vary, defined by the designer’s and product’s aims, failing to evaluate all parts of the said cycle completely. This before is said to follow the “reducing unsustainability” paradigm (RUP), and changes are needed toward an assessment based on the “achieving sustainability” paradigm (ASP). Thus, this chapter embarks on the search for assessment approaches, assuming biomimicry principles can improve current LCIA tools. Comprehending the LCA criteria to assess product or process impacts is done via a literature review. Results showed that most assessment tools continue to be developed under the RUP, where three approaches present great potential for an ASP. A discussion over the difference in assessing two case studies in the built environment, net-zero-energy buildings, and sustainable construction projects under both paradigms is presented

Inspection of Biomimicry Approaches as an Alternative to Address Climate-Related Energy Building Challenges: A Framework for Application in Panama

In the Panama context, energy consumption in the building sector is mostly related to the conditioning of indoor spaces for cooling and lighting. Different nature strategies can be mimic to strongly impact these two aspects in the building sector, such as the ones presented here. A comprehensive analysis regarding literature related to biomimicry-based approaches destined to improve buildings designs is presented here. This analysis is driven by the increasing energy regulations demands to meet future local goals and to propose a framework for applications in Panama. Such biomimicry-based approaches have been further analyzed and evaluated to propose the incorporation of organism-based design for three of the most climate types found in Panama. Consequently, a SWOT analysis helped realized the potential that biomimicry-based approaches might have in improving the odds of in meeting the local and global regulations demands. The need for multidisciplinary collaboration to accomplish biomimicry-based-designed buildings, brings an increment in the competitivity regarding more trained human-assets, widening the standard-construction-sector thinking. Finally, the analysis presented here can serve as the foundation for further technical assessment, via numerical and experimental meansIn the Panama context, energy consumption in the building sector is mostly related to the conditioning of indoor spaces for cooling and lighting. Different nature strategies can be mimic to strongly impact these two aspects in the building sector, such as the ones presented here. A comprehensive analysis regarding literature related to biomimicry-based approaches destined to improve buildings designs is presented here. This analysis is driven by the increasing energy regulations demands to meet future local goals and to propose a framework for applications in Panama. Such biomimicry-based approaches have been further analyzed and evaluated to propose the incorporation of organism-based design for three of the most climate types found in Panama. Consequently, a SWOT analysis helped realized the potential that biomimicry-based approaches might have in improving the odds of in meeting the local and global regulations demands. The need for multidisciplinary collaboration to accomplish biomimicry-based-designed buildings, brings an increment in the competitivity regarding more trained human-assets, widening the standard-construction-sector thinking. Finally, the analysis presented here can serve as the foundation for further technical assessment, via numerical and experimental mean

Sustainability Assessment of the Anthropogenic System in Panama City: Application of Biomimetic Strategies towards Regenerative Cities

To understand the sustainability problem for Panama’s metropolitan area, its urban metabolism was investigated. A way to evaluate its current state was obtained by estimating a sustainable indicator based on the Green City Index. With the abstraction of the identified problems, the biomimetic strategy “problem-based approach” was carried out, where different pinnacles of nature were selected as a reference for the design of regenerative solutions. These were inspired by the understanding of the living world and how to include ecosystems in urban designs. Therefore, a framework was proposed for positive generation and natural solutions in cities to take advantage of the regenerative potential in Panama City. Using ecosystem services, a set of indicators were developed to measure regeneration over the years at the city scale. The results indicate that from the 11 selected pinnacles, 17 solutions inspired in nature were proposed to regenerate cities. Consequently, a SWOT analysis was realized along with a questionnaire by experts from different fields. The findings obtained show that the feasible solutions were: arborization, green facades, solar roofs, e-mobility, green corridors, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, and biofilters. This research represents a step towards creating and developing regenerative cities, thus improving the quality of life of living beings and ecosystems present in society.To understand the sustainability problem for Panama’s metropolitan area, its urban metabolism was investigated. A way to evaluate its current state was obtained by estimating a sustainable indicator based on the Green City Index. With the abstraction of the identified problems, the biomimetic strategy “problem-based approach” was carried out, where different pinnacles of nature were selected as a reference for the design of regenerative solutions. These were inspired by the understanding of the living world and how to include ecosystems in urban designs. Therefore, a framework was proposed for positive generation and natural solutions in cities to take advantage of the regenerative potential in Panama City. Using ecosystem services, a set of indicators were developed to measure regeneration over the years at the city scale. The results indicate that from the 11 selected pinnacles, 17 solutions inspired in nature were proposed to regenerate cities. Consequently, a SWOT analysis was realized along with a questionnaire by experts from different fields. The findings obtained show that the feasible solutions were: arborization, green facades, solar roofs, e-mobility, green corridors, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, and biofilters. This research represents a step towards creating and developing regenerative cities, thus improving the quality of life of living beings and ecosystems present in society