Effect on the thermal properties of mortar blocks by using recycled glass and its application for social dwellings

Including recycled waste material in cement mixes, as substitutes for natural aggregates, has resulted in diverse research projects, normally focused on mechanical capacities. In the case of recycled glass as an aggregate, this provides a noticeable improvement in thermal properties, depending on its dosage. This idea raises possible construction solutions that reduce the environmental impact and improves thermal behavior. For this research, an extended building typology that is susceptible to experiencing the risk of energy poverty has been chosen. The typology is typical for social housing, built using mortar blocks with crushed glass. First, the basic thermophysical properties of the mortars were determined by laboratory tests; after that, the dynamic thermal properties of representative constructive solutions using these mortars were simulated in seven representative climate zones in Chile. An analysis methodology based on periodic thermal transmittance, adaptive comfort levels and energy demand was run for the 21 proposed models. In addition, the results show that thermal comfort hours increases significantly in thermal zones 1, 2, 3 and 6; from 23 h up to 199 h during a year. It is in these zones where the distance with respect to the neutral temperature of the m50 solution reduces that of the m25 solution by half; i.e., in zone 1, from −429 ◦C with the m25 solution to −864 ◦C with the m50. This research intends to be a starting point to generate an analysis methodology for construction solutions in the built environment, from the point of view of thermal comfort.National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) of Chil

Adaptive Comfort Models Applied to Existing Dwellings in Mediterranean Climate Considering Global Warming

Comfort analysis of existing naturally ventilated buildings located in mild climates, such as the ones in the Mediterranean zones, offer room for a reduction in the present and future energy consumption. Regarding Spain, most of the present building stock was built before energy standards were mandatory, let alone considerations about global warming or adaptive comfort. In this context, this research aims at assessing adaptive thermal comfort of inhabitants of extant apartments building in the South of Spain per EN 15251:2007 and ASHRAE 55-2013. The case study is statistically representative housing built in 1973. On-site monitoring of comfort conditions and computer simulations for present conditions have been carried out, clarifying the degree of adaptive comfort at present time. After that, additional simulations for 2020, 2050, and 2080 are performed to check whether this dwelling will be able to provide comfort considering a change in climate conditions. As a result, the study concludes that levels of adaptive comfort can be considered satisfactory at present time in these dwellings, but not in the future, when discomfort associated with hot conditions will be recurrent. These results provide a hint to foresee how extant dwellings, and also dwellers, should adapt to a change in environmental conditions

A Simplified Simulation Model for Predicting Radiative Transfer in Long Street Canyons under High Solar Radiation Conditions

Modeling solar radiation in street canyons is crucial to understanding the solar availability of building façades. This article describes the implementation of a simulation routine, developed in the Matlab® computer language, which is aimed at predicting solar access for building façades located in dense urban conglomerates comprising deep long street canyons, under high solar radiation conditions, typical in southern countries of Europe. Methodology is primarily based on the configuration factor theory, also aided by computer simulation, which enables to assess the interplay between the surfaces that compose the so-called street canyon. The results of the theoretical model have been cross-checked and verified by on-site measurements in two real case studies, two streets in Cadiz and Seville. The simplified simulation reproduces the shape of the curve for on-site measured values and weighted errors for the whole model do not surpass 10%, with a maximum of 9.32% and a mean values of 6.31%. As a result, a simplified predictive model that takes into account direct, diffuse and reflected solar radiation from the surfaces that enclose the canyon, has been devised. The authors consider that this research provides further improvement, as well as a handy alternative approach, to usual methods used for the calculation of available solar radiation in urban canyons, such as the Sky View Factor or the ray tracing

Adaptation Strategies and Resilience to Climate Change of Historic Dwellings

Historic city centres have a large amount of dwellings in Europe, which were built to provide a comfortable shelter with the absence of mechanical means. The knowledge of climate responsive design strategies can play a significant role in reducing the energy demand of extant buildings, paving the way for its sustainable development in the face of the rising threat to its occupants of climate change. The residential architecture, developed, in most cases, in dense urban centres, was built using both available materials and traditional and academic construction technologies. This paper thoroughly investigates the extant urban conglomerate in Cádiz and analyses, in a qualitative and quantitative manner, which bioclimatic design strategies were applied and the city’s adaptation for future climate scenarios. The results indicate that historic housing in Cádiz is creatively adapted to the local natural conditions by means of a combination of climate responsive strategies, and there is significant scope for improvement in the ongoing response to global warming

Mejora de la eficiencia energética del parque edificado. El caso de estudio de la rehabilitación en la barriada de la plata

Según datos de la Unión Europea, el sector de la edificación es responsable del 40% del consumo total de energía en la Unión, bastante más que la industria (25%) y el transporte (30%). El sector de la edificación está adoptando medidas encaminadas a reducir este consumo, lo cual es responsabilidad de arquitectos e ingenieros de la edificación. La industria de la construcción presenta una gran permeabilidad a las innovaciones técnicas; en consecuencia, la eficiencia energética en la edificación se limita a cumplir los estándares mínimos exigidos por la normativa vigente; además, la elevada vida útil de un edificio, que llega en ocasiones a 100 años, provoca un desfase entre construcción y normativa. Según datos del 2001, el 47% del parque edificado español se construyó entre 1942 y 1981, y sólo el 32% tras 1981, tras la entrada en vigor del NBE-CTE; el CTE, vigente a partir de Marzo de 2006, sólo ha afectado a una pequeña parte del parque edificado, tras la crisis del sector de la construcción a partir de Junio de 2006. Por tanto, toda normativa debe contemplar la rehabilitación de las edificaciones existentes como parte sustancial de su articulado. Nuestro caso de estudio se centra en la barriada de La Plata, en Jerez de la Frontera. Diseñada por el arquitecto Fernando de la Cuadra en 1940 según los estándares del Movimiento Moderno, goza de excelentes estándares ambientales aunque su estado de conservación es muy deficiente. Los autores han trabajado en 22 proyectos de rehabilitación en esta barriada, al amparo de los programas regulados por los decretos 149/2003 y 395/2008 del gobierno regional andaluz. Las actuaciones se centran en la mejora energética de la envolvente y de las instalaciones de servicios (agua, electricidad y saneamiento); estas obras han contado con escasos presupuestos de ejecución material, alrededor de 100 €/m2. Gracias a una amplia base de datos de proyectos, así como a una campaña de mediciones in-situ, los autores han llegado a conclusiones acerca de la conveniencia de ciertas estrategias de rehabilitación ambiental, su control presupuestario y la conveniencia de incluir en la normativa del sector edificatorio artículos específicos referidos a la rehabilitación

Influence of the Improvement in Thermal Expectation Levels with Adaptive Setpoint Temperatures on Energy Consumption

A sustainable use of active heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems is crucial for minimum energy consumption. Currently, research studies are increasingly applying adaptive setpoint temperatures, thus reducing considerably the energy consumption without influencing comfort levels excessively. Most of them, however, are focused on the limit values of adaptive comfort standards without considering the tolerance in users’ adaptation capacity. This research study analyzed various tolerance ranges in the recent adaptive thermal comfort model from EN 16798-1:2019 used in setpoint temperatures. The study focused on the south of Europe, considering 47 cities in Spain, 18 cities in Portugal, 13 cities in Greece, and 20 cities in Italy. In addition, such cities were analyzed in three climate scenarios: present time, 2050, and 2100. The results showed that values prefixed by EN 16798-1:2019 for new buildings (tolerance of 0.00 °C) produced significant savings with respect to the static model and that each progressive improvement in users’ thermal expectations in 0.25 °C increased the energy consumption between 6.57 and 9.31% in all scenarios analyzed. Even applying a thermal tolerance of 1.50 °C, energy savings are currently produced with respect to the static model. This tendency increases in future scenarios until a thermal tolerance of 1.75 °C. The results of this paper provide greater knowledge about the possible energy increase that the improvement in users’ expectations would produc

Analysis of energy consumption in different European cities: the Adaptive Comfort Control Implemented Model (ACCIM) Considering Representative Concentration Pathways(RCP) scenarios

Reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have set various greenhouse gasemissions scenarios, through which the evolution of the temperature of the planet can be estimatedthroughout the 21st century. The reduction of the emissions from the different activities carried out bymankind is crucial to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most significant activities is users’behaviour within buildings, particularly the use of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning systems.Modifying users’ behaviour patterns to guarantee acceptable thermal conditions inside buildingscould lead to considerable energy saving percentages, and adaptive thermal comfort models couldbe an opportunity to achieve important savings. For this reason, this study analyzes the potentialto apply adaptive thermal comfort models to use artificial air-conditioning systems by modifyingsetpoint temperatures. The analysis was conducted in five major European cities (Barcelona, Berlin,Bern, Rome, and Vienna) and in five climate change scenarios in the year 2050. The results showedthat, in general, the energy saving achieved by adaptive strategies was larger in the cities with agreater cooling demand. Also, in both Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) of the FifthAssessment Report (AR5) considered, the energy saving were decreased in the cities of Barcelona andRome, with values lower than those of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) scenarios considered,whereas in the cities of Berlin, Bern, and Vienna, the saving in the RCP scenarios is greater than thosein the other scenarios

Applying the mixed-mode with an adaptive approach to reduce the energy poverty in social dwellings: The case of Spain

Fuel poverty is a pressing issue in several European countries, and Spain is no exception. Traditionally, it has been associated with cold conditions, but recent studies in the field have stressed its prevalence in warm countries too, during summer. Further, forecasts of climate change for these territories predict more severe summers. This envisages a scenario where low-income families might suffer from fuel poverty due to their inability to afford the energy bill to cool their homes, for tackling which the European Union and its member states are devising strategies. Adaptive comfort models have emerged as a sustainable and resilient approach in this regard. This study aims at clarifying how a change in the behavioural patterns of users, following the adaptive model might reduce the incidence of fuel poverty, compared to the static model based solely on active cooling. For this purpose, a common typology of social dwelling has been simulated in 10 cities representative of the diverse climates of Spain; both the current and future climate change scenarios have been considered. Results indicate that the mixed-mode is effective in alleviating fuel poverty not only in the present scenario, but also in 2050 and 2100, except for the most underprivileged households earning less than 500 € per month. The outcomes of this study will be of use to policy makers, designers, and stakeholders in targeting families in need for specific subsidies to afford a comfortable environment during summer.Fuel poverty is a pressing issue in several European countries, and Spain is no exception. Traditionally, it has been associated with cold conditions, but recent studies in the field have stressed its prevalence in warm countries too, during summer. Further, forecasts of climate change for these territories predict more severe summers. This envisages a scenario where low-income families might suffer from fuel poverty due to their inability to afford the energy bill to cool their homes, for tackling which the European Union and its member states are devising strategies. Adaptive comfort models have emerged as a sustainable and resilient approach in this regard. This study aims at clarifying how a change in the behavioural patterns of users, following the adaptive model might reduce the incidence of fuel poverty, compared to the static model based solely on active cooling. For this purpose, a common typology of social dwelling has been simulated in 10 cities representative of the diverse climates of Spain; both the current and future climate change scenarios have been considered. Results indicate that the mixed-mode is effective in alleviating fuel poverty not only in the present scenario, but also in 2050 and 2100, except for the most underprivileged households earning less than 500 € per month. The outcomes of this study will be of use to policy makers, designers, and stakeholders in targeting families in need for specific subsidies to afford a comfortable environment during summer

EVALUATION OF EXTREME COLLABORATION WITH BIM MODELING FOR THE TEACHING OF BUILDING PROJECTS

La modelación de información de edificios (BIM) ha emergido como una plataforma digital para proyectos de edificación, que pretende facilitar la cooperación entre especialidades. Por otro lado, la colaboración extrema es una metodología surgida en la industria aeroespacial y orientada al trabajo conjunto entre profesionales. Este artículo presenta una iniciativa experimental con estudiantes de Arquitectura e Ingeniería, destinada a evaluar las capacidades de modelación cooperativa en la enseñanza de proyectos de edificación. Lo anterior se llevó a cabo mediante el desarrollo intensivo de un pabellón de exhibición de automóviles por un grupo de alumnos de distintas carreras trabajando en el mismo lugar; elaborando el diseño y presentación de arquitectura, estructura, instalaciones eléctricas análisis energético-ambiental, y presupuesto de construcción. El trabajo fue ejecutado en cuatro sesiones, con una reunión inicial y final; en una sala con un mesón central, computadores en red, programas BIM y pantallas perimetrales. Se realizaron cuestionarios de entrada y salida, y entrevistas a los participantes, además de análisis del proceso con investigadores y expertos. La experiencia demostró alta efectividad en la producción y desarrollo del proyecto, aunque con tensiones grupales y limitaciones de diseño. Los estudiantes valoraron el trabajo colaborativo, y sugirieron trabajar de manera desfasada algunas especialidades y designar un encargado de la coordinación del proceso, así como definir mayormente resultados esperados y operación conjunta. Por lo que se sugiere aplicar estas condiciones para desarrollar modelación BIM con colaboración entre especialistas en los proyectos de edificación. Palabras Clave: Diseño integrado, enseñanza colaborativa, modelación de información en edifcios.Building information modeling (BIM) has emerged as a digital platform for building projects, which facilitates cooperation between specialties. On the other hand, extreme collaboration is a methodology, arising in the aerospace industry, for joint work among professionals. This article presents an experimental initiative with Architecture and Engineering students to evaluate these capabilities in building projects. This was done by means of an intensive development of a car exhibition pavilion; elaborating the design and presentation of architecture, structure, electrical installations, energy-environmental analysis, and construction budget. The work was carried out in four sessions, with an initial and final meeting; in a room with a central desk, network computers, BIM programs, and perimeter screens. Input and output questionnaires were carried out, as well as interviews with the participants, and analysis of the process with researchers and experts. The experience demonstrated high effectiveness in the production and development of the project, although with group tensions and design limitations. The collaborative work was valued primarily, suggesting the outdated programming of some specialties and coordination of the process, as well as defining mostly expected results and joint operation. Therefore, it is suggested to apply these conditions to integrate BIM modeling with collaboration between building project specialists. Keywords: Integrated design, collaborative teaching, building information modelling

Influence of Adaptive Comfort Models on Energy Improvement for Housing in Cold Areas

The evaluation of construction standards using adaptive thermal comfort models has a great impact on energy consumption. The analysis of a user’s climate adaptation must be one of the first steps in the search for nearly/net Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB). The goal of this work is to analyze the standards recommended by the Chile’s Construction with Sustainability Criteria for the building of housing, applying the ASHRAE 55-2017 and EN 15251:2007 adaptive comfort models in social housing. The study produces concrete recommendations associated with construction strategies, to increase the number of hours the user finds themselves with acceptable thermal comfort levels, without repercussions for energy consumption. Sixteen parametric series were evaluated with a dynamic simulation of the most common prototype of social housing in the Bio-Bio Region. The study shows that thermal comfort conditions can be increased through a combination of improvement measures compared to the ECCS standard (Construction Standards with Sustainability Criteria): 27.52% in the case of applying EN 15251:2007 and 24.04% in the case of ASHRAE 55-2017