On the Influence of Shade in Improving Thermal Comfort in Courtyards

This study analyzes the thermal performance of courtyards in traditional buildings in the city center of Córdoba (South of Spain), one of them displaying a shading component, to determine the influence of this precise element. The courtyards have been monitored simultaneously during a summer period when temperatures during the day reached over 45 °C. The obtained data was contrasted, and we confirmed that the shading element provided an improvement of the thermal performance of the courtyard which doubled the thermal leap between outdoor and inside the courtyard temperatures when the shading element was installed, in comparison to the courtyard without shade. Therefore, the tempering effect of courtyards can be significantly improved by means of using these simple elements

Thermodynamic performance enhancement of courtyards using a shading device

The design of more sustainable buildings is one of the main concerns of our society given the necessity to reduce energy consumption to reduce climate change. Incorporate passive strategies in buildings should be the first step because of its zero energy consumption. One of the most used passive strategies in the Mediterranean Climate is the use of inner courtyards as a tempering element of buildings. The performance of these courtyards has been traditionally improved by installing shading devices such as canvas. The aim of this study is to quantify the effect of the shading element installed in two courtyards with different geometries in the south of Spain by monitoring the temperature in the courtyards and the outdoor during warm and extremely hot day

Tecnologías de impresión 3D en ingeniería tisular para la reparación de patologías degenerativas de columna

La columna vertebral constituye una pieza clave en la estructura del organismo. Debido a su gran longitud, localización y composición, está expuesta a numerosos factores que pueden reducir la calidad de vida del paciente. La ingeniería tisular es un área de investigación biomédica emergente que combina los principios de la ingeniería, la biología y la medicina para crear sustitutos morfofuncionales de tejidos y órganos. Esta disciplina ha experimentado un desarrollo tecnológico exponencial en las últimas dos décadas gracias al desarrollo de la impresión y bioimpresión tridimensional (3D). Ante este auge sin precedente, se presenta una revisión bibliográfica de los avances en la fabricación de biomodelos y guías para la planificación quirúrgica, así como de la fabricación de sustitutos de cartílago intervertebral mediante ingeniería tisular, con especial énfasis en las técnicas de bioimpresión 3D, una herramienta muy prometedora en el tratamiento de un gran número de patologías de columna.Preprin

Albedo influence on the microclimate and thermal comfort of courtyards under Mediterranean hot summer climate conditions

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect represents a threat to the well-being of cities. Cities must adapt to this phenomenon, prioritizing the improvement of outdoor environment quality. Urban materials have a great impact on outdoor environment quality, energy demand, and citizens’ well-being. Based on the literature, it can be stated that changing the albedo of on-site materials (pavements, facades) is a relevant strategy. The environmental impact of reflective materials from buildings to urban microclimate has been widely discussed in the literature. However, few publications assess the role of albedo in inner courtyards. This work uses simulation results to evaluate the impact of different surface albedo on the thermal performance and comfort of a courtyard in Seville. To do so, the simulation tool ENVI-met, one of the most widely used for outdoor spaces, is validated through a comparison with monitoring results. In conclusion, high reflectance compromises user comfort up to 5 ◦C of PET despite the fact that the use of high albedo on surfaces reduces surface temperature up to 25 ◦C in comparison with low albedo as it accumulates less heat by reflecting more solar radiation. Some of the recommendations given include the use of medium albedo (around 0.4) on walls to balance positive and negative effects, and high albedo on the pavements (above 0.7

Extending the adaptive thermal comfort models for courtyards

Temperatures in Mediterranean cities are rising due to the effects of climate change, with a consequent increase in the heat waves frequency. Recent research has shown the tempering potential of semi-outdoor spaces such as courtyards, which are semi-enclosed spaces that are widely used by the users of buildings in Mediterranean cities. International standards addressing thermal comfort parameters provide technical guidelines for indoor spaces only. Expanding this concept, this paper focuses on the potential to extend and interpret the existing calculation models for indoor thermal comfort, EN 16798 and ASHRAE 55, to determine thermal comfort, monitoring two different courtyards in Cordoba, Spain, during both typical summer and heat wave periods. The results show that during the typical summer, the monitored courtyards can reach temperatures up to 8.4 °C cooler than outside. Subsequently can be considered to be in thermal comfort on average for 88% of the time according to EN 16798, and 75% according to ASHRAE 55, which drop to 71% and 52% respectively during heat wave (HW) periods, in spite of increasing thermal gap (TG) up to 13.9 °C. The results are also compared with the PET indicator used for evaluation of outdoor thermal comfort, which provides comparable figures: 81% summer and 73% HW. Implications of implementing passive shading strategies to increase comfort in these transition spaces are also evaluated. The research highlights the thermal potential and usefulness of courtyards in warm climates, so they can ultimately be included in the building analysis as a potentially comfortable and habitable space

Tempering potential-based evaluation of the courtyard microclimate as a combined function of aspect ratio and outdoor temperature

Courtyards are traditional construction models in Mediterranean cities. In this research, tempering performance of courtyards during a two-year field monitoring campaign in southern Spain was investigated. The main objective was to identify the thermal functions of inner courtyards, analyzing the aspect ratio (AR) and the influence of outdoor temperature to offer a perspective that contributes to the development of passive cooling strategies for urban housing. This investigation also reviewed these climate modifiers, in light of the average lifespan of a building, to establish thermal tempering guidelines to mitigate the effects of climate change. The results show that, although the AR is a determining factor in maximizing the courtyard tempering potential, other parameters such as diurnal temperature range (DTR) or maximum outdoor temperature (MOT) can significantly modify the influence of the AR. The study demonstrates these interactions verifying, for the climates studied, that courtyards with AR > 3 are appropriate solutions, especially in the warmest zones, enhancing microclimate management in summer. Results evince that courtyard maximum thermal performance is related to MOT increase. This factor is crucial to establish a tempering initial potential for a given courtyard. Apart from this, a complete daily cycle analysis through DTR confirms and clarifies this thermal buffer effect

Integrating courtyard microclimate in building performance to mitigate extreme urban heat impacts

Extreme heat events are expected to occur more often as a consequence of climate change. This paper quantifies the impact of urban climate on building performance and evaluates the benefits of specific microclimates, such as inner courtyards, to mitigate extreme heat impacts. A reference case study associated with two outdoor weather conditions, an inner courtyard and a local urban climate, was measured, simulated and validated in TRNSYS. The validated model was then compared to three building models with a single outdoor weather condition associated with the urban climate, weather data from a rural station and a typical year weather file. The models were evaluated in free-running conditions and with air-conditioning systems. The results show how urban climate can increase indoor discomfort hours by 32% in free-running conditions and demonstrate that courtyard microclimate can almost completely mitigate the impact of urban overheating in buildings, eliminating severe indoor discomfort hours by more than 88%. Moreover, the increase in cooling energy demand due to urban climate was reduced by more than 15% in the case of having air-conditioning systems. The findings manifest the importance of accurate weather data for building simulation and demonstrate how multi-nodal outdoor conditions can enable additional strategies to mitigate climate risks, highlighting urban microclimates as a promising strategy to tackle extreme heat events in buildings and citie

Modelling of surface and inner wall temperatures in the analysis of courtyard thermal performances in Mediterranean climates

Courtyards are an effective passive strategy for improving the energy performance of buildings. However, there is a lack of accurate simulation tools for their thermal performance due to their complex thermodynamics. This paper’s contribution is the coupling of a CFD model with a system of differential equations at the walls, governing surface and inner wall temperatures, providing an accurate computation of courtyard thermal performance. On this basis, boundary conditions for the standard Boussinesq equations governing temperatures, wind velocity, and pressure within the courtyard are established. Modelling results are compared with monitored data in two days of different months in a courtyard in Seville (Spain). Simultaneously, simulations carried out by existing software were performed. Resulting data showed more accuracy than existing tools, with a Root Mean Square Error of 1.19 (August) and 1.59 (October), while the corresponding values with ENVI-met were 3.31-3.4, and with Ladybug Tools 2.59-4.49.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2015-64577-C2-1-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2015-64577-C2-2-RMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-093521-B-C31Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-093521-B-C33Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte FPU17/0503

Health decentralization policy and social answer. The Colombian region case

ABSTRACT: During the last twenty years, social participation in Latin America, especially in Colombia has been oriented by a policy of administrative and political decentralization, with consequences in the field of health where both the state and the communities have assumed new spaces and types of relation that impact social organization and justice. Through this framework the project analyses in the Colombian region of the antioqueño southwest, some of the effects health decentralization has had taking into consideration the historic characteristics of the participation process of the population, some central aspects of the legal context of the health and social security system reforms during the last two decades, the perceptions of local actors as regards the process of the implementation of decentralized health, and the actions undertaken by the local state agents and the people in comunitary participation processes for the improvement of life and health conditions.RESUMEN: Durante los últimos veinte años la participación social en América Latina, y particularmente en Colombia, ha estado orientada por la descentralización política y administrativa. Con la aplicación de esta estrategia en el campo de la salud, tanto el Estado como las comunidades han asumido nuevos espacios y formas de relación con impacto en lo social, lo organizativo y lo jurídico. Éste es el marco en el que se inscribe este trabajo, que analiza en la región colombiana del Suroeste antioqueño algunos efectos de la descentralización en salud, teniendo en cuenta las características históricas del proceso de participación de la población en el país; algunos aspectos centrales del contexto legal de las reformas del Sistema de Seguridad Social en Salud en las dos últimas décadas, las percepciones de los actores locales relacionadas con la implementación del proceso descentralizador en salud y las acciones desplegadas por los agentes locales del Estado y por los pobladores en procesos de participación comunitaria para el mejoramiento de las condiciones de vida y salud