Tools to quantify environmental impact and their application to teaching: projects City-zen and HEREVEA

This article presents several strategies to teach university students and professionals in the sector how to reduce the environmental impact of our cities. Firstly, the European City- zen project is summarized and its application to the city of Seville, more specifically to Tirode Linea, a working class neighbourhood, is described; the viability and functionality of the neighbourhood are analyzed and improvements are proposed so that it can become an area that attains zero emissions. Secondly, the HEREVEA project is presented, which developed software for the feasibility analysis and proposals to improve neighbourhoods. Its usefulness is discussed in a case study carried out in the same neighbourhood. Finally, the experience of how to transmit all this knowledge through university teaching is presented

Architectural lighting

xvii, 436 p. : ill. ; 29 cm

Energetic and exergetic design evaluations of a building block based on a hybrid solar envelope method

To achieve sustainable development, there needs to be a focus on decreasing use of non-renewable energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, many studies focus on the strong relationship between energy and the environment. This study aimed to introduce the exergy analysis method into the urban planning field to find out the amount of exergy, rather than energy, that can be conserved in a building block when a solar envelope-based design is applied. In addition to the known energy-efficient design parameters, a criterion for the solar envelop method is integrated into a single method. This hybrid method includes taking into account the requirements for orientation, spacing, landscaping, and building form, as well as the building height properties as proposed in the solar envelop method. The solar envelop method depends on understanding the changing position of the sun throughout the day and year. If this dynamic behavior can be a factor in the design of an urban area, environmental friendliness, sustainability, and reduced energy consumption can comprehensively be achieved in cities