Strategies for Studying Acidification and Eutrophication Potentials, a Case Study of 150 Countries

peer reviewedAcidification and eutrophication are two environmental impacts that have a significant effect on air pollution and human health. The quantitative analysis of these two impacts remains hitherto unknown at the scale of new neighborhoods. The main objective of this study is to evaluate, analyze and compare the acidification and eutrophication potentials of one neighborhood initially located in Belgium. For making this comparison, this neighborhood was built in 149 other countries by applying four parameters such as building materials, energy mix, occupants’ mobility and local climate. The environmental costs of acidification and eutrophication coming from this neighborhood were assessed over 100 years. This research, extended to the scale of several nations, will enable new researchers, and especially policy-makers, to measure the effectiveness of sustainable neighborhoods. Eutrophication and acidification potentials were assessed under different phases (construction, use, renovation and demolition), with Pleiades software (version 4.19.1.0). The effects of the energy mix were the most significant among the other parameters. The results show that 72%, and 65% of acidification and eutrophication potentials are produced during the operational phase of the neighborhood. In the case of sustainable neighborhoods, the acidification potential is 22.1% higher in the 10 top low-income countries than in the 10 top high-income countries. At the neighborhood scale, the main eutrophication potential component is water (34.2%), while the main source of acidification potential is electricity production (45.1%)

Transition to Zero Energy and Low Carbon Emission in Residential Buildings Located in Tropical and Temperate Climates

peer reviewedDifferent methods to achieve zero-energy and low carbon on the scale of a building are shown by most of the research works. Despite this, the recommendations generally offered by researchers do not always correspond to the realities found during the construction of new buildings in a determined region. Therefore, a standard may not be valid in all climate regions of the world. Being aware of this fact, a study was carried out to analyse the design of new buildings respecting the “zero-energy and low carbon emission” concept in tropical climatic regions when they are compared with a base case of temperate regions. To reach this objective, the comparison between real and simulated data from the different buildings studied was developed. The results showed that the renovation of existing residential buildings allows for reducing up to 35% of energy demand and a great quantity of CO2 emissions in both climate types. Despite this, the investment rate linked to the construction of zero-energy buildings in tropical zones is 12 times lower than in temperate zones and the payback was double. In particular, this effect can be related to the efficiency of photovoltaic panels, which is estimated to be, at least, 34% higher in tropical zones than temperate zones. Finally, this study highlights the interest and methodology to implement zero-energy buildings in tropical region

Net Zero Energy Buildings and Low Carbon Emission, a Case of Study of Madagascar Island

The buildings respecting the concept “Net Zero energy” are becoming more and more flowering in the world these last years. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the different possibilities of implementation of buildings with Net zero energy and low environmental impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa. The proposed building is 80% made of local materials with low carbon emissions and especially at lower cost. The optimization and modeling of the building is carried out by the Design Builder software, which is a world-renowned software in the field of optimization of comfort, cost, carbon reduction, etc. By fixing the insulation thickness up to 11 cm, cooling and heating energy are found equal to zero during the different operating seasons in this residential building. The results show that the optimal solution to consider a net zero energy building in Antananarivo city requires an additional expense estimated at 40% of the cost of buildings more conventional encountered in the island. This will save $475 each year starting in 2030, with 99% reduction in the CO2 release. The choice of local materials with low conductivity, low emissions, and low cost, has a significant impact on the implementation of a sustainable building, and more adapted to climate change concept

A simplified framework to assess the feasibility of zero-energy at the European community scale in 2030

peer reviewedOne of the major objectives of the European Union by 2030 is to reduce energy consumption at the building level. Aware of this fact, the main goal of this study is to propose some strategies more adapted to the temperate climate aiming to modernize the existing residential districts towards zero energy and low carbon emissions by 2030. A total of 454,994 dwellings (terraced houses; semi-detached houses; detached houses and apartments) were investigated for this purpose. These are spread over 5 provinces in the Walloon region in Belgium and grouped into 5 types of the neighbourhood (isolated rural, peripheral rural, peri-urban, suburban and in urban neighbourhoods). The technique of reducing energy consumption in the buildings studied in this research is centred on the implementation of scenarios related to climate, renovation, transport and renewable energy. In addition, several energy optimization models are being tested for this purpose. The results showed that the objective “near-zero energy neighbourhood” can be achieved in temperate zones. In fact, current energy consumption is reduced up to 91% by simultaneously applying a heavy renovation of residential buildings, renewable energy and green mobility. By applying the heavy renovation (100%) on these residence buildings, the heating energy decreases from 230.6 to 23.7 kWh/m2 in the terraced houses; from 239.7 to 24.6 kWh/m2 in the semi-detached house; and, from 202.1 to 20.8 kWh/m2 in the detached house

Analyse et comparaison des ressources potentielles et nouvelle politique énergétique de l'île de Madagascar; Une critique

peer reviewedThe aim of this research is to review the status and current trends about energy resources production potential and new energy policies in Madagascar to suggest possible solutions to help the government in its sustainable policy development. The results of this investigation showed that, nowadays in Madagascar, more than 80% of natural potential is remaining not exploited. What is more, in order to satisfy the demand of energy, the country will need to use up to 12,000 MW of its hydroelectric potential and 10% of its solar potential that can be easily reached with a good energy policy. In this sense, an operating of only 20% of solar, hydraulic and wind power resources, in Madagascar, can cover the energy needs of all five Indian Ocean countries on several years and, in particular, solar potential resulted significant in coastal zone of Madagascar

Evaluation of bioclimatic potential, energy consumption, CO2-emission, and life cycle cost of a residential building located in Sub-Saharan Africa; a case study of eight countries

peer reviewedNowadays, one of the current concerns of the United Nations and the European Union is to offer more reliable mechanisms aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions on a building scale. The new required recommendations can be applied to all countries of the world. The main objective of this study is to evaluate, analyse and compare the indoor air condition (comfort rate and CO2 concentration), and energy consumption, prevailing in a family building built in eight cities (Douala, Kinshasa, Abidjan, Lagos, Pretoria, Dakar, Antananarivo and Addis Ababa), located in eight countries (Cameroon, DRC, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Madagascar and Ethiopia) in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, this study assesses the total cost of the life cycle of a new building over a period of 50 years in each country. Parameter simulations and optimizations are carried out over three periods (current, 2030 and 2050) with Design Builder software renowned in this area. The results showed that the comfort potential is around 10–21% higher in the residential buildings located at altitude compare to those ones in coastal regions. The thermal comfort range is found between 20 ◦C and 29 ◦C in these different cities. The preferred thermal environment in altitude regions, where it makes cold, should be “slightly warm”, corresponding to around 1 ◦C above the neutral temperature, in order to satisfy the majority of the building occupant. In addition, the preferred thermal environment in coastal regions, where it makes warm, should be “slightly cold”, corresponding to around 1 ◦C below the neutral temperature, in order to satisfy the majority of the occupants of the building. Finally, the building’s Life cycle cost (LCC) ranges between 25% and 35% for construction cost; from 30%to 40%, for operation cost; between 2% and 3% for maintenance cost; between 9% and 15% for energy cost on the whole LCC in Sub-Saharan-Africa

Estimation, analysis and comparison of carbon emissions and construction cost of the two tallest buildings located in United States and China

peer reviewedNowadays, it is noticed that more than a third of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in the atmosphere comes from the construction sector. This CO 2 concentration has a significant effect on climate change. In the new cities, tall buildings multiply as mushrooms. Some specialists believe that they can be one of the solutions to reduce the carbon content in the atmosphere. The main aim of this study is to simulate, analyze and compare the embodied carbon and operational carbon of the two tallest buildings located in the United States and China, by using Design Builder and Pleiades software: the One World Trade Center in USA and the Shanghai Tower in China. Even if the embodied carbon of these super tall buildings is very high, the operational carbon remains the most important source of carbon emissions on their whole life cycle. Future carbon emissions of these two buildings were estimated in three periods (2030, 2050 and 2080) following the A2 scenario from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that the operational carbon will increase by 10.6% at One World Trade Center (1WTC, USA) and 7.8% at Shanghai Tower (ST, China) in 2050. In addition, this study analyzed the impacts of the electricity mix and photovoltaic panels on their carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing energy production based on coal by renewable energy sources in the electricity mix of these countries could induce a reduction of 47.5% and 65.6% of total operational carbon emitted by the 1WTC and ST, respectively, by 2050. Finally, 46% of the building construction cost of these skyscrapers is related to their structure and superstructure

Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Products of a Green-Neighbourhood

peer reviewedThis research aims to quantify and to compare the effect of the energy mix of 150 countries on the waste products generated by an eco-neighbourhood. To perform this comparison, the same neighbourhood design is applied to in 150 countries, but four parameters are adapted to each country: energy mix, local climate, building materials and occupants’ mobility. The life cycle of the neighbourhood was assessed over 100 years. This environmental impact was evaluated by the Pleiades simulation software under four phases (construction, use, renovation, and demolition). Among the four local parameters (energy mix, local materials, climate, and transport), the energy mix has the most significant effect on the waste product emission. In this sense, the results showed that the most important quantity of waste products (35.3% of the total) is generated during the demolition phase. What is more, the application of photovoltaic panels in eco-neighbourhood increases up to 12% of the total waste product emission over 100 years. Globally, in the 150 Countries, 80% of waste products come mainly from building materials and domestics and the waste product emission per occupant was between 10 and 20% higher in developed countries (USA, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, etc.) than in poor or developing countries (Madagascar, Cameroon, Vietnam, Haiti, Costa Rica, Afghanistan, etc.). Finally, the waste generation concentration of an occupant of an eco-neighbourhood was estimated to be around of 322 kg per year.ZEUS11. Sustainable cities and communitie

Environmental analysis of health damages coming from a residential neighborhood built in 150 countries

peer reviewedDecisions made in the design of urban developments at the neighbourhood scale influence damages on human health, which depend on location. So far, no standard has proposed the range of health damage coming from neighborhoods located in any region, due to the different morphologies of neighborhoods, and limited study numbers. Aware of this fact, this study was conducted with the aim to evaluate and to compare the effect of health damage produced by a sustainable neighborhood in which the same morphology was designed in several regions. To perform this comparison, the same neighborhood design is applied to 150 countries, but four parameters are adapted to each country: energy mix, local climate, building materials, and occupants ‘mobility. In addition, this study analysis the induced health impact of the neighborhood over a life cycle of 100 years and examines the impact of mobility and renewable energy on the health, which was evaluated by Pleiades ACV software. Among the four local parameters (energy mix, local materials, climate, and transport), the energy mix has the most significant effect on the health damage. The results show that the countries having a lower concentration of renewable energy sources have higher health damage than others. Africa is the continent that is the most affected by health damage. The building materials and electricity use are the main sources of health damage in a neighborhood. The implementation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of an eco-neighborhood has a significant impact on the potential health damages. Among the different stages of the neighborhood life cycle, the operation stage is the most significant which is responsible over 50% of total health damage. It is important to multiply ecological neighborhoods around the world, because health damage is estimated to be 20% lower in sustainable neighborhoods than more conventional neighborhoods

Thermal comfort and comparison of some parameters coming from hospitals and shopping centers under natural ventilation : The case of Madagascar Island

Nowadays, in several countries in the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean, including Madagascar island, Comores island, Seychelles island and Mayotte, no adopted and regulated building standards exist. Human health essentially depends on the quality of indoor air, and so several actions should be taken to solve this problem. The purpose of this study is to develop a database of thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings inordertoimproveindoorairquality,mainlyinhospitals andshoppingcentersinthelargestislandoftheIndian Ocean.Toachievethisobjective,andduetoalackofdataregardingcomfortinbuiltenvironmentsinthisregion, experimental and subjective studies were carried out in 5 big hospitals and 50 small and large shopping centers, distributed in 25 districts of urban areas in Northern Madagascar. The adaptive approach was used for this purpose. A specific questionnaire based on the ISO7730 and 10551 was designed to collect these data. A total of 400 people participated in this study, and the survey was conducted during rainy and dry seasons. This study discusses the influence of gender, clothing, activities, voters’ mind state and occupants’ control strategies on adaptive comfort assessment. In addition, various comfort parameters were calculated for these buildings. Results show that, in both studied places, the lower and upper acceptable temperatures for 80% of the voters were 23.2 °C and 26.8 °C, while 90% of the customers and patients reported a comfortable temperature range of 24.5–26.2°C. This will help to define proper guidelines to build more comfortable buildings in Madagascar and other countries of the Indian Ocean