Plug and Play Modular Façade Construction System for Renovation for Residential Buildings

The present paper focuses on the architectural and constructional features required to ensure that building envelope renovation are safe, functional, and adaptable to the building stock, with particular focus on “plug and play” modular facade construction systems. It presents the design of one such system and how it addresses these issues. The outcome of early-stage functional test with a full-scale mock-up system, as well as its applicability to a real construction project is presented. It is found crucial to obtain high quality information about the status of the existing façade with the use of modern technologies such as topographic surveys or 3D scans and point cloud. Detailed design processes are required to ensure the compatibility of manufacture and installation tolerances, along with anchor systems that deliver flexibility for adjustment, and construction processes adapting standard installation methods to the architectural particularities of each case that may hinder its use or require some modification in each situation. This prefabricated plug and play modular system has been tested by reproducing the holistic methodology and new technologies in the market by means of real demonstrators. When compared to more conventional construction methods, this system achieves savings in a real case of 50% (time), 30% (materials) and 25% (waste), thus achieving significant economic savings.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 768718

Development of a curtain wall prototype with dynamic behaviour (SmartSkin)

The paper presents a research project, derived from a collaboration between Universities, manufacturers and designers with international experience in curtain walls and HVAC systems. The research consisted in experimenting a technological solution for a building envelope with dynamic behaviour and high aesthetic value, which is able to respond to the influence of fixed and variable factors – internal and external – with respect to regulatory requirements and flexibility needs during the design and the operational phase. The goal is to reduce the embodied energy of the components, optimise the energy consumption during the use phase and limit the construction costs with the segmentation of the devices, the shrinkage of the floor height and the acceleration of the assembly process

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)

Prefabricated Plug-and-Play Unitized Façade System for Deep Retrofitting: The RenoZEB Case Study

The retrofitting of the existing building stock is one of the most important goals to be pursued to meet European targets. In this context, the RenoZEB project has developed a modular methodology for the deep retrofitting of buildings, which is enabled by a prefabricated plug-and-play façade that integrates different on-market technologies to achieve nZEB standards. This article reports on the activities conducted in the study and design of the RenoZEB prefabricated envelope system, providing insights on the tests conducted and the results achieved for the façade system, with a specific focus on the use of technology laboratory facilities for real-environment validation, which revealed the system to be in line with the project objectives

A Sub-Zonal PMV-Based HVAC and Façade Control System for Curtain Wall Buildings

This paper presents an experimental test room in a curtain wall building where an innovative monitoring and control system was implemented and tested. The proposed solution is composed by an IR-based comfort sensor that measures the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) index for 2 room’s sub-zones and provides the optimal air temperature set-points. The overall control system includes a distributed sensors and actuators network, also embedded into the façade modules, to measure indoor and outdoor parameters and to regulate fan-coils, windows opening and shadings with a sub-zonal approach. Initial results turn out to provide an energy saving of about 20% with an improvement of thermal/visual comfort and IAQ conditions

A Sub-Zonal PMV-Based HVAC and Façade Control System for Curtain Wall Buildings

This paper presents an experimental test room in a curtain wall building where an innovative monitoring and control system was implemented and tested. The proposed solution is composed by an IR-based comfort sensor that measures the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) index for 2 room’s sub-zones and provides the optimal air temperature set-points. The overall control system includes a distributed sensors and actuators network, also embedded into the façade modules, to measure indoor and outdoor parameters and to regulate fan-coils, windows opening and shadings with a sub-zonal approach. Initial results turn out to provide an energy saving of about 20% with an improvement of thermal/visual comfort and IAQ conditions

Sviluppo di un prototipo di facciata continua con comportamento dinamico (SmartSkin)

L\u2019articolo presenta un progetto di ricerca, frutto di una collaborazione tra Universit\ue0 e societ\ue0 pro-duttrici e di progettazione con esperienza internazionale in facciate continue e sistemi HVAC. La ri-cerca \ue8 consistita nella sperimentazione di una soluzione tecnologica d\u2019involucro evoluto a compor-tamento dinamico ed alta resa estetica, in grado di rispondere all\u2019influenza di fattori fissi e variabili \u2013 esterni ed interni \u2013 nel rispetto dei requisiti previsti dalle norme e ad esigenze di flessibilit\ue0 in fase progettuale e d\u2019uso. L\u2019obiettivo \ue8 di ridurre l\u2019energia inglobata nei componenti, ottimizzare l\u2019uso di energia in fase operativa e diminuire i costi di costruzione con la segmentazione impiantistica, l\u2019abbassamento dell\u2019altezza d\u2019interpiano e la velocizzazione della messa in opera.The paper presents a research project, derived from a collaboration between Universities, manufac-turers and designers with international experience in curtain walls and HVAC systems. The research consisted in experimenting a technological solution for a building envelope with dynam-ic behaviour and high aesthetic value, which is able to respond to the influence of fixed and variable factors \u2013 internal and external \u2013 with respect to regulatory requirements and flexibility needs during the design and the operational phase. The goal is to reduce the embodied energy of the components, optimise the energy consumption during the use phase and limit the construction costs with the seg-mentation of the devices, the shrinkage of the floor height and the acceleration of the assembly pro-cess

Accelerating Energy Renovation Solution for Zero Energy Buildings and Neighbourhoods—The Experience of the RenoZEB Project

Buildings are the key factor to transform cities and to contribute to recent European energy efficiency objectives for 2030 and long-term 2050. New buildings account to only 1–2% annually. Yet, ninety percent of the existing building stock in Europe was built before 1990, it is therefore necessary to promote their energy renovation to achieve the set objectives. Renovation solutions are available on the market, yet a wrong implementation and integration due to a lack of knowledge neither maximizes the energy performance of the post-retrofitting nor the financial optimisation and viability of the projects. This paper presents research on a plug & play, modular, easy installable façade and ICT decision making technologies to provide affordable solutions in order to overcome those deep renovation barriers. The paper sets out by defining a value framework that can be applied by real estate investors for making better retrofitting decisions for residential buildings, through mapping targeted building typologies and investigating new building revalorisation strategies, new renovation concepts and KPIs for evaluation. Thereafter the paper presents the modular and easy-to-install façade system that is replicable and scalable at European level