Acoustical Behavior Of Churches: Mudejar-Gothic Churches

Christian churches have traditionally been considered to have very good acoustical behavior. This unfounded belief has led to important en-on in church rehabilitation works, especially when the church is to be used subsequently as an auditorium or theater; this is the case of many churches in Spain. Our research group has worked in acoustical analysis for more than ten years. We have participated in many cases of church rehabilitation and have had the opp&unity to achieve surprisingly good acwstical behavior in several. We deal with a very common type in southern Spain: Gothic-Mudejar churches, which have a small volume, a triple-nave layout, and wooden ceilings

Hacia una calibración de modelos energéticos: Caso de estudio del parque residencial español en clima mediterráneo

Current energy policies focus on retrofitting to achieve Horizon 2020 aims, especially concerning the residential stock constructed before the first thermal regulations. According to this, improving energy efficiency and interior comfort conditions in buildings must be supported by the knowledge of its real energy performance. Due to uncertainty and the lack of information on the current energy performance of housing and its real operational conditions, discrepancies between the results obtained and the measured data arise. Housing monitoring under real occupational conditions become essential for a better understanding of environmental behavior of residential building stock. Our aim is to show the calibration process, based on monitoring data obtained from a group of dwellings of national heritage interest built in the 1950s in Seville (a Mediterranean climate city). Calibration allows simulation results to approximate to current environmental conditions, aiming to predict and optimize the potential for subsequent environmental and energy implementation.Las actuales políticas energéticas europeas proponen la rehabilitación para poder alcanzar los objetivos del Horizonte 2020, especialmente del parque residencial construido antes de las primeras normativas térmicas, debiendo cimentarse la mejora en eficiencia energética y confort en el conocimiento de su comportamiento energético real. Aparecen divergencias entre resultados reales y de simulación debido a las incertidumbres y falta de información sobre el estado actual y las condiciones reales de uso y operacionales. La monitorización bajo condiciones de ocupación real resulta imprescindible para conocer el comportamiento energético y ambiental del parque residencial. Nuestro objetivo es mostrar el proceso de calibración de modelos energéticos, a partir de la monitorización, de unas viviendas de interés patrimonial construidas en los años cincuenta en Sevilla, ciudad de clima mediterráneo. La calibración permite aproximar los resultados de simulación a las condiciones ambientales reales, para predecir y optimizar el potencial de mejora ambiental y energética en la rehabilitación

Thermal Perception in Mild Climate: Adaptive Thermal Models for Schools

A comprehensive assessment of indoor environmental conditions is performed on a representative sample of classrooms in schools across southern Spain (Mediterranean climate) to evaluate the thermal comfort level, thermal perception and preference, and the relationship with HVAC systems, with a comparison of seasons and personal clothing. Almost fifty classrooms were studied and around one thousand pool-surveys distributed among their occupants, aged 12 to 17. These measurements were performed during spring, autumn, and winter, considered the most representative periods of use for schools. A new proposed protocol has been developed for the collection and subsequent analysis of data, applying thermal comfort indicators and using the most frequent predictive models, rational (RTC) and adaptive (ATC), for comparison. Cooling is not provided in any of the rooms and natural ventilation is found in most of the spaces during midseasons. Despite the existence of a general heating service in almost all classrooms in the cold period, the use of mechanical ventilation is limited. Heating did not usually provide standard set-point temperatures. However, this did not lead to widespread complaints, as occupants perceive the thermal environment as neutral—varying greatly between users—and show a preference for slightly colder environments. Comparison of these thermal comfort votes and the thermal comfort indicators used showed a better fit of thermal preference over thermal sensation and more reliable results when using regional ATC indicators than the ASHRAE adaptive model. This highlights the significance of inhabitants’ actual thermal perception. These findings provide useful insight for a more accurate design of this type of building, as well as a suitable tool for the improvement of existing spaces, improving the conditions for both comfort and wellbeing in these spaces, as well as providing a better fit of energy use for actual comfort conditions

Monitoring a pre-normative multi-family housing case-study in a Mediterranean climate

In Spain, a significant percentage of the residential building stock presents deficient indoor conditions regarding current energy standards, due to having been constructed before the Norma Básica de la Edificación in 1979 (NBE CT 79) regarding thermal conditions in buildings. Current environmental policies pursue a cut in energy consumption and seek improvements in indoor conditions by refurbishing current stock, mainly that constructed between 1950 and 1980. Before any retrofitting action, housing monitoring has become essential for a better understanding of real and passive environmental behavior. This paper aims to present the monitoring in hourly intervals, real-time and post-occupancy conditions of a residential building in Seville, built in the 1950s and belonging to national heritage. The results obtained show major discrepancies between thermal indoor data collected and comfort conditions, both in summer and winter, which are solved by the sporadic use of cooling and heating devices present in the dwellings, thus leading to less energy consumption than expected. This is a common occurrence in multi-family housing units from the Mediterranean arc: there are many periods of the year in which a vast number of the population lives in poor energy conditions

Are the dwellings of historic Mediterranean cities cold in winter? A field assessment on their indoor environment and energy performance

Although European heritage buildings are excluded from energy efficiency targets, it would be beneficial to include the largest group, that of listed housing, in energy retrofit plans, in order to encourage its occupation and contributing to the sustainable maintenance of historic cities. This requires reliable experimental studies, which have been rare so far, in order to establish energy rehabilitation plans that do not jeopardize the conservation of their values. This paper aims to contribute to addressing this gap. It evaluates the energy performance and indoor environmental quality of dwellings within listed buildings of the conservation area of Seville, Spain, in the Mediterranean climate zone, under actual winter use and occupation conditions. An experimental campaign was conducted, generating energy models and measuring rates of indoor air temperature to validate them. The findings highlight important health and environmental issues: despite the mild winters of southern Spain, intensive use of the heating system is needed to maintain thermal comfort indoors, increasing polluting emissions; CO2 concentration in bedrooms is usually excessive overnight and, regularly, indoor relative humidity remains too high; heat losses depend entirely on the physical condition of the constructive elements (walls, roofs, air leakage and glazing) which occupants cannot easily improve

Towards an Energy Assessment on an Urban Scale for Retrofitting the Housing Stock in Mediterranean Cities

According to European Directive 2012/27/EU energy retrofitting of the current housing stock is being promoted. However, few studies have been carried out characterizing housing stock energy performance in order to incorporate energy retrofitting in cities in the southern Mediterranean area. The aim of this paper is to propose an energy assessment methodology on urban scale and to apply it to the southern Spanish province of Cadiz. This is followed by the generation of a predictive model for energy assessment in Mediterranean cities which could be further developed and used in the future to estimate overall energy efficiency on an urban scale

Thermal 3D CFD Simulation with Active Transparent Façade in Buildings

In recent years active façades have acquired greater importance given their capacity to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. One such type is the so-called Active Transparent Façade (ATF). A 3D numerical model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) has been generated to simulate the thermal performance of buildings equipped with this type of façade. This model is introduced for general application and allows the design parameters to be adapted for this system. The case study of Le Corbusier’s proposal for the City of Refuge in Paris, the clearest example of previous use of an ATF is examined. In addition, a proposal is presented for the energy improvement of Le Corbusier’s original solution. In order to do so, the conditions for the supply of air into the ATF cavity and in the mechanical ventilation system are assessed to guarantee comfort conditions

Thermal 3D CFD Simulation with Active Transparent Façade in Buildings

In recent years active façades have acquired greater importance given their capacity to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. One such type is the so-called Active Transparent Façade (ATF). A 3D numerical model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) has been generated to simulate the thermal performance of buildings equipped with this type of façade. This model is introduced for general application and allows the design parameters to be adapted for this system. The case study of Le Corbusier’s proposal for the City of Refuge in Paris, the clearest example of previous use of an ATF is examined. In addition, a proposal is presented for the energy improvement of Le Corbusier’s original solution. In order to do so, the conditions for the supply of air into the ATF cavity and in the mechanical ventilation system are assessed to guarantee comfort conditions

Future technologies in Le Corbusier's environmental conditioning systems: city of refuge in Paris

The City of Refuge in Paris (1929-30) is an experimental building where Le Corbusier wanted to apply his famous proposal of environmental conditioning systems of buildings through the combination of two technological advances that supported his concept of machine à habiter: the mur neutralisant and respiration exacte. This paper presents a historical journey from the first attempts to carry out these two technological innovations to a complete informative documentation on the major decisions and changes made in the City of Refuge by collecting letters and reports of the main actors who intervened in it. The aim of this study is to investigate environmental conditioning through passive and active strategies in Le Corbusier's architecture, carrying this study out in the year 2013, which marks the 50th anniversary of his death. The results and findings have allowed us to complete the analysis that architectural critics have produced on the City of Refuge, through understanding the real behaviour of the building as originally built, as well as the success that the combination of the mur neutralisant and the respiration exacte, advanced technologies for their time, could have had. At present these are once again being used in the design of active façades which deal with existing concerns about sustainability and energy efficiency