CasaClima qualty seals – a key to sustainable buildings

For CasaClima, sustainability in buildings is a holistic concept, which not only evaluates the energy efficiency but goes further by considering a broad spectrum of aspects. At the roots of the CasaClima sustainability seals lays the proven CasaClima energy efficiency certification extended by a set of criteria aimed at reducing the waste of natural resources, thereby limiting the environmental impact and assuring the wellbeing of the people who live or work in the building. The CasaClima Agency, a public and independent body, deals with all aspects related to the quality assurance of the entire construction process from the planning, to on-site audits and finally the issuing of the CasaClima certification.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

CasaClima qualty seals – a key to sustainable buildings

For CasaClima, sustainability in buildings is a holistic concept, which not only evaluates the energy efficiency but goes further by considering a broad spectrum of aspects. At the roots of the CasaClima sustainability seals lays the proven CasaClima energy efficiency certification extended by a set of criteria aimed at reducing the waste of natural resources, thereby limiting the environmental impact and assuring the wellbeing of the people who live or work in the building. The CasaClima Agency, a public and independent body, deals with all aspects related to the quality assurance of the entire construction process from the planning, to on-site audits and finally the issuing of the CasaClima certification.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Project HOME

This research project is focused on providing future astronauts ways to grow a complete diet on a planet that does not receive as much sunlight as Earth does. We evaluated a deep-water culture indoor hydroponics system to grow Moringa Oleifera, a nutrient- and antioxidant-rich plant with leaves containing all nine essential amino acids. After initial aquaponics growth and 3 prior harvests, the lighting intensity was set to 590 W/m^2 in a twelve hour on/off cycle. This simulates an ambient light collection and reflection system on Mars. 32 plants were harvested 17 times over a 9 month period at regular intervals, when plant heights reached an average of 0.9 m and we found consumable leaf yield averaged 0.18g per plant, per day. Data suggests using Moringa Oleifera as a perennial hydroponic crop is possible under reduced illumination, and is a candidate food source for Mars explorers. Preliminary research has expanded to utilizing natural light, additional plants, three more hydroponic systems, and solar power. Currently, a solar powered 8x12ft greenhouse is being used to hydroponically grow Goji Berries, Moringa Oleifera, Bamboo, Kale, Chia, and Sweet Potatoes. Combined, these foods contain a complete set of nutrients needed for a balanced human diet. The greenhouse and solar panels receive 590 W/m^2 by utilizing shade cloths. In conclusion, the project demonstrates that astronauts will have great potential in future missions to Mars to maximize the growth of superfoods using natural light, with a focus on a hydroponics system as the preferred farming method for space

Parte 2. Analisi delle stratigrafie

La pubblicazione si compone di tre sezioni, completate da un’appendice contenente esempi di calcolo. La prima parte illustra, attraverso schede operative di agevole consultazione, una metodologia di approccio innovativo al problema della riqualificazione energetica dell’edilizia residenziale esistente. La seconda sezione propone una raccolta di schede come strumento di consultazione delle prestazioni termiche relative a un campione di elementi costruttivi, in grado di fornire un riferimento operativo utile per impostare un intervento di riqualificazione volto a migliorare l’efficienza energetica dell’involucro edilizio. Le schede stratigrafiche riportano i materiali che compongono i singoli elementi costruttivi presi in esame, analizzano la possibilità di isolamento sia dall’interno che dall’interno, prendendo in considerazione materiali isolanti di diversa natura. Oltre all’indicazione delle caratteristiche termo-fisiche dei materiali e delle prestazioni termiche, in periodo invernale ed estivo, particolare attenzione è rivolta all’andamento del contenuto di umidità all’interno dell’elemento costruttivo in regime non stazionario, riportando i grafici che illustrano la situazione che si verifica nei tre anni successivi all’intervento di risanamento. La terza sezione illustra i principali nodi costruttivi presenti in una tipologia costruttiva diffusa nel patrimonio edilizio esistente, suggerendo soluzioni di intervento, presentando le difficoltà e fornendo consigli pratici per la progettazione. Partendo dal dettaglio del nodo esaminato, si prendono in esame i punti critici ed i problemi particolari, precisando ciò che è importante conoscere durante la progettazione e la messa in opera. L’approccio adottato può essere utilizzato nel caso di altre tecnologie e i principi esplicati nel caso illustrato possono essere estesi anche ad altre tipologie

A new approach to energetic requalification of existing buildings

A good knowledge of technical features of existing building resources is necessary to improve their energetic performances. For this purpose the research analyses building systems and technologies and it identifies energetic problems and performances, proposing a critic evaluation of the possibilities of the intervention. The research pays a special attention on moisture and condensation problems which can occur as a consequence of retrofitting interventions. The impact of the planning decisions on moisture content and behaviour of the existing components with respect to building physics have to be taken into consideration when there are attempts to upgrade the building’s thermal performance of existing building to save energy. The verification of moisture transfer is generally conducted using the standardised steady-state Glaser method. This standard calculation, considering only vapour diffusion transfer, fails to produce realistic results when handling with an interior thermal insulation because overestimates the possibility of condensation at the former inner surface of the wall and doesn’t consider the moisture storage potential of the component. In this research an innovative simulation method is used; it is developed to perform more realistic and detailed simulation of the hygrothermal behaviour based on EN 15026:2008. The method allows to evaluate the real potential of interior thermal insulation on existing building components under natural conditions

Connector-less SiC power modules with integrated shunt—Low-profile design for low inductance and low cost

The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This paper presents the design, manufacture and characterization of connector-less 1200 V SiC MOSFET half-bridge power modules based on AlN DCB substrate. The modules contain four MOSFETs and no external antiparallel diodes. They are rated for a current of 40 A and include a shunt. Static and dynamic measurement results are presented. Multiphysics simulations are used to validate the measured data. The modules show a power path inductance below 3 nH. The power rating of the implemented chip shunt resistors is sufficient for the performed characterizations but requires revision. The switching loss at turn-on is 340 μJ at 23 A, 800 V, the turn-off loss is well below 50 μJ, principally allowing MHz operation in resonant mode

Project HOME: Hydroponic Operations for Mars Exploration

This research project is focused on providing future astronauts ways to grow a complete diet on a planet that does not receive as much sunlight as Earth does. We evaluated a deep-water culture indoor hydroponics system to grow Moringa Oleifera, a nutrient- and antioxidant-rich plant with leaves containing all nine essential amino acids. After initial aquaponics growth and 3 prior harvests, the lighting intensity was set to 590 W/m^2 in a twelve hour on/off cycle. This simulates an ambient light collection and reflection system on Mars. 32 plants were harvested 17 times over a 9 month period at regular intervals, when plant heights reached an average of 0.9 m and we found consumable leaf yield averaged 0.18g per plant, per day. Data suggests using Moringa Oleifera as a perennial hydroponic crop is possible under reduced illumination, and is a candidate food source for Mars explorers. Preliminary research has expanded to utilizing natural light, additional plants, three more hydroponic systems, and solar power. Currently, a solar powered 8x12ft greenhouse is being used to hydroponically grow Goji Berries, Moringa Oleifera, Bamboo, Kale, Chia, and Sweet Potatoes. Combined, these foods contain a complete set of nutrients needed for a balanced human diet. The greenhouse and solar panels receive 590 W/m^2 by utilizing shade cloths. In conclusion, the project demonstrates that astronauts will have great potential in future missions to Mars to maximize the growth of superfoods using natural light, with a focus on a hydroponics system as the preferred farming method for space

A markerless motion capture system to study musculoskeletal biomechanics: visual hull and simulated annealing approach.

Abstract-Human motion capture is frequently used to study musculoskeletal biomechanics and clinical problems, as well as to provide realistic animation for the entertainment industry. The most popular technique for human motion capture uses markers placed on the skin, despite some important drawbacks including the impediment to the motion by the presence of skin markers and relative movement between the skin where the markers are placed and the underlying bone. The latter makes it difficult to estimate the motion of the underlying bone, which is the variable of interest for biomechanical and clinical applications. A model-based markerless motion capture system is presented in this study, which does not require the placement of any markers on the subject's body. The described method is based on visual hull reconstruction and an a priori model of the subject. A custom version of adapted fast simulated annealing has been developed to match the model to the visual hull. The tracking capability and a quantitative validation of the method were evaluated in a virtual environment for a complete gait cycle. The obtained mean errors, for an entire gait cycle, for knee and hip flexion are respectively 1.5 • (± 3.9 • ) and 2.0 • (± 3.0 • ), while for knee and hip adduction they are respectively 2.0 • (± 2.3 • ) and 1.1 • (± 1.7 • ). Results for the ankle and shoulder joints are also presented. Experimental results captured in a gait laboratory with a real subject are also shown to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of the presented method in a clinical environment