Application of Building Typologies for Modelling the Energy Balance of the Residential Building Stock

Building typologies can serve as a basis for analysing the national housing sector. During the TABULA project which was introducing or further developing building typologies in thirteen EU countries, six of the European partners have carried out model calculations which aim at imaging the energy consumption and estimating the energy saving potentials of their national residential building stocks (IWU / Germany, NOA / Greece, POLITO / Italy, VITO / Belgium, STU-K / Czech Republic, SBi / Denmark). The results show that the model calculations can provide plausible projections of the energy consumption of the national residential buildings stock. The fit of model calculations and national energy statistics is satisfactory, deviations can often be explained and corrected by adapting standard boundary conditions of the applied calculation models to more realistic values. In general, the analysis shows that building typologies can be a helpful tool for modelling the energy consumption of national building stocks and for carrying out scenario analysis beyond the TABULA project. The consideration of a set of representative buildings makes it possible to have a detailed view on various packages of measures for the complete buildings stock or for its sub-categories. The effects of different insulation measures at the respective construction elements as well as different heat supply measures including renewable energies can be considered in detail. The quality of future model calculations will depend very much on the availability of statistical data. For reliable scenario analysis information is necessary about the current state of the building stock (How many buildings and heating systems have been refurbished until now?) and about the current trends (How many buildings and heating systems are being refurbished every year?). The availability and regular update of the relevant statistical data will be an important basis for the development and evaluation of national climate protection strategies in the building secto

A strongly coupled, embedded-boundary method for fluid–structure interactions of elastically mounted rigid bodies

In the present paper, an embedded-boundary formulation that is applicable to fluid-structure interaction problems is presented. The Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow are solved on a Cartesian grid which is not aligned with the boundaries of a body that undergoes large-angle/large-displacement rigid body motions through the fixed grid. A strong-coupling scheme is adopted, where the fluid and the structure are treated as elements of a single dynamical system, and all of the governing equations are integrated simultaneously and interactively in the time domain. A demonstration of the accuracy and efficiency of the method is given for a variety of fluid-structure interaction problems.Fil: Yang, J.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Preidikman, Sergio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Balaras, E.. University of Maryland; Estados Unido

Carbon dioxide reduction in the building life cycle: a critical review

The construction industry is known to be a major contributor to environmental pressures due to its high energy consumption and carbon dioxide generation. The growing amount of carbon dioxide emissions over buildings’ life cycles has prompted academics and professionals to initiate various studies relating to this problem. Researchers have been exploring carbon dioxide reduction methods for each phase of the building life cycle – from planning and design, materials production, materials distribution and construction process, maintenance and renovation, deconstruction and disposal, to the material reuse and recycle phase. This paper aims to present the state of the art in carbon dioxide reduction studies relating to the construction industry. Studies of carbon dioxide reduction throughout the building life cycle are reviewed and discussed, including those relating to green building design, innovative low carbon dioxide materials, green construction methods, energy efficiency schemes, life cycle energy analysis, construction waste management, reuse and recycling of materials and the cradle-to-cradle concept. The review provides building practitioners and researchers with a better understanding of carbon dioxide reduction potential and approaches worldwide. Opportunities for carbon dioxide reduction can thereby be maximised over the building life cycle by creating environmentally benign designs and using low carbon dioxide materials

Application of Building Typologies for Modelling the Energy Balance of the Residential Building Stock.

Building typologies can serve as a basis for analysing the national housing sector. During the TABULA project which was introducing or further developing building typologies in thirteen EU countries, six of the European partners have carried out model calculations which aim at imaging the energy consumption and estimating the energy saving potentials of their national residential building stocks (IWU / Germany, NOA / Greece, POLITO / Italy, VITO / Belgium, STU-K / Czech Republic, SBi / Denmark). The results show that the model calculations can provide plausible projections of the energy consumption of the national residential buildings stock. The fit of model calculations and national energy statistics is satisfactory, deviations can often be explained and corrected by adapting standard boundary conditions of the applied calculation models to more realistic values. In general, the analysis shows that building typologies can be a helpful tool for modelling the energy consumption of national building stocks and for carrying out scenario analysis beyond the TABULA project. The consideration of a set of representative buildings makes it possible to have a detailed view on various packages of measures for the complete buildings stock or for its sub-categories. The effects of different insulation measures at the respective construction elements as well as different heat supply measures including renewable energies can be considered in detail. The quality of future model calculations will depend very much on the availability of statistical data. For reliable scenario analysis information is necessary about the current state of the building stock (How many buildings and heating systems have been refurbished until now?) and about the current trends (How many buildings and heating systems are being refurbished every year?). The availability and regular update of the relevant statistical data will be an important basis for the development and evaluation of national climate protection strategies in the building sector

A Practical Guide to the New European Bauhaus Self-assessment Method and Tool

This handbook provides a complete guide to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) self-assessment method, designed to promote the three NEB dimensions, namely sustainability, beauty, and inclusiveness, in the built environment of Europe and beyond. The handbook comes together with an online tool allowing to evaluate the performance of projects and support their improvement. The online tool is seen as the basis to establish a dialogue between all involved stakeholders, and the grounds for defining minimum performance levels within the NEB framework. Advanced targets and indices are proposed to help professionals assess all aspects of the three NEB dimensions in buildings and living spaces, promote sustainable economic and financial activities, overcome local constraints, and improve the quality of life of the European citizens, indoors and outdoors, through a built environment designed to be affordable, aesthetically appealing, healthy, comfortable, and accessible for everyone, also addressing safety, functionality under hazards, adaptation to new functions. Acknowledging the complexity of a comprehensive evaluation, and understanding the variability of metrics associated with the three NEB dimensions across different project types, scales, and geographical regions, the self-assessment method is structured hierarchically to provide feedback with three interconnected assessment levels: indicator, key performance indicator, and dimension. Specifically, the method defines three spatial scales, i.e. building, neighbourhood, and urban, and delineates two project types, i.e. newbuild and renovation. Supporting the self-assessment process, the online tool aims to facilitate the user and simplify the evaluation process while upholding the method integrity and effectiveness. This handbook offers a thorough guidance on the New European Bauhaus self-assessment method and its underlying principles. It covers assessment targets, indicators, key performance indicators, evaluation methods, and measurement units. Additionally, the handbook includes illustrative examples, empowering the interested users with the knowledge necessary to perform the evaluation effectively. The handbook primarily targets professionals engaged in both the delivery phase (design, construction, and commissioning) and the operational phase (operations and maintenance). Project managers, architects, engineers, and consultants are anticipated to play an active role in gathering and generating the information needed for the self-assessment. However, various stakeholders throughout the entire building lifecycle and supply chains are also expected to participate, benefit from, and be influenced by the assessment, including product manufacturers, main and specialist contractors, policymakers, building users and the local community members directly impacted by the project outcomes. The method is not intended to foster competition or reward high-scoring projects; rather, its purpose is to drive continuous improvement in the built environment quality and align projects with the NEB objectives. Whereas users are expected to aim at the highest performance in the self-assessment, the decision of focusing more on some performance indicators rather than others is finally left each user. To emphasise the significance of a balanced performance across all three dimensions of projects, the possibility of obtaining a global performance combining the three NEB dimension scores was intentionally excluded

A Practical Guide to the New European Bauhaus Self-assessment Method and Tool

This handbook provides a complete guide to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) self-assessment method, designed to promote the three NEB dimensions, namely sustainability, beauty, and inclusiveness, in the built environment of Europe and beyond. The handbook comes together with an online tool allowing to evaluate the performance of projects and support their improvement. The online tool is seen as the basis to establish a dialogue between all involved stakeholders, and the grounds for defining minimum performance levels within the NEB framework. Advanced targets and indices are proposed to help professionals assess all aspects of the three NEB dimensions in buildings and living spaces, promote sustainable economic and financial activities, overcome local constraints, and improve the quality of life of the European citizens, indoors and outdoors, through a built environment designed to be affordable, aesthetically appealing, healthy, comfortable, and accessible for everyone, also addressing safety, functionality under hazards, adaptation to new functions. Acknowledging the complexity of a comprehensive evaluation, and understanding the variability of metrics associated with the three NEB dimensions across different project types, scales, and geographical regions, the self-assessment method is structured hierarchically to provide feedback with three interconnected assessment levels: indicator, key performance indicator, and dimension. Specifically, the method defines three spatial scales, i.e. building, neighbourhood, and urban, and delineates two project types, i.e. newbuild and renovation. Supporting the self-assessment process, the online tool aims to facilitate the user and simplify the evaluation process while upholding the method integrity and effectiveness. This handbook offers a thorough guidance on the New European Bauhaus self-assessment method and its underlying principles. It covers assessment targets, indicators, key performance indicators, evaluation methods, and measurement units. Additionally, the handbook includes illustrative examples, empowering the interested users with the knowledge necessary to perform the evaluation effectively. The handbook primarily targets professionals engaged in both the delivery phase (design, construction, and commissioning) and the operational phase (operations and maintenance). Project managers, architects, engineers, and consultants are anticipated to play an active role in gathering and generating the information needed for the self-assessment. However, various stakeholders throughout the entire building lifecycle and supply chains are also expected to participate, benefit from, and be influenced by the assessment, including product manufacturers, main and specialist contractors, policymakers, building users and the local community members directly impacted by the project outcomes. The method is not intended to foster competition or reward high-scoring projects; rather, its purpose is to drive continuous improvement in the built environment quality and align projects with the NEB objectives. Whereas users are expected to aim at the highest performance in the self-assessment, the decision of focusing more on some performance indicators rather than others is finally left each user. To emphasise the significance of a balanced performance across all three dimensions of projects, the possibility of obtaining a global performance combining the three NEB dimension scores was intentionally excluded

Estudio experimental sobre el comportamiento térmico de un nuevo tipo de techo-estanque para el enfriamiento pasivo en clima húmedo

En este trabajo, una nueva tipología de techo-estanque metálico, basado en el enfriamiento evaporativo indirecto, que incluye masa térmica confinada, se evalúa experimentalmente. Cinco sistemas de enfriamiento pasivo se han estudiado con este dispositivo experimental. Se analizan sus temperaturas características con el propósito de determinar en cada caso, su potencial de enfriamiento, así como, la influencia de la masa térmica en su comportamiento térmico. Entre las técnicas de enfriamiento pasivo aplicadas se encuentran el enfriamiento evaporativo indirecto (EEI) y el enfriamiento radiativo nocturno (ER). El sistema donde se combina masa térmica con enfriamiento evaporativo indirecto en el dispositivo experimental presenta una elevada eficiencia de enfriamiento; su valor aumenta a medida que las condiciones son más extremas. Un potencial de enfriamiento aun mayor se consigue al agregar al sistema anterior enfriamiento radiativo