Search results for " building envelope"
showing 10 items of 17 documents
Integrazione di celle solari di terza generazione nel vetromattone per la realizzazione di involucri edilizi traslucidi fotovoltaici
2013
L’integrazione di celle solari di terza generazione - Dye-sensitised Solar Cells (DSSC) - nel vetromattone consente di ottenere un prodotto edilizio in grado di generare energia pulita, personalizzabile in termini di colore, livelli di trasparenza e fi niture, adatto alla realizzazione di componenti edilizi fotovoltaici, traslucidi e multifunzionali, facilmente integrabili nelle chiusure degli edifi ci per la costruzione di involucri edilizi energeticamente effi cienti ed attivi anche in contesti climatici avversi, quali possono essere quelli del Mediterraneo e delle aree subtropicali. L’articolo illustra 4 differenti ipotesi di integrazione delle DSSC nel vetromattone fornendo, per ciascun…
Rain on building façades
2006
Rain is one of the main causes of moisture damage to the building envelope, leading to problems such as rain penetration, frost and salt damage, discoloration by leaching, soiling by differential washing, etc. The potential of deterioration due to rain depends on the façade material, the junction of building envelope components, the overall geometry of the building, but also the presence or absence of modulation on the façade. In this paper, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to analyze these effects and illustrated with examples taken in Sicily. It is firstly shown that buildings protect themselves from driving rain due to the wind blocking effect, but that façade open…
Integration of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Glassblock
2012
The paper will show the first results of a research (included in a larger work about the Improvement of glassblocks performance in order to use them for the construction of sustainable translucent building envelops even in Mediterranean and Tropical Areas) aimed to the integration of glassblock with the DSC technology. Glassblock is a high-performance type of glass in the field of sustainable architectural claddings: the process of deposition of the cells on the single glassblock, their best position and the performance of this new kind of glassblock, DSC integrated, will be discussed in the paper in terms of transmittance, light transmission and aesthetical effects, together with the probl…
DSSC-integrated Glassblocks for the construction of Sustainable Building Envelopes
2014
The paper shows the first results of the optical performance analysis carried out on the DSSC integrated glassblock, an innovative building product developed at the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo. In the field of a research that is being conducted in order to define innovative solutions for the construction of photovoltaic and energy efficient translucent building envelopes, different hypotheses of integration of DSSC into the glassblock have been foreseen. The integration of glassblock with third generation PV systems allows to define a novel building-PV product that meets the current requirements of the BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) market. By means of …
Insulating Building Components Made from a Mixture of Waste and Vegetal Materials: Thermal Characterization of Nine New Products
2021
Nowadays, energy efficiency and sustainability are the fulcra of building policies. These policies promote the use of new technologies and materials that can reduce the primary energy involved and the environmental costs of construction, guarantying at the same time a high level of comfort for the building’s occupants. Synergy between previous construction techniques and the use of new materials should be pursued by employing materials with a low environmental impact and optimal thermal insulation properties. Within this framework, new materials derived from the agriculture sector, and waste or recycling products from the industrial/agricultural sectors have been studied. The aim of this pa…
Transparent and sustainable materials
2013
The search for greater transparency in buildings characterizes the current architectural scenario: the use of glass is more and more common in both the design of new buildings and for renovation. However, the design of the transparent part of the building envelope is critical to the achievement of efficiency and sustainability. There are several research companies that aim to improve the energy performance especially of the glass. Today there is a wide range of products capable of providing different solutions, depending on the aesthetic and technical requirements of the structure in question. The aim of this article is to provide a clear overview of the possibilities of the transparent mat…
Design and performance of sustainable and translucent building envelopes made of ETFE cushions
2009
The paper reports the first results of a research carried out at the Department of Design and Building Construction of the University of Palermo aimed to investigate the problems related to the performance improvement of the building envelope components able to gain the sunlight. In particular we have investigated the development of sustainable building envelopes made of ETFE (Ethylene TetraFluoroEthylene) cushions. The paper shows the problems related to physics, techniques and construction derived from the use of ETFE by analysing the first use of this innovative material for the construction of more recent sustainable building envelopes all over the world. Because of the few studies avai…
Pannello precompresso di vetromattoni assemblati a secco per la realizzazione di involucri traslucidi
2012
L’invenzione riguarda la realizzazione di un pannello di vetromattoni montati “a secco” -da impiegare per la realizzazione di involucri edilizi traslucidi anche nel caso di edifici alti- che è in grado di rispondere adeguatamente alle sollecitazioni orizzontali (quali quelle dovute a vento e sisma) grazie all’applicazione della tecnica della precompressione mondirezionale. Per offrire una risposta ai limiti imposti dalla tecnica di assemblaggio tradizionale dei vetromattoni (“ad umido”), l’applicazione della precompressione consente, infatti, di dare ai pannelli preassemblati “a secco” una rigidezza adeguata anche in direzione normale al loro piano di posa, sfruttando le buone caratteristic…
Environmental assessment of a new building envelope material derived from urban agriculture wastes : the case of the tomato plants stems
2023
Abstract Purpose Decarbonizing cities is one of today’s biggest challenges. In this regard, particular attention has been paid on improving the environmental performance of buildings. In this framework, this work consists in assessing the environmental impact of an innovative building envelope component derived from urban agriculture (UA) wastes. In fact, rooftop UA seems to be a possible solution to the rising food demand due to increasing urban demographic growth. Consequently, rooftop UA wastes need to be treated in sustainable ways. Methods This study aims to determine the carbon footprint and embodied energy of a new infill wall material, derived from UA wastes produced by a building r…
Innovative, Translucent and Multi-functional Components for the Building Envelope: technological and performance optimization
2017
The paper describes the actions aimed at the technology and performance optimization of an innovative, multi-functional building component made of precast and pre-stressed glass blocks useful for the construction of sustainable building envelopes able to reduce the energy consumption and to produce clean energy from the sun. The design optimization of different sub-components and the choice of the right materials for guaranteeing their good response in terms of mechanical resistance, thermal and acoustic insulation, light transmission, electricity production, integration with other components, dimensional coordination, are particularly described.