Search results for "Building Envelope"

A methodology for evaluating the flexibility potential of domestic air-conditioning systems

2020

The paper presents a methodology for quantifying the electrical flexibility potential of air-conditioning systems (ACS) installed in residential buildings according to the building envelope characteristics and the ACS performance. In order to provide a thorough analysis of the issue, the ACS baseline consumption referred to the indoor temperature of 24°C has been computed for three typical residential buildings built in the South of Italy over different periods. The baseline consumption was used as a reference to estimate the effect of the set point temperature change on the ACS power profile. The results showed that increasing the set-point temperature of ACS by 2°C and 4°C leads to a redu…

Adaptive Materials Research for Architecture

2018

The volume "Adaptive Materials Research for Architecture" is a Special Issue of the journal "Advanced Material Research". The goal of this volume is to spread knowledge on studies, analyses and results of scientific research carried out from academics, researchers, and scientists regarding the soundest issues related to smart materials, innovative technologies and ongoing researches in the field of adaptive materials in past and current architectural practice.

ARCHITECTURE AND PHOTOVOLTAICS. Strategies, technologies and novel components for the building envelope

Il principale obiettivo della tesi ha riguardato lo studio di strategie e tecnologie per l’integrazione del fotovoltaico negli edifici, con particolare attenzione verso le tecnologie solari di terza generazione, e la successiva definizione di un componente multifunzionale innovativo per l’involucro edilizio integrato con Dye-sensitized Solar Cells (DSC). Nella prima parte del lavoro, la ricerca si è concentrata sull’analisi del mercato del Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), sottolineando differenze, limiti e potenzialità di ciascuna tecnologia fotovoltaica. Particolare attenzione, inoltre, è stata rivolta a un numero consistente di casi studio, ossia edifici di nuova costruzione o in…

TOWARDS A TAO BUILDING’S ENVELOPE: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VOID

2017

The forward summarizes the role of the void in the building envelope.

Benefits of a translucent building envelope made of DSC-integrated glass blocks

2015

The aim of this paper is to analyse the benefits deriving from the replacement of the glazed façades of an office building located in Palermo (Sicily) with a new translucent BIPV envelope made of multifunctional glass block panels integrated with Dye-sensitized Solar Cells (DSCs). The analysed 11-storey building is cladded by a curtain wall determining high management costs, especially during summer, in order to maintain indoor comfort. After the design of the building envelope and of the components for the connection of the glass block panels with existing load bearing structure, the energy performance of the building, before and after the replacement of its envelope, were analysed with th…

Covering the Gap for an Effective Energy and Environmental Design of Green Roofs: Contributions from Experimental and Modelling Researches

2021

AbstractGreen roofs are components of the building envelope that have become increasingly popular in urban contexts because other than providing numerous environmental benefits they are also capable of reducing building energy consumption, especially in summer. However, despite all these advantages, green roofs are still affected by some limitations. Specifically, there are some gaps affecting the energy modelling consisting in the absence of a proper database, information (growth stage, leaf area index, and coverage ratio) relative to the different green roof plant species, which technicians could use in case of lack of actual field data to perform energy analysis of buildings equipped wit…

The urban and environmental building code as implementation tool

2014

The frame within which the work is placed refers to the actions necessary to achieve the objectives of the coverage of the consumption of energy from renewable sources compared to the gross final consumption, posed to Regions by 2020, and that can be implemented through various actions involving local gov-ernments including the revision of the Building Regulations municipalities in a sustainable view. Theseactions are increasingly being recognized as energy plan-ning tools for the territories where administrations have committed to the Euro-pean project Covenant of Mayors. The discussion shows how the adoption by the Regions of Guidelines for sustainable Municipal Building Regulations can b…

Controlling Thermal Flows through Natural Materials in Building Construction Sector

2019

Nowadays, the attention about the building sustainability is increasingly emerging, because of the major responsibility of the building field on the environmental degradation: both in terms of energy consumption from non-renewable sources and the raw materials impoverishment. In addition, the level of comfort required by users is growing and the thermal insulation of buildings becomes the key element for the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, both in the case of new construction and of the existing ones. The heat load of a building depends on the presence of insulating material which defines the performance of the building envelope. The main purpose of this work is both to i…

Pre-stressed translucent panels made of innovative 3D glass components DSC-integrated, for safety and active building façades

2018

The widespread use of glazed envelopes, especially in high-rise buildings, is pushing building designers and researchers to the development of novel solutions for the improvement of their performance. At the University of Palermo, SBskin. Smart Building Skin s.r.l. (an innovative start up and academic spin off) is prototyping precast, pre- stressed and dry-assembled panels made of 3D glass subcomponents, able to reduce the energy consumption of buildings, to produce clean energy and to maintain high level of mechanical resistance against horizontal forces due to winds and earthquakes. The integration of glass subcomponents with third-generation PV technologies -Dye- Sensitized Solar Cells (…

Analyses of innovative glass blocks for BIPV: assessment of thermal and optical performance

2015

This paper illustrates the results of the performance analyses conducted on an innovative glass block integrated with thirdgeneration dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs), designed to enable the construction of translucent and sustainable building envelopes. The analyses include the simulation of both thermal and optical performance with regard to different configurations of the photovoltaic (PV)-integrated glass block, and the results obtained are presented using two different programs: Comsol Multiphysics and WINDOW. The configurations may differ – for example, because of the position of the module inside the glass block, the type of DSC module used (composition, transparency, design) and th…