Search results for "Building envelope"
showing 10 items of 45 documents
Active Translucent Envelopes in Warm and Hot Areas – An innovative multifunctional, dry-assembled components for BIPV
2014
International directives that regulates buildings energy efficiency and environmental sustainability establish strict parameters for the construction of a new generation of “Zero Energy Buildings” indicating transmittance limits for building envelope components and encouraging the use of renewable sources. In this sense, the PV sector aims at the definition of novel efficient solutions for the integration in the building envelope, standing out for their multifunctional features. After an overview on the main PV technologies and building integrated applications, focusing on semi-transparent envelope solutions, the paper shows the results of a research carried out at the Department of Archite…
Experimental evaluation of the durability of innovative cementitious coatings: photocatalytic activity and colour
2012
Today, in a world context characterized by high pollution levels and increasingly limited natural resources, even in the building sector, focusing on environmental issues, through energy saving and a more rational use of these resources, both during construction and management, is fundamental. An important contribution in this direction is given by the knowledge of the durability of products and building components, especially when innovative products are applied and no information are available on the reliability and service life. The research concerns the evaluation of the durability of cement-based photocatalytic coatings ("rasanti" in the Italian diction), containing different types of …
Façade Solar Control and Shading Strategies for Buildings in the Mediterranean Region
2020
With the pressing need for holistic solutions that can help in overcoming the imminent environmental and resources crises, a call for the conservation of natural resources and sustainable strategies is needed. Sustainable strategies allow for the mitigation against the impact of climate change on the environment while, simultaneously, seeking the health and comfort of users. Another environmental issue that is worthy of the attention of the scientific research community is the reduction of resources consumption, through the implementation of sustainable development concepts and the use of renewable sources of energy generation. These two aforementioned paradigms are both intrinsic in nature…
Evaluation and application of Opuntia ficus-indica insulation panel
2015
Today the attention to the building sustainability issue is increasingly important, because of the major responsibility of the buildings field in 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 are growing and the thermal insulation of buildings becomes the key element in the reduction of energy consumption and C02 emissions, both in the case of new construction and existing ones. The thermal insulation of buildings is the key element in the reduction of energy consumption and C02 emissions due to the cooling of building interiors, both in the case of new c…
Grid interaction and environmental impact of a net zero energy building
2020
Abstract The concept of Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB), as a grid-connected building that generates as much energy as it uses over a given period, has been developing through policies and research agendas during the last decade as a contribution towards the decarbonization of the building sector. However, since the most applicable and widely used renewable energy supply options are non-programmable, the large-scale NZEBs diffusion into the existing power grids can seriously affect their stability having a relapse on operation costs and environmental impacts. In this context, the study aims at performing the design of the energy systems to be used in the case-study through a wide numbers of…
Energy retrofit of a single-family house: Life cycle net energy saving and environmental benefits
2013
Abstract When a building undergoes a retrofit project, the goal of assessing energy and environmental performances of retrofit actions is a complex matter. Building and its environment are complex systems in which all sub-systems are strongly interdependent and influence the overall efficiency performance. In the following paper, starting from a literature review of building life-cycle studies, the authors highlight that there is a strong interplay among all the phases of a building life-cycle, as each one can affect one or more of the others. In detail, starting from the results of a “cradle to grave” life cycle study of an existing Mediterranean single-family house, a set of retrofit acti…
Innovative Photovoltaic Translucent Components for the Building Envelope
2014
International directives that regulates buildings energy efficiency and environmental sustainability establish strict parameters for the construction of a new generation of “Zero Energy Buildings” indicating transmittance limits for building envelope components and encouraging the use of renewable sources. In this sense, the PV sector aims at the definition of novel efficient solutions for the integration in the building envelope, standing out for their multifunctional features. After an overview on the main PV technologies and building integrated applications, focusing on semi-transparent envelope solutions, the paper shows the results of a research that is being carried out at the Departm…
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…
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…
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…