Article
Energy & Fuels
Ling-Yi Chang, Tong-Bou Chang
Summary: The Executive Yuan in Taiwan plans to install air-conditioning (A/C) in all elementary schools within two years. However, the use of A/C will close the doors and windows, leading to the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the classrooms. Excessive indoor CO2 concentration can reduce cognitive performance and learning efficiency. Therefore, it is important to introduce external air into the classrooms to increase air exchange rate and reduce CO2 concentration.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Lin-Rui Jia, Jie Han, Xi Chen, Qing-Yun Li, Chi-Chung Lee, Yat-Hei Fung
Summary: The study suggests that the thermal comfort prediction model should consider factors such as genders, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and that mixed-mode ventilation combining natural and mechanical approaches is preferred for its lower energy consumption and improved thermal comfort. Optimization of passive design parameters of buildings can significantly reduce ventilation demands while maintaining indoor thermal comfort.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Arturs Staveckis, Anatolijs Borodinecs
Summary: This study investigates the effectiveness of impinging jet ventilation system in providing desired indoor climate in office buildings through experiments and CFD simulations. Results show that the shape of the air opening has little impact on contaminant and heat removal effectiveness, while circular air openings perform better.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Francesco Babich, Giulia Torriani, Jacopo Corona, Irene Lara-Ibeas
Summary: Addressing IAQ and thermal comfort issues in school buildings is challenging due to the vulnerability of primary occupants, inadequate building designs, and lack of control over IEQ. The complexity and vulnerability of decision-making processes were highlighted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Evaluating different standards and proposing improvements is crucial.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Alberto Leal Matilla, Jorge Pablo Diaz Velilla, Alicia Zaragoza-Benzal, Daniel Ferrandez, Paulo Santos
Summary: Ensuring good indoor air quality is crucial for the health and academic performance of students in educational centres. This study examines the relationship between pollution levels and SARS-CoV-2 virus infections in the academic year 2021/22, comparing on-site measurements with official measuring stations. The impact of ventilation measures is also evaluated to establish guidelines for a safer and healthier school environment.
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Ghogare Abhijeet Ganesh, Shobha Lata Sinha, Tikendra Nath Verma, Satish Kumar Dewangan
Summary: This article reviews the literature on Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) with a focus on thermal comfort, discussing various factors affecting thermal comfort and the complexity of the relationship between comfort parameters, occupant well-being, and IEQ. Efforts have been made to simplify this complex relationship for designers, engineers, and researchers in the field.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Kaiser Ahmed, Tero Hasu, Jarek Kurnitski
Summary: The study focused on improving building energy performance, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality in newly built Finnish daycare and school buildings. Monitoring of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), energy performance, investment, and life cycle cost (LCC) was conducted. The study found potential energy-saving measures while ensuring good thermal comfort and IAQ. Accurate energy prediction was emphasized for cost considerations.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Kaiser Ahmed, Tero Hasu, Jarek Kurnitski
Summary: The study focused on improving building energy performance in Finnish daycare and school buildings while maintaining good thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), energy performance, investment, and life cycle cost were monitored. Energy performance was evaluated through simulations, showing potential for energy savings while ensuring comfort and IAQ.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Sara Omrani, Soha Matour, Keivan Bamdad, Nima Izadyar
Summary: This study critically reviews the effects of ceiling fans on indoor environment, particularly on airflow, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. It emphasizes the need for more research on the impacts of ceiling fans on energy savings and indoor air quality.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
L. A. Lopez-Perez, J. J. Flores-Prieto, C. Rios-Rojas
Summary: This study utilized artificial neural networks to model thermal comfort for occupants in educational buildings in a tropical climate, showing that the ANN-based models outperformed current standard models in predicting the preferred comfort temperature. This allows for air conditioning systems to operate at a higher comfort temperature, reducing thermal cooling loads while increasing thermal satisfaction.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Antonio J. Aguilar, Maria Luisa de la Hoz-Torres, Nelson Costa, Pedro Arezes, Ma Dolores Martinez-Aires, Diego P. Ruiz
Summary: The quality of the classroom environment has a significant impact on the physical and mental health of students and teachers. This study highlights the potential negative effects of ventilation protocols on acoustic conditions in classrooms, as well as the importance of considering the synergy between indoor acoustic and air quality conditions to ensure optimal learning environments.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Leela Kempton, Dan Daly, Georgios Kokogiannakis, Mark Dewsbury
Summary: Sealing gaps in a house to reduce energy consumption may lead to reduced indoor air quality, but the evidence for direct correlations between increased airtightness and indoor air quality is limited.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Miguel Martinez-Comesana, Ana Ogando-Martinez, Francisco Troncoso-Pastoriza, Javier Lopez-Gomez, Lara Febrero-Garrido, Enrique Granada-Alvarez
Summary: Real-time estimation of indoor environmental conditions in a building was achieved using optimized neural networks without the need for monitoring or human intervention. A case study conducted in a research center in Spain showed small relative errors in the interpolated values, validating the effectiveness of the methodology.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chuloh Jung, Naglaa Sami Abdelaziz Mahmoud
Summary: This study investigates the effectiveness of different ventilation methods in reducing indoor air pollutants in newly constructed residential buildings. The findings show that both mechanical exhaust ventilation and natural ventilation were effective in reducing concentrations of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. The results highlight the importance of implementing appropriate ventilation strategies to improve indoor air quality in residential buildings.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sami Lestinen, Simo Kilpelainen, Risto Kosonen, Maria Valkonen, Juha Jokisalo, Pertti Pasanen
Summary: The study compares pre-started, continuous, and intermittent ventilation methods in educational buildings, finding that night ventilation has negligible effects on microbial concentrations and that total volatile organic compound concentrations are maintained at similar levels at the beginning of occupied periods with all ventilation methods, reaching a minimum level after 2-hour ventilation._TOTAL volatile organic compound concentrations are higher during the day compared to night, indicating that space usage has a larger effect on them. Continuous night ventilation is not significantly affecting biological and chemical contaminants, suggesting that a 2-hour flushing period is sufficient for indoor air freshening before occupancy.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alejandro Ruiz, Miguel Angel Campano, Ignacio Acosta, Oscar Luque
Summary: This study introduces a new daylight dynamic metric to accurately quantify the energy consumption of electric lighting in spaces with seasonal use, as well as optimizing window design. In comparison to traditional daylight autonomy (DA) metrics, the proposed partial daylight autonomy (DAp) metric is more suitable for seasonal use spaces, providing a more precise estimation of lighting usage and energy consumption.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Miguel Angel Campano, Ignacio Acosta, Samuel Dominguez, Remedios Lopez-Lovillo
Summary: Daylight dynamic metrics are used to quantify the energy savings of lighting smart controls. Different types of smart controls were tested in various conditions, with results showing up to 23% reduction in average energy consumption of electric lighting.
AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jesica Fernandez-Agueera, Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo, Nerea Garcia-Cortes, Miguel Angel Campano
Summary: Fuel poverty is high in southern Europe, particularly in social housing, despite the significant potential for solar power generation on apartment building roofs. The in situ production, distribution, and consumption of photovoltaic energy offers advantages such as improved efficiency and empowerment for lower income communities, but faces challenges in matching production patterns with actual needs. The study introduces a methodology for optimizing photovoltaic energy production and use in residential areas to enhance self-sufficiency in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo, Angela Rosa-Garcia, Jesica Fernandez-Aguera, Natalia Escobar-Castrillon
Summary: This study evaluates the thermal performance of the three most common UNHCR's shelters designs for refugees assigned to extreme climatic regions worldwide and tests variations of their performance under different climate locations. Findings show that different shelter types have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of thermal regulation, providing insights for future shelter design improvements.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesica Fernandez-Aguera, Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo, Miguel Angel Campano, Hanan Al-Khatri
Summary: The intensified indoor living during the lockdown period in spring 2020 led to increased user awareness of the prevailing conditions in their homes. Surveys showed that prior to the lockdown, occupants were unaware of or paid little attention to changes in indoor air quality. However, during the lockdown, users started paying more attention to air quality and ventilating their homes more frequently. Occupants also reported a wider range of discomfort related to sleep patterns during this period.
AIR QUALITY ATMOSPHERE AND HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Diana Rodriguez, Itziar R. Urbieta, Angel Velasco, Miguel Angel Campano-Laborda, Elena Jimenez
Summary: This study evaluated the ventilation conditions, COVID-19 risk, and indoor air quality (IAQ) in secondary school and university classrooms in Toledo, Spain. The results showed that university classrooms had better ventilation conditions and thermal comfort compared to secondary school classrooms. The IAQ was generally good in all classrooms, with outdoor sources of gaseous pollutants and heterogeneous sources of particulate matter. Controlled mechanical ventilation systems and wearing well-fitting masks were recommended to minimize the transmission risk of COVID-19 and other airborne infectious diseases.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ignacio Acosta, Miguel Angel Campano, Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo, Jaime Navarro Casas
Summary: Daylight dynamic metrics are useful for quantifying electric lighting switch-on time or dimming, and can define strategies for controlling lighting fixtures to reduce energy consumption. The proposed Continuous Overcast Daylight Autonomy (DAo.con) algorithm adjusts luminous flux based on measured or simulated Daylight Factors, considering user requirements and without internal device measurement. The algorithm can significantly reduce lighting control costs and promote energy savings of up to 76% and 65% for large and medium-sized openings respectively.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maria Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco, Julia Diaz-Borrego, Ignacio Acosta, Miguel Angel Campano, Samuel Dominguez-Amarillo
Summary: This passage introduces the use of the widely accepted Radiance benchmark simulation engine through parametric tools, enabling complex approaches such as multi-criteria analysis or large-scale urban analysis. The accuracy of four different parametric tools is verified and serves as a guide for their correct use by technicians and users.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maria-Victoria Requena-Garcia-Cruz, Julia Diaz-Borrego, Emilio Romero-Sanchez, Antonio Morales-Esteban, Miguel-Angel Campano
Summary: This manuscript presents integrated solutions for retrofitting aging European buildings, focusing on both energy efficiency improvement and seismic strengthening. The study considers various constraints such as urban environment, seismic and energy performance targets, and construction costs. The results show that improving the behavior of walls yields higher benefit ratios, while improving openings leads to lower construction costs. The optimal solution involves adding steel grids and insulation in walls, as well as renovating window frames with PVC and double glazing.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Pedro Bustamante, Ignacio Acosta, Jesus Leon, Miguel Angel Campano
Summary: Light quality is a key parameter in building design, mainly defined by perceived luminance and color rendering. There is a divergence between color rendition and hue discrimination in current light sources evaluation, with most metrics not accurately distinguishing between color deviation and hue discrimination.
