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Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II
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Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 6811

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Taki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Leicester School of Architecture, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: building performance and sustainability; energy and indoor climate; computer simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Generally, energy usage in buildings is responsible for approximately 45% of carbon dioxide emissions. A significant fraction of this energy is consumed to provide comfortable, habitable, conditions indoors. In many countries, the prevailing climate frequently leads to the use of technological themes that are recognised as energy-intensive solutions for providing such good indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Buildings are the largest contributor to climate change. Fears about climate change/global warming have added urgency to the search for methods not only to improve energy efficiency in buildings but also to satisfy the social–cultural needs of communities in different contexts, ensuring sustainable outcomes.

Among these techniques are the use of computer simulation and the development of research methodologies in the built environment aimed at improving alignment between buildings, contexts, climates, and energy performance.

Considering the importance of building performance and sustainability, Sustainability has decided to dedicate a Special Issue to bringing together manuscripts that focus on this research theme.

For this Special Issue on “Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability” in Sustainability, we are looking for original articles that address the following topics:

  • The approach towards improving energy efficiency in buildings;
  • The impact of retrofit pathways on building performance analysis;
  • Computer simulation to evaluate building performance in terms of lighting, energy consumption, and comfort;
  • Case studies that cover various research methodological approaches with an emphasis on the social–cultural needs of the local community or the social–environmental interface of sustainable development purposes;
  • The impact of research on the quality of life and well-being of buildings’ occupants.

Original papers that address other related topics with evidence of contribution to the state of the art are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Taki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • building performance and sustainability
  • energy and indoor climate
  • social sustainability
  • computer simulation
  • case studies
  • research methodology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3514 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Ventilation Systems for Sustainable Office Buildings: Long-Term Monitoring and Environmental Impact Analysis
by Violeta Motuzienė, Vilūnė Lapinskienė and Genrika Rynkun
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030984 - 23 Jan 2024
Viewed by 624
Abstract
One of the key elements in meeting decarbonisation targets is improving energy efficiency in the building sector. Although much is being done at the policy level, evidence from practice shows that buildings designed and constructed for energy efficiency often do not meet the [...] Read more.
One of the key elements in meeting decarbonisation targets is improving energy efficiency in the building sector. Although much is being done at the policy level, evidence from practice shows that buildings designed and constructed for energy efficiency often do not meet the efficiency targets. This matter has particular relevance when it comes to non-residential buildings, such as offices. A common problem with existing office buildings is the inefficient management of their HVAC systems, which leads to a waste of energy. The goal of this study is to demonstrate, based on the monitoring of four relatively new offices, the extent to which mechanical ventilation leads to energy performance gaps in office buildings and to estimate the resulting environmental impact over the life cycle of the building. The monitored parameters were the occupancy and indoor environment, focusing mainly on the relationship between the actual occupancy and the CO2 concentration as a parameter representing the performance of the ventilation system. The monitoring results showed that most of the time, the buildings were over-ventilated, with the ventilation rates failing to match the actual demand, resulting in wasted energy. The actual occupancy of the monitored buildings was much lower than their design value. In two buildings, it never reached 50% of the design value. The simulation showed that simply by applying ventilation rate reduction based on a more realistic occupancy schedule, the primary energy demand decreased by 30%. Thus, the building’s annual CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 12.5%. These findings help to fill in the knowledge gap as to why the building sector is struggling to decarbonise. The results of this work are of great practical value in showing investors, designers and managers the importance of a properly automated and managed building. The practical value of the results was enhanced by the fact that the timeline of the data covered by the analysis began before and ended after the COVID-19 pandemic, making it possible to assess the fine aspects of managing systems in light of the new realities of a changing work culture and office occupancy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II)
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23 pages, 6546 KiB  
Article
Finding Patterns of Construction Systems in Low-Income Housing for Thermal and Energy Performance Evaluation through Cluster Analysis
by Aline Schaefer, Taylana Piccinini Scolaro and Enedir Ghisi
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12793; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712793 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 860
Abstract
Energy consumption in buildings depends on many factors, including envelope materials. This paper aims to propose a method based on cluster analysis for finding reference models based on actual construction systems of low-income housing. Such reference models can be used in future thermal [...] Read more.
Energy consumption in buildings depends on many factors, including envelope materials. This paper aims to propose a method based on cluster analysis for finding reference models based on actual construction systems of low-income housing. Such reference models can be used in future thermal and energy performance studies. Data on the envelope composition of a sample of 106 dwellings were obtained through a field survey in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. Cluster analyses were performed to group similar materials and construction systems together, and therefore, a reference model was obtained for each cluster. Computer simulations and hypothesis tests were performed to verify whether the reference models represented the sample. Three reference models were obtained from the cluster analysis. Cluster 1 comprised houses with ceramic-brick walls, concrete floor, and concrete slabs. Cluster 2 comprised houses with ceramic-brick walls, concrete floor, ceramic tiles, and wooden ceilings. Cluster 3 comprised houses with wooden walls, wooden floor, cement tiles, and wooden ceilings. Cluster 1 performed better than the other clusters in the cold season (mean degree-hour was 1299 for cooling and 1361 for heating in the reference model). Cluster 2 performed better the other clusters over the hot season (mean degree-hour was 1014 for cooling and 1451 for heating). Cluster 3 showed the worst performance (mean degree-hour was 3793 for cooling and 2988 for heating). Thus, the hypothesis tests have shown that the three reference models differ from each other and can represent their clusters properly. Cluster analysis was a practical and objective method for obtaining reference models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II)
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36 pages, 18690 KiB  
Article
Examining Mashrabiya’s Impact on Energy Efficiency and Cultural Aspects in Saudi Arabia
by Ahmad Taki and Haripriya Kumari
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10131; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310131 - 26 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3066
Abstract
The traditional and indigenous architecture in Saudi Arabia is being replaced by modern, Western-style buildings, resulting from the growing influence of Western culture. This change is evident in architectural elements such as Mashrabiya, which was once a symbol of the country’s Islamic architecture. [...] Read more.
The traditional and indigenous architecture in Saudi Arabia is being replaced by modern, Western-style buildings, resulting from the growing influence of Western culture. This change is evident in architectural elements such as Mashrabiya, which was once a symbol of the country’s Islamic architecture. The research paper aims to analyse the impact of modernization and the resurgence of Mashrabiya on a building’s energy efficiency, as well as the cultural and religious integrity of its historical counterpart in the context of Saudi Arabia. The study employed mixed research methods, including an online survey with Saudi Arabian households to study the public perception of Mashrabiya, case studies of residences with traditional and modern Mashrabiya, and a range of dynamic thermal simulations on a residence with traditional Mashrabiya to study its impact on energy consumption. The survey revealed that the public is aware of the changing face of Mashrabiya and its impact on the cultural and religious identity of the region, mainly privacy, but it is largely uninformed about ways to preserve its true essence. The simulations demonstrated a significant improvement in thermal comfort, i.e., an approximate 14% reduction in operative temperature and a 77.8% reduction in peak solar gain; an improvement in energy efficiency, i.e., a 5.7% reduction in monthly cooling load and a 35.5% improvement in daylight factor. Based on the findings, the research provides several recommendations to preserve the identity of traditional Mashrabiya while enhancing their energy efficiency, such as the incorporation of traditional design elements into the plans of the Saudi Arabian government. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II)
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22 pages, 20777 KiB  
Article
Using Real Building Energy Use Data to Explain the Energy Performance Gap of Energy-Efficient Residential Buildings: A Case Study from the Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone in China
by Xia Wang, Jiachen Yuan, Kairui You, Xianrui Ma and Zhaoji Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021575 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1634
Abstract
The International Energy Agency (IEA) emphasizes that using real building energy use data (RBEUD) to reflect the actual condition of buildings and inform policy-making is the most effective way to reduce buildings’ carbon emissions. However, based on IEA’s evaluation, regional and national building [...] Read more.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) emphasizes that using real building energy use data (RBEUD) to reflect the actual condition of buildings and inform policy-making is the most effective way to reduce buildings’ carbon emissions. However, based on IEA’s evaluation, regional and national building stock data are limited and lacking. Especially for China, the lack of RBEUD in buildings has limited our ability to address the energy performance gap (EPG). In this research, EPG refers to the difference between regulated energy consumption by design standards and actual energy usage. EPG makes it difficult to develop buildings that are energy-efficient. Therefore, this study aims to gather and analyze RBEUD in order to understand the role of occupants’ behavior in explaining the EPG of energy-efficient residential buildings in China. The results suggest that the actual consumption of residential buildings is less than 1/5–1/3 of the theoretical limits. The heat pump and air conditioner’s actual schedules and setpoint settings are the significant drivers that explain the EPG. In addition, the presentation of a database of 1128 households provides actual usage behavior parameters for policy-makers to improve the accuracy of building energy forecasting models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances on Building Performance and Sustainability, Volume II)
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