Abstract
The building sector is responsible for a large part of the overall energy demand in Europe. Energy consumption may be reduced at the design stage by selecting the proper building elements. This study develops a multi-objective analysis for a highly efficient slab-on-ground floor, whose design is optimized for a warm climate. Possible floor configurations have been obtained using the software tools modeFRONTIER, for the multi-objective analysis, and MATLAB, for the computational code. To proceed with the optimization of the different floor layers, a dataset has been developed for several materials in relation to a number of parameters: thermo-physical properties, eco-sustainability score according to the ITACA Protocol, costs, source, and structural features. Results highlight how a high surface mass is preferable when guaranteed by concrete in the innermost and outermost layers. Furthermore, insulating materials are better placed in the middle layers, with the insulating and synthetic materials adjacent to the ground and insulating and natural materials adjacent to the floor. Results emphasize the importance of thermal transmittance close to the Italian regulation limit (0.38 W/m2 K) in the climatic zone C, to allow an adequate exchange with the ground in summer, avoiding overheating. The outcomes show that the obtained slab-on-ground floor configurations favor the use of local, recyclable, sustainable, and eco-friendly materials, which is in line with energy policies and sustainability protocols. The paper supports the decision making process that takes many variables into account at the building design stage.
Highlights
In Europe, the building sector accounts for approximately 40% of final energy consumption and36% of CO2 emissions [1]
This paper proposes the use of multi-objective analysis for the optimization of the slab-on-ground floor in a warm climate
The methodological approach of this paper aims at the characterization of a high efficient slab-on-ground floor for a building located in a warm climate
Summary
In Europe, the building sector accounts for approximately 40% of final energy consumption and36% of CO2 emissions [1]. In Europe, the building sector accounts for approximately 40% of final energy consumption and. Different studies highlighted that reaching the NZEBs target is achievable [4,5], but it is not always proven that the selected design choices are the most suitable from both an environmental and economic perspective [6,7]. All phases of the building life-cycle have an impact on the environment and on the human well-being, both directly (through material and energy consumption) and indirectly (due to inefficient infrastructure) [8]. The selection of building materials has a key role in achieving ‘Green. The choice of the technologies to be implemented in a building is not an easy task at the design stage
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