Sustainable Building Technologies Research Articles

Transient analysis and thermal design of a solar-powered cooling system for an office building: Enhancements using phase change materials and zeotropic mixtures in ejector refrigeration cycle

This study explores an innovative integration of solar energy with thermal energy storage for power production and cooling system support, utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) to enhance solar system performance, particularly for the cooling demands of an office building. The cooling load of a target office building in Ardabil City, Iran, is calculated for a typical day. Optimization is conducted using Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) to select the optimal zeotropic mixture as the working fluid, aimed at maximizing efficiency and minimizing heat source requirements. The system is designed to meet the needs of a two-story office building. Analysis of photovoltaic modules integrated with PCM under various parameters led to the selection of 25 PVT-PCM units in a series. The total setup includes 730 modules covering 365 m2, achieving a mass flow rate of 2.92 kg/s and supporting a 40 kW cooling load in the Ejector Refrigeration Cycle (ERC). The development of this solar-powered cooling system presents a sustainable, economically viable solution for building cooling. It demonstrates significant advancements in thermal efficiency through the strategic use of PCMs and optimized zeotropic mixtures in ejector refrigeration cycles. The system's scalable design offers a model for adapting to diverse climatic conditions, marking a notable contribution to sustainable building technologies.

Advancing water security in arid regions: A technological and bibliometric study on integrating hydro panels in buildings for sustainable development goals

Water scarcity poses a critical global challenge, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper introduces an innovative nexus approach to mitigate this issue through the integration of hydro panels in buildings, exploiting solar energy and atmospheric humidity to generate clean water. We offer a comprehensive review of the hydro panel technology's current state, exploring its potential, implementation challenges, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a bibliometric analysis. Our findings highlight a significant uptick in research on sustainable building technologies, positioning hydro panels at the nexus of solutions for water scarcity. Despite their promise, our analysis reveals a scarcity of focused research on hydro panels, indicating an emerging interest in leveraging smart city frameworks for environmental sustainability. The paper contributes by defining the technological trajectory and identifying gaps in existing research, emphasizing the hydro panels' potential to transform water accessibility in arid regions, especially when integrated with other sustainable technologies such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. This review not only underlines hydro panels as a novel solution but also paves the way for future investigations into their broader application within the nexus of sustainable urban development.

A static rooftop shading system for year-round thermal comfort and energy savings in hot climates

In sun-drenched regions, balancing solar exposure for thermal comfort and minimization of cooling energy presents a key challenge. While passive shading mitigates summer heat gain, it also hinders winter solar benefits, a problem that is echoed by active systems such as photovoltaic panels. Existing adaptive solutions, adjusting to seasonal sun angles, offer flexibility, but introduce complexity, maintenance demands, and potentially higher costs. This study introduces a novel static roof shading system that addresses this knowledge gap. It effectively blocks summer sunrays and allows winter insolation without seasonal adjustments or associated mechanisms. This “install and forget” approach promises improved thermal comfort and reduced energy consumption in hot climates. Rigorous energy simulations in nine different Mexican locations, using a 69 m2 household model, reveal significant temperature improvements. The system delivers up to 30.38% (above 5 MWh) equivalent annual reduction in HVAC usage and 71.3% relative increase in thermal comfort during hot periods. This sustainable solution offers valuable information to address indoor thermal challenges in high-temperature regions, contributing to the advancement of sustainable building technologies.

Design of Energy Efficient & Sustainable Buildings for ISRO Data Centers Using E-Quest

Saving energy is the same as producing new energy. Sustainable development has elevated the importance of energy performance and energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is a crucial part of sustainability, which includes all sectors of the economy from agriculture to manufacturing to services to infrastructure, including buildings used for business and research activities. Developing countries face unique difficulties in achieving sustainability because they must balance two phenomena that are diametrically opposed to one another: rapid economic growth and long-term prosperity. Commercial, information technology (IT), real estate development and construction are important economic drivers. Energy is, of course, a crucial consideration in these fields. In this research, we propose a design strategy for improving energy efficiency in an ISRO Data center by using sustainable green building technology [1]. This paper discusses the initiatives of ISRO in this direction. As maximum operation & maintenance cost of the buildings is due to electrical energy, this study shows how to design the most energy efficient institutional buildings for IMGEOS (Integrated Multi mission Ground Segment for Earth Observation satellites) of ISRO, Hyderabad. The research work discuses about the strategies / techniques to be considered since the planning & designing stage of the building infrastructure itself. This research gives the complete details of the materials with their detailed technical specifications and the methodology to be adopted, for achieving the required energy efficiency level in the data centers / similar IT infrastructure buildings. The research work also explains the process of finding & selecting the most energy efficient model by using different combination of green building materials, with respect to the base line model of ASHRAE using the e-Quest building simulation software and the results obtained thereof. Thus, this detailed research study investigates the process of designing the energy efficient data center buildings for ISRO in the context of emerging countries.

التقدم في مجال المواد النانوية لتحسين الخواص الميكانيكية والحرارية لمواد البناء: مراجعة شاملة

The rapid evolution of nanomaterials has significantly impacted the construction industry, offering new avenues for enhancing both the mechanical and thermal insulation properties of building materials. This comprehensive review explores recent advances in the integration of nanomaterials into construction materials to achieve superior performance. The study delves into the incorporation of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanoparticles, examining their effects on mechanical strength and thermal insulation. Through a critical synthesis of key literature, this review highlights the potential applications, benefits, and challenges associated with leveraging nanomaterials for the advancement of building materials. The findings presented herein contribute to a deeper understanding of the state-of-the-art in nanomaterial-enhanced construction materials and pave the way for future innovations in sustainable and high-performance building technologies. Key words: Nanomaterials, Concrete, Aerogels, Thermal Insulation, Building Materials

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Building Technologies

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the demand of urban development for talents with relevant technical and theoretical knowledge is constantly increasing, which is of great significance for the promotion of scientific and technological progress and social development. This study through the construction of China city talent vitality evaluation index system, analysis of Luoyang, Ningbo, Wuhu city talent vitality level, summarizes the Chinese city talent development and deficiencies, from the talent growth, talent competitiveness, talent entrepreneurship, talent mobility and talent innovation in the practice of Chinese city talent strategy logic thinking.

A Methodology for Evaluating Sustainable Building Technology to Raise the Efficiency of Urban Clusters: Analytical Study

Sustainability evaluation methodologies are distinguished from other evaluation tools, such as the LEED system and the BREEAM system, in that they include a new local evaluation methodology. The life cycle of a building is divided into distinct phases, including production of materials and components, construction and implementation, use/operation, maintenance, demolition, and disposal. Understanding the classification of assessment tools based on the building to be assessed, tool users, and building life cycle stages will inform selection of appropriate assessment tools and development of a comprehensive methodology. The study aimed to extract and evaluate opinions and perspectives from users, stakeholders, and researchers about the current status of sustainable technology in urban communities and to analyze the basic factors and indicators that contributed to the efficiency of urban communities and their relationship to sustainable technology. An inductive and analytical research was conducted using a questionnaire form on a sample of 100 participants to collect the opinions of users, relevant authorities, and researchers in the field. The questionnaire was designed to collect opinions and perspectives from different groups, including residents, local authorities (such as provincial officials, engineering administration, etc.), and experts in the field of sustainable technology. It covered a range of topics related to sustainable technology, including perceptions of current sustainability practices, barriers to implementation, potential areas for improvement, and proposals to enhance the efficiency of urban clusters. The research provided a comprehensive understanding of views on sustainable technology and help identify key areas for evaluation and improvement.

Highly stable and nonflammable hydrated salt nanocapsules with inorganic-organic composite shell for sustainable building technology

Inorganic hydrated salts show great potential for use in low-temperature energy storage. Nevertheless, drawbacks, such as phase separation, liquid leakage, and inherent supercooling, restrict their application in sustainable building technology. Here, nanoencapsulated phase change materials (NePCMs) was designed by combination of hydrated salt and inorganic-organic composite shell to enhance the thermal energy storage of buildings. Using a two-step method, PMMA and TiO2, considered excellent shell materials, were harmoniously combined on the surface of Na2HPO4·12H2O core. The latent heat of the nanocapsules was approximately 139.6 kJ/kg. After undergoing 500 heating and cooling cycles, the latent heat of nanocapsules only degraded by approximately 5 %. Leakage of water was not observed following heating of the NePCMs to 60 °C for 1 h. The supercooling degree of the nanocapsules decreased to around 0.7 °C. The hybrid PMMA-TiO2 shell was designed to improve shape stability, reduce water loss, and enhance mechanical properties. Through burning experiments, it was confirmed that NePCMs had good flame-retardant properties. Thus, hydrated salt nanocapsules with inorganic-organic composite shell are an ideal candidate for use as building materials for effective thermal management and fire protection.

Decarbonization of the Building Sector in Morocco – A Systematic Review

This article is a systematic review of the decarbonization of the building sector in Morocco. It explores the different approaches and technologies used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve decarbonization targets in this sector. The article examines the policies and regulations in place in Morocco to encourage decarbonization of the building sector, as well as the initiatives taken by key actors to reduce carbon emissions in their buildings. It also reviews sustainable building technologies and renewable energy systems currently used in the country. The systematic review concludes that while Morocco has put in place policies and regulations to encourage the decarbonization of the building sector, there is still much to be done to achieve the ambitious decarbonization targets set by the country. The authors of the article recommend greater investment in sustainable building technologies and renewable energies, as well as increased collaboration between public and private sector actors to accelerate the transition to low-carbon buildings.

Preface

Proceedings of NSB 2023: 13th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics 12th to 14th of June 2023 Aalborg, Denmark The 13th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics (NSB 2023) took place at Aalborg University in the city of Aalborg, Denmark, from the 12th to the 14th of June, 2023. This conference was organised by the Department of the Built Environment of Aalborg University, with the help of fellow researchers from Aarhus University, the University of Southern Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark.NSB is a renowned international conference series in Building Physics, held every three years since 1987. Although organised in Nordic countries, the conference is in English and is not limited to cold climates. It has grown to attract participants worldwide, to the point that more than half of the participants have been from other countries.This symposium is intended to be a forum for scientists, practitioners, PhD students and other building professionals to share new research results, demonstrate innovative and sustainable building technologies, and discuss current and future challenges and solutions within building physics, heat, air and moisture transfer in buildings, and on aspects of moisture problems in the built environment, energy performance and indoor environmental quality. The NSB 2023 central theme is “Building physics as a key player for the sustainable built environment”. The conference focus is primarily on the following aspects that all require a throughout understanding of building physics:• Heat, air and moisture transport• Measurement and modelling techniques• Material properties• Contaminant transfer (gas phase, airborne pollutants)• Outdoor and indoor climate for building physics analysis• Hygrothermal performance of building envelope• Advanced building envelope systems• Air-tightness, air movement inside and around the buildings• Building materials and components• Facades• Climate change and climate adaptation of buildings• Moisture and mould problems• Investigation methods of moisture and microbial damages• Moisture safety in design, construction, and maintenance• Durability of materials and structures• Repair methods• Architectural design integration• Interaction with HVAC systems and solar shading• Indoor environmental quality: air quality, daylight, thermal comfort and acoustics• Passive, active and low-energy buildings, zero-emission buildings• Retrofitting and conservation of buildings, including historical buildings• Building sustainability and circularity• Integrated BIM solutions for building physics, energy performance and indoor environmental quality• Education about building physics: innovative tools and methodsThe 250 participants of NSB 2023 attended a total of 3 keynotes, 186 paper presentations (149 Scientific Papers and 37 Technical Papers) and one workshop over 3 days and 34 sessions. The Scientific Papers (6-8 pages) are published in the present IOP Journal of Physics: Conference Series proceedings. The Technical Papers (1-6°pages) are published by Aalborg University in a dedicated book of technical papers. All papers presented at NSB 2023 and published in the proceedings or book of technical papers went through a 3-stage double-blind peer-review process: review and acceptance of the abstract, first round of review for the full paper, second round of review of the revised paper, final decision on the paper. All reviews were conducted by the 124 members of the scientific community.List of Conference organising committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

Construction Industry: Green Building

As a result of the advantages for the environment, economy, and society, recent developments in green building technologies (GBTs) have increased significantly. For projects to develop green buildings, technology is vital. A number of green building technologies, such as those that reduce temperature, have wastewater systems, are energy-efficient, and have cooling systems powered by solar energy, GBT has the ability to advance in the direction of sustainable development, with a focus on climate change. The basic goal of the GBT is to make use of water, electricity, and other resources efficiently and in an appropriate way. The environment will be improved as a result, such as by reducing pollution and the use of energy, improving productivity and wellness, and reducing maintenance and operating costs. There is a lack of critical analysis of either previous or current studies performed in the green building technology (GBT) industry to determine the future pathway for sustainable green building technologies. With the use of the appropriate research methods, a critical review was found. A building information model (BIM) and ontology are used in green buildings to handle multidisciplinary operations. The combination of SWRL and OWL models built on the Jess rule engine increases the building efficiency. Sustainable materials made from industrial scrap help to mitigate the environmental impact of carbon emissions. The use of various activators increases the flexibility, strength, and volume of these materials. Sensors, the environment, and other external forces all play a role in how smart materials function. This study summarizes the green building and their assessment tools, aspects, how much the green buildings are benefits to the environment, humans, and economy, the technologies used in green buildings in construction industries, and the factors that affect the green building technology.

Perspectives for urban microenvironment sustainability enabled by decentralized water-energy-food harvesting

In this forward-looking perspective, we introduce the concepts and applications of current and promising sustainable building technologies. These include green roofs and building-integrated building photovoltaics (BIPV), as well as approaches like atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) and passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC). To advance these ideas, we present an example of a building designed for the decentralized generation of water, energy, and food. Primarily, the combination of fog collection, sorption-based AWH, PDRC-based AWH, and heat pump systems achieves a robust water supply in diverse humidity ranges, thereby offering irrigation, domestic, and potable water. Additionally, the integration of green roofs provides an opportunity for urban agriculture, while the utilization of PDRC film modulates microclimatic thermal-humidity profiles, enhancing both food productivity and indoor thermal comfort. Furthermore, decentralized energy is realized through the incorporation of colored photovoltaic-integrated buildings, augmented by the synergistic cooling effects of sorption-based AWH. The methodology and output of the integrated system are evaluated from a resource-generation perspective, providing valuable insights for future research.

Improving sustainability of affordable housing using innovative technologies: Case study of SIAH-Livable

Rapid urbanization presents a major challenge in achieving affordable and sustainable housing. In the face of the problem, rapid urbanisation represents, there is room for innovation. Advancements in sustainable design methods, new materials, and innovative building technologies offer potential solutions for developing sustainable, innovative, and affordable housing (SIAH). This study investigates various sustainable design techniques, materials, and technologies suitable for designing SIAH in the South African climate in concordance with local building codes and regulations. The study compares the building performance of SIAH-Livable, as assessed by energy embodied, energy demand, and water usage, with that of conventional low-cost housing using the EDGE Buildings App. The results validate that SIAH-Livable building performance is significantly less water and energy, reducing consumption by 55.17% and 21.06%, respectively. Additionally, SIAH-Livable exhibits a noTable 66.9% reduction in embodied energy levels while remaining within the construction cost range defined by the South African government for low-cost housing. Furthermore, the analysis confirms that appropriate design techniques, new materials, and technologies not only enhance the sustainability of the house but also improve its affordability by reducing lifecycle costs. The study concludes that sustainable design techniques, including passive design, the use of recycled and local materials, and socio-technical innovations, are effective means of enhancing the sustainability and affordability of housing, contributing to the development of SIAH. Importantly, this research establishes the association between sustainability and affordability in South African housing design, offering insights that can be adapted and applied to other African countries.

Designing a Sustainable Building Technology Transfer Model

The transfer of sustainable building technology in the construction industry is of high importance for reducing energy consumption, protecting the environment, and increasing economic efficiency. This process includes indigenous research and development, international collaborations, workforce training, the formulation of supportive regulations, and the implementation of pilot projects. By leveraging these actions, sustainable development in the construction industry can be achieved, which, in addition to reducing costs, helps preserve natural resources and improve the quality of life. This abstract discusses practical solutions and the necessities for the successful implementation of this process. The present study aims to design a model for the transfer of sustainable building technology. The approach used in the research is qualitative and based on the grounded theory strategy. Data were collected using in-depth interview tools. Theoretical saturation was achieved after 11 in-depth interviews using purposeful sampling. In the grounded theory approach applied in this study, 22 general categories were identified during the three stages of open, axial, and selective coding, categorized within a paradigm framework including causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, core categories, strategies, and consequences. The results showed that in today's competitive business environment, construction industry managers are seeking solutions to increase efficiency, improve strategic intelligence, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable building. To achieve these objectives, the transfer of sustainable building technologies emerges as a crucial strategy.

Life cycle costing analysis of grey water recycling systems for commercial and residential projects of Ahmedabad, India

Greywater is the household wastewater which has not been contaminated by toilet discharge water and thus includes wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom washbasins, clothes washing machines, sinks and laundry tubs. Greywater recycling is a component of sustainable green building technology which eases the problem of scanty water supply in residential and commercial buildings. Affordability of such technologies has always been a contentious issue amongst the middle-income group in India. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyse the affordability and potential applications of such systems in Indian context considering the life cycle cost and benefit cost analysis of such technologies which are strong decision-making tools for the feasibility judgment of such technologies. From the analysis it has been observed that the domestically produced system (Case 1) will be having the cost of Rs. 187/ m2 per year as compared to an imported system (Case 2) which will be costing close to Rs. 327/m2 per year. Thus, we can see that by the use of domestic manufactured system the reduction in cost is close to 75%. Also, the Benefit Cost (B-C) ratio of the domestically produced system (Case1) is 2.09 in comparison to the B-C ratio of the imported system (Case 2) which is 1.59.

Hierarchical Model for Optimizing Natural Fiber Selection Process for Eco-design of Buildings

ABSTRACT The composites based on fiber are commonly used in the high performance building materials. The composites mostly use petro-chemically derived fibers like polyester and e-glass due to their beneficial material properties like high stiffness and strength. All the same, these fibers also have important shortcomings related to energy consumption, recyclability, initial processing expense, producing health hazards, and sustainability. Rising environmental awareness along sustainable building technologies is driving the research, development and utilization of “green” building materials, especially the development of bio-based materials depend on renewable, natural materials. In this paper, the natural fiber evaluation approach is applied, which covers a lot of criteria. Comparative assessment of diverse natural fiber types is conducted by using a hierarchical decision-making approach. Multi-criteria decision-making methodologies are appropriate for making decision and assessing for the most proper options in order to select the excellent criteria. This includes a group of investigation methods, which contemplates problems in decision-making. The best performing fiber choice is made by comparatively evaluating the materials related to green building. The proposed fiber can be used and applied by green building materials manufacturing companies in various countries or locations as a reference when selecting the fiber with best performance.

Strategies to promote the acceptance of sandbag building technology for sustainable and affordable housing delivery: the South African case

PurposeSandbag building technologies (SBTs) have been offered as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative building technology (ABT) capable of accelerating house construction in South Africa, but its acceptance remains low. However, knowledge about how to effectively improve SBT social acceptance is limited. This study aims to develop and prioritise SBT social acceptability strategies towards providing a comprehensive framework for the successful deployment and widespread adoption of sandbag technology.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a quantitative research strategy that included a literature review and a structured questionnaire survey of 228 ABT professionals and stakeholders in the South African housing industry. The study statistically analysed 13 strategies for the social acceptance of SBT.FindingsThe analysis showed that the top three strategies include the availability of sandbag demonstration projects in all provinces, the approval of a sandbag building code and the availability of standard design methods for earthbags. A factor analysis clustered the 13 strategies into Stakeholders integration and policy formation, Effective education and knowledge sharing and Grassroots advocacy and incentives.Practical implicationsThe current study’s findings provide a broad framework for the effective implementation and wide acceptance of sandbag technology in housing projects. It offered certain best practices that policymakers and practitioners might use to promote ABT and SBT societal acceptability.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study represents the first and only attempt to investigate the viewpoints of experts and housing market stakeholders in South Africa regarding sandbag technology social acceptance strategies and contributes to the social acceptance body of knowledge in ABT and SBT.

Innovation in Green Building Sector for Sustainable Future

Recent advancements in green building technologies (GBTs) have grown substantially, as an outcome of the environmental, economic and societal benefits. It has the potential to move toward sustainable development, specifically related to climate change. In GBTs, the main objective is to use energy, water and other resources in a balanced way, without using them extensively. This will improve the environmental conditions. Green buildings (GBs) are beneficial when it comes to energy consumption and emissions; low maintenance and operation costs; boosting health and productivity; etc. There is a lack of a critical review of the past or present research work in the area of the Green Building Technology (GBT) sector to identify the future roadmap for sustainable green building technologies. A critical review, with the help of proper research methodology, was identified. The scope of this study is to analyze the existing work on different issues, and find different key issues in green building research, which has minimal use of natural resources, is cost-effective and is designed and constructed for a longer duration, considering future prospects. This paper examines the state of green building construction today and makes recommendations for further study and development which will be necessary for a sustainable future. In order to encourage research, this study also identified a few possible future research directions in sustainable development.

Paving the way towards circularity in the building sector. Empa’s Sprint Unit as a beacon of swift and circular construction

In order to achieve the CO2 targets stipulated within the Paris Agreement, future buildings must be constructed in such a way, that their emission profile will be close to zero. In order to achieve this, a radical shift towards a circular construction manner which encompasses topics like material reuse (i.e. design for multiple lifecycles), design-for-disassembly (allowing for maximum recovery of materials and minimization of construction waste) must be promoted against todays, conventional construction practices. Furthermore, the current Covid-19 pandemic has shown that buildings must be constructed in a more flexible manner, in order to be adaptable to changing needs as quickly as possible – including new types of needs. A transition to such a circular construction practice requires also new approaches for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), taking into account issues such as the circularity or multiple life cycle of materials. Conventional LCA methods fail to deliver trustworthy results as they are designed to assess products and buildings that have only a single life cycle. In this context, a newly constructed unit, set to be the embodiment of the circular construction principle that incorporates all the above-mentioned concepts in the form of a cluster of flexible office spaces, has been integrated into the research building NEST (Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies) – a platform located at the Empa campus in Dübendorf (Switzerland), where novel building technologies can be tested and validated under realistic conditions. Its name: Sprint. In this paper, the environmental performance of Sprint is assessed through LCA, using three different approaches – the EN15804 method, the Product Environmental Footprint method and the Linear Degressive approach – with the latter two approaches considering the circularity of materials, while each one having an own, distinctive allocation rule for the split of the impacts between the current, the previous and the subsequent lifecycles.

CRITICAL REVIEW ON THE MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ADOBE ELEMENTS

ABSTRACT Adobe is a traditional masonry made of sundried earthen bricks and mud mortar. Despite a millennial history of buildings of architectural value, adobe still connotes a so called ‘not engineered’ construction type. Namely, the material and structural properties of adobe are still not entirely addressed, resulting in an equally uncertain normative framework for adobe buildings design. However, over the last ten years, a large research program has been conducted in the Netherlands to qualify the material and structural properties of this sustainable building technology. In this paper, a critical analysis of the current normative body for the material characterization of adobe is addressed. Guidelines, prescriptions and requirements related to test methods, materials selection and properties contained in the available building codes for adobe around the world are assessed. A critical normative review is performed using the most recent literature produced on adobe, with particular regards to the results of experimental tests and numerical simulations performed by the authors. On the basis of these findings, some issues have been identified in relation to the knowledge currently condensed in the norms for adobe. A series of programmatic guidelines is aimed at orienting future research on adobe as well as fostering the process of updating its current normative body.