Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.004
Rosa Francesca De Masi , Valentino Festa , Silvia Ruggiero , Alesssandro Russo , Giuseppe Peter Vanoli
The sustainability objective in the building sector requires that the design of the built environment would address not only the environmental and energy aspects, but also the human dimension of its operation. On the other side, the operative phase of the building covers the longest time in its whole life cycle and thus it is important to evaluate the global quality after the construction taking into consideration the occupants' perspective. At this aim, the paper introduces a new multi-domain approach for studying the global quality of the buildings certified as nearly zero energy and it is applied to verify the feasibility of a case study in Mediterranean climate. The method is based on five criteria about both indoor comfort that energy aspects and it introduces a weighing procedure based on the answers of occupant's sample about the relative importance of criteria for residential usage. About it, the size and one-vote veto effects of individual factor satisfaction on overall quality are discussed. Results indicate that occupants are more sensible sensitive to indoor air quality and thermo-hygrometric aspects than renewable integration or building energy consumption. The maximum score reached for the analysed nearly zero energy building is 8.4 (up to 10) but there is a remarkable variation with the weight attributed to each criterion.
{"title":"Multi-domain approach for quality evaluation of building designed to be nearly zero energy: Case study in Mediterranean climate","authors":"Rosa Francesca De Masi , Valentino Festa , Silvia Ruggiero , Alesssandro Russo , Giuseppe Peter Vanoli","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sustainability objective in the building sector requires that the design of the built environment would address not only the environmental and energy aspects, but also the human dimension of its operation. On the other side, the operative phase of the building covers the longest time in its whole life cycle and thus it is important to evaluate the global quality after the construction taking into consideration the occupants' perspective. At this aim, the paper introduces a new multi-domain approach for studying the global quality of the buildings certified as nearly zero energy and it is applied to verify the feasibility of a case study in Mediterranean climate. The method is based on five criteria about both indoor comfort that energy aspects and it introduces a weighing procedure based on the answers of occupant's sample about the relative importance of criteria for residential usage. About it, the size and one-vote veto effects of individual factor satisfaction on overall quality are discussed. Results indicate that occupants are more sensible sensitive to indoor air quality and thermo-hygrometric aspects than renewable integration or building energy consumption. The maximum score reached for the analysed nearly zero energy building is 8.4 (up to 10) but there is a remarkable variation with the weight attributed to each criterion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1092-1106"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141049544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.006
Chunxiao Zhang , Dongdong Li , Lei Chen , Zhanwei Wang , Lin Wang , Xiuhong Ren , Huaduo Gu
In this study, a numerical model is proposed via MATLAB software to respond to the dynamic indoor heating and cooling loads. This model combines spectral splitting PV/T systems and sky radiative cooling to achieve switchable heating, cooling, and electricity harvesting. Especially in the summer, the application of sky radiation cooling technology can lower the energy consumption of buildings. Meanwhile, the outdoor parameters and the operating factors are studied to explore the effects on the electric power and cooling power. Results indicate the threshold value of solar radiation for running daytime mode or nighttime mode is vital to output performance, and the optimal threshold value is recommended as 150W/m2 to regulate the switchable system. The flow velocity affects the convective heat transfer effects between the flowing water and the glass. As the flow velocity increases from 0.0005m/s and 0.0040m/s, the mean electric power improves from 41.3W to 54.1W and the cooling power improves from 62.6W to 96.4W respectively. Hence, it is suggested to employ a flow velocity of 0.0040 m/s to augment the system's capacity and adopt a channel thickness of 5mm, which can effectively reduce material costs without substantially compromising the power output.
{"title":"Numerical investigation of switchable cooling-heating-power trigeneration system based on flow channel control in summer","authors":"Chunxiao Zhang , Dongdong Li , Lei Chen , Zhanwei Wang , Lin Wang , Xiuhong Ren , Huaduo Gu","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a numerical model is proposed via MATLAB software to respond to the dynamic indoor heating and cooling loads. This model combines spectral splitting PV/T systems and sky radiative cooling to achieve switchable heating, cooling, and electricity harvesting. Especially in the summer, the application of sky radiation cooling technology can lower the energy consumption of buildings. Meanwhile, the outdoor parameters and the operating factors are studied to explore the effects on the electric power and cooling power. Results indicate the threshold value of solar radiation for running daytime mode or nighttime mode is vital to output performance, and the optimal threshold value is recommended as 150W/m<sup>2</sup> to regulate the switchable system. The flow velocity affects the convective heat transfer effects between the flowing water and the glass. As the flow velocity increases from 0.0005m/s and 0.0040m/s, the mean electric power improves from 41.3W to 54.1W and the cooling power improves from 62.6W to 96.4W respectively. Hence, it is suggested to employ a flow velocity of 0.0040 m/s to augment the system's capacity and adopt a channel thickness of 5mm, which can effectively reduce material costs without substantially compromising the power output.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1001-1013"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145760556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
While the implementation of sustainable urban planning has proven to be one of the primary goals to reduce the climate change impact, the rapid adoption of nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) concept in the building sector is inevitable to reach that objective. Following this trend, this article focuses on the implementation of a parametric digital workflow to evaluate the energy performance of a nearly zero energy high-rise 23-storey office building in the climatic and urban contexts of Casablanca at the early design stage. In the scope of this study, Grasshopper-based digital workflow permits to investigate the impact of 147 parametric building designs, which are generated by varying the building's shape factor and orientation on thermal cooling and heating demand and global solar energy production. The outcomes of this holistic methodology highlight the design trade-offs between energy efficiency strategies and energy performance of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and photovoltaic (PV) systems, aiming to reach optimized nZEB. Moreover, the results of the study suggest that it is possible to reach an annual load match equivalent to 29.68 %. The findings also underscore the significant role of the BIPV systems in shifting towards the goal of net zero energy, accounting for up to 64.43 % of the total solar energy output and contributing in total up to 17.62 % to the yearly self-sufficiency. In addition, the energy balance evaluation, when assessed on an hourly basis, reveals that the BIPV system significantly improves the daily load cover factor, achieving a value of 12.45 %, and increases up to 20.62 % when considering also the rooftop PV, particularly during spring season. Finally, the capacity credit factor is improved by up to 31.27 %, which is a significant share of grid connection reduction compared to the same building relying totally on the grid for its energy needs.
{"title":"Digital workflow for nearly zero-energy high-rise office building design optimization at the district scale in Mediterranean context","authors":"Samir Idrissi Kaitouni , Fatima-Zohra Gargab , Niima Es-sakali , Mohamed Oualid Mghazli , Fouad El Mansouri , Abdelmajid Jamil , Mohammed Ahachad","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the implementation of sustainable urban planning has proven to be one of the primary goals to reduce the climate change impact, the rapid adoption of nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) concept in the building sector is inevitable to reach that objective. Following this trend, this article focuses on the implementation of a parametric digital workflow to evaluate the energy performance of a nearly zero energy high-rise 23-storey office building in the climatic and urban contexts of Casablanca at the early design stage. In the scope of this study, Grasshopper-based digital workflow permits to investigate the impact of 147 parametric building designs, which are generated by varying the building's shape factor and orientation on thermal cooling and heating demand and global solar energy production. The outcomes of this holistic methodology highlight the design trade-offs between energy efficiency strategies and energy performance of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and photovoltaic (PV) systems, aiming to reach optimized nZEB. Moreover, the results of the study suggest that it is possible to reach an annual load match equivalent to 29.68 %. The findings also underscore the significant role of the BIPV systems in shifting towards the goal of net zero energy, accounting for up to 64.43 % of the total solar energy output and contributing in total up to 17.62 % to the yearly self-sufficiency. In addition, the energy balance evaluation, when assessed on an hourly basis, reveals that the BIPV system significantly improves the daily load cover factor, achieving a value of 12.45 %, and increases up to 20.62 % when considering also the rooftop PV, particularly during spring season. Finally, the capacity credit factor is improved by up to 31.27 %, which is a significant share of grid connection reduction compared to the same building relying totally on the grid for its energy needs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1025-1038"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145760618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.07.002
Jiaxiang Li , John Calautit , Carlos Jimenez-Bescos
Windcatchers are used in building design as natural ventilation devices, providing fresh air supply and thermal comfort under suitable outdoor conditions. However, their performance is often constrained by environmental factors such as outdoor temperature, wind speed and direction. While passive or low-energy heating, cooling, and heat recovery devices have been integrated into conventional windcatcher designs, the impact of changing wind directions, which can render the windcatcher ineffective, is often not considered. Addressing this gap, this research builds upon a novel dual-channel windcatcher system. This system employs a rotary wind scoop to ensure a consistent fresh air supply and stale air exhaust, irrespective of wind direction and facilitates the integration of passive/low-energy technologies. Using a validated numerical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, the design of the proposed system was enhanced by incorporating technologies such as an anti-short-circuit device and wing walls, and modifications such as a larger wind scoop area and a redesigned wind cowl to increase the pressure differential between the inlet and outlet and reduce system friction. The modified windcatcher achieved a 28 % improvement in ventilation rate and outperformed a conventional four-sided windcatcher of the same size by up to 58 %. Furthermore, full-scale simulations of the building and windcatcher at varying heights were conducted under atmospheric boundary layer wind flow to provide a realistic assessment of the windcatcher's performance. This research contributes to the development of more efficient windcatcher systems for further passive technology integrations, enhancing their viability as sustainable ventilation solutions.
{"title":"Parametric analysis of a novel rotary scoop dual-channel windcatcher for multi-directional natural ventilation of buildings","authors":"Jiaxiang Li , John Calautit , Carlos Jimenez-Bescos","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Windcatchers are used in building design as natural ventilation devices, providing fresh air supply and thermal comfort under suitable outdoor conditions. However, their performance is often constrained by environmental factors such as outdoor temperature, wind speed and direction. While passive or low-energy heating, cooling, and heat recovery devices have been integrated into conventional windcatcher designs, the impact of changing wind directions, which can render the windcatcher ineffective, is often not considered. Addressing this gap, this research builds upon a novel dual-channel windcatcher system. This system employs a rotary wind scoop to ensure a consistent fresh air supply and stale air exhaust, irrespective of wind direction and facilitates the integration of passive/low-energy technologies. Using a validated numerical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, the design of the proposed system was enhanced by incorporating technologies such as an anti-short-circuit device and wing walls, and modifications such as a larger wind scoop area and a redesigned wind cowl to increase the pressure differential between the inlet and outlet and reduce system friction. The modified windcatcher achieved a 28 % improvement in ventilation rate and outperformed a conventional four-sided windcatcher of the same size by up to 58 %. Furthermore, full-scale simulations of the building and windcatcher at varying heights were conducted under atmospheric boundary layer wind flow to provide a realistic assessment of the windcatcher's performance. This research contributes to the development of more efficient windcatcher systems for further passive technology integrations, enhancing their viability as sustainable ventilation solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1169-1186"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141703367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.009
Hanyu Jiang , Shuting Qiu , Bin Ran , Siao Song , Jibo Long
The air-conditioning system of an office building may have much higher operational energy consumption than its designed value due to the actual use behavior which significantly deviates from the predicted one. To precisely analyze the actual air-conditioning energy consumption, in this paper, based on the impact of occupant air-conditioning behavior on the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems, a Supply-Side Cooling Load Regulation Method (SSRM) is proposed, and its air-conditioning energy consumption analysis model is established. The energy consumption characteristics of the air-conditioning system under SSRM were analyzed, with the assumption that the example office building is located in a hot summer and cold winter areas. The results indicate that the indoor air conditioning set temperature and the actual fresh air volume are important factors affecting the variation of the air conditioning system cooling load under the Demand-Side Cooling Load Regulation Method (DSRM) method, whereas under SSRM, the air conditioning system cooling load is not affected by the variation of the indoor set temperature and the fresh air volume; meanwhile, regulating human air-conditioning use behaviors is the key point of reducing air-conditioning cooling load. The increasing fresh air volume from 30 m3/(p·h) to 90 m3/(p·h) can result in about a 5 °C increase in the average daily indoor air temperature in the rooms used by SSRM, and it also causes an increase in the total air-conditioning load in the rooms under DSRM by more than 45 kWh/day. Further, compared to the DSRM, the SSRM can well regulate occupant air-conditioning use behaviors, which reduces energy consumption by more than 35 % in the summer.
{"title":"Energy-saving regulation methods and energy consumption characteristics of office air-conditioning loads in hot summer and cold winter areas","authors":"Hanyu Jiang , Shuting Qiu , Bin Ran , Siao Song , Jibo Long","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The air-conditioning system of an office building may have much higher operational energy consumption than its designed value due to the actual use behavior which significantly deviates from the predicted one. To precisely analyze the actual air-conditioning energy consumption, in this paper, based on the impact of occupant air-conditioning behavior on the energy consumption of air-conditioning systems, a Supply-Side Cooling Load Regulation Method (SSRM) is proposed, and its air-conditioning energy consumption analysis model is established. The energy consumption characteristics of the air-conditioning system under SSRM were analyzed, with the assumption that the example office building is located in a hot summer and cold winter areas. The results indicate that the indoor air conditioning set temperature and the actual fresh air volume are important factors affecting the variation of the air conditioning system cooling load under the Demand-Side Cooling Load Regulation Method (DSRM) method, whereas under SSRM, the air conditioning system cooling load is not affected by the variation of the indoor set temperature and the fresh air volume; meanwhile, regulating human air-conditioning use behaviors is the key point of reducing air-conditioning cooling load. The increasing fresh air volume from 30 m<sup>3</sup>/(p·h) to 90 m<sup>3</sup>/(p·h) can result in about a 5 °C increase in the average daily indoor air temperature in the rooms used by SSRM, and it also causes an increase in the total air-conditioning load in the rooms under DSRM by more than 45 kWh/day. Further, compared to the DSRM, the SSRM can well regulate occupant air-conditioning use behaviors, which reduces energy consumption by more than 35 % in the summer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1039-1051"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145760619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.002
Tania Sharmin , Adrian Chappell , Simon Lannon
Extreme heat due to changing climate poses a new challenge for temperate climates. The challenge is further aggravated by inadequate research, policy, or preparedness to effectively respond and recover from its impacts. While urban morphology is crucial in mitigating urban heat, it has received limited attention in urban planning, highlighting the need for further exploration, particularly in temperate regions. To illustrate the challenge and its potential mitigations, we use the example of the coastal temperate city of Cardiff. To establish the interrelations between urban morphology and urban heat island patterns, we explored the spatiotemporal variations in land surface temperature (LST), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and surface urban heat island (SUHI) to local climate zone (LCZ) classification for Cardiff. Results showed a significant variation in SUHI in the LCZ zones. Both LST and NDVI land were found to vary significantly across the LCZ zones demonstrating their association with the urban form and morphology of the locality. For built-up areas, a more compact built-environment with smaller vegetation cover and larger building density was 2.0 °C warmer than the open built-environment when comparing the mean summer LSTs. On average, the natural classes exhibit a LST that is 8.0 °C lower than the compact built-environment and 6.0 °C lower than the open built-environment. Consequently, the high-density, built-up LCZs have a greater SUHI effect compared to the natural classes. Therefore, temperate climate cities will benefit from incorporating an open built-environment that has sufficient greenery and open spaces. These findings help determine the optimal urban form for temperate climates and develop heat mitigation strategies while planning, designing, or improving the new and existing urban areas. In addition, the LCZ map applied in this study for Cardiff will enable international comparison and testing of proven climate change adaptation and mitigation techniques for similar urban areas.
{"title":"Spatio-temporal analysis of LST, NDVI and SUHI in a coastal temperate city using local climate zone","authors":"Tania Sharmin , Adrian Chappell , Simon Lannon","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extreme heat due to changing climate poses a new challenge for temperate climates. The challenge is further aggravated by inadequate research, policy, or preparedness to effectively respond and recover from its impacts. While urban morphology is crucial in mitigating urban heat, it has received limited attention in urban planning, highlighting the need for further exploration, particularly in temperate regions. To illustrate the challenge and its potential mitigations, we use the example of the coastal temperate city of Cardiff. To establish the interrelations between urban morphology and urban heat island patterns, we explored the spatiotemporal variations in land surface temperature (LST), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and surface urban heat island (SUHI) to local climate zone (LCZ) classification for Cardiff. Results showed a significant variation in SUHI in the LCZ zones. Both LST and NDVI land were found to vary significantly across the LCZ zones demonstrating their association with the urban form and morphology of the locality. For built-up areas, a more compact built-environment with smaller vegetation cover and larger building density was 2.0 °C warmer than the open built-environment when comparing the mean summer LSTs. On average, the natural classes exhibit a LST that is 8.0 °C lower than the compact built-environment and 6.0 °C lower than the open built-environment. Consequently, the high-density, built-up LCZs have a greater SUHI effect compared to the natural classes. Therefore, temperate climate cities will benefit from incorporating an open built-environment that has sufficient greenery and open spaces. These findings help determine the optimal urban form for temperate climates and develop heat mitigation strategies while planning, designing, or improving the new and existing urban areas. In addition, the LCZ map applied in this study for Cardiff will enable international comparison and testing of proven climate change adaptation and mitigation techniques for similar urban areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1142-1155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145760653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.003
Puxian Ding , Di Fan , Ye Feng , Shiming Liu , Xiaoqing Zhou
Cross-ventilation serves as an efficient means to expel pollutants and heat from buildings, requiring no energy consumption due to variations in wind pressure. The structure of the cross-ventilation flow significantly influences ventilation effectiveness. However, limited attention has been given to understanding the impact of a building's cross-section on the structure of cross-ventilation flow. This study aims to fill this gap by numerically investigating the cross-ventilation flow structure in an isolated cylindrical building. The numerical simulation results are validated against reported experimental data, indicating a negligible simulation error of 0.8 % in the volume ventilation rate. This attests to the accuracy of the numerical method in predicting cross-ventilation flow in isolated buildings. As airflow traverses the cylindrical building along the curved side walls, pressure loss diminishes, facilitating increased air inflow. This results in a more horizontal entry of the incoming jet compared to that in a square building. Analysis of Root-Mean-Square streamwise-velocity and turbulence kinetic energy reveals greater airflow fluctuation outdoors for the square building and increased turbulence indoors for the cylindrical building. Notably, the volume ventilation rate of the cylindrical building demonstrates an 8.3 % improvement. Furthermore, the air exchange rate in the cylindrical building surpasses that of the square building by 1.38 times.
{"title":"The structure of cross-ventilation flow in an isolated cylindrical building: Numerical study","authors":"Puxian Ding , Di Fan , Ye Feng , Shiming Liu , Xiaoqing Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cross-ventilation serves as an efficient means to expel pollutants and heat from buildings, requiring no energy consumption due to variations in wind pressure. The structure of the cross-ventilation flow significantly influences ventilation effectiveness. However, limited attention has been given to understanding the impact of a building's cross-section on the structure of cross-ventilation flow. This study aims to fill this gap by numerically investigating the cross-ventilation flow structure in an isolated cylindrical building. The numerical simulation results are validated against reported experimental data, indicating a negligible simulation error of 0.8 % in the volume ventilation rate. This attests to the accuracy of the numerical method in predicting cross-ventilation flow in isolated buildings. As airflow traverses the cylindrical building along the curved side walls, pressure loss diminishes, facilitating increased air inflow. This results in a more horizontal entry of the incoming jet compared to that in a square building. Analysis of Root-Mean-Square streamwise-velocity and turbulence kinetic energy reveals greater airflow fluctuation outdoors for the square building and increased turbulence indoors for the cylindrical building. Notably, the volume ventilation rate of the cylindrical building demonstrates an 8.3 % improvement. Furthermore, the air exchange rate in the cylindrical building surpasses that of the square building by 1.38 times.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1080-1091"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141138356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.005
Rachel F. Hurley , Mohamed A. Belyamani , Soussan Djamasbi , Gbetonmasse B. Somasse , Sarah Strauss , Hui Zhang , Jianshun (Jensen) Zhang , Shichao Liu
There is a lack of consensus regarding the impact of elevated indoor CO2 exposure on cognition. COVID-19 provided an opportunity to study responses to long-term elevated CO2 exposure from facemask wear. Such an opportunity allows us to avoid exposing participants to elevated CO2 levels not typically experienced in real-life settings, potentially increasing the ecological validity of our experimental design. Further, the worsening warmness during summer necessitates studies and understanding of peoples’ cognition with combined stressors of both heat and CO2 accumulation. In this work, we recruited 60 college students to understand whether facemask wear elevates local CO2 levels and, if so, the extent to which it impacts cognition in warm conditions. Subjects remained in a controlled summer environmental room (temperature 31.5 °C, relative humidity 30 %) for 90 min with or without facemasks. Participants completed six cognitive tests in a random order and answered surveys using computer-based software. Ten experimental subjects had a second 30 min visit to measure CO2 concentration at the ala of the nose with and without surgical masks. The results show that wearing a surgical mask sharply increased CO2 concentration near the nose by 15,000 ppm. Our analysis showed that the experimental group with facemask wear did not exhibit significantly different cognition performance except for short-term memory which was higher instead of lower than the control group. Participants with facemask wear showed significantly lower risk-taking, possibly attributed to thermal discomfort. Nevertheless, no significance in cognition or decision-making was observed after controlling the familywise error rate using the Bonferroni correction. We hypothesize that the insignificant difference might be caused by adaptation to long-term wear and high CO2 exposure in daily life during COVID-19, which cannot be revealed in the studies prior to the pandemic.
{"title":"High CO2 exposure due to facemask wear is unlikely to impair cognition even in a warm environment after a long-term adaptation","authors":"Rachel F. Hurley , Mohamed A. Belyamani , Soussan Djamasbi , Gbetonmasse B. Somasse , Sarah Strauss , Hui Zhang , Jianshun (Jensen) Zhang , Shichao Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is a lack of consensus regarding the impact of elevated indoor CO<sub>2</sub> exposure on cognition. COVID-19 provided an opportunity to study responses to long-term elevated CO<sub>2</sub> exposure from facemask wear. Such an opportunity allows us to avoid exposing participants to elevated CO<sub>2</sub> levels not typically experienced in real-life settings, potentially increasing the ecological validity of our experimental design. Further, the worsening warmness during summer necessitates studies and understanding of peoples’ cognition with combined stressors of both heat and CO<sub>2</sub> accumulation. In this work, we recruited 60 college students to understand whether facemask wear elevates local CO<sub>2</sub> levels and, if so, the extent to which it impacts cognition in warm conditions. Subjects remained in a controlled summer environmental room (temperature 31.5 °C, relative humidity 30 %) for 90 min with or without facemasks. Participants completed six cognitive tests in a random order and answered surveys using computer-based software. Ten experimental subjects had a second 30 min visit to measure CO<sub>2</sub> concentration at the ala of the nose with and without surgical masks. The results show that wearing a surgical mask sharply increased CO<sub>2</sub> concentration near the nose by 15,000 ppm. Our analysis showed that the experimental group with facemask wear did not exhibit significantly different cognition performance except for short-term memory which was higher instead of lower than the control group. Participants with facemask wear showed significantly lower risk-taking, possibly attributed to thermal discomfort. Nevertheless, no significance in cognition or decision-making was observed after controlling the familywise error rate using the Bonferroni correction. We hypothesize that the insignificant difference might be caused by adaptation to long-term wear and high CO<sub>2</sub> exposure in daily life during COVID-19, which cannot be revealed in the studies prior to the pandemic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1107-1117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145760620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.001
Deepak Amaripadath , Parham A. Mirzaei , Shady Attia
With climate change, the indoor built environment is expected to significantly influence the occupant's safety and well-being. A novel multi-criteria thermal resilience certification scheme for indoor built environments during extreme heat events is proposed in this paper. The certification scheme considers overheating, thermal comfort, heat stress, and hygrothermal discomfort in built environments. These criteria are quantified using key performance indicators like indoor overheating degree, hours of exceedance, wet-bulb globe temperature, and heat index, respectively. This scheme is developed based on existing best practices like standards, rating systems, and literature. The scheme is implemented on a benchmark building energy performance model for detached post-World War II dwellings in Belgium as a case study using weather data measured from the City of Brussels. The indoor overheating in the reference dwelling is assessed with a static threshold of 27 °C for the bedrooms and adaptive thresholds for other areas. The analysis found that the building performance is within the defined threshold levels throughout the heat wave duration for all criteria. Therefore, the reference dwelling got a maximum attainable score of four points and is rated five-star for thermal resilience during heat waves. The proposed certification scheme is intended as a standardized framework and highlights the need for further revisions in building performance policies and guidelines.
{"title":"Multi-criteria thermal resilience certification scheme for indoor built environments during heat waves","authors":"Deepak Amaripadath , Parham A. Mirzaei , Shady Attia","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With climate change, the indoor built environment is expected to significantly influence the occupant's safety and well-being. A novel multi-criteria thermal resilience certification scheme for indoor built environments during extreme heat events is proposed in this paper. The certification scheme considers overheating, thermal comfort, heat stress, and hygrothermal discomfort in built environments. These criteria are quantified using key performance indicators like indoor overheating degree, hours of exceedance, wet-bulb globe temperature, and heat index, respectively. This scheme is developed based on existing best practices like standards, rating systems, and literature. The scheme is implemented on a benchmark building energy performance model for detached post-World War II dwellings in Belgium as a case study using weather data measured from the City of Brussels. The indoor overheating in the reference dwelling is assessed with a static threshold of 27 °C for the bedrooms and adaptive thresholds for other areas. The analysis found that the building performance is within the defined threshold levels throughout the heat wave duration for all criteria. Therefore, the reference dwelling got a maximum attainable score of four points and is rated five-star for thermal resilience during heat waves. The proposed certification scheme is intended as a standardized framework and highlights the need for further revisions in building performance policies and guidelines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1052-1063"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141052419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.001
Md. Golam Kibria , Utpol K. Paul , Md. Shahriar Mohtasim , Barun K. Das , N.N. Mustafi
The electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) panel is affected significantly with increased cell temperature. Among various approaches, the use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with nanoparticles is currently one of the most effective for reducing and managing the temperature of PV panels. In this study, paraffin wax as PCM with different loading levels (0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 %) of hybrid nanoparticles Al2O3 and ZnO were successfully synthesized and their effects on the performance of the Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system were investigated experimentally. Additionally, a prediction model was developed to analyze the interaction between the operating factors (independent variable) and response factors (dependent variable) of the PVT/PCM and PVT with Hybrid nano-PCM (PVT/HNPCM) systems based on response surface methodology (RSM). Experimental results showed that compared to only PCM, the thermal conductivity of HNPCM increased by 24.68 %, 28.57 %, and 41.56 % for the inclusion of 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 % hybrid nanomaterial respectively. The electrical efficiency of the PVT/HNPCM, and PVT/PCM system enhanced by 31.46 % and 28.70 % respectively compared to the conventional PV system in this study. With a cooling-water mass flow rate of 0.0021 kg/s, the highest thermal efficiency of 47 % was achieved for the PVT/PCM system, whereas 51.28 % was achieved for the PVT/HNPCM system. The analysis of the variance test yielded a P value <0.0001 which is less than 0.05 for the model of overall efficiency for PVT/PCM and PVT/HNPCM system, indicating the suggested model's appropriateness and statistical significance. These optimal conditions are observed when the solar intensity ranges from 774 W/m2 to 809 W/m2 and the mass flow rate is 0.002 kg/s for both the PVT/PCM and PVT/HNPCM systems. However, these systems advance sustainable urban development and climate goals by combining PV panels' electrical generation with thermal energy harvesting, boosting overall energy efficiency in the built environment.
{"title":"Characterization, optimization, and performance evaluation of PCM with Al2O3 and ZnO hybrid nanoparticles for photovoltaic thermal energy storage","authors":"Md. Golam Kibria , Utpol K. Paul , Md. Shahriar Mohtasim , Barun K. Das , N.N. Mustafi","doi":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enbenv.2024.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) panel is affected significantly with increased cell temperature. Among various approaches, the use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with nanoparticles is currently one of the most effective for reducing and managing the temperature of PV panels. In this study, paraffin wax as PCM with different loading levels (0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 %) of hybrid nanoparticles Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and ZnO were successfully synthesized and their effects on the performance of the Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system were investigated experimentally. Additionally, a prediction model was developed to analyze the interaction between the operating factors (independent variable) and response factors (dependent variable) of the PVT/PCM and PVT with Hybrid nano-PCM (PVT/HNPCM) systems based on response surface methodology (RSM). Experimental results showed that compared to only PCM, the thermal conductivity of HNPCM increased by 24.68 %, 28.57 %, and 41.56 % for the inclusion of 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 % hybrid nanomaterial respectively. The electrical efficiency of the PVT/HNPCM, and PVT/PCM system enhanced by 31.46 % and 28.70 % respectively compared to the conventional PV system in this study. With a cooling-water mass flow rate of 0.0021 kg/s, the highest thermal efficiency of 47 % was achieved for the PVT/PCM system, whereas 51.28 % was achieved for the PVT/HNPCM system. The analysis of the variance test yielded a P value <0.0001 which is less than 0.05 for the model of overall efficiency for PVT/PCM and PVT/HNPCM system, indicating the suggested model's appropriateness and statistical significance. These optimal conditions are observed when the solar intensity ranges from 774 W/m<sup>2</sup> to 809 W/m<sup>2</sup> and the mass flow rate is 0.002 kg/s for both the PVT/PCM and PVT/HNPCM systems. However, these systems advance sustainable urban development and climate goals by combining PV panels' electrical generation with thermal energy harvesting, boosting overall energy efficiency in the built environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":33659,"journal":{"name":"Energy and Built Environment","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 1118-1141"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141408401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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