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Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Energy efficiency in the built environment refers to the practice of using less energy to provide the same level of comfort, functionality, and service in buildings. It encompasses strategies, technologies, and design principles aimed at reducing energy consumption while maintaining or enhancing the quality of indoor environments.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Energy efficiency in the built environment refers to the practice of using less energy to provide the same level of comfort, functionality, and service in buildings. It encompasses strategies, technologies, and design principles aimed at reducing energy consumption while maintaining or enhancing the quality of indoor environments.

Key research themes

1. How can optimization methodologies improve the energy performance of existing buildings during renovations and retrofits?

This research area focuses on methods and decision-making tools to enhance energy efficiency in existing buildings through optimized renovation or retrofit strategies. The importance lies in leveraging limited resources and addressing multiple conflicting objectives (e.g., cost, comfort, emissions) to effectively reduce energy use and carbon footprint, particularly since existing building stock represents a majority of the built environment.

Key finding: This paper systematically reviews optimization techniques (e.g., genetic algorithms, mixed-integer linear programming) applied to retrofit decisions at multiple scales (envelope, HVAC, occupant behavior). It identifies gaps... Read more
Key finding: This study maps national energy requirements and legislation equivalencies for major renovations of non-residential office buildings across five European countries, highlighting the shift from U-value-focused regulations... Read more
Key finding: By integrating building information modeling (BIM) with EnergyPlus simulations, this paper quantifies energy savings potentials—up to 30-45% reduction—in residential buildings through applying Jordanian and American energy... Read more
Key finding: This paper presents empirical assessments of energy efficiency improvements in Serbia’s residential buildings using energy retrofits and renewable energy deployment. It stresses the critical national context of energy crises... Read more

2. What are effective strategies to balance energy efficiency with conservation of heritage and culturally significant buildings?

This theme addresses the challenge of improving operational energy performance in heritage buildings without compromising their architectural, cultural, and historic values. It explores how to develop retrofit strategies that respect conservation principles, incorporate life-cycle energy considerations, and integrate newer technologies while maintaining authenticity and compliance with international heritage frameworks.

Key finding: This review highlights the disparity between energy efficiency improvements and heritage conservation priorities, demonstrating that many studies focus on operational energy reduction of single heritage buildings with... Read more
Key finding: Focusing on building structural systems, this paper identifies embodied energy criteria as crucial to selecting materials and construction systems in conservation-sensitive projects. It emphasizes that both embodied and... Read more
Key finding: This study offers a comprehensive overview of energy consumption at each life cycle phase of buildings, drawing attention to the importance of integrating energy efficiency from design and material procurement through... Read more

3. How do occupant behavior and building operation influence measured energy efficiency, and what indicators effectively capture these dynamics?

Research under this theme investigates the interplay between actual building use patterns, occupancy, space efficiency, and energy consumption indicators. It challenges the adequacy of conventional metrics like specific energy consumption (SEC) when occupancy varies and explores how more nuanced indicators may better represent operational energy efficiency, informing design, benchmarking, and performance improvement measures.

Key finding: This paper critiques the prevalent use of SEC as a building energy efficiency indicator, highlighting its insensitivity to occupancy variability and space utilization. It presents alternative metrics that adjust for occupancy... Read more
Key finding: This study differentiates between energy efficiency (doing the same work with less energy) and energy conservation (behavioral changes reducing energy demand), emphasizing their complementary roles. It discusses behavioral... Read more
Key finding: Through an energy audit case study of a Mexican public building, this paper identifies occupant behavior as the primary source of energy wastage. It validates energy audits as effective tools to establish baselines and... Read more

All papers in Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of design decisions on the thermal performance and environmental efficiency of the squares in Mendoza's city. Three case studies were selected to evaluate the performance of different... more
Este trabajo tiene como objetivo determinar el potencial de las estructuras que componen las plazas verdes urbanas: arbolado de gran porte, áreas de césped y superficies selladas de forma aislada. Con este fin se evaluó el comportamiento... more
Este trabajo tiene como objetivo determinar el potencial de las estructuras que componen las plazas verdes urbanas: arbolado de gran porte, áreas de césped y superficies selladas de forma aislada. Con este fin se evaluó el comportamiento... more
The paper evaluates the thermal behavior and comfort conditions in different structures (center, woodlots and meadows) that usually compose the urban squares of Mendoza city. The main objective of this research is to propose combinations... more
resumen | Tradicionalmente, las manzanas urbanas presentan en su configuración un espacio abierto central como resultado de la sumatoria de patios de viviendas. Dicha estructura ha sufrido modificaciones, dando lugar a un modelo disperso... more
resumen | El crecimiento urbano sobre el piedemonte del área metropolitana de Mendoza, Argentina, ha modificado las condiciones del territorio y afectado el balance energético en él, dando como resultado un incremento de la temperatura.... more
El presente trabajo tiene por objeto evaluar el impacto de un conjunto de variables tales como la superficie, morfología y materialidad de las plazas en el comportamiento térmico del espacio en sí mismo a los efectos de determinar... more
El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar las consecuencias de las decisiones de diseño sobre el comportamiento térmico y la eficiencia ambiental de las plazas de la ciudad de Mendoza. A tal fin se seleccionaron tres casos de estudio, donde... more
The calculation of the sky view factor from studies based around the geometrical modelling of canyons can prove to be slow and ineffective, due to such methods do provide a rapid appraisal of SVF when canyon dimensions are known, but at... more
resumen | Tradicionalmente, las manzanas urbanas presentan en su configuración un espacio abierto central como resultado de la sumatoria de patios de viviendas. Dicha estructura ha sufrido modificaciones, dando lugar a un modelo disperso... more
▪   Renewable energy is shifting from the fringe to the mainstream of sustainable development. Past donor efforts achieved modest results but often were not sustained or replicated, which leads now to greater market orientation. Markets... more
resumen | El crecimiento urbano sobre el piedemonte del área metropolitana de Mendoza, Argentina, ha modificado las condiciones del territorio y afectado el balance energético en él, dando como resultado un incremento de la temperatura.... more
El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar las consecuencias de las decisiones de diseño sobre el comportamiento térmico y la eficiencia ambiental de las plazas de la ciudad de Mendoza. A tal fin se seleccionaron tres casos de estudio, donde... more
Se conoce que el ambiente construido modifica las variables climáticas que influyen en el balance energético del cuerpo humano; siendo el confort térmico uno de los factores que interviene en la habitabilidad del espacio. Este estudio... more
resumen | Tradicionalmente, las manzanas urbanas presentan en su configuración un espacio abierto central como resultado de la sumatoria de patios de viviendas. Dicha estructura ha sufrido modificaciones, dando lugar a un modelo disperso... more
resumen | El crecimiento urbano sobre el piedemonte del área metropolitana de Mendoza, Argentina, ha modificado las condiciones del territorio y afectado el balance energético en él, dando como resultado un incremento de la temperatura.... more
The calculation of the sky view factor from studies based around the geometrical modelling of canyons can prove to be slow and ineffective, due to such methods do provide a rapid appraisal of SVF when canyon dimensions are known, but at... more
The evolution of my career from purely academic research in experimental nuclear physics to science, followed by involvement in public affairs and administration, is described. Highlights in this trajectory are my involvement with the... more
El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar las consecuencias de las decisiones de diseño sobre el comportamiento térmico y la eficiencia ambiental de las plazas de la ciudad de Mendoza. A tal fin se seleccionaron tres casos de estudio, donde... more
El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar las consecuencias de las decisiones de diseño sobre el comportamiento térmico y la eficiencia ambiental de las plazas de la ciudad de Mendoza. A tal fin se seleccionaron tres casos de estudio, donde... more
Cómo citar este artículo: GARGIULO, C.; TULISI, A. and ZUCARO, F. Small green areas for energy saving: effects on different urban settlements [en línea] Fecha de consulta: dd-mm-aa. En: ACE: Architecture, City and Environment =... more
The new paradigm of smart city includes the topics of land consumption and climate change adaptation thus bringing to the fore the role of open spaces system in the strategic development of urban areas (Gill et al., 2007; Gargiulo &... more
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