This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Alicia Alonso
Department of Architectural Constructions I, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Architectural Acoustics
0 Cultural Heritage
0 Energy Efficiency
0 IAQ
0 virtual acoustics

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2021 in Energy and Buildings
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of energy consumption and CO2-eq emissions at the European Union (EU) level, thus, it is widely recognized that the pathway towards sustainability should pass through an important renovation of the building stock. This study proposes a novel approach for planning the energy retrofit of neighborhoods of buildings. The main novelties introduced are: 1) considering the stochastic human behavior that deeply affects energy demand, by setting the usage profiles according to normal distributions; 2) considering the effects of global warming on energy retrofit measures (ERMs), by assuming different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) as boundary conditions. The proposed approach is based on the coupling between EnergyPlus, used as dynamic energy simulator, and MATLAB®, used as postprocessing engine. The year 2035 is considered as the reference year of the analysis, because it is a mid-term time horizon. As case study, an existing neighborhood in Naples (Italy) has been investigated, with the aim to determine the ERMs combination that minimizes primary energy consumption (PEC), running cost (RC) and CO2-eq emissions. Three different RCPs have been considered: RCP 4.5 50% warming, RCP 8.5 50% warming and RCP 8.5 95% warming. For each of them, six different scenarios have been investigated – i.e., neighborhood as built and five retrofit combinations. Results show that for all the RCPs the retrofit combination that includes all ERMs – i.e., measures on the envelopes and on the primary energy systems – produces the highest reductions of PEC, RC and CO2-eq emissions.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Effects of global warming on energy retrofit planning of neighborhoods under stochastic human behavior. Energy and Buildings 2021, 250, 111306 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Effects of global warming on energy retrofit planning of neighborhoods under stochastic human behavior. Energy and Buildings. 2021; 250 ():111306.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. 2021. "Effects of global warming on energy retrofit planning of neighborhoods under stochastic human behavior." Energy and Buildings 250, no. : 111306.

Review
Published: 24 June 2021 in Solar Energy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The building sector is – directly or indirectly – the first pillar for application of technologies aimed at reducing energy wastes. To achieve sustainable growth goals, worldwide, the building stock needs to be re-developed from the energy viewpoint. This study focuses the attention on the building envelope, since it is the primary subsystem through which energy losses occur between inside and outside environments, by reviewing and discussing the most recent and cutting-edge researches in matter of double-skin and responsive façades for the building retrofit. Each study is investigated by characterizing the technology, the location (i.e., the climatic conditions) and season of analysis, the building intended use and the main findings. The objective is identifying potentialities and recurrent benefits related to the discussed retrofit solutions – such as reduction of energy consumption and CO2-equivalent emissions, exploitation of renewables, conceptual transformation of the building envelope – but also barriers and criticalities – such as overheating risk, lower efficiency of transparent photovoltaics compared to traditional ones, high cost of responsive elements – which have to be addressed and solved in the future. In this vein, a comprehensive snapshot of the evolution of building envelope retrofit solutions is provided with original insights into current and future trends with a view to low- (or zero-) energy buildings. Despite the critical aspects and barriers to overcome, the potential advantages make most of the addressed technologies an important tool to achieve the sustainable renovation of the existing building stock, and therefore their potentialities must be deeply investigated and understood.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro. The evolution of building energy retrofit via double-skin and responsive façades: A review. Solar Energy 2021, 224, 703 -717.

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Teresa Iovane, Margherita Mastellone, Gerardo Maria Mauro. The evolution of building energy retrofit via double-skin and responsive façades: A review. Solar Energy. 2021; 224 ():703-717.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro. 2021. "The evolution of building energy retrofit via double-skin and responsive façades: A review." Solar Energy 224, no. : 703-717.

Journal article
Published: 26 May 2021 in Journal of Building Engineering
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Achieving an adequate indoor acoustic comfort environment is one of the main priorities to avoid adverse effects caused by noise. Façades are the constructive elements most likely to be retrofitted due to their delimiting function between indoor and outdoor space. This study compares the acoustic façade requirements established for new and existing buildings in current national building regulations. The assessment of regulations and the analysis of a comparison model, examining different techniques for improving sound insulation, conclude that on a global scale there is a lack of consensus on external noise insulation and acoustic requirements worldwide. It is not possible to merely summarize all requirements into a single number as the sound insulation required depends on the performance of the building element, the outdoor noise level or the indoor noise level. Therefore, there is an in-depth discussion on the harmonization of external sound insulation requirements in acoustic regulations. This study also analyses façade wall solutions of existing housing stock and compliance with current regulations, with results showing that upgrading interventions focused on windows can be sufficient to propose suitable constructive systems in compliance with requirements established worldwide when external noise amounts to 60 dB(A) measured 2 m from the façade.

ACS Style

Alicia Alonso; Rafael Suárez; Jorge Patricio; Rocío Escandón; Juan J. Sendra. Acoustic retrofit strategies of windows in facades of residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations to reduce exposure to environmental noise. Journal of Building Engineering 2021, 41, 102773 .

AMA Style

Alicia Alonso, Rafael Suárez, Jorge Patricio, Rocío Escandón, Juan J. Sendra. Acoustic retrofit strategies of windows in facades of residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations to reduce exposure to environmental noise. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 41 ():102773.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alicia Alonso; Rafael Suárez; Jorge Patricio; Rocío Escandón; Juan J. Sendra. 2021. "Acoustic retrofit strategies of windows in facades of residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations to reduce exposure to environmental noise." Journal of Building Engineering 41, no. : 102773.

Journal article
Published: 03 March 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Research studies have shown the potential effects of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on pupils’ health and academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted renewed interest in the assessment of deficient indoor air quality (IAQ) conditions in schools and has become a priority over achieving adequate comfort conditions. Scientific studies confirm aerosols as one of the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 so that the possibility of airborne transmission increases in indoor environments with high occupancy, such as classrooms. As a result, international protocols and guidelines have established a requirement for educational buildings to over-ventilate with a fresh outdoor air supply. The main object of this work is to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on thermal comfort and indoor air quality, in winter, in two classrooms of southern Spain. Thus, onsite measurements of environmental variables were conducted before and during the pandemic. Both classrooms have mechanical ventilation systems as they are within a recently built primary school (2018). Results shows a decrease of 300 ppm in CO2 weekly average values during the pandemic, when hybrid ventilation is used, and a decrease of 400 ppm when schools are naturally ventilated during all teaching hours. However, the analysis of standards shows that over 60% of hours are thermal discomfort conditions.

ACS Style

Alicia Alonso; Jesús Llanos; Rocío Escandón; Juan Sendra. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort of Primary Schools in Winter in a Mediterranean Climate. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2699 .

AMA Style

Alicia Alonso, Jesús Llanos, Rocío Escandón, Juan Sendra. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort of Primary Schools in Winter in a Mediterranean Climate. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (5):2699.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alicia Alonso; Jesús Llanos; Rocío Escandón; Juan Sendra. 2021. "Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort of Primary Schools in Winter in a Mediterranean Climate." Sustainability 13, no. 5: 2699.

Journal article
Published: 05 January 2021 in Energy Conversion and Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Buildings account for about 36% of CO2 emissions and 40% of energy consumption at EU level. Thus, a deep renovation of the building stock is fundamental to achieve the sustainability targets established worldwide. Accordingly, the study proposes an integrated approach for energy modeling and retrofit planning of districts/neighborhoods of buildings. A Geographic Information System (GIS) tool is coupled with SketchUp® to generate accurate geometrical models, while the thermophysical definition of the building envelopes is performed under DesignBuilder®. Then, EnergyPlus is used as dynamic energy simulator, while MATLAB® is the external post-processing engine. In detail, two phases are identified: 1) development of the energy model; 2) energy retrofit optimization. The approach is relevant to different scale-levels simultaneously, from a single apartment to the whole district/neighborhood as an entity. Furthemore, the use of EnergyPlus ensures high accuracy in energy predictions, while modeling the energy systems directly under MATLAB® environment strongly reduces the computational burden without affecting the results’ reliability. As a case study, part of an existing neighborhood located in Naples (Italy) and representative of the Southern Italy building stock is modeled, and its retrofit is optimized. According to the Italian laws, three retrofit levels are investigated to compare their effects on selected energy, financial and environmental indicators. Finally, two optimal solutions are selected: the “nZEB” (nearly Zero-Energy Building) and the “cost-optimal” ones. The former is the one that minimizes the neighborhood’s primary energy consumption, which passes from 116.9 kWh/m2a to 72.3 kWh/m2a, while the latter minimizes the global cost, which passes from 184.4 €/m2 to 129.6 €/m2.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Knowledge and energy retrofitting of neighborhoods and districts. A comprehensive approach coupling geographical information systems, building simulations and optimization engines. Energy Conversion and Management 2021, 230, 113786 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Knowledge and energy retrofitting of neighborhoods and districts. A comprehensive approach coupling geographical information systems, building simulations and optimization engines. Energy Conversion and Management. 2021; 230 ():113786.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. 2021. "Knowledge and energy retrofitting of neighborhoods and districts. A comprehensive approach coupling geographical information systems, building simulations and optimization engines." Energy Conversion and Management 230, no. : 113786.

Journal article
Published: 14 November 2020 in Energy and Buildings
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The optimal control of the HVAC system in the nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) can be considered as a challenge. Indeed, the lack of data given by monitored data does not allow understanding what are the implications of different strategies on thermal comfort and energy consumptions. This paper determines an approach for the evaluation of the management of the heating system in an existing educational nZEB. The aim is to understand how the energy efficiency of the heating system is sensitive to controls strategies and the important role played by the control systems. The test lecture rooms on KU Leuven Ghent Technology Campus (Belgium) have been chosen as case study. A deep analysis, starting from an in-field monitoring, was carried out during the winter period of 2019, in order to assess the actual operation and the energy use of building systems under real conditions. Then, a building energy simulation (BES) model of the building and its systems was developed and calibrated against the real monitoring data. Control strategies of the heating system are simulated and compared to the current configuration. The simulation results show that strategies based on a definition of a heating curve for the boiler can reduce the comfortable time (−23%). Controlling the temperature inside the storage tank as a function of the outdoor temperature together with the control on the activation of the air handling unit result in an energy savings from 32% to 46%, with a correspondent increase of comfort time in the period from 0.6% to 3.4% compared to the baseline scenario, depending to the relationship between the external temperature and water temperature inside the water storage tank.

ACS Style

Martina Borrelli; Bart Merema; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli; Hilde Breesch. Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation. Energy and Buildings 2020, 231, 110616 .

AMA Style

Martina Borrelli, Bart Merema, Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli, Hilde Breesch. Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 231 ():110616.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martina Borrelli; Bart Merema; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli; Hilde Breesch. 2020. "Evaluation and optimization of the performance of the heating system in a nZEB educational building by monitoring and simulation." Energy and Buildings 231, no. : 110616.

Journal article
Published: 27 October 2020 in Buildings
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The paper introduces a new semi-probabilistic methodology for the definition of energy fragility curves suitable for a macro-classification of building stock inspired to and coupled with the widely adopted method of seismic fragility curves. The approach is applied to the reinforced concrete residential buildings of the Italian stock. Starting from a classification according to the climatic zone and the construction period, some reference buildings in terms of building envelope typologies have been defined and simulated by means of dynamic modeling tools. Then, cumulative distributions of the probability that the primary energy consumption for heating was comparable with certain threshold values are defined according to the climatic conditions expressed with the heating degree days, which constitute the intensity measure for the fragility curves. Finally, by focusing on the interaction points between structural and energetic aspects, it is shown how these curves can be useful for decision-makers with regards to definition of importance and or the level of intervention to be made to the building envelope for improving its seismic safety and the energy quality. Indeed, non-integrated interventions are more expensive and less efficient.

ACS Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Maria Rosaria Pecce; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings. Buildings 2020, 10, 194 .

AMA Style

Alessandra De Angelis, Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Maria Rosaria Pecce, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings. Buildings. 2020; 10 (11):194.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandra De Angelis; Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Maria Rosaria Pecce; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "A Novel Contribution for Resilient Buildings. Theoretical Fragility Curves: Interaction between Energy and Structural Behavior for Reinforced Concrete Buildings." Buildings 10, no. 11: 194.

Journal article
Published: 08 October 2020 in Energy and Buildings
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The proposed investigation is aimed at providing useful suggestions and guidelines for the renovation of educational buildings, in order to do University classrooms safe and sustainable indoor places, with respect to the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. Classrooms and common spaces have to be thought again, for a new “in-presence” life, after the recent worldwide emergency following the spring 2020 pandemic diffusion of COVID-19. In this paper, starting from a real case study, and thus the architectural and technological refurbishment of an Italian University building (Campobasso, South Italy, cold climate), with the aims of improving the classrooms’ quality and safety, a comprehensive approach for the retrofit design is proposed. By taking into account the necessary come back to classrooms starting, hopefully, from the next months (Autumn 2020), experimental studies (monitoring and investigations of the current energy performances) are followed by the coupling of different numerical methods of investigations, and thus building performance simulations, under transient conditions of heat transfer, and computational fluid dynamics studies, to evidence criticalities and potentialities to designers involved in the re-thinking of indoor spaces hosting multiple persons, with quite high occupancy patterns. Both energy impacts, in terms of monthly and annual increase of energy demands due to higher mechanical ventilation, and indoor distribution of microclimatic parameters (i.e., temperature, airspeed, age of air) are here investigated, by proposing new scenarios and evidencing the usefulness of HVAC systems, equipment (e.g., sensible heat recovery, without flows’ contamination) and suitability of some strategies for the air distribution systems (ceiling squared and linear slot diffusers) compared to traditional ones.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The design of safe classrooms of educational buildings for facing contagions and transmission of diseases: A novel approach combining audits, calibrated energy models, building performance (BPS) and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. Energy and Buildings 2020, 230, 110533 -110533.

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The design of safe classrooms of educational buildings for facing contagions and transmission of diseases: A novel approach combining audits, calibrated energy models, building performance (BPS) and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 230 ():110533-110533.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "The design of safe classrooms of educational buildings for facing contagions and transmission of diseases: A novel approach combining audits, calibrated energy models, building performance (BPS) and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations." Energy and Buildings 230, no. : 110533-110533.

Conference paper
Published: 23 September 2020 in 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech)
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Comprehensive insights into the influence of climatic stress on building heating demand. 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech) 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Comprehensive insights into the influence of climatic stress on building heating demand. 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech). 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Comprehensive insights into the influence of climatic stress on building heating demand." 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech) , no. : 1.

Conference paper
Published: 23 September 2020 in 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech)
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Optimization of solar energy exploitation for a neighborhood towards nearly zero energy buildings. 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech) 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Optimization of solar energy exploitation for a neighborhood towards nearly zero energy buildings. 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech). 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Optimization of solar energy exploitation for a neighborhood towards nearly zero energy buildings." 2020 5th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies (SpliTech) , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 08 August 2020 in Building and Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In recent times, the inter-building effect has been deeply investigated because it can highly affect building energy performance. Thus, reliable energy simulations of a single building can require to model the effects of surrounding buildings. This can imply complex models, and consequently high computational burden. The study aims at investigating such phenomena with suitable simplifications by keeping high reliability. Two typical buildings of European cities, located in South Italy, are investigated with building models developed using DesignBuilder® and EnergyPlus. Dynamic energy simulations are performed by using different modeling approaches: detailed modeling, different shading systems, different shading setpoints, no shading, no inter-building effect and the combination no shading and no inter-building effect (simplest model). For each approach different simulation timesteps are considered. The coupling between EnergyPlus and MATLAB® is implemented for a comprehensive comparison of the performance indicators provided by the different approaches. The main goal is to identify the models that ensure the best tradeoff between accuracy and computational burden as well as to verify if these latter can reliably replace the most detailed model. The tradeoff models provide – compared to the most detailed one – mean bias error around 2% and reductions in simulation times around 46%, which can be considered an excellent tradeoff. Finally, the study proposes insights into building modeling to answer the question: Is it fundamental to model the inter-building effect for reliable energy simulations?

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro. Is it fundamental to model the inter-building effect for reliable building energy simulations? Interaction with shading systems. Building and Environment 2020, 183, 107161 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Teresa Iovane, Margherita Mastellone, Gerardo Maria Mauro. Is it fundamental to model the inter-building effect for reliable building energy simulations? Interaction with shading systems. Building and Environment. 2020; 183 ():107161.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro. 2020. "Is it fundamental to model the inter-building effect for reliable building energy simulations? Interaction with shading systems." Building and Environment 183, no. : 107161.

Journal article
Published: 13 July 2020 in Applied Energy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Climate change will affect the indoor temperature of historic buildings, impacting the preservation of artworks and the thermal comfort of users, and possibly leading to increased energy consumption. These buildings generate more emissions than new buildings and in most European countries, preservation principles take precedence over energy efficiency and the reduction of emissions. This research is a key topic for the mitigation of climate change and proposes a method for assessing the impact of climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort, and energy consumption. An experimental method was followed, combining analytical formulations, on-site measurements, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems in order to identify the adequate hygrothermal parameters for historic buildings. The climate change scenario predicted for 2050 was based on projected temperature variation. The case studies were Baroque churches, historic buildings located in the south of Europe. Data obtained from a monitoring campaign carried out in these churches was used to validate dynamic simulation models. The churches analysed showed an increase in cooling demand and a decrease in heating demand. Furthermore, in order to ensure human comfort and the preservation of artworks, it was necessary to implement active systems in operation for 12-hour periods. These results suggest an energy overconsumption, as the energy consumption for human comfort and artwork preservation was 50% higher than the energy consumption of active systems for the preservation of valuable historic objects. In addition, the annual energy consumption decreases for future scenarios for 2050 in the case of artwork preservation and thermal comfort, but increases by almost 15% for the preservation of works of art due to higher level relative humidity. Before historic buildings can be adapted, it is essential to understand the influence of the future climate on their design, construction, and environmental conditions.

ACS Style

C.Mª Muñoz González; A.L. León Rodríguez; R. Suárez Medina; J. Ruiz Jaramillo. Effects of future climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort and energy consumption in historic buildings. Applied Energy 2020, 276, 115483 .

AMA Style

C.Mª Muñoz González, A.L. León Rodríguez, R. Suárez Medina, J. Ruiz Jaramillo. Effects of future climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort and energy consumption in historic buildings. Applied Energy. 2020; 276 ():115483.

Chicago/Turabian Style

C.Mª Muñoz González; A.L. León Rodríguez; R. Suárez Medina; J. Ruiz Jaramillo. 2020. "Effects of future climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort and energy consumption in historic buildings." Applied Energy 276, no. : 115483.

Journal article
Published: 23 June 2020 in Sustainable Cities and Society
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The paper discusses the results of a monitoring campaign performed during the spring and autumn with the purpose to evaluate the operational energy performance of an existing nearly zero energy building (nZEB). It is located in Benevento, a middle-size city of South Italy with typical Mediterranean climate. A methodology for real-time nZEB performance analysis is proposed by taking into consideration the implications of the continuous interplay between external conditions and indoor occupant requirements as well as between on-site generation and the building loads with the resulting interaction with the energy grid. It takes into account the inertial properties of building envelope and the occupant perception in term of thermo-hygrometric and visual comfort as well as of indoor air quality. Compilation and assessment of appropriate quantitative indicators are proposed basing on data with hourly time step for finding the optimal management of the internal and external shades and the ventilation system. Moreover it is discussed how daily variations can influence the efficiency of the whole building-HVAC system with particular attention to the pre-handling system based on an earth-water heat exchanger.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanol. Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study. Sustainable Cities and Society 2020, 61, 102349 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Martina Borrelli, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanol. Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020; 61 ():102349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanol. 2020. "Nearly zero energy target and indoor comfort in Mediterranean climate: Discussion based on monitoring data for a real case study." Sustainable Cities and Society 61, no. : 102349.

Erratum
Published: 16 June 2020 in Building and Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Alicia Alonso; Jorge Patricio; Rafael Suárez; Rocío Escandón. Corrigendum to “Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide”[Build. Environ. 174 (2020) 106771]. Building and Environment 2020, 180, 107030 .

AMA Style

Alicia Alonso, Jorge Patricio, Rafael Suárez, Rocío Escandón. Corrigendum to “Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide”[Build. Environ. 174 (2020) 106771]. Building and Environment. 2020; 180 ():107030.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alicia Alonso; Jorge Patricio; Rafael Suárez; Rocío Escandón. 2020. "Corrigendum to “Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide”[Build. Environ. 174 (2020) 106771]." Building and Environment 180, no. : 107030.

Journal article
Published: 09 June 2020 in Energy and Buildings
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The necessity to predict building energy performance assumes a predominant role today. Present regulations in energy matter introduce pressing objectives for the energy requalification of buildings. Within spring 2020, EU Member States must adopt the European Directive 2018/844, which focuses the attention on present buildings. It establishes new obligations to retrofit the existing building stock. Solutions to improve building energy performance and to achieve economic, energy, and environmental benefits become mandatory, requiring robust and reliable procedures for energy modeling and simulation. The present study will show the importance of considering a non-standard occupant profile in energy performance simulations. The investigated edifice is a typical residential building in Naples (southern part of Italy, Mediterranean climate), built during the sixties and seventies. For the energy retrofit of the building, the most common refurbishment interventions in the Neapolitan building stock will be assessed for energy, economic and emissions savings, and thus new thermal insulation and replacement of windows. Firstly, the results will be analyzed by taking into account a standard-use profile of the occupants. Secondly, the possible wrong behaviors of users will be examined, to compare an “energy-intensive” model with the standard retrofitted model. The impact on building energy demand of the following actions will be analyzed: more energy-intensive use of the electric and lighting systems, the opening of the windows during the activation hours of the heating/cooling systems, the modification of the thermostat setpoint, the deactivation of the shading systems. The study shows a considerable increase in energy demand, following the wrong behavior of the occupants, which affects the economic convenience of the refurbishment investment. The energy retrofit is economically and energetically feasible for a standard building occupation, but sometimes wrong habits can reduce the convenience, if energy-intensive behaviors occur. This work will show that, when the numerical building model of a common building refurbishment is realized and when the cost-benefits analysis is performed, the uncertainty in occupant behavior cannot be neglected.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits. Energy and Buildings 2020, 223, 110217 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 223 ():110217.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "The role of the occupant behavior in affecting the feasibility of energy refurbishment of residential buildings: Typical effective retrofits compromised by typical wrong habits." Energy and Buildings 223, no. : 110217.

Review
Published: 06 May 2020 in Energies
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The green wall is an engineered technology for stormwater management and climate change mitigation at the urban level. At the building scale, these energy efficiency measures are suitable for improving indoor comfort conditions and for reducing energy needs. Several guidelines are available about vertical greening systems, but these propose design parameters and performance evaluation criteria, often incomparable. In order to facilitate the implementation of proper technical standards, this paper proposes a critical review of more recent scientific investigations. All parameters for the design optimization are discussed as well as the achievable social and private benefits by taking into consideration the type of study (numerical or experimental), the climate conditions, the analysis period, all technical requirements of the green layer as well as of the back wall. The review underlines that a multi-criteria design approach is needed for green vertical systems. Thus, the paper is concluded with a SWOT analysis, evidencing “strengths”, “weaknesses”, “opportunities” and “threats”. The analysis shows that the highlighted benefits will acquire greater relevance considering the increase in global temperatures and the growing need to redevelop densely built urban centers, while some negative aspects may be filled in the future with a deeper preparation of designers and careful choice of materials. The review paper shows, therefore, drivers and barriers occurring designing and implementing green walls.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches. Energies 2020, 13, 2296 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Margherita Mastellone, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches. Energies. 2020; 13 (9):2296.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Margherita Mastellone; Silvia Ruggiero; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Green Walls, a Critical Review: Knowledge Gaps, Design Parameters, Thermal Performances and Multi-Criteria Design Approaches." Energies 13, no. 9: 2296.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Renewable Energy
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate, based on experimental data, the potential of pre-cooling the ventilation air based on ground-to-water heat exchanger, coupled with an intermediate water-to-air exchanger, during the summer period. The case study for this investigation is an existing nearly zero energy building located in Benevento, a middle-size city of South Italy with typical Mediterranean climate. Measurements of several performance parameters with four different HVAC possible configurations are shown as well as monitoring of energy uses and indoor microclimatic conditions in order to verify if comfort conditions inside the building are guaranteed together with the achievement of ‘nearly zero energy target’. Indeed, the study intends to assess the interaction between building and power grid and evaluate the temporal correspondence between building load and PV generation with hourly time step. The discussion about the hourly energy balance serves as reference to export or improve management and design strategies in regions with comparable climate conditions.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air. Renewable Energy 2020, 155, 950 -968.

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Martina Borrelli, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air. Renewable Energy. 2020; 155 ():950-968.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Martina Borrelli; Rosa Francesca De Masi; Giuseppe Peter Vanoli. 2020. "Hourly operational assessment of HVAC systems in Mediterranean Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Experimental evaluation of the potential of ground cooling of ventilation air." Renewable Energy 155, no. : 950-968.

Journal article
Published: 29 February 2020 in Building and Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Exposure to noise is proven to have important repercussions on human comfort and health conditions. In recent decades, efforts to increase awareness among users have focused on highlighting the benefits of an appropriate acoustic indoor environment. In addition, given the significant increase in complaints about noise, the control, reduction, and limitation of sound transmission have become important issues to be considered in acoustic retrofit work in buildings. Much of the housing stock was built in a period characterized by the limitation or absence of standards, and renovation interventions should be geared towards existing buildings. However, despite the major potential to improve quality of life, only a handful of countries consider old buildings in their national Building Codes and regulations. The main aim of this work is to develop a comparative study of the acoustic requirements for indoor sound insulation between dwellings of existing buildings established in current building regulations around the world. The analysis of the documents concludes that the usual difference between requirements for new and existing buildings is 5 dB, both for airborne sound insulation and impact sound insulation. To this end, this paper provides the basis for discussion regarding future cooperation for the optimization of acoustic regulations for old buildings.

ACS Style

Alicia Alonso; Jorge Patricio; Rafael Suárez; Rocío Escandón. Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide. Building and Environment 2020, 174, 106771 .

AMA Style

Alicia Alonso, Jorge Patricio, Rafael Suárez, Rocío Escandón. Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide. Building and Environment. 2020; 174 ():106771.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alicia Alonso; Jorge Patricio; Rafael Suárez; Rocío Escandón. 2020. "Acoustical retrofit of existing residential buildings: Requirements and recommendations for sound insulation between dwellings in Europe and other countries worldwide." Building and Environment 174, no. : 106771.

Journal article
Published: 15 January 2020 in Journal of Building Engineering
Reads 0
Downloads 0

An existing industrial building ubicated in South Italy is investigated by applying a tailored approach to optimize energy retrofit. The baseline provides high energy consumption, which needs to be tackled to promote the transition towards more sustainable buildings. Accordingly, after a detailed energy audit, the building is modeled and simulated under EnergyPlus environment using DesignBuilder® to characterize geometry and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems. The model is calibrated against metered data as concerns the trends of indoor temperatures. Different retrofit measures are investigated, i.e., replacement of windows, implementation of solar screens, use of heat recovery, optimization of HVAC operation and installation of photovoltaics of different sizes. Thus, a large domain of solutions is explored by conducting an exhaustive research through the coupling between EnergyPlus and MATLAB®. The research provides the Pareto optimization of building retrofit minimizing primary energy consumption and global cost for two different scenarios as regards the access to public incentives. The utopia point criterion is used to pick a solution from the Pareto front. Such solution can yield energy and global cost savings up to 81% and 45%, respectively, ensuring the same comfort level compared to the baseline. The primary energy consumption of the whole facility can be reduced up to 40.1 kWhp/m2a. The outcomes can give precious guidelines to refurbish industrial and office buildings in Mediterranean areas with a view to energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Antonio Ruggiano; Lucio Viscido. A real industrial building: Modeling, calibration and Pareto optimization of energy retrofit. Journal of Building Engineering 2020, 29, 101186 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Teresa Iovane, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano, Antonio Ruggiano, Lucio Viscido. A real industrial building: Modeling, calibration and Pareto optimization of energy retrofit. Journal of Building Engineering. 2020; 29 ():101186.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano; Antonio Ruggiano; Lucio Viscido. 2020. "A real industrial building: Modeling, calibration and Pareto optimization of energy retrofit." Journal of Building Engineering 29, no. : 101186.

Conference paper
Published: 17 December 2019 in SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATERIAL SCIENCE, SMART STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS: ICMSS-2019
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In this study, the analytical model of the heat transfer through a two-layers wall is developed. The main novelty consists into considering also the extraflux versus both the celestial vault and the ground, which are usually assessed by adopting simplified methodologies suggested by standards. The validation of the model is performed by means of the comparison of its outputs in terms of heat fluxes leaving and penetrating the wall with the ones produced by the well-known dynamic energy simulator EnergyPlus. After that, different kinds of thermochromic paints are investigated, with the aim to highlight their potentialties. Finally, an optimization process is conducted in order to evaluate the radiative characteristics of an ideal thermochromic paint, producing advantages for both the winter season and the summer season.

ACS Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Development of an analytical model to investigate the effects of the extraflux versus the sky and the ground and optimization of the radiative characteristics of a thermochromic paint for a typical Italian location. SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATERIAL SCIENCE, SMART STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS: ICMSS-2019 2019, 2191, 020011 .

AMA Style

Fabrizio Ascione, Nicola Bianco, Teresa Iovane, Gerardo Maria Mauro, Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. Development of an analytical model to investigate the effects of the extraflux versus the sky and the ground and optimization of the radiative characteristics of a thermochromic paint for a typical Italian location. SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATERIAL SCIENCE, SMART STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS: ICMSS-2019. 2019; 2191 (1):020011.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabrizio Ascione; Nicola Bianco; Teresa Iovane; Gerardo Maria Mauro; Davide Ferdinando Napolitano. 2019. "Development of an analytical model to investigate the effects of the extraflux versus the sky and the ground and optimization of the radiative characteristics of a thermochromic paint for a typical Italian location." SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATERIAL SCIENCE, SMART STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS: ICMSS-2019 2191, no. 1: 020011.