Building upon the knowledge accumulated from a comprehensive research program on double skin façades (DSFs), this study explores two design enhancements for buildings in tropical climates. Thermal and energetic benefits of the inclusion of mechanical ventilation within the DSF cavity and electricity generation from the PV systems have been determined across a wide spectrum of Brazilian climates. Using computational simulations, DSF models with two fan configurations, placed solely at the top of the DSF and distributed along the height of the cavity, are evaluated. Annual distribution of thermal comfort acceptance and impact on energy demands from HVAC systems and contribution from the PV systems is analyzed. Results demonstrated wide variations of energy performance in relation to the climatic conditions. The ‘Cool’ climate zone presented most significant benefits from the proposed design enhancements resulting in electricity surplus. On the other hand, electricity generated from PV in the moderate climate zone can only cover about 30% of the HVAC energy consumption, whereas energy savings in the ‘hot’ zone are the lowest with only 15% of electricity contributed from the PV systems. The results of this paper contribute to the early stage of design when considering the adoption of DSF in tropical climates.

Purpose: Using the campus of a Brazilian university as case study, this research aims to identify which aspects of the outdoor spaces are the most significant in attracting people.Design/methodology/approach: This research relies on the application of different post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, including user tracking, behavioural mapping and questionnaires, on one plateau of the campus.Findings: Three group of aspects (socialization, proximity and infrastructure) were identified as key elements in explaining the impact of the campus physical characteristics on users’ behaviour. The results indicate that having characteristics of at least one group of aspects in those spaces can guarantee their vitality and, if there is presence of attributes of more than one group, liveliness can be increased.Research limitations/implications: Further studies should be conducted on an entire campus to identify other spatial elements in the three groups.Practical implications: This research contributes to the planning of future campuses and to solutions to the existed ones, indicating the most relevant spatial characteristics to be considered. Additionally, the combination of different methods may be useful to future research.Originality/value: Most of the investigations on the university campuses focus on the buildings, and little research has investigated the outdoor spaces, although they play a critical role in learning and academic life, where people establish social, cultural and personal relationships. In addition, studies using several POE allowed a consistent and complete diagnostic about the aspects of the campus, giving recommendations for future projects.

New research regarding the comfort and liveability of modern urban areas has gained increasing attention with climate changes and the trend towards intensified urbanization in modern cities. The urbanization processes have commonly resulted in urban heat islands, dense and central spaces where the air temperature is higher when compared to peripheral areas. The increase in the temperature in these spaces causes thermal discomfort, directly impacting people's quality of life. The urban morphology impacts users' thermal perception while limiting or allowing solar and wind access, thus interfering with the thermal comfort perceived by people. That is the case of urban canyons, a morphologic phenomenon that can reduce the solar incidence and local wind speeds, altering the heat exchanges between buildings and the air and changing the thermal comfort. Thus, through parametric approaches, the present work aims to identify how the changes in the urban morphology impacted the thermal conditions of an urban canyon in the central area of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The analyses, which compared three different moments in history (1940, 1980, and 2020), were performed using Ladybug Suite Tools / Grasshopper plugins for Rhinoceros software; and were based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The maps generated indicate the changes in the local thermal comfort and its historical development. The results demonstrated that the urbanization process over the years strongly affected the thermal conditions of the urban canyon at the pedestrian level.

A fachada dupla consiste de duas camadas, em geral envidraçadas, colocadas a certa distância, formando uma cavidade intermediária por onde o ar circula. Essas camadas abrangem fenômenos físicos complexos, como a ventilação por efeito chaminé e as trocas térmicas radiantes. Este trabalho apresenta um método de simulação com o programa EnergyPlus para análise do desempenho de um ambiente com fachada dupla. As camadas da fachada dupla estão submetidas às trocas radiantes e convectivas na cavidade intermediária devido ao efeito da ventilação provocado pela chaminé térmica. O método empregado considera a cavidade (entre camadas) como um microclima, cujas condições climáticas foram usadas para gerar um arquivo climático específico dessa zona. Esse arquivo foi posteriormente usado em outra simulação, que considerou apenas a camada interna da fachada, com foco na radiação solar. São apresentados dados que validam o processo de simulação, em vista das variáveis disponíveis pelo programa. Os resultados foram comparados a um caso-base sem fachada dupla. Os ganhos de calor pela fachada e as temperaturas operativas internas foram usados para verificação do desempenho térmico do ambiente com a fachada dupla. Esse processo fornece subsídios para análise de modelos mais complexos.

In the last decades, rapid urbanization has reduced urban green areas and public open spaces, influencing the health and quality of life of the population. This study analyses the influence of living nearby squares on the perception of quality of life. By using the WHOQOL-BREF Protocol, the quality of life of residents living within two radiuses from two squares located in different neighbourhoods in Brazil were compared. The results have been discussed based on the interviewees’ characteristics and the Public Open Space physical attributes.The results indicated that living close to the urban squares can have positive impacts on quality of life.

The lightwell is an architectural solution to promote daylight into the internal spaces from the core of a building. The shaft configurations, such as geometry and reflectance can affect the performance of the daylighting entering the adjoining rooms under different conditions. This study aims to indicate the adequate architectural solutions to improve the daylighting performance of buildings with lightwells at three different southern latitudes. From a base model of 6-stories building, alternative cases were parametrically simulated using Rhinoceros, GrassHopper and ClimateStudio software. From variations in the lightwell geometry and walls reflectance, the cases were analyzed considering the lighting metrics UDI and sDA300. Results demonstrate that the daylighting is adequate on the floors near the top of the building and weakens towards the base of it. In Macapá, São Paulo and Chile, the sDA values reach 100 % on the top floor, but only 3 % on the first floor. It was also observed that materials with high diffuse reflectance on the shaft is more efficient in improving the daylighting performance than increasing its geometry. This research presents early-design guidance to inform architects and policymakers when considering the exploitation of daylight by the use of the lightwell.