Carlos Muñoz Blanc

Dr. Carlos Muñoz Blanc

Department of Architectural Technology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

10Years (2017-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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24 January 2025 in Buildings
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Journal Article
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Josephin RezkJosephin Rezk
Josephin Rezk
Oriol Pons ValladaresOriol Pons Valladares
Oriol Pons Valladares
Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
In the context of post-war reconstruction, this study introduces a novel assessment model tailored for the preliminary management of blast-damaged reinforced concrete buildings without structural collapse risk. The model addresses the critical challenge of prioritizing reconstruction efforts within constraints of time and resources while integrating economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Developed using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment and refined through the Delphi method, the model provides stakeholders with a practical tool to evaluate alternative reconstruction scenarios, including refurbishment, demolition, reconstruction with retained identity, and preservation for future work. Validation is carried out through a case study of a tourist hotel in the historic area of Damascus, where a report confirmed the building posed no structural collapse risk. The results indicate that “preservation for future work” is the most sustainable option environmentally, while “refurbishment” emerges as the most sustainable economically and socially. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive damage assessments and sustainability-oriented tools for resilient and sustainable post-war reconstruction strategies that respect heritage contexts.

26 October 2023 in Fire
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Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
Numerical simulations, based on the theories of computational fluid dynamics and combustion, are currently a powerful tool in the field of fire engineering. Field models allow us to analyze key aspects such as the integrity of buildings and safety. However, it is fundamental to define strategies that allow engineers to obtain a balance between the precision of the results and the computational cost. One of the most relevant sub-models is the turbulence model. This paper presents the research carried out in the field of two-dimensional computational simulations of turbulent dilatable flows to evaluate the behavior of diffusion flames, hot gases, and smoke produced in accidental fires. Several computational simulations have been performed using direct numerical simulations and large eddy simulation turbulence models in the two-dimensional field, analyzing the ability of the models to correctly characterize the transport of hot gases and the behavior of the thermal plumes if the grid resolution is adequate to the physics of the problem. Additionally, several three-dimensional models have been developed to contrast and validate the results obtained in the two-dimensional simulations. In order to validate the capacity to develop a qualitative analysis of two-dimensional models in fire engineering, an evaluation criterion is presented based on the frequency spectral analysis to study the capacity of each type of turbulence model to accurately capture the vorticity of these dilatable flows.

30 September 2017 in Informes de la Construcción
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Journal Article
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Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
INI. Fortea Navarro
I. Fortea Navarro
En el presente trabajo se presentan las ventajas de utilizar el Diseño Basado en Prestaciones cuando se afronta la seguridad de las estructuras frente a la acción del incendio, se aporta una visión general del método y se muestran las ventajas de su aplicación en proyectos singulares de edificación a través de un caso real de estudio. Aunque el diseño prestacional tiene un amplio recorrido en países como el Reino Unido, Estados Unidos o Japón, con más de 30 años de evolución y desarrollo, en España hace apenas una década que la normativa ha abierto las puertas a utilizar el diseño prestacional. Sin embargo, aunque el Código Técnico de la Edificación anima a los diseñadores a llevar a cabo esta estrategia de trabajo, aún es poca la información que incorpora para tal fin.

30 June 2019 in Informes de la Construcción
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Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
IFI. Fortea
I. Fortea
AAAlbert Albareda
Albert Albareda
En el presente trabajo se evalúa la relevancia que pueden llegar a adquirir las acciones eólicas transversales cuando se diseñan edificios aislados de más de 50m mediante las diferentes metodologías de análisis que establecen tres normas internacionales, el Eurocódigo, la norma australiana y la norma japonesa. El trabajo incluye tanto las acciones transversales que resultan de las oscilaciones periódicas del viento debido al desprendimiento de los vórtices, y que debiera ser considerado inevitablemente en cualquier edificio aislado, así como las acciones eólicas que son consecuencia del acoplamiento de frecuencias entre el propio desprendimiento de los vórtices y la frecuencia fundamental en sentido transversal del edificio, pudiendo dichas fuerzas llegar a condicionar el diseño de la estructura que debe hacer frente a las acciones horizontales del edificio.

2 April 2026 in Applied Sciences
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Josephin RezkJosephin Rezk
Josephin Rezk
Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
Oriol Pons ValladaresOriol Pons Valladares
Oriol Pons Valladares
Post-earthquake reconstruction involves complex decision-making that extends beyond structural safety to include economic, environmental, and social considerations under conditions of uncertainty and limited resources. Although sustainability-oriented assessment frameworks and multi-criteria decision-making approaches have increasingly been applied in disaster contexts, existing models typically address localized technical interventions and rarely support strategic reconstruction planning after earthquakes. This study develops a sustainability-based decision-support framework for post-earthquake reconstruction of reinforced concrete buildings using the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment (MIVES). This framework is derived through a systematic synthesis of the post-earthquake, post-disaster, and MIVES-based literature. Reconstruction alternatives reported in previous studies are first identified and classified to structure the reconstruction decision space. Sustainability requirements, criteria, and indicators are then examined and adapted through processes of retention, modification, elimination, and addition. The principal outcome of the study is an adapted MIVES requirements tree composed of 10 criteria and 19 indicators organized across the sustainability dimensions, providing a context-consistent hierarchical structure for strategic building-level reconstruction decisions. By explicitly linking reconstruction alternatives with sustainability indicators within clearly defined decision boundaries, the framework strengthens methodological rigor in sustainability-oriented reconstruction planning. The present article focuses on the methodological development of the framework (Part I). The operational implementation of the model—including expert-based weighting, value-function definition, indicator aggregation, and empirical validation through case studies—will be presented in a companion study. The proposed framework provides a transparent and transferable basis for sustainability-oriented reconstruction planning and supports informed decision-making by public authorities.

15 September 2023 in Hormigón y Acero
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Carlos Muñoz BlancCarlos Muñoz Blanc
Carlos Muñoz Blanc
INInma Fortea Navarro
Inma Fortea Navarro
Las fuerzas horizontales, tanto del viento como de las acciones sísmicas, gobiernan en la mayoría de los casos el diseño estructural de los edificios en altura. Una evaluación precisa de la magnitud de las acciones horizontales desde las etapas iniciales del proyecto proporciona información valiosa para la elección de la tipología y para el predimensionado de la estructura. Este estudio desarrolla una evaluación analítica de las fuerzas horizontales considerando los efectos dinámicos en este tipo de edificaciones, de aplicación en las fases iniciales del diseño estructural. La investigación utiliza métodos analíticos basados ​​en las normativas actuales, combinado con modelos numéricos de elementos finitos y herramientas gráficas que proporcionan un conjunto de datos originales basados ​​en el estudio de casos. Incluye un análisis de sensibilidad que muestra la influencia que tienen diversos parámetros, como el amortiguamiento de la estructura, en la magnitud de los esfuerzos horizontales. El estudio aporta nuevos datos y un método de análisis gráfico para las dos acciones más complejas en el diseño de los edificios en altura. Se muestra la importancia del viento frente al sismo a medida que la rigidez del edificio disminuye y los efectos dinámicos incrementan las acciones transversales del viento.