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In the use phase, buildings are high resource consumers, especially energy, water and even nutrients. The relationship between these resources is inseparable, and the nexus energy–water–food (or energy–water–nutrients) is currently recognized as the essential connection for the sustainable development of mankind. In the current scenario of climate change, “nearly zero energy” buildings begin to enter the reality of cities in many parts of the world, but “zero buildings” in general (and not just with regard to energy) should integrate and enhance constructive solutions in the future. Taking into account the water–energy nexus, reduction of water consumption in the building cycle is also reflected in significant energy efficiency, considering the reduction of energy needs to heat sanitary hot water and to pressurize water in buildings and also in public systems, in abstraction, pumping and treatment of water and wastewater. The design of “nearly zero water” buildings should be based on the 5R principle, which can be summarized as follows: Reduce consumption; Reduce losses and wastes; Reuse water; Recycle water; and Resort to alternative sources. This paper is a short review of techniques for increasing water efficiency in buildings, based on the principle of 5R, analyzing several solutions for “nearly zero water” buildings, with special focus on the use of efficient products, the harvesting of rainwater and the reuse of greywater. The first two technologies are already well technically dominated, while the reuse of greywater, although not a novelty, still lacks certain developments with a view to their generalization, especially with regard to health and quality control issues.
Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso. Nearly Zero Water Buildings. INCREaSE 2019 2019, 680 -690.
AMA StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues, Armando Silva-Afonso. Nearly Zero Water Buildings. INCREaSE 2019. 2019; ():680-690.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso. 2019. "Nearly Zero Water Buildings." INCREaSE 2019 , no. : 680-690.
In addition to the possible contributions of buildings to mitigating CO2 emissions, increased attention is being paid to the potential impacts of climate change on urban environments. According to the United Nations, about 54% of the planet’s population currently lives in cities, but this percentage is expected to rise to 66% in 2050, which reveals the scale of this issue. This paper develops a reflection on the possible contributions of water-related building installations to mitigate emissions and increase urban area adaptation to the effects of climate change. One of the most promising solutions to facing climate change, which is analysed in detail in this paper, is combining rainwater harvesting systems with green roofs. However, in view of developing the necessary engineering projects, there are insufficient existing studies to estimate the parameters to be used in each location given their climate characteristics, particularly the monthly runoff coefficients, which constitute the key parameter for designing these installations in some regions. Some recent standards present generic theoretical values for designing these combined installations, but they are far from reality in some regions, such as the Mediterranean basin. Therefore, based on the data available in Portugal, this paper reports some of the results obtained from research on the values of the monthly runoff coefficients.
Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso; Pimentel- Rodrigues; Silva- Afonso. Contributions of Water-Related Building Installations to Urban Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation to Face Climate Change. Applied Sciences 2019, 9, 3575 .
AMA StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues, Armando Silva-Afonso, Pimentel- Rodrigues, Silva- Afonso. Contributions of Water-Related Building Installations to Urban Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation to Face Climate Change. Applied Sciences. 2019; 9 (17):3575.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso; Pimentel- Rodrigues; Silva- Afonso. 2019. "Contributions of Water-Related Building Installations to Urban Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation to Face Climate Change." Applied Sciences 9, no. 17: 3575.
Nowadays, humanity is consuming unsustainably the planet’s resources. In the scope of energy resource consumption, e.g., the intense use of fossil fuels has contributed to the acceleration of climate changes on the planet, and the overriding need to increase energy efficiency in all sectors is now widely recognized, aiming to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 69% in 2030. Largely due to climate changes, water has also become a critical resource on the planet and hydric stress risk will rise significantly in the coming decades. Accordingly, several countries will have to apply measures to increase water efficiency in all sectors, including at the building level. These measures, in addition to reducing water consumption, will contribute to the increase of energy efficiency and to the decrease of GHG emissions, especially of CO2. Therefore, the nexus water energy in buildings is relevant because the application of water efficiency measures can result in a significant contribution to improve buildings’ energy efficiency and the urban water cycle (namely in abstraction, treatment, and pumping). For Mediterranean climate, there are few studies to assess the extent and impact of this nexus. This study presents the assessment of water-energy nexus performed in a university building located in a mainland Portugal central region. The main goals are to present the results of the water and energy efficiency measures implemented and to assess the consequent reduction of water, above 37%, and energy (30%) consumption, obtained because of the application of water-efficient devices and highly efficient light systems in the building. The water efficiency increase at the building level represents at the urban level an energy saving in the water supply system of 406 kWh/year, nearly 0.5% of the building energy consumption, with a consequent increase in the energy efficiency and in the reduction of GHG emissions. Complementarily, other energy-efficient measures were implemented to reduce the energy consumption. As the building under study has a small demand of domestic hot water with no hydro pressure pumps and has a small water-energy nexus, it was concluded that the significant reduction of the building energy consumption did not influence the indoor comfort.
Fernanda Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso; Armando Pinto; Joaquim Macedo; António Silva Santos; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues. Increasing water and energy efficiency in university buildings: a case study. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2019, 27, 4571 -4581.
AMA StyleFernanda Rodrigues, Armando Silva-Afonso, Armando Pinto, Joaquim Macedo, António Silva Santos, Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues. Increasing water and energy efficiency in university buildings: a case study. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2019; 27 (5):4571-4581.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFernanda Rodrigues; Armando Silva-Afonso; Armando Pinto; Joaquim Macedo; António Silva Santos; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues. 2019. "Increasing water and energy efficiency in university buildings: a case study." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, no. 5: 4571-4581.
Circular economy can be considered not only in relation to building construction materials, but also in relation to resources that are used in the use phase of buildings, such as water, energy or even nutrients. On the other hand, some constructive solutions are becoming increasingly important in the current scenario of climate change, taking into account the need to increase the resilience of the urban environment and the mitigation of emissions. This is the case, for example, of green roofs and living façades, which are an alternative to traditional grey infrastructure, offering many benefits to both citizens and cities. Beyond the ability to improve environmental conditions and quality of life, they can augment the energy efficiency of buildings, reduce flood risks in urban areas and be combined with rainwater harvesting systems. So, taking into account these trends for constructive solutions in the future, this paper analyses the possibilities of a circular use of water in buildings, aiming to create in the future "zero water" buildings. Particular attention is given to the compatibility between new green roofing solutions and rainwater harvesting systems in buildings, but the reuse of grey water and the possibility of nutrient recovery in buildings, such as urine (phosphorus) - which can be used in the building itself on green roofs - living facades or urban agriculture, are also referred to.
Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Siva-Afonso. Reuse of resources in the use phase of buildings. Solutions for water. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2019, 225, 012050 .
AMA StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues, Armando Siva-Afonso. Reuse of resources in the use phase of buildings. Solutions for water. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2019; 225 (1):012050.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Siva-Afonso. 2019. "Reuse of resources in the use phase of buildings. Solutions for water." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 225, no. 1: 012050.
Armando Pinto; Armando Silva Afonso; António Santos; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Fernanda Rodrigues. Nexus Water Energy for Hotel Sector Efficiency. Energy Procedia 2017, 111, 215 -225.
AMA StyleArmando Pinto, Armando Silva Afonso, António Santos, Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues, Fernanda Rodrigues. Nexus Water Energy for Hotel Sector Efficiency. Energy Procedia. 2017; 111 ():215-225.
Chicago/Turabian StyleArmando Pinto; Armando Silva Afonso; António Santos; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Fernanda Rodrigues. 2017. "Nexus Water Energy for Hotel Sector Efficiency." Energy Procedia 111, no. : 215-225.
Green roofs (GRs) are becoming a trend in urban areas, favouring thermal performance of buildings, promoting removal of atmospheric pollutants, and acting as possible water collection spots. Rainwater harvesting systems in buildings can also contribute to the management of stormwater runoff reducing flood peaks. These technologies should be enhanced in Mediterranean countries where water scarcity is increasing and the occurrence of extreme events is becoming very significant, as a result of climate change. An extensive pilot GR with three aromatic plant species, Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and Thymus pseudolanuginosus, designed to study several parameters affecting rainwater runoff, has been in operation for 12 months. Physico-chemical analyses of roof water runoff (turbidity, pH, conductivity, NH4+, NO3−, PO43−, chemical oxygen demand) have shown that water was of sufficient quality for non-potable uses in buildings, such as toilet flushing. An innovative approach allowed for the development of an expression to predict a ‘monthly runoff coefficient’ of the GR system. This parameter is essential when planning and designing GRs combined with rainwater harvesting systems in a Mediterranean climate. This study is a contribution to improving the basis for the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with extensive GRs under a Mediterranean climate.
Cristina Monteiro; Cristina Calheiros; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva Afonso; Paula M. L. Castro. Contributions to the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs in a Mediterranean climate. Water Science and Technology 2016, 73, 1842 -1847.
AMA StyleCristina Monteiro, Cristina Calheiros, Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues, Armando Silva Afonso, Paula M. L. Castro. Contributions to the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs in a Mediterranean climate. Water Science and Technology. 2016; 73 (8):1842-1847.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCristina Monteiro; Cristina Calheiros; Carla Pimentel-Rodrigues; Armando Silva Afonso; Paula M. L. Castro. 2016. "Contributions to the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs in a Mediterranean climate." Water Science and Technology 73, no. 8: 1842-1847.
A. Silva-Afonso; C. Pimentel-Rodrigues; I. Meireles; V. Sousa. Feasibility Study of Water Saving Measures in Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study of the University of Aveiro. British Journal of Environment and Climate Change 2016, 6, 116 -127.
AMA StyleA. Silva-Afonso, C. Pimentel-Rodrigues, I. Meireles, V. Sousa. Feasibility Study of Water Saving Measures in Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study of the University of Aveiro. British Journal of Environment and Climate Change. 2016; 6 (2):116-127.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. Silva-Afonso; C. Pimentel-Rodrigues; I. Meireles; V. Sousa. 2016. "Feasibility Study of Water Saving Measures in Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study of the University of Aveiro." British Journal of Environment and Climate Change 6, no. 2: 116-127.
Water has become a resource of the utmost importance. Demographic growth, economic development and today's lifestyles have rendered drinking water scarce. Climate change has worsened the situation, and the forecast reduction in rainfall or the alteration of its regime could have a negative effect on situations of crisis in the short to medium term in many countries. Buildings have a significant weight on the uses of water, representing, in Europe, 21% of total water use. The implementation of policies for water efficiency in buildings is becoming increasingly relevant. The Mediterranean countries have at this level some specificity – e.g., it is observed that the predictions of water stress are much more critical – with the Mediterranean climate particularly disadvantaged. This is to the extent that the hot season is coincident with the dry season, making it difficult to implement certain measures such as rainwater harvesting. Portugal is an example of a Mediterranean country that has been developing recently, through a non‐governmental association, several policies for efficient use of water – including a system of voluntary labelling of products. This chapter describes these measures and the results obtained in relation to water savings, and also the impact assessment in terms of energy savings and GHG emissions.
Armando Silva Afonso; Carla Pimentel Rodrigues. Water Policy for Buildings. Water Efficiency in Buildings 2013, 42 -56.
AMA StyleArmando Silva Afonso, Carla Pimentel Rodrigues. Water Policy for Buildings. Water Efficiency in Buildings. 2013; ():42-56.
Chicago/Turabian StyleArmando Silva Afonso; Carla Pimentel Rodrigues. 2013. "Water Policy for Buildings." Water Efficiency in Buildings , no. : 42-56.