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Luís Bragança is PhD, MSc and Licentiate in Civil Engineering and is Professor at the Civil Engineering Department of the School of Engineering of University of Minho, Portugal. He is the coordinator of the international post-graduation programs (PhD and MSc) in Sustainable Built Environment, coordinator of the Master Course in Sustainable Construction and Rehabilitation, director of the Building Physics and Construction Technology Laboratory and director of the Energy and Sustainable Construction Laboratory. His main areas of interest are Sustainable Construction Development (sustainability assessment tools, life-cycle analysis, sustainable building technologies and sustainable rehabilitation of buildings), Building Physics, Building Acoustics and the Rational Use of Energy in Buildings. He participates actively in the national and international standardizing work concerning Sustainable Construction, Building Thermal Performance and Building Acoustics. Throughout his career he participated in 33 R&D projects (10 as leader or co-leader) and in more than 200 consultancy works for industry and private clients. The coordination of the European Project "Sustainability of Constructions - Integrated Approach to Life-time Engineering" is worth to be highlighted and the most recent R&D projects he coordinates are the Ibero-American Projects “URBENERE - Energy Efficient Urban Communities” and “CIRES - Sustainable, Eco-efficient, Resilient and Inclusive Cities”.
Worldwide authorities are increasingly concerned about construction’s efficiency and sustainability, leading to the development of high-performance buildings. However, such facts have shifted a significant percentage of the building life cycle environmental impacts from the operation to the product and construction phases. Thus, the need to evaluate and select more sustainable materials and construction solutions arises, to also minimize impacts from these stages. To evaluate those impacts, LCA and LCC analysis are usually applied to assess the building impacts and costs, through the different life cycle stages. Despite the usefulness of LCA and LCC methods during the project phase, they are usually evaluated in the project later stages. It is too complex and time-consuming to gather and process all the required data during the project early stages. With the recent deployment of BIM, the opportunity to automate and shift LCA and LCC analysis to project early stages stands out. Facing the research gap, this study aims to develop a BIM-based decision-making tool for designers to evaluate the environmental, economic, and functional performance of different building construction solutions. To do so, 18 different simulation scenarios have been created in Autodesk Revit with different combinations of external walls, roofs, and floors. Then, a framework was developed in Dynamo to automatically characterize the building elements life cycle environmental impacts and costs, as well as to automate the LCA and LCC analysis during the project early stages. The outcomes can significantly reduce the required time, errors and efforts when performing LCA and LCC analysis, providing designers with real time decision support data and making an important contribution to the use of BIM for sustainability purposes.
José Pedro Carvalho; Fernanda Schmitd Villaschi; Luís Bragança. Assessing Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Impacts of Building Construction Solutions with BIM. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8914 .
AMA StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho, Fernanda Schmitd Villaschi, Luís Bragança. Assessing Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Impacts of Building Construction Solutions with BIM. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8914.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho; Fernanda Schmitd Villaschi; Luís Bragança. 2021. "Assessing Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Impacts of Building Construction Solutions with BIM." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8914.
Buildings are responsible for several negative impacts on the environment, most of them related to nonrenewable energy consumption, increasing the concern regarding buildings energy efficiency. In this context, computer software has been used to estimate the energy needs of the built environment, and the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology can be used to simplify this process. This study aims to validate a BIM-based framework to streamline the energy analysis of Portuguese buildings, based on the method of the national regulation for the thermal performance of residential buildings. Currently, designers need to spend considerable time assessing all the building characteristics and performing the mandatory calculations for energy performance analysis. It is also intended to link the results of the energy simulation with a Building Sustainability Assessment method—SBToolPT-H. The purpose is to demonstrate how it is possible to benefit from this approach to simultaneously improve building sustainability during the design stage. To do so, different case studies were modelled in Autodesk Revit and exported to a BIM energy tool to perform energy simulation analysis. The results were validated against the official assessment method of the Portuguese thermal regulation and were successfully used to assess the SBToolPT-H energy efficiency category. The research outcomes provide design teams with a reliable BIM-based framework to improve building energy performance and to develop thermal projects while enhancing building sustainability. It also increases the knowledge about the integration of sustainability assessment in the BIM environment, providing new insights for complete integration.
José Carvalho; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. BIM-Based Energy Analysis and Sustainability Assessment—Application to Portuguese Buildings. Buildings 2021, 11, 246 .
AMA StyleJosé Carvalho, Manuela Almeida, Luís Bragança, Ricardo Mateus. BIM-Based Energy Analysis and Sustainability Assessment—Application to Portuguese Buildings. Buildings. 2021; 11 (6):246.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Carvalho; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. 2021. "BIM-Based Energy Analysis and Sustainability Assessment—Application to Portuguese Buildings." Buildings 11, no. 6: 246.
Our ever-evolving built environment is continuously facing emerging needs for housing, work, health, and mobility, among others. Yet, buildings are usually designed and set up as finished permanent objects, reflecting the one constant scenario in mind of defined form, function, and performance. Since change is increasingly inevitable in our life, enlarging buildings’ adaptive capacities in response to arising variables and changing conditions over their lifecycle becomes a necessity in seeking global sustainability demands. The concept of building adaptability has been a notable subject in this respect, increasingly stimulating and proposing regenerative alternatives to today’s often obsolete buildings. This paper critically reviews the existing body of knowledge on the concept of adaptability in building research. The main focus is made on the evolution of the concept interpretations and related paradigms, and on the development of its applications and strategies in the light of promoting models and trends. Drawing on the literature as a source of evidence, the paper analyzes and classifies the content of existing studies published in scientific journals and gray literature, focusing on a timeframe from 2015 up-to-date. Moreover, the paper aims to build a constructive discussion to identify potential gaps between the actual state of the art and emerging needs, which should be addressed by further research.
Rand Askar; Luís Bragança; Helena Gervásio. Adaptability of Buildings: A Critical Review on the Concept Evolution. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 4483 .
AMA StyleRand Askar, Luís Bragança, Helena Gervásio. Adaptability of Buildings: A Critical Review on the Concept Evolution. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (10):4483.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRand Askar; Luís Bragança; Helena Gervásio. 2021. "Adaptability of Buildings: A Critical Review on the Concept Evolution." Applied Sciences 11, no. 10: 4483.
The correct specification of glazings for façades can reduce the energy consumption in buildings. The heat exchange occurs through transparent surfaces and radiation reaches the building as light and heat. Therefore, glazings significantly contribute to the heat transfer between outdoor and indoor spaces and act directly on daylighting and thermal comfort. This paper reports on the spectrophotometric characterization of glazings transmittance for the study of components of a modular façade system and its suitability for the climate of Portugal (temperate climate). The study focused on results of spectrophotometric measurements of optical properties, specifically the transmittance of some types of glazings (solar control, self-cleaning, low-e, float, and extra-clear) and two types of double glazings. The results show the percentage of transmission to ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions and its importance, which enabled the analysis of the glazing efficiency regarding daylighting and the correlation to thermal performance. Subsidies and indications for the specification and adequate uses of transparent surfaces have been presented and complemented the datasheets available from the manufactures.
Helenice Sacht; Luís Bragança; Manuela Almeida; Rosana Caram. Specification of Glazings for Façades Based on Spectrophotometric Characterization of Transmittance. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5437 .
AMA StyleHelenice Sacht, Luís Bragança, Manuela Almeida, Rosana Caram. Specification of Glazings for Façades Based on Spectrophotometric Characterization of Transmittance. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (10):5437.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHelenice Sacht; Luís Bragança; Manuela Almeida; Rosana Caram. 2021. "Specification of Glazings for Façades Based on Spectrophotometric Characterization of Transmittance." Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5437.
Population growth, along with a rapid urban expansion, is imposing a heavy pressure on the planet’s finite resources. It is widely acknowledged that the building industry consumes large amounts of raw materials while generating waste and emissions. To set apart economic growth from environmental repercussions, the Circular Economy (CE) arose as an innovative paradigm that can offer a fast-track towards a sustainable built environment. This paper will tackle a research gap that academia and policymakers often highlighted, which is how can we apply CE to assets that are predominantly meant to be demolished and their resources wasted when they reach their end-of-life. Globally, the paradigm aims at erasing the waste concept, relying on renewable and regenerative sources, and keeping the materials, components, and systems in use at their highest value as long as possible. The concept’s implementation would attempt to consider the built environment as a closed-loop system wherein resources are viewed as a scarce commodity. Although the CE seems straightforward, translating the circular thinking to the building level might be a hardship. The following paper will attempt to shed light on how to promote CE in buildings that will ultimately lead to healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable cities on a broader scale. The proposed framework considers CE implementation strategies throughout the building’s lifecycle and mainly deals with three innovative aspects: wise resource management, building design approaches, and digitalization of the building industry. In this sense, this study will explore these game-changing factors that are considered paramount to concretize the concept in practice and provide a smooth pathway for CE uptake in buildings.
Kamel Rahla; Ricardo Mateus; Luís Bragança. Implementing Circular Economy Strategies in Buildings—From Theory to Practice. Applied System Innovation 2021, 4, 26 .
AMA StyleKamel Rahla, Ricardo Mateus, Luís Bragança. Implementing Circular Economy Strategies in Buildings—From Theory to Practice. Applied System Innovation. 2021; 4 (2):26.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKamel Rahla; Ricardo Mateus; Luís Bragança. 2021. "Implementing Circular Economy Strategies in Buildings—From Theory to Practice." Applied System Innovation 4, no. 2: 26.
Geometry modeling is a common approach in pollutant dispersion studies. Block typology is a key element for representing geometries closer to real city environments. However, urban pollutant modeling studies and urban planning processes have different approaches regarding block typology and applied metrics. Therefore, the objective of this work is to compare urban block typologies and urban metrics used in literature studies with those found in real cities. The methodology combined a literature review with an empirical analysis of sample areas in selected cities. The results showed that more than 50 % of the studies applied idealized building arrays. Nonetheless, the idealized array tends to underestimate real densities, often misrepresenting urban planning indices. On the other hand, derived geometry reduces modeling complexity and increases the applicability of studies in urban planning. Based on our findings, we suggest an urban block parameterization derived from real urban areas (representative of the densest cities in Asia, Europe, and America). This study selects five block typologies derived from actual cities (single block, detached buildings, courtyard, inner courtyards, and row buildings) with estimated values of the floor area ratio (FAR) and surface coverage (SC) that, when combined, provide a more precise representation of density.
Fabiana Trindade da Silva; Neyval Costa Reis Jr.; Jane Meri Santos; Elisa Valentim Goulart; Felipe Simões Maciel; Luís Bragança; Cristina Engel de Alvarez. Atmospheric dispersion and urban planning: An interdisciplinary approach to city modeling. Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 70, 102882 .
AMA StyleFabiana Trindade da Silva, Neyval Costa Reis Jr., Jane Meri Santos, Elisa Valentim Goulart, Felipe Simões Maciel, Luís Bragança, Cristina Engel de Alvarez. Atmospheric dispersion and urban planning: An interdisciplinary approach to city modeling. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021; 70 ():102882.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFabiana Trindade da Silva; Neyval Costa Reis Jr.; Jane Meri Santos; Elisa Valentim Goulart; Felipe Simões Maciel; Luís Bragança; Cristina Engel de Alvarez. 2021. "Atmospheric dispersion and urban planning: An interdisciplinary approach to city modeling." Sustainable Cities and Society 70, no. : 102882.
A growing concern is given to the environmental impacts caused by the construction industry. Waste generation, resource consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions are the main drawbacks of the rapid urbanization that the world is witnessing. As a response to these pressing issues, policymakers and academia are exploring the concept of Circular Economy (CE) to manage resources better and achieve resource efficiency while eliminating waste. One of the strategies to implement CE in the built environment is to select the appropriate building materials and components from the early stages to carry out the concept’s principles along the value chain and create a closed-loop system. Therefore, this study aims at identifying selection criteria for building elements according to CE principles through a review of the latest research. Results have shown that little has been concretely achieved in terms of a paradigm shift to CE since the main focus of the literature is still the use of recycled products and the recyclability of building materials and components at their end-of-life. Although the present study is solely focused on the technical aspect of building materials and components, it outlines current adopted criteria to bring about a circular built environment and highlights the need for a more innovative approach to attain higher circularity levels.
Kamel Rahla; Ricardo Mateus; Luís Bragança. Selection Criteria for Building Materials and Components in Line with the Circular Economy Principles in the Built Environment—A Review of Current Trends. Infrastructures 2021, 6, 49 .
AMA StyleKamel Rahla, Ricardo Mateus, Luís Bragança. Selection Criteria for Building Materials and Components in Line with the Circular Economy Principles in the Built Environment—A Review of Current Trends. Infrastructures. 2021; 6 (4):49.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKamel Rahla; Ricardo Mateus; Luís Bragança. 2021. "Selection Criteria for Building Materials and Components in Line with the Circular Economy Principles in the Built Environment—A Review of Current Trends." Infrastructures 6, no. 4: 49.
Due to the time-consuming and complicated process of performing Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA), this is usually incompatible with construction companies’ deadlines. With the emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the construction industry, the opportunity for BSA methods to adopt and benefit from BIM arises. Following a previous study, this paper aims to put in practice a proposed theoretical approach to facilitate the implementation of the BSA since the preliminary design stages using, as an example, the Portuguese SBToolPT-H method. Therefore, this paper analyses how BIM platforms can contribute to optimising the BSA evaluation. To achieve this goal, a case study was modelled and characterised in Autodesk Revit and, tailored parameters were created to support the assessment. The results show that Autodesk Revit can support the evaluation of 13 SBToolPT-H sustainability criteria, in a faster and automated way when faced with the traditional assessment process. The capabilities of BIM platforms and its wider use by designers can significantly contribute to the integration of BSA methods in the BIM collaborative process, thus contributing to a more sustainable built environment.
José Pedro Carvalho; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. Sustainable building design: Analysing the feasibility of BIM platforms to support practical building sustainability assessment. Computers in Industry 2021, 127, 103400 .
AMA StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho, Luís Bragança, Ricardo Mateus. Sustainable building design: Analysing the feasibility of BIM platforms to support practical building sustainability assessment. Computers in Industry. 2021; 127 ():103400.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. 2021. "Sustainable building design: Analysing the feasibility of BIM platforms to support practical building sustainability assessment." Computers in Industry 127, no. : 103400.
Energy performance of buildings is a worldwide increasing investigated field, due to ever more stringent energy standards aimed at reducing the buildings’ impact on the environment. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact that occupant behavior and climate change have on the heating and cooling needs of residential buildings. With this aim, data of a questionnaire survey delivered in Southern Italy were used to obtain daily use profiles of natural ventilation, heating, and cooling, both in winter and in summer. Three climatic scenarios were investigated: The current scenario (2020), and two future scenarios (2050 and 2080). The CCWorldWeatherGen tool was used to create the weather files of future climate scenarios, and DesignBuilder was applied to conduct dynamic energy simulations. Firstly, the results obtained for 2020 demonstrated how the occupants’ preferences related to the use of natural ventilation, heating, and cooling systems (daily schedules and temperature setpoints) impact on energy needs. Heating energy needs appeared more affected by the heating schedules, while cooling energy needs were mostly influenced by both natural ventilation and usage schedules. Secondly, due to the temperature rise, substantial decrements of the energy needs for heating and increments of cooling energy needs were observed in all the future scenarios where in addition, the impact of occupant behavior appeared amplified.
Gianmarco Fajilla; Marilena De Simone; Luisa F. Cabeza; Luís Bragança. Assessment of the Impact of Occupants’ Behavior and Climate Change on Heating and Cooling Energy Needs of Buildings. Energies 2020, 13, 6468 .
AMA StyleGianmarco Fajilla, Marilena De Simone, Luisa F. Cabeza, Luís Bragança. Assessment of the Impact of Occupants’ Behavior and Climate Change on Heating and Cooling Energy Needs of Buildings. Energies. 2020; 13 (23):6468.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianmarco Fajilla; Marilena De Simone; Luisa F. Cabeza; Luís Bragança. 2020. "Assessment of the Impact of Occupants’ Behavior and Climate Change on Heating and Cooling Energy Needs of Buildings." Energies 13, no. 23: 6468.
With the increasing concerns about building environmental impacts, building information modelling (BIM) has been used to perform different kinds of sustainability analysis. Among the most popular are the life cycle assessment (LCA) and building sustainability assessment (BSA). However, the integration of BIM-based LCA in BSA methods has not been adequately explored yet. This study addresses the relation between LCA and BSA within the BIM context for the Portuguese context. By performing an LCA for a Portuguese case study, a set of sustainability criteria from SBTool were simultaneous assessed during the process. The possibility of integrating BIM-based LCA into BSA methods can include more life cycle stages in the sustainability assessment and allow for normalising and producing more comparable results. BIM automates and connects different stages of the design process and provides information for multi-disciplinary data storage. However, there are still some constraints, such as different BSA/LCA databases and the necessity to manually introduce the embodied life cycle impacts of building materials. The scope of the BSA analysis can be expanded by integrating a complete LCA and be fostered by the support of BIM, effectively improving building sustainability according to local standards.
José Carvalho; Ismael Alecrim; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. Integrating BIM-Based LCA and Building Sustainability Assessment. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7468 .
AMA StyleJosé Carvalho, Ismael Alecrim, Luís Bragança, Ricardo Mateus. Integrating BIM-Based LCA and Building Sustainability Assessment. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7468.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Carvalho; Ismael Alecrim; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. 2020. "Integrating BIM-Based LCA and Building Sustainability Assessment." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7468.
The sustainability potential of Brazilian social housing (SH) needs to be assessed, considering the impacts on the population’s quality of life and urban systems. One of the main weaknesses of Casa Azul Label refers to the absence of a procedure that quantifies the measures for assessing urban sustainability. Based on the post-occupation analysis of an SH project implemented in Araraquara, São Paulo state, Brazil, evaluation of urban sustainability was developed, using a multi-method approach combining the Casa Azul Label and Sustainable Building Tool (SBTool) Urban certification tools. It was proposed to apply the calculations established in SBTool Urban according to the Casa Azul Label certification requirements, as well as insert a national benchmark as a reference for the analysis and normalizing results. These procedures made it possible to base an improvement framework on a Brazilian environmental certification system, including a quantification system to evaluate the efficiency of the applied measures regarding urban sustainability. The multi-method approach, associated with the SBTool Urban procedures, could significantly help to improve the application of a sustainable assessment system in social housing in developing countries. The high number of residential units produced in recent years could be qualitatively evaluated, improving both the construction procedures and the criteria for the urban insertion of human settlements.
Djanny Klismara De Oliveira Gonçalves; Érico Masiero; Luis Bragança; Francis Massashi Kakuda. Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Urban Sustainability in Social Housing Using the Casa Azul Label and SBTool Urban in Brazil. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 6246 .
AMA StyleDjanny Klismara De Oliveira Gonçalves, Érico Masiero, Luis Bragança, Francis Massashi Kakuda. Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Urban Sustainability in Social Housing Using the Casa Azul Label and SBTool Urban in Brazil. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (18):6246.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDjanny Klismara De Oliveira Gonçalves; Érico Masiero; Luis Bragança; Francis Massashi Kakuda. 2020. "Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Urban Sustainability in Social Housing Using the Casa Azul Label and SBTool Urban in Brazil." Applied Sciences 10, no. 18: 6246.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is creating new opportunities for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry. One of them is the integration of the Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA) during the design process. Currently, an approach for using BIM to foster and optimise the application of BSA methods has not been clearly established yet, creating a knowledge gap on the application of BIM for sustainability assessment purposes. Thus, this paper analyses the current role of BIM to evaluate three BSA methods—LEED, BREEAM and SBTool. The current BIM applicability is assessed by performing a systematic review, where the criteria being assessed and the applied BIM software are identified. A comparison is made to determine which BSA method can currently take more advantage from BIM and to identify the number of assessed criteria from each one. Furthermore, the attractiveness of a BIM-based assessment for SBTool is analysed, facing the actual BIM scenario for LEED and BREEAM. Despite the restrictions, BIM use is increasing for sustainability purposes. Most of the analysed studies and identified software are still focused on the use of LEED for assessing sustainability during the design phase. However, BIM software capabilities can also support the assessment of the other BSA methods so that process replicability can happen. Among the most addressed criteria, the energy and material-related categories are the most eminent. Autodesk Revit is the most-used software. A BIM-based assessment for SBTool will have enough attractiveness. It can assess, at least, the same percentage of criteria as the other schemes, creating new opportunities to enhance building sustainability.
José Pedro Carvalho; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. A Systematic Review of the Role of BIM in Building Sustainability Assessment Methods. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 4444 .
AMA StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho, Luís Bragança, Ricardo Mateus. A Systematic Review of the Role of BIM in Building Sustainability Assessment Methods. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (13):4444.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Pedro Carvalho; Luís Bragança; Ricardo Mateus. 2020. "A Systematic Review of the Role of BIM in Building Sustainability Assessment Methods." Applied Sciences 10, no. 13: 4444.
The built environment exerts great pressure on natural resources. Its role in the transition to a circular economy (CE) is critical. However, research from a holistic perspective, including how new business models can enable materials to increase their residual values, need to be deepened. This study provides a comprehensive and holistic overview of how the built environment approaches the study and the actions of the circular economy. Through a systematic literature review, 318 papers were selected and evaluated by two optics: i) a descriptive analysis and ii) a thematic analysis. The descriptive analysis highlights the relevance and incipient nature of circular thinking, the qualitative nature of the research, and the predominance of European countries and China at the forefront of circular research. In the thematic analysis, five axes were established as guiding lines of research, which evidenced the focus of research on minimizing and reusing construction and demolition waste. This study aims to provide the state of the art on CE research through a literature review. The results show research gaps and a theoretical framework was proposed to guide future research. The need for more explanations about CE and circular business models is highlighted, as well as greater integration between stakeholders in the construction value chain. Government support, such as subsidies, laws and tax incentives, is crucial to the strategic performance of decision-makers to introduce circular principles and make buildings and the built environment more sustainable.
Mayara Regina Munaro; Sérgio Fernando Tavares; Luís Bragança. Towards circular and more sustainable buildings: A systematic literature review on the circular economy in the built environment. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 260, 121134 .
AMA StyleMayara Regina Munaro, Sérgio Fernando Tavares, Luís Bragança. Towards circular and more sustainable buildings: A systematic literature review on the circular economy in the built environment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 260 ():121134.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMayara Regina Munaro; Sérgio Fernando Tavares; Luís Bragança. 2020. "Towards circular and more sustainable buildings: A systematic literature review on the circular economy in the built environment." Journal of Cleaner Production 260, no. : 121134.
Free-floating carsharing systems (FFCS) have become a new type of urban sustainable mobility, much more flexible than the previous station-based carsharing but limited by on-street parking availability and managed by municipal administrations. Literature on FFCS until now mostly relies on survey-based methodologies and simulations, and little research on FFCS has been devoted to the scientific analysis of real flows using revealed web-based data. This paper contributes to the existing literature with an analysis of FFCS trips using rental data collected directly from operators’ websites, paying special attention to the most frequent trips. The added value of this research is that it provides the first analysis of the more FFCS demanding districts in the city of Madrid. The results showed that the main origin and destinations points were concentrated in low populated and high-income districts that also had good parking availability and connectivity to the public transportation network.
María Ampudia-Renuncio; Begoña Guirao; Rafael Molina-Sanchez; Luís Bragança. Electric Free-Floating Carsharing for Sustainable Cities: Characterization of Frequent Trip Profiles Using Acquired Rental Data. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1248 .
AMA StyleMaría Ampudia-Renuncio, Begoña Guirao, Rafael Molina-Sanchez, Luís Bragança. Electric Free-Floating Carsharing for Sustainable Cities: Characterization of Frequent Trip Profiles Using Acquired Rental Data. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (3):1248.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaría Ampudia-Renuncio; Begoña Guirao; Rafael Molina-Sanchez; Luís Bragança. 2020. "Electric Free-Floating Carsharing for Sustainable Cities: Characterization of Frequent Trip Profiles Using Acquired Rental Data." Sustainability 12, no. 3: 1248.
Energy is now intrinsically linked to technological development, given it powers all such systems. The use of fossil fuels to supply the required energy is causing global environmental and health issues and is impacting on all life forms on the planet. Given increasing energy consumption, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are consequentially increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to replace fossil fuels with renewable energies, biofuels and eco materials and related technologies and to try and find a way to develop sustainable zero emission solutions for all areas including constructions, transport and water resources. A critical and evolutionary way of thinking about the energy (and other resources) demand, management and supply is necessary because there are clear concerns about irreversible impacts to the world and a scarcity of the resources as well. Energy supplies should be mostly or entirely through renewable resources and highly efficient technologies put in place to achieve solution such as nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB). At the same time, all the energy and resource use processes should be optimised in order to maximise the benefits, reduce the costs and promote stakeholders (consumers, companies or governments) network, toward a circular economy. This could be the way to supply the demand without increasing the scarcity of the resources and to simultaneously achieve environmental benefits. Therefore, it should be possible to improve productivity with the same amount of resources, by e.g. maximising the potential of smart grids and heuristically develop solutions with stakeholders. The concept of Demand Side Management (DSM) emerged after the energy crisis and it employs solutions such as reducing the daily peak load. At the same time, creating an educational grid is important to change the established paradigms, in order to promote critical thinking about the wasted resources and thinking holistically about overall consumption. This paradigm shift is changing the market, making it more competitive and reducing inefficiency by promoting the efficient use of resources including the deployment of energy storage during the periods of low consumption in daily peak shift. All these issues present a new way of thinking in the path towards sustainability, maximising the circular economy and reducing environmental impacts, making connections and using the Internet of Things to provide more information to all stakeholders. All these changes in social behaviour are related to the rational use of resources and make it easier to improve the existing infrastructures instead of building new ones. This paper analyses the state of the art at the European level in the production and use of renewable resources. A survey and analysis of the incentives to consumers and the policies to encourage the circular economy, and parallel analysis of benefits and drawbacks, was made. It is intended to identify the main forms of intervention and improvement, culminating in a reflection on how they should be applied to improve the expected results and make them more efficient and sustainable. This is intended to be an evolutionary framework of this concept, from the first stage of use of energy to its final utilisation. By approaching the task in a heuristic fashion, it is hoped to make the environment healthier, and it is envisaged that this concept will evolve from a linear to a life cycle approach.
Maria De Fátima Castro; Shane Colclough; Bruno Machado; Joana Andrade; Luís Bragança. European legislation and incentives programmes for demand Side management. Solar Energy 2019, 200, 114 -124.
AMA StyleMaria De Fátima Castro, Shane Colclough, Bruno Machado, Joana Andrade, Luís Bragança. European legislation and incentives programmes for demand Side management. Solar Energy. 2019; 200 ():114-124.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria De Fátima Castro; Shane Colclough; Bruno Machado; Joana Andrade; Luís Bragança. 2019. "European legislation and incentives programmes for demand Side management." Solar Energy 200, no. : 114-124.
Dielly Christine Guedes Montarroyos; Cristina Engel De Alvarez; Luís Bragança. Assessing the environmental impacts of construction in Antarctica. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 2019, 79, 1 .
AMA StyleDielly Christine Guedes Montarroyos, Cristina Engel De Alvarez, Luís Bragança. Assessing the environmental impacts of construction in Antarctica. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2019; 79 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDielly Christine Guedes Montarroyos; Cristina Engel De Alvarez; Luís Bragança. 2019. "Assessing the environmental impacts of construction in Antarctica." Environmental Impact Assessment Review 79, no. : 1.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the effects of pollution in the atmosphere grew from a local to a global scale, affecting the entire planet. Consequently, economic and social issues began to be increasingly more connected with environmental protection. Several measures were taken towards environmental preservation, many of those related to the sustainable construction of buildings. This work intended to make a parallel between comfort indicators among different schools in Brazil, beginning with the specific analyses of schools in Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais, MG), in the Southeast region, and in Macapá (Amapa, AP), in the Amazon or Northern region. This comparison between schools is made to demonstrate the need to adapt methodologies and certifications that promote sustainability in school buildings for each region of Brazil. Questionnaires about ergonomic, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort, and air quality, were applied in two high-school buildings in Juiz de Fora, Academia School and Santa Catarina School, and in two high schools in Macapá, Tiradentes School and Professor Gabriel Almeida Café school, to understand the difference between these two regions of Brazil regarding comfort conditions. A comparison between the results of the four schools was made, proving the necessity of the elaboration of a specific methodology for each Brazilian region.
Tatiana Santos Saraiva; Edson Martins Da Silva; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança. Comparative Study of Comfort Indicators for School Constructions in Sustainability Methodologies: Schools in the Amazon and the Southeast Region of Brazil. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5216 .
AMA StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva, Edson Martins Da Silva, Manuela Almeida, Luís Bragança. Comparative Study of Comfort Indicators for School Constructions in Sustainability Methodologies: Schools in the Amazon and the Southeast Region of Brazil. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (19):5216.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva; Edson Martins Da Silva; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança. 2019. "Comparative Study of Comfort Indicators for School Constructions in Sustainability Methodologies: Schools in the Amazon and the Southeast Region of Brazil." Sustainability 11, no. 19: 5216.
Sustainable development can be achieved through several activities. The building and construction sector (B & C sector) is one of the major industries, and it can play a crucial role in the improvement of the most relevant environmental impacts. Nowadays, there are major concerns related to sustainability in construction. All types of buildings have different technical aspects; therefore, it is required to develop specific sustainability assessment tools. A school building has peculiarities connected to aspects of sustainability, as it is a building planned to offer adequate environments for the education of adolescents and children. This article shows the application of the SBTool methodology developed specifically for Portuguese high schools, SAHSBPT (Sustainable Assessment for High School Buildings) methodology, that is being elaborated by the first author in her PhD Thesis. This methodology allows architects, engineers and designers to improve sustainability in school buildings, in projects or in the rehabilitation of buildings. The objective of this research is to apply that evaluation tool in order to verify the efficiency of this methodology, as well as to recognize the level of sustainability of the Francisco de Holanda High School Building, in Guimarães, Portugal. The values found in the application of the Sustainable Assessment for High School Buildings in that high schools demonstrate a good result, as the overall value is A, 75% of the total result.
Tatiana Santos Saraiva; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança; Maria Teresa Barbosa. Verification of the Adequacy of the Portuguese Sustainability Assessment Tool of High School Buildings, SAHSBPT, to the Francisco de Holanda High School, Guimarães. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4559 .
AMA StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva, Manuela Almeida, Luís Bragança, Maria Teresa Barbosa. Verification of the Adequacy of the Portuguese Sustainability Assessment Tool of High School Buildings, SAHSBPT, to the Francisco de Holanda High School, Guimarães. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (17):4559.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva; Manuela Almeida; Luís Bragança; Maria Teresa Barbosa. 2019. "Verification of the Adequacy of the Portuguese Sustainability Assessment Tool of High School Buildings, SAHSBPT, to the Francisco de Holanda High School, Guimarães." Sustainability 11, no. 17: 4559.
El bambú ha sido y es utilizado por diferentes poblaciones en la construcción de sus viviendas. En América Latina tiene gran presencia: existen 20 géneros y 429 especies de bambúes leñosos que se distribuyen desde México hasta Argentina. En su estado natural es difícil de estandarizar debido a las variaciones que presenta a lo largo de su estructura, tanto en sus propiedades físicas como mecánicas, lo que ha dificultado su incursión masiva en la industria de la construcción. La elaboración de paneles bambú es una alternativa al problema de estandarización; no obstante, esta técnica representa la pérdida de las propiedades estructurales naturales del bambú. A pesar de ello el bambú sigue siendo una alternativa de construcción sostenible. En este trabajo se hace una revisión de la investigación publicada sobre el uso del bambú como una alternativa de construcción sostenible, desde los puntos de vista de su capacidad para secuestrar carbono, la reducción del impacto ambiental que aporta a los sistemas constructivos, sus propiedades estructurales y sus posibles aplicaciones arquitectónicas.
Bismark Torres; Mercè Segarra; Luis Braganca. El bambú como alternativa de construcción sostenible. Extensionismo, Innovación y Transferencia Tecnológica 2019, 5, 389 -400.
AMA StyleBismark Torres, Mercè Segarra, Luis Braganca. El bambú como alternativa de construcción sostenible. Extensionismo, Innovación y Transferencia Tecnológica. 2019; 5 ():389-400.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBismark Torres; Mercè Segarra; Luis Braganca. 2019. "El bambú como alternativa de construcción sostenible." Extensionismo, Innovación y Transferencia Tecnológica 5, no. : 389-400.
The European Union objectives in the Horizon 2020 program aim to reduce environmental impact through strategies such as the improvement of energy efficiency and the use of renewable technologies. With regard to the goal of sustainable development—which integrates environmental, social, and economic dimensions relating to the preservation of the planet and the integrity of consumers—several types of sustainability certification tools are currently used in the construction industry e.g., Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), and the Sustainable Building Tool (SBTool) There are international sustainability methodologies designed specifically for high schools and methodologies specific to the Portuguese reality, such as Natura Domus, LiderA (Liderar pelo Ambiente para a construção sustentável, Leading the Environment for Sustainable Construction) and SBtoolPT (Sustainable Building Tool, Portugal). Currently, with the concern in Portugal to requalify schools, it has become necessary to develop a specific methodology for school buildings according to the Portuguese reality. This work highlights the SBTool methodology that is employed in several countries and can be adapted to basic education institutions as the basis for the formulation of responsible citizens and the development of a country. The main aim of this study is to adapt an already existing assessment tool of sustainability (SBToolPT), maintaining some indicators while modifying and adding others, in order to develop a methodology specifically for conducting a Sustainability Assessment of High School Buildings in Portugal—SAHSBPT. In order to achieve this goal, other methodologies that already incorporate parameters relating to the school environment are analyzed, such as LEED BD + C Schools (LEED Building Design and Construction School), BREEAM Education 2008, and the SBTool for K–12 schools.
Tatiana Santos Saraiva; Manuela De Almeida; Luís Bragança. Adaptation of the SBTool for Sustainability Assessment of High School Buildings in Portugal—SAHSBPT. Applied Sciences 2019, 9, 2664 .
AMA StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva, Manuela De Almeida, Luís Bragança. Adaptation of the SBTool for Sustainability Assessment of High School Buildings in Portugal—SAHSBPT. Applied Sciences. 2019; 9 (13):2664.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTatiana Santos Saraiva; Manuela De Almeida; Luís Bragança. 2019. "Adaptation of the SBTool for Sustainability Assessment of High School Buildings in Portugal—SAHSBPT." Applied Sciences 9, no. 13: 2664.