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This paper aims to develop long-term adaptation strategies for the existing Canadian school buildings under extreme current and future climates using a developed methodology based on global and local sensitivity analysis and Multi-Objective Optimization Genetic Algorithm. The calibrated simulation model based on indoor and outdoor measured temperature for a school of interest is used to evaluate the optimization strategies. This paper aims to search for the optimum school building design under three simultaneous conflicting objective functions: (1) the minimization of overheating hours to less than 40 h as required by Building Bulletin BB101 building code by using passive mitigation measures, (2) the minimization of heating energy use to less than 15 kW/m2 according to passive house requirements and thus the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and (3) the minimization of artificial lighting energy use to less than the current lighting energy use by maximization of daylighting usage without exceeding acceptable glare index in classrooms. Ten building design variables are selected, which could generate approximately 300,000 solutions. The developed methodology reduced the numbers to 14,400 solutions and found seven Pareto solutions that comply with the three objectives and their constraints. High energy-efficient building envelope, appropriate window-wall ratio and window type, natural ventilation during the day, and night cooling can play a key role in achieving the objectives under current weather conditions. An additional cool roof and external overhang will be needed in the medium-term future climate, and an additional movable screen shading will be needed in the long-term future climate. • Overheating, lighting and heating energy use of the School building is optimized. • Sensitivity analysis with Genetic Algorithm methodology is developed. • Ten decision variables are evaluated to achieve the three objective functions. • Temporal changes of optimal designs for extreme current & future years are studied. • Five optimal designs with passive mitigation measures are founded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global increase in building cooling demands poses a challenge for designers striving for net zero energy consumption. The prevalent use of mechanical cooling underscores the necessity for designers to consider Ventilative Cooling as a viable alternative in the early stages of building design. This paper presents findings from an exploratory survey and semi-structured interviews of industry experts in Ireland and the United Kingdom about their design processes and experienced-based approaches to designing Ventilative Cooling. The findings suggest that the pre-design stage has the same influence for promoting ventilative cooling strategies as the schematic and detailed design stages for practitioners, yet limited impactful decision making occurs at this stage. Over 70 % of the survey respondents reported satisfaction with current Ventilative Cooling tools used in building design. Only 8 % of architects use a ventilative cooling tool, while engineers always do, showing that separate design advice is needed for architects and engineers. The interview findings indicate that early-stage design interventions for Ventilative Cooling can be improved if there was more empirical evidence of how strategies perform available as design guidance in ventilative cooling design guidelines. Additionally, engineers highlighted that post-occupancy evaluation and site monitoring of existing buildings are crucial stages of further research that can identify the effectiveness of Ventilative Cooling design decisions. In their building designs, the practitioners reported a need for preparedness to assess resilience to extreme future climate events such as heat waves. Effective communication between industry and academic research can help improve the built environment industry's future readiness. • The interplay between the building design processes of Architects and Engineers was assessed • The pre-design stage has the same influence for promoting ventilative cooling strategies as the schematic and detailed design stages for practitioners, yet limited impactful decision making occurs at this stage • 73 % of the practitioners reported satisfaction with the current Ventilative Cooling design tools available in the market • Only 8 % of architects use software for ventilative cooling decisions, while engineers always do showing different design guidance needed for engineers and architects • A lack of understanding of vulnerability of building designs to overheating risk, client awareness and limited early stage design guidance were key reported challenges in VC design • 79 % of building design professionals not prepared for extreme future climate events in their designs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With climate change affecting buildings differently across various local climates, there's a heightened focus on local microclimates and their impact on building energy consumption. Urban microclimates change the buildings' energy dynamics by influencing local weather patterns while building operations affect these patterns and microclimates through feedback. This paper provides a comprehensive review of tools and applications used for examining the feedback interaction between building operation and energy, and urban microclimate. This study collects, analyses, and classifies tools and applications related to Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) and Urban Climate Modeling (UCM) and particularly focuses on the combination of these tools through Multi-Domain Urban Scale Energy Modeling (MD-USEM), enabling efficient information exchange between urban microclimate and building energy models. The building-microclimate exchange of information may occur as either a one-way impact or a two-way interaction, a distinction that is thoroughly examined in the final section with an in-depth analysis of the relevant literature. • Urban Building Energy Modeling and Urban Climate Modeling tools are presented. • Co-Simulation strategies for coupling microclimate and building are reviewed. • Three types of the reciprocal impacts of microclimate and building are discussed. • Building-microclimate information exchange is assessed through MD-USEM application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, there is an increased research effort on improving energy efficiency in heritage buildings through retrofit measures. Hygrothermal simulations tools are often used to assess the long-term performance of building envelopes and determine whether they are suitable for interior insulation. To reduce the high computation time and cost incurred with these simulations, a moisture reference year (MRY) is typically selected based on long-term annual climatic conditions. Simulation results obtained under MRYs are assumed to represent the long-term performance. However, when assessing the risk to freeze-thaw (FT) damage of historic masonry walls, methods selecting climate-based MRYs have failed to represent the actual performance – determined based on results from simulations over the 31 consecutive years. This paper attempts to find an alternative method to select MRYs, based on the hygrothermal simulations of specific constructions. First, a parametric analysis was proposed to identify the parameters that have the greatest influence on FT damage. Then, simulations are performed for a continuous 31-year period and for each single year. A comparison of their results suggests that there is no accumulative effect on the annual freeze-thaw cycles; and therefore, MRYs can be selected as the single year with the 93rd percentile FT damage severity or the worst year commonly found between masonry walls pre and post retrofit. The application of MRYs was then verified for different insulation types and thicknesses. Results showed that simulation-based MRYs are construction and orientation dependent; however, they are reliable to use for retrofitting design decision making. • Simulation-based approach developed for moisture reference year specific to freeze-thaw damage. • Single-year simulation can be used to select MRY for assessing long-term freeze-thaw damage risk. • Simulation-based MRY verified for various internally insulated historic masonry walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a study that uses computer simulation to assess the extent of heat stress experienced by pedestrians in three Welsh cities during heatwaves, with a view to identifying implications for urban planning and design practice. The simulation model used localized radiant temperature, wind speed, air temperature, as well as the metabolic rate and clothing insulation of occupants. Simulated results were partially evaluated using field measurement data and from the Land Surface Temperature data obtained from Landsat satellite thermography. Results suggest that peak heat stress is expected to increase by 4.5 °C in Universal Thermal Climate Index equivalent temperature by 2080, especially for urban areas exposed to direct sunlight. The percentage of daytime hours without heat stress are expected to decrease significantly, from 30 to 80% in 2020 to 10–70% by 2080. The study suggests that mitigation measures are essential to reduce future heat stress in Welsh cities and towns; these include interventions such as green and blue infrastructure, choice of trees and artificial shading, choice of both artificial surface materials and vegetation cover, and street layout with proper orientation and aspect ratio. The results have significant implications for local authorities, town planning, and landscape practice. • A simulation model was developed to assess pedestrian heat stress at street level. • It considers radiation, wind, temperature, humidity, metabolic rate and clothing insulation. • The model was applied to assess the current and future heatwaves in Welsh cities. • Heat exposure relates to street aspect, tree, water, shading, surface materials. • The results have implications for local authorities, town planning and landscape practices. • A software tool has been subsequently developed in support of policy and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expectation of increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme events caused by climate change, one of the most critical yet overlooked aspects of building design in the industry is thermal resilience. An effective way to assess and quantify a building's resilience in the design phase is through modeling and simulation; however, there has been limited effort invested in operationalizing this practice. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of past modeling and simulation research focused on quantifying the thermal resilience of buildings, and to discuss future areas of research that are needed to enhance and standardize practice, as well as building codes and standards. The paper begins by defining a framework for building performance simulation-aided resilience quantification. Next, we review the current state of the art research on a variety of topics such as heat stress and resilience metrics, model assumptions and setup, simulation tool capabilities, weather file type selection, and methods to visualize and communicate resilience. Finally, a discussion on the fundamental research and future tool development needs to accelerate transition from research into practice is presented. • There is urgent need to consider thermal resilience in building design process. • Different methodologies and metrics for analysis are found in existing literature. • Simulation practices to evaluate building thermal resilience are thoroughly analyzed. • Standard practices are needed to better reflect occupant tolerances and reaction. • Practical tools can be developed to facilitate model conversion and results analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic zoning is an essential element of most building energy efficiency programs, however there is no widely accepted scientific technique for its delineation. This paper reports an investigation on this issue, which comprised the review of climatic zoning methodologies for building energy efficiency programs adopted by 54 countries. The paper identified that the nature and magnitude of climatic variations are not the main elements in the definition of the number of climatic zones in a country. The number of climatic zones seems to be mainly driven by the expected simplicity of the final climatic zoning, respecting in most cases a maximum of 8 zones independent of the country size and climatic variations. A total of 19 different variables, techniques and parameters used in climatic zoning were identified, the most frequent being temperature, degree days, altitude, administrative divisions and relative humidity. However, around 80% of the countries analysed in this study used only up to three variables/techniques/parameters to define their climatic zoning. This simplicity comes at the cost of ignoring several aspects of climate and building energy performance. From the techniques identified in this review, only the combination of building performance simulation and cluster analysis seems to provide robust tools to tackle the complex relations between climate and building energy performance. Combined, these tools may provide the means to explore scenarios and support evidence-based decision making in energy policy. The lack of consensus in several aspects of climate zoning indicates the need for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School building stock retrofit forms a key part of UK's commitment to net-zero carbon target by 2050. However, with a changing climate, the retrofit of school buildings may have unintended consequences on classroom thermal environments and cognitive performance of children in non-heating seasons. This paper aims to quantify the impact of school stock retrofit in accordance with increasingly tightening energy efficiency regulatory requirements on cognitive performance of English children, while also exploring the potential adaptation measures under climate change. The results indicate that English schools that undergo envelope insulation exhibit higher Cognitive Performance Loss (CPL) of children compared to their original conditions. Passive climate adaptation measures, especially increased daytime ventilation rate was found to be an effective strategy for mitigating the impact of climate change on cognitive performance. However, the benefits of passive measures will diminish as the climate warms, while air conditioning will be required to maintain cognitive performance loss at relatively low levels. In addition to the reduction of heating load, envelope insulation can provide benefits for English schools in cooler climatic regions from both cognitive performance and energy point of view. The study calls for the CPL to be added as one of the key performance indicators when considering the long-term impact of climate change on schools. This would enable policy makers and relevant stakeholders to make more holistic decisions regarding school stock retrofit while ensuring that classrooms are conducive to learning. • The unintended consequences of school stock retrofit were explored. • Cognitive performance loss was used as the KPI (Key Performance Indicator). • Schools' envelope upgrades are counterproductive for cognitive performance. • Climate change will increase cognitive performance loss in retrofitted schools. • Various climate adaptation measures were evaluated for retrofitted schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic heating in the ‘Hot Summer–Cold Winter’ climatic region of China attracts research attention for it is predicted to dramatically increase building energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Determining the optimum heating temperature set point is an essential prerequisite for research, technology and policy development in this topic. This paper reviews instrumental and subjective research about occupants' thermal comfort and behavior in this climatic region, and advances a hypothesis as to why residents in the ‘Hot Summer–Cold Winter’ region are able to accept a lower temperature (16.5 °C) in winter than are predicted by the heat balance model (PMV/PPD) and ASHRAE's adaptive comfort model. The paper concludes by recommending heating temperature set point (17–18 °C) based on a lumped-parameter four-node steady-state model and a prediction about the heating mode that will be utilized in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the first urban plan of Tel-Aviv (the Geddes Plan of 1925) [18] affected outdoor human thermal comfort in two periods: at the time of its implementation (1920–1930s) and in the present day (2010s). Additionally, this paper questions which of the two – shade or wind velocity – has greater influence on outdoor thermal sensation in the urban areas along the Israeli Mediterranean seashore. In order to examine the thermal sensation at street level during the 1920s and 1930s, a series of summer and winter climatological measurements were taken in the years 2010–2013 and compared to historical climatic data from the 1920s–1930s. The historical city structure was then reconstructed virtually and the climatological measurements for 2010–2013 were fed into the RayMan model to produce thermal comfort information (PET, Physiologically Equivalent Temperature). A main finding of the study is that in summer the duration of “hot” and “very hot” heat stress was double in eastwest oriented streets compared to north–south ones. Furthermore, in the winter, higher H/W ratios can increase cold thermal sensation in streets with the same orientation by up to 10 °C PET, due to shading. Finally, the results show that solar radiation has a greater effect on thermal sensation than wind velocity both in summer and winter seasons. Consequently, the Geddes Plan created improved thermal sensation in the main streets of Tel-Aviv, which are north–south oriented, and provided for greatly improved micro-climate conditions, in spite of the critique that Tel-Aviv “turned its back to the sea”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of worldwide climate change and problems caused by fossil fuel use, energy consumption levels in Iran and all over the world, while already high, keep up to rise each year. Iran's hot and cold climatic regions are vast, and significant amount of energy is consumed in these areas for heating, cooling, and ventilation. However, with the same climatic conditions in the past, multiple effective strategies had been used in vernacular residences to confront the harsh circumstances. These strategies have a high potential for getting reused and revived in a way that the fossil energy used in contemporary architecture is minimized. Although lots of strategies taken from the past such as wind towers have been reused in most sustainable structures, and most of them have been perfectly studied one by one, but the relationship between these strategies in different levels of the space working together to make a comfortable environment has not been perceived precisely. This paper aims to classify almost all climatic strategies into different levels of space which has been separated based on air temperature difference, such as roof level, wall level, ground and under ground level, and plan strategies together, so that they could be seen all in one pattern in different levels of the space. The final pattern of strategies relationship with true emplacement, as the conclusion of analyzing mentioned levels in three case studies in this paper, could give environment designers more awareness to utilize climatic strategies in more appropriate way in contemporary architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assist with the correct design of buildings, many computational models have been developed to assess the transient heat, air, and moisture (HAM) transfer within building walls. Validation of these computational models is essential to gain confidence in the codes. This paper provides datasets for validating 1-D heat and mass transfer models step by step, gradually increasing the complexity of a multilayer wall with hygroscopic components. The experiments were performed using a double climatic chamber. The climatic conditions on either side of the wall progress from the simplest boundary conditions (isothermal) to more complex ones with oscillations that mimic the mid-season period. To assess the hygrothermal response of the tested walls under such climatic conditions, the conditions of ambient air and the temperature and humidity profiles within the wall thickness are monitored during the test. This paper gives some detailed information on the chamber design, the instrumentation, the materials, and the climatic conditions so that other researchers can use the collected data for validation of their models or to build future test facilities. The results obtained with the test facility highlight the coupling that exists between heat and mass transfers across multilayer walls using hygroscopic components. The heat release by moisture adsorption is observed in the temperatures profiles. During the mid-season period, the results show the differences of the phase shift and the amplitude attenuation of the temperature and the water vapour pressure across the wall thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a changing outdoor climate, new buildings as well as the existing building stock need to adapt in order to keep providing their inhabitants and users a comfortable and healthy indoor environment, with a minimum or - preferably - no increase in energy consumption. In this paper, the effectiveness of six passive climate change adaptation measures applied at the level of building components is assessed using building energy simulations for three generic residential buildings as commonly built in - among others - the Netherlands: (1) detached house; (2) terraced house; (3) apartment. The study involves both residential buildings that are built according to the regulations and common practice in 2012, and residential buildings that were constructed in the 1970s, with a lower thermal resistance of the opaque and transparent parts of the building envelope. The climate change adaptation measures investigated are: (i) increased thermal resistance; (ii) changed thermal capacity; (iii) increased short-wave reflectivity (albedo); (iv) vegetation roofs; (v) solar shading; and (vi) additional natural ventilation. This paper quantifies the effectiveness of these climate change adaptation measures for new residential buildings as well as for renovation of the current building stock. The performance indicator is the number of overheating hours during a year. It is shown that exterior solar shading and additional natural ventilation are most effective for this performance indicator. Furthermore, increasing thermal insulation to reduce energy use for heating demands additional measures to prevent overheating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors first clarify the definition of building microclimate in free-running buildings and the relationship with summer thermal comfort. Next, field measurements were conducted to investigate the microclimate in a Chinese traditional vernacular house. Subsequently, the results of measurements were compared with a dynamic thermal and a CFD simulation in order to determine the building microclimate and thermal comfort of the present vernacular house over the period of an entire summer. The field measurements show the present Chinese vernacular house has its own independent building microclimate in summer, which is in accordance with the main character of microclimate in terms of different distributions of solar gain, air temperature and wind velocity in different spaces. The simulation results of the vernacular house could be matched well with the field measurements. According to the simulations, at night, a comfortable temperature could be obtained throughout most of the summer period whereas in the daytime the operative temperature was higher than the comfortable temperature for one-third of the summer period. Wind velocity in the semi-outdoor and outdoor spaces however, improves the thermal comfort significantly. The thermal comfort environment can thus not only change in time but also in space. This example of the vernacular building shows that it is possible to create comfortable conditions for the inhabitants when not only the indoor climate is taken into account but the whole building microclimate as defined in this paper. This paper also shows that the simulations can predict the building microclimate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meteorological conditions play a major influence on the indoor conditions of buildings, especially in southern European countries, where the hygrothermal requirements are systematically neglected, on contrast to northern European countries. Outdoor conditions will greatly differ with a building's location, even more if climate change is considered. Designing or retrofitting should take the climate requirements and, if necessary, adapt appropriately. This paper presents a methodology that can easily assess the variance of the indoor climate or even the performance of a retrofit measure in accordance with location. The methodology encompasses five steps: 1) Set meteorological data ; 2) Build outdoor weather files ; 3) Obtain interface soil/slab temperature ; 4) Obtain simulation outputs ; and 5) Build map. This methodology is flexible in terms of location/region, computational model, requirements and weather data. A model of a historic church was used to compute current and future climates' distribution for Portugal. It was shown that the indoor climates are more moderate on locations near the coast than on those in the interior of the country, and that the buffering effect is higher in the west coast than in the south coast. A significant increase in terms of indoor temperature from scenario RCP 4.5 to RCP 8.5 is expected. In most of the coastal zones, an increase in RH is expected in the near future, whilst in some interior regions, a decrease is expected. Finally, it was shown that when using an adequate interpolation function, the coarser grid can correctly simulate the geographical distribution of the indoor conditions. • Proposed and implemented a flexible multi-step mapping methodology. • This tool allows to detect which locations are more susceptible to climate change. • In Portugal, the indoor temperature will increase, but relative humidity will vary. • Coarser grids can be used if they are coupled to adequate interpolation functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Palestine and neighboring regions, buildings are constructed without insulation and mechanical heating and cooling systems, leading to significant thermal discomfort for occupants. To address this issue, the paper introduces a robust methodology that utilizes a validated building simulation model (BSM) created based on hourly indoor air temperature to assess indoor thermal comfort during winter and summer seasons under both current and future climates. This methodology is applied to an existing school built in 1990 in Jericho-Palestine, which has a hot desert climate. Classrooms rely on the thermal mass to increase the indoor temperature in the winter, and natural ventilation to reduce it in the summer. The effect of climate change on indoor thermal conditions is evaluated using typical warmer and colder future years based on the latest SSP5-8.5 scenario. The results showed that the calibrated and validated BSM achieved a highly accurate prediction of indoor air temperature compared to indoor air measured temperature. The validated BSM showed extreme cold for 880 h (91% of wintertime) and excessive heat for 90 h (19% of summertime) during school days. Passive winter measures, including high insulation and airtightness level, and using double glass windows, reduce undercooling to less than 40 h but increase overheating to 180 h. Passive summer measures, including night cooling and exterior shading, are necessary to reduce overheating to around 40 h. These measures are still effective in resisting the cold future years, but more creative passive summer measures and/or a mechanical cooling system are needed. • A methodology is developed to assess undercooling and overheating simultaneously. • Validation simulation model is used using field measurements of indoor temperature. • Adaptive thermal comfort in existing school building in desert climate is assessed. • Climate change effect is studied using current and future extreme typical years. • Effective passive winter and summer mitigation measures are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of urban green infrastructure on the indoor environment and the effects on human comfort and economic consequences are still unclear. This paper gives a systematic overview of the relationship, in terms of so-called ‘ecosystem services’, between urban green infrastructure and the indoor environment through a literature review in different disciplines. Urban green infrastructure (mainly trees, green walls and roofs) was found to contribute, both positively and negatively, to the indoor environment via the influence on the climate, energy use, air quality, sonic environment and aesthetic quality. Four main factors that influence these effects were identified, being vegetation characteristics, building characteristics (including layout and geometry), and geographical conditions. Although the reviewed papers have investigated the different ecosystem services on a wide range of space and time scales, the performance of urban green on the meso- and macro climate has received less attention than on the micro scale. Also direct effects of urban green infrastructure on indoor air quality and sonic environment were rarely studied. Another finding is that, whereas the modelling approach on climate regulation has been widely adopted by researchers throughout the world, empirical studies have mainly been performed in the USA. We also analysed the data found on economic implications. The economic effects of adjoining vegetation and green roofs on climate regulation provided energy savings of up to almost $250/tree/year, while the air quality regulation was valued between $0.12 and $0.6/m2 tree cover/year. Maximum monetary values attributed to noise regulation and aesthetic appreciation of urban green were $20 – $25/person/year, respectively. Of course these values are extremely time- and context-dependent but do give an indication of the potential economic effects of investing in urban green infrastructure. Based on this review, we conclude that new methods, measurement instruments and field experiments are needed to improve empirically supported correlations and develop concrete recommendations for urban planning and design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Climate change, increasing emissions and rising global temperatures have gradually affected the way we think about the future of our planet. Urban areas possess significant potential for reducing the energy consumption of the overall energy system. In recent years, there is an increasing number of research initiatives related to Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) that focus on simulation processes and validation techniques. Although input data are crucial for the modelling process as well as for the validity of the results, the availability of input data and associated data formats were not analysed in detail. This paper closes the identified knowledge gap by presenting a taxonomic analysis of key UBEM components including: input data formats, simulation tools, simulation results and validation techniques. This paper concludes that over ∼ 95 % of the studies analysed were not reproducible due to the absence of information relating to key aspects of the respective methodologies such as data sources and simulation workflows. This paper also qualifies how weak levels of interoperability, with respect to input and output data, is present in all phases of UBEM. • Taxonomy based review article for Urban Building Energy Modelling and Simulation. • CityGML data models and EnergyPlus simulation tool are prominently used in UBEM. • At all stages in the simulation process, data interoperability is a critical issue. • Large amount of research lacks key information and is not reproducible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dampness is the main cause of masonry deterioration in many historical buildings but moisture behaviour is often difficult to understand. This is partly due to the complexity of moisture models which are rarely applied in monitoring plans. This paper reports the modelling of the moisture dynamics of the Cathedral of Lecce and its below ground Crypt (South Italy). The aim of this study is to give insights into moisture dynamics in buildings in order to overcome knowledge gaps in the field, such as those related to the estimation of the drying capacity of a microenvironment. The sharp front (SF) theory was used to analyse the main processes involved in rising damp. Moisture transfer dynamics were investigated to and from the walls and columns constituting the Crypt''s masonry by first considering a steady state of balance between the water absorbed by capillary forces and that lost by evaporation. A varying state of non-equilibrium was then treated deriving simplified formulae to calculate indoor and outdoor evaporation rates. The model was validated with experimental surveys and site evaporation measurements. The paper shows that many physical quantities (e.g. height of the rise, capillary rise, water stored, drying flow rate, time-scale for drying) can be calculated and modelled over time using formulae that involve commonly available microclimatic and meteorological data (e.g. temperature, relative humidity and air speed). The information obtained can help to understand the periodic moisture behaviour leading to an explanation related to deterioration process dynamics. The results are useful for masonry maintenance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The climate in cities differs significantly from those found in the surrounding area. These differences results from modifications of the Earth''s surface that alters the disposition of “natural energy balance” at a micro-scale and the concentration of activities that results in anthropogenic emissions that change the composition of the atmosphere. These urban effects have distinctive temporal and spatial properties with different impacts on building energy performance depending on their purpose which are rarely accounted for. This paper examines performance implications of a change-of-use (from office to residential) in the context of the UK government''s proposal to encourage regeneration and to meet housing needs. However, the diurnal occupation and activity patterns of these uses are distinct. For office buildings, with daytime occupation, focus is on the diurnal heating cycle driven by solar energy gains to which internal energy sources must be added. For residential buildings occupation and activity are primarily associated with the diurnal cooling period, and lower levels of activity that results in a primary heating need. This paper highlights the link between the timing of the urban climate effects, the urban setting and energy performance in a typical city street, where buildings are currently designed for commercial use. It employs London''s current and projected climate to simulate heating and cooling demands. By studying the role of urban form and its implications on the suitability of a buildings function we find that a ‘form first’ approach should be considered in the early design stages over the standard ‘fabric first’ approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper outlines the conditions for, and challenges of, adapting suburbs in England for climate change. The paper introduces the ‘suburb’ as a spatial setting vulnerable to climate change related threats that have been largely absent from previous adaptation studies. It argues that in terms of the impacts of climate change on the daily lives of the UK’s population suburban neighbourhoods need far more attention. It sets out a typology of English suburbs (including inner-historic suburbs, pre-war garden suburbs, interwar suburbs, social housing suburbs, car suburbs, and medium-high density suburbs), and argues that these suburbs will experience both gradual changes in climate and extreme events. The changes will have impacts on ’place’ and ’people’, and modifications to the physical environment to respond to climate change will need to take place if they are to be sustainable in the future. Modifications can be at different scales: home and/or garden and/or neighbourhood. However, whether or not such modifications to the physical environment will be implemented is a function of the ‘response capacity’ in the suburb: and this is determined partly by the existing physical conditions of the suburb, and partly by economic, governance, knowledge and cultural contexts. The paper describes the conditions that underlie the response capacity in suburbs, and reveals the complexity of attempting to ‘climate proof’ some of the most established and valued parts of the English urban landscape. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In view of the warming climate, there is increasing concern about the likelihood of overheating inside UK buildings that are not mechanically cooled. A number of studies are examining this matter, of which the DeDeRHECC project is one. The recent availability of the UKCP09 future climate data projections has acted as a stimulus to such work. This paper illustrates how field measurement, thermal modelling and the generation of current and future typical and extreme weather years, can be used to provide a picture of the resilience of buildings to climate change. The unified framework for assessing both measurements and current and future predictions that is offered by the BSEN15251 thermal comfort standard is a crucial component. The paper focuses on internal temperatures during the day and at night in wards within the tower building at Addenbrooke’s hospital, which has a hybrid ventilation strategy. The maintenance of thermal comfort in such spaces is critically important and installing air-conditioning in response to climate change is expensive and potentially energy intensive. Fans appear to be a simple retrofit measure that may substantially improve the wards’ resilience to climate change even in extreme years. Whilst healthcare provides the back cloth, the methodology developed has a much wider utility for assessing thermal comfort in buildings in the current and future climate of the UK. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper addresses the dual challenge faced by Burkina Faso engineers to design sustainable low-energy public buildings while still providing the required thermal comfort under warmer temperature conditions caused by climate change. In this article, we discuss current and potential future energy demand for public buildings air conditioning in the context of climate change. Past and projected future trends of electricity demand for air conditioning in public buildings from 2010 to 2080 have been investigated. Moreover, this paper highlights the fact that the predicted mean temperature using climate change SRES scenario B2 will increase by about 2 °C by 2050 which can cause a significant increase in air conditioning energy consumption. This paper then considers the impact of different shading devises and building envelopes characteristics on the demand for air-conditioning in Burkina Faso public buildings. It is estimated that with climate change, in order to maintain a thermally comfortable 25 °C inside public buildings, the projected annual energy consumption will have to increase by 56% and 99% respectively for the period between 2030 to 2049 and 2060 to 2079 compared to the base situation (energy consumption between 2010 and 2029). Moreover, the results have shown that shading devices could reduce the cooling load by up to 40%. Therefore shading devices could play a significant role in climate change adaptation in the built environment for Burkina Faso. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Research examining the construction industry demonstrates that it is the source of a large percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions, subject to future climate change risks, and that there is limited evidence of adaptation. This paper explores the preparedness of the Australian construction industry to adapt to climate change risks, through twenty-one key stakeholder interviews. The interviews addressed participants' perceptions of the industry's: climate change risk awareness, analytical capacity to address climate change risk, and current actions to address these risks. The main risk participants identified was extreme weather during construction (e.g. heat and wind) with impacts for occupational health and safety, supply chain reliability, project delivery delays, and profit. The impact of these risks was somewhat down played. While a high level of perceived analytical capacity to respond to climate change was observed, real action was limited by systemic, outdated regulations, lack of client motivation, and perceived costs. The climate change actions which were undertaken were predominantly climate change mitigation activities, largely focussing on organisational processes, rather than adaptations to built form. The results indicate that if Australia's built form is to be well adapted to climate change, greater preparedness to facilitate tangible and systemic actions to address climate change risk in the Australian construction industry is needed. Specifically, interviewees responses imply that increased awareness of the impacts of climate change, better translation of existing solutions into practice, and regulatory reform are needed. Highlights • Climate change preparedness of the Australian construction industry was investigated. • Main risks identified - extreme weather impacts to: worker safety, supply chain reliability, project delays, profit. • High level of perceived analytical capacity to respond to climate change observed. • Action limited due to: outdated regulations, lack of client motivation, perceived costs. • Greater climate change preparedness is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities need to build on their resilience to deal with the combined effects of urbanization, changing geopolitical contexts, and climate change. The physical form of cities has significant implications for their capacity to deal with adverse events and changing conditions. This paper focuses on streets as major constituent elements of urban form. It offers a review of the theoretical discussions and empirical evidence on how design and configuration of urban streets and street networks can contribute to/detract from urban resilience. For the purpose of this study, measures related to urban streets are divided into two broad categories: network topology and design and orientation. Network topology is used to represent urban street network as a combination of nodes and links. Relationships between urban resilience and different centrality and connectivity measures related to network topology are discussed. The design and orientation category explores the possible effects of street width, street edges, street canyon geometry, and street layout and orientation on resilience of cities. It is discussed that all topology and design measures have implications for urban resilience. Appropriate physical form of urban streets can contribute to urban resilience by, among other things, ameliorating urban microclimate, reducing energy consumption and its associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, enhancing social capital, improving community health and well-being, and facilitating rapid and effective emergency response in the aftermath of disasters. Overall, results provide insights about physical properties that are required to design resilient streets and street networks. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • I review evidence on the association between the form of streets and resilience. • I focus on measures related to network topology and design and orientation. • Form of streets and street networks has significant implications for urban resilience. • I provide recommendations for improving resilience of streets and street networks. • I highlight major gaps and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To reduce the potential problems of window systems such as undesired heat gain (loss), glare, and thermal discomfort due to asymmetric radiation, double-skin systems have been introduced. The current problem with double-skin systems is that their operation requires an adequate simulation model to realize optimal control of the system. The estimation of the parameters in the lumped model developed in a previous study was based on ‘laborious’ off-line calibration procedure. This effort has to be repeated for every different size, different type, or differently oriented façade system. Different façade components are characterized by different thermal and optical properties of glazing and blind slats, system configurations [height, width, depth], other simulation variables, etc. For each type the parameter set in the lumped model has to be established through a calibration procedure. In view of micro climate variations even same type systems within one façade but on different heights may have to be calibrated separately. In order to avoid the laborious off-line calibration of every single façade component, an on-line self-calibrating procedure is developed in this paper. The true advantage of the technique is that every component can be pre-wired and ready to be hooked to the calibration set-up when it is brought to the site. The paper will explain the simulation model, selection of calibration parameters, and the process of on-line self-calibration, model validation and application of optimal control. It is shown that the on-line self-calibrating simulation model far outperforms the off-line calibrated model. Consequently, the plug and play self-calibration technique will render the current in-situ ‘laborious’ off-line calibration process obsolete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last decades, new concepts of building envelopes have been proposed to achieve environmental targets. Adaptability of transparent components and facade integration of renewable energy harvesters are being widely studied. However, opaque facade components are less developed, even if their performance can be further optimized. When searching responsive technologies to propose new opaque façades, we learned they were usually created for other fields, which hampers their direct application in new envelopes. The successful implementation of these technologies in façade industry depends on the fulfilment of diverse requirements, such as durability, security or flexibility in design among others, but this information was not easy to get when they were not developed for the built environment. There is a lack of empirical studies evaluating these characteristics for adaptive technologies, which are mandatory to define the technical specifications of a façade. However, literature review provides a great amount of qualitative information and this study uses it for its analysis in order to gain insights into the degree of accomplishments of aforementioned requirements. Analysed technologies were kinetic elements, shifting thermal behaviour elements, dynamic components and systems. Overall, they still need to face several technical challenges for their suitable façade application. The novel visual analysis proposed in this paper is an useful tool for researchers undertaking this task, as it allows a fast and holistic comparison of the potentials and weaknesses of the dynamic technologies. It was concluded that a suitable combination among them could help to achieve the broad functionalities of the façades. Highlights • Adaptive technologies and Smart Materials can optimize façade performance. • Opaque facades can adapt dynamically their hygrothermal behaviour and ventilation. • Long-lifespan and fully reversible adaptation as main issues. • Acoustic comfort, security and construction requirements must be further considered. • Combination of different technologies to address challenges in façade application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Thermal comfort of people in outdoor urban spaces is a growing concern in cities due to climate change and urbanization. In outdoor settings the climate and behavior of people are more dynamic than in indoor situations, therefore a steady state of the thermoregulatory system is rarely reached. Understanding the dynamics of outdoor thermal comfort requires accurate predictive models. In this paper we extend a classical two-node model of human body thermal regulation. We give a detailed description and interpretation of all the components and parameter values and test the dynamics of the model against experimental data. We propose a modification of the skin blood flow model which, while keeping realistic values and responsiveness, improves skin temperature prediction nearly fourfold. We further analyze the sensitivity of the model with respect to climatic and personal parameters. This analysis reveals the relative importance of, for instance, air temperature, wind speed and clothing, in thermoregulatory processes of the human body in various climatic settings. We conclude, that our model realistically reproduces the dynamics of aggregate measures of human body thermal regulation. Validated for cool, warm and hot environments, the model is shown to be accurate in terms of its dynamics and it is conceptually and computationally far more efficient than any existing multi-node and multi-part model. Highlights • Two-node model of thermal regulation is implemented with system dynamics approach. • Neutral blood flow value is found responsible for poor dynamics of original model. • New, optimized, model improves the accuracy of dynamics expressed in RMSE by 73%. • Sensitivity of the model to its parameters is analyzed for two types of climate. • Proposed model is shown to be valid for dynamic outdoor thermal comfort studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is significant evidence that the world is warming. The International Panel of Climate Change stated that there would be a steady increase in the ambient temperature during the end of the 21st century. This increase will impact the built environment, particularly the requirements of energy used for air-conditioning buildings. This paper discusses issues related to the potential impact of global warming on air-conditioning energy use in the hot climate of the United Arab Emirates. Al-Ain city was chosen for this study. Simulation studies and energy analysis were employed to investigate the energy consumption of buildings and the most effective measures to cope with this impact under different climate scenarios. The paper focuses on residential buildings and concludes that global warming is likely to increase the energy used for cooling buildings by 23.5% if Al-Ain city warms by 5.9°C. The net CO2 emissions could increase at around 5.4% over the next few decades. The simulation results show that the energy design measures such as thermal insulation and thermal mass are important to cope with global warming, while window area and glazing system are beneficial and sensitive to climate change, whereas the shading devices are moderate as a building CO2 emissions saver and insensitive to global warming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Great efforts have been made to establish the influence of the urban climate upon the energy consumption of buildings. While many scientific articles present measured data of increased energy consumption due to building surroundings, this paper aims to present a straightforward methodology for the assessment of building performance under modified outdoor conditions. Designers and urban planners should benefit from the results of this paper in their evaluation of proposals to decrease building energy consumption. A number of examples are discussed in order to illustrate the methodology outlined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By making comparative research on hourly, daily and monthly energy consumption differences and also on energy conservation rates of heating and cooling when taking the same energy-saving measure in the same building in typical-year meteorological conditions (WDB1) and artificial meteorological conditions (WDB2), we can find from this paper that although the hourly heating and cooling load has great differences when making the same energy efficient measure in the same building under WDB1 and WDB2, the distribution laws of hourly energy efficiency rates (RVRs) of heating and cooling are very similar. It is just the similarity that determines the inevitability of approximation of annual energy conservation rates of heating and cooling. The importance of this paper is that it reveals the common rule of building efficiency. When making the same energy-saving measure on the same type of building in different regions the annual energy consumption and its reduction of the building have a great difference between the regions and the energy conservation rates (RVRs) of the same measures are approximate. After taking some energy-saving measure on the same building in the same place, within the lifetime of the building, however different the local weather conditions over the years are, the energy consumption of different years and the energy reductions of the measure must be different. However, it can be foreseen that the energy conservation rate of any year is approximate after making energy-saving measures on the building. The reason for the above is that although climate changes between years, there is nothing more impractical in artificially modifying meteorological conditions (WDB2), which provides a powerful theoretical basis for every country to lay down design standard for energy efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heatwave weather files are needed to assess building performance under future heatwaves. This paper presents a methodology for producing a minimum set of heatwave weather files, which should be representative of the diversity of heatwaves expected in a location of interest. It is a four-step methodology. Weather projections are first collected from the CORDEX project database. Then, heatwaves are identified in the weather data. A list of independent and significant indicators is constructed to characterise the heatwaves. Samples of heatwaves are finally selected based on the list of indicators. The methodology was tested for the location of the Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport. A total of 2229 heatwaves were identified within 1260 years of weather projections. The heatwaves showed a high degree of diversity in terms of weather characteristics. The sampling process selected only 8 representative heatwaves. This number is sufficiently reduced to consider using the reduced set of heatwave weather files for assessing building performance. • A 4-step methodology is built to select a representative set of future heatwaves. • Heatwaves are identified from climate projection of the CORDEX project. • Building EnergyPlus Weather (EPW) file from simulation data of the CORDEX project. • 2229 heatwaves were identified for the location of Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport. • The sampling process selected only 8 representative heatwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry mist systems have been adopted for thermal comfort usage for some years in a temperate country like Japan. This paper seeks to study the different variables that can optimize the cooling impact from such systems. A double-flow pneumatics spray nozzle with the same pressure for air and water is used, and the experiments are conducted in a climatic chamber. Different values for wet bulb depression, pressure and water temperature are analysed, and parametric studies are conducted. The results show that wet bulb depression is a good indicator for determining operating conditions of the dry mist system, while the pressure can be varied to achieve optimal cooling at various heights on a fixed distance downstream. Changing the pressure in this study, however, had relatively small impacts on cooling due to the small change in mass flow rate. Water temperature was shown to have negligible results on cooling the air temperature at 2 m downstream, despite the variation of 10 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioclimatic potential analysis is one of the starting points for bioclimatic building design. However, as climate changes are being brought into the spotlight, bioclimatic potential is being put into question as well, because traditionally used passive strategies at a specific location may no longer represent properly balanced approach. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to systematically evaluate bioclimatic potential of the selected five locations. At these locations, bioclimatic potential was observed separately for each of the last five decades. In the second part, present and future energy performance of one bioclimatic and one non-bioclimatic real residential building was simulated. The results show that yearly balance between heating and cooling passive strategies changed through time in all the locations. For example, the use of overheating prevention strategies is becoming more significant than it used to be in the past. Specifically, the period of year when shading is needed to achieve thermal comfort increased by 2–7% points, depending on location. Energy performance analysis of the selected buildings showed that by 2050 both analysed buildings will become cooling dominated and that by 2050 the current design solutions in bioclimatic buildings will become irrelevant or at least extremely inefficient. In general, in temperate climate zone the prevailing bioclimatic strategies integrated in architecture focus on heating season. Therefore, bioclimatic strategies in a particular location must be re-evaluated in order to design new and retrofit existing energy efficient contemporary buildings with comfortable indoor thermal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overheating in buildings has been identified as an essential cause of several problems ranging from thermal discomfort and productivity reduction to illness and death. Overheating in buildings is expected to increase as global warming continues. The risk of overheating in existing and new buildings can be reduced if policy makers take decisions about adaptation interventions quickly. This paper introduces a methodology for supporting such decisions on a national level. The methodology aims at (i) quantifying the impact of climate change on the overheating risk, (ii) ranking and characterizing the various building types in terms of their overheating risk and sensitivity to climate change, and (iii) assessing the potential of ventilative cooling to mitigate the effects of climate change. In the case study the overheating risk is evaluated in thousands of dwelling cases (i.e., 9216 possible combinations of several design and operation strategies) consistent with the characteristics of the Dutch dwelling stock built between 1964 and 2013. The overheating risk is assessed for four climate scenarios, which represent historical and future scenarios developed by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Computational analyses are carried out using the detailed building performance simulation program IDA-ICE, assisted by a postprocessing calculation model developed in MATLAB ® . The results show that most of the Dutch dwelling types can effectively suppress the effects of global warming. However, poorly ventilated dwellings are vulnerable to overheating and are the most sensitive to climate change, particularly if their windows are not well protected against direct solar radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the service life of facility equipment is a crucial aspect of facility design and maintenance that requires careful assessment of a wide range of building and environmental factors. Climate change may cause these environmental stressors, like temperature intensity, to deviate from historical trends, implying that past design assumptions may not reflect future service conditions. Therefore, additional techniques are needed to associate the effects of climate on equipment service life. This paper develops a machine learning method capable of modeling complex building and environmental factors, including climate change, on the service life of equipment such as air-handling components. A boosted decision tree model is developed to predict equipment service life based on the combined impact of building and environmental factors. The developed model outperforms other approaches, such as industry-standard approaches, Weibull models, and inspection-based techniques for estimating equipment service life. The model showed a 93.9% reduction in mean-squared-error when estimating component service life compared to the industry standard model. The developed machine learning model is then combined with climate projection models to measure the impact of predicted temperature intensity changes on the service life of air-handling units, showing an expected 12%–41% decrease in the service life of air-handling units in Yuma, Arizona, when subjected to 2060 climate projections. • Decision trees quantify the effect of climate on building equipment service life. • Capable of measuring "non-extreme" climate change impact on the built environment. • Demonstrates usefulness of regional climate projection models on building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising global temperatures and more frequent heatwaves due to climate change have led to a growing body of research and increased policy focus on how to protect against the adverse effects of heat. In cold and temperate Europe, dwellings have traditionally been designed for cold protection rather than heat mitigation. There is, therefore, a need to understand the mechanisms through which indoor overheating can occur, its effects on occupants and energy consumption, and how we can design, adapt, and operate buildings during warm weather to improve thermal comfort and reduce cooling energy consumption. This paper brings together experts in overheating from across Europe to explore 10 key questions about the causes and risks from overheating in residential settings in Central and Northern Europe, including the way in which we define and measure overheating, its impacts, and its social and policy implications. The focus is not on summarising literature, but rather on identifying the evidence, key challenges and misconceptions, and limitations of current knowledge. Looking ahead, we outline actions needed to adapt, including the (re)design of dwellings, neighbourhoods, and population responses to indoor heat, and the potential shape of these actions. In doing so, we illustrate how heat adaptation is a multi-faceted challenge that requires urgent and coordinated action at multiple levels, but with feasible solutions and clear benefits for health and energy. • Excess heat is an identifiable threat for health, energy, and equity in Europe. • Causes, impacts, measurement, and wider implications of overheating are described. • Key challenges, misconceptions, and limitations of current knowledge are discussed. • Heat is a multifaceted issue, but solutions feasible given coordinated action at multiple levels. • More robust overheating regulatory standards and guidelines are urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical morphing of historical weather data to match the projected climate change scenario is a commonly used method to generate future weather files for building energy simulation. It is known for preserving the local weather characteristics, which is particularly important when designing or analyzing high-performance buildings. Researchers may use one of the available morphing tools. Unfortunately, current tools use future climate data from outdated climate models with lesser accuracy, coarser spatial resolution, and fewer climate scenarios than recent models. In addition, these tools are closed, preventing others from adding corrections, updating, and developing them further. This paper presents an open-source, cross-platform, and state-of-the-art morphing tool that generates future hourly weather data for the whole building performance simulation. The novel tool is applied to a real-case office building in Coimbra, Portugal. In the SSP5-8.5 scenario, simulations show thermal energy needs and electricity use will reduce by 60% in 2050 and 77% in 2080 for heating and will increase by 67% in 2050 and 121% in 2080 for cooling. As a result, the building's global electricity consumption will increase by 24% in 2050 and by 53% in 2080. The study is extended to other locations in Europe, concluding that the total HVAC energy needs will remain constant or even decrease in heating-dominated climates, mainly due to the significant drop in the heating demand in the future. • A new future weather morphing research tool is presented. • It uses the latest data from the CMIP6 experiments (EC-Earth3). • The open-source code promotes research transparency and scientific discovery. • The tool overcomes issues and implementation closedness from other tools. • An application to a real-case office building shows the impact of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ‘10 Questions’ contribution provides an overview of thermal comfort in relation to ageing and the way the indoor environment can contribute to and improve well-being and health of older adults to age-in-place. The number of older people is increasing rapidly and these demographical changes put a large stress on the health care system. Furthermore, as most older people wish to age-in-place, adequate ageing-in-place strategies become significantly important. Housing impacts health, therefore appropriate and comfortable housing is a key determinant to facilitate older people to age-in-place. One of the aspects of concern is thermal comfort; however, the thermal requirements of older people differ from those of young adults. They are also relatively vulnerable to thermal conditions outside the generally accepted range. This ’10 Questions' contribution addresses issues related to thermal comfort and ageing and argues that the current models for assessing thermal comfort are not sufficiently accurate to be used for older adults. It also discusses approaches to facilitate ageing-in-place including the use of smart home technologies. The paper is based on extensive literature review of numerous relevant studies relating to thermal comfort, physiological differences between older and younger people, the relationship between thermal environment, comfort and health, as well as housing design and smart home technologies for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a proposal for a daylight standard for CEN countries. It is now widely accepted in the research community, and increasingly so amongst practitioners, that the standards/guidelines for daylight in buildings are in need of upgrading. The essence of the proposal is that the ‘target’ for daylight provision should be founded on the availability of daylight as determined from climate files. The proposal is in fact a refinement of an approach originally described in a CIE document from 1970, and which appears to have been largely overlooked since then. The proposal states that a design should achieve a target daylight factor at workplane height across a specified percentage of the relevant floor area for half of the daylight hours in the year, where the target daylight factor is based on the provision of 300 lux. A key feature of the refinements are the formulation of the methodology such that the likelihood for misinterpretation and ‘game-playing’ is greatly reduced, if not eliminated altogether. The method, founded on cumulative diffuse illuminance curves, could be introduced relatively swiftly since it requires only modest enhancement of existing daylight prediction tools. In addition, the proposal will provide a sound ‘footing’ for eventual progression to evaluations founded on full-blown climate-based daylight modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is widely recognized to affect the built environment in several ways. This paper projects the current and future climate scenarios on a nearly zero-energy dwelling in Brussels. Initially, a time-integrated discomfort assessment is carried out for the base case without any active cooling system. It is found that overheating risk will increase up to 528%, whereas the overcooling risk will decrease up to 32% by the end of the century. It is also resulted that the overheating risk will overlap the overcooling risk by 2090s under high emission scenarios. Subsequently, two commonly applied HVAC strategies are considered, including a gas-fired boiler + an air conditioner (S01) and a reversible air-to-water heat pump (S02). In general, S02 shows ∼ 6–13% and 15–27% less HVAC primary energy use and GHG emissions compared to S01, respectively. By conducting the sensitivity analysis, it is found that the choice of the HVAC strategy, heating set-point, and cooling set-point are among the most influential parameters determining the HVAC primary energy use. Finally, some future recommendations are provided for practice and future research. • Climate change will shift Brussels from a heating-dominated to cooling-dominated city by 2090s. • Climate change will significantly increase overheating risk in naturally ventilated buildings. • Air-to-water heat pump shows 6–13% less HVAC primary energy use than gas-fired boiler + AC. • Air-to-water heat pump shows 15–27% less HVAC GHG emissions than gas-fired boiler + AC. • Selection of HVAC system and set-point temperatures are dominant in determining primary energy use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of historical urban centres is an important resource to encourage liveability and sustainable development of cities in the context of global climate change. It is a complex process that serves diverse perspectives, among them is the thermal comfort. The paper analyze the contribution of street configuration towards the improvement of thermal comfort at pedestrian level, in the Old Town of Camagüey-Cuba (World Heritage Site, since 2008). Simulations performed are run for summer and winter solstices by using RayMan model. The urban settings are represented by symmetrical street canyons (380 m long, 9 m width), with different solar orientations (i.e. N–S, NE–SW, E–W, NW–SE) and aspect ratios (i.e. H/W = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5). Results are presented in terms of Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET). Our findings confirm that the spatial distribution of thermal conditions at street level, depend strongly on aspect ratio and street orientation. The results show extreme patterns of thermal comfort between N–S and E–W streets. Rotation to N–S orientation is a valid strategy to mitigate the heat stress in summer, with reductions of up to 2 h at the center of the street. Aspect ratios between 1 and 1.5 offer a quite acceptable thermal performance for summer and winter. PET patterns discussed give information about the most suitable locations for pedestrian within the street. The urban guidelines presented enable to urban planners rehabilitate and design cities, which are able to reduce the impact of thermal stress in hot-humid climates. The results could be included in the Urban Regulations of Camagüey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous adaptive thermal comfort research mainly emphasized the correlations between outdoor climate and thermal adaptation. In this paper, we explore the influence of indoor thermal experience on occupants' thermal adaptation, especially with regard to physiological adaptation. We also investigate whether people with distinct cold indoor exposures have different levels of physiological adaptation to cold environment. A comparative experiment, including both physiological measurements and subjective questionnaires, was conducted in China where winter indoor climates in the northern region (with pervasive district heating) are much warmer than the southern region (without district heating). Two subject groups were recruited, namely: (a) N–N group - subjects who had lived in the northern China with district heating all their life, and (b) S–N group - subjects who grew up in the southern region without district heating but recently moved to the north. The results indicate that S–N subjects who had lived their entire lives in cold wintertime indoor climates had slither physiological response and felt less uncomfortable in mild cold exposures than N–N subjects who lived in neutral-to-warm wintertime indoor climates. The findings suggest that indoor thermal exposures can also influence occupants' thermal adaptation, which can reserve as a reference to the future adaptive thermal comfort model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is witnessing unprecedented growth trends in building construction, particularly office spaces. Indian offices are designed to operate at 22.5 ± 1 °C all year round to meet the stringent “Class A” specifications outlined by international standards in the absence of an India-specific comfort standard. This paper proposes an India Model for Adaptive Comfort – IMAC – based on the field surveys administered in 16 buildings in three seasons and five cities, representative of five Indian climate zones. A total of 6330 responses were gathered from naturally ventilated, mixed mode and air-conditioned office buildings using instantaneous thermal comfort surveys. Occupants in naturally ventilated Indian offices were found to be more adaptive than the prevailing ASHRAE and EN models would suggest. According to the IMAC model, neutral temperature in naturally ventilated buildings varies from 19.6 to 28.5 °C for 30-day outdoor running mean air temperatures ranging from 12.5 to 31 °C. This is the first instance where a study proposes a single adaptive model for mixed mode buildings asserting its validity for both naturally ventilated and air-conditioned modes of operation in the building, with neutral temperature varying from 21.5 to 28.7 °C for 13–38.5 °C range of outdoor temperatures. For air-conditioned buildings, Fanger's static PMV model was found to consistently over-predict the sensation on the warmer side of the 7-point sensation scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a field study on human interactions with motorized roller shades and dimmable electric lights in private offices of a high performance building. The experimental study was designed to (i) extend the current knowledge of human-building interactions to different and more advanced systems, including intermediate shading positions and light dimming levels, and (ii) reveal behavioral characteristics enabled through side-by-side comparisons of environmental controls ranging from fully automated to fully manual and interfaces with low or high level of accessibility (wall switch, remote controller and web interface). The research methodology includes monitoring of physical variables, actuation and operation states of building systems, as well as online surveys of occupant comfort and perception of environmental variables, their personal characteristics and attributes (non-physical variables). The analyzed datasets provide new insights on the dynamics of interdependent human interactions with shading and electric lighting systems. Higher daylight utilization was observed in offices with easy-to-access controls, which implies less frequent use of electric lights and less energy consumption accordingly. Analysis of occupant satisfaction, in terms of comfort with the amount of light and visual conditions, based on datasets from offices with variable accessibility to shading and lighting control, reveals a strong preference for customized indoor climate, along with a relationship between occupant perception of control and acceptability of a wider range of visual conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has, in recent years, been increasing interest in understanding the transport processes of relevance in vapor intrusion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into buildings on contaminated sites. These studies have included fate and transport modeling. Most such models have simplified the prediction of indoor air contaminant vapor concentrations by employing a steady state assumption, which often results in difficulties in reconciling these results with field measurements. This paper focuses on two major factors that may be subject to significant transients in vapor intrusion situations, including the indoor air pressure and the air exchange rate in the subject building. A three-dimensional finite element model was employed with consideration of daily and seasonal variations in these factors. From the results, the variations of indoor air pressure and air exchange rate are seen to contribute to significant variations in indoor air contaminant vapor concentrations. Depending upon the assumptions regarding the variations in these parameters, the results are only sometimes consistent with the reports of several orders of magnitude in indoor air concentration variations from field studies. The results point to the need to examine more carefully the interplay of these factors in order to quantitatively understand the variations in potential indoor air exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the construction and use of buildings cause significant environmental pressures. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions imposed by buildings have been studied rather extensively, but less is known about other impacts. Still, climate change is only one harmful impact driven by buildings. Furthermore, no studies exist about how the other impacts are correlated with GHG emissions in the building context, and thus to what extent GHGs could be utilized as a more general environmental performance indicator. This paper fills these gaps by presenting a life cycle assessment of the pre-use phase of a modern concrete-element residential building with a very comprehensive life cycle inventory (LCI). The focus of the study is on the comparison of the accumulation of different environmental impacts relative to GHGs. The accumulation is analyzed from two perspectives common to building LCAs: building systems and different construction materials. The ReCiPe midpoint assessment method is utilized to reach wide impact category coverage. The study shows how GHGs act as a relatively good indicator for eight impact categories, but not for the others. The study also depicts that a very high coverage in the LCI must be reached to capture the majority of the different impacts. Many materials and building systems are considered non-relevant and are often excluded from building LCAs, which are in fact of great importance in many impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the prospective impacts of climate change on wind-driven rain (WDR) and walls through simulating the hygrothermal performance of rain screen of common vertical wall constructions for the climatic conditions of Gothenburg in Sweden. While a substantial amount of work has been done on the impact of climate change on the thermal performance of buildings, this paper studies its impact – through changes in rain, wind and other climatic parameters – on the amount of water which penetrates the outmost layer of ventilated façades. Importance of three uncertainty factors of the climate data are investigated: uncertainties from global climate models, emissions scenarios and spatial resolutions. Consistency of the results is examined by modelling walls with different materials and sizes, as well as using two mathematical approaches for WDR modelling. Sensitivity of the wall simulations to the wind data is assessed by using synthetic climate with sole wind data. According to the results, higher amounts of moisture will accumulate in walls in the future; climate uncertainties can cause variations up to 13% in the calculated 30-year average of water content and 28% in its standard deviation. Using sole wind data can augment uncertainties with up to 10% in WDR calculations, however it is possible to neglect changes in future wind data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwellings should be designed for users' wellbeing but frequently their actions seem to contradict the logic adopted in the design. The impact of users' actions and habits on buildings energy efficiency is well established and documented. However, there is a lack of available information concerning the relationship between user behaviour, building airtightness and ventilation. This paper explores the results of a large experimental campaign, which included: airtightness measurements by fan pressurization of flats; continuous CO 2 measurements, and a questionnaire regarding tenants' habits. Forty nine apartments from two different social housing neighbourhoods, one of them recently rehabilitated, were used as case study. Non-rehabilitated flats presented an average ACH 50 of 8.9 h −1 while the rehabilitated flats presented an average of 6.8 h −1 . The impact of user behaviour in airtightness levels was investigated and, in the rehabilitated case study, the average ACH 50 was 4.3 h −1 in modified flats and 7.7 h −1 in non-modified. This can have important consequences on the indoor environment as the average ACH found in a modified flat, ranged from 0.35 h −1 , in December to 1.01 h −1 in August, showing the importance of window opening in the actual ventilation rates. The standard methods for estimating average ventilation rates were applied to the sample and results compared with measurements, indicating a need to adapt currently used methodologies to adequately include user effect. The complexity of human behaviour is a challenge for designers and therefore increasing the knowledge of user actions and habits is decisive for building better homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban physics is the science and engineering of physical processes in urban areas. It basically refers to the transfer of heat and mass in the outdoor and indoor urban environment, and its interaction with humans, fauna, flora and materials. Urban physics is a rapidly increasing focus area as it is key to understanding and addressing the grand societal challenges climate change, energy, health, security, transport and aging. The main assessment tools in urban physics are field measurements, full-scale and reduced-scale laboratory measurements and numerical simulation methods including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In the past 50 years, CFD has undergone a successful transition from an emerging field into an increasingly established field in urban physics research, practice and design. This review and position paper consists of two parts. In the first part, the importance of urban physics related to the grand societal challenges is described, after which the spatial and temporal scales in urban physics and the associated model categories are outlined. In the second part, based on a brief theoretical background, some views on CFD are provided. Possibilities and limitations are discussed, and in particular, ten tips and tricks towards accurate and reliable CFD simulations are presented. These tips and tricks are certainly not intended to be complete, rather they are intended to complement existing CFD best practice guidelines on ten particular aspects. Finally, an outlook to the future of CFD for urban physics is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]