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This article presents a literature review of Transition Experiments applied to the Sustainable Urban Mobility context from a critical and operative point of view. The moment of transformation that we are living through determines concerns about the decarbonization and compliance with the 2050 Targets and imposes a paradigm shift towards sustainable urban mobility. In this regard, the necessary physical change will have to be accompanied by a socio–cultural transition, of which the challenge implies the construction of a collective ideal, shared by the population and the main stakeholders, leading to the opening of new political spaces and a change, also in terms of governance.

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 resource) demand, management and supply is necessary because there is a clear concern 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 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 a 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 in order 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., This work scope is within InPath-TES -Innovation Pathways for Thermal Energy Storage –a European project funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation –Horizon 2020 –with the grant agreement n. 657466., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In Portugal, there is a lack of quantitative studies on the thermal performance of earthen buildings. This paper aims at contributing to this research context by studying site-specific strategies, and the thermal performance and comfort conditions of a rammed earth building located in southern Portugal. The study is based on objective and subjective assessments and consists of assessing the hygrothermal conditions, thermal comfort levels and analysing the occupants? perception regarding thermal sensation. The results showed that the strategies used are closely related to local conditions, mitigating the effects of high summer temperatures and ensuring a good summer thermal performance by passive means alone. During the summer monitoring, results showed that the building stayed most of the time (80%) in Category I (high level of expectation) and the remaining time in Category II, according to the classification method defined by the standard EN15251. During the winter period, the building had the worst performance, being necessary a heating system to guarantee comfort conditions. Additionally, the results showed that the good thermal performance of the case study depended more on the high thermal inertia than on the U-value of the envelope. Limitations and advantages of the use of earthen construction elements are discussed., PD/BD/113641/2015, info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Uma universidade necessita manter uma infraestrutura básica para seu funcionamento, e sabe-se que a tecnologia BIM ainda é pouco utilizada como auxílio na manutenção dos prédios existentes. Este trabalho procura identificar o processo de manutenção em um campus e verificar se a modelagem da informação em BIM nos projetos está auxiliando nesse processo. Foi descrito o processo de manutenção de um campus a partir de um fluxograma de processo. No ano de 2019 foram abertas no campus em estudo 7.251 ordens de serviços (OS). Os principais índices de manutenção, ocorreram em preventiva sistemática (41,80%) e rotina de inspeções (33,6%). Considerando as classificações de acordo com as atividades, os serviços de mecânica de refrigeração (34,88%) e eletricidade e telefonia (33,36%) apresentaram maior percentual. O projeto em BIM existente consta apenas as modelagens do projeto arquitetônico e estrutural com informações físicas, sem informações de projetos complementares ou necessidades e evidências de manutenção. Sugere-se a inclusão de informações necessárias para manutenção no modelo BIM através do software AUTODESK Revit e a plataforma de programação visual Dynamo, construindo um fluxo de importação de dados e associação a parâmetros automatizados, permitindo a visualização da situação da manutenção.

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., This research was funded by the Calabria Region Government with the Gianmarco Fajilla's Ph.D. scholarship (POR Calabria FSE/FESR 2014-2020) grant number H21G18000170006. A part of this publication has received funding from Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (SENACYT) under the project code FID18-056. This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades de Espana (RTI2018-093849-B-C31 -MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades -Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI, RED2018-102431-T). This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia program.

The buildings sector contributes to 30% of annual greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 40% of energy. In this scenario and regarding the sustainable concerns, different strategies and directives have been developed. However, this consumption can be reduced by between 30% and 80% through commercially available technologies.

Tools and methods to improve current practices and quality in the healthcare building sector are necessary to support decision-making at different building life cycle phases. Furthermore, Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) Methods are based on criteria organised into different levels, such as categories and indicators. These criteria highlight aspects of significant importance when designing and operating a sustainable healthcare building. To bring more objectivity to the sustainability assessments, the standardisation bodies (CEN and ISO) proposed core indicators that should be used in the evaluation of the environmental, societal and economic performances of buildings. Nevertheless, relying on state of the art analysis, it is possible to conclude that there are aspects of major importance for the operation of healthcare buildings that are not considered in the HBSA methods. Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the context of sustainability assessment methods in the field of healthcare buildings and to present a proposal for the incorporation of Sustainable-Effective Design (SED) criteria in a new HBSA method. The used research method is innovative since in the development of the list of sustainability criteria it considers the opinion of main healthcare buildings' stakeholders, the existing healthcare assessment methods and the ISO and CEN standardisation works in the field of the methods to assess the sustainability of construction works. As a result, the proposed method is composed of fifty-two sustainability indicators that cover the different dimensions of the sustainability concept to support decision making during the design of a new or retrofitted healthcare building in urban areas., The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and POPH/FSE for its financial support for this study (Reference SFRH/BD/77959/2011). A special thank you is also addressed to Donald Ellis for proofreading the English text., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In healthcare building projects, it is necessary to consider a larger number of different aspects than in other building types, as patients' emotions, comfort needs and the integration of latest technologies. To design these buildings, considering a sustainable approach, the sustainable practices for healthcare building should be considered properly in design and use phases. Therefore, there is a lack of common understanding on the field of various relations between built, natural and social systems. To tackle this, the goal of this article is to contribute to the better understanding in this context by exposing a proposal for the structure and system of weights of the sustainability criteria of a healthcare building sustainability assessment method, the HBSAtool-PT. The methodological approach adopted is innovative since in the development of the list of sustainability criteria it considers the opinion of main healthcare buildings? stakeholders, the existing healthcare assessment methods and the ISO and CEN standardisation works in the field of the methods to assess the sustainability of construction works. Additionally, a methodology to develop the weighting system to be used in the aggregation of the different indicators is proposed and applied to the Portuguese context. As a result, the proposed sustainability assessment system for healthcare buildings (HBSAtool-PT) embraces fifty-two sustainability indicators that cover the different dimensions of the sustainability concept to support decision making during the design of a new or retrofitted healthcare building in urban areas. The proposed structure for the HBSAtool-PT presents a more balanced structure between the dimensions of the sustainable development, and compared with other existing approaches, it integrates more comprehensive social and economic concerns., The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and POPH/FSE for its financial support for this study (Reference SFRH/BD/77959/2011). Special thank is also addressed to Donald Ellis for proofreading the English text.

Bridge quality control plans and asset management systems are often integrated in collective frameworks used by authorities nationally and internationally. Similarities among these frameworks include the utilization of performance indicators for quality appraisal. However, there are discrepancies in the ways such frameworks are researched, developed, and applied. Additionally, there are problematic aspects even in their common characteristics, like the relative absence of correlation between observed performance indicator values and benchmarked ones, and the deliverables’ disparity due to the diversity of the quantified indicator variables. For the alleviation of such problematic aspects, this paper presents a bridge quality appraisal methodological and computational framework. It builds on (1) the adaptation of the sustainable building methodology and its combination with expert input solicitation methods and the research findings of the European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Action TU1406, and (2) a multi-input adaptation of the analytical hierarchy process. The methodology is presented in terms of its general procedural steps and calculating requirements, and then it is tailored to reinforced concrete overpass roadway bridges. The methodology’s application in a real case study concludes the presented research., The scientific and financial support of COST Action TU1406 for the successful development of the framework of this research is gratefully acknowledged. In addition, the help and support of distinct colleagues at the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Minho is cordially acceded. Furthermore, the response of all the COST Action TU1406 colleagues and fellow engineers during the expert interviews stage (especially Mr. Sander Sein) and the questionnaire survey is kindly appreciated. Finally, the offered data, expert input, and invested time of the colleagues and fellow engineers of Infrastruturas de Portugal (and especially Dr. João Amado) are warmly acknowledged., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

"Available online 13 January 2016", Steel structures represent an interesting alternative to conventional construction solutions. Their characteristics can easily be highlightedwhen looking at construction sustainability principles, such as its durability, adaptability or recyclability. This paper compares the assessment procedure of three building sustainability assessment systems (BSA): SBToolPT-H, BREEAM's Code for Sustainable Homes and LEED for homes v4 when dealing with steel solutions. BSA tools are developed to independently provide an evaluation of buildings' sustainability performance considering different impact categories. However, thesemay not valorise all the possible benefits a construction solution can have due to weighing, calculation procedures' constraints and indicators addressed. The way these systems address steel sustainability advantages is discussed through their application to a case study single family building. This research work showed that existing BSA tools mainly focus on conventional construction and thus some sustainable benefits of other solutions can often be hardly acknowledged. To deal with sustainable construction aspects, in particular with steel construction, a systemic approach is needed, at early design stages to aid defining the sustainable building concept through tangible goals so to achieve the most appropriate balance between socio-cultural, economic and environmental fields., FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia — Portugal) with the Funding Programme POPH/FS, under Grant SFRH/BD/76043/2011

[Excerpt] Based on the live cycle engineering aspects, such as prediction, design, assessment, maintenance, and management of structures, and according to performance-based approach, civil engineering structures have to fulfill essential requirements for resilience, sustainability, and safety from possible risks, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme winds, and explosions. The analysis of the performance indicators, which are of great importance for the structural behavior and for the fulfillment of the above-mentioned requirements, is impossible without conducting complex mathematical calculations. Artificial neural networks and Fuzzy neural networks are typical examples of a modern interdisciplinary field which gives the basic knowledge principles that could be used for solving many different and complex engineering problems which could not be solved otherwise (using traditional modeling and statistical methods). Neural networks are capable of collecting, memorizing, analyzing, and processing a large number of data gained from some experiments or numerical analyses. Because of that, neural networks are often better calculation and prediction methods compared to some of the classical and traditional calculation methods. They are excellent in predicting data, and they can be used for creating prognostic models that could solve various engineering problems and tasks. A trained neural network serves as an analytical tool for qualified prognoses of the results, for any input data which have not been included in the learning process of the network. Their usage is reasonably simple and easy, yet correct and precise. These positive effects completely justify their application, as prognostic models, in engineering researches. The objective of this special issue was to highlight the possibilities of using artificial neural networks and fuzzy neural networks as effective and powerful tools for solving engineering problems. From 12 submissions, 6 papers are published. Each paper was reviewed by at least two reviewers and revised according to review comments. The papers covered a wide range of topics, such as assessment of the real estate market value; estimation of costs and duration of construction works as well as maintenance costs; and prediction of natural disasters, such as wind and fire, and prediction of damages to property and the environment. [...]

Nowadays natural ventilation has gained prominence because its correct use can reduce energy consumption for cooling systems and improve thermal comfort among users. In this paper, we report on the modelling initiative, based on the wind tunnel tests that were carried out for the determination of the influence of natural ventilation in buildings. Indeed, the renewal of air in a closed environment without using an air conditioning system with mechanical elements can lead to energy savings and, in addition, provide air quality.The wind tunnel tests were carried out by varying the positioning of six ventilation modules in the façade system configuration. The modules were positioned below the window-sill (ventilated window-sill) as well as separately above and below the façade. The wind speed measurements were taken inside and outside the model for the different façades configurations to evaluate the best performance in relation to natural ventilation. The results supported the positioning of the six ventilation modules below the window-sill, forming a â ventilated window-sillâ as the most effective natural ventilation solution., The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by Erasmus Mundus ISAC – Improving Skills Across Continents for this study.

The healthcare building project contains different aspects from the most common projects. Designing a healthcare environment is based on a number of criteria related to the satisfaction and well-being of the professional working teams, patients and administrators. Mostly due to various design requirements, these buildings are rarely designed and operated in a sustainable way. Therefore, the sustainable development is a concept whose importance has grown significantly in the last decade in this sector. The worldwide economic crisis reinforces the growing environmental concerns as well as raising awareness among people to a necessary and inevitable shift in the values of their society. To support sustainable building design, several building sustainability assessment (BSA) methods are being developed worldwide. Since healthcare buildings are rather complex systems than other buildings, so specific methods were developed for them. These methods are aimed to support decision-making towards the introduction of the best sustainability practices during the design and operation phases of a healthcare environment. However, the comparison between the results of different methods is difficult, if not impossible, since they address different environmental, societal and economic criteria, and they emphasize different phases of the life cycle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify the differences between the main BSA methods for healthcare buildings by analysing and categorizing them. Furthermore, the benefits of these methods in promoting a more sustainable environment will be analysed, and the current situation of them within the context of standardization of the concept sustainable construction will be discussed., The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and POPH/FSE for the financial support for this study under the Reference SFRH/BD/77959/2011.

A brief analysis of the environmental, social and economic paradigm of nowadays cities, allows reaching a simple conclusion: current cities are not sustainable. Considering this, it is very important to study the causes of cities problems and to develop city models implementing sustainability practices. There are a limited number of studies developing sustainable city models, but the scientific community lacks even more studies about the rehabilitation of current cities to implement these models. This work emerges with the objective of analysing how it is possible to implement sustainability practices in cities through the development of a sustainable city model and an urban rehabilitation plan. The development of sustainable city models is a very complex topic and the analysis of the literature shows that it is necessary to consider the relation between environmental and social aspects in the development of sustainable cities, while taking special concerns when considering the economic issues. It was also concluded that sustainable city models and rehabilitation plans should be subject to sustainability assessments and should consider the active participation of its inhabitants. In fact, a city can only be sustainable if its population is in harmony with the city model and we can only assess results by predicting and measuring performance levels., (undefined)

Despite the far distance between Portugal and Egypt, it was possible to find points of similarity on the influence of Roman and Arab cultures, and on solar passive and construction techniques used ...

This paper analyses the current trends in sustainability assessment. After about 15 years from the launch of sustainability assessment tools, focused on buildings evaluation, the paradigm of sustainability assessment tools is changing from the building scale to the built environment scale. Currently European cities and cities around the world are concerned with sustainable development, as well as its evolution. Cities seek a way to adapt to contemporary changes, in order to meet the required needs and ensure population’s well-being. Considering this, the new generations of sustainability assessment tools are being developed to be used to guide and help cities and urban areas to become more sustainable. Following the trend of the most important sustainability assessment tools, the sustainability assessment toolSBToolPTis also developing its version for assessing the sustainability of the built environment, namely, the urban planning projects and the urban regeneration projects, to be developed in Portugal, theSBToolPT-UP. The application of the methodology to three case studies will demonstrate its feasibility; at the same time this will identify the best practices which will serve as reference for new projects, thereby assisting the development of the tool.

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.

Cities can and should be an open field to sustainable circular guidelines since its scale complexity becomes an impact (positive or negative) over the environment as deep as its dimension. On this scenario, construction industry aims to develop products that fulfil also functional requirements and at the same time safety and durability during all the life cycle phases, promoting reversible buildings to avoid constructions obsolescence and recourses? waste. Most of the Building Sustainability Assessment methods require detail in the input data, hampering their usability at early design stages. So, the paper presents two complementary methods that are being developed to promote early stage sustainability through both sustainability design decision-making guidance and assessment of investment willingness and affordability. The first method enables project teams to compare design alternatives and verify which is the most sustainable choice and alerts them how sustainability concerns are linked to all design criteria, constraints and decisions. The second method is a cost-benefit analysis method to analyse and compare building solutions that consider the stakeholders? investment willingness and market availability. These new approaches can lead to a more sustainable built environment and contribute to more circular economy since it allows thinking on reversible and transformable buildings since the early design stages choosing solutions closer to the building stakeholders? investment willingness and the users? affordability., The authors acknowledge the Building as Materials Banks project, European projects funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation – Horizon 2020 [grant agreement n. 642384]. This research work was also supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through POPH/FSE and QREN, funded by the European Social Fund, through two individual doctoral fellowships [SFRH/BD/76043/2011 and SFRH/BD/112703/2015]., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Applying circular economy principles in the built environment at different levels is considered as a future vital approach to reducing its environmental impacts along with huge economic benefits, which is generally explained by ?decoupling resource consumption from economic development?. At the meso-level of the built environment, circular buildings have arisen as a more holistic approach to embrace circular economy thinking. This novel practice requires flexible and adaptable strategies to enable alteration and adjustment while avoiding material loss and keeping the value of products at the highest levels. Evaluating buildings circularity by means of standardized indicators is therefore primordial to implement a common language between all involved actors and monitoring the progress towards an eco-design. Still, the complexity of putting together such a methodology is far from being a mere task. To date, several studies have been more focused on assessing circularity for short-lived products while disregarding assessing long-lived products as buildings and their ability to be deconstructed and reassembled in a so-called ?reversible design?. Unfolding a set of robust indicators to measure building circularity promises to be challenging in order to set up a flawless assessment tool which can summarise different aspects of the application circular economy at a building level. This paper intends to put an emphasis on the potential obstacles that can be encountered while developing metrics to quantify building circularity., (642384), This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642384., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The current method for assessing the two indicators of the Energy Efficiency category of the Building Sustainability Assessment method SBToolPT-H (P7: Primary energy, P8: In-situ energy production from renewables) is rather time-consuming. The assessment requires many values that need to be calculated manually or with specific spreadsheets, whenever a design is proposed. When a design alteration is introduced, the whole process needs to be repeated, which leads to designers to be discouraged to develop this task. This research explores the use of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) software ? Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Green Building Studio (GBS) ? to assess the Energy Efficiency category. The purpose is to find a more efficient assessing method, encouraging and supporting designers to optimise their projects. More efficient methods can contribute to more sustainable constructions and to decrease the construction industry?s environmental impact. To explore if Revit and GBS can streamline the assessment of this SBToolPT-H category, a case study was carried out. A reference building was created which complied with all the current Portuguese regulations. The reference building was then modelled in Revit and submitted to an energy analysis using GBS. The results showed for indicator P7, that the use of GBS and Revit streamlines the assessment by faster extraction of information thanks to the 3D-model and the energy analysis software. However, the assessment could be made even more efficient if the software and national regulations were more matched such as conformity of units and analysed parameters. Concerning indicator P8, the results showed clearly that using GBS is a rather efficient process., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The article aims to evaluate the Portuguese building stock energy policies and strategy for energy saving in buildings among the EU members. It was found out the average heat transfer coefficients of the main structural elements of Portuguese Buildings and analyzed the U-values of this elements considering different time periods. The fundamentals of this study were funded by the Agency for Development and Innovation (ADI) and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors (POFC) assigned to the Building Physics and Construction Technology Laboratory with the reference SB Tool SPT_2011_4.

High performance glass and Trombe walls in the facade was studied in this research. The paper reports results of an ongoing investigation on a new facade system concept, designed as: “Facade Modules for Eco-Efficient Refurbishment of Buildings”, especially on energy efficiency of Trombe wall and glazing modules arrangement. Computational simulation was carried out by using the software DesignBuilder. Two double glazing types and Trombe walls were considered for three different climates in Portugal and four solar orientations. Results obtained for heating energy needs were compared to all facade configurations. The use of Trombe wall and the double self-cleaning glass in the facade point towards a significant decrease of heating energy needs. The great majority of the facades combinations presented energy needs lower than the maximum allowed by the Portuguese regulation (RCCTE).

Due to the high energy consumption associated with the building sector, several legal documents with the aim of promoting energy efficiency have emerged in recent years, e.g. the Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD) and its recast on 19 May 2010, Directive 2010/31/EU. The EPBD led many countries to adjust their own building energy-related regulations. The Portuguese thermal regulation for residential buildings, “Regulamento das Caracteristicas do Comportamento Termico de Edificios (RCCTE)”, is a part of the transposition of the EPBD to Portuguese law. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the RCCTE in order to study the influence of some parameters considered important to the energy efficiency of buildings on energy performance and on the final energy certification rating.

This research work aims to study if it is possible to design a sustainable building residential building that has a life-cycle cost lower than a conventional one. For this purpose, a multifamily cooperative housing building block, that is the Portuguese pilot-project of the EU Project “SHE: Sustainable Housing in Europe”, has been chosen. This work will compare the sustainability of the case study with the conventional design approach in Portugal, i.e. when the conventional technologies and building materials are used. For this outcome, the SBToolPT-H (Portuguese building sustainability assessment and rating methodology) will be used. This paper will highlight the usefulness of a building sustainability assessment tool in supporting and recognising the sustainable building design. It will also show that even with little investment in the capital costs it is possible to achieve high performance residential buildings., U.Porto -Total(101)

Although sustainable building is a multidimensional concept, attention to the issue often focuses solely on environmental indicators, ignoring the substantial importance of social, economic and cultural indicators. Building sustainability involves various relations between built, natural and social systems and therefore comprises a complex of different priorities that require consideration at each stage of a building’s life-cycle. To cope with this complexity and to support sustainability systematic, holistic and practical approaches to building design need to be developed. The main objective of a systematic methodology is to support the development of a building design that achieves the most appropriate balance between the different sustainability dimensions, and is, at the same time, practical, transparent and flexible enough to be easily adapted to different types of buildings and technology. It is the aim of this paper to present an innovative approach for developing building sustainability assessment and rating, and to contribute to the evolution of generic methodology and international understanding by introducing an approach which takes the different dimensions of sustainability into account. The scope of the methodology presented in this paper (SBToolPT–H) is to assess the sustainability of existing, new and renovated residential buildings in urban areas, specifically in the Portuguese context.

New technologies are needed in structures and services in order to reduce the great energy consumption of buildings. A major share of the energy demand is used for controlling the indoor climate. The requirements are only growing due to tightening regulation and increasing comfort expectations of the users. The wide use of air conditioning systems illustrates this trend. Phase Changing Materials (PCM) open an alternative potential to return a part of cooling needs based upon melting and solidifying properties of some special components within a room temperature range. Thanks to this phenomenon, some degrees of additional control can be achieved. Experimental results from laboratory tests and monitoring results in two rooms of two actual buildings presented in this paper show that gypsum plaster finishings with a thin layer of 5 mm of PCM are favourable to achieve 2 to 5°C reduction in the temperature swing in rooms.

This paper reports on a new façade system that uses passive solutions in the search for energy efficiency. The differentials are the versatility and flexibility of the modules, which are important advantages of the system. The thermal performance of Trombe walls and glazings and the daylighting performance of glazing were the key aspects analyzed in the results. Computational simulations were accomplished for the thermal performance of different arrangements of the modules with DesignBuilder software. The glazing daylighting performance was studied by means of Ecotect and Desktop Radiance programs and compared with the transmittance curves of glazings. Occupancy profile and internal gains were fixed according to the Portuguese reality for both studies. The main characteristics considered in this research were the use of two double glazings, four different climates in Portugal and one and two Trombe walls in the façade. The results show an important reduction in the energy consumption with the use of Trombe walls and double self-cleaning glazing in the façade, which also presented better daylighting performance., Author Helenice M Sacht benefited from a scholarship granted by Erasmus Mundus ISAC - Improving Skills Across Continents to perform her research work at University of Minho, from which resulted this article.

This paper describes an experimental study of the influence of roller shutters on noise insulation of façades. The study is based on the results of a set of tests carried out in laboratory and in a new residential building, which is typical of Portuguese cooperative construction. The window system (glazing and frame, plus the roller shutter) was first tested in a laboratory. In situ, the tests were performed in two rooms having different window dimensions. The measurements were in accordance with international standards, using a loudspeaker as noise source. The considered shutters positions were: totally opened, half closed, partially closed and completely closed. Additionally, in situ measurements with the window open were also done. The results show that the façade transmission loss curve is affected by shutter position. The investigation highlighted the importance of shutter position when the window is open and the discrepancy between laboratory and in situ measured values.

In 2002 EU implemented the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which led to the revision of the buildings thermal codes. The transposition of EBPD into the Portuguese legislation was made through three regulations: RCCTE for residential buildings, RSECE for office buildings and SCE that establishes the energy labelling system. The national code RCCTE sets two methodologies for assessing the energy performance of buildings: a simplified methodology and a more detailed one, depending if it is an existent or a new building. It has been observed that since the entrance into force of these codes, the project teams are using the RCCTE methodologies as tools to estimate the energy consumption of buildings. In this work it was tested the accuracy of this approach, performing two studies: one where the energy needs obtained with the RCCTE methodology were compared with the ones obtained with a dynamic simulation tool; and another where the same energy needs were compared with the ones obtained with a simplified RCCTE methodology foreseen for existing buildings. With the studies performed it was verified that the RCCTE methodology is accurate enough, except for the coldest regions, where another kind of tool should be applied. The simplified methodology showed inaccurate results and must be used with caution. However, with some corrections, important improvements can be achieved.

Este artigo analisa três projetos internacionais de regeneração urbana sustentável. Esta análise baseou-se na aplicação de dez indicadores de sustentabilidade urbana através de dois instrumentos de avaliação de sustentabilidade (Sistema Português de Avaliação da Sustentabilidade de Operações de Planejamento Urbano - SBToolPT-PU, e Sistema Internacional de Avaliação da Sustentabilidade de Operações de Planejamento Urbano - SBTool Urban) que estão sendo desenvolvidos em Portugal e em nível internacional, respectivamente. Através desta análise, pretendeu-se identificar as melhores práticas para o desenvolvimento urbano sustentável, as quais permitirão a definição dos valores de referência para ambas as ferramentas, apoiando os projetistas na tomada de decisão, considerando a sustentabilidade de áreas urbanas novas ou regeneradas., This paper analyses three international sustainable urban regeneration projects. The analysis was based on the application of ten urban sustainability indicators from two sustainability assessment tools (Sustainable Building Tool for Urban Planning in Portugal - SBToolPT-UP, and International Sustainable Building Tool for Urban Planning - SBTool Urban), which are being developed in Portugal and at international level, respectively. Based on that analysis, the aim of this paper is to identify best practices for sustainable urban design, which will allow the definition of benchmarks for both tools, in order to support designers in decision-making regarding the sustainability of new or regenerated urban areas.