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Summary Motion tracking provides unique insights into motor, cognitive, and social development by capturing subtle variations into how movements are planned and controlled. Here, we present a low-cost, wearable movement measurement platform, KiD, specifically designed for tracking the movements of infants and children in a variety of natural settings. KiD consists of a small, lightweight sensor containing a nine-axis inertial measurement unit plus an integrated processor for computing rotations. Measurements of three-dimensional acceleration using KiD compare well with those of current state-of-the-art optical motion capture systems. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate successful classification of different types of sinusoidal right arm movements using KiD., Graphical abstract, Highlights • We developed a wearable platform (KiD) designed for tracking movements of children • We establish the potential of KiD as stand-alone movement measurement platform • We demonstrate successful classification of different types of movements using KiD • Accelerations collected using KiD compare well with those of optical MoCap systems, Biological sciences; Neuroscience; Behavioral neuroscience; Techniques in neuroscience

The building sector plays a crucial role in the advocated transition towards a carbon-free economy, and thus the zero-carbon building concept is taking hold. The paper focuses on the issue of existing hotels, with the aim of investigating the possibility of meeting the ambitious zero-carbon targets for this category of buildings, in which guests’ comfort and satisfaction is the core business. A reference hotel and different retrofit scenarios are assessed in two Italian climatic zones. Models are evaluated with a multi-objective approach, by introducing a set of hotel-related Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), to evaluate the simulated models on three main dimensions: thermal comfort, energy and environmental impacts. The obtained results have emphasized the difficulty to achieve the zero-carbon targets, due to the high energy consumptions caused by the comfort-based nature of hotels and of the space constraints for on-site renewable sources. These outcomes help highlighting the need to shift the focus from single building to district or city scale, proving that the zero-carbon building definition must go hand-in-hand with the Post-Carbon City concept.

Occupant behaviour is known to be one of the key sources of uncertainty in the prediction of building energy use. Extended literature reviews linked the large performance gaps between residential buildings with same properties and similar climate conditions to the way occupants interact with the building envelope and systems. Furthermore, in the last decades, more stringent energy codes have led to energy efficient design strategies with the aim of reaching the nearly-zero energy target. The success of these strategies is now heavily dependent on how the occupants interact with the building, or rather, on the energy-related lifestyles they assume. In line with this, the present study employs building simulations to demonstrate the potential impact of different occupant behaviour lifestyles on the energy use of a Mediterranean (i) residential nearly-zero energy building (nZEB) under-construction and a (ii) Reference Building (RB) whose envelope-driven loads dominate the consumption profile.

Building upon the implementation of EBPD recast in the large majority of EU Member States, this paper studied how far cost-optimality is from the Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) performance level for an Italian Reference Hotel (RH) undergoing major renovations. The energy performances of retrofit options for the RH were compared with the Italian NZEB requirements. Simulations results confirmed that the Italian NZEB target is reachable. However, the financial analysis of these retrofit options denounced a worrying gap between financially interesting solutions and NZEB ones. Then, through a novel comfort-optimal approach, the comfort-related consequences of the proposed retrofit options were investigated.

The recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduced a comparative methodological framework for calculating cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements. The cost-optimal methodology, conceived for national authorities, was here exploited as a decision-making tool for supporting a private investor in choosing the most viable energy scenario. The methodology was thus used to evaluate different energy efficiency measures applied to an abandoned industrial building in Turin (Northern Italy) and to identify the best retrofit solution in terms of energy and costs. Providing guidance and tools for re-designing ex-industrial areas can be useful for several similar case studies widespread not only nearby Turin, but also in other Italian regions and EU countries. The research activity here presented aims at testing the cost-optimal methodology to support energy retrofit projects starting from an early design stage. The arisen issues may be considered for future applications, with reference to specific contexts. In this perspective, this work constitutes a first step towards the definition of an “environmental and economic sustainability equilibrium”, assuming that the application of models and approaches for evaluating both the energy-environmental performances and the economic ones, in many cases, may give very different results.

Nowadays in nZEB designing it is fundamental taking into account both the energy and the economic perspective right from the preliminary phases of the project. Success in realizing nZEB lies in finding the right balance between energy performances, architectural quality and costs, which include investment, maintenance and running costs, incurred by the project owner during a defined period. This paper analyzes CorTau House in terms of architectural aspects, energy performances and economic viability. It represents a significant Italian design experience in which the architectural quality of the refurbishment of a traditional rural building is combined with high-performing energy solutions.

Europe has set a clear path to guide Member States into the accomplishment of the nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) target. To this regard, within EPBD recast directive, a cost optimality procedure has been defined. This study presents different cost optimal solutions of building and technical systems for nZEBs in Italy. In total 40 economically and technically feasible energy efficiency measures for a high performing single family house were analyzed. Special attention was devoted to the study of the building technical systems. Achieving a net zero balance required a high efficient system combined with high insulation and a large PV system, which plays a key role in the nearly and net zero building energy balance. Three net zero energy balance solutions, based on all electric systems, were presented. Net ZEB solutions allowed also the building carbon footprint to be reduced by 40% compared to the reference case study. Without proper financial subsides, net ZEB solutions are still far for being economic feasible, having a global cost 212–313 €/m2 higher than cost optimal solutions. In conclusion, this paper aims to present guidelines for designing reference building envelope and technical systems solution for residential nZEB.

ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings except Low-Rise Residential Buildings is the benchmark code of U.S. local regulations. In addition to provide a set of minimum mandatory requirements for energy-using components (prescriptive approach), the standard includes in the Appendix G a more flexible path to attest performances significantly better than code minimum (performance-based approach). With regard to this approach, a procedure to establish the proposed building performance by quantifying the energy savings above an annual baseline energy consumption is defined as Performance Rating Method and used within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Protocol.This paper applies the U.S. performance-based approach to the global energy efficiency goal within the prescriptive-oriented Italian framework. In particular, the Performance Rating Method – partially customized to the Italian context by GBC Italia® and in compliance with LEED Italia requirements – has been applied to an Italian case study in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses correlated to a steady adoption of the performance approach in Italian energy policies. The proposed building performance of the case study has been evaluated throughout a dynamic simulation analysis carried out by means of the EnergyPlus code.