Search

Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas, Ingeniería del Terreno y Mecánica de los Medios Continuos y Teoría de Estructuras, Máster en Arquitectura

En la actualidad en España la estanqueidad al aire de la envolvente térmica y la calidad del aire interior de las viviendas es un factor fundamental a considerar para la salud y el confort de los usuarios. Esto se consigue a través de una buena hermeƟcidad y una adecuada venƟlación de los espacios interiores, que renueve el aire contaminado del interior, pero evitando la entrada de contaminantes del exterior. Para conseguir esto es muy necesario tener en cuenta la infiltración de aire a través de la envolvente, que en determinados casos puede hacer que estos factores se vean afectados por flujos de aire incontrolados. Estas infiltraciones se pueden miƟgar mediante una mejora de la envolvente del edificio, mejorando la estanqueidad y reduciendo los flujos de aire involuntarios. En este trabajo fin de grado se analiza un caso de vivienda existente en el que se simula una mejora de la envolvente, reduciendo las infiltraciones y las consecuencias que esto produce en la calidad del aire interior tomando como referencia la concentración de CO2. Los resultados muestran que la mejora en hermeƟcidad debe ir acompañada de la implementación de estrategias de venƟlación adecuado en la vivienda para evitar incrementos significaƟvos de la concentración de CO2., Currently in Spain, the airƟghtness of the thermal envelope and the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of dwellings are crucial factors to consider for users’ health and comfort. This is achieved through good airƟghtness and proper venƟlaƟon of indoor spaces, which remove the contaminated indoor air while prevenƟng the entry of contaminants from the outside. To achieve this, it is essenƟal to consider envelope air infiltraƟon, which in certain cases can impact on these factors due to uncontrolled airflows. Air infiltraƟon can be miƟgated by improving the building envelope, enhancing airƟghtness, and reducing leakages. In this document, a case of a dwelling is analysed where an improvement in the envelope is simulated, reducing air infiltraƟon and its impact on IAQ considering CO2 concentraƟon as a reference. However, this improvement in airƟghtness must be accompanied by appropriate implementaƟon of venƟlaƟon strategies of the dwelling to avoid a significant increase in CO2 levels, Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas, Ingeniería del Terreno y Mecánica de los Medios Continuos y Teoría de Estructuras, Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura

El presente trabajo analiza las condiciones por las cuales una vivienda se la considera que está en situación de pobreza energética y cómo corregirlo. En primer lugar, se estudia qué es la pobreza energética, cómo se determina y a qué hogares afecta más. En esta primera parte se busca establecer unas bases que nos den una idea global sobre esta problemática, pero llegando a la conclusión de que los métodos de evaluación de dicha problemática son imprecisos, ya que no tienen en cuenta las características de los edificios. En segundo lugar, se busca un edificio en situación de pobreza energética y se estudia su caso energéticamente. Después, se plantea una serie de mejoras que nos llevarán a una propuesta esquemática de lo que se podría llegar a hacer. En este apartado no se busca analizar detalladamente cómo sería esa intervención, ya que, habría muchas maneras, por las cuales se podría ejecutar esa solución, sino que la idea se enfoca más en mejorar la eficiencia energética para quitar a esa vivienda de lo considerado como vivienda en pobreza energética, This paper analyzes the conditions under which a dwelling is considered to be in a situation of energy poverty and how to correct it. First of all, we study what energy poverty is, how it is determined and which households it affects the most. This first part seeks to establish a basis that gives us a global idea about this problem, but reaching the conclusion that the methods of evaluation of this problem are inaccurate, since they do not take into account the characteristics of the buildings. Secondly, a building in a situation of energy poverty is sought and this case is studied energetically. Then, a series of improvements are proposed that will lead us to a schematic proposal of what could be done. This section does not seek to analyze in detail how that intervention would be, since there would be many ways in which that solution could be implemented, but the idea focuses more on improving energy efficiency to remove that house from what is considered as a house in a situation of energy poverty, Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas, Ingeniería del Terreno y Mecánica de los Medios Continuos y Teoría de Estructuras, Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura

Producción Científica, The need for airtightness control is a reality given its impact on buildings' energy use and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). For the past few years, this fact has resulted in energy performance regulations establishment that involves airtightness requirements in many countries in Europe and North America. In this sense, efforts should not only be focused on new buildings, but also existing ones. Considering that around 90% of the built stock in the EU is expected to still be standing in 2050 and that almost 75% of the buildings are energy inefficient, attention must be paid to retrofitting actions. Airtightness predictive models have become useful in the decision-making process and to estimate input values in energy performance simulation tools. So far, several predictive models have been developed in different countries. However, specific construction systems and practices lead to a lack of consensus regarding the impact of different factors on airtightness performance. Therefore, the applicability of existing models is limited to their specific contexts. This paper presents a predictive model for envelope airtightness, which was developed from a database that contains a fully characterised representative sample of the residential building stock in Spain. A General Linear Model (GLM) was considered to assess significant variables related to the age of the building, typology, building state, construction system, and dimensions. As a result, a predictive model is presented and validated. Overall, even if some limitations were identified, the relevance of the model proposed is warranted from the statistical point of view. The airtightness predictive model presented offers a procedure for airtightness estimation of residential buildings in Spain., Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (grant BIA2015-64321-R)

Este trabajo aborda la caracterización de permeabilidad al aire de la envolvente de los edificios residenciales en España. Para ello, se propone una metodología con la que se ha estudiado una muestra representativa de casos, que ha generado una base de datos. El grado de permeabilidad al aire, evaluado mediante ensayos de presurización por medio de ventilador, muestra el comportamiento dispar de los edificios y un considerable potencial de ahorro energético. También se ha estudiado la relación entre diferentes características constructivas y el grado de permeabilidad al aire, y se han identificado los focos de filtración más comunes. El diseño inadecuado de las soluciones constructivas, así como la descuidada ejecución de los encuentros entre diferentes elementos, se han señalado como las principales causas que impiden envolventes más herméticas, y, en consecuencia, suponen los principales retos a afrontar en el futuro., Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas, Ingeniería del Terreno y Mecánica de los Medios Continuos y Teoría de Estructuras, Doctorado en Arquitectura

Air infiltration through the building envelope has already been proven to have a significant energy impact in dwellings. Different studies have been carried out in Europe, but there is still a lack of knowledge in this field regarding mild climates. An experimental field study has been carried out in the Mediterranean climate area of Spain and the Canary Islands in order to assess the air permeability of the building envelope and its energy impact. A wide characterization and Blower Door tests have been performed in 225 cases in Alicante, Barcelona, Málaga, Sevilla and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for this purpose. The obtained mean air permeability rate for the 225 studied cases was 6.56 m3/(h·m2). The influence of several variables on airtightness was statistically analysed, although only location, climate zone and window material were found to be significant. Air infiltration has an energy impact between 2.43 and 16.44 kWh/m2·year on the heating demand and between 0.54 and 3.06 kWh/m2·year on the cooling demand.

Air infiltration through the building envelope has already been proven to have a significant energy impact in dwellings. Different studies have been carried out in Europe, but there is still a lack of knowledge in this field regarding mild climates. An experimental field study has been carried out in the Mediterranean climate area of Spain and the Canary Islands in order to assess the air permeability of the building envelope and its energy impact. A wide characterization and Blower Door tests have been performed in 225 cases in Alicante, Barcelona, Málaga, Sevilla and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for this purpose. The obtained mean air permeability rate for the 225 studied cases was 6.56 m3/(h·m2). The influence of several variables on airtightness was statistically analysed, although only location, climate zone and window material were found to be significant. Air infiltration has an energy impact between 2.43 and 16.44 kWh/m2·year on the heating demand and between 0.54 and 3.06 kWh/m2·year on the cooling demand.

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database., Postprint (published version)

[Abstract] Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.