1,720,972 research outputs found
The role of electricity in the energy transition. A multi-dimension and multi-scale approach
Get PDFL'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
Towards Post-Carbon Cities: Which retrofit scenarios for hotels in Italy?
No full textThe 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 multiobjective 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 onsiterenewable sources. These outcomes help highlighting the need to shift the focus from single buildingto district or city scale, proving that the zero-carbon building definition must go hand-in-hand with the Post-Carbon City concept
Proposal of a multi-step methodological approach for evaluating the performances of solar shading devices in office buildings
Get PDFIn the framework of the building sector transition, which is a key priority to achieve the decarbonization targets, a smart building revolution has started, pushing for the adoption of advanced control strategies and smart management systems to increase buildings energy efficiency, while improving occupants’ comfort and satisfaction. For the design and management of smart buildings, solar shading devices and related control systems for their effective usage need to be strategically assessed. There exist several factors that can influence the choice of shading systems, due to the potential conflicts from economic, environmental, social and energy standpoints. For this reason, proper methodological approaches are needed to couple the energy and environmental assessment of the performances of the different systems when installed in a specific building and the social and economic impacts that these solutions can have on building occupants, facility managers and decision-makers. In line with this, the work aims to propose a multi-step methodological framework to support decision-makers in selecting an adequate solar shading device and relative control strategy for an office building, integrating energy dynamic simulations with multi-criteria decision analysis techniques
A Multi-dimensional Decision Support System for Choosing Solar Shading Devices in Office Buildings
No full textThe smart building revolution requires constructions to be equipped with innovative and advanced management systems able to improve their energy performance and to guarantee adequate comfort conditions to occupants. In this framework, properly designed solar shading devices coupled with automation and control systems are of interest, being able to improve energy performance and indoor lighting conditions, especially during summer. The selection of the most adequate devices and related control mechanisms depends on various and potentially conflicting factors, concerning financial, environmental, socio-economic, energy, and architectural aspects. The present study proposes a multi-step methodological approach, which integrates EnergyPlus-based dynamic energy simulations with PROMETHEE II-based multi-criteria analysis to obtain a ranking of different alternative solutions. The work identifies a set of multi-domain indicators to give a snapshot of the different domains that can potentially influence the selection of shading solutions to be installed in office buildings and defines the actors to be involved in the decision-making process
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Combining energy dynamic simulation and multi-criteria analysis for supporting investment decisions on smart shading devices in office buildings
Get PDFIn the framework of the current energy transition, the building sector is experiencing a smart revolution, recognizing how the adoption of advanced control strategies and smart management systems can increase buildings energy efficiency and improve occupants’ comfort. As a key element for smart buildings, solar shading devices coupled with effective control systems need to be strategically assessed. The investment decision-making process for selecting the proper shading systems is influenced by the existence of potential conflicts from economic, environmental, social, and energy standpoints, thus asking to be supported by innovative methodological approaches able to include all these aspects in the decisional framework. To this purpose, the work aims to propose a multi-disciplinary methodological framework to support decision-makers in ranking a set of solar shading device and relative control strategy, integrating energy dynamic simulations with multi-criteria decision analysis techniques. The analysis focuses on office buildings, recognizing their huge impact in terms of energy consumptions and the need to guarantee proper indoor conditions to increase employees’ productivity and well-being. To test the applicability of the multi-step methodology for this building category, the proposed approach is applied to an office building located in the North-West of Italy, aiming to assess and compare different alternative combinations of shadings devices and management strategies. The advanced features of building energy modelling and simulation and the application of PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation II) method as multi-criteria analysis allows to provide recommendations to decision-makers to identify the systems to be installed, able to guarantee the best trade-off between internal comfort, operational energy, and environmental costs for the building under investigation
Evaluating the Health-Related Social Costs Associated with the Thermal Uses of the Residential Sector: The Case of Turin
Get PDFNowadays, due to the constant increase of outdoor air pollution, the impact on people’s health is alarming. Moreover, in the current vulnerable and crucial historical period during which society is experiencing and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic consequences, this issue is becoming even more important. In line with this, there is an urgent need to provide scientific input to decision-makers to include the assessment of the health-related benefits and costs into urban planning processes. Special attention is devoted to the building sector since the heating service is considered among the main sources of air pollution in the urban environment. In the light of this, the paper aims to estimate the social costs associated with the thermal uses of the residential buildings in Turin (Northern Italy), integrating the energy assessment of the residential building stock, taking advantage of the Reference Building approach for the stock characterization, and the economic quantification and monetization of the air pollution health impacts, using the Cost of Illness (COI) method. Starting from the current situation, different retrofit scenarios for the residential buildings of Turin are hypothesized, to evaluate their capability in reducing the environmental impact of the sector, as well as to increase the social benefits they can guarantee
Designing IAQ-Resilient Post-Pandemic Buildings
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes to human life and habits. There is an increasing urgency to promote occupants’ health and well-being in the built environment where they spend most of their lives, putting indoor air quality (IAQ) in the spotlight. This study fits into this context, aiming to provide useful information about the design, construction, and operation of an IAQ-resilient building in the post-pandemic era for it to ensure a good trade-off between energy- and health-related objectives. The PRISMA guidelines were adopted to conducting a systematic review obtaining 58 studies that offered relevant results on two main research areas: (i) the concept of resilience, focusing on its definition in relation to the built environment and to pandemic-related disruptions; and (ii) the building design strategies that are able to increase buildings’ resilience, focusing on the preventive measures involving engineering control. In addition, the metrics and the decision-making tools able to make IAQ-resilient buildings attractive to the investors, focusing on the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) technique, were discussed. The research supported the transition of the building sector to a human-centered approach that is able to include IAQ resilience among the main priorities of future buildings to guarantee the occupants’ health and well-being
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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