Libros y capítulos de libro

THIS CHAPTER COMMENTS ON THE MAIN POINTS ADDRESSED IN THE BOOK, SHOWING HOW BARRIERS CAN BE REMOVED AND PATHS ARE DRAWN FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND PROGRESS, WITH A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE CLIMATIC AND SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE COUNTRIES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH.

THIS CHAPTER REVIEWS CURRENT POLICY INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE RELEVANT IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT IN BUILDINGS. BASED ON AN OVERVIEW OF ENERGY INDICATORS WORLDWIDE, IT COMPRISES DETAILED INFORMATION ON TEN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES: ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, MEXICO, PERU, AND URUGUAY. FOR EACH COUNTRY, THE REVIEW COVERS INFORMATION ON BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ENERGY LABELING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT CODES, AMONG OTHER ASPECTS. THE CONCLUSIONS SHOW THAT THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COUNTRIES, WHERE MOST OF THEM HAVE DEVELOPED INITIATIVES ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS THAT WOULD INDIRECTLY IMPROVE COMFORT, BUT VERY FEW HAVE DEVELOPED POLICIES AND STANDARDS SPECIFICALLY ON ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT.

EDITORIAL SPRINGER, SUIZA

HOMES ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR ENERGY CONSUMERS AND GENERATE SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN CHILE AND GLOBALLY. THE IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING BUILDINGS OR NEW PROJECTS IS A PROCEDURE BASED ON MULTIDIMENSIONAL SIMULATIONS AND THE ENERGY EVALUATION OF HOUSING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A LACK OF STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS. NORMALLY, THE ORIGINAL SITUATION IS COMPARED WITH AN IMPROVED SCENARIO ACCORDING TO GENERAL ESTIMATES, BUT WITHOUT ANALYZING THE MOST EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES, BUILDING PROCESS, ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS OR ACCEPTABILITY FOR THE OCCUPANTS. BASED ON THE STUDY OF A DOZEN, REPRESENTATIVE DWELLINGS IN SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE, IN WHICH CONSTRUCTION RECORDS, COMPUTER MODELS, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, AND OCCUPANCY PATTERNS WERE COMPARED, THIS WORK PRESENTS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE EFFECTIVE ANALYSIS OF RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT. CONSIDERING A SELECTION OF RELEVANT EXISTING OR PROJECTED CONDITIONS, ENERGY SIMULATION WAS CARRIED OUT ACCORDING TO CONSOLIDATED BACKGROUND INFORMATION, AND ALTERNATIVES WERE IDENTIFIED ACCORDING TO A CATALOG OF SUITABLE BUILDING SOLUTIONS FOR EACH TYPE OF HOUSING STUDIED. THUS, PERFORMANCE RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING A METHODOLOGY KNOWN AS LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS (LCCA) FOR THE FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE SIMULATED ALTERNATIVES IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE ACTION PACKAGES. IN THIS WAY, CONSTRUCTION PROPOSALS WERE CREATED, APPLIED THROUGH COMPUTER SIMULATIONS AND IMPLEMENTED IN REALITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS WORK IS TO COMPARE THE VALUES OF ENERGY SAVINGS PRODUCED BY IMPROVEMENTS OBTAINED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS PROGRAMS, WITH THE RESULTS OF BUILDING MONITORING.

THE THERMAL COMFORT PROBLEM HAS USUALLY BEEN STUDIED FROM ENERGY PERSPECTIVE, USING ENERGY DEMAND AS AN INDICATOR, DISREGARDING THAT, IN CONTEXTS OF POVERTY AND ENERGY VULNERABILITY, THERE ARE DWELLINGS THAT DO NOT USE AIR CONDITIONING OR ONLY PARTIALLY DO SO. THIS APPROACH CONSTITUTES A BARRIER TO UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOMENON AND ACHIEVING CONTEXT-APPROPRIATE SOLUTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT FOR THESE DWELLINGS, THE MAIN PROBLEM WILL BE ADAPTING TO ACHIEVE COMFORT IN THE FUTURE CLIMATE. ON THE OTHER HAND, ENERGY REGULATIONS, IN OUR CONTEXT, FOCUSED ON NEW BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION MEASURES, LIMIT COMFORT CONDITIONS IN EXISTING DWELLINGS TO THE ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES OF INHABITANS TO IMPLE- MENT IMPROVEMENTS. THIS ARTICLE EVALUATES IMPROVEMENT MEASURES FOR TYPICAL SOCIAL HOUSING IN URUGUAY. IT CONSIDERS THE TIME IN COMFORT AS AN INDICATOR, USING ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT MODELS. IT STUDIES PASSIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE, AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, TO ELIMINATE ECONOMIC BARRIER. IT EVALUATES, BY SIMULATION, THEIR CURRENT AND FUTURE THERMAL PERFORMANCE, DEMONSTRATING THAT OPERATIONAL, VENTILATION, AND SOLAR PROTECTIONS PARAMETERS, HAVE HIGH IMPACT WITH ZERO COST ON THERMAL COMFORT, BEING DECISIVE TO AVOID OVERHEATING IN CASES COMBINED WITH HIGH INSULATION LEVELS AND AIR TIGHTNESS, UNDERLINING THE NEED TO CONSIDER THEM FROM THE DESIGN AS WELL AS TRAINING INHABITANTS IN THEIR USE.

THE HIGH-RISE RE-DENSIFICATION OF CITIES IS JEOPARDIZING SUNLIGHT ACCESS FOR HOUSING, WITH THE ENSUING REPERCUSSIONS ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELFARE OF THEIR INHABITANTS, AS WELL AS THE ENERGY AND LIGHT BENEFITS OF SOLAR RADIATION. THIS ARTICLE EVALUATES THE IMPACT OF URBAN RE-DENSIFICATION ON THE LIGHTING ENERGY DEMAND IN HIGH-RISE DWELLINGS IN ECUADOR. THUS, THE URBAN AND BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY OF QUITO WERE ANALYZED, USING SIMULATION TOOLS TO EXPLORE THE REDUCTION OF SOLAR IRRADIANCE ON THE FACADE, AND THE INCREASE IN LIGHTING DEMAND WHILE DETERMINING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS VIS-A-VIS THE INCREASE IN ENERGY DEMAND, THE AVERAGE WAGE, AND THE TEN PERCENT RULE. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT SOLAR OBSTRUCTIONS AND SHADOWS CAST BETWEEN BUILDINGS REDUCE SOLAR RADIATION BY BETWEEN 40 AND 80%, INCREASING LIGHT- ING CONSUMPTION COMPARED TO AN UNOBSTRUCTED SCENARIO, BY BETWEEN 2 AND 498%. THESE RE-DENSIFICATION SCENARIOS CAN LEAD TO RELEVANT SOCIAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH ENERGY POVERTY. CONCLUDING THAT, TO AVOID ENERGY POVERTY, THE POSSIBLE BUILDING HEIGHT MUST BE LIMITED CONSIDERING THE STREET WIDTH. THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO HELP PUBLIC POLICY DEVELOPERS IN THEIR FUTURE DECISION-MAKING, AS IT OPENS UP THE DEBATE BETWEEN HIGH-RISE RE-DENSIFICATION AND ENERGY POVERTY, PRESENTING RISKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT CONSIDERED IN URBAN PLANNING.

THE ESTIMATION OF ENERGY DEMAND HAS MANY INPUTS THAT MUST BE REVIEWED TO BUILD SIMULATION MODELS THAT ALLOW REACHING RESULTS THAT ARE CLOSER TO REALITY. AIR-CONDITIONING PROFILES STAND OUT AMONG THE VARIABLES TO CONSIDER. CURRENTLY, THE HEATING PROFILES USED IN CHILE ARE MAINLY BASED ON DATA FROM STANDARDS, GUIDELINES, OR SIMULATION TOOLS. THIS CHAPTER USES DATA FROM ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING CENTERS IN CENTRAL-SOUTHERN CHILE TO BUILD REPRESENTATIVE HEATING PROFILES FOR HOUSING. THE STUDY IS RELEVANT GIVEN THAT THE MAIN HEATING SOURCE IS WOOD-BURNING; SEEN IN 74% OF CHILEAN HOMES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE HOURLY PROFILES IDENTIFY TWO PERIODS IN THE DAY (MORNING AND LATE AFTERNOON?EVENING) WHERE USE IS CONCENTRATED, WITH A USE INTENSITY THAT RANGES BETWEEN 8 AND 13 HOURS A DAY, DEPENDING ON THE HARSHNESS OF THE WEATHER IN THE MONTH. FINALLY, IT HAS TO BE HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE TOP-DOWN METHOD USED IN THIS STUDY, VALIDATED THROUGH BOTTOM-UP DATA, CAN BE REPLICATED IN COUNTRIES WHERE THERE ARE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING STATIONS AND A TRADITION OF USING WOOD FOR FUEL.

IN RECENT YEARS CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BROUGHT TO LIGHT A RISING INTEREST ON ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT AMONGST THE VARIOUS HUMAN ACTIVITIES, IN WHICH BUILDING SECTOR IS INCLUDED. LOCAL CLIMATE DETERMINES THE EXTERNAL CONDITIONS THAT BUILDINGS HAVE TO ADAPT TO, HAVING A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON THEIR ENERGY DEMAND FOR HEATING AND COOLING. IN THIS CONTEXT, COMPUTER AIDED SIMULATION PROVIDES WITH HANDY TOOLS THAT HELP IN ASSESSING THIS IMPACT. THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATES HOW A CHANGE IN CLIMATE DATA FOR FUTURE SCENARIOS WILL AFFECT ENERGY DEMAND IN OFFICE BUILDINGS IN THE CITY OF SANTIAGO (CHILE). CLIMATE DATA HAS BEEN GENERATED FOR THE YEARS 2020, 2050 AND 2080, FOLLOWING THE ACKNOWLEDGED A2 ?MEDIUM-HIGH? EMISSIONS GREENHOUSE GASES GHG SCENARIO, ACCORDING TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE IPCC. PREDICTED ENERGY DEMAND FOR BUILDINGS IS CALCULATED BY MEANS OF AN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CALCULATION PROCEDURE OF ISO-13790:2008, TAKING AS EXTERNAL CONDITIONS THE THREE AFOREMENTIONED SCENARIOS. FINALLY, THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ENERGY DEMAND FOR OFFICE BUILDINGS IS CLARIFIED AND THEN OPTIMIZED, BASED ON ITERATIONS OF ITS ENVELOPE AND FORM. AS A RESULT, THIS RESEARCH CLARIFIES HOW FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS WILL AFFECT ENERGY DEMAND FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF OFFICE BUILDINGS AND HOW THEIR SHAPE AND ENCLOSURE CAN BE OPTIMIZED TO COUNTERACT THIS EFFECT.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT IN BUILDINGS IS A DYNAMIC CONCEPT INVOLVING ARCHI- TECTURAL, PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AS WELL AS SOCIOCULTURAL, ECONOMIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND OTHER VARIABLES. TODAY, THE BRANDT LINE IS STILL VALID FOR ESTABLISHING GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES IN DEVELOPMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY USE, CLIMATE, ALTITUDE, EMISSIONS, AND ACCESS TO ENERGY, AND FOR IDENTIFYING THE BARRIERS TO ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT. THE CURRENT GAPS IN MOST GLOBAL SOUTH CASES START FROM HISTORICAL INEQUALITIES, ALONG WITH GEOGRAPHICAL, TOPOGRAPHICAL, CULTURAL, AND CLIMATIC SINGULARITIES. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AND VERY VARIED BARRIERS FOUND. HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE TO HIGHLIGHT THE ONES THE AUTHORS CONSIDER ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. THE CONCEPTS RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES HAVE MAINLY BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE GLOBAL NORTH, MEANING FOR THE GLOBAL SOUTH THEIR DEFINITIONS REQUIRE NOT JUST CONCEPTUAL ADJUSTMENTS BUT ALSO NEW MEANS OF ASSESSMENT AND MEASUREMENT. AS A STARTING POINT, THE ACTIONS AND MEASURES BEING IMPLEMENTED MUST INCLUDE LOCAL EFFORTS AND ADVANCES, THEIR AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND CAPACITIES, AND, IN PARTICULAR, EACH COUNTRY?S TECHNOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT. THE CHAPTERS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTE IN THIS SENSE.

THE BUILDING INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST ENERGY CONSUMERS AND COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE STRIVING TO DESIGN BUILDINGS THAT SATISFY THE USER?S EXPECTATIONS WHILE CONTAINING THEIR ENERGY CONSUMPTION. IN THIS CONTEXT, ZERO-ENERGY BUILDINGS HAVE EMERGED AS A TECHNOLOGICAL PARADIGM THAT CAN SOLVE THIS GLOBAL ISSUE, BUT ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS HAS BROUGHT A PROFOUND DEBATE ABOUT ITS TECHNICAL, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITATIONS. THANKS TO CONTRIBUTIONS FROM A VARIETY OF SCHOLARS FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, THIS BOOK EXPLORES DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE ZERO-ENERGY BUILDINGS AND GIVES THE READER A BROAD VIEW OF THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTATION IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS.