Yearbook2010 Building



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Chair:

Pro. Giuseppe Turchini

DOCTORAL PROGRAMIN BUILDING ENGINEERING

Formation aimsThe building sector represents a greatly relevant section in thepanorama of the domestic and European productive systems bothfor its size and for i ts technical-economic complexity.Furthermore there is a growing complexity determined by theremarkable activity of the manufacturers of material s concerningthe building sector, from new production organizations, from newemergencies connected with sustainability to the control of theenvironmental impact.In addition the interaction of environmental, economic and socio-political, organizational, and procedural factors lead to continuouschanges of the conditions of the demand in the building marketconcerning both product quality and quantity.Inside this complex sector, the engineering discipline section that

supports the planning of building works has consolidated intostable and protable research lines that involve various scienticdisciplinary sectors connected with the science of materials,environmental issues, energy, well-being, technical plants, tothe organizational aspects, of building and management, to theeconomy. The productive development of the building sectorrequires the right skills to compete nationally and i nternationallyat all levels.Such competition, more and more characterized by an incentivetowards technological innovation unprecedented in the historyof building, is characterized through important developments ofall the themes that operate in the vast sector of engineering ofthe building processes in all development phases. An authenticand continuous innovation, based on essential binomials asenvironment/development, preservation/use of resources, is notsufciently nourished, in planning terms, by research.

It is therefore necessary to strengthen the technological transfertowards the production sites spread over the entire territory, andfor this reason the preparation of high-prole professionals, likethe ones that the Doctoral School intends to produce, becomesessential. This gure operates inside the engineering processesin building systems that are becoming increasingly complex andrequire interdisciplinary engineering talents that, in addition tothe traditional disciplines, invest the building science & technologyon the versants of building physics, building material engineering,the systems’ and components’ service life, building productionengineering and management, safety engineering, appliedeconomy.

The research doctorate in building engineering,as a higher level of formation, aims at thedevelopment of the necessary skills forprofessionals with a high technical andmanagerial prole. These professionals couldbecome key workers of public administrations,construction rms, engineering companies,manufacturers, research and development bodiesand of all the structures and bodies that have

to do with the construction processes.

Synthetical indication o the phd profles ∙ Highly technically qualied professionalssuitable for roles as planning and developmentmanagers in building companies, in material,components and system manufacturingindustries and in service companies, primarilyengineering companies.

∙ Professionals with high technical qualications,suitable for lling consulting and project-manager positions in engineering companies,public structures, professional rms, material,components and system manufacturers asinterpreters of a technological innovation who

are fully aware of demand problems and needsand completely updated from an engineeringanalysis knowledge and instrumentation pointof view.

∙ Highly qualied researchers destined tooperate as planning managers for research andcontrol projects in private and public researchinstitutions and centres (obviously including theUniversity).

The ormative programmeThe formative programme generally develops inthe following way:∙ The rst year is dedicated to the formulation

of the research problem, to the developmentof the rst mastery in the eld, to coveringpossible formative debts and to the attendanceof basic and specialized courses.

∙ The second year is dedicated to the mastery ofthe research problem through the extension ofthe knowledge concerning the objectives of thethesis.

∙ The third year constitutes the most intenseperiod of autonomous and original elaborationof the thesis and its argument.

In the development of the thesis, the relationswith other researchers and the periods of

study and internship at Italian and foreignresearch centres (stages) are fundamental. Suchexperiences are highly appreciated and favouredby the doctorate.The thesis is carried out with the support of anassistant and its whole course is monitored by theteaching staff through semi-annual disputations.At the end of the doctorate the staff admits(or not) the doctoral candidate to the nal

disputation, on the basis of the thesis’s scienticvalidity and originality.

The doctorate activities are strengthened by thesystematic and operative contact with: ∙ the most advanced manufacturers of the sector; ∙ research centres and particularly ITC/CNR inItaly, CSTB in France, CIB (International Councilfor Research and Innovation in Building andConstruction) at an international level, thedoctorate is member of the CIB StudentsChapter;

∙ the Italian (UNI) and International (ISO,CEN, EOTA, IAI) Headquarters of normativeelaboration;

∙ the public administrations system; ∙ the industrial and professional associations thatoperate in the sector.

In the last years i nternships and study periodshave been made possible at these institutions:∙ University of Gävle (HIG), Sweden∙ BRE Building Research Establishment – London∙ CSTB Centre Scientique et Technique du

Batiment - Paris ∙ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory -California -USA

∙ Aalborg Universitet - Denmark ∙ Fraunhofer Institute für Solar Energy SystemsISE - München

∙ Werner Sobek Engineering and Design - New

York

Main topicsThe topics, that have prevalently been developedthrough multidisciplinary support, draw from thefollowing research areas:1. Technological and planning innovation in the

construction sector, both for the section of newbuilding and of refurbishment, is orientatedat facing urgent problems, particularly thosederiving from the environmental sustainabilityand energy strategies:



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SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS

Assimpredil

DIVINA VALENTINO Srl

FCC Srl Permasteelisa Group

Fumagalli Spa

Ing Srl

IVAS Spa

RDZ SpaRigamonti Spa

STO ITALIA Srl

Termoisover Srl

Comune di Verona

∙ through the analysis and studyof high efciency building components;

∙ through the analysis and study of buildingsystems that mainly use renewable energysources;

∙ through the analysis and study of thereactivity of the systems and componentstowards deterioration agents andmechanisms, with the goal to optimizetheir life cycle.

2. The innovation of the productive andmanagerial processes of the industry,the companies and the public administrationsinvolved in the building sector, for new

buildings as well as for the managementand refurbishment of existing buildings: ∙ through the study of the operative,procedural, managing methods and toolsfor the optimization, qualication andvalidation of such processes, as for exampleproject and construction management,project nancing, value engineering,interoperability.

ADVISORY BOARD

Antonio Acerbo (Comune di Milano) - Central director of the technical area

Claudio De Albertis (Assimpredil) - President

Giuseppe De Martino (AIPPEG) - Director

Guido Farè (Tecnoform Spa) - General Manager

Libero Ravaioli (UNCSAAL – Unione Nazionale Costruttori Serramenti Alluminio Acciaio e Leghe) -President

Giuseppe Rigamonti (Rigamonti Francesco SpA, ANCE – Associazione Nazionale Costruttori Edili) -Chief executive ofcer

Piero Torretta (UNI) - President

Vico Valassi (Unioncamere) - President

Roberto Vinci (ITC-CNR Institute for building technologies) - Director



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INCREMENTAL INNOVATION AND PERfORMANCECOMPLEXIfICATION AS COMPETITIVE STRATEGIESIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Current historical periodis strongly characterized bycontinuous pushes towardnovelty. The term “innovation”is constantly used, even withouta real innovation in place.If we don’t look at innovationas a “mean” but as a “process”of renewal and performancesimplementation, its meaninggets more complex and it mustbe considered as a evolutionaryphenomenon inside a denedindustrial reality.

During my studies I haveconsidered some of the sectorsthat are key technology areas.They recorded a continuouslyincreasing push toward newand higher performances.Despite results are better andbetter, there is always a limit,due to the (human) use thatmakes the innovation usefulto itself, or only for competitivestrategic purposes.The literature shows that thedynamics of ideas development,or innovation research can

follow different paths, notalways predictable andpreviously appraisable, andoften not identiable ina classical model.The matter becomes moredifcult in case of Small/Mediumcompanies, often without astructured R&D department,and in companies whereinnovation is outsourced ordeveloped in other research

centers like Private Institutesor Universities.In the construction industry,the different chain for productdevelopment and distributionmakes the innovation adoptionslower.The Buyer (last user of the work)doesn’t often actively participateto the choices in the variousmoments of the building processand doesn’t give an immediatefeedback. On the “constructionsite”, between industrial

production and nished product(building), the different productsare assembled by people (notalways specialized), with all theunknown issues that can ariseand possible modications tothe product performance.The building process andthe nal result depend alsoon others’ choices (peoplewith different charges anddecisional powers like Designers- Construction Companies-Artisans). It may happen thattheir decisions do not reectthe real request from the Buyer.

Finally the technologicalcomplexity is often hidden,making difcult, for thebuyer, the understanding andappreciation of the addedvalue in terms of quality andinnovation. In this generalpicture we need to also considerthe construction laws and theobligations from the technicalstandards UNI-ISO. Togetherthey have a considerable impact

but don’t ensure developmentof innovation.

If we schematize the productionin phases, we can identifya rst level (phase 1) of industrialproduction of work in progressand nished materials, anda second level (phase 2) ofassembly and nal materialsworkmanship, necessarily donelocally (construction site).Potential developments forinnovation are in phase 1, while

in phase 2 there are many stronglimitations, for various technicaland cultural reasons. Theyobstruct the innovation diffusionand adoption (for both productor system innovation)The research for this thesisis founded on the oppositionof these two phases, with themajor objective to identifya model of development forinnovation, easy to adopt in theindustrial compartment of Small/ Medium Companies, assuringthe adoption during the wholebuilding process.

The rst choice is betweenIncremental PerformanceInnovation and RadicalInnovation, different from eachother, both for the approachand for the methodologyof development. My choicehas been on the IncrementalInnovation, which is based onthe assumption to improve thecharacteristics or the functionsof a system/product, maintaining

Roberto Francieri

a “continuum” betweenwhat it is currently availableand what is innovated. It is NOTthe “progressive development”of products, where companymakes an improvement inproduction in order to optimizeresources and reduce costs.Small/Medium companies often

do not have R&D departmentfor cost control reasons.Therefore the tool ofIncremental Innovation needsto follow simple procedures toset a rst level of choice for theresearch. This rst choice hasto be shared among the variouspeople working in the company.Besides, the initial choices todene the development strategyare inuenced by: economicvalue of the initial investment,market conditions, producttype, technical comparison

among competitors, professionalability of the company, strategicalliances, and “time”.As found during the search,timing is fundamentalto propose a model ofimplementation that getsto an Innovated product thathas immediately some marketshare, that means a littlegroup of “rst-users”, whichwill provide a feed-back forthe next implementation andimprovement, with followinggain of bigger market areas.The Incremental Performance

Innovation models dened inthe thesis are:Innovation by Composition:it develops a differentcomposition of the product,with addition of new materials,for stratigraphy or mixing them.The performances improvementand the different compositioncould result in new potentialuses. New materials couldthen “adapt” to increase the

functionalities of the new uses;Innovation by Technology:it implements the technologyof the product, or applies a newone. It improves the productperformances but the productcan also change itself into a“system” increasing the eldof use. Also in this case

there can be subsequentimprovements to adapt thesystem to the constructive type;Innovation by Inormation:

it implements the productinformation already known,or studies the most greaterpeculiarities of it, deepeninginformation on the productivecycle, and appraising thecharacteristics during theaverage life cycle, the wearand maintenance of thecomponents to the denitionof the end of the life cycle.

The research includes the studyof the material recovery options,the recycling, or the type ofwarehousing in the dumps, theevaluation of the incorporatedenergy both during productionand in all the passages of thelife cycle of the product.This last innovation type isthe easiest to adopt andcan be used to evaluateother implementations.The deep technical knowledgeof the product, in terms ofconsumptions (of energy, water,toxic substances etc., during

the whole production cycle)allows to innovate the differentphases of the system, stronglyreducing consumptionsand environmental impact.

For testing purposes I haveexamined some examplesof Incremental Innovation,developed inside the Politecnicoof Milan, in cooperation withsome construction companies,

like Brianza Plastica e Velux Italia

The information obtained fromanalysis on product/chain/lifecycle should be used as strategiccommunication tool. Theadoption of an evaluation tool(resulting from LCA and EPDdatabases) like Ecolabel, but

of greater effectivenessand understanding, couldhelp to report with clarityand simplicity some standardparameters, to use ascomparison among similarproducts. Procedures of priorassessment exist already butthey often force to very complexcalculations that reduce thepossible implementation.The obligation for a clear andcomparable description ofproduct would create a virtuouscircle of competition among

companies.

Conclusion is that innovationis the tool for the improvementof performances andinformation, that makesthe sector most sensitive tothe choices of development,with dynamics of integration,consistent with the increasingrequest of quality in building.



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that can be used for theiranalysis are principally simulationtools, like dynamic simulationtools, that require an higheffort for the collection andthe treatment of the data.Corollary of the lack ofevaluation instruments of

those systems is the fact thatat the norm level doesn’t existCEN norms useful for theperformance certicationof the system (consideringthe 2002/91/EC directive and hisrecasting), whereas at Europeanlevel only some excellences likethe DIN 15899 (reception ofthe 2002/91/EC in Germany)introduce the question of theestimation of the performancesof the AHUs.

On the rst side the UNI ENISO 13790: 2008 simple hourlymethod has been implementedand tested. Then the basisof a structured study forthe elaboration of simpliedperformance functions forthe AHUs has been elaborated.On the basis of the availablemodels the most representativesAHUs typologies at the Europeanlevel have been chosen, with theresult to determine 8 interestingcongurations. The AHUsmodels elaborated starting forthe single components could bethen simulated under a variousset of conditions. The toolsthought for this are the softwareGenOpt (General OptimizationProgram), that allows to runparametric simulation in anautomatic way. The adequatenumber of simulation couldallow to determine thePerformance maps and thesimplied relationship forestimate the ideal performancesof the system in case ofcommissioning analysis.

with average knowledgeand experience. For eachtypical component of the air-conditioning systems is thereforenecessary to have availablemethods and tools that allowto identify the typical faults inthe functioning in a simpliedand economic manner.

Taking in mind thoseconsideration the studyof the elaborate propose isconcentrated on the buildingsimulation via the study andvalidation of a simpliedmodel derived from the UNIEN ISO 13790:2008 and onthe air handling units, beingthose among the most energyconsuming components,but that have proved to bethe one that are susceptibleto the higher improvements.For what concern the studyof the simplied hourly model,this have been implement inPython code and this has beenvalidated comparing it witha dynamic model and withthe real measured data of a testbuilding. The most shows to beable to follow the energy needsof the building, being adaptableto the schedules variation(ventilation, internal gains, etc.)and considering the inuenceof the mass of the building.For what concerns the AHUsthe objective is the elaboration ,starting form models,of performances maps andof simplied relationships thatcan be considered baselineif data for estimate the energyperformances of such systemsare not available.The AHUs are complex systems,strongly related with the othercomponents of the building-HVAC system (typically theyneed hot water, cooled water,sanitary water, electricity andsometimes other uid like

are obtained through themeasurement devices placedon the HVAC systems and/orthe exploiting of the buildingautomation system (BAS) ifexistent on the building.The data obtained for identifyand diagnose the faults can beelaborated via the utilization of

the calculation methodologiesand models that can becatalogued in:a. white box;b. black box;c. gray box.depending on the physicalmeaning of the parametersused in the models (whiteare physical models, blackare regressive models and grayhave characteristics of both).Those models are also usefulfor the implementation of thealgorithms that can be utilizedfor the optimization of thesystems, if they have beencalibrated on the system understudy.Although this large set of toolsstudy a building-HVAC systemof a big building with theactual standard of knowledgeand considering the actualmaintenance practice givevarious problems, sometimesnot possible to overcome witha reasonable effort. Chronic isthe lack of data of the buildingand his HVAC systems,only partially obtainable witha investigation on the eld.The actual efforts for theresearch on commissioningin the building eld areconcentrated on the elaborationof tools the most possiblesimplied. Those have the aimto investigate on the systemperformances via the elaborationof a baseline with a limitedamount of data and elaborationof the results in a mannerthat can be understood bythe common technical operators

ASHRAE Guideline 0, TheCommissioning Process, denescommissioning as “a quality-oriented process for achieving,verifying, and documenting thatthe performance of facilities,systems, and assemblies meetsdened objectives and criteria”.Commissioning ensuresbuilding quality using peerreview and in-eld or on-siteverication. Commissioningalso accomplishes higherenergy efciency, environmentalhealth, and occupant safety and

improves indoor air quality.Organizations that haveresearched commissioning claimthat owners can achieve savingsin operations of $4 over therst ve years of occupancyas a direct result of every $1invested in commissioning –an excellent return oninvestment. Meanwhile, thecost of not commissioning isequal to the costs of correctingdeciencies plus the costsof inefcient operationsThe Ongoing Commissioning isa continuous process of energy

optimization of the building-HVAC system nal energyconsumption. This approachis consolidated in the industrycontext, where the productionsystem is well known and itsmodication is low throughthe time, whereas in case ofbuildings this is a relatively newapproach that is developingunder the necessity to reducethe energy consumptionin the actual context.

BUILDING COMMISSIONINGProcess, baseline denition and modelsor ault detection and diagnosis

Michele Liziero

On the side of this introduction,consideringa. the European objectives of

energy consumption andCO

2emission reduction, like

the 20/20/20 plan by 2020and the European directives2002/91/EC and 2006/32/EC;

b. the fact that the Europeanbuildings represent aboutthe 40% of the nal energyconsumption of the mainland;

c. the change tax of the buildingstock is very low (less than2%) and a lot of buildings

and HVAC systems needcontinuous interventionor maintenance andrequalication;

it appears, for whatconcerns the not residentialbuildings, that an OngoingCommissioning procedure is afundamental requisite for theincreasing o efciency forthe building and HVAC systemsexistents and/or recently built.The magnitude of this approachhas been demonstrated tobe in the 5-30% in term ofreduction of the nal energy

consumption.

The principal phases ofthe procedure of ongoingcommissioning consist in1. Develop the commissioning

plan and dene theresponsibilities

2. Develop the performancebaselines

3. Conduct systemmeasurements and developcommissioning measures

4. Implement commissioningmeasures

5. Document comfortimprovements andenergy savings

6. Keep commissioningcontinuously

It isn’t aim of the elaborateto develop of the ongoingcommissioning plan incontractual terms or theimprovements of themaintenance plans withconsideration of a continuous

measure and verication ofthe system performances,whereas it is objective todescribe the phases that arerelative to the calculation ofthe energy Baseline and theelaboration of the “on theeld” measures for calculateand document the energyconsumption reduction thatcould be obtained.The Baseline determination,that is necessary to calculatethe energy and economicsavings obtained with theOngoing Commissioning,

is a part of the buildingcommissioning process. In orderto understand where and howact after have elaborated anenergy baseline is necessary toidentify the faults of the systemcomparing the consumptionvalues with the benchmarkconstituted by the energybaseline (Fault Detection andDiagnosis, FDD).The data that are necessaryfor make this comparison



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THERMALLY ACTIVATED WALL SYSTEMSA simulation study on the easibility o ventilationassisted TAWS in cooling season

BackgroundThermally Activated BuildingSystems, called TABS, areheating or cooling systemsbased on the circulationof a uid in the pipes embeddedin the building components.TABS integrate therefore thebuilding structure into theoverall energy strategy ofthe building, using the heatcapacity and the heat transferproperties of the construction tocondition the built environment.

These systems accumulatea certain quantity of energy(cool, in summer, heat, in winter)in the building construction,manly during the night; thisstored energy is then exploitedduring the following day, whenthe building component storesheat (in summer) or gives it off(in winter). The main advantageis therefore the reductionof the thermal load peaks andtheir transfer in periods oflower energy demand, withconsequent reduction (andthen optimization) of the

system. Another advantageof TABS is related to comfortissues, as the surface wherethe hydronic system is collocatedhas a temperature close to thedesired room temperature inorder to achieve the comfortof the occupants. This resultsin a positive effect on theaverage radiant temperature,related to the view factors,and consequently on the

operative temperature.In addition, the use of lowdifference temperatures allowsan easier implementationof renewable energy sourcesin the built environment, anda considerable increase in theirefcient use.In the last few years suchsystems registered a largespread, as they are considereda promising solution from bothan energetic and an economicpoint of view. The typical

solution is the application tointernal oors of multi-storeynonresidential buildings, inparticular ofces, in combinationwith air-conditioning equipmentsused to cover the latent heatload during the hours ofoccupation. The applicationof such systems to vertical wallshas not already been studiedin literature till today, withthe only exception of somesolutions, characterized bydifferent functional models,which include the use ofcapillary micropipes collocated

in the internal side of theenclosure.The researchThis work wants thereforeto explore the potentialitiesof “activation” of opaquebuilding envelope exteriorsurfaces, through the owingof a uid characterized by axed energy level. The researchis focused only on the summerseason, which is considered

the real critical point of thedesign. These potentialitieshave been evaluated in termsof thermal comfort reached inthe environment and throughsimple evaluations of energyconvenience, related essentiallyto energy need and energycosts.The thermal mass activationprovides for what representsthe real weakness of iper-insulated building envelops,that is the lack of a system to

store energy, moving towardsthe approach of the envelopeas a “tank” of energy. Thetraditional vision of the BuildingEnvelope strictly connected tothe limitation of the thermal uxentering (and, for this reason,characterized by characteristicsof passivity), has to be changedwith a vision of an “Active”system, which is able to respondto external changing in the mostspontaneous way and that isable to guarantee adequateconditions of internal comfort.The resulting integration of the

Building and the HVAC systembecomes not only an integrationin terms of performance,but also in physical andtechnological terms.Even if this solution couldappear limited by the constraintsof external enclosures(geometrical availability,presence of openings, presenceof furniture, etc.) and by theefciency of the system (energy

Giorgio Pansa

supply outwards), the systemdemonstrates, under certaincongurations, its clear anddened validity, in terms ofenergy savings and improvementof comfort conditions. Suchcongurations essentially involvethe assumption of an adaptivethermal comfort model and

the integration with naturalventilation systems, whichis an aspect rarely studiedin literature.According to theseconsiderations, this studyanalyses in which conditionsthe thermal mass activationof the opaque exterior buildingenvelope leads to benets inthe summer season. The effectof different parameters, bothfrom the building point of view(thermal capacity, exposure, areaof the openings, internal loads,

etc.) and from the HVAC systemone (temperature of use, timeof operation, pipes spacing,etc.) has been investigated bythe Author using design andsimulation strategies basedon “simplicity”, the elementof success of this system, whichappears nevertheless original.The informative characterof the research, which triesto investigate the feasibility ofsuch systems, is to be considereda further step toward a solution.ResultsFrom the results of simulations,

Thermally Activated WallSystems seems to be a promisingtechnology, which can beapplied to improve thermalcomfort conditions in thesummer season, above allin existing buildings that needa refurbishment investment inorder to fulll national standardrequirements, without asignicant increase of costs. Thisis achieved essentially

by the using of someenvironmental energy.The system can be appliedto all construction characterizedby homogeneous building layers.Since the strong integrationbetween HVAC system andbuilding structure, it has tobe pointed out how these

systems are characterized byan high number of parameters,on both sides, which are strictlydependent each other. The roleplayed by each of them hasbeen deeply investigated.The simplication in the designand management of the systemappears to be the key conceptin the achievement of the studyand feasibility of such solution.The creation of a largesimulation database relatedto the parametric hypothesisabout building and HVAC

system has been used to createa preliminary tool to evaluatethe feasibility of TAWS in coolingseason in the decisional stageof the building process.Limits and urtherdevelopmentsThe limits of this researchare fundamentally tied to thetheoretical character, deprivedof a proper experimentationand validation.Analyses have beenperformed for a dened setof congurations; anyway it issuggested to consider a broader

anthology of case studies,to better understand the overallperformance of the system.In fact, results presented interms of power and energy arerelated to the peculiar buildingscheme adopted for simulations,while the overall performancecan be investigated into detailonly taking into account a realcase. In addition, a deeperinvestigation of primary energy

and energy cost is necessary.This research focused oncommercial buildings; residentialbuildings should be studiedto evaluate the inuence ofinternal gains and the differentoccupancy pattern on theperformance. In such buildings,natural night ventilation could

be investigated.If a mechanical system is usedto implement ventilation airchanges, further considerationwill be useful in terms of thecorrelation between this systemand the performance of TAWS.Hybrid ventilation could be aninteresting aspect to take intoaccount.Moreover, it could be necessaryto analyze heating scenarios,focusing on the possibilityto use the same energy source,i.e. heat pump ground source,

to answer to all energy needsof the building.Together with energy costs,investment costs need to beinvestigated more into detail.In order to establish them,fundamental is the studyof the building technologyof such systems, in particularthe junction of different panelsand the design of the entiresystem, which takes intoaccount some specic plantaspects (i.e. pressure drop,interstitial condensation, etc.)not considered in the presented

analysis.A more detailed analysisby means of Finite ElementsMethod is required for buildingcomponents including aircavities.



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Since energy savings in buildingsis today mandatory in developedcountries, it is imperative toperform, during the designstage, an accurate estimation ofthe energy used by their servicesystems to assure different kindsof comfort. Therefore we needrst to describe the object o the design, as a collection ofcomponents and relationshipsamong them, i.e. a system (theconceptual model), and then to“emulate” its behaviour (throughsimulation) with an assured level

of accuracy.

The object of the design is theBuilding System or BS, includingBuilding’s Fabric, Building’sEnvelope and Service Systems.

Its behaviour depends,in a sophisticated way, fromdifferent aspects. Given thecomplexity and non linearityof the BS, addressing all theinterrelated performance aspectssimultaneously is the only wayto allow the designer to e xplorethe relationships between

building’s form, fabric, servicesand controls. However, analysingsuch a system is certainly nota trivial task. Even if progressesin physics, numerical analysisand computer sciencetheoretically allow the simulationof the various phenomenainvolved in BSs in “quite-all”their complexity, time executionissues have historically imposeda reduction of the simulated

phenomena. Anyway, newcalculus frontiers, arisen thanksto the advent of distributedcalculus, might offer newpossibilities.

At the same time the BS’sevolving nature requires the toolcontinuously evolves to addressnew features and include newtechnologies. Fortunately, thisevolutionary nature, togetherwith similar problems andresolutions, could be found indierent research felds and

application domains. This diffusenecessity to create new modelsand new numerical algorithmsfor the simulation of alwaysmore complicated problemsand to use the most advancedresources developed in otherresearch elds (numeric’s, maths,IT’s) claims the importance ofa shared resolution approach,able to promote the work donein different elds and to allowreuse by modifcation.

Modularity shows goodfeatures for answering these

requirements. However, in theBuilding Performance Simulation(BPS) eld, modularity hasplural implications and hasbeen interpreted in differentways without having, in somesense, reached its full potential.Even the attempt to switch toequation-based tools has notprovided an optimal solution.Indeed they are better suitedfor rapid model prototyping

than traditional BPS tools,but they typically lack thevast range of state of the artmodels of other BPS tools, thecalculation facilities offered byother programming languagesand other facilities related tospecic input/output processing.

In relation to these newrequirements and to the needof a higher condence levelin using today’s tools, twoprincipal problems in BPS(Building Performance

Simulation) tools have been risenup: ∙ the difculties in masteringthe BPS tool itself;

∙ the difculties involvedin the maintenance andimprovement actions aimedat the tools’ evolution.

By reviewing the state of the artin BPS tools, gaps in addressingthe observed problems havebeen identied. As a matterof fact, while for the simulationof Service Systems thecurrent modelling approach

is clearly inspired by theparadigms of Object OrientedProgramming (OOP), for theBuilding’s Envelope the samehierarchical modelling (systemand components aggregation)has not been followed; onthe contrary it has alwaysbeen designed as stronglymonolithic. This could be dueto the “localized” and dynamicnature of Service Systems, in

Martina Pasini

TOWARDS AN ENRICHED MODULARITY Of BUILDING PERfORMANCE SIMULATION’S PROGRAMSReconceptualisation and development o an Object-Oriented model or the Simulation o the Building System

advantages has been necessaryto review the mathematicalmodels’ aggregation of thedifferent objects involvedinto the simulation of theBS and to demonstrate thenumerical convergence of theproposed architecture. We havedemonstrated that, subjected

to different conditions, thewhole system shows goodconvergence features. Wehave also conrmed that this“autonomous processes”philosophy is well suited forthe evolution towardsdistributed and parallelizedcalculation.

As a matter of fact, thisapproach might help indistributing, over the internet,always-updated services forthe calculation of speciccertied components.

Further analysis should bedevoted to conrm the intuitionthat this philosophy couldalso allow faster calculationby reducing the numberof performed calculations.

The belief is that this enrichedmodular architecture mightimpact on the design process,since it makes easier tounderstand the BPS model builtwith such tools and it allowsan easier development of newmodels at different levels.

Furthermore, this approachwill pose the bases for a shareddevelopment of BPS tools’components that joints differentgures to reach a commongoal that is: incrementingthe accuracy, reliability, userfriendliness and “intelligence”of BPS tools, in orderto pursue a more sustainableand comfortable living, onthis world, inside our buildings.

contrast with Building’s Fabricand Building’s Envelope “diffusenature” and “immobility”.However, today, new materials,architectural trends andbuilding’s strategies characterizethe evolving and dynamic nature not only of the ServiceSystem, but also of the Building

itself, leading to the needto discard those old modelsthat do not cope anymorewith new constructiontypologies. For example,innovative building component,such as the Double-Skin Façade,or materials with memoryare not yet appropriatelyrepresented by such old models.However, if we wantto introduce the model ofa new façade into an existingtool, or this is just not possible,or we would be obliged toopen the code and to work

at the source code level on someothers work. Even when theprogram is declared as modular,almost always there is the needof forcing the model into thetool with some workaround,introducing, perhaps, additionalerrors.

As a solution to these problems,in this thesis, an “enriched ”modular object-oriented modelhas been proposed.

Starting from the observationthat the simulation of the

building involves different andheterogeneous components,this model would allow thedecomposition of the problem.This decomposition wouldreduce the size of the globalsystem by keeping its variousparts separated. Each modulewould therefore perform itscalculation when necessaryand with the numerical methodmore convenient according

to its nature. After that it willexpose its state variables toall the other modules. Sucha strategy would allow theincremental development ofnew mathematical modules,the parallelization of thecalculation and the possibilityto solve the problem in the way

more efcient for its nature.

Such model aggregates notionspertaining to various eldsof research (Mathematical andNumerical modelling, BuildingSystem’s Physicsand Information Technology)in order to bring the modularityat each level (representational,mathematical and numerical)by reconceptualising theArchitecture of BPS tools.To test such architecture, aprototype has been developed.The C# language has been

used and the work environmentchosen has been the .Netframework.

The main concern of this thesishas been devoted to evaluatesuch modeling approach’sfeasibility and to estimate theadvantages gained as far asconcern the possibility to easilyimprove and use the developedprototype and to make it evolvein a distributed environment.

This thesis has demonstratedthat using evolved ITs has

shorten the developmenttime (thanks also to theuse of existing libraries),has contributed to dene amore intelligible model (classstructure and inheritance) andhas provided new facilities tonavigate through and inquireinto the developed model(class diagram, automaticdocumentation, etc...).However, to exploit these



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LOW ENERGY PREfABRICATED HOUSESMethodology, technology and construction

Research has been developedduring Ph school and it hasbeen nanced by twoconstruction factory. Mainsponsor produces prefabricatedtechnologies for industrialbuildings and houses. Othersponsor develops and producesradiant systems for heating andcooling. Both sponsors agreedon objectives and research hasbeen developed with constantsupervision of tutor and Phschool professors.Title of thesis “low energyprefabricated houses:methodology, technology andconstruction”, clearly pointsout the topic of research.The main objective is toanalyze and to generalizethe most important methodsused in design of low energyprefabricated houses. Finally,this study realizes three simpletools to use in the designof low energy building.The rst part of researchis focused on analysis ofprefabricated elements and

systems. “Stato dell’arte” isbased on a large data acquisitionby bibliographical documentsand realized building. Theresearch on bibliographicaldocument is divided in twoportions. The rst portionchecks innovative prefabricatedhouses; it analyzes buildingshape, service installation,technology and energyperformances. The second

Fabio Perrotta

portion checks prefabricated

element performances inhousing system. It analyzescharacteristics of prefabricatedcomponent, physical propertiesand pathologies. The researchon realized building has beenrealized on houses built bythe sponsor. Visiting someyard, it was possible to identifyconstructions real conditionsand to check differences fromoriginal designs. The reserchon realized building includesan energy performances analysisof the most sold prefabricated

house. The analysis pointsout how much consumptiondecreases without changingarchitectural house structure.Increasing envelope isolationand increasing number of serviceinstallation is possible to reduceenergy consumption from1,76 TEP/a to 1,44 TEP/a.These strategies reduceconsumption but thearchitectural design idea

doesn’t have eco-sustainability

standards.The second part of ph researchanalyzes some house propertiescalled “potenzialità avanzate”.Mathematical analysis calculateshow much energy consumptiondecreases and how much indoorcomfort grows up for each“potenzialità” used in thehouse. Analysis includes thestudy of envelope shape,building type, glazing area,surface orientation, southsunspaces, external shadingsystem and natural ventilation.

Each of these “potenzialità”causes a varying reduction ofthe consumption (from 4 kWh/ m2a to 12 kWh/m2a).The third part of researchgeneralizes mathematicalcorrelation between“potenzialità avanzate” andsaved energy. This part is veryimportant because it extendsapplication of “potenzialità”to all house types. “Potenzialità

1. Eco-sustainability house design: “modello evoluto”

is “righello energetico”:a ruler-graph that points out

the quantity of saved energyfor each “potenzialità”.The third tool is constitutedby some graphs that showwhich “potenzialità” to usein prefabricated house designin every italian climatic zone.

avanzate” are classiedconsidering saved energy andindoor comfort. Contemporaryapplication of all “potenzialità”plans eco-sustainability housedesign. In this research thishouse design has called“modello evoluto”. This houseis an example of low energyprefabricated building: reductionof consumption is about 30%.

Generalization of “potenzialità”includes study of “modelloevoluto” response in all climaticzones in Italy. This house hasa good response in zone E(consumption reduction: -33%),in zone D (- 21%) and i n zoneC (-10%). In climatic zone B,house has a high consumptionfor cooling energy used insummer. The last analysisis the study of envelope mass.In all climatic zones, the increaseof envelope mass reduces theenergy consumption. Quantityof saved energy in zone E andD is elevated because in thesezones there is a large daily

thermal excursion.Ph research has created threemethodological tools for energysafe design of prefabricatedhouses.

The rst tool is constituted bylists that point out adaptability,compatibility and energyconvenience of every“potenzialità” in prefabricatedmodel. The second tool

2. Second tool: “righello energetico”

3. Third tool shows which “potenzialità” use in every climatic zone



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THE PROECT MANAGEMENT ENGINEERINGPROCESS Of A BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONINSTRUMENTS, PROCEDURES ED SAMPLES

In the last two decades,in the building constructionsector, public or private, wehad an increase of attentionregarding the quality of buildingconstruction products, throughthe introduction of a list of lawsthat aim to regulate aspects thatwere completely unknownup until a few years ago.Starting from the aspectsdescribed by the legislationregarding the structuralcalculation and from thelegislation on security aspects,

including the laws about theregulation of acoustic problems,up until the aspects about theenergy saving, Italy is walkingon a path that should take theCountry in alignment with otherEuropean Countries.Also the introduction into themarket of new technologies andnew semi-manufactured productoffers, to people who workin the building constructionsector, a multiplicity of technicalsolutions that, to be utilizedwell, need the collaborationseveral professionals.

We come from a periodwhere the design phase of abuilding was developed by fewprofessionals (the architect,the structural engineer, thegeologist), but we are enteringin a new era where, thecomplexity of Italian legislation,the multiplicity of solutions andthe new market conditions, askfor, on one side, the i nvolvementof several professionals

Cristian Rossi

(the acoustic expert, thebuilding energy expert, theenvironmental impact expert,the market analysis expert, plantsystems experts, the realtor, thelawyer, etc.), and on the otherside, the responsible involvementof the construction companyalso during the design phases.I concentrated on marketconditions because, after adecade of great expansion,we reached a predictable haltwhich inevitably obliges theconstruction professionals to

manage design phases andconstruction phases differentlyfrom how it has previouslybeen done in the past.From a decade where prot wasobtained with the increase ofrevenues, we are coming into aperiod where,by having constantrevenues, we can obtain protonly working on the reductionof costs, on very careful designof buildings, on accurate choiceof possible solutions, introducinginto the market “new highquality products”.These “new products” are the

result of a collective design ofseveral professionals. Becauseof this, it becomes morecomplicated to manage theentire design process, and it isin this context where the ProjectManagement becomes helpful.The PMO (Project ManagementOfce) represent the elementthat plots, measures and cutsthe destiny of the project, usinga list of management techniques

during the design activities,that: ∙ give a clear and uniquedenition of the targets,

∙ plans the activities of theresources involved in thedesign process,

∙ program the duration of theactivities dening dead lines,review steps, and closure ofthe design phases,

∙ control and analyze theresults of the different design(architectural design, structuraldesign, electrical systems,

heating and cooling systems,etc.),

∙ reprogram the progressof the project,

∙ allow the PMO to be theinterface between the designteam and the client.

Starting from theseconsiderations, we had the willto analyze, with this researchwork, those instruments andthose procedures that arenecessary to improve the controlof the design process ensuring ahigh level quality to the project.The instruments mentioned

above are: ∙ Life Cycle Cost Analysis for∙ the evaluation of the economic

and nancial impact of thedesign decisions,

∙ Life Cycle Assessment forthe evaluation of the impactof the building interventionon the environment,

∙ Value Management that, fromone point of view, gives youthe exact understanding of

the target of the business,from another, let you tomaximize the value for everystakeholder interested in theproject (environment, owner,staff, suppliers, etc.) andlastly let you verify the designalternatives based on the valuegiven to the performance

targets that every designedtechnological element shouldensure,

∙ Uncertainty and Risk Evaluationthat allow you to evaluate theprobability of occurrence andthat gives you the possibilityto make some considerationsabout the uncertainty linkedto every project that providesa very long life span,

∙ Building Information Modeling,Energetic Modeling andAcoustic Modeling Instrumentsthat, in a very short time,evaluate the design alternatives

(lay-out, plants systems, etc.)and measure the compatibilityof those alternatives to the settargets,

∙ Project System that permityou to manage the executionof a project , from contractmanagement to the deliveryof completed building, usingthe execution of the necessarylogistic phases,

∙ Enterprise Resource Planningthat gives the company thepossibility to integrate in realtime the data used by thewhole organization through

the integration of the businessprocesses,

∙ Document ManagementSystem and WEB Portal thatis a collaborative platformoffering a list of instrumentsthat, if well utilized, guaranteethe perfect alignment ofthe information betweenstakeholders with the intentionof:

∙ collecting and organizing the

information based ina design structure,

∙ sharing, using webapplications, the informationbetween internal and externalpartners involved in theproject,

∙ executing the logistic processon a collaborative platform.

Having the instruments is notenough if you do not deneunique and clear procedureswhich allow you to useeffectively the instruments andresources, dening when andhow they should be involved inthe design process to give theircontribute.This was the motivation thatconvinced me and the companywho funded my research toreview the procedures of thedesign process with the purposeof improving the quality ofthe nal product (in terms

of compliance with the basicrequirements of the designprocess) and to anticipate thosedecisions that have a greateconomical and nancial impacton the operating management.The idea was to forget thecommon practice of a lineardesign process where designfollows a logic of assemblageof single elements, wheredesign activities are in sequenceand where usually problemsare solved just when worksare already in progress, andapproach the design process

with a different structure thatwas named “Continuous ValueOptimization”, where everyprofessional gives his contributeduring each stage of the designprocess.We designed three headchapters called strategic design,development design andoperating design.The strategic design has thehighest relevance because it is at

this preliminary stage thatthe most important decisionsof the whole process are made.At this point it becomes clearthat there is a lot of data thatneeds to be analyzed duringthe design process:data coming from performanceand technological analysis of

the technological subsystemsand of the whole building.data coming from LCC andLCA analysis,data coming from risk anduncertainty analysis,data coming from economicaland nancial analysis of theinvestment.All this data needs to bereviewed and re-analyzed inevery step of the design processwith the purpose of improvingthe quality of the project andquality of the process.We passed from a situation

where there was not much datato analyze and where synthesiswere substantially bi-dimensionalto a more complex contextwhere there is much more data(of a different nature) comingfrom a different array, that needto be crossed and synthesizedin a dynamic way to obtainmulti-dimensional analysis(hypercubes) in a relativelyshort time.The context also see thepresence of many resourcesthat carry out many activities.For this reason there is the need

to control the whole processin terms of results through theanalysis of performance indexand success index and throughthe use of dashboards that verifythe progress of the project.The PMO is therefore theplace where information iscollected, data is analyzed andresources are evaluated withthe instruments of BusinessIntelligence.



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| 2 0 1 0STUDY Of THE BEHAVIOR ENVELOPE-RADIANT PLANT

SYSTEM IN SUSTAINABLE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGSBUILT WITH STRUCTURE/ENVELOPE TECHNOLOGY DESIGN TOOLS

Item search is the study of thebehavior of the envelope-radiantplant system in sustainableresidential buildings built withstructure/envelope technology.The nal purpose of this workis the realization of a planningtool that allows, in Italiancontest, to perform a practicaland fast feasibility study ofthe building-plant system withreference to envelope typologyand climatic context of thearea, using predeterminedparameters. This instrumentof preliminary planning isdirected to professionals, withthe purpose to contribute toincrease the awareness of theplanners regarding the thematicof comfort and energetic saving.Through the simple use of thetool it will be possible to verifythe incidence of the architecturalchoices for a more responsibleuse of the resources.The present study andthe design tool base theirmethodology on the intersectionof the results of different studies

on envelope and plants, withthe purpose to obtain a seriesof data that describes thebehavior of the building-plantsystem in determined situationsand contexts. Objective is toconnect single researches toprovide useful and immediatelyapplicable information to thenal users, to the purposeto direct the planning sincethe preliminary phase and

Erica Rota

to inform the single buyerson the energetic costs of theintervention, answering totheir demands of comfort.Hypothesis of work hasindividualized, as priority,the optimization of energeticperformances through thestudy of the integrationamong envelope and plant, inconformity with necessities inthe different cases, pursuing twoprincipals objective: the achieveof environmental comfort andthe energetic efciency ofthe buildings, with the nalpurpose to realize energeticallyindependent constructionswith low consumptions. Fromthese considerations follows theidea to realize a tool that usesas parameters of comparisonuseful, nal and primary energy.The realization of this tool hasbeen object of planning, phaseduring which a series of constantand varying parameters has beendened. Among these last onesthey reenter, in rst hypothesis:geographical position, through

the individualization of threeItalian cities, Milan, Rome andPalermo, representative of thevariability of the Italian climate;technological characteristic ofthe envelope and windowsdimension.The passages for the realizationof this tool are the followings:1. Individualization of the cooling

and heating unitary maximumsensitive demand, to

individualize the peak value tocalculate the necessary radiantplant in the different cases.

2. Sizing of the radiant plantin the cases with the purposeto optimize it.

3. Introduction of the datain TRNSYS, the softwareof dynamic simulation.This passage allows toestimate the inuence ofthe varying parameters on thewhole year, estimating annualconsumptions in reference tothe useful, nal and primaryenergy.

4. Economic evaluation of singlesimulations, in terms ofconsumptions and incidenceof the initial investment.

First phase:Sizing o radiant plantFrom the development ofthe passages 1 and 2 of theprogram, some considerationsemerge on the choices effectedfor the calculation of summerand winter maximum demand.The unitary sensitive heating

demand constitutes in fact ¼of the cooling demand, that itmust be adopted to sizing theradiant plant. From the analysisit can be observed a law ofproportionality for the residenceobject of examination amongthe size of the plant and theunitary value of the requirement.A second observation concernsthe possibility to increase thevariability of the characteristics

the radiant plant, whose sizecompensates the behavior ofa same envelope on differentclimates to the purpose tomaintain the inside comfort.The analysis of the energeticcosts in terms of useful, naland primary energy shows asa greater initial investment

directed to the adoption ofenvelope components withbest performance and thecontainment of the transparentsurface allow a fast returnof the investment.

Fith phase:Realization o the toolThe software used for therealization of the instrumentis Excel. The result consists ina design tool where the plannercan choose amonga series of default parameters,getting information on theconsumptions and costs. Theprogram is divided in two inputcards and three output cardsand it is studied for beingimplementable.Input cards contain thegeographical position, thegeometric characteristicsof the windows, the typologyof opaque and transparentenvelope. Output cards furnishthe consumption of the selectsolution in useful, nal andprimary energy throughthe adoption of heat pumps,

with the economic andenvironmental consequent costsof management in terms ofissues of CO

2. The tool furnishes

the costs related to the envelopeand to the radiant plant,with the possibility to appraisethrough the graphs the inuenceof the select parameters.

of wall: the respect of thesummer requirement showsas the technologicalcharacteristic of the opaquecomponent is negligible to theparameter constituted by thedimension of the windows.

Second phase:

Dynamic simulationThe passage 3 constitutesthe rst part of the simulationphase. Dynamic simulationshave been conducted for theindividualized cases, appraisingthe contribution of differenttypes of forced ventilation todene heating and coolingperiods and consequentlythe entity of the energeticconsumptions. At the endof such job the more effectivestrategies of winter andsummer ventilation are beenadopted. In the second partof the simulation phase theclassication of the parametershas been changed. The numberof initial parameters had been infact contained with the purposeto avoid a dispersion of the datathat estranged the attentionfrom the thematic individualize.Particularly two parametersfrom xed they become varying:the rst one concerns thetechnological characteristic ofthe transparent envelope; thesecond concerns the use prole.In reference to the rst aspect

they have been considered twotypologies of windows withinferior U-value. The initialphase of simulations has infact put in evidence the stronginuence of the windows onthe entity of the consumptions,particularly with the increaseof the transparent surface. Inreference to the second aspectthey are considered, for all thesimulations, different schedule

of use of the residence fromthe users, to the purposeto appraise the inuence onthe consumptions in caseof change of style of life by theoccupants. Differently from theinitial condition, that foresawthe contemporary presenceof the three occupants for the

whole arc of the day, in the newseries of simulations it has beenconsidered a family that usesthe residence only to the breaklunch, to the evening and thenight.

Third phase:Evaluation o theconsumptionsDynamic simulations havefurnished the winter andsummer consumption for thevarious cases in kWh of usefulenergy, to the purpose togeneralize the study, maintainingthe possibility to combinethe model to any plant systemcompatible with radiant panels.It has been considered theadoption of heat pumps,to translate the results gottenby the simulations in naland primary energy, andto predispose a rst economicanalysis.

Fourth phase:Economic analysisThis section contains the metriccalculations to the different

cases, divided in building partand building-plant system. Inbuilding part, some works arecommon to all the cases andothers are specic, to appraisethe entity of the expense for theenvelope and its inuence onthe total costs. Considerationsare independent from thegeographical position, otherwiseto what happens for the secondpart, where it is introduced



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| 2 0 1 0PASSIVE DEVICES fOR SUMMER

CLIMATE CONTROL IN BUILDINGSDesign tools and technological issues or Mediterranean climate

An inappropriate architecturedesign has caused in the lastyears a huge penetration ofconventional air conditioningsystems in Europe, and mainlyin the Southern countries.condition has a very seriousimpact on the countrieselectricity peak demandand on the correspondingenergy consumption. Thenew European Directive onthe thermal performance ofbuildings (Directive 2002/91/EC)asks from the member statesto undertake all the necessarymeasures in order to decreasethe energy consumptioncaused by air conditioning.One promising solution, asdemonstrate from monitoringnew low-exergy building (exergyis the part of energy ow thatcan be converted into some kindof high-grade energy, such asmechanical work or electricity),is the passive cooling conceptsthat can be successfully used inorder to achieve a comfortableindoor climate during the

summer, without high energydemand for air conditioning.In North and Middle Europethe passive strategies, as thesolar protection and the heatmodulation technique, are ableto minimise the overall heatgains. So, the reduced internalheat can be removed with theuse of natural heat sinks, e.g.night ventilation, earth-to-airheat exchanger or concrete

Graziano Salvalai

slab cooling. The applicationof these strategies, however,does have the same results inall over the weather conditions,e.g. the night ventilationstrategy shows a limited coolingpotential in the south Europeclimate. The main purposeof this thesis is to describe amodel of new efcient ofcebuildings for Mediterraneanarea, characterized by strongintegration of passive coolingstrategy and low exergytechnology (which use lessenergy, which could also easilybe delivered by sustainableenergy sources). The newofce model would become inthe future the reference pointwhen designing new ofcebuildings. Within this thesis theauthor made a further step inthe development and in theintegration of passive and low-exergy cooling devices (erasingactual market limit).For the rst analysis a simpliedmodel, representative of anofce building of the ninety’s,

was dened in TRNSYSenvironment. This software wasused to simulate the energyconsumption and to evaluatethe potentialities of differenttechnical solutions in theEuropean area. A criticalreview of these results was doneto take a choice from all thestrategies analyzed to those withthe greatest potential for ofcebuildings in Mediterranean

climate. This part of the thesisis carried out within theEuropean program ThermCO(Thermal comfort in buildingswith low-energy cooling). Thestudies highlight the capabilityof buildings which employthermo-active building systemsin combination with groundas environmental heat sources,natural night ventilation andheat pump system, to reduce thecooling energy consumptions.This solution is advantageousbecause it uses low temperaturedifferences between the waterstream and the room’s air, sothe COP of the mechanical plantis higher. The performanceof the building is evaluatedin term of energy consumptionand comfort.

This nal conguration for thenew model of MediterraneanEfcient Ofce Building (MEOB)was studied using the dynamicsimulation software, IDA IndoorClimate and Energy. Usingthis software the model of

ground heat exchanger and theThermo-Active Building Systemswas validated respectively withmonitoring data and withTRNSYS result’s comparison.Moreover, a new reversible heatpump with characteristic linewas implemented and validatedusing a monitoring data of sixheat pump systems locate inGermany. The proposed model isinnovative for two main reasons:

∙ rstly, it relies on data easilyavailable from heat pumpmanufacturers (capacity,and electrical power absorbedbased on the entering loadand source temperatures).This approach uses hencetwo source les as input,a le containing cooling

performance data anda le containing heatingperformance data,

∙ secondly, it al lows thereversibility of the cycle, andit can be used either to heator cool depending upon thedirection that the refrigerantis owing through the system.

The main innovative contributionpart of the thesis consistson the validation of wholebuilding model included theplant systems. The wholebuilding simulation results havebeen validated with detailedmonitoring data of a real ofcebuilding (E&B Druckerei locatedin Karlsruhe, Germany) that isuse as reference case for MEOB.Using the validated model,a sensitivity analysis providedguidelines for the project oflow-exergy building in typicalMediterranean climate as Rome.Due to the limited amountof energy of the environmentalheat source (ground), the supplysystem must be adequatelydimensioned and well operated.In case of heat pump systemscoupled with the ground,a correct dimension of theheat exchangers and massow rate are crucial aspects.Applying the adaptive comfortapproach of EN 15251:2007-08, the buildings, characterizedby radiant cooling devices

(suspended ceiling panelsand capillary tubes), meetthe requirements for thermalcomfort classes A and B withlow energy consumption.

1. Energy concept o the MEOB. The strategies consist on the reductiono cooling load and on the use o environmental heat sink. The groundcan use directly or coupled with a heat pump systems. This confguration

improves the ground cooling potential in spite o more electrical energy used.However, the electrical energy consumption can be product rom PV modules.

2. New heat pump model validation. The green dots represent the condenser

outlet water temperature and the grey dots the evaporator watertemperature [°C]. During the systems operation both the valuesare very close to the monitored values

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