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Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings
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Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 3701

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Luca Evangelisti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Roma TRE University, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: building physics; energy efficiency; experimental measurements; building energy simulation; heat transfer; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The buildings and the real estate industry contribute approximately 30% of total energy consumption globally, making them a key part of any action towards a green energy transition, moving away from fossil fuels dependence. Making buildings energy efficient is an essential step for the future of our planet. The key factors to consider for the energy efficiency of buildings concern both new buildings and existing ones. The former includes the orientation and the shape of the building, as well as the planning and the site selection, architecture, and engineering. The ideal goal is designing zero energy buildings. On the other hand, existing buildings include renovation strategies capable of reducing energy demand, increasing the efficiency of energy sources, and monitoring the building's energy use. All of these elements represent the starting point for the creation of renovated buildings with high energy efficiency.

Thus, to be considered “Green”, buildings should be energy efficient. Today, creating green buildings is a great chance for reducing negative impacts on human health and the environment, as well as important cost reductions.

Consequently, this Special Issue on “Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings” has a wide-range of goals, aiming at collecting high-quality scientific works varying from innovative solutions for new buildings to energy retrofit strategies for the existing building stock. This Special Issue welcomes the following topics:

  • Sustainable and green buildings: protocols and applications;
  • Sustainable and green building materials;
  • Zero or nearly zero energy buildings;
  • Life cycle assessment;
  • HVAC system solutions;
  • Renewable energy sources for buildings;
  • Smart solutions;
  • Heat transfer in building components;
  • Non-destructive testing for building components thermal characterization;
  • Building simulation;
  • Buildings energy retrofit;
  • Thermal and visual comfort;
  • Building acoustics;
  • Urban building energy modeling;
  • Case studies.

Dr. Luca Evangelisti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable buildings
  • ZEB and nZEB
  • LCA
  • energy efficiency
  • renewables
  • optimization
  • comfort
  • case studies

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4968 KiB  
Article
Annual Comparison of the Atmospheric Urban Heat Island in Rome (Italy): An Assessment in Space and Time
by Edoardo De Cristo, Luca Evangelisti, Gabriele Battista, Claudia Guattari, Roberto De Lieto Vollaro and Francesco Asdrubali
Buildings 2023, 13(11), 2792; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112792 - 07 Nov 2023
Viewed by 839
Abstract
This study examined the atmospheric urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon within the city of Rome (Italy) and its effects on building energy demand. Weather data from 2020 and 2022 collected from six meteorological stations were considered. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used [...] Read more.
This study examined the atmospheric urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon within the city of Rome (Italy) and its effects on building energy demand. Weather data from 2020 and 2022 collected from six meteorological stations were considered. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to analyze the landscape, correlating the percentage of impermeable surfaces with UHI intensity values in each area. Dynamic simulations were conducted using different climatic data to estimate the heating and cooling energy demands for two representative residential buildings. The findings revealed significant differences in the climatic conditions between urban and rural areas, primarily due to temperature increases. The UHI intensities reached maximum values of 4.67 °C and 3.54 °C in 2020 and 2022. In urban areas, the UHI has positive effects on the heating energy demand but results in a significant increase in energy demand for cooling. Considering a building type constructed between 1900 and 1950, a variation of up to 33.03% in the heating energy demand in urban areas compared to rural areas was calculated, along with a variation of up to 81% for cooling. In contrast, considering a more recent building type constructed between 1991 and 2005, the corresponding values reached up to 36.47% and 75.7%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings)
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16 pages, 4804 KiB  
Article
On the Use of Waste Materials for Thermal Improvement of 3D-Printed Block—An Experimental Comparison
by Tullio de Rubeis, Annamaria Ciccozzi, Giovanni Pasqualoni, Domenica Paoletti and Dario Ambrosini
Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051136 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
Over the years, the building envelope has evolved from a protective barrier element to a complex filter system capable of optimizing the interactions between the external and internal environments. An efficient envelope reacts flexibly to variable external conditions, minimizing heat losses in the [...] Read more.
Over the years, the building envelope has evolved from a protective barrier element to a complex filter system capable of optimizing the interactions between the external and internal environments. An efficient envelope reacts flexibly to variable external conditions, minimizing heat losses in the winter season. Therefore, insulating materials play a fundamental role in building’s thermal performance. In this scenario, Additive Manufacturing represents an emerging and promising solution for the construction sector. Three-dimensional printing allows the creation of custom geometries, reduces material waste, and automates the construction process. This work aims to compare the thermal performance of a PLA (polylactic acid) 3D-printed block with an internal honeycomb structure whose air cavities are filled with natural and recyclable waste-insulating materials. The selected air cavity filling materials are (i) wood sawdust, (ii) sheep’s wool, and (iii) hemp. The thermal behavior of the block with the different filling materials was experimentally tested via Heat Flow Meter (HFM) method in a controlled environment (Hot Box). The results showed that the introduction of waste material significantly improved the thermal performance of the 3D-printed block compared to the case of air cavities. A thermal transmittance (U-value) reduction of up to 57% was obtained. Moreover, the sheep’s wool showed the best performance, with a U-value equal to 0.53 ± 0.02 W/m2K, i.e., 18.5% less than the wood sawdust and 19.7% less than hemp. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings)
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Review

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27 pages, 3477 KiB  
Review
A Sustainability Evaluation of Buildings: A Review on Sustainability Factors to Move towards a Greener City Environment
by Seolah Park, Keonhee Cho and Myeong-in Choi
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020446 - 06 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1119
Abstract
Energy-efficient and sustainable building management has always been a key concern surrounding buildings. The rise of environmental and social concern in today’s world has brought more attention to the issue of sustainable and smart building management. This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art [...] Read more.
Energy-efficient and sustainable building management has always been a key concern surrounding buildings. The rise of environmental and social concern in today’s world has brought more attention to the issue of sustainable and smart building management. This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art research and performance on building management that aims to make more sustainable and energy-efficient decisions. This paper classifies building management based on technologies utilized for management and different aspects of management that should be considered when regarding the larger picture of “sustainability”. Additionally, while keeping in mind that long-term sustainability cannot be achieved through energy management alone, this research investigates previous works that also mention diverse aspects that must be taken into consideration when creating a truly successful smart building environment: costs, occupant comfort, and security. Of course, each field deserves an extensive analysis, but the purpose of this review paper is to deliver current research that has brought attention to the rapidly shifting and developing field of smart buildings to provide a macro-level holistic viewpoint on how smart buildings and homes should be approached from a sustainability viewpoint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency of Green Buildings)
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