English

This work shows a particular study in a single office in Barcelona, with an exterior Sud-East façade. Daylight simulations are made with DAYSIM (2010), dynamic validated software based on RADIANCE (1990-2002). Also, these results are compared to: visual comfort surveys and luminance and illuminance data obtained from field measurements (in situ). The field measurements were made during 20 days of March of 2012, with illuminance sensors, luminance camera, and meteorogical station.

One widely recognized opportunity to reduce global carbon emissions is to make urban neighborhoods more resource efficient. Significant effort has hence gone into developing computer-based design tools to ensure that individual buildings use less energy. While these tools are increasingly used in practice, they currently do not allow design teams to model groups of dozens or hundreds of buildings effectively, which is why a growing number of research teams are working on dedicated urban modeling tools.

In this study a methodology for simulating large-scale energy systems is described. In particular the simulation of a district, supplied by a combined heat and power district heating system is the analysed energy system. In the methodology firstly, the districts’ space heating demand is modelled with the use of a simplified dynamic building model, developed in Modelica. Secondly, the districts’ domestic hot water demand is modelled by using the measured data and generating an average standard profile.

Uncertainty from occupant-related matters is typically shrugged off by building designers as beyond their control. However, evidence suggests that careful attention of designers can help prevent occupants from behaving in energy-intensive ways; not by policing their behaviour, but by improving comfort. This paper examines the concept of bi-directional robust design – an attempt to design systems to be as resistant as possible to the noise of inputs – as an objective.

Adaptation to climate change on an urban scale is important, as increases in temperature will be inevitable according to future climate scenarios. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed for the Bergpolder Zuid district in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The simulations take into account wind flow, solar radiation, heat transfer and evaporative cooling. Two validation studies are performed; one for the surface temperatures and one for the evaporative cooling model.

The concept of a supply-air window is to allow air renewal circulating between glasses before entering inwards. Based on this principle, a part of heat transfer through the glasses is recovered by air renewal. Actually, the way to consider it in a building simulation code is not satisfactory. This article proposes a model that can be implemented easily in many building simulation codes. This model is based on the analytical solution of the problem of air circulating between isotherm panes differentially heated. It has been implemented in Buildings library of Modelica.