New Technologies and Designs in Reducing Building Energy Consumption While Improving the Market Value

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 6037

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Arts, University IUAV of Venice, Dorsoduro 2206, 30123 Venice, Italy
Interests: real estate market; property valuation; finance; land use; architecture; restoration

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Università IUAV di Venezia, Venice, Dorsoduro 2206, 30123 Venice, Italy
Interests: real estate; property valuation; building energy efficiency; design; architecture; restoration
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

How can new and smart technologies be integrated in the built environment to reduce energy consumption and reach widespread zero energy buildings (ZEB) standards?  How may such interventions affect the market value of a property after a deep retrofit?

The concept of smart adaptation of an organism to the external environment takes inspiration from nature, since living organisms possess the ability to change in response to external stimuli in order to maintain their internal comfort. The use of smart and new technologies in the field of architecture is rather recent, where the idea of “smart” usually refers to materials and technologies that are highly engineered, able to respond in an intelligent way to the changes of the external environment, as well as to vary their properties, structure or form, so as to maintain certain internal comfort conditions.

Reaching ZEB standards represents both an environmental and economic challenge that can be achieved only through very accurate energy consumption forecasts, specific life-cycle analyses, economic projections, and proper on-site management of the buildings, and new technologies are essential in this panorama.

During the use of a building, multiple factors may hinder the achievement of ZEB goals, such as improperly scheduled HVAC systems, occupant behaviour and habits, or system failures. Additionally, during the design process, building energy simulations should be based on reliable assumptions. This is because incorrect boundary conditions can lead to systematic and significant overestimation/underestimation of the energy consumption and the cash-in/out flows.

In fact, to produce reliable building energy programs, it is important to evaluate optimal design configurations, primarily through optimization procedures involving both financial and energy assessments. Optimization strategies and life cycle analyses should also increase the feasibility of the retrofit options, economically and technically.

This Special Issue is therefore dedicated to the use of new and smart technologies during the design and management of a building to achieve ZEB goals and the most economically profitable investment possible. The aim is to explore assessment models, optimized calculation procedures, measurement devices, smart platforms, and software or guidelines for the building energy design and facility management with the aim of reaching ZEB quality and the optimal allocation of the available financial resources.

Dr. Laura Gabrielli
Dr. Ruggeri Aurora Greta
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • building energy retrofit
  • new technologies
  • smart buildings
  • project management
  • economic feasibility
  • life cycle analysis

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 7215 KiB  
Article
The Santa María Micaela Residential Complex in Valencia (Spain) Study of the Original Design to Assess Its Bioclimatic Potentials for Energy Upgrading
by Giuseppe Angileri, Graziella Bernardo, Giuseppina Currò, Ornella Fiandaca, Fabio Minutoli, Luis Manuel Palmero Iglesias and Giovanni Francesco Russo
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3819; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123819 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 270
Abstract
The existing built heritage is excessively energy intensive compared to the standards required by European policies that promote zero- or near-zero-energy buildings. Hence the need to promote a radical energy requalification of the existing stock through ad hoc solutions. In the modelling of [...] Read more.
The existing built heritage is excessively energy intensive compared to the standards required by European policies that promote zero- or near-zero-energy buildings. Hence the need to promote a radical energy requalification of the existing stock through ad hoc solutions. In the modelling of buildings undergoing redevelopment, the boundary conditions considered by the designer are often underestimated, resulting in a digital model that does not perfectly adhere to reality, due to a lack of historical and documentary knowledge. The present work—which concerns the Santa Maria Micaela residential complex built in Valencia by architect Santiago Artal Ríos, a representative work of Spanish Modernism—aims to overcome this vulnus with modelling that also takes into account historical and archive information. The housing complex was studied using a multidisciplinary approach with historical–archival analyses and site surveys that allowed BIM modelling and localisation in a WEB-GIS platform. The modelling took into account the peculiarities of the original design (exposure, windiness, and shading) and data from historical research (stratigraphy of building elements, dimensions, types of materials). The energy simulation, on the other hand, referred to a representative dwelling unit of the complex, and using SolidWorks software the ventilation flows were evaluated, which made it possible to create a model that was more in keeping with reality and to more correctly identify the performance upgrading proposal. The energy improvement was then evaluated according to the hypothesised interventions using two different analysis methodologies, TerMus and CE3X, for direct comparison. The transposition into WebGIS then made it possible to assess the potential of a digital platform to enhance information sharing. Full article
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18 pages, 3661 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Deterministic, Stochastic, and Energy-Data-Driven Occupancy Models for Building Stock Energy Simulation
by Salam Al-Saegh, Farhang Tahmasebi, Rui Tang and Dejan Mumovic
Buildings 2024, 14(9), 2933; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092933 - 17 Sep 2024
Viewed by 747
Abstract
Accurate modelling of occupancy patterns is critical for reliable estimation of building stock energy demand, which is a key input for the design of district energy systems. Aiming to investigate the suitability of different occupancy-modelling approaches for the design of district energy systems, [...] Read more.
Accurate modelling of occupancy patterns is critical for reliable estimation of building stock energy demand, which is a key input for the design of district energy systems. Aiming to investigate the suitability of different occupancy-modelling approaches for the design of district energy systems, the present study examines a set of standard-based schedules (from the UK National Calculation Methodology), a widely used stochastic occupancy model, and a novel energy-data-driven occupancy model. To this end, a dynamic energy model of a higher education office building developed within a stock model of London’s Bloomsbury district serves as a testbed to implement the occupancy models, explore their implications for the estimation of annual and peak heating and cooling demand, and extrapolate the findings to the computationally demanding building stock stimulations. Furthermore, the simulations were conducted in two years before and after the COVID-19 pandemic to examine the implications of hybrid working patterns after the pandemic. From the results, the energy-data-driven model demonstrated superior performance in annual heating demand estimations, with errors of ±2.5% compared to 14% and 7% for the standard-based and stochastic models. For peak heating demand, the models performed rather similarly, with the data-driven model showing 28% error compared to 29.5% for both the standard-based and stochastic models in 2019. In cooling demand estimations, the data-driven model yielded noticeably higher annual cooling demand and lower peak cooling demand estimations as compared with the standard-based and stochastic occupancy models. Given the adopted building-modelling approach, these findings can be extended to district-level investigations and inform the decision on the choice of occupancy models for building stock energy simulation. Full article
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18 pages, 2236 KiB  
Article
Eco-Friendly Technology Derivation and Planning for Rooftop Greenhouse Smart Farm
by Jieun Lee, Eunteak Lim, Nahyang Byun and Donghwa Shon
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020398 - 1 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2039
Abstract
Rooftop greenhouse-type smart farms are a promising solution to the climate and food crises because they can utilize waste heat and CO2 from buildings for plant growth and supply fresh produce to urban areas at a low price. However, legal and structural [...] Read more.
Rooftop greenhouse-type smart farms are a promising solution to the climate and food crises because they can utilize waste heat and CO2 from buildings for plant growth and supply fresh produce to urban areas at a low price. However, legal and structural constraints make it difficult to expand existing rooftops to accommodate smart farms, and standardized glass greenhouses are often installed as is, which may not be the most efficient or eco-friendly approach. The purpose of this study is to present a plan for integrating eco-friendly technologies between buildings and smart farms. In the study, 214 eco-friendly and smart farm cases were collected, and a database was built from the perspective of the environment and eco-friendly technology for plant growth. Thirty experts from architects, professors, and greenhouse installation companies were evaluated to determine which eco-friendly technologies can be applied to smart farms. From a building integration perspective, eco-friendly technologies applicable to smart farms were derived from a plant growth perspective. Based on the derived eco-friendly elements, it can be used in planning a rooftop greenhouse-type smart farm. Full article
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15 pages, 2360 KiB  
Article
Urban Density and Land Leverage: Market Value Breakdown for Energy-Efficient Assets
by Rubina Canesi and Giuliano Marella
Buildings 2024, 14(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010045 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1133
Abstract
A real estate asset comprises land and improvements. The proportions of these components vary over time and across locations. Notably, the land value component is consistent over time, unaffected by depreciation. Consequently, the weight of land value in determining the overall asset value [...] Read more.
A real estate asset comprises land and improvements. The proportions of these components vary over time and across locations. Notably, the land value component is consistent over time, unaffected by depreciation. Consequently, the weight of land value in determining the overall asset value is crucial, particularly in those improvements that are highly sensitive to depreciation, such as energy-efficient buildings. While several studies have explored the relationship between energy-efficient building consumption and urban density, there is currently a research gap concerning the relationship between land value and the value of efficient improvements built on it. Before investigating this potential relationship, it is imperative to preliminary examine any possible correlations between land values and land density. To verify this correlation, we captured the “Land Leverage” of a real estate property by calculating the ratio between the value of the land and the total value of the real estate property and correlating it with the allowable density. Our analysis of the Land Leverage (LL) trend in a restricted development area over a ten-year period demonstrates that LL increases with the level of permitted density in a neighborhood. This evidence will serve as the foundation to verify whether Land leverage, through urban-densification strategies, might be a pivotal factor in driving the values of energy-efficient assets. Full article
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15 pages, 3038 KiB  
Article
What Is the Impact of the Energy Class on Market Value Assessments of Residential Buildings? An Analysis throughout Northern Italy Based on Extensive Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence
by Aurora Greta Ruggeri, Laura Gabrielli, Massimiliano Scarpa and Giuliano Marella
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 2994; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13122994 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1181
Abstract
Regarding environmental sustainability and market pricing, the energy class is an increasingly more decisive characteristic in the real estate sector. For this reason, a great deal of attention is now devoted to exploring new technologies, energy consumption forecasting tools, intelligent platforms, site [...] Read more.
Regarding environmental sustainability and market pricing, the energy class is an increasingly more decisive characteristic in the real estate sector. For this reason, a great deal of attention is now devoted to exploring new technologies, energy consumption forecasting tools, intelligent platforms, site management devices, optimised procedures, software, and guidelines. New investments and smart possibilities are currently the object of different research in energy efficiency in building stocks to reach widespread ZEB standards as soon as possible. In this light, this work focuses on analysing 13 cities in Northern Italy to understand the impact of energy class on market values. An extensive data-mining process collects information about 13,093 properties in Lombardia, Piemonte, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Veneto, and Trentino alto Adige. Then, a feature importance analysis and a machine learning forecasting tool help understand the influence of energy class on market prices today. Full article
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