Encyclopedia of ZEMCH Research and Development

A topical collection in Encyclopedia (ISSN 2673-8392). This collection belongs to the section "Engineering".

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Editors


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Collection Editor
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, 757 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Interests: ZEMCH Network; zero energy mass customized housing design engineering; environmental experience design analysis; mass personalization; machine learning; value analysis; vertical subdivision plug-in housing system
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Collection Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
Interests: building automation; ecological design; universal design; smart home; vernacular architecture; wooden architecture; life cycle assessment
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Collection Editor
Building Innovation Research Unit (NORIE), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90040-060, Brazil
Interests: mass customisation; lean construction; design management; BIM; social housing development; healthcare projects
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Collection Editor
College of Architecture and Design (COAD), Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU), Dhahran 34754, Saudi Arabia
Interests: climate change projections; building energy; energy use intensity; energy efficiency gap; multi-objective optimisation; energy transitions; renewable energy and technologies; socio-technical-systems; sustainable materials and technologies; sustainability; system dynamics; thermal comfort; urban climate modelling
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School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Interests: sustainable architecture and urbanism; energy modeling; renewable energy; built environment and health, environmental psychology; embodied energy
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Department of Architectural Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Korea
Interests: photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T); building-integrated PV/T (BIPVT); zero energy buildings; vaccuum insulation panel (VIP)
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Architectural Engineering Department, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Interests: high-performance buildings; building integration technology; passive and active buildings energy systems; building integrated photovoltaic; energy efficiency under extreme hot climate; green building certification; building integrated agriculture; human factors in the built environment; environmental experience design; design for health and wellbeing
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Collection Editor
UniSA Online, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Interests: retrofitting; renewable energy; innovative technology; indoor environmental comfort; lighting system; sustainability planning; architectural design
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Collection Editor
School of Built Environment, Faculty of Desgin Architecture & Building, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: building sustainability; retrofit; adaptive reuse
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Collection Editor
Department of Architecture, BMS School of Architecture, Bengaluru 560064, India
Interests: traditional housing; socio-economic sustainability; sustainable built environment; habitat design; building performance evaluation; energy efficient building
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Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to this ZEMCH design engineering knowledge depository, in which the term ZEMCH stands for zero energy mass custom home. Designing built environments is influential. Homes need to be mass-customised to accommodate today’s diverse needs and demands of individuals and societies for humans’ sound living conditions and activities. Social justice and climatic change within built environments in global contexts are a significant part of ZEMCH R&D action. Due to growing housing needs and demands, the global market required the initiation of the ZEMCH R&D movement so as to ensure the delivery of socially, economically, environmentally, and humanely sustainable built environments to privileged and unprivileged families, communities, and nations that are sharing our common future.

This Collection aims to encompass a wide spectrum of ZEMCH research and development knowledge that concerns design engineering, construction management, material innovation, renewable energy technology, community planning, marketing strategy, and education.

Dr. Masa Noguchi
Prof. Dr. Antonio Frattari
Prof. Dr. Carlos Torres Formoso
Prof. Dr. Haşim Altan
Dr. John Odhiambo Onyango
Prof. Dr. Jun-Tae Kim
Prof. Dr. Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul
Dr. Mehdi Amirkhani
Prof. Dr. Sara Jane Wilkinson
Prof. Dr. Shaila Bantanur
Collection Editors

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 collection 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. Encyclopedia is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • zero energy mass custom home
  • sustainable community
  • design engineering
  • construction technology
  • marketing strategy
  • value management
  • planning analysis
  • prefabrication
  • housing affordability
  • occupant health and wellbeing

Published Papers (18 papers)

2024

Jump to: 2023, 2022, 2021

18 pages, 16632 KiB  
Entry
Japanese Prefabricated Housing Manufacturers
by Hing-Wah Chau, Elmira Jamei, Nitin Muttil and Masa Noguchi
Encyclopedia 2024, 4(3), 1073-1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4030069 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 932
Definition
Japanese prefabricated housing manufacturers have gained international recognition for their innovative approaches to the whole design process, ranging from initial design to innovative cutting-edge technologies, state-of-the-art automated production lines, meticulous workmanship, and mass customisation. In this entry, three manufacturers (Daiwa House, Sekisui House, [...] Read more.
Japanese prefabricated housing manufacturers have gained international recognition for their innovative approaches to the whole design process, ranging from initial design to innovative cutting-edge technologies, state-of-the-art automated production lines, meticulous workmanship, and mass customisation. In this entry, three manufacturers (Daiwa House, Sekisui House, and Misawa Homes) were selected as case studies for close examination. By studying these leading companies, researchers and industry professionals can gain valuable insights into best practices, challenges, and innovations within the Japanese prefabricated housing sector. The research methods involved a desktop study of available information on websites, articles, and reports, as well as undertaking two study tours on residential sustainable design in Japan in 2022 and 2023. These three manufacturers were discussed and compared with respect to their development trajectories, design customisation, research capabilities and technological advancements, sustainable initiatives and procurement, as well as their after-sale services. They have demonstrated their adaptability and flexibility in response to natural disasters and the transformation of the needs in society. They are all keen on reducing the environmental impacts of their work towards zero carbon emissions and a sustainable future. Full article
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2023

Jump to: 2024, 2022, 2021

36 pages, 7735 KiB  
Review
Techno-Economic Analysis of State-of-the-Art Carbon Capture Technologies and Their Applications: Scient Metric Review
by Raghad Adam and Bertug Ozarisoy
Encyclopedia 2023, 3(4), 1270-1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3040092 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4707
Abstract
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a serious hazard to human life and the ecosystem. This is the reason that many measures have been put in place by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to reduce the anthropogenic-derived CO2 concentration in the [...] Read more.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a serious hazard to human life and the ecosystem. This is the reason that many measures have been put in place by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to reduce the anthropogenic-derived CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Today, the potential of renewable energy sources has led to an increased interest in investment in carbon capture and storage technologies worldwide. The aim of this paper is to investigate state-of-the-art carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and their derivations for the identification of effective methods during the implementation of evidence-based energy policies. To this extent, this study reviews the current methods in three concepts: post-combustion; pre-combustion; and oxy-fuel combustion processes. The objective of this study is to explore the knowledge gap in recent carbon capture methods and provide a comparison between the most influential methods with high potential to aid in carbon capture. The study presents the importance of using all available technologies during the post-combustion process. To accomplish this, an ontological approach was adopted to analyze the feasibility of the CCS technologies available on the market. The study findings demonstrate that priority should be given to the applicability of certain methods for both industrial and domestic applications. On the contrary, the study also suggests that using the post-combustion method has the greatest potential, whereas other studies recommend the efficiency of the oxy-fuel process. Furthermore, the study findings also highlight the importance of using life cycle assessment (LCA) methods for the implementation of carbon capture technologies in buildings. This study contributes to the energy policy design related to carbon capture technologies in buildings. Full article
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18 pages, 1540 KiB  
Entry
Merging Smart and Healthy Cities to Support Community Wellbeing and Social Connection
by Susan Thompson, Homa Rahmat, Nancy Marshall, Christine Steinmetz-Weiss, Kate Bishop, Linda Corkery, Miles Park and Christian Tietz
Encyclopedia 2023, 3(3), 1067-1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030078 - 31 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3231
Definition
Urban planning has long pursued the improvement of health and wellbeing through the rapidly evolving scholarship and practice of health-supportive environments, underpinned by the seminal World Health Organization’s Healthy Cities Framework. Although a much more recent development, technology has been informing urban planning, [...] Read more.
Urban planning has long pursued the improvement of health and wellbeing through the rapidly evolving scholarship and practice of health-supportive environments, underpinned by the seminal World Health Organization’s Healthy Cities Framework. Although a much more recent development, technology has been informing urban planning, as well as advancing healthcare and personal wellbeing monitoring and assessment. Known as the Smart City movement, it has much to offer regarding life in towns and cities, as well as how they are managed, maintained, and developed. There is also a growing appreciation of the potential for smart city technology to enhance human and environmental health in the context of urban planning and public place making. This has been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic with its reawakening of community interest in health and wellbeing, including mental illness, a greater awareness of the importance of local environments, and an explosion of technological knowhow in the embrace of remote working, online shopping, and education. Using the example of the authors’ “Smart Social Spaces” project, this entry discusses the potential benefits of an evolving integrative concept called “Smart Healthy Social Spaces”. The aim is to support community wellbeing as part of everyday living, especially associated with social connection, in densely populated and culturally diverse urban environments, where locally situated public spaces are increasingly important for all citizens. Full article
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14 pages, 2166 KiB  
Entry
Reducing CO2 in Passivhaus-Adapted Affordable Tropical Homes
by Karl Wagner
Encyclopedia 2023, 3(1), 168-181; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3010012 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2320
Definition
On average, houses including those in the tropics are responsible for almost 39% of the global carbon emission caused by non-renewables, first and foremost by fuel. Looking at the worldwide map of residential buildings’ contribution compared with commercial, the worldwide national maximum of [...] Read more.
On average, houses including those in the tropics are responsible for almost 39% of the global carbon emission caused by non-renewables, first and foremost by fuel. Looking at the worldwide map of residential buildings’ contribution compared with commercial, the worldwide national maximum of 33.5% CO2 of housing is caused by residential buildings in Uzbekistan. In an overwhelming number of most countries, their values are significantly lower, due to comparably lower energy demand than commercial buildings and because affordable homes increasingly use small PV to cater for their own basic needs. However, with the rising temperature and a likewise growing imperative to cool homes from about 30 °C onwards basically by split-unit air conditioners, the residential houses’ portion of CO2-emission might dramatically increase to survive such more common hot periods in the future. In combination with air conditioners needing some airtightness, the first purpose of this entry is to show that bv 2050 in tropical regions, there will be no alternative to relatively airtight houses if the temperatures rise at the present speed. This is one alternative to an uncontrollable and life-threatening migration of millions of people to cooler but still livable regions in 2050. To trigger necessary changes toward homes that can better avert the heat, using the method of qualitative comparative content analysis, passive houses (PH) have emerged as adaptations to the tropical climate. Therefore, the second purpose of this in-depth study with the perspective of social science, is to reveal a comparative closer qualitative look at the tropicalized PH-approach. It is probably the most civilized building energy-saving strategy on the planet and can systematically keep the threatening increasing heat outside. However, before utilizing the concept, herein need to investigate why PH-technology as a whole concept with all its modules discussed earlier has been very slow to “go South” into the tropical region (the original PH will be referred to as “PH1”). The reason is that some qualitative differences of the more affordable and more simplistic tropicalized “PH2” make it easier and more realistic to penetrate the market, without letting go meaningful R&D-insights of PH1. As a probably facilitating future solution, the result is the triple-tabled option to utilise more synergies between the usually closed PH1 and the more open and flexibly naturally ventilated PH2. Unlike the PH-platform, ZEMCH is a related concept which tries to cater specifically to the significantly growing market for lower-income homes to go for carbonless energy. The conclusion is that scaling for residential buildings as mass products using passive house technology in combination with ZEMCH could turn out to become an important topic. It comprises the question in how far low or no carbon affordable homes based on the PH-concept in combination with ZEMCH-applications also may come into play as standard and to help mother Earth’s struggle for survival. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2024, 2023, 2021

29 pages, 22383 KiB  
Review
Iranian Household Electricity Use Compared to Selected Countries
by Dorsa Fatourehchi, Masa Noguchi and Hemanta Doloi
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(4), 1637-1665; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2040112 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5032
Abstract
Buildings account for nearly 40% of energy use in global contexts and climatic conditions tend to contribute to consumption. Human activities are also influential in energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that lead to global warming. Residential buildings are responsible [...] Read more.
Buildings account for nearly 40% of energy use in global contexts and climatic conditions tend to contribute to consumption. Human activities are also influential in energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that lead to global warming. Residential buildings are responsible for a considerable share. There are countries aggravating this situation by heavily relying on fossil fuels. Oil-rich countries are allocating an energy subsidy to the public, making energy cheaper for their consumers. This may result in negative consequences, including households’ inefficient energy use behaviours in countries such as Iran. Beyond the impact of energy subsidy allocation, this study aims to explore the climatic and non-climatic factors that affect the increase in domestic electricity use, particularly in Iran. For this purpose, this study begins with a comparative analysis between countries with and without the energy subsidy to examine the trends in domestic electricity use. Afterwards, the tendency of households’ electricity use in Iran will be analysed in consideration of climatic and non-climatic factors among several provinces in Iran. This study exploited published statistical data for the analysis. The results indicate the tendency of increased domestic electricity use due to the country’s generous subsidy offered to the public as well as climatic and non-climatic factors in Iran. These results may provide an opportunity for future studies regarding building occupants’ inefficient energy use behaviours for policy enactment in Iran and other oil-rich countries. Full article
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13 pages, 1433 KiB  
Entry
Bioplastic as a Substitute for Plastic in Construction Industry
by Ilaria Oberti and Alessia Paciello
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(3), 1408-1420; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2030095 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 9110
Definition
Bioplastics have proven to be a viable substitute for plastics in some sectors, although their use in construction is still limited. The construction sector currently uses 23% of the world’s plastic production, both for the materials themselves and for their packaging and protection. [...] Read more.
Bioplastics have proven to be a viable substitute for plastics in some sectors, although their use in construction is still limited. The construction sector currently uses 23% of the world’s plastic production, both for the materials themselves and for their packaging and protection. A considerable part is not recycled and is dispersed into the environment or ends up in landfills. In response to the environmental problems caused by oil-based plastic pollution, the development of biocomposite materials such as bioplastics represents a paradigm shift. This entry aims to explain what bioplastics are, providing a classification and the description of the different properties and applications. It also lays out the most interesting uses of these materials in the construction field. Full article
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17 pages, 1508 KiB  
Entry
Conductive Heat Transfer in Thermal Bridges
by Mathias Fuchs
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(2), 1019-1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2020067 - 24 May 2022
Viewed by 2450
Definition
A thermal bridge is a component of a building that is characterized by a higher thermal loss compared with its surroundings. Their accurate modeling is a key step in energy performance analysis due to the increased awareness of the importance of sustainable design. [...] Read more.
A thermal bridge is a component of a building that is characterized by a higher thermal loss compared with its surroundings. Their accurate modeling is a key step in energy performance analysis due to the increased awareness of the importance of sustainable design. Thermal modeling in architecture and engineering is often not carried out volumetrically, thereby sacrificing accuracy for complex geometries, whereas numerical textbooks often give the finite element method in much higher generality than required, or only treat the case of uniform materials. Despite thermal modeling traditionally belonging exclusively to the engineer’s toolbox, computational and parametric design can often benefit from understanding the key steps of finite element thermal modeling, in order to inform a real-time design feedback loop. In this entry, these gaps are filled and the reader is introduced to all relevant physical and computational notions and methods necessary to understand and compute the stationary energy dissipation and thermal conductance of thermal bridges composed of materials in complex geometries. The overview is a self-contained and coherent expository, and both physically and mathematically as correct as possible, but intuitive and accessible to all audiences. Details for a typical example of an insulated I-beam thermal bridge are provided. Full article
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11 pages, 942 KiB  
Entry
Bagnoli Urban Regeneration through Phytoremediation
by Clelia Cirillo, Barbara Bertoli, Giovanna Acampora and Loredana Marcolongo
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(2), 882-892; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2020058 - 24 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2544
Definition
The Bagnolidistrict in Naples has needed urban redevelopmentfor many years. The area is not only affected by pollution caused by many industries but also by environmental pollutants, according togeognostic surveys that have found numerous contaminantsin the subsoil and water.Currently, the combination of an [...] Read more.
The Bagnolidistrict in Naples has needed urban redevelopmentfor many years. The area is not only affected by pollution caused by many industries but also by environmental pollutants, according togeognostic surveys that have found numerous contaminantsin the subsoil and water.Currently, the combination of an urban rehabilitation processwith the phytodepuration technique may represent a successful idea for obtaining bothurban regenerationand environmental remediation. Phytoremediation, a biologically based technology, has attracted the attention of both thepublic and scientists as a low-cost alternative for soil requalification. The use of plants as well as the microorganisms present in their root systems plays an important role in the ecological engineering field in controlling and reducing pollutants present in theair, water and soil.The result is efficient, sustainable and cost-effective environmental recovery compared to conventional chemical–physical techniques. In this way, not only the environmental recovery of SIN Bagnoli-Corogliocan be obtained, but also the regeneration of its landscape. Full article
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12 pages, 13361 KiB  
Entry
Cottage Culture in Finland: Development and Perspectives
by Lotta Häkkänen, Hüseyin Emre Ilgın and Markku Karjalainen
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(2), 705-716; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2020049 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3001
Definition
This entry provides an understanding of the past, present, and future of the Finnish cottage culture to create an overall picture of its development trajectory and its terminology, e.g., villa, in this context denoting a second home. Convenient, ready-made solutions, easy maintenance, a [...] Read more.
This entry provides an understanding of the past, present, and future of the Finnish cottage culture to create an overall picture of its development trajectory and its terminology, e.g., villa, in this context denoting a second home. Convenient, ready-made solutions, easy maintenance, a high level of equipment, year-round use, location, and modern and simple architectural styles are important selection criteria for (summer) cottages that belonged only to the wealthy bourgeois class in the 19th century and have taken their present form with a major transformation in Finland since then. Additionally, municipal regulations and increased attention to ecological concerns are other important issues regarding the cottage today. Cottage inheritance has changed over the generations, and the tightening of building regulations and increased environmental awareness are key drivers of the future transformation of cottage culture. Moreover, the increasing demand for single-family and outdoor spaces created by social changes such as remote working, which has become widespread with the COVID-19 pandemic, will make the summer cottage lifestyle even more popular in Finland. It is thought that this entry will contribute to the continuance of the Finnish cottage culture, which is essential for the vitality of countryside municipalities, local development, national culture, and the well-being of Finnish people. Full article
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15 pages, 1861 KiB  
Entry
Wooden Additional Floor in Finland
by Anu Soikkeli, Hüseyin Emre Ilgın and Markku Karjalainen
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(1), 578-592; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2010038 - 7 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4618
Definition
One of the most effective ways to cover real estate development and renovation processes by improving functionality and energy efficiency is wooden additional floor construction. This entry maps out, organizes, and collates scattered information on the current state of the art and the [...] Read more.
One of the most effective ways to cover real estate development and renovation processes by improving functionality and energy efficiency is wooden additional floor construction. This entry maps out, organizes, and collates scattered information on the current state of the art and the benefits of this practice including its different stages, focusing on the case of Finland. The entry presents this topic in an accessible and understandable discourse for non-technical readers. By highlighting the benefits and opportunities of this sustainable application, the entry will contribute to increasing the awareness of wooden additional floor construction, which has many advantages, and therefore to gain more widespread use in Finland and other countries. Full article
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7 pages, 212 KiB  
Entry
Degrowth Perspective for Sustainability in Built Environments
by Iana Nesterova
Encyclopedia 2022, 2(1), 466-472; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2010029 - 9 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3715
Definition
Degrowth, as a social movement, a political project, and an academic paradigm, aims to find ways that can lead to harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature, between humans and non-humans, and within humanity, including oneself. Seen through the lens of degrowth, everything becomes [...] Read more.
Degrowth, as a social movement, a political project, and an academic paradigm, aims to find ways that can lead to harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature, between humans and non-humans, and within humanity, including oneself. Seen through the lens of degrowth, everything becomes subject to reflection, critique, re-evaluation, and re-imagining. This concerns environments created by humans in a long process of interaction with nature, i.e., built environments. Built environments are always in becoming. This entry contemplates the implications of degrowth for intentionally directing this becoming towards genuine sustainability. Full article

2021

Jump to: 2024, 2023, 2022

12 pages, 260 KiB  
Entry
Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs)
by Lia Marchi, Ernesto Antonini and Stefano Politi
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(4), 998-1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1040076 - 26 Sep 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 11160
Definition
Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) are typically third-party, voluntary, and market driven standards that measure buildings’ sustainability level by multi-criteria assessment, and encourage the adoption of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable practices in design, construction and operation of buildings (or neighborhoods). GBRSs aim [...] Read more.
Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) are typically third-party, voluntary, and market driven standards that measure buildings’ sustainability level by multi-criteria assessment, and encourage the adoption of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable practices in design, construction and operation of buildings (or neighborhoods). GBRSs aim at guiding and assessing the project throughout all its life cycle, thus limiting the negative impact on the environment, as well as on the building occupants’ health and well-being, and even reducing operational costs. Hundreds of GBRSs are now available worldwide, varying in approaches, application processes, and evaluation metrics. BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star and LEED are among the most applied worldwide. Despite some differences, they all adhere to the same general evaluation structure: project performances ares measured using a set of relevant indicators, grouped per topics such as water management, energy use, materials, site qualities. Each assessed requirement is assigned a score/judgment, the total of which determines the level of sustainability achieved. In addition to regular updates, a current trend is to improve the effectiveness of protocols, making them more comprehensive and accurate, while keeping them easy to use. Full article
11 pages, 278 KiB  
Entry
Age-Friendly Built Environment
by Hing-Wah Chau and Elmira Jamei
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(3), 781-791; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1030060 - 10 Aug 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5942
Definition
Age-friendly built environments have been promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) under the Global Age-friendly Cities (AFC) movement in which three domains are related to the built environment. These are: housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and public buildings. The aim is [...] Read more.
Age-friendly built environments have been promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) under the Global Age-friendly Cities (AFC) movement in which three domains are related to the built environment. These are: housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and public buildings. The aim is to foster active ageing by optimising opportunities for older adults to maximise their independent living ability and participate in their communities to enhance their quality of life and wellbeing. An age-friendly built environment is inclusive, accessible, respects individual needs and addresses the wide range of capacities across the course of life. Age-friendly housing promotes ageing in familiar surroundings and maintains social connections at the neighbourhood and community levels. Both age-friendly housing and buildings provide barrier-free provisions to minimise the needs for subsequent adaptations. Age-friendly public and outdoor spaces encourage older adults to spend time outside and engage with others against isolation and loneliness. Age-friendly public transport enables older adults to get around and enhances their mobility. For achieving an age-friendly living environment, a holistic approach is required to enable independent living, inclusion and active participation of older adults in society. The eight domains of the AFC movement are not mutually exclusive but overlap and support with one another. Full article
13 pages, 1312 KiB  
Entry
Social Housing Customization in Brazil
by Luisa Felix Dalla Vecchia and Nirce Saffer Medvedovski
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(3), 589-601; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1030049 - 21 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3570
Definition
Social housing customization in Brazil refers to the current processes of development and evolution of government-funded neighborhoods for the lowest-income population. The mass production of small housing units that do not satisfy family needs instigates a self-design and self-construction process post-occupancy to customize [...] Read more.
Social housing customization in Brazil refers to the current processes of development and evolution of government-funded neighborhoods for the lowest-income population. The mass production of small housing units that do not satisfy family needs instigates a self-design and self-construction process post-occupancy to customize the units. Ultimately, these changes to the units bring unintended negative consequences for the families and the city. In this context, mass customization is seen as an alternative to address some of the problems related to unit design. Full article
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14 pages, 2970 KiB  
Entry
Domestic Environmental Experience Design
by Sajal Chowdhury, Masa Noguchi and Hemanta Doloi
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(2), 505-518; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1020042 - 21 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3765
Definition
The term ‘domestic environmental experience’ was defined as users’ experiences of cognitive perceptions and physical responses to their domestic built environments. Domestic environments can be enriched through the implementation of environmental experience design (EXD) by combining users’ environmental, spatial and contextual factors that [...] Read more.
The term ‘domestic environmental experience’ was defined as users’ experiences of cognitive perceptions and physical responses to their domestic built environments. Domestic environments can be enriched through the implementation of environmental experience design (EXD) by combining users’ environmental, spatial and contextual factors that may accommodate occupants’ needs and demands as well as their health and wellbeing. Here, an EXD theoretical concept has been developed based on the ‘User-Centred Design’ thematical framework. Full article
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10 pages, 581 KiB  
Entry
SEM-PLS Approach to Green Building
by Nasim Aghili and Mehdi Amirkhani
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(2), 472-481; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1020039 - 18 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4114
Definition
Green buildings refer to buildings that decrease adverse environmental effects and maintain natural resources. They can diminish energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the usage of non-renewable materials, water consumption, and waste generation while improving occupants’ health and well-being. As such, several rating tools [...] Read more.
Green buildings refer to buildings that decrease adverse environmental effects and maintain natural resources. They can diminish energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the usage of non-renewable materials, water consumption, and waste generation while improving occupants’ health and well-being. As such, several rating tools and benchmarks have been developed worldwide to assess green building performance (GBP), including the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the United Kingdom, German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the United States and Canada, Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) in Japan, Green Star in Australia, Green Mark in Singapore, and Green Building Index in Malaysia. Energy management (EM) during building operation could also improve GBP. One of the best approaches to evaluating the impact of EM on GBP is by using structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM is a commanding statistical method to model testing. One of the most used SEM variance-based approaches is partial least squares (PLS), which can be implemented in the SmartPLS application. PLS-SEM uses path coefficients to determine the strength and significance of the hypothesised relationships between the latent constructs. Full article
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14 pages, 1976 KiB  
Entry
Solar Chimney Applications in Buildings
by Haihua Zhang, Yao Tao and Long Shi
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(2), 409-422; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1020034 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 10648
Definition
A solar chimney is a renewable energy system used to enhance the natural ventilation in a building based on solar and wind energy. It is one of the most representative solar-assisted passive ventilation systems attached to the building envelope. It performs exceptionally in [...] Read more.
A solar chimney is a renewable energy system used to enhance the natural ventilation in a building based on solar and wind energy. It is one of the most representative solar-assisted passive ventilation systems attached to the building envelope. It performs exceptionally in enhancing natural ventilation and improving thermal comfort under certain climate conditions. The ventilation enhancement of solar chimneys has been widely studied numerically and experimentally. The assessment of solar chimney systems based on buoyancy ventilation relies heavily on the natural environment, experimental environment, and performance prediction methods, bringing great difficulties to quantitative analysis and parameterization research. With the increase in volume and complexity of modern building structures, current studies of solar chimneys have not yet obtained a unified design strategy and corresponding guidance. Meanwhile, combining a solar chimney with other passive ventilation systems has attracted much attention. The solar chimney-based integrated passive-assisted ventilation systems prolong the service life of an independent system and strengthen the ventilation ability for indoor cooling and heating. However, the progress is still slow regarding expanded applications and related research of solar chimneys in large volume and multi-layer buildings, and contradictory conclusions appear due to the inherent complexity of the system. Full article
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21 pages, 6488 KiB  
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Sustainable Architecture—What’s Next?
by Harald N. Røstvik
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(1), 293-313; https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia1010025 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5152
Definition
Sustainable architecture encompasses more than energy efficiency, zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emission or renewable energy use in the built environment. It also needs to alleviate overall impacts on the natural environment or ecosystem that surrounds it. It may be argued that [...] Read more.
Sustainable architecture encompasses more than energy efficiency, zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emission or renewable energy use in the built environment. It also needs to alleviate overall impacts on the natural environment or ecosystem that surrounds it. It may be argued that primitive vernacular architecture (architecture without architects) built and operated using local techniques and resources alone can be considered to be sustainable. Yet later, after the 1992 Rio Conference and its declarations, more specific definitions emerged putting weight on the rational use of land area, materials and energy, preferably local, as well as area efficient planning, economy and recyclability. The advantage of this is to reduce the ecological footprint of buildings and the climate gas emissions from a sector that represents 35–50 percent of global climate gas emissions, depending on how one counts. This paper clarifies concepts, questions cemented truths and points a way forward by asking; what’s next? Full article
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