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ZEMCH International Research Series
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ZEMCH International Research Series

A topical collection in Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This collection belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

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Editors

Prof. Dr. Haşim Altan

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
College of Architecture and Design, Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University, Dhahran 34754, Saudi Arabia
Interests: building performance and simulation; indoor environmental quality; passive design; sustainable architecture; architectural engineering; urban regeneration; building information modelling; healthy buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Shaila Bantanur

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Carlos Torres Formoso

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Antonio Frattari

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Arman Hashemi

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, London E16 2RD, UK
Interests: building performance evaluation/simulation; intelligent facdes; indoor air quality; thermal comfort; sustainable housing; modern methods of construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jun-Tae Kim

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
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)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Masa Noguchi

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. John Odhiambo Onyango

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Sara Jane Wilkinson

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

In response to growing global warming issues and the constant increase in energy prices, housing suppliers today have become more responsible for the delivery of net zero energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission homes than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns caused mental stress, depressive conditions, and economic issues to many individuals and families. Sustainable housing design today is encountering complex challenges with the requirement to improve not only the physical performance and affordability of the built environments but also humans’ mental health and wellbeing. Housing is indeed a system of energy and environment, and it needs to accommodate societal and individual needs, desires, and expectations for healthy, comfortable, and affordable domestic living environments over the lifespan. To meet the dynamic diverse challenges, the global ZEMCH R&D movement has been launched. ZEMCH is an acronym meaning “Zero Energy Mass Custom Home” that reflects the social, economic, environmental, and human dimensions of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

This MDPI Sustainability Topical Collection Special Issue titled “ZEMCH International Research Series” aims to serve as a global depository of multidisciplinary technical knowledge required for ZEMCH delivery in developed and developing countries. The topics of this collection can be highlighted as follows:

  1. Zero energy housing and community development
  2. Humanitarian community planning for sustainability
  3. Social sustainability in the built environment
  4. Economic sustainability in the built environment
  5. Environmental sustainability in the built environment
  6. Human sustainability in the built environment
  7. Sustainable housing design science and engineering
  8. Sustainable community design science and engineering
  9. Industrialization of sustainable housing
  10. Mass customization in housing
  11. Mass personalization in housing
  12. Renewable energy innovation

Prof. Dr. Haşim Altan
Prof. Dr. Shaila Bantanur
Prof. Dr. Carlos Torres Formoso
Prof. Dr. Antonio Frattari
Dr. Arman Hashemi
Prof. Dr. Jun-Tae Kim
Dr. Masa Noguchi
Dr. John Odhiambo Onyango
Prof. Dr. Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul
Prof. Dr. Sara Jane Wilkinson
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • energy efficiency in buildings
  • environmental sustainability policy and economy
  • building performance evaluation/simulation
  • sustainable urban regeneration
  • prefabrication and IT
  • low/zero energy affordable housing and construction
  • user behaviour and BIM
  • environmental experience design
  • design data analytics
  • renewable energy and technology
  • mass customisation and personalisation
  • sustainable housing development
  • inclusive design for ageing and diversity
  • humanitarian design and engineering

Published Papers (5 papers)

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2023

Jump to: 2022

15 pages, 7059 KiB  
Article
Single Score Environmental Performances of Roof Coverings
by Ayşe Bayazıt Subaşı and Elçin Filiz Taş
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4387; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054387 - 01 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Buildings and constructions are responsible for a great amount of global energy and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Because of these negative impacts, there is an increase in Life cycle assessment research in the construction sector to measure these effects and evaluate the sustainability [...] Read more.
Buildings and constructions are responsible for a great amount of global energy and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Because of these negative impacts, there is an increase in Life cycle assessment research in the construction sector to measure these effects and evaluate the sustainability performances. Life cycle assessment is a tool that can facilitate the decision-making process in the construction sector for material selection, or for the selection of the best environmentally friendly option in the building component level or building level. In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment analysis is conducted among 12 roof coverings of 1 square meter in the 60-year lifetime of a building. Impact categories that are available in environmental product declarations and included in this study are the global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, abiotic depletion potential of non-fossils and abiotic depletion potential of fossils resources. To facilitate the decision-making process, panel and monetary weightings are applied to convert environmental product declaration data of seven impact categories into one single-score. Monetary weightings applied in the study are in Euro 2019, differentiating itself from other comparative life cycle assessment studies. The single-score results are ranked and compared. R04 has the best performance for all panel weightings, while for monetary weightings, R03, R07 and R08 have the best performance for EPS, MMG and EVR, respectively. As a result, for 12 roof coverings, the weighted results could not address one single roof-covering material for numerous reasons. Among the weighting methods, panel weighting sets show more similarity in ranking results, while monetary-weighting sets results are more diverse. Full article
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18 pages, 4865 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Design Agents for Mediation of Gender Inclusivity in Domestic Space: A Case Study of Chettinad Vernacular Architecture
by Ramalakshmi Lakshmanan, Madhumathi Anbu and Masa Noguchi
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043643 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2266
Abstract
Architects often emphasize on form and spatial layout in domestic architecture. Yet, functionality of form is evaluated by the experience of its users. This research wishes to address a central problem often ignored in domestic architecture—the connection linking gender, experience, and space. The [...] Read more.
Architects often emphasize on form and spatial layout in domestic architecture. Yet, functionality of form is evaluated by the experience of its users. This research wishes to address a central problem often ignored in domestic architecture—the connection linking gender, experience, and space. The study aims to analyze design agents that aid in mediating gender inclusivity in domestic space. This research delves into the vernacular architecture of Chettinad, which has been widely deliberated and celebrated for its climate responsiveness, materiality, sustainability, etc. Considering the rationale of cultural transition and SDG5 in promoting gender equality, the study seeks to answer the following research question: What are the agents that could help to mediate gender inclusivity in designing domestic space in India? Using snowball sampling, 25 in-depth interviews with women users and participant observation were carried out in 12 villages of the Chettinad region. Findings identified the social actions as design agents and recognized space as referential to experience. Furthermore, the article argues that this opulent tradition must be preserved, and its meaning must be altered such that the indigenous lessons may be translated to other spaces it inspires, in such a way that it empowers the people living in it. Limited to a conceptual study, this research accommodated a small sample of women respondents. The article presents insights for architects who must consider gender inclusivity as a central factor in their design. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2023

15 pages, 20170 KiB  
Article
A Simplified Method for BIPV Retrofitting of Emirati Public Housing with Preserved Architectural Identity: A Pilot Study
by Khaled Galal Ahmed and Mona Megahed
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5227; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095227 - 26 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2364
Abstract
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has tailored its own sustainability initiatives and a local agenda for realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This Agenda includes providing clean sustainable energy and achieving sustainable communities. In accordance with these efforts, this ‘pilot’ study aims [...] Read more.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has tailored its own sustainability initiatives and a local agenda for realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This Agenda includes providing clean sustainable energy and achieving sustainable communities. In accordance with these efforts, this ‘pilot’ study aims at, first, exploring an appropriate, simplified method of integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels in existing single-family public housing in the UAE without compromising the architectural style and identity of the original designs. Second, it aims at assessing the sufficiency of the generated electricity through this proposed Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system. Finally, it aims at conducting a pilot survey to explore the Emirati residents’ acceptance of the proposed BIPV system. A frequently developed design model of single-family public housing projects in the UAE was selected to undertake the research investigations where the most suitable architectural elements of its envelope were defined for accommodating the integrated PV panels. Afterwards, a complete set of BIPV panel designs tailored to fit with the defined architectural elements of the selected house was prepared. The dimensions and areas of the BIPV panels were defined and digitally constructed through Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. After considering the efficiency and adequacy of the selected type of BIPV panels and figuring out the expected system losses, the PVWatts Calculator was used for simulating the expected electricity output in kilowatt hours (kWh) for the four façades of the selected model house in their four possible different orientations, as well as the overall average electricity output from the whole BIPV system. The results of the yearly electricity output were very close regardless of the orientation of the four façades of the retrofitted model house, with the total average annual output exceeding the estimated yearly average electricity consumption of this model house. This obviously indicates the potential benefit of the proposed BIPV system, especially with the continuous decrease in the capital cost of the PV panels and their increasing efficiency. With the Emirati residents’ clear acceptance of the proposed BIPV system, it might be also considered as an efficient alternative to the currently limited application of rooftop PV solutions in the UAE. Full article
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15 pages, 2122 KiB  
Article
Guidelines for the Implementation of Mass Customization in Affordable House-Building Projects
by Carlos T. Formoso, Patrícia A. Tillmann and Cynthia dos S. Hentschke
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4141; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074141 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
Mass customization (MC) is a business strategy that stands for the ability to develop high value-added products within short time frames and at relatively low costs. It emerged from the manufacturing industry and has been applied to several industrial sectors, including housing. However, [...] Read more.
Mass customization (MC) is a business strategy that stands for the ability to develop high value-added products within short time frames and at relatively low costs. It emerged from the manufacturing industry and has been applied to several industrial sectors, including housing. However, the segment of affordable housing programs in developing countries has been criticized for having a high degree of product standardization, and failure to meet customers’ specific needs. The aim of this paper is to propose guidelines for implementing mass customization in affordable house-building projects. It is based on a design science research study carried out in a small-sized company, which explored the possibility of adopting mass customization ideas to offer some flexibility for customers while maintaining low costs. The main contributions of this research study are concerned with expanding the current understanding of the components that enable MC to be implemented in the context of house-building companies that adopt traditional construction technologies. From a practical perspective, this investigation outlines several practices that can be introduced for the implementation of MC strategies at a relatively low cost by small-sized house-building companies. Full article
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50 pages, 21652 KiB  
Article
An Analysis of the Development of Modular Building Design Elements to Improve Thermal Performance of a Representative High Rise Residential Estate in the Coastline City of Famagusta, Cyprus
by Hasim Altan and Bertug Ozarisoy
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4065; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074065 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3250
Abstract
Passive design strategies can reduce heating and cooling demands with integration of more efficient building systems as well as the potential to integrate modular off-site construction technology and its technical systems to offset overall energy consumption. This study evaluates the energy performance of [...] Read more.
Passive design strategies can reduce heating and cooling demands with integration of more efficient building systems as well as the potential to integrate modular off-site construction technology and its technical systems to offset overall energy consumption. This study evaluates the energy performance of the nationally representative post-war social housing estate in the southeastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus where the weather is subtropical (Csa) and partly semi-arid (Bsh). This study employed a mixed methods research design approach which was based on a thorough field study that consisted of a questionnaire survey conducted with residents of the social housing estate in the hottest summer month of August, to explore the occupants’ thermal sensation votes (TSVs), their habitual adaptive behaviour, and home energy performance concurrently. On-site environmental monitoring was performed, and in-situ measurements of each occupied space were recorded to identify ‘neutral’ adaptive thermal comfort. The selected representative high-rise residential development was modelled using Integrated Environmental Solutions’ Virtual Environment (IES-VE) software, where extensive dynamic thermal simulations have been produced to assess existing energy performance and energy effectiveness of retrofitting strategies. The results demonstrated that a moderate–strong relationship was found between orientation and reasons for thermal discomfort (χ2 = 49,327, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.405). Individual levels of thermal comfort were not limited to household socio-demographic characteristics, however; environmental factors were also determinants in the development of adaptive thermal-comfort theory. Furthermore, the occupants’ TSVs indicated that in a southeastern Mediterranean climate, 28.5 °C is considered a neutral temperature, and the upper limit of the indoor-air thermal-comfort range is 31.5 °C. Full article
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