LÓPEZ CABEZA , Victoria Patricia

This thesis aims to design a new simulation methodology applied to the microclimate of courtyards to assess their thermodynamic performance considering the different factors involved. Using this new methodology, different strategies to improve the performance of the courtyard as a passive element to reduce the energy consumption of buildings...

The design of more sustainable buildings is one of the main concerns of our society given the necessity to reduce energy consumption to reduce climate change. Incorporate passive strategies in buildings should be the first step because of its zero energy consumption. One of the most used passive strategies in the Mediterranean...

It is necessary to determine if the tools used in the process of building performance calculation accurately reflect the real conditions, with the objective of introducing simulation in the design process of buildings. The aim of this study is the assessment of the effectiveness of the software ENVI-met v4 on the prediction of the thermodynamic...

The use of natural materials has become more important as a result of the growing need to conserve energy, exploit renewable materials, and incorporate architecture and construction into sustainable methods of production. Accordingly, the present work investigates the engineering properties of a new earthen building material. This proposal is...

This study analyzes the thermal performance of courtyards in traditional buildings in the city center of Córdoba (South of Spain), one of them displaying a shading component, to determine the influence of this precise element. The courtyards have been monitored simultaneously during a summer period when temperatures during the day reached over...

The alarming increase in global average temperatures and the adaptive capacity of humans in relation to air quality and temperature are becoming increasingly relevant. Scientific resources have focused on the thermal adaptation of building users, but little research has been done on thermal comfort in outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces in the...

Outdoor comfort is gaining attention in the design of our cities to face the current context of rising temperatures. Although simulation is required to inform the early design stage of projects considering outdoor space and strategies to improve their thermal performance, different tool options must be compared through monitoring to determine...

Courtyards are traditional construction models in Mediterranean cities. In this research, tempering performance of courtyards during a two-year field monitoring campaign in southern Spain was investigated. The main objective was to identify the thermal functions of inner courtyards, analyzing the aspect ratio (AR) and the influence of outdoor...

Climatic events in Mediterranean cities, such as heat waves, directly affect their inhabitants. As a result, outdoor thermal comfort in urban spaces is gaining increasing research attention because it is associated with the quality of life in these cities. Significant improvements have been achieved in the adaptation of buildings; however, a...

Courtyards are a passive strategy to improve the energy performance of buildings. However, theaccurate simulation of courtyards' thermodynamic performance in the early design stage is still chal-lenging, even though there has been an emergence of new methods to assess outdoor simulation.This paper tests a novel workflow using the Ladybug Tools...

Thermal inertia and natural ventilation are strategies widely used and studied in indoor building performance. However, little analysis has been done on its effect on the outdoor microclimate. Furthermore, this analysis is needed for the specific case of inner courtyards, given that these outdoor spaces are highly affected by their surrounding...

This paper analyzes the thermal performance of three courtyards located in Dos Hermanas (Seville, Spain) simultaneously monitored during five days in the hot period of the year, from 4 June to 9 June. The results show a significant tempering effect in all the courtyards, recording a maximum outdoor-indoor temperature difference up to 11 °C in...

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is a phenomenon that threatens life in cities nowadays. Among other strategies to adapt cities to this phenomenon is the use of the tempering potential of courtyards and changes in the albedo of the surfaces. However, there is little literature about the influence of the albedo on the thermal performance of...

Built environment configurations of vernacular architecture are the result of an evolutionary adaptation to climatic conditions, while the historic districts of many cities worldwide are shaped by their extensive architectural heritage. These factors, coupled with the present day awareness and renewed interest in the passive retrofitting of...

For decades, main research attention has been paid to the energy efficiency of buildings. Computer technology and building energy simulation tools have supported the methods to compare the cost-effectiveness of energy conservation measures, which has been debated over years. However, current tools present several challenges aiming at facing...

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect represents a threat to the well-being of cities. Cities must adapt to this phenomenon, prioritizing the improvement of outdoor environment quality. Urban materials have a great impact on outdoor environment quality, energy demand, and citizens' well-being. Based on the literature, it can be stated that...

The so-called urban heat islands (UHI) is a thermal phenomenon characterized by higher air temperatures in the urban area than in rural surroundings. Vernacular passive strategies such as courtyards are proved to be useful to generate specific microclimates, especially in the warmer regions of the Earth. Courtyards increase the porosity of the...

Outdoor comfort is becoming an important parameter to consider in the design of spaces given the growing concern about how the urban heat island effect increases heat stress in cities. Calculating the different comfort indexes involves the quantification of several parameters in relation to the meteorological and user conditions. There are...

Temperatures in Mediterranean cities are rising due to the effects of climate change, with a consequent increase in the heat waves frequency. Recent research has shown the tempering potential of semi-outdoor spaces such as courtyards, which are semi-enclosed spaces that are widely used by the users of buildings in Mediterranean cities....

Extreme heat events are expected to occur more often as a consequence of climate change. This paper quantifies the impact of urban climate on building performance and evaluates the benefits of specific microclimates, such as inner courtyards, to mitigate extreme heat impacts. A reference case study associated with two outdoor weather...

The simulation of urban microclimates in a way that is flexible enough to be included in the early design stages is still a problem to be solved. Furthermore, the necessity to find a balance between accuracy, provided by the use of CFD software requiring high computational power, operational speed and integration with the modelling tool, is an...

Courtyards are an effective passive strategy for improving the energy performance of buildings. However, there is a lack of accurate simulation tools for their thermal performance due to their complex thermodynamics. This paper's contribution is the coupling of a CFD model with a system of differential equations at the walls, governing surface...