A Numerical Investigation of the Thermal Performance of a Gabion Building Envelope in Cold Regions with a Mountainous Climate
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper presents a numerical model developed to simulate the heat transfer and air flow between the building with gabions and the external environment. In addition, the influences on the CHTC, wind pressure, and air infliltration is analyzed.
It also concluded that the gabion can enhance the building thermal performance in mountainous climate regions, resulting in the improvement of building energy efficiency and thermal comfort.
The following questions need to be considered before acceptance:
1. The innovation between the model proposed in this paper and the model studied by predecessors is not clearly pointed out.
2. The author considered that the gabion can enhance the building thermal performance in mountainous climate regions. Please explain the reason for the great effect due to the gabion in details.
3. The author do not provide the limitation and future work in this paper. This paper is based on the mountainous climate regions, the author should explain that the conclusion can or can not applied in other climate regions.
minor change
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
To assess the impact of the gabion envelope on the building's thermal performance, the authors of this research developed a numerical model of the building incorporating the gabion envelope. Subsequently, they conducted numerical simulations to analyze the effects. The study investigated how the gabion envelope influenced the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of the building's exterior surface, wind pressure, air infiltration, room base temperature, and overall building load.
- The authors should clearly state the specific aspects of the work that differentiate it from previous studies: Identify and highlight the distinctive features employed in research that set it apart from the works mentioned in the literature review.
- The references provided in the manuscript appear to be generally appropriate and relevant. However, I suggest the authors conduct a thorough search for recent publications related to your research topic. Include relevant papers, articles, and studies that have been published within the past few years. This will ensure that your work is built upon the most up-to-date knowledge and aligns with the current trends in the field.
- How does gabion construction align with sustainability goals and contribute to improved indoor thermal comfort in an environmentally conscious manner?
- Clearly explain how gabion construction offers distinct advantages over the alternative materials or methods mentioned. What specific features or properties of gabion make it a superior choice for improving building sustainability, energy efficiency, and thermal performance in these regions?
- Specify any alternative materials or construction methods that have been suggested or used in similar cold regions with mountainous climates. For example, are there any commonly employed insulation materials or construction techniques?
Regards,
The paper is overall well-written and easy to read.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear Authors,
I would like to thank the author/s for their effort.
The author of this paper is to be commended for the efforts he/she has put into it. In this study, the authors investigate about The effect of the gabion envelope on the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of exterior building surface, wind pressure, air infiltration, room base temperature and building load. But there are some minor comments that need from authors to modify it to enhance the research:
1- Abstract: It is preferable if the author rewriting the abstract with more emphasis on the problem and the methodology because it`s not clear in current version of abstract.
2- (Figure 9) Should be moved to merge with (Figure 1) to give a clear idea of the case study layout.
3- There are no references in any of the tables in this paper. I would appreciate it if you added references for all tables.
4- In light of the generality and briefness of the authors' conclusion, it might be worthwhile to expand on the results of the simulations to provide more details.
By the end, I want to say that you did a great job and all this comments is to encourage the author to enhance the quality of paper.
Thank you for your efforts.
Best Wishes
Moderate editing of English language required
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors have addressed all the comments.
