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Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design
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Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design

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: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 5294

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yupeng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
Interests: green building design; building simulation; building energy; urban heat island; sustainable urban development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban development and building design are affecting the living environment via inducing carbon emission during urban and building operation. In the face of environmental challenges, such as the depletion of natural resources, the deterioration of indoor and outdoor air quality, human thermal comfort and an aging society, architects and urban designers are required to create designs that combine related technologies. From the perspective of sustainable urban development, research related to low-carbon building evaluation and technology development is focusing on individual buildings. For sustainable urban planning and building design, the environmental effects of building layout and building facade design, as well as vegetation, should be evaluated. For low-carbon development, the relationship between outdoor climate change and indoor energy consumption should be considered because building design and surrounding conditions are effecting the overall carbon emission.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather research that addresses comprehensive environmental problems and seeks to break the barriers between the building and urban scales.

Dr. Yupeng Wang
Guest Editor

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 special issue 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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • low-carbon development
  • urban environmental evaluation
  • urban climate change
  • urban energy consumption
  • green building design
  • renewable energy usage
  • building energy consumption reduction

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10416 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of the Latest Editions of China–Japan–US Green Building Evaluation Standards
by Qiyuan Wang, Weijun Gao, Yuan Su and Yinqi Zhang
Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3698; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113698 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 340
Abstract
The Green Building Evaluation Standard (ESGB) has become an important support for China’s building sector in realizing the “double carbon” goal. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive research on the historical evolution and development status of the ESGB. This study firstly analyzes [...] Read more.
The Green Building Evaluation Standard (ESGB) has become an important support for China’s building sector in realizing the “double carbon” goal. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive research on the historical evolution and development status of the ESGB. This study firstly analyzes the updating logic and development strategy of the three versions of the ESGB, then compares the differences between ESGB 2019, CASBEE-NC 2014, and LEED O+M v4.1 from the perspective of the index system, and further examines the current international application status of the ESGB. The results show that LEED focuses on decarbonization and ecological protection, while CASEBB focuses on the concept of humanization and positively influences the local real estate market, and ESGB 2019 contains more health and comfort considerations than its previous version and is close to the internationally advanced level in terms of provision setting and international application. This study offers valuable insights into the potential for further refinement of green building standards in China and highlights areas for future research, including enhancing the ESGB’s adaptability and integration with emerging technologies to promote global sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design)
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22 pages, 1157 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Warehouse Building Design for Simultaneous Revenue Generation and Carbon Reduction in Taiwan: A Fuzzy Nonlinear Multi-Objective Approach
by Kang-Lin Chiang
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2441; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082441 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1043
Abstract
Taiwan’s encouragement of installing solar photovoltaic power plants (SPPPs) on warehouse rooftops is a step towards sustainability and profitable investment. This study, analyzing the installations of STY Company, found that rooftop SPPPs significantly boost revenue, with rates increasing from 2.0088% to 6.8681% over [...] Read more.
Taiwan’s encouragement of installing solar photovoltaic power plants (SPPPs) on warehouse rooftops is a step towards sustainability and profitable investment. This study, analyzing the installations of STY Company, found that rooftop SPPPs significantly boost revenue, with rates increasing from 2.0088% to 6.8681% over 20 years. The break-even point is in the 7th year, with a return rate ranging from 2.0088 to 2.1748%. This shows that SPPP investments are a benefit for investors, shortening construction times and allowing warehouses to sell solar energy at an earlier date. This research utilized a fuzzy nonlinear multi-objective programming model to examine trade-offs between construction time, cost, quality, and revenue (TCQR) to optimize SPPP construction. The findings suggest that reducing construction time is an effective strategy to lower carbon emissions despite potential cost increases. However, time and quality costs are inversely proportional, highlighting the importance of efficient project management in minimizing the impacts of this trade-off. Adjusting funding can maintain quality while speeding up construction. Completing projects early also heightens revenue from green energy sales, offsetting higher initial investments. The TCQR focuses on investment revenue, managing time efficiently, and making data-driven decisions to expedite SPPP development. This model improves project profitability and promotes sustainable growth by reducing construction time and optimizing financial strategies. This study’s contribution includes: 1. Optimizing the installation process of warehouse rooftop SPPPs, which provide significant long-term revenue and environmental benefits. 2. Combining the different research methods of scholars into fuzzy methods that can solve complex systems with high uncertainty. The nonlinear model put forth by this study is closer to the actual situation and can handle balancing complex problems in multi-objective programming. 3. Improving the efficiency of time management to make it feasible to reduce construction time to lower carbon emissions. 4. Concocting a comprehensive approach integrating financial, environmental, and operational factors for successful SPPP development. This study addresses an academic gap. Previously, scholars conducted research independently, focusing solely on financial investment or time, cost, and quality (TCQ) issues without considering the two together. By combining financial investment with TCQ, this study fills a significant gap in academic research. According to this study, better investment returns could improve the promotion of solar energy. Unlike previous research, this study integrates the analysis of TCQ with that of revenue by assessing costs and revenues together. This approach allows decision-makers to derive judgments from the TCQR model quickly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design)
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28 pages, 8948 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Sustainable Thermal Comfort of Tropical Urban Buildings with Indoor Plants
by Udayasoorian Kaaviya Priya and Ramalingam Senthil
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2353; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082353 - 30 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1548
Abstract
Rapid urbanization exacerbates the urban heat island effect, raising local temperatures and endangering residents’ health and well-being. The decreasing green spaces resulting from urbanization necessitate global action focused on reducing heat island intensity and addressing heat stress. Urban green infrastructure (UGI) offers solutions [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization exacerbates the urban heat island effect, raising local temperatures and endangering residents’ health and well-being. The decreasing green spaces resulting from urbanization necessitate global action focused on reducing heat island intensity and addressing heat stress. Urban green infrastructure (UGI) offers solutions for enhanced comfort and reduced pollution through passive methods. Various large-scale UGI projects have been implemented to regulate temperature and improve air quality in urban areas. More research on smaller green spaces is essential to improve the microclimate in space-constrained urban cities. This experimental study examines the thermal effectiveness of potted plants located on balconies of a mid-rise residential building in Chennai, India. The study aims to enlighten balcony greening’s role in reducing heat stress by monitoring temperature and humidity indoors and outdoors, with and without potted plants at similar solar radiation. Potted plants significantly lowered indoor air and surface temperatures by about 3 °C. Thus, balconies offer untapped potential for green interventions that are often unnoticed in tropical climates like India. The challenges in the installation and maintenance of UGI hinder the widespread adoption of UGI even though UGI positively influences residential well-being. The significant findings benefit urban planners and architects, enlightening strategies to enhance urban thermal comfort and mitigate heat stress through small-scale and cost-effective green interventions. This research contributes to sustainable urban development in tropical climates, aligning with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDGs 3, 7, 11, 13, and 15. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design)
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22 pages, 22460 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Solar Power Generation in Urban Industrial Blocks: The Impact of Block Typology and PV Material Performance
by Minghao Wang, Ting Li, Chunfang Li, Haizhu Zhou, Xiaolei Ju, Wensheng Tang, Yunsong Han and Shen Xu
Buildings 2024, 14(7), 1914; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14071914 - 22 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1435
Abstract
The block-scale application of photovoltaic technology in cities is becoming a viable solution for renewable energy utilization. The rapid urbanization process has provided urban buildings with a colossal development potential for solar energy in China, especially in industrial areas that provide more space [...] Read more.
The block-scale application of photovoltaic technology in cities is becoming a viable solution for renewable energy utilization. The rapid urbanization process has provided urban buildings with a colossal development potential for solar energy in China, especially in industrial areas that provide more space for the integration of PV equipment. In developing solar energy resources, the block layout and the PV materials are two critical factors affecting the distribution of solar radiation and generation. However, few studies have analyzed how to select the most suitable PV materials for different layouts of industrial blocks to obtain the best generation. This study considered the layout of industrial blocks and PV materials simultaneously, and the generation yield was calculated when combined. A total of 40 real industrial block cases were constructed, and radiation distribution data on building surfaces of different block cases were calculated. Data on both were combined to calculate the generation of different PV materials for each block type. The findings indicated that single-story industrial blocks possessed the highest potential for solar radiation, primarily due to the higher percentage of roof area. The influence of PV materials on the installation rate of different building facades varied, with the installation rate of the west facade being the most impacted by PV performance and the roof being the least impacted. Using different PV materials in industrial blocks could lead to a 59.2% difference in solar generation capacity. For single-layer industrial blocks, mono crystalline and poly crystalline silicon were preferable to achieve higher power generation. In contrast, multi-story and high-rise industrial blocks were best suited for a-Si and CIGS to attain higher cost performance. The methods and results of this study guided the selection and installation of PV equipment in various block typologies, thereby improving the refinement of solar resource development, maximizing solar resource utilization, and promoting the development of energy conservation and carbon reduction in cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Urban Development and Building Design)
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