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Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings
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Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 26438

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Helena Corvacho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: building physics; building thermal performance; passive strategies; energy efficient; NZEB; sustainable construction solutions; sustainability assessment method

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A Special Issue of MDPI Journal Sustainability on the topic “Low-carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings” is now open for submission. Focusing on residential buildings, this Special Issue seeks to gather relevant and innovative contributions on the various factors affecting the sustainability of a building during its life cycle.

The built environment is a major contributor to the depletion of Earth's resources, being at the same time one of the sectors where energy consumption is the most significant. The climate emergency is urging researchers, designers, manufacturers, promoters, contractors, and users to quickly find effective answers to the need to radically reduce carbon emissions. The moment calls for new creative solutions, both for new and existing buildings. The urgency means that society cannot afford to wait for the old building stock to be replaced. It must act on the existing built environment too.

This Special Issue includes (but is not limited to) the following subjects:

  • Building passive strategies (optimization of the building envelope, solar access and solar protection, airtightness, ventilation strategies, passive solar technologies);
  • Indoor air quality (health and comfort);
  • Nearly or net zero energy buildings (nZEB/NZEB);
  • Positive energy buildings;
  • Low-carbon renovation of buildings;
  • Local renewable energy production systems;
  • Application of national and/or international standards and legislation in the field—challenges and difficulties;
  • Life cycle assessment of materials and components;
  • Sustainable solutions for the end of building service life;
  • Case studies.

Due to your expertise in this field, I am pleased to invite you to submit your latest research work to this Special Issue.

I look forward to receiving your valuable contribution, with my best regards.

Dr. Helena Corvacho
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. 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

  • Residential Building
  • Building Passive Strategies
  • Indoor Quality
  • nZEB/NZEB
  • Positive Energy Building
  • Low-carbon Renovation
  • Local Renewable Energy
  • Standards and Legislation
  • Life Cycle Assessment
  • End of Service Life

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 4126 KiB  
Article
Compliance with Building Energy Code for the Residential Sector in Egyptian Hot-Arid Climate: Potential Impact, Difficulties, and Further Improvements
by Mennaallah GamalEldine and Helena Corvacho
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3936; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073936 - 26 Mar 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4714
Abstract
Building energy codes are considered to be an effective policy tool for energy reduction worldwide. However, their application and effectiveness are still limited in developing countries. In Egypt, the residential sector is promising for energy savings, as most of the existing residential buildings [...] Read more.
Building energy codes are considered to be an effective policy tool for energy reduction worldwide. However, their application and effectiveness are still limited in developing countries. In Egypt, the residential sector is promising for energy savings, as most of the existing residential buildings are aged with low thermal performance and non-conformance with energy codes. This study aims to raise the awareness of promoting the Egyptian residential energy codes among construction parties, especially end-users, by quantifying the environmental impacts, in terms of energy savings and thermal comfort enhancement. Moreover, it attempts achieving a nearly zero energy building by integrating several energy-efficient measures with renewable energy sources. Thus, in this study, a typical residential building in Cairo was chosen for simulation. The simulation results revealed that applying energy code instructions for building envelope, lighting enhancement and increases in cooling set-points, from 24 °C to 25 °C, saved 37.85% of annual electrical energy and resulted in a cooling reduction of 50.53%. Furthermore, the photovoltaic system incorporation succeeded in transforming the building into a nearly zero energy building. Concerning thermal comfort, the application of passive energy-efficient measures significantly influences indoor thermal comfort, with a 30% reduction in discomfort hours during the cooling season, which represents the main concern in hot climate regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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16 pages, 2540 KiB  
Article
Environmental Performance of a Cost-Effective Energy Renovation at the Neighbourhood Scale—The Case for Social Housing in Braga, Portugal
by Ricardo Barbosa, Manuela Almeida, Raúl Briones-Llorente and Ricardo Mateus
Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 1947; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14041947 - 9 Feb 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3041
Abstract
It is increasingly recognised that the energy renovation of the existing building stock will be determinant for achieving 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation targets in Europe. As operational energy is being dramatically reduced through regulatory efforts and funding from the European Union, the relevance [...] Read more.
It is increasingly recognised that the energy renovation of the existing building stock will be determinant for achieving 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation targets in Europe. As operational energy is being dramatically reduced through regulatory efforts and funding from the European Union, the relevance of the environmental performance of these interventions becomes higher, namely regarding embodied energy and carbon emissions associated with the materials that compose the renovation solutions. Although some studies address these impacts in buildings, the range of studies focusing on the neighbourhood scale is limited. This article presents a methodological framework combining a life cycle cost assessment (LCC) and a life cycle assessment (LCA). The purpose is to assess the relevance of embodied energy and carbon emissions on the cost-effectiveness of building renovation solutions towards nZEB at the neighbourhood scale by comparing an operational energy approach and a whole life cycle approach in a case study of a social housing neighbourhood in Braga, Portugal. The results suggest an increase in indicators values demonstrating a negative impact on the achievable reduction of both energy and emissions when the whole life cycle approach is considered, which can constitute a critical point for policy formulation in the decarbonisation of the built environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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17 pages, 1588 KiB  
Article
Intelligent Designing and Increasing the Variability of Healthy Residential Buildings by Customizing Recycled Polyvinyl Butyral
by Annamária Behúnová, Lucia Knapčíková, Marcel Behún, Tomáš Mandičák and Peter Mésároš
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9073; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169073 - 13 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1749
Abstract
Healthy residential buildings represent the future of construction concerned with the environment, which is increasingly emphasized. This is directly related to the research and development of environmentally friendly building materials, which on the one hand meet the specific requirements of the builder, and [...] Read more.
Healthy residential buildings represent the future of construction concerned with the environment, which is increasingly emphasized. This is directly related to the research and development of environmentally friendly building materials, which on the one hand meet the specific requirements of the builder, and on the other hand do not harm the environment. The research is based on the possibility of achieving increased variability in healthy residential buildings via the customization of recycled polyvinyl butyral using smart technologies for sustainable design. This study has two sub-goals; the first and foremost is the development and adaptation of recycled polyvinyl butyral to increase the elevation of the healthy residential buildings. The second objective is to design a methodology, and create databases and intelligent designs, via knowledge and building information modeling (BIM) technologies. In future research, data on environmental materials (such as the abovementioned recycled polyvinyl butyral) should be implemented in the knowledge databases that will be methodically described in our second sub-target. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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21 pages, 2468 KiB  
Article
The nZEB Requirements for Residential Buildings: An Analysis of Thermal Comfort and Actual Energy Needs in Portuguese Climate
by Jaime Resende and Helena Corvacho
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8277; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158277 - 24 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2473
Abstract
As of now, in the EU, all new buildings will have to comply with the requirements for nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB). Portugal defines limits for the maximum useful energy needs for heating and for the maximum primary energy needs and establishes that [...] Read more.
As of now, in the EU, all new buildings will have to comply with the requirements for nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB). Portugal defines limits for the maximum useful energy needs for heating and for the maximum primary energy needs and establishes that 50% of primary energy needs must be covered by local renewable energy sources, based on the dwellings’ nominal condition of use. However, the actual use is different. Thus, a simulation tool is used to assess thermal comfort and energy needs for different conditions of use of a dwelling complying with nZEB requirements. Eight different locations are chosen, covering all Portuguese climate zones. The nZEB requirements lead to unusually high levels of thermal insulation, especially in the coldest regions, so special care must be taken by the designers to avoid overheating in summer. Without using HVAC system, some discomfort is found but comfort is possible with low energy consumption. Furthermore, the compliance with nZEB requirements proved to be enough to ensure that a significant percentage of useful energy needs for heating, cooling and domestic hot water is supplied by local renewable energy sources. This is key in order to overcome the high rate of energy poverty in Portugal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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19 pages, 7302 KiB  
Article
Effect of Occupant Activity on Indoor Particle Concentrations in Korean Residential Buildings
by Hyungkeun Kim, Kyungmo Kang and Taeyeon Kim
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9201; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219201 - 5 Nov 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2296
Abstract
Due to the recent industrial development and COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time indoors. Therefore, indoor air quality is becoming more important for the health of occupants. Indoor fine particles are increased by outdoor air pollution and indoor occupant activities. In particular, [...] Read more.
Due to the recent industrial development and COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time indoors. Therefore, indoor air quality is becoming more important for the health of occupants. Indoor fine particles are increased by outdoor air pollution and indoor occupant activities. In particular, smoking, cooking, cleaning, and ventilation are occupant activities that have the largest impact on indoor particle concentrations. In this study, indoor and outdoor particle concentrations were measured in ten apartment houses in South Korea for 24 h. Indoor particle concentrations were measured in the kitchen and living room to evaluate the impact of cooking, one of the most important sources of indoor particles. An occupant survey was also conducted to analyze the influence of occupant activities. It was found that the impact of outdoor particles on indoor particle concentrations in winter was not significant. The largest particle source was cooking. In particular, a large amount of particles was generated by broiling and frying. In addition, cooking-generated particles are rapidly dispersed to the living room, and this was more obvious for small particles. It is expected that this result will be statistically generalized if the particle concentration of more houses is analyzed in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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Review

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19 pages, 2457 KiB  
Review
A Review of Balcony Impacts on the Indoor Environmental Quality of Dwellings
by Catarina Ribeiro, Nuno M. M. Ramos and Inês Flores-Colen
Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6453; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166453 - 11 Aug 2020
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 11254
Abstract
Balconies are an ancient architectural archetype that are being increasingly considered in multi-family buildings of high-density cities. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the impacts of balcony types on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy consumption of dwellings. Of [...] Read more.
Balconies are an ancient architectural archetype that are being increasingly considered in multi-family buildings of high-density cities. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the impacts of balcony types on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy consumption of dwellings. Of the reviewed studies, 69% were published during the last decade, making it evident that awareness of the positive impact of balcony spaces is continuously increasing. The literature review allowed us to identify three balcony spaces according to their morphology and their boundary system: open balcony (OB), glazed balcony (GB), and eliminate balcony (EB). It was concluded that these balcony types produce relevant impacts in four factors that contribute to the indoor environmental quality: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. Practical design recommendations and constraints were provided according to distinct climatic conditions and building technologies. This review also explored the assessment methodologies used for the optimization of the balconies on the design process. The literature highlighted the lack of a comprehensive study about the impact of balconies in mild and Mediterranean climates, as well as the knowledge limitations concerning the balance between the impacts on IEQ factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon and Healthy Residential Buildings)
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