Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 November 2022) | Viewed by 24741

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Seung Hyun Cha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Interior Architecture Design, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Interests: future cities; IOT/AR/VR; digital twin; smart design; human behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Choongwan Koo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Architecture & Urban Design, College of Urban Sciences, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
Interests: intelligent facility management; smart construction management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Accelerated urbanization, caused by the rapid growth of the global population, has led to a significant increase in energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, consequently contributing to global climate change. For instance, buildings in cities are responsible for 70% of total global energy consumption, representing more than two-thirds of CO2 emissions. Therefore, good understanding and planning of energy use in buildings are crucial for establishing adequate future energy policies that are more environment-friendly, without harming the primary functions of buildings (e.g., good lighting and comfortable indoor environment).

Accordingly, the use of passive technologies, renovation in existing buildings, sustainable energy sources, and cost-effective building designs have been accepted as an essential component of comprehensive solutions in built environments. On this basis, great efforts have been made to improve the building performance and reduce energy-related emissions through the application of passive technologies (e.g., phase change materials, passive solar heating system, solar panel windows, daylight harvesting systems, passive cooling systems, etc.), renewable energy sources (solar panels, photovoltaics, bioenergy, etc.), smart technologies (e.g., IOT sensors, smart HVAC systems, etc.), and building performance optimization in design stages. In addition to using machine learning, and intelligent analytics to develop predictive energy models, other study aspects include socio-economic and environmental impacts and extract insights.

This Special Issue is a platform for a wide range of professionals to enhance interdisciplinary research and share the most recent ideas in the related fields listed below for more sustainable buildings.

Prof. Dr. Seung Hyun Cha
Prof. Dr. Choongwan Koo
Guest 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 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

Related fields include but are not limited to the following:

  • Integration of solar renewable systems with building structures
  • Sustainable renovation of existing buildings
  • Building energy performance optimization
  • Building design optimization using modeling techniques
  • Evaluating socio-economic and environmental impacts with renewable energy projects
  • Feasibility study of applying passive solar heating systems into buildings
  • New and advanced materials and technologies applied to buildings
  • Development of predictive models, control systems
  • Mapping and planning renewable energy potentials
  • Technical analysis of energy-intelligent buildings
  • Occupant behavior
  • Occupant comforts and building energy performance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 4011 KiB  
Article
Critical Review on Economic Effect of Renovation Works for Sustainable Office Building Based on Opinions of Real-Estate Appraisers
by Kyuman Cho, Jaeyeon Kim and Taehoon Kim
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6124; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106124 - 18 May 2022
Viewed by 1863
Abstract
Despite increased renovation work for office buildings to improve energy performance, studies on the appraisal of renovated office buildings (ROB) are scarce. Thus, this study analyzed the perceptions of appraisers regarding renovation work and the effect of renovation work on the economic value [...] Read more.
Despite increased renovation work for office buildings to improve energy performance, studies on the appraisal of renovated office buildings (ROB) are scarce. Thus, this study analyzed the perceptions of appraisers regarding renovation work and the effect of renovation work on the economic value of office buildings. Following a reliability evaluation, research results were derived using various methodologies, such as descriptive statistics, Chi-square analysis, analytic hierarchical process, and structural equation modeling, based on the survey results of 118 appraisers. The renovation work was found to positively increase an office building’s value, although the existing appraisal methods have low applicability considering the appraisal of ROB. On evaluating the importance of each factor considered in the ROB appraisal process, the factors related to the “location” of ROB were deemed more important than the attributes directly changed as a result of renovation work. Moreover, factors whose attributes were changed (e.g., working environment, green space, lease area, gross area of floors, number of floors, and number of parking spaces) were found to be critical factors affecting ROB value. The results of this study are expected to provide improvement directions for ROB appraisal methods and significantly aid building owners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 11222 KiB  
Article
The Energy Consumption of Terraces in the Barcelona Public Space: Heating the Street
by Carlos Alonso-Montolio, Gloria Serra-Coch, Antonio Isalgue and Helena Coch
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020865 - 16 Jan 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3797
Abstract
Terraces, as outdoor extensions of food and beverage businesses located in the public realm, have very high potential to activate the streetscape, bring people together and improving urban experiences. Among the consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic are the recommendations of maximizing outdoor [...] Read more.
Terraces, as outdoor extensions of food and beverage businesses located in the public realm, have very high potential to activate the streetscape, bring people together and improving urban experiences. Among the consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic are the recommendations of maximizing outdoor environments when conducting human interactions. Therefore, outdoor eating has dramatically increased throughout the world, with terraces becoming a radical urban change in many streetscapes. The urgency of the situation, and rapid implementation of these changes, has revealed some aspects of this phenomenon that should be considered when adapting the regulations to this new reality. However, the research on their functioning and impact is limited. Additionally, although energy consumption in the architectural and urban field is considered fundamental, research has rarely addressed small business outdoor spaces, placing the focus instead on residential heating or public lighting. This study focuses on the intersection of these two gaps by analyzing a set of terraces in Barcelona and estimating the power installed in their outdoor heating devices. The goal is to determine the potential energy consumed, contrast it with other values more commonly used when researching architectural energy consumption and point out the lack of sustainability of these approaches to providing comfort. The calculations show that the installed power in Barcelona terraces is significant and, when estimating potential consumption, it presents values higher that the average heating consumption of residential units in Spain. These results support two main conclusions: first, the relevance of addressing the means of providing comfort in outdoor urban spaces due to the high magnitude of their potential energy consumption; second, the importance of adapting those systems to outdoor conditions, understanding the needs of the occupants and the limitations of the environment in order to develop sustainable solutions that provide comfort without attempting to heat the air of the street. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 4761 KiB  
Article
Turbulence Effect of Urban-Canopy Flow on Indoor Velocity Fields under Sheltered and Cross-Ventilation Conditions
by Ahmad Faiz Mohammad, Naoki Ikegaya, Ryo Hikizu and Sheikh Ahmad Zaki
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020586 - 9 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2440
Abstract
Understanding the characteristics of natural, wind-induced ventilation of buildings is essential for accurate predictions of ventilation flow rates; however, indoor ventilation is significantly influenced by surrounding buildings. Therefore, a series of wind-tunnel experiments were performed to clarify the relationship between outdoor and indoor [...] Read more.
Understanding the characteristics of natural, wind-induced ventilation of buildings is essential for accurate predictions of ventilation flow rates; however, indoor ventilation is significantly influenced by surrounding buildings. Therefore, a series of wind-tunnel experiments were performed to clarify the relationship between outdoor and indoor air flows around and within a target cube model with several openings. Two surrounding building arrangements, namely square (SQ) and staggered (ST), were placed under the condition of a building coverage ratio of 25%. The results indicated that the wind speed near the windward openings on the streamwise faces showed 0.3 to the reference wind speed, whereas those on the lateral faces were less than 0.1; these numbers indicate that the opening positions significantly affect the mean indoor wind speed. Furthermore, the temporal fluctuations of velocities near the opening demonstrated that the introduction of the flow is significantly affected by turbulent flow due to the surrounding buildings. In addition, correlation between the outdoor and indoor air flows was observed. The highest correlations were obtained for both opening conditions with a certain temporal delay. This result indicates that indoor air flows become turbulent because of the turbulent flows generated by the surrounding outdoor buildings; however, slight temporal delays could occur between indoor and outdoor air flows. Although the present study focuses on the fundamental turbulent characteristics of indoor and outdoor air flows, such findings are essential for accurately predicting the ventilation flow rate due to turbulent air flows for sheltered buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

47 pages, 2984 KiB  
Review
Performance Optimization Studies on Heating, Cooling and Lighting Energy Systems of Buildings during the Design Stage: A Review
by Abdo Abdullah Ahmed Gassar, Choongwan Koo, Tae Wan Kim and Seung Hyun Cha
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9815; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179815 - 1 Sep 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6202
Abstract
Optimizing the building performance at the early design stage is justified as a promising approach to achieve many sustainable design goals in buildings; in particular, it opens a new era of attractive energy-efficient design for designers and architects to create new building constructions [...] Read more.
Optimizing the building performance at the early design stage is justified as a promising approach to achieve many sustainable design goals in buildings; in particular, it opens a new era of attractive energy-efficient design for designers and architects to create new building constructions with high-energy efficiency and better overall performance. Accordingly, this study aims to provide a comprehensive review of performance optimization studies on heating, cooling, and lighting energy systems of buildings during the design stages, conducting a systematical review covering various aspects ranging from the building type, optimization inputs, the approach used, and the main conclusion. Furthermore, the benefits and limitations of early optimizations in the energy-efficient design performance of buildings and future research directions are identified and discussed. The review results show that previous research efforts of optimizing energy-efficient design performance in buildings have addressed a wide variety of early stage design optimization issues, including orientation and multi-objective building function-related conflicts, such as cooling and lighting. However, significant research issues related to investigations of design envelope materials, proper energy-efficient design form, and other passive parameters, such as solar photovoltaic systems, are still lacking. Therefore, future research should be directed towards improving existing optimization approach frameworks in the context of appropriate energy-efficient design features; integrating sensitivity and uncertainty analyses in the performance optimization framework of buildings to provide a more balanced assessment of influential design envelope properties and extending optimal design envelope investigations of buildings to include other passive parameters and lifecycle assessment under long-term weather conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 9115 KiB  
Review
Safety Barriers Identification, Classification, and Ways to Improve Safety Performance in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Industry: Review Study
by Mohammed N. Maliha, Yazan I. Abu Aisheh, Bassam A. Tayeh and Ali Almalki
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3316; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063316 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 9132
Abstract
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is one of the most dangerous industries due to its unique nature. Safety is a critical issue in developed and developing countries. The main objective of this paper was to identify and classify the barriers that [...] Read more.
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is one of the most dangerous industries due to its unique nature. Safety is a critical issue in developed and developing countries. The main objective of this paper was to identify and classify the barriers that hinder the implementation of safety in projects and ways to improve safety performance. The method used in this paper includes a heavy review of many sources related to the safety barriers in the AEC industry, including a process of identification and classification of these barriers, after which we discuss the most popular methods between them, based on the appearance of it in the sources which were reviewed. Then, the ways to improve safety performance were viewed in AEC industry. Based on that, it was found that there are the following 4 categories associated with safety barriers: (1) Behavior Barriers; (2) Management Barriers; (3) Awareness Barriers; and (4) Culture Barriers. At the same time, the most popular barriers are based on appearance in sources: lack of safety training, lack of commitment, work pressure is high when deadlines are approaching, and low level education, lack of experience, and lack of knowledge. The many ways to improve safety performance are illustrated in the end of this paper. The results of this paper show the importance of safety and that the actual safety of the projects should be focused on in order to reduce injuries, accidents, and reduce barriers of applying safety, which will enhance the sustainability and development of safe environments within in AEC industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Environment and Building Energy Efficiency)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop