Solar Cooling Integrated Façades: Main Challenges in Product Development for Widespread Application

The global attention to solar cooling systems has increased during the last years as a result of the expected growth in the world cooling demand. Such systems encompass the use of renewable energy as the main driver for mitigating indoor temperatures. Currently, some of these technologies are mature enough for their commercial application in...

Editorial Journal of Facade Design & Engineering

Assessment of Current Energy Consumption in Residential Buildings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), residential buildings' energy consumption accounts for almost 50% of the building stock electricity consumption. The KSA's economy relies heavily on fossil fuel sources, namely oil reservoirs, whose depletion will negatively affect the future development of the country. The total electricity consumption is...

The Story of the Bucky Lab

A book about a university docent and one of his courses – why would you do that? And what is the academic impact?

COOLFACADE: State-of-the-art review and evaluation of solar cooling technologies on their potential for facade integration

Increasing cooling demands in the built environment call for innovative technical solutions and systems for application in buildings. Cooling loads represent an important share of the total energy consumption in warm climates, especially in commercial and office buildings. Moreover, mechanical systems will still be needed in most cases to cope...

Passive cooling & climate responsive façade design: Exploring the limits of passive cooling strategies to improve the performance of commercial buildings in warm climates

Cooling demands of commercial buildings present a relevant challenge for a sustainable future. They account for over half of the overall energy needs for the operation of an average office building in warm climates, and this situation is expected to become more pressing due to increasing temperatures in cities worldwide. To tackle this issue, it...

Origin and Development of Environmental Design

Buildings are characterised as some of the greatest consumers and pollutants of the planet. However, the genesis of environmental design, in the context of its modern meaning, as shown in this paper, is not so much based on initial requests to reduce the negative pressure on the environment, but more on the tendency to ensure the continuity of...

Feasibility Study of Self-Sufficient Solar Cooling Façade Applications in Different Warm Regions

Small-scale systems and integrated concepts are currently being explored to promote the widespread application of solar cooling technologies in buildings. This article seeks to expand application possibilities by exploring the feasibility of solar cooling integrated façades, as decentralized self-sufficient cooling modules on different warm...

Possibilities and constraints for the widespread application of solar cooling integrated façades

Possibilities and Constraints for the Widespread Application of Solar Cooling Integrated Façades

Cooling demands in buildings have drastically increased in recent decades and this trend is set to continue into the near future, due to increasing standards of living and global climate change, among the most relevant factors. Besides energy consumption, the use of refrigerants in common vapour compression cooling technologies is a source of...

Solar façades: Main barriers for widespread façade integration of solar technologies

25 Years of cooling research in office buildings: Review for the integration of cooling strategies into the building façade (1990–2014)

This paper seeks to present a panorama of cooling related research in office buildings, categorising reported research experiences from the past 25 years in order to identify knowledge gaps and define current paths and trends for further exploration. The general goal behind this research is to support the design of sustainable office...

Solar façades: Main barriers for widespread façade integration of solar technologies

Solar energy has been actively promoted as a clean energy source since 1973’s oil crisis, evidenced by the emergence of initiatives such as the Solar Heating & Cooling Programme of the International Energy Agency or the US Department of Energy. Nonetheless, solar technologies have not been widely used in the built environment, limiting their...

Solar coolfacades: Framework for the integration of solar cooling technologies in the building envelope

Solar cooling systems have gained increased attention these last years, for its potential to lower indoor temperatures using renewable energy. However, architectural integration of these systems in buildings has not been fully explored. Current developments such as small scale solar driven heat pumps and solar cooling kits commercially available...

Main perceived barriers for the development of building service integrated facades: Results from an exploratory expert survey

The integration of decentralised building services into façade components presents advantages from functional and constructional standpoints. However, this integrated approach has not been massively implemented, having only stand-alone buildings and façade concepts as examples. This paper seeks to identify the main perceived problems at...

Imagine 09: PROTOTYPING efn MOBILE

The Prototyping efn Mobile programme ‘emerging envelope’ develops innovative façade constructions with international student teams of the European Façade Network (EFN). The inspiring energy of workshops and 1:1 mock-up buildings generates a plethora of new ideas for intelligent, adaptive and sustainable façades. From adaptive building envelopes...

BT Research Portfolio: Computation & Performance Green Building Innovation