PROJECT

PARAMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF DOUBLE-SKIN FAÇADES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE
TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS
DESCRIPTION

Among the Horizon 2020 initiatives, it is proposed to solve society's problems within the field of Energy Efficiency and the Environment, as a challenge for Europe that should be based on knowledge and innovation. In this context, it is considered of great interest to present the present project focusing on two fundamental aspects of the Mediterranean climate: reducing energy poverty considerably and offering response measures to adapt the residential park to climate change, mitigating its effects on the population.

The project is marked two main objectives:
- Optimize the design of Double Skin Facades (DSF), in the rehabilitation of residential buildings in the period 1950-1980 and 1980-2006 in the Mediterranean climate, through the development of numerical and experimental methods, for the improvement of energy efficiency and interior comfort without compromising air quality.
- Evaluate the impact that climate change will have on the energy demand and the comfort conditions of the built housing park in the Mediterranean climate in two situations: (a) in its current state, without energy rehabilitation interventions; and (b) after the application of rehabilitation techniques through the use of optimized DSF façades in order to verify their validity and response.

With an innovative approach, it directly affects one of the three pillars of Horizon 2020: social challenges, specifically Social Challenge 3: Safe, clean and efficient energy, with a proposal that allows "reducing energy consumption and the footprint of carbon through intelligent and sustainable use" while introducing "new knowledge and technologies, necessary to adapt energy systems to changing climatic conditions".

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
  1. Characterize and evaluate the interactions between the different design variables of the DSF in Mediterranean climate and its repercussion in the energy demand and in the internal environmental conditions.
  2. Evaluate the impact that global warming will have on the energy demand and comfort of the residential park in Mediterranean areas, both in its current state and rehabilitated with DSF solutions, using weather forecasting tools for the future.
  3. Optimize the design variables of DSF for the rehabilitation of the envelope of residential buildings by using parametric and experimental methods, to promote energy efficiency and improve indoor comfort conditions.
  4. Develop an energy analysis tool for DSF that allows its integration, as "extensions or complements", in open source simulation tools, with wide use and international recognition, such as Energy Plus or the open platform Openfoam On the other hand, at the national level, this development could contribute to the improvement of the current official tools contemplated in the current Energy Savings Regulations of the CTE, allowing the implementation of double skin façade solutions in the official energy rating programs.
  5. Disseminate and transfer the knowledge of the derived conclusions through high-impact national and international publications, congresses, conferences, seminars and other communication channels of acquired scientific-technical knowledge, as well as transferring the obtained results to responsible for the policies of residential buildings and regulatory processes.