In the context of the current energy crisis and climate change, the importance of discussions on how to incorporate monument protection into sustainable strategies that mitigate the human impact on the environment and implement renewable sources while preserving cultural values is raised. Through the case study of the Monument Reserve in Bratislava, Slovakia, this article presents the potentials and limits of the integration of photovoltaic systems in historic urban structures that directly affect their feasible participation in smart city and positive energy district concepts by means of energy cooperativeness. This study highlights the most current recommendations and basic principles on how to assess their visual impact and select the most appropriate solutions. Using the datafication process, it analyzes the irradiance of pitched and flat roof polygons of the set area based on their characteristics such as the normal vector azimuth and slope of the rooftops. For this purpose, a 3D morphological model in LOD3 detail and the open-source solar irradiation model r.sun implemented in GRASS GIS / QGIS were used. The data obtained provided an estimate of the output potential to endow the city’s power grid and were compared to the electricity consumption of the particular city district. Furthermore, these data are suitable for designing a customized technical and aesthetic solution for the integration of photovoltaics with respect to cultural sustainability, as well as for decision- and policy makers.
One of the main targets of globally aimed strategies such as the UN-supported Race to Zero campaign or the European Green Deal is the decarbonisation of the building sector. The implementation of renewable energy sources in new urban structures, as well as the complex reconstruction of existing buildings, represents a key area of sustainable urban development. Supporting this approach, this paper introduces the solar-surface-area-to-volume ratio (Rsol) and the solar performance indicator (Psol), applicable for evaluation of the energy performance of basic building shapes at early design stages. The indicators are based on the preprocessors calculated using two different mathematical models—Robinson and Stone’s cumulative sky algorithm and Kittler and Mikler’s model—which are then compared and evaluated. Contrary to the commonly used surface-area-to-volume ratio, the proposed indicators estimate the potential for energy generation by active solar appliances integrated in the building envelope and allow optimisation of building shape in relation to potential energy losses and potential solar gains simultaneously. On the basis of the mathematical models, an online application optimising building shape to maximise sun-exposed surfaces has been developed. In connection with the solar-surface-area-to-volume ratio, it facilitates the quantitative evaluation of energy efficiency of various shapes by the wider professional public. The proposed indicators, verified in a case study presented, shall result in the increased sustainability of building sector by improving the utilisation of solar energy and overall energy performance of buildings.
Since the beginning of this century, STEM education has become increasingly important in preserving prosperity and economic competitiveness. Architecture has its own specific attributes. It overarches the STEM and HASS disciplines, and it should be perceived as a cultural phenomenon rather than as a field of study. The main objective of this article is to highlight the methodology based on the statistical method evaluating the correlation rate between the Bachelor’s student performance (SP) in design studio courses and STEM and HASS categories, represented by particular subjects of various areas of study. The relationship between the admission examination procedure and the academic performance of graduates in the DESIGN category was also analyzed. Although the level of knowledge and skills required based on the study results within the curricula was more significant in the HASS category, the direct correlation between subjects in the STEM category, especially engineering, and the quality of the design studio¢s outputs as the main and fundamental part of the creative architectural work, was also confirmed. The authors of the article found that STEM knowledge and STEM skills do not reach the required level and, therefore, the emphasis should be placed on changing curricula, balancing the ratio of STEM and HASS categories, adjusting the credits assigned to STEM subjects, or reviewing the classification system.
The presented research focuses on energy (im)balance on both global and local scale. The main emphasis is placed on microclimatic factors directly affecting public urban spaces and related physical processes regarding the city that are closely linked to energy flows and result in the formation of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). As they are one of the main adverse effects of human activities, the paper introduces the classification of UHIs by types, describes the basic differences between the surface energy balance of rural and urban areas, and introduces climate-sensitive urban design as one of the possible ways of mitigating the undesirable anthropogenic impact on the climate change. The authors of the article present their own research, which predominantly focuses on the development of an environmental observatory situated on the rooftop of the building of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU in Bratislava (hereafter referred to as the FAD STU). They interpret the experimental operation of sensing probe 1 and the first results and measurement data on Global Horizontal Solar Irradiation (GHSI) and their post-processing. In addition, they describe the construction of sensing probe 2, which will provide more data on the total atmospheric precipitation, wind speed and its direction, presence of dust particles and carbon dioxide in the air, or spectral characteristics of incident and reflected solar radiation. Finally, the experimental operation of a thermal and micro- camera with fisheye lenses is described. These cameras are essential for measuring the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as one of the parameters used for the assessment of vegetation vitality, which also plays a key role in the formation of the UHI effect.
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