The high cost of energy consumption in buildings highlights the importance of research focused on improving the energy efficiency of building’s envelope systems. It is important to characterize the real behavior of these systems to know the effectiveness in terms of energy reduction. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to characterize the thermal performance of facades based on experimental monitoring of outdoor test cells in tropical climate. To carry out this research, a case study was presented to compare two construction systems. One of them is a light façade (M1) and the other a reference façade (M2). A thermal simulation was performed for the opaque and glazed facades. In addition, several parameters were measured with different types of sensors, as well as environmental variables to evaluate the thermal and lighting behavior of multiple facades systems under real conditions. The findings show that light façade behavior was the opposite of what was expected, since by incorporating a window in the façade it has allowed solar radiation to increase the interior temperature in both modules. In the case of the light facade the penalization was higher than the reference facade, which has a lower thermal transmittance than M1. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091773 Full Text: PDF
The vertical growth of cities is a general phenomenon in many countries, aiming to address a more efficient use of space, due to the high cost of the urban area. In the Dominican Republic, approximately 11% of households are apartment buildings, being the second predominant group of residential buildings. According to the National Statistics Office (ONE), the construction of this type of residential buildings is growing significantly, especially in the biggest city of the country. This research has analyzed the interior thermal behavior of these types of households using DesignBuilder®, an energy and environmental simulation software, searching for passive alternatives to allow the reduction of interior temperatures, as a result of overheating because of the tropical climate conditions. The most common type of four levels buildings have been analyzed in this study, through the evaluation of different parameters, such as the optimal orientation, the effect of using sunshades in the windows, and the modification of the building envelope. The objective of the study if to identifying the best alternatives to achieve the thermal comfort of the building, without the use of active control climate techniques such as air conditioning.
Smart and sustainable communities seek to ensure comfortable and sustainable quality of life for community residents, the environment and the landscape. Pollution is a key factor affecting quality of life within a community. This research provides a detailed insight into a successfully developed and deployed framework for an environmental monitoring platform for an urban study to monitor, in real time, the air quality and noise level of two cities of the Dominican Republic—Santo Domingo and Santiago de Los Caballeros. This urban platform is based on a technology range, allowing for the integration of multiple environmental variables related to landscape and providing open data access to urban study and the community. Two case studies are presented: The first highlights how the platform can be used to understand the impact a natural event, for example, how dust landscapes (such as the Sahara) impact a community and the actions that can be taken for wellness and preventive care. The second case focuses on understanding how policies taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 affect the air quality and noise level of the landscape and community. In the second case, the platform can be used to expand the view of decision makers in the urban landscape and communities that are affected.
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