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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems
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Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biometeorology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2022) | Viewed by 9509

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Krzysztof Grygierek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanics and Bridges, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 5, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: energy consumption modelling; thermal comfort; climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; artificial intelligence; metaheuristic methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Joanna Ferdyn-Grygierek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Heating, Ventilation and Dust Removal Technology, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 20, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: smart heating and ventilation systems in building; building performance simulation; optimization models for building thermal design; microclimate in buildings; IEQ assessment; LCC in buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most urgent points in the global climate and energy policy is reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is the main factor contributing to global warming, resulting in, among others, an increase in average annual outdoor air temperature. In many sectors of the economy, reforms are being implemented to reduce emissions of this gas. One of the main sectors contributing to high emissions is the building industry.

Reducing energy consumption has a beneficial effect on both the operating costs of a building as well as the environment. The largest contributors to high-energy consumption in buildings are heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and lighting systems. The building materials used in the construction of a house are also an important factor. Materials with the smallest impact on the environment in all phases of the life cycle should be used. While focusing on energy efficiency, one should not forget about maintaining the appropriate quality of the indoor environment and, in the case of buildings intended for people occupancy, also the comfort of the users. This issue is especially important in the age of a warming climate. In future, there may be problems with the overheating of buildings. The key task is to determine the appropriate building and HVAC solutions to carry out the tasks described above.

This Special Issue focuses on the analyses of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption, and indoor environment quality of the buildings to demonstrate innovative, efficient, and green solutions and applications in constructions and systems. For publication, we invite original papers containing experimental research, case studies, or extensive discussion on this topic.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Grygierek
Prof. Dr. Joanna Ferdyn-Grygierek
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. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • building
  • GHG emission
  • global warming potential
  • LCA
  • thermal comfort
  • visual comfort
  • acoustic comfort
  • indoor environmental quality (IEQ)
  • energy efficiency
  • energy consumption
  • building system optimization
  • climate change
  • building performance simulation
  • renewable energy sources in buildings

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 7800 KiB  
Article
Quantification of Outdoor Thermal Comfort Levels under Sea Breeze in the Historical City Fabric: The Case of Algiers Casbah
by Fawzi Hicham Arrar, Dalel Kaoula, Mohamed Elhadi Matallah, Amina Abdessemed-Foufa, Mohammad Taleghani and Shady Attia
Atmosphere 2022, 13(4), 575; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos13040575 - 03 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2485
Abstract
Thermal comfort in cities is an influential factor for citizens’ wellbeing and life quality. Urban microclimate studies have gained popularity following increasing urbanization trends and global climate change in recent years. Urban fabric and morphology in traditional cities represent a unique pattern both [...] Read more.
Thermal comfort in cities is an influential factor for citizens’ wellbeing and life quality. Urban microclimate studies have gained popularity following increasing urbanization trends and global climate change in recent years. Urban fabric and morphology in traditional cities represent a unique pattern both spatially and climatically. However, few studies have investigated traditional cities’ urban thermal comfort conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the thermal comfort in different subspaces of Algiers Casbah’s historic urban fabric, which falls in the hot Mediterranean climate (Csa). This research evaluated the human thermal sensation by applying the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index. The methodology used was a mixed approach, including field measurements, calculations, and a survey questionnaire. The results indicate the presence of a high-stress level during the measurement periods, and notable differences between the subspaces in January (ΔPETMax.Jan = 3.7 °C) and August (ΔPETMax.Aug = 2.2 °C). The highest discomfort was recorded in spaces with collapsed buildings, especially during the hot hours of the day. The findings also highlight a strong impact of the sky view factor on the mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) and the physiological equivalent temperature (PET). The study discusses recommendations and ways to improve the design of outdoor spaces and relieve heat stress in the streets of traditional cities. Finally, this work helps urban managers and heritage conservators in urban rehabilitation policies concerning outdoor microclimate improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems)
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17 pages, 4903 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Environmental Impact in the Life Cycle of a Single-Family House in Poland
by Krzysztof Grygierek and Joanna Ferdyn-Grygierek
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 245; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos13020245 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2253
Abstract
Buildings consume energy, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reduce their environmental impact, it is important to choose suitable building materials and energy source. The paper presents the results of a multi-variant analysis of five environmental impact [...] Read more.
Buildings consume energy, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reduce their environmental impact, it is important to choose suitable building materials and energy source. The paper presents the results of a multi-variant analysis of five environmental impact categories (global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, and total use of primary energy) for a single-family house located in Poland in a 25-year life cycle. The tests were carried out for two different types of building structures (brick and wooden), two variants of external partition insulation, and four heat sources. The following computer programs were used for the calculations: OpenStudio and EnergyPlus, and One Click LCA. The analysis took into account the erection of the building in its shell and the energy consumption for heating in a 25-year life cycle. Studies have shown that when an electric heat source is used, the use stage has the greatest environmental impact, accounting for up to 80% of the total emissions over the life cycle. This ratio can be reduced by half in the case of a house with thicker external wall insulation and an eco-biomass boiler. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems)
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18 pages, 16775 KiB  
Article
Strengthening Taiwan’s Green Building Certification System from Aspects of Productivity and Energy Costs to Provide a Healthier Workplace
by Ruey-Lung Hwang, Wei-An Chen and Yu-Teng Weng
Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 118; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos13010118 - 12 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2352
Abstract
This study estimates the relationship between poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the increasing labor costs in green buildings in Taiwan. Specifically, poor performance of IEQ including HVAC, lighting, and indoor air quality, influences the health and well-being of occupants and leads to [...] Read more.
This study estimates the relationship between poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the increasing labor costs in green buildings in Taiwan. Specifically, poor performance of IEQ including HVAC, lighting, and indoor air quality, influences the health and well-being of occupants and leads to worse productivity, ultimately causing increased personnel cost. In Taiwan’s green building certification (GBC) system, the energy-savings category is mandatory while the IEQ category is only optional. It means that certified building cases may not reach the expected level in IEQ. Thus, this study reviews the thermal environment, indoor air quality (IAQ), and illumination performances of IEQ-certified and non-IEQ-certified buildings in 20 green buildings. Building energy and IEQ simulations were conducted to analyze the relationships between indoor comfort, energy cost, and personnel cost in green buildings. The results show that IEQ-certified green buildings averagely perform better than non-IEQ-certified ones in the aspects of IEQ and building costs. Besides, 3 of 13 non-IEQ-certified green buildings undertake extremely high additional expenditure for the poor IEQ. The results correspond to some previous findings that green-certified buildings do not necessarily guarantee good building performance. This study further inspects the pros and cons of Taiwan’s GBC system and proposes recommendations against its insufficient IEQ evaluation category. As the trade-off of energy-saving benefits with health and well-being in green buildings has always been a concern, this study aims to stimulate more quantitative research and promote a more comprehensive green building certification system in Taiwan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems)
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16 pages, 3461 KiB  
Article
Exposure to PM4 in Homes with Tobacco Smoke in and around Katowice, Poland
by Józef S. Pastuszka, Ewa Talik and Justyna Płoszaj-Pyrek
Atmosphere 2021, 12(12), 1590; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12121590 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1221
Abstract
The results of a PM4 (airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 4 µm) study in Katowice and in the surrounding area in homes with and without environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are presented. It was found that the average concentration of [...] Read more.
The results of a PM4 (airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 4 µm) study in Katowice and in the surrounding area in homes with and without environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are presented. It was found that the average concentration of PM4 inside the homes with ETS was between 126 µg m−3 (in Jaworzno) and 208 µg m−3 (in Katowice)—significantly higher than in the homes without smokers (55–65 µg m−3). The mean of the indoor to outdoor ratios (I/O) for PM4 varied greatly, ranging from 0.6 in the apartments without smokers in Katowice to 5.2 in the homes with smokers in Jaworzno. The highly polluted by ETS indoor air causes children aged 14–15 living in these homes to inhale from 2.5 to 6.6 mg of PM4 more per day than their peers living in non-ETS homes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the surface chemical composition of the studied indoor airborne particles. Carbon, including elemental carbon, and oxygen-containing species dominated the particulate surface, with traces of Si, N, S, Na, Al, Zn, and K present. The surface layer of PM4 from the homes with ETS contains significantly more carbon and less oxygen than the airborne particles collected in the homes without smokers, which can be explained by the high emission of carbon during tobacco smoking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Energy Assessment of Buildings and Systems)
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