María Jesús González - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by María Jesús González
The adjective sustainable, both in general and when applied to architectura, involves the conside... more The adjective sustainable, both in general and when applied to architectura, involves the consideration of environmental, economic and social aspects. However, advances in research on sustainability in the last decade have confirmed the need to incorporate a new approach to what we understand as basic: Ethics. The dimensions of current approaches in sustainable architecture widely surpass those usually analysed which are based on time and space. The definition of sustainability in itself, as a link between generations, expands the time coordinate: the research and activity of architecture includes much more than the project itself or a building's useful lifespan. The space coordinate has also widely surpassed the limits that have been used up to now: the idea of thinking globally and acting locally expands the locus of architectonic design on to the planet as a whole. These new limits of building horizontally-the whole planet, and vertically throughout generations to come, makes...
The principal aim of the study consists of developing a methodology to calculate the energy assoc... more The principal aim of the study consists of developing a methodology to calculate the energy associated with a motorway's complete life cycle, obtaining its energy footprint. Energy is consumad by the extraction of raw materials, production of materials, work, etc. and especially by vehicles passing through it. But it can also produce energy from renewable resources by taking advantage of the shoulders, placing solar panels on buildings to operate the motorway, re-using waste of deconstruction, etc. The objective is to evaluate the result of both energies (consumption and insumption) as the balance between the energy consumad through the process and the energy produced by the motorway at all stages of the life cycle (the energy footprint).
Vernacular architecture is considered an ideal way to understand design, as an example of simplic... more Vernacular architecture is considered an ideal way to understand design, as an example of simplicity and the conservation of resources, specifically energy. Along these lines, urbanism has proved to be the most suitable expression of humanity?s habitat in a specific geographical surrounding. However, the application of vernacular architecture and urbanism as a model no longer works, and it has become an unreachable myth. The current systems of construction have made the vernacular model of architecture impossible: a new paradigm must be reinvented and it has to be admitted that processes and society have changed, making current vernacular architecture meaningful only as a focus of study. The same research studies on favourably valuated buildings with current methods of environmental evaluation reflect this situation: these constructions cannot be identified within their own geographic context. In order to analyse this situation, certain conditions and basic elements have been schema...
This theoretical study analyzes the relation between the measures necessesary for the energy retr... more This theoretical study analyzes the relation between the measures necessesary for the energy retrofitting of a residential building constructed in Madrid, their cost and the improvement of the energy rating of the dwellings. The aim of this work is to establish an evaluation methodology that allows developers and architects to obtain conclusions and orientates therm in the decisioin-making process. It will allow finding the most suitable cost-effective solutions in each case. This paper describes the methodology and the findings obtained. Energy retrofitting and the improvement of the energy behaviour of the building depend on the selection of the retrofitting solutions and also on the investment. In this case study to achieve the best energy rates it is necessary to improve the thermal performance of the envelope as well as the energy systems. Energy retrofitting means an increase in property value but it can't only be considered in economic terms. It is necessary to take into ...
Secondly, this evaluation is focused on two buildings composed by terraced houses in a region of ... more Secondly, this evaluation is focused on two buildings composed by terraced houses in a region of the centre of Spain. Both buildings have been similarly built, and they have the same geometrical characteristics and typologies, such as place, volume, area, site, orientation and economic level. Nevertheless, both have different construction systems. One has been built with low environmental impact materials, such as structural wood, softwood window frames, cork as insulation, no PVC, low VOC paints, etc. The other one has been built with conventional construction materials, such as steel reinforced concrete, aluminium window frames, polyurethane insulation, PVC pipes, etc. Those latter materials are the most commonly used in housing construction in this region. Both evaluations are compared.
The opening of new windows on the facade is proposed as a refurbishment strategy in an existing b... more The opening of new windows on the facade is proposed as a refurbishment strategy in an existing building in Malaga to facilitate cross ventilation of dwellings. The building is a residential block of 140 public housing units for rent for people with low income in Malaga (Spain), property of the City Council. By modeling with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), eleven configurations of openings are studied in two different areas of the main housing type of the building. The quantity of introduced/extracted air into/from the room and the generated airflow patterns are obtained. The modeling allows comparing the different openings configurations to determine the most appropriate ventilation option for every room.
La realizacion de edificios de bajo impacto ambiental se basa en la adopcion de criterios destina... more La realizacion de edificios de bajo impacto ambiental se basa en la adopcion de criterios destinados a conseguir la eficiencia energetica, lo que supone algunas diferencias con respecto a la forma convencional de construir y disenar. Estos criterios, de forma general, pueden aplicarse al diseno, a la aplicacion de diferentes sistemas energeticos, a la seleccion de los materiales constructivos a emplear en su edificacion, o a la adopcion de energias renovables para el consumo interno del edificio. En este estudio se trata de evaluar en terminos economicos cada una de estas medidas, para conocer su influencia en el presupuesto con respecto a un edificio construido de forma convencional. La realizacion de sistemas pasivos de tipo bioclimatico, como muros captadores, invernaderos, elementos de ventilacion cruzada, la introduccion de vegetacion como elemento creador de microclima, etc; la seleccion de materiales de construccion de bajo impacto ambiental; la utilizacion energias renovable...
Sustainability is the joint consideration of environmental, economic and social factors. While th... more Sustainability is the joint consideration of environmental, economic and social factors. While there is already a methodological corpus on environmental and economic aspects, research on social aspects is still lacking, especially in the field of construction. These social matters as applied to the world of sustainable construction need to be specified: the group of social issues is too vague. Therefore, a basis on which lo act is to be found and needs to be defined. This involves an understanding of the aspects which must be specifically treated within the framework of social relations and behaviors in sustainable architecture. In order to achieve this, we have begun by compiling all the already existent basis definitions that hold the theoretical base of a sustainable building. For example, what the social aspects are, strictly speaking, and what their positions are, if any, in the field of environmental ethics. These basic definitions are then developed in more specific aims, fra...
La utilizacion del adjetivo "sostenible" comienza no solo a ser abundante, sino a ser c... more La utilizacion del adjetivo "sostenible" comienza no solo a ser abundante, sino a ser casi imprescindible en cualquier foro. Su uso indiscriminado se ha banalizado hasta el extremo de que el concepto comienza a perder su significado como motor de cambios, para pasar a ser un argumento mas de la mercadotecnia habitual. Por ello es necesaria una reflexion y una definicion de conceptos que articule criterios dispersos, casi siempre confusos, muchas veces erroneos y algunas veces dolosos. En el mundo de la construccion existe ya un cierto corpus metodologico sobre aspectos medioambientales, conseguido mediante la investigacion de los ultimos diez anos, que puede ofrecer garantia de fiabilidad, y ser utilizado como punto de partida en esta tarea. Este conjunto de datos cientificos comienza ya a aplicarse timidamente en normativas, como el reciente codigo tecnico. Sin embargo, la investigacion sobre las cuestiones sociales y economicas es mas bien escasa, y sin estos dos aspecto...
The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, 2013
Open House International, 2015
Ecology shows us not only environmental problems; it shows that we need a new balance and harmony... more Ecology shows us not only environmental problems; it shows that we need a new balance and harmony between individuals, beings, communities and all of Nature. We need a new contract with Nature (SERRES, 1991) and new Ethics (GUATTARI, 1990) for our lives. What is therefore new in Architecture? The environmental ethics have given us a universal and supra-generational vision of the management of our Nature and, as a consequence, a new way to construct our “second” nature. What is essential for this new architecture that the new ethics demand? Exploring this subject, the paper firstly analyzes how the relationship between ethics and architecture has been described by other authors. Secondly, how the relationship between mainstream architecture and ecology is evolving, from technical matters to social and more complex issues, to work towards ethics. Finally, the convergence between them (Ethics, Architecture and Nature) could provide the clues to understand the ends and means of eco-arch...
The adjective sustainable, both in general and when applied to architectura, involves the conside... more The adjective sustainable, both in general and when applied to architectura, involves the consideration of environmental, economic and social aspects. However, advances in research on sustainability in the last decade have confirmed the need to incorporate a new approach to what we understand as basic: Ethics. The dimensions of current approaches in sustainable architecture widely surpass those usually analysed which are based on time and space. The definition of sustainability in itself, as a link between generations, expands the time coordinate: the research and activity of architecture includes much more than the project itself or a building's useful lifespan. The space coordinate has also widely surpassed the limits that have been used up to now: the idea of thinking globally and acting locally expands the locus of architectonic design on to the planet as a whole. These new limits of building horizontally-the whole planet, and vertically throughout generations to come, makes...
The principal aim of the study consists of developing a methodology to calculate the energy assoc... more The principal aim of the study consists of developing a methodology to calculate the energy associated with a motorway's complete life cycle, obtaining its energy footprint. Energy is consumad by the extraction of raw materials, production of materials, work, etc. and especially by vehicles passing through it. But it can also produce energy from renewable resources by taking advantage of the shoulders, placing solar panels on buildings to operate the motorway, re-using waste of deconstruction, etc. The objective is to evaluate the result of both energies (consumption and insumption) as the balance between the energy consumad through the process and the energy produced by the motorway at all stages of the life cycle (the energy footprint).
Vernacular architecture is considered an ideal way to understand design, as an example of simplic... more Vernacular architecture is considered an ideal way to understand design, as an example of simplicity and the conservation of resources, specifically energy. Along these lines, urbanism has proved to be the most suitable expression of humanity?s habitat in a specific geographical surrounding. However, the application of vernacular architecture and urbanism as a model no longer works, and it has become an unreachable myth. The current systems of construction have made the vernacular model of architecture impossible: a new paradigm must be reinvented and it has to be admitted that processes and society have changed, making current vernacular architecture meaningful only as a focus of study. The same research studies on favourably valuated buildings with current methods of environmental evaluation reflect this situation: these constructions cannot be identified within their own geographic context. In order to analyse this situation, certain conditions and basic elements have been schema...
This theoretical study analyzes the relation between the measures necessesary for the energy retr... more This theoretical study analyzes the relation between the measures necessesary for the energy retrofitting of a residential building constructed in Madrid, their cost and the improvement of the energy rating of the dwellings. The aim of this work is to establish an evaluation methodology that allows developers and architects to obtain conclusions and orientates therm in the decisioin-making process. It will allow finding the most suitable cost-effective solutions in each case. This paper describes the methodology and the findings obtained. Energy retrofitting and the improvement of the energy behaviour of the building depend on the selection of the retrofitting solutions and also on the investment. In this case study to achieve the best energy rates it is necessary to improve the thermal performance of the envelope as well as the energy systems. Energy retrofitting means an increase in property value but it can't only be considered in economic terms. It is necessary to take into ...
Secondly, this evaluation is focused on two buildings composed by terraced houses in a region of ... more Secondly, this evaluation is focused on two buildings composed by terraced houses in a region of the centre of Spain. Both buildings have been similarly built, and they have the same geometrical characteristics and typologies, such as place, volume, area, site, orientation and economic level. Nevertheless, both have different construction systems. One has been built with low environmental impact materials, such as structural wood, softwood window frames, cork as insulation, no PVC, low VOC paints, etc. The other one has been built with conventional construction materials, such as steel reinforced concrete, aluminium window frames, polyurethane insulation, PVC pipes, etc. Those latter materials are the most commonly used in housing construction in this region. Both evaluations are compared.
The opening of new windows on the facade is proposed as a refurbishment strategy in an existing b... more The opening of new windows on the facade is proposed as a refurbishment strategy in an existing building in Malaga to facilitate cross ventilation of dwellings. The building is a residential block of 140 public housing units for rent for people with low income in Malaga (Spain), property of the City Council. By modeling with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), eleven configurations of openings are studied in two different areas of the main housing type of the building. The quantity of introduced/extracted air into/from the room and the generated airflow patterns are obtained. The modeling allows comparing the different openings configurations to determine the most appropriate ventilation option for every room.
La realizacion de edificios de bajo impacto ambiental se basa en la adopcion de criterios destina... more La realizacion de edificios de bajo impacto ambiental se basa en la adopcion de criterios destinados a conseguir la eficiencia energetica, lo que supone algunas diferencias con respecto a la forma convencional de construir y disenar. Estos criterios, de forma general, pueden aplicarse al diseno, a la aplicacion de diferentes sistemas energeticos, a la seleccion de los materiales constructivos a emplear en su edificacion, o a la adopcion de energias renovables para el consumo interno del edificio. En este estudio se trata de evaluar en terminos economicos cada una de estas medidas, para conocer su influencia en el presupuesto con respecto a un edificio construido de forma convencional. La realizacion de sistemas pasivos de tipo bioclimatico, como muros captadores, invernaderos, elementos de ventilacion cruzada, la introduccion de vegetacion como elemento creador de microclima, etc; la seleccion de materiales de construccion de bajo impacto ambiental; la utilizacion energias renovable...
Sustainability is the joint consideration of environmental, economic and social factors. While th... more Sustainability is the joint consideration of environmental, economic and social factors. While there is already a methodological corpus on environmental and economic aspects, research on social aspects is still lacking, especially in the field of construction. These social matters as applied to the world of sustainable construction need to be specified: the group of social issues is too vague. Therefore, a basis on which lo act is to be found and needs to be defined. This involves an understanding of the aspects which must be specifically treated within the framework of social relations and behaviors in sustainable architecture. In order to achieve this, we have begun by compiling all the already existent basis definitions that hold the theoretical base of a sustainable building. For example, what the social aspects are, strictly speaking, and what their positions are, if any, in the field of environmental ethics. These basic definitions are then developed in more specific aims, fra...
La utilizacion del adjetivo "sostenible" comienza no solo a ser abundante, sino a ser c... more La utilizacion del adjetivo "sostenible" comienza no solo a ser abundante, sino a ser casi imprescindible en cualquier foro. Su uso indiscriminado se ha banalizado hasta el extremo de que el concepto comienza a perder su significado como motor de cambios, para pasar a ser un argumento mas de la mercadotecnia habitual. Por ello es necesaria una reflexion y una definicion de conceptos que articule criterios dispersos, casi siempre confusos, muchas veces erroneos y algunas veces dolosos. En el mundo de la construccion existe ya un cierto corpus metodologico sobre aspectos medioambientales, conseguido mediante la investigacion de los ultimos diez anos, que puede ofrecer garantia de fiabilidad, y ser utilizado como punto de partida en esta tarea. Este conjunto de datos cientificos comienza ya a aplicarse timidamente en normativas, como el reciente codigo tecnico. Sin embargo, la investigacion sobre las cuestiones sociales y economicas es mas bien escasa, y sin estos dos aspecto...
The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, 2013
Open House International, 2015
Ecology shows us not only environmental problems; it shows that we need a new balance and harmony... more Ecology shows us not only environmental problems; it shows that we need a new balance and harmony between individuals, beings, communities and all of Nature. We need a new contract with Nature (SERRES, 1991) and new Ethics (GUATTARI, 1990) for our lives. What is therefore new in Architecture? The environmental ethics have given us a universal and supra-generational vision of the management of our Nature and, as a consequence, a new way to construct our “second” nature. What is essential for this new architecture that the new ethics demand? Exploring this subject, the paper firstly analyzes how the relationship between ethics and architecture has been described by other authors. Secondly, how the relationship between mainstream architecture and ecology is evolving, from technical matters to social and more complex issues, to work towards ethics. Finally, the convergence between them (Ethics, Architecture and Nature) could provide the clues to understand the ends and means of eco-arch...