The Efficiency of Using Different Outer Wall Construction Materials to Achieve Thermal Comfort in Various Climatic Zones (original) (raw)

District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease, prolonging the investment return period. The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor temperature function for heat demand forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665 buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors. The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications (the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered). The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations. Abstract The traditional vernacular architecture that is based on natural construction materials such as clay and stone is the most effective way to achieve thermal and climatic comfort inside different architectural spaces. Despite their efficiency, these natural materials are deficient when building large-scale and high-rise buildings. These materials also need periodic maintenance to protect buildings from construction collapse, especially clay structures. After the industrial revolution, the architectural movement shifted towards high-rise and large-scale buildings through using artificial materials such as cement, steel and glass. These materials demonstrate mass production and quality in implementation, but they are not sustainable in terms of thermal comfort in most climate zones across the world. It would thus seem sensible to integrate the two types of construction materials, by using a skeletal system for the building made of concrete or steel, which guarantees the structure, and by using natural materials like clay or stone for the outer walls, which assures thermal and climatic comfort in the indoor spaces. The aim of this paper is to analyse a new construction method that combines the two different construction materials-natural and artificial-to discover which outer-wall material is more effective in terms of thermal comfort in different climatic zones by using simulation programs. The study constrains the concrete skeletal structure system and tests the efficiency of using different outer-wall construction materials to achieve thermal comfort in three different climatic zones. Abstract The traditional vernacular architecture that is based on natural construction materials such as clay and stone is the most effective way to achieve thermal and climatic comfort inside different architectural spaces. Despite their efficiency, these natural materials are deficient when building large-scale and high-rise buildings. These materials also need periodic maintenance to protect buildings from construction collapse, especially clay structures. After the industrial revolution, the architectural movement shifted towards high-rise and large-scale buildings through using artificial materials such as cement, steel and glass. These materials demonstrate mass production and quality in implementation, but they are not sustainable in terms of thermal comfort in most climate zones across the world. It would thus seem sensible to integrate the two types of construction materials, by using a skeletal system for the building made of concrete or steel, which guarantees the structure, and by using natural materials like clay or stone for the outer walls, which assures thermal and climatic comfort in the indoor spaces. The aim of this paper is to analyse a new construction method that combines the two different construction materials-natural and artificial-to discover which outer-wall material is more effective in terms of thermal comfort in different climatic zones by using simulation programs. The study constrains the concrete skeletal structure system and tests the efficiency of using different outer-wall construction materials to achieve thermal comfort in three different climatic zones.