Thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) issues have gained significant interest in the scientific and technical community involved in building performance analysis and other related subjects. In terms of thermal comfort, the achievement and maintenance of a thermally acceptable indoor environment is affected by energy costs, and energy poverty is a widespread problem globally. There is a call for energy-efficient architecture for a developed and sustainable world. However, with the use of renewable energy that increased considerably in recent years, new technical challenges arose for the energy sector. Consumers are key players in this context, as flexibility in demand is crucial to cope with the intermittent nature of most renewable energy sources. Active demand-side participation is particularly important to ensure the efficient use of locally and globally available energy. Sustainability, human comfort, and healthy living environments have become top priorities. Advancements in Sustainable Architecture and Energy Efficiency explores how housing is a key health factor for individuals and looks at factors such as air quality, ventilation, hygrothermal comfort, lighting, physical environment, building efficiency, and other areas as important pieces in healthy architecture. It discusses how the poor application of these parameters can directly affect human health and how sustainable architecture provides a solution. Beyond just labeling the important facets of architecture for healthy living, this book will look at different perspectives of energy consumption and demand to ensure sustainable energy, increased energy efficiency, improved energy policies, and reasonable energy costs for homes. This book is ideal for architects, designers, engineers, energy engineers, environmental scientists, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in architecture that is both conducive to healthy living and energy efficiency.

Nowadays there is an ever growing awareness regarding inevitable importance of sustainable development and its sub topics such as environment protection, ecology, resource saving, energy efficiency, etc. Due to massive and rapid development in recent years, this topic is getting more crucial in developing countries for instance Iran. It is getting more obvious that most of the development activities in absence of precise analysis of current conditions, as well as consequences of such activities, will lead to devastation of natural resources. The resources that is essential for further development of the country. Therefore, It is necessary to deal with sustainable development and environmental issues from the broader perspective, where includes items underlying immediate causes of environmental impact and at the same time tries to improve them. Sustainability or sustainable development is an umbrella covering many issues and aspects, among them energy, which is the key item, because energy consumption of buildings could have an impact on environment more than other aspects. Considering the huge portion of energy consumption in construction industry and housing sector, paying special attention to improvements in this sector is essential. Following this goal, the aim of this publication is to highlight procedures and practices which promote sustainable construction that is about creating a better quality of building and more healthy places to live in. Procedure of sustainable design includes various approaches and methods to develop energy efficient and environmentally sensitive buildings. Such approaches and methods demonstrate how to design, develop and construct all buildings in general and residential buildings in particular. Among various approaches towards sustainability, “Passive solar strategies” are well-known thanks to their cost efficiency and context friendliness of its principals and measures. The approach of passive design (architectural) strategies could be considered as the most applicable approach for resource saving and sustainability, thinking about special situation of Iran in particular and the Mena region in general. Such an approach requires paying special attention to climate, social characteristics of current or prospective inhabitants, topographical-physical characteristics as well as architectural characteristics of the understudied area. The relationships and interactions among society, building and its architecture and climate is “Site-specific” and dynamic. Therefore, they should be studied and properly analyzed throughout a specific project process for each certain place. The most expecting outcomes are precise definitions of passive design strategies, generally for buildings in MENA Region and especially for Iran. This publication is prepared in the young cities project framework, as the reasonable outcome of the developed pilot projects. The book starts with introducing the target group, related definitions and a brief overview on a conventional approach and its impact on environment. This chapter ends up with a brief review on benefits of applying sustainable guidelines. As the next step, after analyzing the climate and its relationship with thermal comfort and building, the main principals of passive solar design are introduced. The selected principles are: orientation, day-lighting, shading, thermal mass, insulation and ventilation. After a brief introduction of the principals, each one is explained in detail through its general principles and design strategies. Sustainable construction is examined based on its main pillars: construction systems, building elements, ecological building materials, and applicable measures for building physic. Construction systems are sorted out in six main groups as: block work- brick infill, block work- lightweight block infill, conventional panels, light weight steel frame, tunnel form structural system and precast modular. All selected systems are introduced based on following factors: brief description of the building concept, factory production, insulation, wastage, finishes, labor, installation, transport- lifting, services, hydronic cooling/ heating and safety. Then main building elements are examined. Here the elements are limited to: foundations, walls, floors, roofs, doors and windows. After a short description, different types of each element are introduced. Ecological building materials are investigated in chapter four. To find a base to compare, several common criteria are selected such as: embodied energy, pollution and waste, local production, reusability and recyclability, durability and interdependency. Applicable measures for building physic are examined in chapter five. The selected main measures are as follows: insulation, glazing, thermal mass, day-lighting, shading, ventilation and air-tightness. After describing the general principles of each measure, several recommendations in frame of design considerations are provided. Die enorme Bedeutung nachhaltiger Projekte wie Umweltschutz, Ökologie, sparsamer Umgang mit Rohstoffen, Energieeffizienz usw. dringt immer stärker in unser Bewusstsein. Aufgrund der massiven und rasanten Entwicklung in den Schwellenländern, z. B. Iran, gewinnen Umweltschutz und Nachhaltigkeit immer mehr an Relevanz. Ein einseitiges Wirtschaftswachstum, ohne Berücksichtigung ökologischer und klimatischer Bedingungen, verursacht die Zerstörung der Umwelt und Rohstoffe, Ressourcen, die für die weitere Entwicklung der Länder unverzichtbar sind. Es ist unumgänglich, sich umfassend mit nachhaltiger Entwicklung und ökologischen Aspekten auseinanderzusetzen, die unmittelbaren Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt zu erfassen und gleichzeitig Möglichkeiten einer Optimierung aufzuzeigen. Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz erfassen eine Vielzahl von Themen und Aspekten, u. a. den Energieverbrauch; ein wesentlicher Faktor, da der Energieverbrach in Gebäuden den größten Einfluss auf die Umweltbilanz hat. In Anbetracht des enormen Energieverbrauchs in Bauwirtschaft und Wohnungsbau ist es unerlässlich, gerade in diesem Bereich eine Optimierung in der weiteren Entwicklung zu verfolgen. Diesem Ziel folgend, werden in dieser Publikation Verfahren und Methoden, für nachhaltige Bauweisen, unter Berücksichtigung einer besseren Bauqualität und gesundheitlicher Aspekte, erläutert. Die Maßnahmen nachhaltigen Designs beinhalten verschiedene Ansätze und Methoden, energieeffiziente und umweltfreundliche Gebäude zu entwickeln. Sie zeigen Entwurf, Konstruktion und bauliche Ausführung von Gebäuden im Allgemeinen und Wohngebäuden im speziellen. Neben den verschiedenen Ansätzen sind die „passive solar strategies“ die wohl namhaftesten Methoden, da diese sehr rentabel und daher für Bauherren attraktiv sind. Angesichts der speziellen Situation im Iran im Besonderen und der MENA-Region im Allgemeinen, könnten die passiven Design- (Architektur-) Strategien als eine der am besten anzuwendenden Methoden für Rohstoffeffizienz und Nachhaltigkeit betrachtet werden. Dies setzt eine besondere Berücksichtigung des dortigen Klimas, der sozialen Charakteristiken derzeitiger oder zukünftiger Einwohner als auch der topographisch-physischen und architektonischen Charakteristiken der betroffenen Region voraus. Beeinflussung und Beziehungen zwischen Gesellschaft, Gebäuden, Architektur und Klima sind „lokal spezifisch“ und dynamisch. Deshalb sollten diese Faktoren für jeden Standort neu geprüft und analysiert werden. Die Resultate dieser Analysen, allgemein für Gebäude in der MENA-Region und im Besonderen im Iran, zeigen deutlich die Überlegenheit von passiven Designstrategien. Diese Publikation ist das Resultat der entwickelten Pilotprojekte im Rahmen des Young Cities-Projektes. Sie beginnt mit der Vorstellung der Zielgruppe, relevanten Definitionen und einem kurzem Überblick des konventionellen Ansatzes und dessen Einfluss auf die Umwelt. Das Kapitel endet mit einem kurzen Rückblick über den Nutzen nachhaltiger Bauweise. Nach Analyse des Klimas und seine Beziehung zu thermischem Komfort und Gebäuden werden die wichtigsten Prinzipien passiver Solarenergie vorgestellt: Orientierung, Tageslicht, Schatten, thermale Masse, Isolierung und Ventilierung; ihre Grundlagen und Designstrategien detailliert erläutert. Nachhaltige Konstruktion und deren Hauptpfeiler, Bausysteme, Bauelemente, ökologische Bauelemente und anwendbare Maßnahmen für die Bauphysik, werden anschließend beleuchtet. Dabei wurden die Konstruktionssysteme in sechs Hauptgruppen gegliedert: Ziegeleinfüllung, leichtgewichtige Ziegeleinfüllung, klassische Füllwände, leichtgewichtige Stahlrahmen, tunnelförmige Struktursysteme und vorgefertigte Modelle. Anhand folgender Faktoren werden diese eingehend dargestellt: Baukonzepts, Fabrikproduktion, Isolierung, Abnutzung, Verarbeitung, Arbeitsaufwand, Installierung, Transport-Beförderung, Services, hydronische Kühlung/Heizung und Sicherheit. Die Hauptbauelemente wie Unterbau, Wände, Boden, Dächer, Türen und Fenster werden beschrieben und verschiedene Baureihen dieser vorgestellt. Das vierte Kapitel befasst sich mit ökologischen Baumaterialien. Um hierbei eine vergleichbare Basis zu finden, wurden gemeinsame Kriterien ausgewählt: graue Energie, Verschmutzung und Abfall, lokale Produktion, Wiederverwendung und Recycling, Nachhaltigkeit und Interdependenzen. Im fünften Kapitel werden anwendbare Maßnahmen für die Bauphysik, wie Isolierung, Lasur, Wärmemasse, Tageslicht, Schatten, Ventilation und Luftdichte, untersucht, deren Grundlagen beschrieben und Empfehlungen bezüglich der Gestaltung präsentiert

The text begins by discussing the sustainable buildings, energy efficient technologies, advanced materials, advances in renewable energy for building sector, green intelligent infrastructure, policies on sustainable infrastructure, and life cycle assessment. It further presents design considerations, challenges, and applications of net zero energy buildings with a global perspective. The book covers renewable energy technologies for energy-efficient buildings. This book: Discusses the importance of developing new materials for Energy and Heat Transfer Optimization in sustainable buildings and Life Cycle Assessment of Sustainable Building Materials. Investigates the city gas system, sustainable smart cities infrastructure, and Data Mining Techniques in Green Building for Evaluation of energy Cost, Grades and Adoption. Highlights the development and application Net Zero Energy Buildings, Energy Policies and Infrastructure Requirements, Building Performance Prediction & Optimization, and Energy Planning and Thermal Comfort in Buildings Presents renewable energy policies, Social, Economic, and Environmental Issues Associated with Sustainable Buildings, and Emerging Trends in Smart Green Building Technologies. Covers Energy-Efficient Urban Infrastructure, Earth-Air Heat Exchanger, and Retrofitting of existing buildings to achieve energy efficient buildings. It is primarily written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of energy engineering, environmental science and engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering.

This book of Proceedings presents the latest thinking and research in the rapidly evolving world of architecture and sustainable development through 255 selected papers by authors coming from over 60 countries.

In his Moving to Sustainable Buildings. Paths to Adopt Green Innovations in Developed Countries, Umberto Berardi explores the transition of the construction sector to sustainable building through the adoption of green innovations. Applying methods ranging from theoretical discussions to interviews and field studies, Berardi describes how organisational models among stakeholders are changing as the sector moves towards a green economy. Berardi’s book should prove valuable to engineers, architects, environment researchers and policy makers alike, as it successfully weaves together different aspects of green building to create a multidimensional matrix through which sustainable architecture can be understood. Umberto Berardi, an assistant professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA, USA), teaches courses on sustainable construction, architectural engineering systems and building physics. He was awarded an MSc from the Politecnico di Bari, an MSc from the University of Southampton (UK) and a PhD from the Scuola Interpolitecnica in Italy. His research areas are related to building acoustics, sustainable constructions and energy saving technologies for buildings. Berardi is also a passionate pianist and a strong proponent of interdisciplinary cooperation between the arts and engineering.

This book covers different aspects of energy sustainability in residential buildings and neighborhoods, starting from the construction and design aspects, and moving on to HVAC systems and lighting, and the applications, harvesting, use and storage of renewable energy. The volume focuses on smart and sustainable use of energy, discussing both the technological advancements and the economic, social and environmental impacts. Novel approaches to recycling of waste and materials in the context of residential buildings are also presented. This volume will be of interest to researchers and policy makers working in the fields of renewable energy, sustainable design and city planning.