Smart Buildings

Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology to Improve Energy-Efficiency and Environmental Performance

Marco Casini

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780081006405
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Materials Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Smart Buildings: Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology to Improve Energy Efficiency and Environmental Performance presents a thorough analysis of the latest advancements in construction materials and building design that are applied to maximize building efficiency in both new and existing buildings.

After a brief introduction on the issues concerning the design process in the third millennium, Part One examines the differences between Zero Energy, Green, and Smart Buildings, with particular emphasis placed on the issue of smart buildings and smart housing, mainly the 'envelope' and how to make it more adaptive with the new possibilities offered by nanotechnology and smart materials.

Part Two focuses on the last generation of solutions for smart thermal insulation. Based on the results of extensive research into more innovative insulation materials, chapters discuss achievements in nanotechnology, bio-ecological, and phase-change materials. The technical characteristics, performance level, and methods of use for each are described in detail, as are the achievements in the field of green walls and their use as a solution for upgrading the energy efficiency and environmental performance of existing buildings.

Finally, Part Three reviews current research on smart windows, with the assumption that transparent surfaces represent the most critical element in the energy balance of the building. Chapters provide an extensive review on the technical features of transparent closures that are currently on the market or under development, from so-called dynamic glazing to bio-adaptive and photovoltaic glazing. The aesthetic potential and performance limits are also be discussed.

• Presents valuable definitions that are given to explain the characteristics, requirements, and differences between 'zero energy', 'green' and 'smart' buildings
• Contains particular focus on the next generation of construction materials and the most advanced products currently entering the market
• Lists both the advantages and disadvantages to help the reader choose the most suitable solution
• Takes into consideration both design and materials aspects
• Promotes the existence of new advanced materials providing technical information to encourage further use and reduce costs compared to more traditional materials

Part One

Smart buildings

Outline

1. Designing the third millennium’s buildings

2. Advanced materials for architecture

1

Designing the third millennium's buildings

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of issues related to building design in the third millennium, illustrating the design strategies to achieve maximum building efficiency, sustainability, and architectural quality. An in-depth presentation of concepts and requirements for zero-energy, green, and smart buildings is given, highlighting the main strategies and technical and technological design solutions. A new and inedited definition of smart buildings is introduced, responding fully to the needs of the architecture of the 21st century and in line with the new concept of smart cities. Particular attention is given to the envelope and how to make it “smart” by virtue of the new and extensive possibilities offered by nanotechnologies and smart materials. Lastly, an outlook on the importance of energy management systems and “internet of things” to achieve a smart building is presented.

Keywords

Adaptive envelope; BEMS; Building integrated photovoltaics; Green building; Green building materials; Green building rating systems; HEMS; Internet of things; Smart building; Zero-energy building

1.1. Buildings as a key part of the energy and environmental system

The construction industry is one of the global priority action areas for the achievement of “smart, sustainable, and inclusive” growth and a transition to a resource-efficient and low-carbon economy.

In fact, in 2012 buildings globally accounted for 32% (118.6 EJ) of final energy consumption, 53% of electricity consumption, and one-third of direct and indirect CO₂ and particulate matter emissions.^1–4 In the United States and Europe buildings account for more than 40% of total final energy use, reaching 80% in regions highly dependent on traditional biomass.^1,5

Between 2000 and 2012 buildings' final energy consumption grew by 1.5% per year (from 102 EJ to 120 EJ),⁴ a rate that has not slowed down despite the recent global economic crisis.¹

As the global population is expected to increase by 2.5 billion people by 2050 and economic development and living standards are improving worldwide, energy use in the building sector is still set to rise greatly: with no improvements in the energy efficiency of the building sector, its energy demand is expected to grow by 50% by 2050.²

Nevertheless, numerous studies show that the construction sector has potential for improving energy efficiency, which can be exploited with interventions that are also effective in terms of costs.¹ After the energy industry itself, the buildings sector, including both residential and nonresidential, has the second-largest untapped and cost-effective energy-saving potential. Building emission reduction potential is also important, and standard new buildings can save as much of 80% of operational costs through integrated design methods, often at little, if any, extra cost over the building lifetime.⁶

Moreover, existing buildings have a huge unused potential of space available for the integration of renewable energy sources. In fact, 40% of total European Union (EU) electricity demand in 2020 would be met if all the roofs and facades of suitable European buildings were covered with photovoltaic (PV) panels.⁷

A wide global deployment of best available technologies and efficiency policies could yield annual savings in final energy use in buildings in the range of 53 EJ by 2050 (a 29% reduction in projected building energy consumption relative to a business-as-usual scenario), a value equivalent to the combined energy use of buildings in China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 2012.^3,4

The high energy consumption of buildings adds to the environmental impacts resulting from consumption of materials and drinking water, and waste from construction and demolition (the building sector is responsible for more than one-third of resource consumption globally, which equates to approximately 3 billion tonnes of raw materials annually, consumes more than 12% of the world's potable water, and accounts for about 40% of solid waste streams in developed countries).^8,9 In 2012 the cement sector alone accounted for 8.5% of total industrial energy use and 34% of direct industrial CO₂ emissions,¹ and concrete was the most widely used material on Earth (about 10 km³/yr).¹⁰ It is therefore apparent that any strategy aimed at reducing consumption of natural resources and emissions of fossil fuels and carbon must have as a priority objective the improvement of energy and environmental efficiency of both new and existing buildings. To meet the objective of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C, an estimated 77% reduction in total CO₂ emissions of the buildings sector by 2050 is required.²

Buildings consume energy for heating, cooling, interior ventilation, domestic hot water (DHW) production, lighting appliances, electrical equipment, people transport, and cooking, using gas (21%), electricity (30%), and biomass (29%) as the main energy carriers.⁴ The incidence of each of the above items in total consumption varies depending on the type of building, its year of construction, and the climate zone in which it is located.

In 2012 space heating and cooling and DHW production accounted for nearly 60% of global energy consumption in buildings, representing the largest opportunity to reduce building energy consumption, improve energy security, and reduce CO₂ emissions, particularly due to the fact that space and water heating provision in some countries is still dominated by fossil fuel.² In the EU space heating is the largest end use in terms of final energy consumption, accounting for two-thirds of residential energy use and about 40% of services energy consumption, while in the United States these values are respectively 37% and 27%.^2,5

Space cooling still accounts for less than 5% of final energy demand, but this value is dramatically rising worldwide, with an increase of 43% in the last 10 years compared to a 34% increase in building floor area and a 13% growth of world population.^4,11 Energy consumption for cooling is set to increase by almost 150% globally, and by 300–600% in developing countries, by 2050.¹² The European Commission predicts that the demand for cooling in buildings in the EU will i...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Related titles
• Copyright
• Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering
• About the author
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part One. Smart buildings
• Part Two. Smart insulation
• Part Three. Smart windows
• Index