In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden die Einflüsse vertikaler Gebäudebegrünung auf Wärmeschutz... more In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden die Einflüsse vertikaler Gebäudebegrünung auf Wärmeschutz, sommerliche Überwärmung und hygrothermische Behaglichkeit untersucht. Unterschiedliche Begrünungssysteme wurden an Gebäudefassaden in Wien und Umgebung installiert und über mehrere Jahre gemessen. Um die in situ Messungen an den unterschiedlichen Fassaden hinsichtlich Wärmeschutz auszuwerten, wurde im Zuge der Dissertation eine Methode entwickelt, die auch auf zukünftige in situ Messungen übertragbar ist. Ergänzend zu den in situ Messungen wurden die Auswirkungen auf den Wärmeschutz und die sommerliche Überwärmung mit unterschiedlichen Computerprogrammen untersucht. Die Computerprogramme ermöglichten sowohl das Nachstellen der untersuchten Situationen als auch das Berechnen fiktiver Szenarien an unterschiedlichen Gebäudefassaden. Zur Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Innenraumbegrünung auf die hygrothermische Behaglichkeit wurden Klassenräume in Wiener Schulen begrünt. Über mehrere Jah...
Electrochemical low-cost sensors, suitable for the monitoring of different air quality parameters... more Electrochemical low-cost sensors, suitable for the monitoring of different air quality parameters such as carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide levels, are viable tools for creating affordable handheld devices for short-term or dense air quality monitoring networks for long-term measurements and IoT applications. However, most devices that utilize such sensors are based on proprietary hardware and software and, therefore, do not offer users the ability to replace sensors or interact with the hardware, software, and data in a meaningful way. Initiatives that focus on an open framework for air quality monitoring, such as the AirSensEUR project, offer competitive open source alternatives. In this study, we examined the feasibility of the application of such devices. Five AirSensEUR units equipped with chemical sensors were placed next to a reference air quality measuring station in Vienna, Austria. During co-location, concentrations of 0.20 ± 0.06 ppm, 7.14 ± 8.66 ppb, and 17.58 ± 9.90 p...
Aufgrund des steigenden Bewusstseins für Luftqualität und Gesundheit, auch beeinflusst durch die ... more Aufgrund des steigenden Bewusstseins für Luftqualität und Gesundheit, auch beeinflusst durch die Corona‐Krise, werden generell vermehrt Luftreinigungs‐Maßnahmen umgesetzt. Ozonierungs‐ und Ionisationsanlagen werden aktuell stark nachgefragt. Um die Qualität der durch die Benützung von Luftreinigungsanlagen aufbereiteten Luft zu untersuchen, wurden im Rahmen der gegenständlichen Untersuchungen Luftanalysen durchgeführt. Es wurde geprüft, ob durch den Betrieb dieser Anlagen unerwünschte, gesundheitlich bedenkliche chemische Verbindungen entstehen. Insbesondere wurde der Frage nachgegangen, ob durch den Betrieb der Luftaufbereitungsanlage, welche die in der Luft enthaltenen VOCs (volatile organic compounds, flüchtige organische Verbindungen) idealerweise vollständig zu Kohlenstoffdioxid und Wasser umsetzt, zusätzliche entstandene Luftschadstoffe nachgewiesen werden können. Aus der aufbereiteten Luft eines Seminarraums eines Wiener Spitals wurden Luftproben entnommen. Der Luftstrom wird durch eine Luftaufbereitungsanlage bestehend aus einem Ozonierungsmodul, zwei Ionisationsmodulen sowie einem Luftfilter geführt. Die Probennahme der vor Ort gesammelten Luft erfolgte im Labor mittels SPME (solid phase microextraction, Festphasen‐Mikroextraktion). Die an der Außenluft referenzierte, semi‐quantitative Analyse erfolgte mittels Gaschromatographie mit massenspektrometrischer Detektion (GC‐MS). Bei allen Messungen wurden aliphatische Kohlenwasserstoffe in unbedenklichen Konzentrationen gefunden. Durch den Betrieb der Luftaufbereitungsanlage wurden keine signifikant erhöhten Konzentrationen von gesundheitsschädlichen VOCs nachgewiesen.
The construction industry is responsible for a large amount of both embodied carbon and emissions... more The construction industry is responsible for a large amount of both embodied carbon and emissions. Especially with concrete, there is still a lot of potential for designing recipes in a more ecological way. Approaches to reduce the environmental impact of concrete include the use of industrial and agricultural by-products. This study combines the approaches of replacing cement with granulated blast furnace slag and the use of NaOH-treated rice straw fibers. The research objective comprises the design of an ecologically optimized concrete as well as the question of whether a pretreatment of rice straw fibers with NaOH improves the performance of the designed concrete. The method includes mechanical and physical testing of the of the designed concrete as well as an optical analysis with a scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that treating rice straw with 1% NaOH indicates a better bond between fibers and the surrounding matrix. The tests in which the rice straw was trea...
Energy-efficiency of sustainable constructions and buildings are evaluated based upon the heating... more Energy-efficiency of sustainable constructions and buildings are evaluated based upon the heating and cooling demands, but also according to the primary-energy demand, CO2 savings potential, and the ecological properties of building materials. To meet increasingly rigorous requirements, the demand for natural building materials is growing rapidly. The research objective of the here presented study is to stabilize soils with natural straw fibres to produce a composite, sustainable, non-toxic and locally sourced building material. The material appropriateness was determined by establishing the thermal conductivity of a selection of unfired earth bricks that were identified as potential new natural building materials. The thermal conductivity is an essential material characteristic to achieve the required insulation level and for market success as a new product. The earth bricks consist of soil, cement, gypsum and straw
Moisture in building structures affects negatively construction material physical properties, par... more Moisture in building structures affects negatively construction material physical properties, particularly thermally insulation prope rties. The porous structure of most building materials distinguishes by the ability to absorb wa ter in liquid and gaseous state into its internal cavities, to fill the accumulative space of pores, to transport moisture and to re-transmit to the surroundings. The moisture characteristics of build ing materials are the base for evaluation of building structure thermal insulation properties. T he moisture spreading via capillary conduction is the most significant material parameter of a moistu re appraisal. However, it is necessary to incorporate also spreading the liquid phase into th e moisture appraisal for certain structure material compositions. The article deals with determination of capillary conductivity coefficient by using electromagnetic microwave radiation. The radiation passed through a wet sample is detected and then the value of capillary...
Façade greening at the intersection between buildings and urban space offers an optimal opportuni... more Façade greening at the intersection between buildings and urban space offers an optimal opportunity to integrate greenery into increasingly dense cities and influence the microclimate and contribute to high quality of life in urban areas. Despite proven numerous positive effects, there is still a lack of implementation and practical relevance is low until now. To integrate existing greening systems directly into future planning processes and thus keep up with the advancing digitalization in the building sector, an integration of these systems into Building Information Modeling (BIM) is urgently needed and in connection to this, the implementation of an automated planning process to support easier realization of greening projects contributing to a sustainable urban development. Therefore, BIM objects were created for five façade greening systems after analyzing the necessary basic data. Subsequently, an automated process was used to optimize the time-consuming conventional planning p...
Low indoor humidity has been shown to influence the transmission of respiratory diseases via air.... more Low indoor humidity has been shown to influence the transmission of respiratory diseases via air. A certain proportion of sick leave in offices is therefore attributable to dryness of air. An improvement in these conditions thus means a reduction in sick leave, which is accompanied by cost savings for companies. Vertical indoor greening has a verifiable positive effect on air humidity, especially in winter months. In this article, the correlation between improved air humidity in greened rooms and reduction of sick leave due to improved air humidity was described. The resulting indirect economic effect was determined by comparing the costs for construction, green care, and technical maintenance of indoor greenery with savings due to lower sick leave. Based on long-term measurement data on air humidity and temperature, and actual cost values for three buildings, located in Vienna, Austria, with 6 greened and 3 reference rooms without greenery, the correlation of the method was derived...
Humans spend more than 80% of their lives indoors resulting in an increased demand for high indoo... more Humans spend more than 80% of their lives indoors resulting in an increased demand for high indoor air quality (IAQ). At the same time, indoor air tends to be at least twice as polluted as outdoor air, and health threats caused by long-term exposure to indoor air pollution are rising. Few experiments under real-life conditions have demonstrated positive effects of indoor plants on parameters related to IAQ, resulting in improved humidity and temperature, reduced particulate matter concentration and CO2 levels. Indoor living walls allow the presence of many plants—without taking up valuable floor area. This article presents the results of conducted measurements on four do-it-yourself green walls planted with different plant species that are typically used for vertical indoor greenery (golden pothos, Boston fern, spider plant and a combination of plants) in a school setting. Besides the parameters of air humidity and temperature, CO2, mold spore and particulate matter levels, influenc...
The need for heating and cooling in traditional housing is becoming increasingly disadvantageous ... more The need for heating and cooling in traditional housing is becoming increasingly disadvantageous regarding high energy costs. But what is more concerning is the impact on our environment. The main goal of this paper is studying the prospects of using renewable energy for heating and cooling houses through an integrated bio-solar system in order to solve the energy scarcity problem. For this purpose, a simulation model for a bio-solar house made from different materials (walls made of bricks with straw bales and a roof made of concrete with straw bales) was developed successively in accordance with the energy balance and renewable energies such as biogas and solar energy were applied. This approach enabled an enhancement of the main factors affecting the performance of a building in terms of saving energy. The model was able to predict the energy requirements for heating and cooling of houses, the energy gained by a solar collector and by a biogas digester as well as the energy requi...
In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden die Einflüsse vertikaler Gebäudebegrünung auf Wärmeschutz... more In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden die Einflüsse vertikaler Gebäudebegrünung auf Wärmeschutz, sommerliche Überwärmung und hygrothermische Behaglichkeit untersucht. Unterschiedliche Begrünungssysteme wurden an Gebäudefassaden in Wien und Umgebung installiert und über mehrere Jahre gemessen. Um die in situ Messungen an den unterschiedlichen Fassaden hinsichtlich Wärmeschutz auszuwerten, wurde im Zuge der Dissertation eine Methode entwickelt, die auch auf zukünftige in situ Messungen übertragbar ist. Ergänzend zu den in situ Messungen wurden die Auswirkungen auf den Wärmeschutz und die sommerliche Überwärmung mit unterschiedlichen Computerprogrammen untersucht. Die Computerprogramme ermöglichten sowohl das Nachstellen der untersuchten Situationen als auch das Berechnen fiktiver Szenarien an unterschiedlichen Gebäudefassaden. Zur Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Innenraumbegrünung auf die hygrothermische Behaglichkeit wurden Klassenräume in Wiener Schulen begrünt. Über mehrere Jah...
Electrochemical low-cost sensors, suitable for the monitoring of different air quality parameters... more Electrochemical low-cost sensors, suitable for the monitoring of different air quality parameters such as carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide levels, are viable tools for creating affordable handheld devices for short-term or dense air quality monitoring networks for long-term measurements and IoT applications. However, most devices that utilize such sensors are based on proprietary hardware and software and, therefore, do not offer users the ability to replace sensors or interact with the hardware, software, and data in a meaningful way. Initiatives that focus on an open framework for air quality monitoring, such as the AirSensEUR project, offer competitive open source alternatives. In this study, we examined the feasibility of the application of such devices. Five AirSensEUR units equipped with chemical sensors were placed next to a reference air quality measuring station in Vienna, Austria. During co-location, concentrations of 0.20 ± 0.06 ppm, 7.14 ± 8.66 ppb, and 17.58 ± 9.90 p...
Aufgrund des steigenden Bewusstseins für Luftqualität und Gesundheit, auch beeinflusst durch die ... more Aufgrund des steigenden Bewusstseins für Luftqualität und Gesundheit, auch beeinflusst durch die Corona‐Krise, werden generell vermehrt Luftreinigungs‐Maßnahmen umgesetzt. Ozonierungs‐ und Ionisationsanlagen werden aktuell stark nachgefragt. Um die Qualität der durch die Benützung von Luftreinigungsanlagen aufbereiteten Luft zu untersuchen, wurden im Rahmen der gegenständlichen Untersuchungen Luftanalysen durchgeführt. Es wurde geprüft, ob durch den Betrieb dieser Anlagen unerwünschte, gesundheitlich bedenkliche chemische Verbindungen entstehen. Insbesondere wurde der Frage nachgegangen, ob durch den Betrieb der Luftaufbereitungsanlage, welche die in der Luft enthaltenen VOCs (volatile organic compounds, flüchtige organische Verbindungen) idealerweise vollständig zu Kohlenstoffdioxid und Wasser umsetzt, zusätzliche entstandene Luftschadstoffe nachgewiesen werden können. Aus der aufbereiteten Luft eines Seminarraums eines Wiener Spitals wurden Luftproben entnommen. Der Luftstrom wird durch eine Luftaufbereitungsanlage bestehend aus einem Ozonierungsmodul, zwei Ionisationsmodulen sowie einem Luftfilter geführt. Die Probennahme der vor Ort gesammelten Luft erfolgte im Labor mittels SPME (solid phase microextraction, Festphasen‐Mikroextraktion). Die an der Außenluft referenzierte, semi‐quantitative Analyse erfolgte mittels Gaschromatographie mit massenspektrometrischer Detektion (GC‐MS). Bei allen Messungen wurden aliphatische Kohlenwasserstoffe in unbedenklichen Konzentrationen gefunden. Durch den Betrieb der Luftaufbereitungsanlage wurden keine signifikant erhöhten Konzentrationen von gesundheitsschädlichen VOCs nachgewiesen.
The construction industry is responsible for a large amount of both embodied carbon and emissions... more The construction industry is responsible for a large amount of both embodied carbon and emissions. Especially with concrete, there is still a lot of potential for designing recipes in a more ecological way. Approaches to reduce the environmental impact of concrete include the use of industrial and agricultural by-products. This study combines the approaches of replacing cement with granulated blast furnace slag and the use of NaOH-treated rice straw fibers. The research objective comprises the design of an ecologically optimized concrete as well as the question of whether a pretreatment of rice straw fibers with NaOH improves the performance of the designed concrete. The method includes mechanical and physical testing of the of the designed concrete as well as an optical analysis with a scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that treating rice straw with 1% NaOH indicates a better bond between fibers and the surrounding matrix. The tests in which the rice straw was trea...
Energy-efficiency of sustainable constructions and buildings are evaluated based upon the heating... more Energy-efficiency of sustainable constructions and buildings are evaluated based upon the heating and cooling demands, but also according to the primary-energy demand, CO2 savings potential, and the ecological properties of building materials. To meet increasingly rigorous requirements, the demand for natural building materials is growing rapidly. The research objective of the here presented study is to stabilize soils with natural straw fibres to produce a composite, sustainable, non-toxic and locally sourced building material. The material appropriateness was determined by establishing the thermal conductivity of a selection of unfired earth bricks that were identified as potential new natural building materials. The thermal conductivity is an essential material characteristic to achieve the required insulation level and for market success as a new product. The earth bricks consist of soil, cement, gypsum and straw
Moisture in building structures affects negatively construction material physical properties, par... more Moisture in building structures affects negatively construction material physical properties, particularly thermally insulation prope rties. The porous structure of most building materials distinguishes by the ability to absorb wa ter in liquid and gaseous state into its internal cavities, to fill the accumulative space of pores, to transport moisture and to re-transmit to the surroundings. The moisture characteristics of build ing materials are the base for evaluation of building structure thermal insulation properties. T he moisture spreading via capillary conduction is the most significant material parameter of a moistu re appraisal. However, it is necessary to incorporate also spreading the liquid phase into th e moisture appraisal for certain structure material compositions. The article deals with determination of capillary conductivity coefficient by using electromagnetic microwave radiation. The radiation passed through a wet sample is detected and then the value of capillary...
Façade greening at the intersection between buildings and urban space offers an optimal opportuni... more Façade greening at the intersection between buildings and urban space offers an optimal opportunity to integrate greenery into increasingly dense cities and influence the microclimate and contribute to high quality of life in urban areas. Despite proven numerous positive effects, there is still a lack of implementation and practical relevance is low until now. To integrate existing greening systems directly into future planning processes and thus keep up with the advancing digitalization in the building sector, an integration of these systems into Building Information Modeling (BIM) is urgently needed and in connection to this, the implementation of an automated planning process to support easier realization of greening projects contributing to a sustainable urban development. Therefore, BIM objects were created for five façade greening systems after analyzing the necessary basic data. Subsequently, an automated process was used to optimize the time-consuming conventional planning p...
Low indoor humidity has been shown to influence the transmission of respiratory diseases via air.... more Low indoor humidity has been shown to influence the transmission of respiratory diseases via air. A certain proportion of sick leave in offices is therefore attributable to dryness of air. An improvement in these conditions thus means a reduction in sick leave, which is accompanied by cost savings for companies. Vertical indoor greening has a verifiable positive effect on air humidity, especially in winter months. In this article, the correlation between improved air humidity in greened rooms and reduction of sick leave due to improved air humidity was described. The resulting indirect economic effect was determined by comparing the costs for construction, green care, and technical maintenance of indoor greenery with savings due to lower sick leave. Based on long-term measurement data on air humidity and temperature, and actual cost values for three buildings, located in Vienna, Austria, with 6 greened and 3 reference rooms without greenery, the correlation of the method was derived...
Humans spend more than 80% of their lives indoors resulting in an increased demand for high indoo... more Humans spend more than 80% of their lives indoors resulting in an increased demand for high indoor air quality (IAQ). At the same time, indoor air tends to be at least twice as polluted as outdoor air, and health threats caused by long-term exposure to indoor air pollution are rising. Few experiments under real-life conditions have demonstrated positive effects of indoor plants on parameters related to IAQ, resulting in improved humidity and temperature, reduced particulate matter concentration and CO2 levels. Indoor living walls allow the presence of many plants—without taking up valuable floor area. This article presents the results of conducted measurements on four do-it-yourself green walls planted with different plant species that are typically used for vertical indoor greenery (golden pothos, Boston fern, spider plant and a combination of plants) in a school setting. Besides the parameters of air humidity and temperature, CO2, mold spore and particulate matter levels, influenc...
The need for heating and cooling in traditional housing is becoming increasingly disadvantageous ... more The need for heating and cooling in traditional housing is becoming increasingly disadvantageous regarding high energy costs. But what is more concerning is the impact on our environment. The main goal of this paper is studying the prospects of using renewable energy for heating and cooling houses through an integrated bio-solar system in order to solve the energy scarcity problem. For this purpose, a simulation model for a bio-solar house made from different materials (walls made of bricks with straw bales and a roof made of concrete with straw bales) was developed successively in accordance with the energy balance and renewable energies such as biogas and solar energy were applied. This approach enabled an enhancement of the main factors affecting the performance of a building in terms of saving energy. The model was able to predict the energy requirements for heating and cooling of houses, the energy gained by a solar collector and by a biogas digester as well as the energy requi...
Abstract Many parameters of living wall systems were investigated within the last years. It has b... more Abstract Many parameters of living wall systems were investigated within the last years. It has been established that living wall systems reduce the urban heat island effect, bind dust and reduce noise pollution. Also the effect of the living wall system on the thermal insulation of the facade has been explored. But until now, there has not been any investigation on thermally well insulated facades. The thermal bridges were neglected in all published research until now. In the present paper this research gap has been taken up. Two living wall systems had been installed on three different facade types. One of them is thermally insulated, the other two are not. Long term measurements at the not thermally insulated facades showed an additional heat resistance value between 0.12 m² K/W and 0.39 m² K/W due to the living wall systems, while neglecting thermal bridges. The period of measurement was between 1st Mai 2015 and 31st March 2019. They have been calculated for the three investigated facades and two living wall systems by using AnTherm. For the anchoring devices two different scenarios were calculated. In one scenario the anchoring devices were made out of aluminum and in the other one they were made out of stainless steel. It turned out that the thermal bridges can not be neglected when it comes to thermally insulated facades. At the thermally insulated facades, the ΔU-Value ranges between 0.01 W/(m² K) and 0.08 W/(m² K). It cannot be neglected and ought to be taken into consideration.
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