The link between urban form and building energy demand is a complex balance of morphological, con... more The link between urban form and building energy demand is a complex balance of morphological, constructive, utilization and climatic factor. Especially in the European compact city, where existing areas prevail on much more energy-efficient new settlements, it is evident that operative ways to transform efficiently the building stock have to be found. This paper explores the existence of a relation between built mass and energy demand depending on urban form. Focusing on the compact city of Mediterranean climate, tests on different case studies simulations are carried out. Results presented and discussed, point out that mass has strong relevance on energy demand and plays an important role in reducing energy consumptions. This paper is a preliminary report of an ongoing research study about one possible way to comprehend "metabolic rate" scaling law - the relationship between power and mass of a complex system in its process - concerning urban fabric. This knowledge-base c...
Renewable Energy in the Service of Mankind Vol II, 2015
This chapter presents the importance that the embodied energy of the support material of a photov... more This chapter presents the importance that the embodied energy of the support material of a photovoltaic installation can have in relation to the energy produced and, therefore, in relation to other efficiency factors in the design of photovoltaic installations. The importance of these costs cannot be neglected in the overall system efficiency.
This paper presents evidence that the sustainable dwelling involves the collective use of spaces ... more This paper presents evidence that the sustainable dwelling involves the collective use of spaces and services at home. By exploring the possibility of sharing spaces and services and establishing a common use, we will save space and energy, increase the economic efficiency of dwellings, and gain new forms of socialization between users. In order to find these new forms of socialization that satisfy both users and environmental demands, we need to question the separation between private and common use. In this process we must guarantee individual privacy and comfort and probably divide users according to similar interests and profiles. With this model each person contributes his or her lifestyle to a sustainable society. Instead of having a society in which each home uses all the necessary services and spaces individually, acting as an isolated bubble and resulting in an inefficient consumption of resources, we should have a society in which homes and buildings are designed as a syst...
New ideas that include sustainability as an integral quality of the whole design concept contribu... more New ideas that include sustainability as an integral quality of the whole design concept contribute to set higher standards, tending to the world sustainable development. Variety of solutions of high quality design must be presented and discussed as the conception of a whole design idea is not restricted to one solution when projecting sustainability. Great importance is given to the analysis of the treatment of the building's envelope, understood as a dynamic and selective limit between interior and exterior, were the main passive strategies can be conceived. The interior-exterior transition may be done through intermediate spaces that have the quality to function as environmental barriers and connectors acting as "filters" and becoming "environmental regulators". It is presented a zero energy project of a thematic library for the Jardi Botanic de Barcelona in which early decisions favoring passive techniques gave form: compactness, slenderness and porosity ...
In this chapter, vernacular roofs are analyzed to learn the principles which define their perform... more In this chapter, vernacular roofs are analyzed to learn the principles which define their performance. Unfortunately, many examples of this typology have disappeared, due to its fragility in front of weather conditions and their state of neglect; vernacular roofs are strongly linked to place and local resources, which are perishable. Despite this, they have fulfilled successfully their function, adapted to climate, for centuries. However, many changes in architecture design and materials changed the appearance and composition of roofs in the last century. It led to a design of roofs as a series of specialized layers with differentiated functions which perform better in some aspects but present some environmental disadvantages. Contemporary roof design can learn from former experiences, not with the purpose of returning to a vernacular language but getting back to their basic principles.
Opaque ventilated facades (OVFs) are increasingly gaining in importance in the design of sustaina... more Opaque ventilated facades (OVFs) are increasingly gaining in importance in the design of sustainable buildings, given that they can lessen the building´s environmental impact. Opaque ventilated facades can reduce thermal gains in hot climate zones, improving the thermal comfort indoors, and reducing air conditioning demand. Nevertheless, the thermal behaviour of the opaque ventilated facade depends on the climatic conditions and the building´s specific design. This study analyses the effect of opaque ventilated facades in office buildings using 30 constructive configurations under eight tropical climate conditions. The study considers three options for the external layer of cladding (ceramic, stone, and aluminium composite material) and two configurations for the inner layer (plasterboard with mineral wool and ceramic). Simulations were carried out using the software tools TRanNsient SYstem Simulation program (TRNSYS) and TRNFlow. The model developed considers bioclimatic characteri...
The construction of high-rise buildings has always been where the newest technological advances w... more The construction of high-rise buildings has always been where the newest technological advances were displayed for the first time.
El entorno visual en los paises mediterraneos se caracteriza por un importante contraste luminico... more El entorno visual en los paises mediterraneos se caracteriza por un importante contraste luminico. La verticalidad del sol y una elevada frecuencia de dias con cielo despejado definen un entorno visual donde conviven superficies banadas por el sol y otras en sombra. La mayor parte del tiempo, las condiciones atmosfericas propician esta condicion dual que genera un elevado contraste entre sol y sombra asi como entre espacios exteriores e interiores. Ademas, la sombra mediterranea tiene diferentes grados de luminosidad dependiendo del contexto. La forma de la ciudad, su arquitectura y las caracteristicas de la luz, determinan el aspecto del entorno iluminado, entendido este como una sucesion de escenas visuales compuestas basicamente por fachadas, pavimentos y cielo con diferentes valores de luminancia. Es paradojico que, en entornos como el Mediterraneo, donde la disponibilidad de luz natural esta claramente por encima del minimo necesario, se utilicen elevados niveles de luz artificial en los interiores para contrarrestar los efectos del contraste generado con el exterior. Un diseno de iluminacion mas eficiente deberia incorporar criterios sostenibles que integren el conocimiento del entorno luminoso exterior y que permitan deducir el contraste esperado con el interior del edificio. Como aproximacion a esta situacion, se establecio una metodologia de analisis del entorno luminoso mediterraneo, y se aplico a un caso de estudio representativo de este exterior. Los resultados permitieron poner a prueba del metodo y aproximar la magnitud del contraste existente entre el interior y el exterior en un entorno mediterraneo concreto, apuntando resultados para posteriores estudios.
The causal relation among building typology and building energy demand is a complex balance of cl... more The causal relation among building typology and building energy demand is a complex balance of climate, morphology, technology and use. The assessment of the relation between mass of building elements and energy demand in different housing typologies is the main goal of this study. A novel indicator, namely the Buildingmass, is introduced and tested in the Mediterranean climate region. Explorations on nine conventional housing typologies in Barcelona and Rome are carried out. Buildingmass evaluation is based on the calculation of the mass of building elements. Energy demand is assessed by modelling on multi-space dynamic thermal analysis tool. Our results point out that the Buildingmass has a strong relevance on energy, playing an important role in reducing heating and cooling demand in the Mediterranean city, as described by the proposed correlation (R2 = 0.88). Moreover, this indicator gives a more detailed characterisation of the housing stock of the Mediterranean city. The study...
The principles of the passive solar house were defined in the 1970s. Since that time, strategies ... more The principles of the passive solar house were defined in the 1970s. Since that time, strategies have been conceptualized and tested with different examples built in the USA and in Europe. Models directly related to the Mediterranean climate are rare in this context. They will be the subject of the present study. In these cases, the main issue is to reconcile solar gain in winter and solar shading protection in summer. In addition, summer heat can be lost through natural ventilation. The research will focus on aspects of architectural design to implement alternatives for optimizing control of radiation. The Heliodon 2TM computer software will be used to establish evaluation methods for certifying the energy efficiency of the solutions under study.
The link between urban form and building energy demand is a complex balance of morphological, con... more The link between urban form and building energy demand is a complex balance of morphological, constructive, utilization and climatic factor. Especially in the European compact city, where existing areas prevail on much more energy-efficient new settlements, it is evident that operative ways to transform efficiently the building stock have to be found. This paper explores the existence of a relation between built mass and energy demand depending on urban form. Focusing on the compact city of Mediterranean climate, tests on different case studies simulations are carried out. Results presented and discussed, point out that mass has strong relevance on energy demand and plays an important role in reducing energy consumptions. This paper is a preliminary report of an ongoing research study about one possible way to comprehend "metabolic rate" scaling law - the relationship between power and mass of a complex system in its process - concerning urban fabric. This knowledge-base c...
Renewable Energy in the Service of Mankind Vol II, 2015
This chapter presents the importance that the embodied energy of the support material of a photov... more This chapter presents the importance that the embodied energy of the support material of a photovoltaic installation can have in relation to the energy produced and, therefore, in relation to other efficiency factors in the design of photovoltaic installations. The importance of these costs cannot be neglected in the overall system efficiency.
This paper presents evidence that the sustainable dwelling involves the collective use of spaces ... more This paper presents evidence that the sustainable dwelling involves the collective use of spaces and services at home. By exploring the possibility of sharing spaces and services and establishing a common use, we will save space and energy, increase the economic efficiency of dwellings, and gain new forms of socialization between users. In order to find these new forms of socialization that satisfy both users and environmental demands, we need to question the separation between private and common use. In this process we must guarantee individual privacy and comfort and probably divide users according to similar interests and profiles. With this model each person contributes his or her lifestyle to a sustainable society. Instead of having a society in which each home uses all the necessary services and spaces individually, acting as an isolated bubble and resulting in an inefficient consumption of resources, we should have a society in which homes and buildings are designed as a syst...
New ideas that include sustainability as an integral quality of the whole design concept contribu... more New ideas that include sustainability as an integral quality of the whole design concept contribute to set higher standards, tending to the world sustainable development. Variety of solutions of high quality design must be presented and discussed as the conception of a whole design idea is not restricted to one solution when projecting sustainability. Great importance is given to the analysis of the treatment of the building's envelope, understood as a dynamic and selective limit between interior and exterior, were the main passive strategies can be conceived. The interior-exterior transition may be done through intermediate spaces that have the quality to function as environmental barriers and connectors acting as "filters" and becoming "environmental regulators". It is presented a zero energy project of a thematic library for the Jardi Botanic de Barcelona in which early decisions favoring passive techniques gave form: compactness, slenderness and porosity ...
In this chapter, vernacular roofs are analyzed to learn the principles which define their perform... more In this chapter, vernacular roofs are analyzed to learn the principles which define their performance. Unfortunately, many examples of this typology have disappeared, due to its fragility in front of weather conditions and their state of neglect; vernacular roofs are strongly linked to place and local resources, which are perishable. Despite this, they have fulfilled successfully their function, adapted to climate, for centuries. However, many changes in architecture design and materials changed the appearance and composition of roofs in the last century. It led to a design of roofs as a series of specialized layers with differentiated functions which perform better in some aspects but present some environmental disadvantages. Contemporary roof design can learn from former experiences, not with the purpose of returning to a vernacular language but getting back to their basic principles.
Opaque ventilated facades (OVFs) are increasingly gaining in importance in the design of sustaina... more Opaque ventilated facades (OVFs) are increasingly gaining in importance in the design of sustainable buildings, given that they can lessen the building´s environmental impact. Opaque ventilated facades can reduce thermal gains in hot climate zones, improving the thermal comfort indoors, and reducing air conditioning demand. Nevertheless, the thermal behaviour of the opaque ventilated facade depends on the climatic conditions and the building´s specific design. This study analyses the effect of opaque ventilated facades in office buildings using 30 constructive configurations under eight tropical climate conditions. The study considers three options for the external layer of cladding (ceramic, stone, and aluminium composite material) and two configurations for the inner layer (plasterboard with mineral wool and ceramic). Simulations were carried out using the software tools TRanNsient SYstem Simulation program (TRNSYS) and TRNFlow. The model developed considers bioclimatic characteri...
The construction of high-rise buildings has always been where the newest technological advances w... more The construction of high-rise buildings has always been where the newest technological advances were displayed for the first time.
El entorno visual en los paises mediterraneos se caracteriza por un importante contraste luminico... more El entorno visual en los paises mediterraneos se caracteriza por un importante contraste luminico. La verticalidad del sol y una elevada frecuencia de dias con cielo despejado definen un entorno visual donde conviven superficies banadas por el sol y otras en sombra. La mayor parte del tiempo, las condiciones atmosfericas propician esta condicion dual que genera un elevado contraste entre sol y sombra asi como entre espacios exteriores e interiores. Ademas, la sombra mediterranea tiene diferentes grados de luminosidad dependiendo del contexto. La forma de la ciudad, su arquitectura y las caracteristicas de la luz, determinan el aspecto del entorno iluminado, entendido este como una sucesion de escenas visuales compuestas basicamente por fachadas, pavimentos y cielo con diferentes valores de luminancia. Es paradojico que, en entornos como el Mediterraneo, donde la disponibilidad de luz natural esta claramente por encima del minimo necesario, se utilicen elevados niveles de luz artificial en los interiores para contrarrestar los efectos del contraste generado con el exterior. Un diseno de iluminacion mas eficiente deberia incorporar criterios sostenibles que integren el conocimiento del entorno luminoso exterior y que permitan deducir el contraste esperado con el interior del edificio. Como aproximacion a esta situacion, se establecio una metodologia de analisis del entorno luminoso mediterraneo, y se aplico a un caso de estudio representativo de este exterior. Los resultados permitieron poner a prueba del metodo y aproximar la magnitud del contraste existente entre el interior y el exterior en un entorno mediterraneo concreto, apuntando resultados para posteriores estudios.
The causal relation among building typology and building energy demand is a complex balance of cl... more The causal relation among building typology and building energy demand is a complex balance of climate, morphology, technology and use. The assessment of the relation between mass of building elements and energy demand in different housing typologies is the main goal of this study. A novel indicator, namely the Buildingmass, is introduced and tested in the Mediterranean climate region. Explorations on nine conventional housing typologies in Barcelona and Rome are carried out. Buildingmass evaluation is based on the calculation of the mass of building elements. Energy demand is assessed by modelling on multi-space dynamic thermal analysis tool. Our results point out that the Buildingmass has a strong relevance on energy, playing an important role in reducing heating and cooling demand in the Mediterranean city, as described by the proposed correlation (R2 = 0.88). Moreover, this indicator gives a more detailed characterisation of the housing stock of the Mediterranean city. The study...
The principles of the passive solar house were defined in the 1970s. Since that time, strategies ... more The principles of the passive solar house were defined in the 1970s. Since that time, strategies have been conceptualized and tested with different examples built in the USA and in Europe. Models directly related to the Mediterranean climate are rare in this context. They will be the subject of the present study. In these cases, the main issue is to reconcile solar gain in winter and solar shading protection in summer. In addition, summer heat can be lost through natural ventilation. The research will focus on aspects of architectural design to implement alternatives for optimizing control of radiation. The Heliodon 2TM computer software will be used to establish evaluation methods for certifying the energy efficiency of the solutions under study.
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Papers by Helena Coch