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City Regeneration through Modular Phase Change Materials (PCM) Envelopes for Climate Neutral Buildings

Author

Listed:
  • Javier Orozco-Messana

    (Institute of Materials Technology (ITM), Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Vicente Lopez-Mateu

    (Departamento Construcciones Arquitectónicas, Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Teresa M. Pellicer

    (Departamento Ingeniería de la Construcción, Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

Climate change is driving urban development policies for nearly all cities, which are responsible for over 40% carbon emissions in the world. UN SDG 11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”) defines critical indicators focused on carbon footprint reduction through green policies and city heritage preservation. Urban regeneration should ensure climate comfort for citizens while enhancing legacy urban resilience. New solutions for urban regeneration such as Phase Change Materials (PCMs) provide inexpensive energy adaption solutions by reducing peak thermal loads, and their market share is growing yearly by 16% (OECD market trends). However, these materials must be integrated into recyclable flexible building elements to ensure tailored responses to different seasons and climates. Modular PCM elements working together with Passive Haus techniques have demonstrated their flexibility. This paper presents a new, efficient, and sustainable modular solution for PCM-based building envelope regeneration projects implemented jointly with Passive Haus strategies and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) at street level. The efficiency of the proposed strategy is demonstrated though a simplified Digital Twin of the Benicalap neighbourhood in Valencia, Spain. The model simulates the climate evolution at the neighbourhood level, and can be used in any urban background to obtain a new carbon footprint which is then used as the main criterion for joint impact assessment of the proposed modular PCM-based building envelopes.

Suggested Citation

  • Javier Orozco-Messana & Vicente Lopez-Mateu & Teresa M. Pellicer, 2022. "City Regeneration through Modular Phase Change Materials (PCM) Envelopes for Climate Neutral Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-12, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8902-:d:867456
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Javier Orozco-Messana & Milagro Iborra-Lucas & Raimon Calabuig-Moreno, 2021. "Neighbourhood Modelling for Urban Sustainability Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-10, April.
    2. Pajek, Luka & Košir, Mitja, 2021. "Strategy for achieving long-term energy efficiency of European single-family buildings through passive climate adaptation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    3. Coma, Julià & Chàfer, Marta & Pérez, Gabriel & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2020. "How internal heat loads of buildings affect the effectiveness of vertical greenery systems? An experimental study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 919-930.
    4. De Masi, Rosa Francesca & Gigante, Antonio & Ruggiero, Silvia & Vanoli, Giuseppe Peter, 2021. "Impact of weather data and climate change projections in the refurbishment design of residential buildings in cooling dominated climate," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    5. Gohar Gholamibozanjani & Mohammed Farid, 2021. "A Critical Review on the Control Strategies Applied to PCM-Enhanced Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-39, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mingzhi Zhao & Yingjie Liu & Daorina Bao & Xiaoming Hu & Ningbo Wang & Lei Liu, 2023. "Study on the Influence of Solar Array Tube on Thermal Environment of Greenhouse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Mattia De Rosa & Vincenzo Bianco & Henrik Barth & Patricia Pereira da Silva & Carlos Vargas Salgado & Fabiano Pallonetto, 2023. "Technologies and Strategies to Support Energy Transition in Urban Building and Transportation Sectors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Moshood, Taofeeq D. & Rotimi, James OB. & Shahzad, Wajiha & Bamgbade, J.A., 2024. "Infrastructure digital twin technology: A new paradigm for future construction industry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Yan Liu & Meiyue Sang & Xiangrui Xu & Liyin Shen & Haijun Bao, 2023. "How Can Urban Regeneration Reduce Carbon Emissions? A Bibliometric Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, June.

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