Alessandro Cannavale

Despite increasing interest in earth-based materials for additive manufacturing in construction, limited research has systematically investigated the workability parameters governing their suitability for extrusion-based 3D printing. This study evaluates the influence of wheat straw fiber content on the flowability, pumpability, extrudability, and buildability of earth-based mixtures for extrusion-based 3D printing applications. Four mixtures containing varying proportions of clay (76–100 wt%), wheat straw fiber (0–20 wt%), additives (0–4 wt%), and water were experimentally assessed and subsequently evaluated for compressive strength. Flowability was determined using modified flow tests; pumpability and extrudability were assessed through manual extrusion tools (triangular bag and grout gun), and buildability was evaluated using a modified compression test measuring green strength. Results showed that increasing the wheat straw fiber content from 5% to 20% reduced the flowability from 31.42% to 11.42%, despite corresponding increases in water content. The SP15 mixture (82% clay, 15% wheat straw fiber, 3% additive, and 35% water) exhibited the most balanced performance, achieving the lowest height reduction (17.14%) during buildability testing and demonstrating superior structural stability and compressive performance. The proposed methodology provides practical guidance for developing printable earth-based materials and supports the adoption of locally available, low-carbon materials in sustainable additive manufacturing for construction.

The thermal behaviour of a photovoltaic panel in three different locations (Bari, Italy; Cairo, Egypt; Copenhagen, Denmark) was analysed. The simulation was performed under three calculation assumptions: 1. Module equipped with simple commercial anti-reflective film; 2. Module equipped with selective high emissivity film; 3. Water-cooled module with different storage volumes, that were applied to both types of modules previously studied. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of cooling through the adoption of a hydronic circuit, which enhances the module's annual energy performance by 11% in Cairo. This system, employing a 300 L water tank, significantly reduces the photovoltaic module's operating temperatures and generates useful thermal energy, which can be used for domestic hot water production, covering 98% of the annual energy demand.

The decarbonisation objectives set for 2050 compel us to envisage any effective strategy in order to reduce the human impact on the planet, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the effects of global warming

In this paper, we have carefully studied the scientific literature dealing with the use of passive radiative surfaces within the construction industry. The aim of this paper is to highlight technologies and materials for daylight radiative cooling under study today—or already on the market—and to report their main characteristics, performance and, where possible, costs. Following a review of the available scientific literature, the advantages and limitations of such an option were highlighted, seeking to capture opportunities and future lines of research development. This review also provides the physical laws that evaluate the energy balance of passive radiative surfaces as well as the criteria to quantify all the terms of these equations.