Jose Antonio Millán Garcia

Las tecnologías son necesarias para perseguir un desarrollo sostenible y minimizar el actual aumento de la demanda energética. Se propone la integración de vehículos aéreos no tripulados (UAV) para tareas de inspección visual. Se utilizan imágenes térmicas para detectar defectos de pérdida de calor. La temperatura de la superficie y la geometría de un edificio se emplean para garantizar una evaluación fiable. El uso combinado de ambos permite la inspección no destructiva de componentes, así como la evaluación de la eficiencia energética.La supervisión periódica de espacios y la identificación automática de errores de construcción mediante IA es la dirección futura de los dispositivos UAV. Esto es de gran importancia teniendo en cuenta las importantes pérdidas de energía que podrían evitarse con una identificación temprana y, en consecuencia, el ahorro económico que supondría.

This communication analyzes the work carried out for the graphic survey of a case study during its rehabilitation process. For this, the photogrammetry technique has been used together with an RPAS system for the acquisition of photographs of the property. As a result, a point cloud has been obtained that allows the geometric characterization of the analyzed case study. The use of both techniques has proven to be a very useful combination in the field of architecture and rehabilitation processes thanks to the possibility it offers for massive data capture and its subsequent use for the development of the architectural model. This analysis has allowed verifying the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology followed in the study compared to conventional methods of architectural survey

Free convective heat transfer in the closed gap between concentric semi-hemispheres is quantified by means of a numerical approach based on the volume control method using the SIMPLE algorithm. The average Nusselt number is determined for several configurations obtained by varying the cavity’s aspect ratio between 0.15 and 1.5, while the Rayleigh number varies within the 5.33 × 10³–4.50 × 10⁸ range. The results show that the correlations available in the literature dealing with concentric whole spheres cannot be used for the configuration treated here. The new correlation between the Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers proposed in this work can be applied in various engineering sectors, such as in the electronic packaging considered in this present work, buildings, and architecture.

The intervention on historic buildings through building energy retrofitting has become one of the current challenges of improving energy efficiency. Nonetheless, this building typology presents certain complexities. Among them, one of the most relevant is the protection on their façades due to the historical and/or artistic values of a given façade and, therefore, the addition of external thermal insulation is restricted. However, at the same time, in several of those buildings indoor surfaces do not present that architectural value, and then internal thermal insulation becomes a promising strategy for improving their thermal performance. Nevertheless, its application must be carefully evaluated to avoid possible pathologies caused by moisture problems. This paper aims to identify constructive solutions for interior insulation of walls free from moisture problems. For this purpose, a comprehensive analysis of a series of constructive solutions based on internal insulation has been carried out through hygrothermal simulations. The results show how the application of water-repellent impregnation becomes essential to guaranteeing the integrity of the envelope. In addition, the combination of insulations with or without inner membranes, such as smart vapor retarders or vapor diffusion barriers, has been evaluated detecting the solutions that best fit the objective. Finally, taking advantage of the great potential of 2D simulation tools, the post-processing of the data has been performed to apply the wood decay model, and thus assess the behavior of a very conflictive point in this type of intervention, i.e., the wooden beam-ends. The results in this critical point have shown how the application of the proposed constructive solutions becomes essential to guarantee the integrity of the element and how the application of traditional solutions could lead to a hazard that must be avoided.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is one of the great challenges that university faculties have to face. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team from the faculty of Engineering of Gipuzkoa (EIG) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has developed pedagogical approaches to apply in construction degrees, namely Civil Engineering and Technical Architecture. Pedagogical tools, such as problem-based learning (PBL) or research-based learning (RBL), and environmental tools, such as the life cycle assessment (LCA) and computational thinking (CT), have been used; in doing so, they acquire a sustainable approach to work “soft-skills” competencies into sustainability. For example, research-based tools have helped to revalorize waste both outside and inside the university; they have contributed to more sustainable industrial processes, collaborative research projects, and participation in conferences and scientific publications. Based on academic results, the designed tools are appropriate for teaching in Technical Architecture and Civil Engineering degrees; however, to demonstrate their potential in terms of sustainable education, holistic rubrics based on in-depth quantitative educational research are required. Thus, to analyze the ability of the students to incorporate sustainability principles in their work, the multidisciplinary team presenting this paper plans to collaborate with psychologists and sociologists within the framework of the Bizia-Lab program of the UPV/EHU.

Airtightness is a major issue in architectural design and it has a significant impact on the energy performance of buildings. Moreover, the energy behaviour of built heritage is due, to its singular characteristics, still a great unknown. The aim of this study is to establish a better knowledge of the airtightness of historical buildings, based on an in depth field study using blower-door tests. A set of 37 enclosures were analyzed inside eight buildings located in historical areas of a Spanish city with a significant built heritage. They were constructed between 1882 and 1919 and include diverse construction typologies applied for many building uses such as residential, cultural, educational, administrative and emblematic. The results indicate lower values compared to other previous airtightness studies of historical buildings. The average air change rate was found to be n₅₀ = 9.03 h⁻¹ and the airtightness of the enclosures presented a wide range of between 0.68 and 37.12 h⁻¹. Three main levels of airtightness were identified with two thirds of the tested samples belonging to the intermediate level between 3–20 h⁻¹. To conclude, several correlations have been developed which provide a method to estimate air leakage and could serve as a basis for energy performance studies of these kinds of building.

This numerical study quantifies the natural convective heat transfer occurring in an elongated rectangular cavity whose hot vertical wall generates a constant heat flux while the opposite one is kept isothermal at cold temperature. The study shows that when a layer of porous material is affixed to the hot wall, the aerodynamic phenomena are modified and increase the natural convective transfer. Several configurations were processed, obtained by varying the matrix’s thermal conductivity of the layer, the aspect ratio of the cavity and the Rayleigh number in wide ranges. The numerical solution is obtained by means of the control volume method based on the SIMPLE algorithm. A correlation of the Nusselt–Rayleigh type is proposed, allowing determination of the convective heat transfer for any combination of these physical parameters. It can be applied in various engineering fields including passive heating in building which can be improved by the simple and easy-to-implement assembly version discussed here.