Editorial

Pandemic and climate change: two events that are mixed and, often, seem to be the same. The events of recent years, and especially 2021, have jeopardized the certainties which up until now, were grounded on that scientific knowledge could lead humanity along a safe path. For a while, we thought that the results of multiple theses, and the accumulated efforts to understand phenomena and solutions based on the concept of sustainability were in vain, given the threats of a ferocious pandemic, along with the frustrated attempts to contain climate change. The goals sought up until now have been greatly challenged.

Evaluación térmica y lumínica en prototipos de cubiertas ligeras, para clima cálido húmedo

The zinc sheet roof is one of the most popular elements in Latin American architecture, and in many other regions with warm humid climates. Creating lighting and thermal alternatives focused on this typology would imply major benefits in the environmental and social fields. This study carried out in Manabí, Ecuador, evaluates three prototypes of light roofs, combining zinc with PVC, in order to determine the correct configuration of translucent material to create environments that are within thermal and lighting parameters. The results indicate that the empirical solutions model has the lowest variation in indoor temperature, with 32.63%, unlike the 32.97% of the cross-type model, and the 34.40% of the side strip model. Additionally, it was seen that the greatest influence of solar radiation on the roof is recorded from 1:00 p.m. to 2 p.m. approximately

Simulación mediante CDF de una chimenea solar inclinada sobre la cubierta

In recent years, energy consumption from electrical devices to foster air movement in regions with warm climates has risen, with the resulting negative impact on the environment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of a solar chimney used to induce natural ventilation in a closed space, under the weather conditions of the hot humid Mexican climate. For this purpose, CFD simulations were run using the RNG k- ɛ turbulence model and the DO radiation model, considering only natural convection phenomena. The solar chimney performance was evaluated, comparing the results of the simulations with experimental measurements, analysis which showed a good match. Temperatures of up to 46.5%°C in the air within the chimney, and of 77.1°C on the absorption plate, were obtained, results that allow verifying the influence of the heat discharge phenomenon by the natural flotation of air in the chimney.

El rol activo del usuario en la búsqueda de confort térmico de viviendas en clima templado árido

User behavior is one of the main factors of uncertainty in the thermal performance of a dwelling. This study contributes to identifying variables that would influence the user behavior and, in turn, how these affect the thermal performance of houses located in the city of Mendoza. For this, a thermal audit of a representative dwelling was made in summer and winter, while also recording occupancy and occupant actions. It was concluded that, in summer, correct management of the envelope through night cooling favors reaching indoor comfort in 89% of the recorded data. In winter, the correct use of direct solar gain favors reaching comfort in 60% of the recorded data. Finally, alternatives for building improvements are evaluated for the most unfavorable season.

Diseño de edificios de oficinas sustentables para promover ocupantes sustentables

Few studies focus on researching the potential of sustainable buildings to promote the sustainability of their occupants. Therefore, this study aims at analyzing the use of LEED credits, with the intention of promoting pro-environmental behaviors. The methodology is exploratory in nature, with a descriptive logic, and comparatively analyzes LEED-certified office buildings [Argentina (n = 351); Chile (n = 494); Colombia (n = 432); and Peru (n = 282)], between 2012 and 2020. The results revealed that the most used credits were: "Access to Public Transportation", (99.34%); “Surrounding Density”; (98.34%); and, “Tenant construction and design guidelines”, (96.53%); and the least used ones were: “Enhanced commissioning”, (44.30%); "Daylight" (31.31%); and, "Controllability of systems", (7.53%). It is concluded that those who choose to include the occupant in the design, choose to intervene in the culture, while those who choose not to include them, choose technology.

Hospitales sustentables: partidas críticas para su construcción y el rol de la inspección técnica

Currently, the public health infrastructure in Chile, at its different scales, has made important advances in determining sustainability design criteria. However, it is possible to see that, during its construction, there are no standardized verification processes on sustainability aspects, and that the work of technical inspection focuses on the administrative compliance of construction contracts, rather than on checking technical aspects. This research proposes a list of critical items and activities to supervise hospital construction, to guarantee sustainable criteria in their operation. A survey was also made to professionals involved in the design, construction, and supervision of hospital construction, ranking the results with a multi-criteria methodology (AHP), which showed a preference in the thermal envelope (20%) and thermal and ventilation installations (17%). Finally, based on the weaknesses stated by the professionals, a control and monitoring process of these items and activities is proposed, redesigning the work of the Worksite’ Technical Inspector.

Tendencias de investigación en arquitectura entre 2016-2020 en la base de datos SCOPUS y su relación con la creación de grupos de investigación

The interest in making research more dynamic within universities has evidenced the need for the creation of research groups. In this sense, the purpose of this article is to establish a relationship between the data obtained from bibliometrics and the profile and interest of Architecture Faculty researchers, to identify research niches that guide their work. This research was carried out through a systematic review and use of scientific production bibliometric tools in the last five years within the architecture domain in the SCOPUS database. The research made used five steps that guided the process: search; evaluation; synthesis; analysis; and monitoring. Through the search process, 1,465 scientific documents were obtained, analyzed with the Bibliometrix web application using indicators that allowed obtaining the results, to connect them to both teaching interests and profiles. The analysis identified that sustainability, design, and energy efficiency are topics of interest and constitute trending topics to promote the work and the constitution of research groups.

Fachadas vidriadas: cálculo de transmitancia térmica

Glazing is one of the dominant features of modern and contemporary architecture. This envelope design may have a great impact on operational energy demand of buildings. In this work, glazed façade systems available in Argentina are analyzed, with the purpose of determining the associated thermal transmittance ranges, in terms of the profiles’ design, the type of glazing and the size of glass panes. First, by using bidimensional numerical calculation, the impact of several profile design parameters on thermal transmittance is studied, highlighting the relevance of glazing fixing methods, to then calculate the thermal transmittance of the entire facade. The results indicate that the thermal transmittance value of glazed facades, mainly depends on the transmittance of the glass used, and exceeds this by 24% on average.

Indicador de rendimiento laboral del usuario-trabajador de oficina en período de verano de clima templado cálido

The purpose of this work was to develop a methodological tool to evaluate office space work performance during the summer period. The proposed tool is an optimal work performance indicator called IRLO, which combines environmental variables on thermal, air quality, visual and acoustic influence. Integrated measurements were run for its development alongside surveys to users-workers of an office building in the city of San Juan - Argentina. The results reveal the preference ranges of each variable, recognizing that in open plan offices, there is a greater environmental adaptive capacity than in closed plan offices. It is concluded, that the indicator stands out by providing a basis to identify work performance considering environmental variables that should, in the future, be considered in the design phase.

Aplicación de la “Footprint Family” para la evaluación ambiental de edificios públicos en España. Estudio de caso: centro educativo

Within the commitments of the 2030 Agenda, the socio-economic objectives for a sustainable development of society as a whole, stand out, which propose minimizing the impact produced by all the activities of the Public Administration on the environment. Therefore, the creation and retrofitting of its infrastructures, needed for its operation and the services it provides, has a great impact. The goal of this work focuses on a methodological adaptation for the environmental evaluation of the works promoted by public organizations, quantifying and locating the sources of impact with the purpose of taking the measures to minimize them. For this, the footprint family, ecological, carbon, and water, are proposed as indicators, characterized by the simplicity of their message and the ease of their implementation in the construction sector, by controlling project costs. A case study is presented, the construction of an early childhood education center in the city of Madrid, for which the data needed for the calculation are presented and analyzed. The results reflect interesting information in terms of footprints, on the elements that must be controlled and improved in the project design, such as concrete and steel.