Special Topics in Environmental Architectural Design of Buildings and in Building Physics

Specialization / Direction

KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION The course aims at: • the comprehension of the relationship between architectural design and buildings’ environmental performance, • the comprehension of the basic principles that govern the function and the implementation of the most widespread methods and tools for buildings’ environmental performance assessment, as well as of the inclusion into this assessment of parameters that concern indoor environmental quality-related issues, • the comprehension of basic parameters and quantities related to the acoustic comfort in buildings’ indoor spaces and to the sound insulation/sound protection levels provided by the building elements against sounds of different origin and nature, at the familiarization with the related national regulatory framework (basic elements of the sound insulation/protection regulation) and at the acquisition of knowledge in relation to basic constructional approaches for the enhancement of building components’ protective ability against sound. • the comprehension of basic parameters and quantities related to the thermal comfort in in buildings’ indoor spaces and to its assessment. • the comprehension of basic parameters and quantities related to indoor air quality in buildings’ spaces and to its assessment and of measures targeting at its improvement and/or avoidance of its aggravation in the future, • the comprehension of basic parameters and quantities related to visual comfort in in buildings’ indoor spaces, as well as of approaches in the context of buildings’ design that aim at the provision of a satisfactory level of visual comfort. • the comprehension of the computational background for the assessment of the risk for the formation of interstitial vapor condensation due to vapor diffusion through building elements. • the familiarization with the consideration of the dimension of time and of the deterioration it induces within the context of building materials and components environmental footprint- and buildings’ environmental performance assessments. • the comprehension of strategies to deal with special issues of building components’ thermal insulation. ABILITIES ACQUISITION After the successful completion of the course, the student is expected to be able: • to identify the main factors affecting a building’s environmental performance in order to take them into consideration in the context of building units design and construction, • to detect and determine, at various stages of buildings’ design, construction and use, factors that could compromise the indoor environmental quality (indoor air quality, visual, acoustic and thermal comfort), to interpret the related quantities and parameters and to identify the possibilities for the enhancement of the building’s performance in relation to the respective axes, • to interpret parameters and quantities relating to the level of protection against sounds provided by the building elements and to undertake the appropriate measures for the enhancement of their performance relatively to this issue, • to approach/assess computationally the potential of interstitial vapor condensation in the mass of building elements due to vapor diffusion through them, • to handle special issues of building component’s thermal insulation.

• Methods and tools for buildings’ environmental performance assessment: deepening of knowledge and analysis for the assessment’s content and structure, implementation and limitations, integration into the assessment’s context of parameters relating to indoor environmental quality axes and to architectural design, etc. Examples of application of methods and tools for buildings’ environmental performance assessment. • Architectural design and environment. Dimensions/axes of buildings’ environmental performance that relate to the building’s site. • Acoustic comfort and building’s sound insulation / protection against sounds (sound, related parameters and computational principles, sound insulation against airborne and impact sound, regulatory frameworks, constructional approaches, etc.). • Indoor air quality (indoor air pollutants: sources, impacts, control through appropriate measures and choices (e.g., materials selection, construction issues), etc.). • Visual comfort (parameters that determine visual comfort levels in a space, issues related to daylight and artificial lighting, assessment criteria for the respective elements of buildings’ architectural design, etc.).Solar exposure and shading of buildings. • Thermal comfort (parameters of influence, computational approaches, etc.). • Influence of building components and materials service life duration and performance variation in time on buildings environmental performance. Service life duration of buildings and building components (deterioration factors, etc.). • Protection against moisture: Vapor diffusion through building elements and interstitial condensation. Deepening of knowledge and computational approach. Exercises. • Special topics of thermal insulation.

buildings' environmental performance assessment, indoor environmental quality, sound insulation, protection against moisture

27-06-2025