Mathematical modelling to aid in the transition towards more sustainable buildings

Identifier:  TDX:3060

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX3060

Authors:  Torres Rivas, Alba

Abstract:
The goal of this thesis is to provide tools to assess the early design steps of buildings and support the decision-making process towards more sustainable alternatives. Nowadays society is more concern about energy efficiency and seek for more environmental alternatives. As a result, companies and authorities are seeking for alternatives that are environmentally friendly but also cost-effective. In this thesis we will be focus in the energy efficiency in the building sector, providing alternatives that reduces the energy demand and analyse the regional effect of the alternatives. Bio-based building insulation seems an appealing alternative since it reduces the energy demand of buildings with what seems as low embodied material. We aim to provide an optimization tool to assess the search of optimal solutions in terms of cost and environmental impact without condensation risk. We also assess a systematic generation of bio-based composites to improve the market share for bio-based insulation and a regional assessment has been assessed to identify the potential of building retrofit un large areas. To illustrate the capabilities of those methodologies, a cubicle-like house has been considered as the case study and the building stock of the regional area of Catalonia has been assessed. Despite that, the proposed methodology can be applied with other building models, objective functions and variables.