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Climate change and the need to reduce energy consumption in buildings are key topics in the political, scientific, economic and cultural debate. Since the academic year, 2010-2011, we wanted to make a debate and also our contribution with the first edition of the Master in Materials and Innovative Techniques for Sustainable Construction (MeTIES) University of Palermo together with the University Consortium for the University of Western Sicily and the Mediterranean Basin (UNISOM). The main objective of this Master is to form a professional generation who knows how to master new technologies and to rethink the way to "build". All the students of the master, in different editions, have had the opportunity to improve skills acquired during the course in workplace. The aim was to contribute to the debate on possible ways to pursue sustainable development through the training of "operators" who have the ability to identify, develop and propose possible and concrete solutions for the energy efficiency of buildings. The book contains some solutions to the needs of a sector that will be increasingly at the center of the economic and political choices of the coming decades.

Environmentally-friendly architecture & design --- Energy efficiency --- sustainable design, energy retrofit, innovative materials, integrated air conditioning systems, circular economy, natural strategies

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water science and technology --- environmental engineering --- control and systems engineering --- desalination --- retrofit of water treatment process --- renewable energy sustainability and the environment --- Water --- Water treatment plants --- Sewage --- Sewage disposal plants --- Eau --- Eaux usées --- Purification --- Épuration --- Stations de traitement

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Devastating seismic events occurring all over the world keep raising the awareness of the scientific, technical and political communities to the need of identifying assets at risk and developing more effective and cost-efficient seismic risk mitigation strategies. Significant advances in earthquake engineering research have been achieved with the rise of new technologies and techniques with potential use in risk assessment, management and mitigation. Nevertheless, there is still much to be done, particularly with regard to existing buildings, most of them built without anti-seismic provisions. The wide variety of construction and structural systems, associated with the complex behaviour of their materials, greatly limit the application of current codes and building standards to the existing building stock. To tackle this issue, there is a fundamental need for developing multidisciplinary research that can lead to the development of more sophisticated and reliable methods of analysis, as well as to improved seismic retrofitting techniques compliant with buildings conservation principles. This book intends to contribute to the aforementioned goal by stimulating the exchange of ideas and knowledge on the assessment and reduction of the seismic vulnerability of existing buildings. 10 high quality contributions authored by international experts from Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Nepal, Czech Republic and Spain are included herein. All contributions pursue the protection of existing buildings by considering the most updated methods and advanced solutions emerging from different fields of expertise.

brittle failure --- earthquakes scenarios --- n/a --- FRP --- joints --- neural networks --- pushover --- seismic performance --- infilled frames --- carpentry halved joint --- inter-storey drift --- safety assessment --- seismic risk --- high-rise RC --- discrete elements --- seismic vulnerability assessment --- limit analysis --- seismic capacity --- Geo-hazard site effects --- automatic protocols --- numerical modelling --- seismic retrofit --- retrofit --- numerical modeling --- Imzouren --- finite element modelling --- Expected damage scenario --- masonry structures --- large-scale vulnerability analysis --- seismic restoration --- vulnerability assessment --- earthquakes --- unreinforced masonry structure --- frame-infill interaction --- CARTIS form --- seismic analysis --- nonlinear static analysis --- Seismic attenuation law --- seismic behavior --- seismic retrofitting --- damage assessment --- capacity curves --- energy dissipation --- mobile-device applications --- in situ structural diagnosis --- vulnerability index --- Vulnerability assessment --- GIS mapping --- Gorkha earthquake

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This book provides detailed information on how to set up Deep Energy Retrofits (DERs) in public buildings, and shares in-depth insights into the current status of the major technologies, strategies and best practice examples of how to cost-effectively combine them. Case studies from the U.S.A. and Europe show that that Deep Energy Retrofit can be achieved with a limited core technologies bundle readily available on the market. Characteristics of some of these core technology measures depend on the technologies available on an individual nation’s market, on the minimum requirements of national standards, and on economics (as determined by a life cycle cost analysis). Also, requirements to building envelope-related technologies (e.g., insulation levels, windows, vapor and water barriers, and requirements for building airtightness) depend on specific climate conditions. This Guide provides best practice examples of how to apply these technologies in different construction situations. High levels of energy use reduction using core technology bundles along with improvements in indoor climate and thermal comfort can be only achieved when a Deep Energy Retrofit adopts a quality assurance process. In addition to design, construction, commissioning, and post-occupancy phases of the quality assurance process, the Guide emphasizes the importance of clearly and concisely formulating and documenting the Owner’s goals, expectations, and requirements for the renovated building during development of the statement of work. Another important component of the quality assurance process is a procurement phase, during which bidders’ qualifications, their understanding of the scope of work and its requirements, and their previous experience are analyzed. The building sector holds the potential for tremendous improvements in terms of energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, and energy retrofits to the existing building stock represent a significant opportunity in the transition to a low-carbon future. Moreover, investing in highly efficient building materials and systems can replace long-term energy imports, contribute to cost cutting, and create a wealth of new jobs. Yet, while the technologies needed in order to improve energy efficiency are readily available, significant progress has not yet been made, and “best practices” for implementing building technologies and renewable energy sources are still relegated to small “niche” applications. Offering essential information on Deep Energy Retrofits, the book offers a valuable asset for architects, public authorities, project developers, and engineers alike.

Materials science. --- Force and energy. --- Sustainable architecture. --- Sustainable development. --- Energy efficiency. --- Renewable energy resources. --- Energy Materials. --- Sustainable Architecture/Green Buildings. --- Sustainable Development. --- Energy Efficiency. --- Renewable and Green Energy. --- Consumption of energy --- Energy efficiency --- Fuel consumption --- Fuel efficiency --- Power resources --- Energy conservation --- Development, Sustainable --- Ecologically sustainable development --- Economic development, Sustainable --- Economic sustainability --- ESD (Ecologically sustainable development) --- Smart growth --- Sustainable development --- Sustainable economic development --- Economic development --- Eco-architecture --- Environmentally conscious architecture --- Environmentally friendly architecture --- Green architecture --- Green building design --- Green design (Buildings) --- Sustainable design (Buildings) --- Architecture --- Sustainable design --- Conservation of energy --- Correlation of forces --- Energy --- Physics --- Dynamics --- Material science --- Physical sciences --- Environmental aspects --- Buildings --- Retrofitting. --- Energy conservation. --- Retrofit of buildings --- Retrofitting of buildings

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Conventional thermal power generating plants reject a large amount of energy every year. If this rejected heat were to be used through district heating networks, given prior energy valorisation, there would be a noticeable decrease in the amount of fossil fuels imported for heating. As a consequence, benefits would be experienced in the form of an increase in energy efficiency, an improvement in energy security, and a minimisation of emitted greenhouse gases. Given that heat demand is not expected to decrease significantly in the medium term, district heating networks show the greatest potential for the development of cogeneration. Due to their cost competitiveness, flexibility in terms of the ability to use renewable energy resources (such as geothermal or solar thermal) and fossil fuels (more specifically the residual heat from combustion), and the fact that, in some cases, losses to a country/region’s energy balance can be easily integrated into district heating networks (which would not be the case in a “fully electric” future), district heating (and cooling) networks and cogeneration could become a key element for a future with greater energy security, while being more sustainable, if appropriate measures were implemented. This book therefore seeks to propose an energy strategy for a number of cities/regions/countries by proposing appropriate measures supported by detailed case studies.

district heating --- 4th generation district heating --- data mining algorithms --- energy system modeling --- neural networks --- baseline model --- hydronic pavement system --- biomass district heating for rural locations --- CO2 emissions abatement --- low temperature networks --- ultralow-temperature district heating --- domestic --- optimization --- energy efficiency --- sustainable energy --- big data frameworks --- verification --- energy prediction --- parameter analysis --- greenhouse gas emissions --- time delay --- heat pumps --- primary energy use --- retrofit --- energy consumption forecast --- district heating (DH) network --- low-temperature district heating --- thermal inertia --- variable-temperature district heating --- data streams analysis --- Computational Fluid Dynamics --- energy management in renovated building --- Scotland --- heat reuse --- thermally activated cooling --- district cooling --- space cooling --- Gulf Cooperation Council --- biomass --- TRNSYS --- hot climate --- optimal control --- air-conditioning --- machine learning --- low temperature district heating system --- data center --- twin-pipe --- residential --- prediction algorithm --- CFD model --- nZEB --- thermal-hydraulic performance