Towards nZEB: modular pre-assembled steel systems for residential buildings

摘要

The recent EU Directives 2010/31 and 2012/27 provide for the standard of nearly zero energy buildings for new constructions, aiming at a better quality for the built environment through the adoption of high performance solutions. This challenge creates new opportunities for pre-assembled construction systems, offering high levels of performance, while reducing construction time and environmental impacts related to the whole building process and to the operations on-site. A research program, carried out by the University of Bologna, Department of Architecture, adopts a holistic approach for integrated design process, focusing on: 1. the optimization of modular preassembled building envelope behaviour during the summer in Mediterranean areas, using a simulation model; 2. the definition of a comparative assessment of the building envelope performance in relation to the different technical configurations, in terms of Uvalue, thermal phase displacement, thermal mass, CO_2 emissions, etc. This paper outlines the first results of this research, focusing on the comparison of different multilayer envelope configurations, through a method based on the assessment of its energy performance. To optimize the envelope components response to the different thermal conditions a comparative analysis was performed by relating the energy performance to the occupants' thermal comfort. This method of assessment can be adapted to offer a customizable configuration of the modular building system.