peter gallinelli

<p>Microplastics pose a threat to all the environmental compartments and specifically to aquatic ecosystems. Lakes are particularly exposed to it as they act as accumulator of pollution from their watersheds. Unfortunately, the fate of microplastics in lake ecosystems remains poorly understood because of the multiplicity of sources and transfer pathways. For the first time, the Plastilac project focuses on the contamination of high altitude lakes (from 1300 m to 2800 m above the sea level) by microplastics. Remote lakes constitute easier-to-investigate ecosystems because there are fewer potential sources of microplastics in their watershed, namely the atmospheric deposit, the supply from the watershed through the tributaries and the tourist attendance. Thus, both water column and sediment from 10 lakes located across the French Alps were sampled. The results showed that no lake was free from microplastics, proving the ubiquity of this pollution at a regional scale. The abundance of microplastics varied significantly from one lake to another and the concentrations measured in high altitude lakes (around 10 MP.m<sup>-3</sup>) were approximately 100 times lower than those reported in the literature for lowland lakes. The water column contamination was not correlated to the vicinity of potential sources (urban areas). On the contrary, higher sediment contaminations were observed in lakes located nearby urban areas. Our analyses also showed that the residence times of microplastics in the water column of these lakes were relatively short, of the order of a few days. In contrast, the residence times of microplastics in the sediments were much longer and lake bottoms retain traces of past contamination. This work constitutes a first for understanding the fate of microplastics in mountainous environments. It provides important information on their dynamics and, in particular, on the temporal dimension of this pollution.</p>

La mode architecturale contemporaine se caracterise par une grande utilisation du verre dans la construction : soit en tant qu’enveloppe entierement transparente (simple peau, double peau), soit dans des ouvertures transparentes d’importantes dimensions (baies vitrees, verrieres). Par contre du point de vue thermique le verre reste un element faible : en hiver les pertes par transmission sont toujours plus importantes que celles des parties opaques et, en ete, les apports energetiques occasionnent de la surchauffe. g-box consiste dans le developpement d’un equipement de mesure permettant de mesurer in-situ les performances energetiques des elements de construction transparents ou translucides. Dans le contexte du financement consenti par l’OFEN, deux installations comportant chacune deux enceintes calorimetriques ont ete fabriquees dans les ateliers de hepia. Elles permettent la mesure simultanee de deux vitrages et d’evaluer l’effet d’une protection solaire ou d’une autre intervention par comparaison. Une installation a ete livree et installee a la SUPSI alors que l’autre a ete exploitee a Geneve pendant deux saisons. Une procedure de calibration des senseurs de temperature a ete elaboree pour affiner la mesure de la puissance thermique avant une campagne de mesure. D’autre part les mesures enregistrees la nuit permettent de calibrer le coefficient des pertes thermiques du vitrage en etablissant le bilan energetique nocturne d’un box. Des mesures sur cinq systemes d’enveloppe et avec differents systemes de protection solaire ont ete effectuees. Ces mesures ont permis d’acquerir une comprehension approfondie des phenomenes physiques et particulierement thermiques en jeu. Deux difficultes majeures ont ete mises en evidence par l’analyse des mesures et des incertitudes. La premiere concerne la precision des mesures de temperature. Une piste serieuse concerne la temperature de reference du datalogger, qui doit etre la plus uniforme possible dans les contacts des thermocouples. Elle peut sans aucun doute etre amelioree avec une intervention relativement simple. L’autre difficulte concerne les effets de bord engendres par le box en contact avec le vitrage. Si le bilan energetique de nuit permet de calibrer les pertes du box vers l’exterieur, il manque encore la prise en compte de gains solaires secondaires en provenance de la tranche du box en contact avec le vitrage. Des experience specifiques restent a faire pour identifier, quantifier et corriger ces effets indesirables. L’analyse des mesures a donc conduit a evaluer un coefficient g plus eleve que ce qu’il devrait etre. Toutefois la surevaluation est tres variable et depend des conditions et du type de vitrage. Les plus grandes differences ont ete observees avec les modules BIPV. Mais il faut relever des conditions de mesure particulierement difficiles, qui ont presente des variations de temperature d’ambiance fortes et rapides, engendrant des phenomenes transitoires pour le g-box. En revanche les meilleures mesures ont ete obtenues dans la salle de cours A204 a Trevano, qui a presente des temperatures d’ambiance relativement stables. Les mesures du coefficient g des vitrages de la salle A204, sans protection solaire, livrent une valeur moyenne journaliere de 0.38 +/- 0.03 avec le box 1. Cette valeur est compatible avec celle du fabriquant qui donne une valeur ponctuelle de 0.38. Les mesures permettent de mesurer l’evolution du coefficient g au cours d’une journee, de meme que le coefficient g global d’un vitrage avec une protection solaire exterieure. Les effets dynamiques d’ombrage, comme un pilier lateral a la fenetre, ou la position des lamelles d’un store, sont mis en evidence par le g-box. Les mesures du coefficient g necessitent une belle journee. Une dispersion des resultats est observee d’un beau jour a un autre, et donc il est necessaire de pouvoir prolonger les mesures sur une serie de beaux jours de facon a limiter les incertitudes aleatoires, generalement causees par les diverses conditions climatiques et d’ambiance. Les dispersions observees et les incertitudes calculees ont produit une marge d’erreur qui, evaluee a deux ecart types pour avoir un intervalle de confiance de 95%, est typiquement de 0.03 - 0.06 en valeur absolue sur le coefficient g. La surevaluation du coefficient g, cause par un phenomene non pris en compte dans le modele thermique d’un box, peut creer une erreur systematique superieure a l’incertitude indiquee ci-dessus. C’est la raison pour laquelle des etudes specifiques sont encore necessaires pour ameliorer la methode et l’analyse des mesures. Le dispositif g-box developpe dans ce projet fait preuve de tres bonnes caracteristiques et presente un bon potentiel d’amelioration. Les mesures continues permettent en outre d’etablir le bilan des gains solaires journaliers d’un vitrage et de sa protection solaire, ce qui ouvre des perspectives nouvelles pour prendre en compte l’influence de l’utilisateur ou de la regulation des…

Méthodes et outils pour la rénovation énergétique de l'enveloppe des immeubles d'habitation : L'assainissement énergétique des immeubles d'habitation est un enjeu majeur de la stratégie énergétique 2050 de la Confédération suisse. Malgré la volonté politique, le taux de rénovation énergétique reste relativement limité et le rythme ne semble pas s'accélérer. Parmi les obstacles le coût des travaux, le faible prix de l'énergie, les difficultés techniques, les questions patrimoniales, la disponibilité de spécialistes qualifiés, ou la pénurie de logements. Les interventions ponctuelles sans vision d'ensemble sont la norme. Lorsqu'un projet complet est mené à bien, il se résume souvent à une mise à jour des installations techniques, un remplacement des fenêtres et une isolation périphérique. Ces solutions peut-être valables sur le plan énergétique posent souvent des questions constructives, patrimoniales, de physique du bâtiment ou encore de durabilité. eR...

Méthodes et outils pour la rénovation énergétique de l'enveloppe des immeubles d'habitation : L'assainissement énergétique des immeubles d'habitation est un enjeu majeur de la stratégie énergétique 2050 de la Confédération suisse. Malgré la volonté politique, le taux de rénovation énergétique reste relativement limité et le rythme ne semble pas s'accélérer. Parmi les obstacles le coût des travaux, le faible prix de l'énergie, les difficultés techniques, les questions patrimoniales, la disponibilité de spécialistes qualifiés, ou la pénurie de logements. Les interventions ponctuelles sans vision d'ensemble sont la norme. Lorsqu'un projet complet est mené à bien, il se résume souvent à une mise à jour des installations techniques, un remplacement des fenêtres et une isolation périphérique. Ces solutions peut-être valables sur le plan énergétique posent souvent des questions constructives, patrimoniales, de physique du bâtiment ou encore de durabilité. eR...

In the context of the process of thermal rehabilitation of apartment buildings set up during the 50ies, 60ies and 70ies, a common intervention consists in improvement of the building envelope by addition of perimeter insulation and transformation of open balconies into glazed verandas or conservatories. The most commonly proposed arguments are acoustic insulation and repair of constructional defects associated with the gain of a potential living area. However, in the majority of cases that have been monitored over the past years, this kind of intervention proves problematic in regards to hygrothermic aspects as well as from a practical point of view concerning the use made by the inhabitants of these intermediate spaces. The origin of these failures may be due to the lack of a clear assignment of these spaces. This paper will discuss a recent case study of a big building complex called the 'Libellules' in a suburban region of Geneva.

In Switzerland, even if the average daily temperature rarely exceeds 25 °C during the three summer months, more and more cooling plants are being installed in administrative buildings. The CUEPE participated as experts in some realisations that showed (simulations and monitoring) that it is possible in most of the cases to stay within the comfort limit and to avoid air conditioning by using efficient solar protection, efficient envelopes and natural cooling systems

<p>Microplastics pose a threat to all the environmental compartments and specifically to aquatic ecosystems. Lakes are particularly exposed to it as they act as accumulator of pollution from their watersheds. Unfortunately, the fate of microplastics in lake ecosystems remains poorly understood because of the multiplicity of sources and transfer pathways. For the first time, the Plastilac project focuses on the contamination of high altitude lakes (from 1300 m to 2800 m above the sea level) by microplastics. Remote lakes constitute easier-to-investigate ecosystems because there are fewer potential sources of microplastics in their watershed, namely the atmospheric deposit, the supply from the watershed through the tributaries and the tourist attendance. Thus, both water column and sediment from 10 lakes located across the French Alps were sampled. The results showed that no lake was free from microplastics, proving the ubiquity of this pollution at a regional scale. The abundance of microplastics varied significantly from one lake to another and the concentrations measured in high altitude lakes (around 10 MP.m<sup>-3</sup>) were approximately 100 times lower than those reported in the literature for lowland lakes. The water column contamination was not correlated to the vicinity of potential sources (urban areas). On the contrary, higher sediment contaminations were observed in lakes located nearby urban areas. Our analyses also showed that the residence times of microplastics in the water column of these lakes were relatively short, of the order of a few days. In contrast, the residence times of microplastics in the sediments were much longer and lake bottoms retain traces of past contamination. This work constitutes a first for understanding the fate of microplastics in mountainous environments. It provides important information on their dynamics and, in particular, on the temporal dimension of this pollution.</p>

La mode architecturale contemporaine se caracterise par une grande utilisation du verre dans la construction : soit en tant qu’enveloppe entierement transparente (simple peau, double peau), soit dans des ouvertures transparentes d’importantes dimensions (baies vitrees, verrieres). Par contre du point de vue thermique le verre reste un element faible : en hiver les pertes par transmission sont toujours plus importantes que celles des parties opaques et, en ete, les apports energetiques occasionnent de la surchauffe. g-box consiste dans le developpement d’un equipement de mesure permettant de mesurer in-situ les performances energetiques des elements de construction transparents ou translucides. Dans le contexte du financement consenti par l’OFEN, deux installations comportant chacune deux enceintes calorimetriques ont ete fabriquees dans les ateliers de hepia. Elles permettent la mesure simultanee de deux vitrages et d’evaluer l’effet d’une protection solaire ou d’une autre intervent...

Sous l'impulsion de la commune de Plan-les-Ouates, maitre de l'ouvrage, la "Cite Solaire" a ete concue comme un projet qui respecte l'environnement et limite la consommation d'energie non renouvelable. Cet objectif n'a pu etre atteint qu'en exploitant au mieux les energies renouvelables: . 1400m2 de toiture solaire. . Puits canadien. . Recuperation de chaleur sur l'air vicie. . Optimisation des apports d'energie gratuits. Des la conception du bâtiment, il s'est avere indispensable de reunir un groupe pluridisciplinaire a meme de maitriser tous les domaines. Cette tâche fut devolue a une equipe interactive, formee du maitre de l'ouvrage, de l'architecte, de l'ingenieur civil, des ingenieurs C.V.S.E. et des experts de l'EPFL, de specialistes en eco-biologie, geotechnique et acoustique.

Objective of this study is to compare the cooling potential of diverse passive cooling techniques linked to ventilation: controlled thermal phase-shifting (a recently discovered phenomenon), air-soil heat exchangers, evaporative cooling, and direct night cooling. The potential of these techniques is investigated for the case of an administrative building located in a moderate climate, with a specific attention to urban versus rural location, as well as normal versus extreme summer (of type 2003). Simulated building response is analyzed for a variety of constructive and operational configurations (solar protection, thermal mass and insulation, internal gains), in free floating mode as well as with auxiliary cooling backup.

Cities play an increasingly important role with regards to energy transition. Main goal is to reach international and national (Swiss) targets related to energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction. As a contribution to these global challenges, during the last 6 years the State of Geneva has been producing a detailed solar cadaster. In order to facilitate periodical updates of this solar cadaster, the iCeBOUND project was launched. Around 10 public and private stakeholders, all linked within the Geneva Territorial Information System (SITG), collaborated on the project. Its aim was to design and develop a cloud-based Decision Support System (DSS) that leverages 3D digital urban data with high computing performance, hence facilitating environmental analyses in large built areas, like solar energy potential assessment. As result of the project, an official geoportal and a newfangled public web interface were made widely available early 2017, so as to strengthen decision making with regards to solar installation investment.

The small town of Plan-les-Ouates, in the suburb of Geneva, built a 10'000 m2 multifamiliary building, including some commercial and administrative areas. It is situated in the centre of the town, with relatively high density constructions. The owner wanted urban buildings with a very low energy consumption, but with moderate extra cost, becoming good examples of “the state of the art” in this field. The envelope of the building is very well insulated and the solar gains are optimised, reaching a calculated heat demand close to 100MJ7m2 year. Air heat recovery systems (buried pipe + exhaust air heat exchanger) and 1400 m2 of uncovered solar collectors coupled with a 100 m3 storage allow to decrease the gas consumption. This low cost solar roof is the greatest in Switzerland and, maybe, in Europe. An extended two years monitoring has been in progress since spring 1997 in order to evaluate the total energy consumption of the building and to study the different subsystems (envelope...

The main objective of the project is the development of a transportable calorimeter, easily reproducible on the basis of a prototype, which allows for the assessment of the g-value of glazing and window systems, i.e. the fraction of incident solar energy that is transmitted inside. Unlike standard calorimeters for laboratory Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC or gvalue)assessment, the device is temporarily mounted on existing facades to measure their real behavior (single skin, double skin, opaque glass facades), including their possible solar protections. The project includes measurements on representative facades in real operating conditions. Advantages and limitations of the g-box device are characterized. Dynamic effect of shadows, such as the slat position of a venetian blind, can be shown by the g-box. An overestimation of the g-value makes more in-depth studies necessary to improve the measurement and analysis procedure of the device. This latter already presents very good and...

In the context of encouraging the development of renewable energy, this paper deals with the description of a software solution for mapping out solar potential in a large scale and in high resolution. We leverage the performance provided by Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to accelerate shadow casting procedures (used both for direct sunlight exposure and the sky view factor), as well as use off-the-shelf components to compute an average weather pattern for a given area. Application of the approach is presented in the context of the solar cadaster of Greater Geneva (2000 km2). The results show that doing the analysis on a square tile of 3.4 km at a resolution of 0.5 m takes up to two hours, which is better than what we were achieving with the previous work. This shows that GPU-based calculations are highly competitive in the field of solar potential modeling.

The project IDEA – Interactive Database for Energy-efficient Architecture – is a multinational collaborative project to build a European knowledge base on advanced energy conscious building design. At the core of this project are two earlier multimedia developments, the Swiss program DIAS and the German adaptation NESA which present the principles and applications of solar architecture in the respective national

Objective of this study is to compare the cooling potential of diverse passive cooling techniques linked to ventilation: controlled thermal phase-shifting (a recently discovered phenomenon), air-soil heat exchangers, evaporative cooling, and direct night cooling. The potential of these techniques is investigated for the case of an administrative building located in a moderate climate, with a specific attention to urban versus