Facade engineering is a rapidly growing and challenging field. The facade is a dynamic element of... more Facade engineering is a rapidly growing and challenging field. The facade is a dynamic element of a building, and impacts on the environmental conditions in the inner zones, and on the occupants’ comfort. The basic hypothesis is that the thermal environment in the facade perimeter zones is highly transient and vulnerable. The aim is to define the extent to which the facade perimeter zones are comfortable enough to be used as the occupants’ main office workspace. The analysis is based on the spatial and temporal variations in the indoor environmental conditions of buildings with different facade types (fully glazed, ribbed window type, masonry with controlled glazing ratio) and systems (fully airconditioned, mixed mode, naturally ventilated). The study reports the results of extended monitoring of the indoor environment in the facade perimeter of three office buildings in central London. These findings combined with the study on occupants’ comfort, give insight into the actual perfor...
Microclimatic conditions are a critical parameter for the use of outdoor spaces in the urban envi... more Microclimatic conditions are a critical parameter for the use of outdoor spaces in the urban environment. Responses to the microclimate may be unconscious, but they often result in a different use of open space in different climatic conditions. In this study thermal comfort conditions ...
Nikolopoulou, M., Lykoudis, S. and Kikira, M., 2004. Thermal Comfort Models for Open Urban Spaces... more Nikolopoulou, M., Lykoudis, S. and Kikira, M., 2004. Thermal Comfort Models for Open Urban Spaces. In: Nikolopoulou, M., ed. Designing Open Spaces in the Urban Environment: a Bioclimatic Approach. Athens: Centre for Renewable Energy Sources, EESD, FP5, pp. 2-6.
The potential of energy saving measures in historic buildings is of great interest, due to the in... more The potential of energy saving measures in historic buildings is of great interest, due to the increased building stock in European level, the particularities in their architectural form, typology and age of construction, the energy efficient initial design and their specific use and operation. Museums, theatres, churches, as well as offices, universities and hotels, are accommodated in historic buildings. Even if historic buildings are excluded from the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2002/91/EC, the need for revitalising and reducing energy consumption in such constructions is rather a challenge towards sustainability and CO2 emissions cut. The aim of this paper is to examine the potential of energy efficiency in historic buildings and communities, presenting the particularities, barriers and challenges in this context. Recent results from an ongoing European programme titled ‘SECHURBA’ are assessed, highlighting the work of seven countries, in relation to sustainability prospects of historic buildings and communities. A study of an example of historic excellence such as the National Theatre of Rhodes in Greece and the Castle of Zena near Piacenza in Italy is presented. The energy audit and energy efficiency study reveal the quality of the design and construction of such buildings and underline the prospective of envelope and cooling system improvement, while revitalising their use and restoring their architectural characteristics.
Facade engineering is a rapidly growing and challenging field. The facade is a dynamic element of... more Facade engineering is a rapidly growing and challenging field. The facade is a dynamic element of a building, and impacts on the environmental conditions in the inner zones, and on the occupants’ comfort. The basic hypothesis is that the thermal environment in the facade perimeter zones is highly transient and vulnerable. The aim is to define the extent to which the facade perimeter zones are comfortable enough to be used as the occupants’ main office workspace. The analysis is based on the spatial and temporal variations in the indoor environmental conditions of buildings with different facade types (fully glazed, ribbed window type, masonry with controlled glazing ratio) and systems (fully airconditioned, mixed mode, naturally ventilated). The study reports the results of extended monitoring of the indoor environment in the facade perimeter of three office buildings in central London. These findings combined with the study on occupants’ comfort, give insight into the actual perfor...
Microclimatic conditions are a critical parameter for the use of outdoor spaces in the urban envi... more Microclimatic conditions are a critical parameter for the use of outdoor spaces in the urban environment. Responses to the microclimate may be unconscious, but they often result in a different use of open space in different climatic conditions. In this study thermal comfort conditions ...
Nikolopoulou, M., Lykoudis, S. and Kikira, M., 2004. Thermal Comfort Models for Open Urban Spaces... more Nikolopoulou, M., Lykoudis, S. and Kikira, M., 2004. Thermal Comfort Models for Open Urban Spaces. In: Nikolopoulou, M., ed. Designing Open Spaces in the Urban Environment: a Bioclimatic Approach. Athens: Centre for Renewable Energy Sources, EESD, FP5, pp. 2-6.
The potential of energy saving measures in historic buildings is of great interest, due to the in... more The potential of energy saving measures in historic buildings is of great interest, due to the increased building stock in European level, the particularities in their architectural form, typology and age of construction, the energy efficient initial design and their specific use and operation. Museums, theatres, churches, as well as offices, universities and hotels, are accommodated in historic buildings. Even if historic buildings are excluded from the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2002/91/EC, the need for revitalising and reducing energy consumption in such constructions is rather a challenge towards sustainability and CO2 emissions cut. The aim of this paper is to examine the potential of energy efficiency in historic buildings and communities, presenting the particularities, barriers and challenges in this context. Recent results from an ongoing European programme titled ‘SECHURBA’ are assessed, highlighting the work of seven countries, in relation to sustainability prospects of historic buildings and communities. A study of an example of historic excellence such as the National Theatre of Rhodes in Greece and the Castle of Zena near Piacenza in Italy is presented. The energy audit and energy efficiency study reveal the quality of the design and construction of such buildings and underline the prospective of envelope and cooling system improvement, while revitalising their use and restoring their architectural characteristics.
Uploads
Papers by Maria Kikira