Search

This is the presentation given at the5th IBPSA Italy Conference "Building Simulation Applications" (BSA 2022), regarding the hygrothermal behaviour of the e-CLT retrofit solution developed in the Horizon 2020 Project "e-SAFE". The presentation shows that in Milan (Northern Italy), a moderate mould growth risk occurs in the wood fibre, while norisk occurs in the CLT.The liquid water (LWC) kept inside the wooden materials increases the U value by around 10% if compared with dry materials. The presentation also discusses some issues regarding the reliability of the weather data and the hogrothermal properties of CLT.

This paper advances the current knowledge on the use of prefabricated timber-based panels in building renovation by analyzing in detail the thermal performance achieved by two different renovation solutions developed in the framework of the ongoing e-SAFE H2020 project. In particular, these solutions apply to the external walls of a pilot building located in Catania (Italy) as a double-skin façade that increases also the seismic performance of the building. The dynamic energy simulations reveal that the proposed solutions allow reducing the energy need for space heating and space cooling by 66% and 25%, respectively. One further finding is that, although the proposed timber-based renovation solutions are not affected by mould growth and surface condensation risk, the impact of thermal bridges cannot be neglected after renovation. Indeed, despite the strong reduction in the magnitude of heat losses due to thermal bridges (from 667 W⋅K-1 down to 213.1 W⋅K-1), they still account for about 21% of total heat losses after the renovation. This suggests that more complex and expensive technological solutions should be introduced to further reduce heat losses in some thermal bridges, but a cost-benefit analysis should justify their adoption. Finally, overlooking these thermal bridges in dynamic energy simulations can lead to an average underestimation of the heating and cooling energy demand after the renovation, by about 16% and 5% respectively. In this regard, the paper proposes a simplified yet reliable approach to include heat transfer through thermal bridges in the post-processing stage of dynamic energy simulations under thermostatic control.

The report describes the existing state of the real pilot building, located in Catania, which will be renovated during the demonstration activities of the e-SAFE project. The document is the result of a survey activity that has concerned different aspects, including architectural issues, geometric issues, construction and energy issues, and structural issues. The results presented in this report are preliminary to the design of the renovation solutions that will be applied to the pilot building during the demonstration activity,and allowed understanding the main criticalities that must be considered during the design and the implementation stages

In the framework of the ongoing EU-funded innovation project called e-SAFE (energy and Seismic Affordable rEnovation solutions), several solutions for the energy and seismic deep renovation of reinforced-concrete (RC) framed buildings in the EU countries are going to be developed and demonstrated. One of these solutions makes use of cross laminated timber (CLT) panels connected to the existing RC frame through specifically designed dampers to increase the seismic and energy performances of the existing envelope. This paper aims to preliminary assess the hygrothermal performance of such CLT panels when applied to various typical wall structures under different climate conditions in Italy through numerical simulations carried out according to the EN 13788 Standard and considering various indoor vapor production classes. Results show that the most problematic existing wall structures are uninsulated concrete walls, for which a risk of surface condensation and mold growth is predicted in all climate zones because of their low thermal resistance (U-value of 3.55 W·m-2·K-1), followed by uninsulated solid brick walls (U-value of 1.81 W·m-2·K-1). The application of CLT panels is found to not only significantly improve the thermal behaviour of the walls, but also to eliminate any surface and interstitial condensation issues in all climate zones.

This paper investigates the transient hygrothermal performance of an innovative energy and seismic renovation solution for reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings, based on the addition of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels to the outer walls, in combination with wood-based insulation. This solution is being developed in the framework of a four-year EU-funded project called e-SAFE. The investigation relies on numerical simulations in DELPHIN 6.1, by considering combined heat and mass transfer (HAMT) due to water vapour diffusion and capillary transport. The proposed solution is tested in three different climates in Italy, to verify whether the CLT layer and the outer waterproof vapour-open membrane, inserted to protect the wood-based insulation from rain, still allow the effective drying of the vapour accumulated in liquid form in the walls, while also preventing mould formation. The results show that the increased thermal resistance of the wall assembly significantly reduces the total water content, although moderate risks of mould growth in the wooden materials may occur in coldest climates., this is the pre-print version of the conference paper

In the framework of the ongoing four-year EU-funded innovation project called e-SAFE (“Energy and seismic affordable renovation solutions”), several solutions for the energy and seismic deep renovation of reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings in the European countries are going to be developed and demonstrated. These solutions address both the energy performance of the building envelope and the heating and cooling of the indoor spaces, and aim to be prefabricated, customizable, low-disruptive and sustainable in order to boost the decarbonisation of the largely inefficient European building stock. This paper presents the main features of the e-SAFE solutions and the results of a preliminary analysis to verify their effectiveness and compliance with European legislation and standards. The outcomes will be useful for the design and demonstration stage, by identifying issues that need to be tackled.

This paper aims at showing the concept, the scope and the main challenges of the four-year innovation project e-SAFE, started in October 2020 and funded by the EU in the framework of the H2020 Programme. e-SAFE aims to develop a new deep renovation system for non-historical reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings, which combines energy efficiency and anti-seismic retrofitting actions with a series of further advantages including affordability, improved architectural image and reduced implementation time, costs and occupants’ disruption. e-SAFE will also address strategies to activate new value chains to boost the deep renovation market throughout Europe, including financial and social aspects. The paper will also present some preliminary results about the expected energy and carbon reduction ensured by the e-SAFE solutions.

Ths Deliverable reports the text and the specifications providedin the call for expression of interest that aims to collect applications for two virtual pilots in the context of the H2020 project e-SAFE. The project aims to develop a market-ready solution for integrated seismic and energy renovation of non-historic buildings (i.e. built around 1950-1990) with reinforced concrete (RC) frame.In the context of the project, the system will be tested on a real pilot in Catania (Southern Italy) and two virtual pilots in Europe. The choice of linking virtual pilots with a call for expression of interest is motivated by the need to match the design opportunities offered by e-SAFE with highly motivated early adopters, enhancing their capabilities and interests to act on deep renovation. The building owners of the virtual pilots will benefit from receiving a 3D survey of the building, 3D physical and digital models, a survey of the energy consumptions and the potential energy savings and a detailed design of the energy-efficient and anti-seismic renovation solution, which will be defined through a co-design process that will actively involve owners and occupants. The demonstration activity at the virtual pilots will end with the production of a detailed e-SAFE-based design, including the suggestion of possible viable financial schemes, according to the needs of the requesting entity. The demonstration activity does not include the actual implementation of the renovation works. Owners or managers of multi-storey, non-historic buildings located in earthquake-prone areas in Europe are eligible. However, priority will be given to EU countries other than Italy, where the real pilot is being renovated. The public or private entities which administer social/public housing or public buildings (e.g. schools) are highly encouraged to apply, as well as private actors such as building owners and real estate brokers. The detailed eligibility conditions and application method are detailed in the call. The current call is available in six languages: English, Turkish, Romanian, Greek, Italian and Bulgarian, these being the target countries of the call due to their relevant seismicity and different climatic conditions. The complete calls are available on the e-SAFE website. Additionally, other promotional material (flyers) was elaborated, with statistics adjusted to the target country (see Appendix 1).