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Mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings are projected to continue being the predominant typology for urban development. Thus, reducing the carbon footprint of such buildings is critical for achieving a sustainable built environment. Reducing the amount of concrete and steel in a building through structural and mix design optimization is identified as a primary resource efficiency strategy. This paper is among the first to present evidence of the decarbonization potential of these dematerialization strategies on a building level. The study combines structural design choices such as slab system design, steel reinforcement optimization and span width with materials-based strategies, such as low binder concrete and low-carbon binders. For each scenario, material quantities are calculated following design prescriptions by EN1992–1–1 while state-of-the art life cycle inventory data are adopted to calculate the carbon footprint. Results show that shifting towards more efficient structural systems (i.e., waffle slab system) could save up to 20% of the carbon footprint on the building level compared to more traditional systems, such as slab on beams and flat slabs. In addition, reducing the spans from 7.5 to 5 m can save up to 20% more. Finally, the use of low-clinker cement in low-binder concrete can save another 50% in terms of CO2 impact per built-up area. Realistically, results of the case study concluded that implementing these three strategies could reduce the typical 232 kg CO2e/m2 value of the carbon footprint of structural elements of a mid-rise building up to only 58 kg CO2e/m2, i.e., a four-fold reduction., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The thermal comfort models defined in existing standards are usually ineffective in predicting students' mean thermal sensation. Accordingly, overheating and overcooling are frequently reported, which affect students’ well-being and cause unnecessary energy waste. Existing studies have not further explored the model improvement strategies for educational buildings. Hence, this research aims to improve the mean thermal sensation prediction model for students in naturally ventilated schools by incorporating correlated factors, based on a holistic field survey in the Mediterranean climate. The results indicate that the modified extended predicted mean vote of thermal adaptations reinforced around thermal neutrality has the highest accuracy among all validated adaptive predicted mean vote models. However, the performance of the adaptive predicted mean vote models is limited by the deficiencies of the original predicted mean vote model. The overall performance of the improved models was doubled after introducing the identified correlated factors, but the intrinsic error of the predicted mean vote index can slightly affect the models. As a result, the improved model built directly with the identified correlated factors achieved the best performance. Moreover, the potential of the machine learning models is limited by the volume of the mean thermal sensation vote data that can often be obtained, therefore conventional models such as multiple linear regression can be considered an effective and practical tool for developing the mean thermal sensation vote models. The findings of this study benefit the well-being of students and the energy conservation of educational buildings., This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU, reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. This work was supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program (2021 SGR 00341). The author Sen Miao is funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) as a full-time PhD student, reference no. 202208390065., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::5 - Igualtat de Gènere, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

The building sector plays an important role in energy performance and energy poverty. Decarbonization policies aims to reducing the energy consumption of the built environment, especially using HVAC systems better. Some studies have adopted adaptive thermal comfort models to increase energy savings in winter and summer. However, applying models based on international standards could overestimate setpoint temperatures. This study therefore assesses the potential energy savings by using regional models and quantifies variations with the model of ASHRAE 55–2017. A total of 7 countries and 13 regional models were considered adopting two adaptive strategies: natural ventilation and mixed mode. The results showed that the applicability of a model is not determinant to assess the possible energy saving. Likewise, cooling demand was significantly saved by both regional models and the model of ASHRAE 55 in the warmest countries. However, natural ventilation showed a limited applicability in most countries, with this adaptive strategy being the most applied in warmer months., This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the research project PID2021-122437OA-I00 “Posi­tive Energy Buildings Potential for Climate Change Adaptation and Energy Poverty Mitigation (+ENERPOT)”. The authors also acknowledge the support provided by the Thematic Network 722RT0135 “Red Iberoamericana de Pobreza Energética y Bienestar Ambiental (RIPEBA)” financed by the call for Thematic Networks of the CYTED Program for 2021 and the Thematic Network 723RT0151, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) has proven to be a suitable structural material for constructing elevated flat slabs, and several existing office and residential buildings, in which SFRC was used for these components, highlighted the positive outcomes from both technical and sustainability perspectives. However, research on the influence of fiber orientation on the flexural performance of SFRC slabs is relatively scarce despite the fact that a number of studies revealed that the use of constitutive models derived from three-point bending tests on notched beams leads to overestimations of the bearing capacity of statically indeterminate slabs. In this context, this study aims at presenting an extensive experimental program that consisted of testing three SFRC slabs (3.0¿×¿3.0¿×¿0.1¿m3) subjected to point load under a statically indeterminate test configuration. The testing procedure was followed by the extraction of 88 cores in order to analyze both fiber distribution and orientation by means of a non-destructive inductive method. The results indicate that lower orientation numbers were observed in cylinders drilled from the slabs in comparison with those observed in the 150¿×¿150¿×¿600¿mm3 notched reference beams tested to characterize the pre- and post-cracking flexural performance of the SFRC produced. Based on these results, a straightforward design-oriented approach to compute an orientation factor was proposed and considered to develop the constitutive law used to simulate the structural response of SFRC slabs by means of nonlinear finite element model. The numerical simulation results showed a good agreement with the experimental response, this evidencing that the orientation factor may permit to account for the differences caused by geometric and statistical scale-induced factors between both the beams used for the SFRC flexural properties characterization and slabs produced with the same SFRC., This study was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the scope of project CREEF (PID2019-108978RB-C32/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)., Postprint (published version)

BIM4CLIMATE aims to implement a PBL approach in construction engineering courses within the UPC CampusLab. The developed methodology serves as a catalyst for the comprehensive digitization and management practices of all university buildings., Postprint (published version)

En aquest document es presenten el resultats d’una iniciativa duta a terme a l’EPSEB per tal de copsar l’opinió de estudiantat, professorat i personal d’administració respecte el grau d’igualtat entre homes i dones percebut en el seu dia a dia. Per això es va dissenyar un panell, que vam anomenar “igualòmetre” a on, de manera molt simple, els participants podien indicar la seva valoració, en un escala entre 0% (gens d’igualtat) i 100% (molta igualtat), en quatre contextos diferenciats: ambients universitari, laboral, familiar i entre amics. Els resultats obtinguts han mostrat diferencies rellevants depenent de l’ambient avaluat., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::5 - Igualtat de Gènere, Preprint

Heritage buildings require a wide range of procedures and expertise from a multidisciplinary approach and this can lead to use several instruments for the diagnosis. This chapter gives an overview of the most relevant non-destructive testing techniques, showing examples of case studies that were developed in different countries. For this reason, the current book chapter explains the foundations of photogrammetry, laser scanning, heat-flux meter, infrared thermography, airtightness tests, and how to combine these ones with advanced modeling (i.e., heritage building information modeling and AI). This could help to enhance the energy assessment and the decision-making of refurbishment procedures., Postprint (published version)

In recent years, stricter regulations aimed at improving indoor air quality have led to increased energy consumption in ventilation systems. This is particularly noticeable in the service sector, where high occupancy requires frequent air renewal. Therefore, it is crucial to apply control methods in these buildings to ensure proper indoor air quality and comfortable temperatures at minimal energy consumption and cost. However, addressing these operational requirements demands the utilization of advanced control methods and the integration of renewable energy sources. In this context, this article aims to design a model predictive control capable of managing indoor air quality levels to ensure occupants’ comfort while minimizing operational costs. The novelty of this work lies in the development, for the first time, of a model predictive control that incorporates solar electricity production, changes in grid electricity prices, occupancy levels, and weather profiles. Additionally, several indoor CO2 concentration limits based on current regulations and building users’ activities were employed to evaluate the model performance. Results demonstrated that model predictive control could achieve economic savings of up to 15¿% when indoor CO2 concentration must be below 750¿ppm compared to binary control modulation with photovoltaic panels. Moreover, the model effectively shifted ventilation necessities to off-peak electricity hours and fully harnessed energy generated by photovoltaic panels. Consequently, the presented model predictive control exhibited promising performance for potential applications in service sector buildings., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

Thermal comfort is crucial for people well-being and productivity in buildings, and it has a strong effect on building’s energy usage. The main models for assessing thermal comfort, like predictive mean vote (PMV) and adaptive models, need many environmental measurements, making monitoring complex. That has sparked a debate: some advocate reducing the number of variables, while others stress sticking to the original models. This article evaluates current research trends and addresses the limitations of globe sensors, the most commonly used instrument for measuring mean radiant temperature. To address these is- sues, the study conducts a sensitivity analysis using latin hypercube sampling with multidimen- sional uniformity and employs data from 41 measurements conducted in educational buildings spanning different academic levels, from preschool to university. This analysis examines various simplifications in the measuring procedures for the PMV and adaptive models proposed by ASHRAE 55, ISO 7730 and EN 16798. For this purpose, two mean radiant temperature accuracies are used according to the minimum requirement and the desired value specified by ISO 7726, ±2 ¿C and ±0.2 ¿ C respectively. The results suggest that models with fewer variables tend to overestimate thermal comfort levels. However, this models are valid as their estimations fall within the uncertainty range of the complete model, as long as the mean radiant temperature accuracy is ±2 ¿C as achieved with globe sensors. When mean radiant temperature accuracy improves (i.e. ±0.2 ¿C), the outcome of the models with less variables imply an overestimation falling out of the uncertainty of the complete model., This study is supported by “ComMit-20 – 2020PANDE00116” project funded by L’Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) through the Pandèmies 2020 programme; MOVE4EDU “Modular ventilation system integrated with urban food production in educational buildings" project, reference PID2021-126845OB-C22, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, by “ ERDF A way of making Europe”; Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program (2021 SGR 00341, 2021 SGR 00226 and 2021 SGR 01052); Networking Biomedical Research Centre in the subject area of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN, Spain), initiatives of Instituto de Investigación Carlos III (ISCIII); ISCIII (grant AC22/00035); ACCI Ó (grant Innotec ACE014/20/000018); the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (www.mineco.gob.es) PID2021- 122952OB-I00; Pla de Doctorats Industrials de la Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (2022 DI 014); and CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya. JF and LCC also acknowledge the Serra Húnter Program., Postprint (published version)

Pain in the attachment of the plantar fascia in the calcaneus represents 10% of all sports injuries, affects 10% of foot runners, and will affect around 20% of the world population. There is no effective conservative treatment for it. This paper justifies a new definition and name for this pathology, Plantar Fascia Syndrome (PFS), presents a methodology for its diagnosis, and presents the clinical and functional effectiveness of a new conservative treatment based on platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In total, 25 patients (from an initial sample of 260) diagnosed with recalcitrant PFS lasting for more than 12 months were treated with a single infiltration of 2 mL of PRP, according to a new technic proposed. The study was approved by the ethical committee for clinical research of the reference hospital. The patients were controlled after 15, 30, 90, and 180 days, reviewing on each occasion pain, thickness of the plantar fascia, and active extension of the ankle joint. A total of 15 days after infiltration, 85% of patients had no clinical signs requiring treatment. After 90 days of infiltration, no patients showed clinical signs. This improvement in the patients’ condition lasted for 180 days. All patients after treatment can fully resume normal activity with no pain., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The addition of fibres to concrete is an effective solution for enhancing its post-cracking tensile strength (fctR). Currently, this property is characterized through high-cost and time-consuming experimental tests since no reliable analytical methods exist to predict this mechanical property. This study provides two neural networks for predicting the fctR obtained from flexural beam tests for crack mouth opening displacements of 0.50 mm (fR1) and 2.50 mm (fR3). Network architectures are obtained with an optimization process that involved training 1568 Multi-Layer Perceptron configurations under Monte Carlo cross-validation over 50 iterations, with a total of 78,400 trainings for each fR,i. The resulting models were evaluated using performance metrics including Coefficient of Determination (R2), Correlation Coefficient (CC), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Scatter index (SI). High predictive accuracies were achieved for both fR1 (R2 = 0.87, CC = 0.93, MAE = 0.64 MPa, RMSE = 0.90 MPa, SI = 19.2%) and fR3 (R2 = 0.85, CC = 0.92, MAE = 0.73 MPa, RMSE = 0.95 MPa, SI = 19.8%). Furthermore, the analysis of their global and local interpretability through the game-theory-based SHAP explanation method confirms their consistency with established understandings of fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) behaviour. Moreover, numerical expressions are proposed as an alternative to traditional testing methods, offering a tool to predict the flexural post-cracking tensile strength for pre-design and quality control purposes of FRC structures. These approaches are deemed essential for advancing FRC technology marking a significant advancement in addressing the design limitations and widespread application challenges associated with the material., This work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the scope of project CREEF (PID2019-108978RB-C32/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033)., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

This paper aims to provide a detailed account of our experience in implementing a negotiation module in an optional course of Management Skills in the Master's Degree in Structural & Construction Engineering program at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and critically evaluate its effectiveness and impact on students' personal and professional development by triangulating experiences, surveys, and interviews. Based on an analysis of university curricula, the research explores effective teaching strategies, including Role-Play Simulation and Multi-Disciplinary Case Studies, which were highly valued by students. Video Recording and Playback, Peer Feedback, and Facilitator-led Discussions emerged as the most effective evaluation methods., The authors would like to thank all the students who agreed to contribute to this research. The authors wish to recognize their support from the Serra Hunter program. This work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341)., Postprint (published version)

Within the global sustainability agenda, companies must align their operations with specific Sustainable Goals (SGs) and develop corresponding budgeting strategies. This paper presents a robust multicriteria decision-making model tailored for a Spanish utility company specializing in water services. The model ensures that financial allocations reflect the company's vision and its interpretation of sustainable development within its service areas. This approach aims to promote objectivity, traceability, and sustainability in decision-making, as a critical component in achieving SGs. The article emphasizes the importance of aligning water companies' budget allocations with SGs, highlighting key indicators for consideration. It provides a practical illustration of how the company's financial allocations were synchronized with SGs using a multicriteria decision-making model. A case study is included, involving a budget allocation of 40 million euros compared across four scenarios with the historical average of budgets from the Past Three Investment Plans (P3IP). The results reveal significant variations in budget allocation across different infrastructure categories, demonstrating the system's robustness, such as a 70% variation in production infrastructures, 27% in transportation, 25% in distribution, and 40% in the remaining areas, depending on the scenario., Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was supported by Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341). Finally, FP-B and PP wish to recognize the support from the Serra Hunter programme and NR the Industrial Doctorate grant provided by AGAUR., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Postprint (published version)

Indoor CO CO 2 2 concentration serves as an indicator of indoor air quality, which is mainly influenced by occupants’ generation rate, outdoor ventilation rate and outdoor CO 2 levels. Determining the CO 2 generation rate is fundamental to design effective ventilation systems that ensure good indoor air quality. The ASTM D6245 standard offers a method to estimate human CO 2 generation based on sex, age, body mass, and activity level. However, due to the limited number of studies on CO 2 generation rate for children and adolescents in daily scholarly activities, accurated values are difficult to estimate. This research uses a stochastic grey box modelling approach to estimate CO 2 generation rates in naturally ventilated schools and compares it with the standard approach. This method can address the complexities and variations in real educational environments. The proposed model was verified through an experimental campaign including 32 classrooms with students aged 4, 10, 13 and 16 years. The model provided a detailed description of the indoor CO 2 cases. Estimated CO 2 dynamics in 72% of the studied generation rates were found to be in line with the expected standard value of between 1.0 MET to 2.0 MET activity levels (7.07–12.65 L/h for a 4-year-old, 9.63–13.29 L/h for a 10-year-old, 14.54–19.32 L/h for a 13-year-old, and 12.11–20.53 L/h for a 16-year-old). These findings not only bridge the gap in children’s CO 2 generation rates but also introduce a novel approach to assess human CO uncontrolled conditions., This research was supported by predoctoral contract grants (reference no. PRE2021-099606) as a part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU (reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00), funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033/FEDER. This work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support programme (2021 SGR 00341).The Government of Catalonia and Sabadell city council is gratefully acknowledged for allowing access to public centres. In addition, appreciation is extended to the MOVE4EDU project (reference no. PID2021-126845OB-C21 and PID2021-126845OB-C22), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar::3.d - Reforçar la capacitat de tots els països, en particular els països en desenvolupament, en matèria d’alerta primerenca, reducció de riscos i gestió dels riscos per a la salut nacional i mundial, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat::4.a - Construir i adequar instal·lacions escolars que responguin a les necessitats dels infants i les persones dis­capacitades, tinguin en compte les qüestions de gènere, i ofereixin entorns d’aprenentatge segurs, no violents, inclusius i eficaços per a totes les persones, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.1 - Desenvolupar infraestructures fiables, sostenibles, resilients i de qualitat, incloent infraestructures regionals i transfrontereres, per tal de donar suport al desenvolupament econòmic i al benestar humà, amb especial atenció a l’accés assequible i equitatiu per a totes les persones, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Postprint (published version)

This paper introduces the comprehensive value function, a novel framework designed to address multi-dimensional challenges in sustainability assessment within decision-making processes. Multi-criteria decision-making methods based on multi-attribute utility theory excel at integrating environmental, social, and economic factors but typically focus on positive and neutral impacts. This limitation often results in the oversight of critical negative consequences, thus restricting their effectiveness in all-encompassing sustainability evaluations. The proposed framework addresses this gap by quantifying the degree of satisfaction across a full spectrum of sustainability impacts and integrating negative outcomes essential for holistic assessments. The necessity of this model is highlighted by the shortcomings of current practices, where adverse impacts are frequently overlooked and existing frameworks fail to foresee the negative repercussions of various alternatives. By facilitating the creation of positive, negative, or piecewise functions, the CVF provides a comprehensive reflection of impacts, essential for well-informed sustainability decisions. Integrating this function into established decision-making models leads to a more balanced approach adept at navigating the intricate trade-offs inherent in sustainable development. Organised systematically, the paper presents the comprehensive value function, its application across various domains, and a concluding section synthesising the findings., This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities [grant number FPU18/01471] and AGAUR through its research group support program [2021SGR00341]., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Global climate change has become increasingly problematic over the past few decades. The construction industry has contributed to greenhouse gas emissions in recent decades. Considering these issues and the high demand for materials in the construction industry, Circular Economy (CE) is considered necessary to keep materials in the loop and extend their useful lives. By providing tangible benefits, Construction 4.0 facilitates the adoption of CE by reducing waste, updating standard work, sharing knowledge, and increasing transparency and stability. This study aims to present a framework for integrating CE and digital tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Reality (VR) to examine the impact on the construction industry based on stakeholders' perspectives., Postprint (published version)

This work presents a low-cost, intelligent electronic system for crop management and monitoring based on Industry 4.0 technologies. The system automatically controls irrigation conditions according to the type of crop, its needs, and environmental conditions. To do this, a set of sensors that measure CO2, relative humidity, temperature, and UV radiation in the environment is featured. With this data, the irrigation conditions for the plants to optimize their growth and reduce water and energy consumption are calculated. The quality of water quality is improved by adding additives that modify its physico-chemical characteristics. The volume of additives is estimated and automatically added to the water through pumps and valves controlled autonomously by the system. After that, the crops are automatically provided with the exact amount of water previously estimated to maximize their development. The readings obtained from the sensors, as well as the irrigation and plant development conditions, are stored in a database. A user interface allows for the display of the data and, in addition, for manual control of the system, configuration of the type of crop, its needs and setting of alert signals., Los autores quieren agradecer el apoyo recibido por la Agencia Estatal De Investigación a través de su PLAN ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA Y TÉCNICA Y DE INNOVACIÓN 2017-2020. Esta investigación se enmarca en el proyecto de I+D SIRAH, referencia no., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::2 - Fam zero::2.a - Augmentar les inversions, fins i tot mitjançant una cooperació internacional més àmplia, en infraestruc­tura rural, investigació agrícola i serveis d’extensió, així com en desenvolupament tecnològic i bancs de gens de plantes i bestiar, a fi de millorar la capacitat de producció agrícola als països en desenvolupament, en particular als països menys avançats, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::2 - Fam zero, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::2 - Fam zero::2.4 - Per a 2030, assegurar la sostenibilitat dels sistemes de producció d’aliments i aplicar pràctiques agrícoles resilients que augmentin la productivitat i la producció, contribueixin al manteniment dels ecosistemes, enfor­teixin la capacitat d’adaptació al canvi climàtic, fenòmens meteorològics extrems, sequeres, inundacions i altres desastres, i millorin progressivament la qualitat del sòl i la terra, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::2 - Fam zero::2.3 - Per a 2030, duplicar la productivitat agrícola i els ingressos dels productors/es d’aliments de petita escala, en particular les dones, els pobles indígenes, agricultors/es familiars, pastors/es i pescadors/es, a través, entre d’altres, d’un accés segur i equitatiu a les terres, a altres recursos de producció i inputs, coneixements, serveis financers, mercats i oportunitats per a la generació de valor afegit i treball no agrícola, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament::6.4 - Per a 2030, augmentar substancialment la utilització eficient dels recursos hídrics a tots els sectors, i asse­gurar la sostenibilitat de l’extracció i del subministrament d’aigua potable per tal de fer front a l’escassetat d’aigua i reduir substancialment el nombre de persones que pateixen d’escassetat d’aigua, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament::6.5 - Per a 2030, dur a terme una gestió integrada dels recursos hídrics a tots els nivells, també mitjançant la cooperació transfronterera, de la manera que sigui convenient, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables::12.2 - Per a 2030, assolir la gestió sostenible i l’ús eficient dels recursos naturals, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables::12.5 - Per a 2030, disminuir de manera substancial la generació de residus mitjançant polítiques de prevenció, reducció, reciclatge i reutilització, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.6 - Per a 2030, reduir l’impacte ambiental negatiu per capita de les ciutats, amb especial atenció a la qualitat de l’aire, així com a la gestió dels residus municipals i d’altre tipus, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.b - Per a 2020, augmentar substancialment el nombre de ciutats i assentaments humans que adopten i posen en marxa polítiques i plans integrats per promoure la inclusió, l’ús eficient dels recursos, la mitigació del canvi climàtic i l’adaptació a aquest, així com la resiliència davant dels desastres, i desenvolupar i posar en pràctica una gestió integral dels riscos de desastre a tots els nivells, d’acord amb el Marc de Sendai per a la reducció del risc de desastres 2015.2030, Postprint (published version)

Nanoparticles (NP), aerosols under 100 nm of nominal diameter, might be responsible of multiple diseases (cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, cancer, etc.) in mid- and long-term exposed workers in industrial layouts. These particles in suspension are not just originated from nanomaterials manufacturing, but also accidentally by plenty of industrial high-energetic and machining processes, such as atmospheric plasma spraying, welding or ceramic tiles firing, representing a potential danger for manufacturers from a wide variety of sectors. This paper will present a simulation tool of Incidental NanoParticles’ (INP) concentration in industrial environments that is currently under development within the Life Nanohealth European project to assess occupational health to external and internal hygiene risk prevention services. The concentration model has been implemented through a Modelica library and evaluated with a case study with real work conditions in an industrial plant with different processes, materials, ventilation systems and sources’ nature. Obtained results show simulations that are coherent with the field campaigns’ data, reaching a prediction precision over the error of the used sensors and a high correlation between measurements and model., This research is part of a LIFE-funded project (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000187). The authors acknowledge SALONI (https://saloni.com/) for their committed cooperation. The first author gratefully acknowledges the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya for the financia., Postprint (published version)

Structural fibers represent an effective strategy for enhancing the post-cracking tensile strength (fctR) of concrete. Currently, the characterization of this property relies predominantly on experimental methods, introducing uncertainties during the design phase and impeding advancements in new fiber types or the optimization of existing ones. This paper introduces a multilayer perceptron neural network designed to predict the fctR of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) undergoing the Barcelona Test. The optimal architecture of the predictor is determined through the evaluation of 9216 configurations involving input dimensions and the number of hidden layers and neurons. Generalization performance is rigorously assessed using repeated random sub-sampling validation across 50 iterations. The finalized model demonstrates a high accuracy in predicting fctR for various cracking stages in FRC (R2 of 0.87, 0.86, and 0.83). A comprehensive parametric analysis is conducted to establish coherence between the model's predictions and the established understanding of FRC behavior. Furthermore, numerical expressions are presented as an alternative tool to traditional testing, offering predictions for the residual strength of the Barcelona Test. These predictions consider factors such as fiber dosage, concrete strength, specimen type, height, and fiber geometric characteristics, serving as valuable tools for pre-design and quality control purposes. Such approaches are essential for fostering advancements in FRC technology., T. Ikumi is supported by the Torres Quevedo programme PTQ2018-009877 sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The authors also express their gratitude to the same Spanish Ministry for the financial support received under the scope of the project CREEF (PID2019-108978RB-C32) and to the Catalan agency AGAUR trough their research groups support program (2021 SGR 00341). Finally, P. Pujadas wishes to recognise the support from Serra Hunter programme., Postprint (published version)

Indoor air quality is a crucial factor when evaluating habitability, especially in developed countries, where people spend most of their time indoors. This paper presents a novel double skin façade (DSF) system that combines physical and photocatalytic filtering strategies. The air purification system is made up of fixed slats that are both solar protection and air purification system. The objective of this work is to determine the thermal behaviour of the proposed system, so that its suitability for use in various environments may be assessed. This was carried out using a physical 1:1 scale model and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The maximum temperature inside the scale model cavity was 17–20 °C higher than outdoor air. Additionally, it was discovered that the airflow through the DSF would require forced ventilation. To determine the emissivity values of the photocatalytic coating, additional experimental measurements were made. The CFD model was tested for summer and winter conditions in Barcelona, Chicago, and Vancouver. The average increase in the intake air temperature was around 14.5 °C in winter and 12 °C in summer, finding that the system has its main use potential in temperate or cold areas with many hours of solar radiation., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Interest in group decision-making (GDM) has been increasing prominently over the last decade. Access to global databases, sophisticated sensors which can obtain multiple inputs or complex problems requiring opinions from several experts have driven interest in data aggregation. Consequently, the field has been widely studied from several viewpoints and multiple approaches have been proposed. Nevertheless, there is a lack of general framework. Moreover, this problem is exacerbated in the case of experts’ weighting methods, one of the most widely-used techniques to deal with multiple source aggregation. This lack of general classification scheme, or a guide to assist expert knowledge, leads to ambiguity or misreading for readers, who may be overwhelmed by the large amount of unclassified information currently available. To invert this situation, a general GDM framework is presented which divides and classifies all data aggregation techniques, focusing on and expanding the classification of experts’ weighting methods in terms of analysis type by carrying out an in-depth literature review. Results are not only classified but analysed and discussed regarding multiple characteristics, such as MCDMs in which they are applied, type of data used, ideal solutions considered or when they are applied. Furthermore, general requirements supplement this analysis such as initial influence, or component division considerations. As a result, this paper provides not only a general classification scheme and a detailed analysis of experts’ weighting methods but also a road map for researchers working on GDM topics or a guide for experts who use these methods. Furthermore, six significant contributions for future research pathways are provided in the conclusions., The first author acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Universities [grant number FPU18/01471]. The second and third author wish to recognize their support from the Serra Hunter program. Finally, this work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2017SGR00227). This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU, reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

A minimal energy demand should be required in buildings both to optimize the performance of the building façade and to control solar gains. According to the existing studies and national standards, the climate zone classification is usually based on both the degree-days methodology and outdated climate data, thus managing HVAC systems inappropriately or leading to users’ thermal discomfort in indoor spaces. To evaluate the current limitations and to characterize solar gains in the Spanish building stock, an innovative approach is presented. For this purpose, seven clustering algorithms were implemented by distinguishing between winter and summer seasons during the calculation procedures. Solar irradiation from 8,948 locations in Spain were used. Likewise, the control of solar gains was analysed with the regulatory approach of Spain and with those developed through the study. The results of this research revealed that climate zones set by the Spanish Technical Building Code could imply to use values of monthly accumulated solar irradiation with discrepancies between 43.17 and 84.41 kWh/m2, compared to the real values. Hence, an accurate method focused on k-means clustering should be adopted. Furthermore, the results can be used for a more accurate analysis of solar control and improve the energy efficiency of buildings., This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the research project PID2021-122437OA-I00 “Positive Energy Buildings Potential for Climate Change Adaptation and Energy Poverty Mitigation (+ENERPOT)”. Also, the authors would like to acknowledge the Thematic Network 723RT0151 “Red Iberoamericana de Eficiencia y Salubridad en Edificios” (IBERESE) financed by the call for Thematic Networks of the CYTED Program for 2022 for supporting this research., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Over the last few years, several policies and new technological solutions have targeted the construction sector with the aim of reducing the sector's impacts on the environment. Among the different technological advances proposed, the reuse of materials in construction has been reported as a promising solution for an increase in sustainability and circularity. In particular, a type of cities' undergrounds assets for which materials' reuse is being explored are trenches for protecting services (i.e., water and gas transport pipelines, and optic fibre and other telecommunications services). Nonetheless, the economic and environmental benefits and impact of this type of system is still insufficiently quantified. In this research study, the economic and environmental impacts of four scenarios of trenches were assessed by using Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The four alternatives analysed consisted of: (1) the classical solution; (2) the classical solution with the reuse of soil; (3) the control low-strength material, and (4) the eco-trench. The results allowed concluding that in the eco-trench system, for which all material is reused, the environmental and economic impacts could be reduced by more than 80% and 50%, respectively. A parametric study for which the dimensions of the trenches were varied, permitted to reinforce these results and to quantify the impact's change along with the width and depth of the trench. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive view of the high-impact potential of reusing material for the construction of trenches in cities. The outcomes allow also remarking that the eco-trench system could be an attractive and advantageous solution for urban infrastructure stakeholders, both from an economic and environmental perspective., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.6 - Per a 2030, reduir l’impacte ambiental negatiu per capita de les ciutats, amb especial atenció a la qualitat de l’aire, així com a la gestió dels residus municipals i d’altre tipus, Postprint (published version)

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important, and researchers are developing new technologies and models to reduce environmental impact. The circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves sharing, borrowing, reusing, repairing, reconditioning and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. This study focuses on the concept of reuse and, specifically, how to reduce waste generated by pandemics through recycling and reusing facemasks made of polyamide fabric. Facemasks can be reused to refurbish buildings in low-income contexts. To assess the reutilization potential of recycled bulk polyamide fiber, thermal, acoustic, and fire performance properties were assessed experimentally. The results show that they are comparable to commercial insulation materials such as glass wool and mineral wool in terms of thermal conductivity, while also demonstrating good sound absorption performance at medium and high frequencies (greater thickness and density will increase the amount of insulation and sound absorption). The material’s fire performance is similar to that of other synthetic insulation materials, such as EPS. However, the performance is worse than for common organic insulation materials, such as cellulose. Finally, a lowcost, self-portable insulation panel concept designed for indoor installation was tested for material performance. Considering these properties, this solution may represent a significant opportunity to enhance thermal and acoustic comfort in vulnerable energy-poor households, bringing clear environmental benefits and positive social implications., This research was partially funded with grants from the Centre for Development Cooperation – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya for the local cooperation project “REEhabilitant el Raval” (grants 2020-D005, 2021-K003 and 2022-C007), by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341), and by the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of the University of Brescia through the MetATer PRD project. The authors would like to thank Prof. Edoardo Piana for access to the applied technical physics laboratory at the University of Brescia, and to Dr. Laia Haurie for access to the materials laboratory at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and for their valuable advice., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.1 - Per a 2030, assegurar l’accés de totes les persones a habitatges i a serveis bàsics adequats, segurs i assequibles, i millorar els barris marginal, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

Simple neural network (NN) architecture is a reliable tool to transform reactive rule-based systems into predictive systems. Thermal comfort is of utmost importance in office buildings, which need the activation of heating systems at an optimal time. A high-performance NN predictive system requires a large training dataset. This can limit system efficiency due to the lack of enough historical data derived from thermal controllers. To address this issue, we generated, trained and tested a dataset of eight sizes using a calibrated building model. A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) was improved by studying the output performance. The effect of normalization and standardization preprocessing techniques on NN prediction ability was studied. Learning curves showed that a minimum of 1–4 months of data are required to obtain enough accuracy. Two heating seasons provide the optimal data size to calibrate the NN properly with high prediction accuracy. The results also revealed that building data from =two years slightly improve NN performance. The most accurate results in KPIs 90%) were obtained with preprocessed data. The effect of preprocessing on large training patterns was less than that of training patterns <100. Finally, NN model performance was less accurate in cold climate zones, The authors gratefully acknowledge the support by Catalan agency AGAUR through their research group support program (2017SGR00227), Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in a nation’s economic and societal progress. However, due to the substantial expenses and the constraints of a limited government budget, the need to assess the condition of each infrastructure and identify those requiring utmost attention has become imperative. To address the challenge of assessing and prioritizing infrastructure, national civil engineering associations have developed infrastructure report cards (IRCs) following diverse methodologies. The objective of this paper is to present and compare the existing IRCs, analysing their key characteristics and comparing them through the developed comparison guidelines. The findings offer valuable insights into IRCs, encompassing general knowledge, diverse practices, and areas for improvement. Furthermore, it provides guidance to civil engineering associations in nations lacking an infrastructure report card, as well as to governments and national infrastructure planners. Recommendations highlight the importance of government collaboration without direct control, transparent methodology explanations, and accessible results presentation. Enhancing IRCs based on these recommendations can facilitate structured, rational, realistic, and sustainability-based decision making. The study acknowledges limitations, including the challenge of assessing IRCs’ real impact and the limited dataset. Despite these limitations, this paper provides a crucial step toward improving IRCs and fostering informed infrastructure decisions., This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities [grant number FPU18/01471] and AGAUR through its research group support program [2021SGR00341]., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.4 - Per a 2030, modernitzar les infraestructures i reconvertir les indústries perquè siguin sostenibles, usant els recursos amb més eficàcia i promovent l’adopció de tecnologies i processos industrials nets i racionals ambiental­ment, i aconseguint que tots els països adoptin mesures d’acord amb les capacitats respectives, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.3 - Per a 2030, augmentar la urbanització inclusiva i sostenible, així com la capacitat de planificar i gestionar de manera participativa, integrada i sostenible els assentaments humans a tots els països, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.c - Proporcionar suport als països menys avançats, incloent una assistència financera i tècnica, perquè puguin construir edificis sostenibles i resilients utilitzant materials locals, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.1 - Desenvolupar infraestructures fiables, sostenibles, resilients i de qualitat, incloent infraestructures regionals i transfrontereres, per tal de donar suport al desenvolupament econòmic i al benestar humà, amb especial atenció a l’accés assequible i equitatiu per a totes les persones, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Postprint (published version)

Population ageing, extreme weather, and high energy costs are the current and future global scenarios. The present study analyses the factors affecting the thermal comfort of older adults and evaluates their thermal perceptions and preferences in nursing homes in a Continental Mediterranean climate during winter, through environmental measurements and surveys on site. The sample consists of 1065 occupants. Results of this study revealed that the neutral temperature of older adults in nursing homes in cold winter climates is 24.9°C, 2.3°C higher than what PMV predicts. Results also highlight that older adults feel more comfortable in those spaces with higher CO2 concentrations than recommended by regulation. The analysis of factors affecting thermal comfort revealed that the most relevant factors affecting the thermal comfort of older adults in cold winter climates are (i) the type of room, which indirectly implies the metabolic rate of the occupants, the type of ventilation, and the CO2 level; (ii) the occupancy density; and (iii) the relative humidity of the room. These results will help to develop more accurate thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality regulations for older people that improve their health and quality of life. The modification of temperature setpoints in nursing homes based on the results of this study could influence energy use and should be carefully considered by policy makers and facility managers., This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under R&D project Thecoelen, reference no. PID2019-106777RB-C21. Additionally, thanks are due to Sanitas Mayores and especially Eng. Marc Vallet and Eng. Albert Ayala for providing their nursing homes and helping to collect all required data. The authors would also like to extend their appreciation to all caregivers, maintenance staff, and elderly people who participated in this project. This work was also supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341). Open access funding was enabled and organized by CRUE-CSUC Gold., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

In recent years, rooftops have been used as productive spaces for local resource (e.g. food, water, or energy) production. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the potential of hyperspectral data to identify roof materials in cities. The case study area is located in a Mediterranean region north of Barcelona (Spain); diverse building typologies, building uses (residential, industrial, office, services and retail) and population densities constitute this study area. Two hyperspectral remote sensors (HRSs) were used to obtain hyperspectral images. Seven roof classes were identified using the k-means clustering algorithm. Most roofs were identified as metals (33 percent), followed by ceramic tiles (22 percent). The findings showed that 51 percent of roofs could be suitable for food, water, or energy production. Nevertheless, for a more reliable assessment of this potential, more criteria are needed., This work is part of the Fertilecity II project supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2016-75772-C3-3-R and CTM2016-75772-C3-1-R, AEI/FEDER, UE); from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; through the María de Maeztu program for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000940-M) and supported by MOVE4EDU. Authors want to thank to the University of Guadalajara (Mexico) for awarding a research scholarship to Perla Zambrano-Prado, and to the reviewers for their valuable comments., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Postprint (author's final draft)

The notable contribution of Machine learning in recent decades lies in the widespread use of artificial neural networks (ANN). These networks have become predominant for accurately predicting non-linear structural behaviours, revolutionizing engineering with enhanced safety and precise predictions. In earthquake engineering, ANN's application, especially in analyzing seismic structural responses, offers diverse possibilities. This paper analyses a database of 287 cyclic tests on concrete columns and demonstrates that ANNs are powerful tools for predicting hysteretic damping for the implementation in the Direct Displacement Based Seismic Design Method (DDBSD) during design phases. The study emphasizes the significance of ANN-driven approaches in seismic design methodologies, showcasing differences between simplified methods and experimental database predictions., Postprint (published version)

The climate change leads to periods of extreme events (i.e. reduction of cold seasons, heat waves, overheating, urban heat island among others) that affect the performance of residential and tertiary buildings with high occupancy (i.e. hospitals, schools, commercial centres, offices etc). However, most of low-carbon policies do not consider the ventilation as a mitigation measure. In fact, a lack of studies on natural ventilation (NV) and mixed-mode (MM) strategies was detected, especially for warm regions or areas with hot and humid climates. This paper aims to carry out a bibliometric analysis from 1928 to 2023, to observe the evolution of the topic. After identifying the main research clusters (thermal comfort, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and simulation tools) by science mapping, the most relevant publications of the last 20 years were assessed (2003–2023). The results of this study revealed that only 1.51 % of the scientific documents in 95 years corresponded to an extensive literature review, although epidemic or disease outbreaks led to peaks of production in this topic. This emphasizes the importance of observing what was done and how was implemented over the years. Regarding the clusters, some relevant aspects can be highlighted: (i) non-homogeneity of studies on NV or MM related to building type; (ii) interregional projects should be drawn up to check the effectiveness of NV and MM, especially when other architectural techniques are adopted (i.e. solar chimneys, window wall ratio –WWR-, thermally activated building structures –TABS- etc); (iii) the optimization of simulation tools should be based on the incorporation of BIM and generative design for NV and MM., This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the research project PID2021-122437OA-I00 “Positive Energy Buildings Potential for Climate Change Adaptation and Energy Poverty Mitigation (+ENERPOT)”. Also, the authors would like to acknowledge the Thematic Network 723RT0151 “Red Iberoamericana de Eficiencia y Salubridad en Edificios” (IBERESE) financed by the call for Thematic Networks of the CYTED Program for 2022 for supporting this research., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The growing demand in the use of cooling in buildings for the effects of climate change and the thermal comfort conditions requires the adoption of energy conservation measures. Implementing adaptive thermal comfort models can result in a significant decrease in energy consumption, especially in buildings where the users are groups of vulnerable people. However, no study has proposed a prediction of energy consumption from a comfort-based approach for nursing homes. This article presents the development of adaptive consumption models to assess the energy implications of HVAC systems for the cooling season by measuring real data on energy consumption and environmental conditions. The adaptive consumption models are implemented in eight nursing homes located in two different climates (Mediterranean and Continental-Mediterranean). The findings reveal that adaptive thermal comfort control methods result in important energy savings in comparison to a fixed set point temperature. The study demonstrates a potential average energy savings of up to 9.9 % (8.1 % in Mediterranean climate and 11.7 % in the Continental-Mediterranean climate) for the analysed nursing homes. The prediction of energy consumption from an adaptive comfort-based approach in nursing homes will enhance their energy efficiency ensuring the well-being of their vulnerable residents by maintaining optimal thermal comfort. These findings hold significant value for the effective energy management of buildings in future climate change scenarios and warrant careful consideration by nursing home facility managers., This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under R&D project Thecoelen, reference no. PID2019-106777RB-C21. Additionally, thanks to Sanitas Mayores and especially the Eng. Marc Vallet and Eng. Albert Ayala for providing their nursing homes and helping to collect all the required data. The authors also would like to extend our appreciation to all the caregivers, maintenance staff and older people who participated in this project. This work was also supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2021 SGR 00341)., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

Maintaining good indoor air quality and thermal comfort is a challenge for naturally ventilated educational buildings, as it can be difficult to achieve both aspects simultaneously. Nonetheless, most of the existing studies only focus on one aspect. To explore the potential of balancing indoor air quality and thermal comfort, both topics must be investigated concurrently. This study assessed indoor air quality and thermal comfort in 32 naturally ventilated classrooms of 16 primary and secondary schools in the Mediterranean climate, based on a large on-site measurement campaign lasting one year that gathered over 460 hours of data. The research investigated occupants’ adaptive behaviors, analyzed the actual thermal comfort of around 600 students, and characterized the representative scenarios leading to good and poor indoor air quality and thermal comfort by clustering analysis. The results showed that poor indoor air quality was mainly due to closing windows and doors in winter, while thermal discomfort mainly occurred in summer because of the high indoor temperature. The findings suggested that a proper ventilation protocol is the key to balancing indoor air quality and thermal comfort., This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU (reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00), funded by the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. This work was supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program (2021 SGR 00341). The author Sen Miao is funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) as a full-time PhD student (reference no. 202208390065)., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

Aiming for synergies between indoor air quality in high-occupancy buildings and urban agriculture, this research investigates the capacity to enhance crop growth based on the generation of CO2 from occupants' exhalation in university classrooms. Accordingly, the CO2 concentrations of eight campuses classrooms of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia have been analyzed over a period of one year. The data have been obtained from sensors installed through the climate action strategy designed by the university and are available through SIRENA platform. Results show great potential in the utilization of exhaled CO2 thanks to the generation during school periods. However, the profiles obtained show discontinuous CO2 availability throughout the year and during the hours of maximum photosynthetic activity of plants. Moreover, the measured CO2 levels exceed, on many occasions, the recommended limit for crop growth., The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for the financial support of the research projects: MOVE4EDU "Modular ventilation system integrated with urban food production in educational b1236 1. Introduction Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a crucial aspect of creating safe and comfortable environments, especially in educational, Postprint (published version)

Modeling indoor air quality and thermal conditions in educational buildings is significant for protecting students' health, well-being, and productivity. The predictive models in existing studies were mainly built and applied in controlled environments with HVAC systems. These models did not involve occupant-related factors, had limited scope in a single building or space, and required indoor environmental monitoring data for the model input. This limits the applicability and generalization ability of the model in a large number of schools relying on natural ventilation, where indoor air quality and thermal conditions are significantly affected by occupants’ activities and ventilation practices. Hence, this paper proposes a methodology to develop a data-driven model for predicting the level of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in naturally ventilated educational buildings, and identifies the key influential factors. The model was developed using the class-weighted random forest algorithm with data collected from a large measurement campaign. The developed model demonstrated good accuracy, generalization ability, and robustness. The analysis concluded that occupancy, windows and doors operation, and outdoor environmental parameters are key factors must be involved, whereas building characteristics have no practical contribution to the prediction. The model inputs are easily accessible data for schools. Once the model is developed with data collected from an initial measurement campaign in representative educational buildings, it can be used in all local schools without requiring monitoring sensor networks, thereby rendering a “cost-effective” way of assessing indoor air quality and thermal comfort to help relevant stakeholders improve building management practices in schools., This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU, reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. This work was supported by the Catalan Agency AGAUR under their research group support program (2021 SGR 00341). The author Sen Miao is funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) as a full-time PhD student, reference no. 202208390065., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Postprint (published version)

Nursing homes are set to be operated to meet certain thermal specifications defined by existing static principles. This article presents a case study of a nursing home to analyse the energy implications of the application of adaptive thermal comfort models for the elderly during the heating and cooling periods. The study included concurrent measurements of the outdoor and indoor environmental parameters and the collection of gas and electricity consumption during the monitoring period of the nursing home to elaborate a consumption model capable of predicting both the gas and electric energy consumption for a given meteorological condition. The research focused on a nursing home located in the Mediterranean city of Barcelona, which is a 3237 m2 building that has an all-water HVAC system with two different Air Handling Units. Applying the adaptive models into the consumption models resulted in obtaining potential savings in terms of energy, both for cooling and heating periods. The savings were higher as more extreme the outdoor conditions were. In general, the estimated potential energy savings were about 18.8% and 9.5% for cooling and heating, respectively. So, these results could be used to define good practices to design and operate nursing homes completely adapted to the environmental conditions in order to save energy demands without losing thermal comfort of the residents., Postprint (published version)

Heating and cooling account for 50% of the European Union's energy consumption and, therefore, reducing its impact is essential to minimise dependency on energy imports (particularly fossil fuel), which are bound to geopolitical conflicts. District heating arises as a critical player in this transition towards a more efficient energy framework. Despite its numerous advantages, implementation is still hindered by inadequate District Heating business models and incentives. This study conducts a holistic examination on the feasibility, effectiveness and, ultimately, the efficiency of establishing a publicly owned and public-privately managed District Heating infrastructure network via a pilot intervention in the city of San Sebastian in the north of Spain. A Value Proposition Canvas, Value Creation Ecosystem and City Model Canvas analysis provides insight into fundamental patterns and relevant recommendations for other municipalities trying to find a business model in which all the involved stakeholders can capture value while addressing at the same time the energy challenges of cities., Authors would like to acknowledge the direct and timely collaboration with experts from San Sebastian. The authors acknowledge the support from the European Union’ Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme’ under the grant agreements No 6917535 (REPLICATE Project). This work was supported by Catalan agency AGAUR trough their research groups support program (2021 SGR 00341). Finally, authors wishes to recognise the support from Serra Hunter programme., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.1 - Per a 2030, garantir l’accés universal a serveis d’energia assequibles, confiables i moderns, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.2 - Per a 2030, augmentar substancialment el percentatge d’energia renovable en el con­junt de fonts d’energia, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.3 - Per a 2030, duplicar la taxa mundial de millora de l’eficiència energètica, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.1 - Desenvolupar infraestructures fiables, sostenibles, resilients i de qualitat, incloent infraestructures regionals i transfrontereres, per tal de donar suport al desenvolupament econòmic i al benestar humà, amb especial atenció a l’accés assequible i equitatiu per a totes les persones, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura::9.2 - Promoure una industrialització inclusiva i sostenible i, a tot tardar el 2030, augmentar de manera significativa la contribució de la indústria a l’ocupació i al producte interior brut, d’acord amb les circumstàncies nacionals, i duplicar aquesta contribució als països menys avançats, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima::13.2 - Incorporar mesures relatives al canvi climàtic en les polítiques, les estratègies i els plans nacionals, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.1 - Per a 2030, assegurar l’accés de totes les persones a habitatges i a serveis bàsics adequats, segurs i assequibles, i millorar els barris marginal, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.b - Per a 2020, augmentar substancialment el nombre de ciutats i assentaments humans que adopten i posen en marxa polítiques i plans integrats per promoure la inclusió, l’ús eficient dels recursos, la mitigació del canvi climàtic i l’adaptació a aquest, així com la resiliència davant dels desastres, i desenvolupar i posar en pràctica una gestió integral dels riscos de desastre a tots els nivells, d’acord amb el Marc de Sendai per a la reducció del risc de desastres 2015.2030, Postprint (published version)

Current indoor air quality strategies are based on the measurement and control of carbon dioxide (CO2) indoor concentration. Most educational buildings rely only on natural ventilation, making indoor air quality highly dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, to ensure the safety and well-being of students and teachers, it is necessary to determine the factors influencing CO2 concentration in naturally ventilated spaces. The aim of this paper is to estimate the students’ CO2 emission rates in naturally ventilated classrooms using grey box models., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Postprint (published version)

Aggregating multiple opinions or assessments in a decision has always been a challenging field topic for researchers. Over the last decade, different approaches, mainly based on weighting data sources or decision-makers (DMs), have been proposed to resolve this issue, although social choice theory, focused on frameworks to combine individual opinions, is generally overlooked. To resolve this situation, a novel methodology is developed in this paper based on social choice theory and statistical mathematics. This method innovates by dividing the assessment into components which provides a multiple assessment analysis, assigning weights to each source regarding their position compared to the group for each considered criteria. This multiple-weighting process maximises individual and group satisfaction. Furthermore, the method makes it possible to manage previously assigned influence. An example is given to illustrate the proposed methodology. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is performed and comparisons with other methods are made. Finally, conclusions are presented., The first author acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports [grant number FPU18/01471]. The second and third author wish to recognise their support from the Serra Hunter programme. Finally, this work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2017SGR00227). This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU, reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The high-performance demands on industrial floors, both in terms of larger slab dimensions and increased durability under harsh operating conditions, have led to the growing use of expansive admixtures. These generate a controlled expansive reaction within the concrete and compensate the early-age shrinkage. Despite their increasing use, calculation methods that permit to consider the expansive agents during the pavement design phase with a certain level of reliability are still unexistent. This study presents a straightforward cross-sectional model to assess both the stress-strain state and joint-opening of concrete pavements with volumetric stability admixtures by considering the slab dimensions, concrete composition, exposure conditions, and base friction characteristics. For that, a novel experimental device is designed and implemented in this work to characterize the dimensional variations associated with expansive agents since casting. A Type-G commercial volumetric stability admixture is considered as the expansive admixture. A full-scale validation of the proposed model is performed on a jointless concrete panel constructed by RCR Industrial Flooring in Spain. This validation proves the feasibility of the combined approach of laboratory calibration of the expansive addition and the cross-sectional model presented to accurately estimate both the slab deformations and joint opening developed over the 77-day test period., This research project has been supported by RCR Industrial Flooring. Thanks are extended to Juan Carlos Martín, Agustín Escámez, and Christophe Cortinovis for their assistance and collaboration throughout the course of this study. Finally, support from AGAUR through the research project EB-Pav (2021 PROD 00071) is greatly acknowledged., Postprint (published version)

La mala calidad del aire interior (CAI) en entornos escolares se ha identificado como uno de los factores que más afectan la salud y el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes. En un aula de tamaño promedio, las concentraciones por encima de los umbrales de CO2 recomendados se alcanzan varias veces durante una clase. En España, más de 8 millones de niñ@s en edad escolar pasan aproximadamente 1.300 horas al año dentro de un aula, por ello la gestión del CAI en entornos escolares es crítico. Sin embargo, la gestión de la CAI en las escuelas sigue siendo un desafío por resolver, especialmente si se quiere abordar el difícil dilema de equilibrar la calidad del aire interior con el confort térmico y el consumo de energía. Por esta razón, el objetivo de esta comunicación es la identificar estrategias de ventilación características de los centros educativos y realizar un análisis comparativo de sus modos operativos mediante AHP. Y con ello, los diferentes sistemas de ventilación se comparan y clasifican según los parámetros más relevantes de evaluación., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de Qualitat, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

It is estimated that EU cultural heritage (CH) buildings represent 30% of the total existing stock. Nevertheless, all actions in terms of refurbishment need a deep knowledge based on the diagnosis of the built quality. For this reason, the paper aims to provide a comprehensive review about the applicability of non-destructive techniques (NDT) and advanced modelling technologies for the diagnosis of heritage buildings. Considering a time span of two decades (2001–2021), a bibliometric analysis was performed, using data statistics and science mapping. Subsequently, the most relevant studies on this topic were evaluated for each technique. The main findings revealed that: (i) most of studies were conducted on Southern European countries; (ii) 36% of publications were journal papers and only 2% corresponded to reviews; (iii) “photogrammetry” and “laser applications” were identified as consolidated techniques for historic preservation, but they are only linked with HBIM and deep learning; (iv) a significant gap on quantitative NDT was detected and consequently, future researches should be performed to propose a common diagnosis protocol; (v) artificial neural networks have several barriers (i.e. data privacy, network security and quality of datasets). Hence, a holistic approach should be adopted by the European countries., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

It is widely accepted that urban agriculture provides multiple benefits to society. Rooftop greenhouses are a form of urban agriculture that take advantage of urban resources (urban land, building materials, sunlight spaces) and waste flows (energy, nutrients) to provide food and ecosystem services to cities. However, the integration of urban greenhouses within buildings is a complex issue that must be addressed in-depth. Compared to the well-known conventional greenhouses, the urban environment display different constrains requiring to be assessed in order to later optimize greenhouse building materials. The aim of our study was to environmentally assess rooftop greenhouses and propose improving scenarios. Life cycle assessment was used to detect environmental hotspots and to evaluate different impact categories of an iRTG case study in the Barcelona area. Results showed that the greenhouse environment and ventilation design directly determine greenhouse structures and environmental impacts. Optimized strategies showed a potential reduction of up to 35% of the amount of structural steel used, while less improvement potential existed for covering materials (5%). Compared to conventional greenhouses, 1.6 times more steel and up to 8 times more energy were required to build the urban greenhouse in this study. The assessment revealed that these differences can be reduced by optimizing greenhouse structures to avoid a shift of material flows and environmental impacts from building urban greenhouses compared to conventional greenhouses. In turn, the assessment presented here provides guidelines on how to design and plan urban greenhouse constructions in future assessments. That will facilitate the incorporation of urban agriculture in cities based on consistent environmental assessments, ultimately contributing to the low-carbon future development of cities., The authors are grateful to the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement of Generalitat de Catalunya for awarding a research scholarship (FI-DGR 2021) to Joan Muñoz-Liesa. The authors also acknowledge financial support from the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament de Recerca i Universitats of the Generalitat de Catalunya for the grant awarded under AGAU 2020 PANDE 00021 and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the “Marı́a de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence in R&D [CEX2019–000940-M]., Peer Reviewed, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Postprint (author's final draft)

In building areas with high occupancy, such as classrooms, transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 are increased when indoor air quality is deficient. Under this scenario, universities have adopted ventilation measures to mitigate contagious environments. However, the lack of adequate equipment or designs in old educational buildings is a barrier to reach minimum requirements. This study aims to quantify the indoor air quality and thermal comfort at universities and compare it to conditions in students’ households. In this regard, several classrooms in buildings of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia were monitored for temperature, CO2 concentration and relative humidity. The people who used these classrooms were surveyed about their comfort perceptions. A sample of students was also monitored at their homes where they reported to studying during the exam period. By means of point-in-time surveys, students reported their daily comfort, for comparison with the monitored data. The results show that the recommendations for CO2 concentration, temperature, and relative humidity are not always met in any of the study spaces. These factors are more critical at universities due to the high occupancy. In addition, the surveys highlighted the perception that the environment is better at home than at university., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Las nanopartículas generadas en procesos (PGNP) son nanomateriales liberados de manera inintencionada en ambientes de trabajo durante procesos de alta energía como la quema de combustibles, el corte por plasma, la soldadura, el pulido de metales o la cocción de productos cerámicos. Actualmente, no existen herramientas de avaluación de riesgos para la exposición a PGNP en ambientes industriales. Como consecuencia, no se puede evaluar la exposición de los trabajadores a este tipo de contaminantes. En este contexto, hay una necesidad de desarrollar modelos para simular las concentraciones de PGNP en espacios interiores. Debido al tamaño de las PGNP (<100 nm) su comportamiento es comparable al de las moléculas de gases ideales. Por ello, se podrían usar modelos reducidos actualmente usados para simular la concentración de CO2 en espacios interiores, para simular las concentraciones de PGNP en dichos ambientes. El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar la posibilidad de crear modelos predictivos para un espacio interior usando modelos reducidos para estimar concentraciones futuras de PGNP. Primero se define el modelo, posteriormente usando la literatura se determinarán los parámetros y finalmente, el modelo se validará usando datos obtenidos de una ubicación industrial. Este trabajo está financiando por el programa LIFE (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000187)., La investigación presentada en este artículo esta financiada por el programa LIFE (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000187)., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Postprint (published version)

Solar radiation transmissivity in greenhouses is a key property largely determined by covering materials. This study compared tomato crop yields and their environmental performance of a polycarbonate rooftop greenhouse with alternative covering materials displaying higher solar transmissivity and lifetime performance. An integrated approach using experimental data with structural, energy modeling was used to model average lifetime crop productivities. At building functional unit (per m2·year), impacts varied between -29.0% and +24.0% compared to the current polycarbonate. Lifetime transmissivities improved up to 20.5% (4 mm-antireflective glass), leading to +46.6% of tomato yields (19.9 ± 2.2 kg/m2), and up to -33.9% of environmental impacts. Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene 60 µm-film resulted in 19.2 ± 2.3 kg tomatoes/m2 but improved environmental performance up to 41.7%. These results demonstrate the importance of employing integrated and life-cycle approaches to combine multiple trade-offs and dynamics within environmental assessments of greenhouse crops. The results are intended to contribute to improving greenhouse cultivation and sustainability., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

In recent years, poor indoor air quality and thermal comfort have been widely reported in related studies on indoor environmental quality in classrooms. Improving indoor air quality through ventilation is common and effective. However, it compromises occupant’s thermal comfort and well-being, thereby consuming more energy to meet increased heating or cooling demand and challenging energy conservation for Sustainable Development Goal 7. The existing researches imply the significance of conducting an extensive review on the three domains mentioned above (indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and energy consumption) in educational buildings, as individual cases are of peculiarity due to the specific characteristics of buildings and occupants. In contrast, the standards for indoor air quality and thermal comfort in educational buildings are not explicit and unified for all countries. This paper summarizes relevant features from reviewed cases, including: the geographic and demographic characteristics, field investigation parameters, indoor air quality and thermal comfort standards, ventilation protocols, heating and cooling strategies, energy consumption, as well as important and valuable findings in order to investigate the progress on such a topic., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::3 - Salut i Benestar, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant, Postprint (published version)

Under COVID scenario, it has been observed that the constraints derived from remote teaching makes harder an already challenging task: the achievement of teamwork skills and their assessment. This study, which is part of the UPC-ICE “EQUIPA'T” teaching innovation project, aims to design a new protocol for the development of academic projects and the individualized evaluation of university students regardless the field of knowledge within engineering. To that end, eight functionalities have been identified: (i) quantification of the individual contribution; (ii) group dynamics and individual roles; (iii) internal team management; (iv) communication; (v) creativity (brainstorming / concept map); (vi) design thinking; (vii) repository; (viii) content development (previous ideas about concepts). For each of them, a series of indicators, activities, and tools have been defined to allow the development of the aforementioned functions in face-to-face and remote environments. In addition, an analysis has been carried out to determine the implementation of the protocol by professors in the pilot stage of the project., The authors would like to thank ICE - UPC for the finantial support under "EQUIPA'T" project (reference G/22930/GEN), Postprint (published version)

Progress in digital and industrial technologies, shape all sectors of the economy and society. In the construction sector, digital building logbooks allow circularity by tracking the CO2 emissions and waste in construction projects, and enhance the durability, reparability and recycling of products and components. The integration of digital building logbooks into digital twins (green twin) also ensures better and more efficient use of construction-generated data to sustain competitiveness and greening of the sector. Grupo Construcía is a group of companies that offer circularity services, from strategic consulting to the construction of circular assets by implementing Cradle to Cradle circular principles and integrating them into digital and BIM (Building Information Modelling) technologies. This paper presents the current practices on circular economy in the construction sector and the benefits of integrating digital building logbooks into digital twins. It also presents a business case to highlight the drawbacks and complexities of data integration and to demonstrate the expected impact of this integration., Postprint (published version)

Process engineering applied to building projects has not developed its own methodology for project management, so it has been using generic project management tools, based on PERT and GANTT, under the paradigms Critical Path Method or Critical Chain. Both PERT and GANTT do not consider some variables that are relevant in the specific environment of a construction site, such as: location, repetitive activities, productivity, continuity of work for external crews, material transformation, space clashes, etc. This article analyzes: 1) The theoretical foundations of generic project management tools based on activities management, 2) The significant variables in both production and project management paradigms, 3) The new paradigm and conceptual tools developed over the last 20 years in the Lean Construction community of knowledge. The findings of this research will help construction managers and superintendents, explaining why the standard tools they are using are not enough to manage their regular work, and proposing a more adequate set of tools and systems to plan and control production activities on site., Postprint (published version)

Referring to the circular economy model, end-of-life household materials (EoLHM) such as packaging, and clothes, could be converted into building elements – for example panels - with thermal and acoustic properties. Given the high availability almost anywhere, EoLHM represents an alternative to commercial insulating materials that, even though relatively cheap, cannot be afforded by disadvantaged people. The panels are intended for the refurbishment of existing buildings and, therefore, to be installed indoor. This paper presents a multidisciplinary analysis aimed at the characterization of polyamide 6.6 waste from the production of non surgical face masks. The analysis focuses on thermal and acoustic aspects that have determined experimentally by means of the hot plate with guard ring test, and the impedance tube technique respectively. Then, the influence of the panel position on the indoor operative temperature and the reverberation time has been analysed numerically. Results show that, from the thermal and acoustic point of view, this waste is suitable for the realization of building panels and the performance depends on the density and the thickness of the material. However, aspects such as the fire-resistance and the containment of the material need further investigation., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)