It was an honour to present our paper, a parametric study aimed at informing office building design and evaluating regulatory frameworks in Barcelona, at the final conference of TIMEPAC (see post below).
The conference brought many new perspectives and insights. Personally, my main takeaways from the presentations and discussions are:
1) How do we convert data and information (including certifications, EPCs, renovation passports, digital twins, etc.) into actual sustainable action. It is easy to stare ourselves blind on the data available, and maybe sometimes lose track of what we actually need it for. We need to make sure that the models and frameworks we develop are working towards a more sustainable built environment and improved design, potentially by looking for quality in data instead of quantity, and continuously try to keep that long-term perspective.
2) There was a lot of talk about simplifying complex information so that everyone can understand it. I see the value in that; however, we also need to keep in mind that simplifying information usually leads to a loss of information. Instead of thinking in the direction of complex to simple, perhaps we need to diversify and think from complex into tiers of complexity, aimed at specific audiences, and focus on what information is relevant to which audience.
These and many more thoughts that came up were of course thoroughly discussed over a well-deserved post-conference beer. A big thank you to the team for all the great work!
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During the final conference of TIMEPAC, we had the opportunity to present a parametric study investigating how existing and planned building codes and policies in #Spain and the #EU impact new office buildings in #Barcelona, as well as the potential improvements in energy performance with main focus on #PassiveDesign. Key takeaways from the presentation include:
🔑 The current national building code in Spain (CTE HE-2019) should emphasize more restrictive performance-based indicators to maintain relevance and incentivize energy-efficient buildings.
🔑 The most important parameters for compliance with current and planned directives include:
💡 Reducing internal loads through lighting sensors and high efficiency lighting
☀️ Reducing solar gains through effective solar protection and/or optimised WWR
🌬️ Utilising natural ventilation
🔑 A fully optimised configuration of active and passive measures presents a total primary energy use significantly lower than the limits set by CTE HE-2019 (-73%) and the planned EU directive for 2027 (-43%).
It was an excellent conference with inspiring discussions. Special thanks to TIMEPAC coordinator Leandro Madrazo, #ICAEN, #AEB, speakers, moderators and audience.
If you are interested in hearing more, or want to recieve a copy of the presentation, don’t hesitate to contact us!
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