Clean Energy Technology

Design tools to support building designers in estimating the combined impact of the different technologies during the design phase of a new building or of a building renovation. Such tools allow management of a greater number of alternatives in finding optimal design solutions.

Fibre optics combined with solar light collectors to transmit daylight in zones usually hard to light in the day, also called "remote source lighting".

Composite materials consist of two or more chemically distinct constituents on a macro-scale with properties which cannot be obtained by any constituent working individually. They may include materials reinforced with fibres, flakes, particulates, or laminated composites, etc.

The introduction of additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) in the precast concrete industry appears to be a viable solution for high repeatability over many concrete pours. 3D printing can be applied directly to the on-site construction process, reducing the environmental impact while exploring new and complicated geometries.

Photovoltaic systems (e.g. panels, cells or any other product) are integrated in the building skin. Two technologies are in competition: thick crystal products (made from crystalline silicon) and thin-film products (where an active photovoltaic material is placed on a glass or metal substrate).

Modular building components include re-configurable systems, and overall systems, networks and designs that allow disassembly so that buildings can meet different needs (e.g. serving as a meeting room, conference room, co-working space, etc) or even be used for different functions (e.g. office space, residential use, etc).

The funicular floor is a thin concrete element consisting of vaults and optimised stiffening fins. The thickness of the slab and fins is no more than 20 mm, which allows 70% of the concrete to be replaced by low-density insulation materials to improve the thermal performance of the floor.

Fabric formwork allows the design of concrete elements in a flexible way, using a soft formwork than can be shaped according to an optimised layout. It can be used for walls, columns, and elevated slab soffits (an exterior or interior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of any construction element).

Attention to building design to maximise daylight in the building through, for example, window placement, light shelves, shorter partitions.

Composite construction uses a combination of two or more materials used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilise: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; a timber frame with a concrete core, etc.

A thin shelled concrete roof is a sandwich structure integrating buildings elements (e.g. a hydronic radiant heating and cooling system, thin film photovoltaic systems, etc.) while also serving as a lightweighted roof. The thickness of the concrete varies between 3 and 30 cm, and it withstands stress thanks to its specific shape.

Precasting is the use of a reusable mould to produce a structural element in a controlled and standardised environment. The precast is then transported to the construction site to be assembled with other structural pieces.