Artículos (Construcciones Arquitectónicas I)

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/11307

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Environmental Performance of a Lightweight Double-Layer Covering for In Situ Archaeological Site Protection: The 1st c CE Roman Tomb of the Two Families (Carmona, Spain)
(MDPI, 2026) Ordóñez Martín, Manuel Arturo; Gómez de Cózar, Juan Carlos; Benítez Bodes, Rosa María; Domínguez Torres, Carlos Antonio; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Expresión Gráfica y Arquitectónica; Junta de Andalucía
The preventive conservation of ground-level archaeological sites requires not only protection from direct weathering but also effective control of the surrounding microclimate. Conventional archaeological coverings generally fail to provide adequate environmental stability while generating significant physical, visual, and environmental impacts. This study presents an integrated methodology for the design, optimization, and validation of a lightweight double-layer covering conceived as a sustainable environmental protection system rather than a passive protective shelter. The proposed workflow integrates parametric optimization of geometry and materiality, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), environmental monitoring, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, and experimental validation. The methodology was applied to the 1st c. CE Roman Tomb of the Two Families, located within the Carmona Archaeological Complex (Spain), where the environmental performance of the covering was evaluated through more than one year of in situ monitoring and numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the proposed solution effectively moderates the site’s microclimate while significantly reducing environmental impacts and material consumption compared with conventional protective structures. The close agreement between monitored and simulated data validates the proposed design methodology and confirms the reliability of the environmental models. This research demonstrates that lightweight archaeological coverings can be conceived as a sustainable environmental protection infrastructure, providing a potentially transferable methodological framework for preventive conservation that integrates structural efficiency, environmental control and sustainability from the earliest stages of the design process.
CEREA 3D: La nueva frontera de la cerámica arquitectónica. Fabricación aditiva, economía circular y resiliencia climática mediante sistemas de enfriamiento pasivo industrializados
(Conarquitectura Ediciones, 2026) Galán-Marín, Carmen; Pérez Fenoy, José; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Diz Mellado, Eduardo María; Jiménez Guerrero, Adriano; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Junta de Andalucía
A predictive framework for urban climate risk: Mapping heat Hazard and socioeconomic vulnerability at high resolution scenarios
(Elsevier, 2026-09) Sola Caraballo, Javier de; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Serrano-Jiménez, Antonio; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ingeniería del Diseño; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICIN). España; Universidad de Sevilla
Urban climate risk under future climate change is inherently multi-dimensional, yet most assessment approaches rely on single thermal indicators and fail to integrate dynamic and continuous air-temperature data with socioeconomic vulnerability at intra-urban planning resolution. This study presents and validates an open-source, computationally accessible framework that combines dynamic hourly air-temperature simulation at 100-m resolution, three epidemiologically and energetically grounded heat hazard indices, and three socioeconomic vulnerability indicators, classified within the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Hazard-Exposure-Vulnerability structure at residential census-tract resolution. The framework is applied to Seville, Spain, under a 2050 RCP4.5 climate scenario, including the validation of the TARGET model in a hot, dry Mediterranean climate. Results reveal a spatially heterogeneous risk landscape where acute daytime exposure, nocturnal thermal stress, and cooling demand follow divergent spatial patterns. Approximately 33% of the municipal population falls within census tracts where heat hazard and socioeconomic vulnerability coincide, exposing both conditions simultaneously to some degree. A further 2.6% is concentrated in areas of high combined climate risk, where heat hazard and socioeconomic vulnerability simultaneously exceed critical thresholds. The open-source, standard-hardware workflow is transferable to medium-to-large cities with equivalent open-data availability.
Edificios rehabilitados para el invierno, ¿trampas de calor en verano?
(Conversation Media Group, 2026-09-16) Sola Caraballo, Javier de; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Diz Mellado, Eduardo María; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ingeniería del Diseño
Predictive assessment of urban comfort and cumulative heat exposure for climate-resilient district regeneration
(Springer, 2026) Sola Caraballo, Javier de; Fiorito, Francesco; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España
Urban overheating increasingly threatens quality of life, demanding predictive tools for climate-resilient planning. This study presents an assessment framework, validated against in-situ temperature measurements, integrating remote sensing, GIS urban modelling, and CFD microclimate simulation to evaluate neighbourhood-scale heat mitigation interventions before implementation. The workflow is sequential: diverse-sources open datasets are processed in GIS to derive urban morphology and properties, translated into a three-dimensional CFD domain, and returned to GIS as hourly rasters for spatial and statistical analysis. The approach introduces cumulative thermal stress metrics, quantifying total daily hours exceeding severe heat thresholds, computed as the hourly count of UTCI values above 32 °C, advancing beyond conventional snapshot-based evaluations. Applied to a thermally vulnerable neighbourhood in Seville, Spain, three scenarios were comparatively assessed: baseline conditions, reflective materials intervention (higher albedo), and combined reflective materials with urban greening. High-resolution spatiotemporal analysis reveals that reflective materials alone reduce air temperature (~ 1.25 °C peak reduction) but worsen daytime outdoor comfort through increased radiant heat. Combined interventions prove essential, achieving localised UTCI reductions exceeding 7 °C, improving daytime comfort over 86% of the district with respect to reflective materials alone, and cumulative reductions of 2–4 h in daily severe thermal stress exposure. By translating microclimate simulation into exposure metrics that municipalities can act upon, this predictive framework supports the prioritisation of interventions in vulnerable districts of Mediterranean and similar climates, where reducing heat exposure advances inclusive and resilient cities (SDG 11), urban climate action (SDG 13) and the reduction of inequalities (SDG 10) through the same measure.
Airtightness of school classrooms in Spain: field measurements and retrofit implications
(MDPI, 2026-07-27) Fernández-Agüera, Jessica; Bros Williamson, Julio; Domínguez Ruiz, Victoria; Domínguez Amarillo, Samuel; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España; TEP1000: Comfort, Health and Energy Use in Buildings
This study characterises the airtightness of school classrooms in several Spanish educational centres using blower-door measurements (ISO 9972:2015). Building envelope airtightness governs uncontrolled air infiltration and plays a central role in indoor air quality (IAQ): excessively permeable envelopes increase the ingress of outdoor pollutants such as PM2.5, while highly airtight classrooms without adequate mechanical ventilation may accumulate indoor CO2 and thermal discomfort. In Mediterranean climates, where mechanical ventilation is not systematically installed in schools, uncontrolled infiltration frequently becomes the dominant air renewal mechanism during the heating season. The measured classrooms show a mean n50 of 9.08 h−1 (range: 4.32–22.67 h−1), placing them at an intermediate level in the international literature. High within-school variability was identified, indicating that single-classroom measurements may be insufficient to represent building-level airtightness. External façade area showed the strongest exploratory association with n50 (Spearman ρ = 0.663, p = 0.037), but the small, non-random sample does not support generalising this relationship beyond the measured classrooms. The paired comparison in Centre C4 did not suggest an airtightness improvement beyond measurement uncertainty after the specific ETICS intervention, while the C5 case illustrates the potential influence of unsealed service penetrations. Overall, the observations point to windows, junctions and service penetrations as priority locations for diagnosis and targeted sealing, to be verified in larger and more diverse samples.
Coupling urban microclimate and building energy modelling: An open-source parametric workflow
(Springer, 2026-07-31) Sola Caraballo, Javier de; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Carlucci, Francesco; Fiorito, Francesco; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ingeniería del Diseño; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
Urban microclimate exerts a significant influence on building indoor thermal performance, yet the coupled assessment of outdoor–indoor conditions, and the predictive evaluation of urban interventions prior to implementation, remain computationally and methodologically demanding. This study develops an automated, user-oriented workflow to evaluate how neighbourhood-scale urban interventions influence both outdoor heat exposure and indoor thermal comfort. The proposed parametric pipeline links open-source Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, Grasshopper-based algorithmic modelling, the Vertical City Weather Generator (VCWG), and EnergyPlus Weather file morphing for building energy simulation. The workflow automates urban data extraction, parametric model generation, remote microclimate simulation, and climate-file preparation, allowing seasonal assessments without requiring Python programming expertise. Its capabilities are compared with Urban Weather Generator (UWG) and ENVI-met, revealing that, among the analysed tools, VCWG provides a balanced combination of sensitivity to radiative properties and vegetation changes, long-term simulation capacity, and operational computation times. The workflow is applied to a mid-20th century residential neighbourhood in Seville, Spain, under three scenarios: baseline, higher-reflectance surfaces, and a combined reflectance and vegetation strategy. Results illustrate the pipeline’s capacity to capture multi-scale thermal effects: outdoor air temperature reductions of up to −3 °C (mean summer decrease of −0.84 °C) translated into a mean indoor temperature reduction of −1.1 °C and a 14% increase in passively comfortable summer hours under the modelled conditions, achieved solely through urban modifications. These results demonstrate that urban-scale surface and vegetation strategies can measurably improve indoor comfort. The workflow offers a practical, replicable decision-support tool for climate-adaptation planning in heat-vulnerable urban neighbourhoods.
Integrating photovoltaic-enhanced cooling strategies for thermal resilience and renewable energy generation in historic urban squares
(MDPI, 2026-07-06) Rezaie, Pegah; Galán-Marín, Carmen; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ingeniería del Diseño; European Commission (EC). Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER); Universidad de Sevilla; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
The intensification of the urban heat island effect poses a critical threat to the preservation and habitability of compact historic districts. The Alameda de Hércules in Seville exemplifies this vulnerability, where the intersection of heritage protection and extreme Mediterranean summers limits conventional climate adaptation. This study conducts a multi-temporal evaluation of the square’s climate resilience, spanning from its configuration prior to major 21st-century renovations to its current state and future projections, proposing future interventions. By integrating advanced microclimatic simulation and high-fidelity energy modeling, the research assesses a dual-function strategy: the improvement of the thermal environment while implementing non-intrusive photovoltaic pavements (PVPs) for energy generation. Environmental parameters, including air temperature, mean radiant temperature (MRT), and the universal thermal climate index (UTCI), were analyzed alongside the renewable energy potential of the site’s mobility infrastructure. Four heritage-sensitive interventions were tested: PV-integrated bicycle lanes, shading canopies, reflective pavement, and permeable paved grass. The results demonstrate that the canopies and paved grass zones can lower surface temperature up to 3.7–4.3 °C, reduce UTCI stress up to 2.3–3.0 °C, and decline MRT up to 10.6 °C. These values correspond to the maximum reductions achieved in specific zones. However, the PVP can locally increase surface temperature by about 4.7 °C and the reflective pavements increase MRT by around 10.4 °C, while generating an estimated annual energy yield of 174.19 MWh. The analysis under future climate projections suggests that these strategies remain equally effective under future scenarios. These findings confirm that PV-integrated urban surfaces offer a viable, reversible, and replicable approach to retrofitting historic public spaces, harmonizing climate-adaptive cooling with decentralized energy production without compromising the site’s cultural significance.
Thermal performance of ceramic building materials: the influence of clay matrix and organic and inorganic waste - a review
(MDPI, 2026-08-07) Sánchez Zúñiga, Jessica Viviana; Barbero Barrera, María del Mar; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Junta de Andalucía; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
This review evaluates how clay mineralogy, waste composition, and processing conditions govern the thermal, physical, and mechanical performance of fired clay ceramics containing organic and inorganic residues. Following PRISMA 2020, 125 original studies published between 2000 and 2025 were selected from Scopus and Web of Science. Keyword co-occurrence analysis and relative-change matrices were used to examine research trends and variations in apparent porosity, water absorption, bulk density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity. Organic residues generally promoted pore formation, reduced density, and lowered thermal conductivity, but these changes were often accompanied by proportionally greater losses in compressive strength. Inorganic residues showed more heterogeneous responses because they may act as pore-forming, fluxing, filler, or phase-forming components, depending on their chemical composition, interaction with the clay matrix, and firing conditions. The results confirm that total porosity or residue content alone cannot predict thermal performance, since pore geometry, connectivity, phase development, and solid-matrix continuity also govern heat transfer and mechanical behavior. Relative-change matrices summarized net property trajectories within each experimental configuration, and intermediate incorporation levels were considered when they altered the apparent thermal–mechanical balance. Technically suitable formulations must balance thermal insulation, mechanical integrity, moisture stability, processing reproducibility, durability, and environmental safety.
A data-driven workflow for automated life cycle assessment in building refurbishment
(Elsevier, 2026-06-15) Gachkar, Sadaf; Gachkar, Darya; García Martínez, Antonio; Angulo Bahón, Cecilio; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; TEP130: Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Sostenibilidad: Acústica, Iluminación, Óptica y Energía
The construction sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a substantial share arising from the embodied impacts associated with the production and use of building materials. Refurbishment can reduce these impacts by extending building life and limiting new material demand. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) quantifies these benefits, but refurbishment LCAs are often slowed by inconsistent project documentation and manual workflows. This study presents a data-driven workflow for automated LCA in building refurbishment. Natural language processing and machine learning are used to extract material inventories from Bills of Quantities (BoQ), link them to environmental databases, and calculate embodied impacts for the A1–A3 modules (production stage). The workflow is further extended to additional refurbishment-relevant life cycle stages, including A4 (transport to site), A5 (construction and installation), and B2–B5 (maintenance, repair, and refurbishment) by linking material inventories automatically extracted from BoQ to refurbishment stage calculations through transparent, stage-specific assumptions. The main contribution of this study is the integration of BoQ-based material extraction, machine-learning database matching, and life cycle impact calculation into a unified automated workflow, together with the systematic extension of document-derived material inventories to refurbishment stages, enabling the explicit calculation of refurbishment impacts (B5) within an automated and auditable LCA workflow. Applied to the rehabilitation and expansion of the Town Hall of Fuentes de Andalucía (Seville, Spain), the workflow reports A1–A3 impacts of 300,158.50 kg CO2-eq in about 10 min. Validation against published refurbishment studies shows consistency with established benchmarks.
A methodology for integrating toxic emission from building materials during the use stage into building life cycle assessment
(Springer, 2026-07-02) Rey Álvarez, Belén; Sánchez-Montañés Macías, Benito; García Martínez, Antonio; Historia, Teoría y Composición Arquitectónicas; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; HUM1008: Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Ecología; TEP130: Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Sostenibilidad: Acústica, Iluminación, Óptica y Energía
Purpose This paper develops a reproducible calculation procedure to integrate human toxicity from construction material emissions during the use stage into building LCA, focusing on the indoor air emissions stage (module B1 under EN 15978). The research evaluates whether a building inventory (elements, materials and product documentation) can be translated into a substance‑resolved emission inventory by compartment (household indoor or outdoor) and subsequently characterised with USEtox, while preserving traceability and operability with commonly available data. Methods The method follows a four step workflow: (1) disaggregation of the building into Level(s) elements, materials and substances; (2) conversion of contained mass to cumulative B1 emissions through an explicit rules matrix (physicochemical class crossed with construction position) assigning indoor or outdoor compartments; (3) impact characterisation using USEtox compartment specific factors (CTUh and DALY); and (4) hierarchical aggregation (substance to material to element to building). Substances lacking a USEtox characterisation factor are retained as identified but assigned CF = 0, and coverage metrics are reported to delimit the evaluated fraction. The procedure is positioned as a screening and prioritisation tool rather than a predictive concentration model; its consistency is supported by bibliographic justification of the emission matrix, sensitivity analysis on key assumptions and benchmarking against published USEtox‑based and dynamic IAQ studies. Results and discussion Application to a two-storey detached house reveals two dominant patterns. First, impacts are concentrated almost entirely in the household indoor compartment, consistent with higher exposure potential under confined conditions. Second, results are highly concentrated in a small set of elements and materials (notably insulation, primers and sealants), while many elements remain at zero. This sparsity reflects both methodological filters (emission rules) and data constraints (compositional disaggregation and USEtox coverage). Therefore, “zero” contributions must be interpreted as an evaluation zone limited by data rather than intrinsic harmlessness. The findings highlight the structural gap between building scale decision making and the effective availability of characterisation factors at the substance scale, identifying where further chemical documentation is most critical. Conclusions A transparent, traceable bridge between building inventories and USEtox characterisation can be implemented for the indoor air emissions stage without dynamic IAQ modelling, enabling screening and comparative prioritisation during design and specification. Practical uptake depends more on chemical traceability and coverage than on model sophistication. The method contributes to integrating indoor‑related human health impacts alongside the other environmental categories covered in building LCA, supporting more health‑informed design and specification decisions.
Seasonal and Spatial Assessment of Residential Photovoltaic Feasibility in Spain Under Current and Future Climate Conditions Using the APV,N Indicator
(MDPI, 2026) Torres González, Marta; Delgado Gutiérrez, Evelyn Yaneth; Kiszkis, Weronika; Rubio Bellido, Carlos; Ingeniería Gráfica; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Construcciones Arquitectónicas II; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España
This study evaluates the spatial and seasonal feasibility of residential PV integration across 52 Spanish municipalities representing the country’s main urban areas. The assessment is based on the normalized photovoltaic sizing indicator (APV,N), defined as the PV area required to offset electricity demand per square metre of conditioned floor area. Simulations were performed under current climate conditions and future projections for 2050 and 2100 using the RCP4.5 scenario. Results reveal strong climatic and seasonal contrasts. Under current conditions, annual PV generation offsets approximately 17–18% of residential electricity demand. Southern and Mediterranean municipalities show the highest feasibility, with annual APV,N values of approximately 2–2.5, whereas northern and inland regions present severe winter limitations, with APV,N values frequently exceeding 15–20. Summer is the most favourable season, with PV systems covering more than 50% of seasonal demand in several southern municipalities. Future climate projections indicate a progressive improvement in PV feasibility. Under RCP4.5, annual APV,N decreases by approximately 5–10% by 2100, while the production-to-consumption (P/C) ratio improves by about 15–20% relative to present conditions, mainly due to reduced heating demand. The results demonstrate that future climate conditions may improve the viability of residential PV systems in Spain, particularly in southern and coastal urban areas, while northern regions will remain constrained during winter. The study provides quantitative benchmarks for climate-sensitive PV planning and long-term urban energy strategies.
Regenerative design for heat-resilient cities: Nature-based microclimatic strategies in a Mediterranean context
(MDPI, 2026-05-08) Diz Mellado, Eduardo María; Soto Orozco, Juan; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Sánchez de la Flor, Francisco José; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Ingeniería del Diseño; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
Urban areas in Mediterranean climates are increasingly affected by extreme heat, exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and the lack of climate-responsive public spaces. This study addresses the need for integrated methodologies combining empirical monitoring and simulation tools to support regenerative urban design. The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) in improving microclimatic conditions and outdoor thermal comfort during summer heatwave periods in a vulnerable urban area in Seville (Spain). A mixed-method approach combining microclimatic monitoring and ENVI-met simulations in situ was applied. A field campaign conducted in summer 2023 was used to characterize baseline conditions and calibrate the model, which simulated both current and proposed scenarios incorporating vegetation, shading systems, permeable materials, and water features. Results from the Seville case study show significant improvements, with air temperature reductions of up to 1.6 °C (daytime) and 1.9 °C (nighttime), surface temperature decreases of up to 11 °C, and thermal comfort improvements reaching 8 °C in UTCI. Beyond environmental benefits, the intervention promotes socially regenerative public space by enhancing usability, inclusivity, and comfort. Limitations include the use of a single representative summer day and inherent simplifications of the ENVI-met model. These findings demonstrate the potential of integrated NBS strategies to mitigate urban heat and support climate-adaptive and socially responsive urban design.
How effective are regulation-based passive retrofits in adapting social housing to overheating scenarios?
(Elsevier, 2026) Sola Caraballo, Javier de; López Cabeza, Victoria Patricia; Diz-Mellado, Eduardo; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España; ERDF A way of making Europe; Universidad de Sevilla
Rising temperatures pose a significant challenge for obsolete buildings, which constitute up to 30% of Europe’s building stock. Current energy renovation policies, while effective for decarbonization, exhibit a critical ’winter bias.’ By prioritizing thermal insulation without mandating adaptive cooling strategies, these regulations risk locking social housing stock into a trajectory of structural overheating, exacerbating health risks in increasingly warm climates. Moreover, in situations where households cannot afford or use air-conditioning systems and high temperatures are frequent, building retrofits should prioritise both reducing winter heat losses and passively lowering indoor temperatures during the warmer season. This research, therefore, evaluates the effectiveness of these standards under climate change conditions by projecting towards a 2080-time horizon, analysing an archetypal mid-20th century social housing case, which operates passively like many of those in temperate and warm climates. Through an assessment with a prior diagnosis based on climate evolution scenarios, a thermo-energy analysis focused on passive comfort is carried out, analysing all representative dwellings of a whole neighbourhood. The results show that, while the initial retrofit based solely on current standards results in improvements in the cold season, summer conditions worsen and there is limited improvement on the annual average. As an alternative, this study proposes an adapted improvement based on intelligent ventilation control. This could be easily implemented in refurbished buildings, ensuring thermal comfort for more than 90% of the hours of the year without relying on active climate control systems.
How to conduct an archaeoacoustic study of rock art sites through impulse response measurements
(Cambridge University Press, 2026) Alvarez-Morales, Lidia; Santos da Rosa, Neemias; Díaz Andreu, Margarita; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; European Research Council (ERC); TEP130: Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Sostenibilidad: Acústica, Iluminación, Óptica y Energía
Incorporating intangible aspects of prehistoric experience, including sound, has become increasingly important in rock art research, offering a more comprehensive interpretation of the past. Scholars suggest that the acoustic properties of certain rock art sites may have influenced not only artistic creation but also social and ritual practices. This article presents guidelines for recording, digitizing, and analyzing the acoustic features of open and semi-open rock art sites. The proposed protocol integrates two complementary approaches: a sonic exploration to gather subjective (person-centered) data, and experimental impulse response measurements based on room acoustics principles to obtain quantitative acoustic data. Given the lack of standardized methodologies for characterizing the acoustics of such sites, this protocol aims to enhance the reliability, reproducibility, and comparability of future archaeoacoustic research. By establishing a rigorous framework, it contributes to a deeper understanding of how sound shaped past human experiences.
Thermal performance of ETICS retrofitting in archetypical mediterranean school buildings: an in-situ comparative study
(Elsevier, 2026-06-01) Cimiano Prados, María; Morales Conde, María Jesús; Pedreño Rojas, Manuel Alejandro; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; TEP205: Análisis y Evaluación de Sistemas Constructivos y Estructurales en la Arquitectura
This study presents a comparative in-situ assessment of the thermal behavior associated with the application of an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) in public primary school buildings located in a Mediterranean climate. Two architecturally identical schools in Seville (Spain) were monitored under free-running conditions, one in its original state and the other retrofitted with ETICS. The analysis relies on directly measured temperature-based indicators, including interior and exterior surface temperatures and indoor air temperatures, recorded during representative summer and winter school-week periods. The results show that the retrofitted building exhibited a moderated thermal response relative to the original case in both seasons. In summer, lower interior surface temperatures and reduced daily temperature amplitude were observed in the retrofitted façade, while in winter higher interior surface and indoor air temperatures were recorded, indicating enhanced buffering under heating-dominated conditions. Qualitative thermographic inspection supports these findings by revealing a more homogeneous surface temperature distribution in the retrofitted façade. The studied buildings belong to a standardized public school typology widely replicated across southern Spain, which enhances the potential transferability of the observed trends to similar educational buildings in Mediterranean climates. Overall, the study contributes empirical evidence on the envelope-driven thermal response of ETICS retrofits in existing schools under free-running conditions, supporting passive renovation strategies in warm Mediterranean contexts.
Evaporative cooling photovoltaic-powered ventilation for Mediterranean schools
(Elsevier, 2026-05) Llanos Jiménez, Jesús; López Lovillo, Remedios María; León-Rodríguez, Ángel Luis; Suárez, Rafael; Expresión Gráfica y Arquitectónica; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España; TEP999: HABITAE: Habitabilidad, Acondicionamiento y Energía en Arquitectura
Most schools in the Mediterranean climate of southern Spain lack mechanical ventilation and cooling systems, leading to inadequate air quality and thermal comfort during the warm season. This issue is critical, as poor air quality and overheating in classrooms negatively affect students' health and comfort. To address this challenge, this study evaluates an evaporative cooling system with photovoltaic-powered mechanical ventilation as a sustainable strategy to mitigate overheating in classrooms. The novelty of the research lies in the integrated assessment of a real-case, renewable-based solution that has been scarcely implemented and insufficiently studied in schools, particularly in hot-dry climates. The methodology included year-long continuous monitoring of hygrothermal conditions and indoor pollutants in classrooms, complemented by short-term controlled campaigns on climatically significant school days for testing specific ventilation and cooling protocols under controlled conditions. Student surveys were also conducted to evaluate perceived comfort and system acceptance, and to compare results with naturally ventilated classrooms under similar conditions. Results indicate that the evaporative cooling system with mechanical ventilation at 1710 m3/h maintained adequate classroom indoor air quality and thermal comfort with outdoor temperatures under 32.7 °C, with 73.2% of students voting around thermal neutrality. The estimated monthly energy consumption was 176 kWh, fully offset by a 1.35 kW capacity photovoltaic field per classroom. In the cold season (9–15 °C), adequate classroom thermal conditions were achieved with 570 m3/h, requiring limited morning heating. Overall, this integrated low-energy solution effectively and sustainably improves classroom air quality and mitigates overheating in hot-dry climates.
On the relationship between sound, acoustics, and San rock art: An archaeoacoustic study at twenty-seven sites in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains (South Africa)
(Elsevier, 2025-02) Santos da Rosa, Neemias; Alvarez-Morales, Lidia; Moreno Iglesias, Diego; Laue, Ghilraen; Díaz Andreu, Margarita; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; TEP130: Arquitectura, Patrimonio y Sostenibilidad: Acústica, Iluminación, Óptica y Energía
Over the past two decades, scholars have proposed the existence of a strong relationship between sound, acoustics, and the production of San rock art in certain places. However, this intriguing hypothesis had never been tested through the systematic application of a rigorous method to a substantial sample of sites. In this paper, we present an unprecedented archaeoacoustic study conducted at 27 shelters with San paintings located in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains (South Africa). The results obtained through the use of the impulse response (IR) method indicate that such a relationship should not be considered a pattern, but a circumstantial occurrence identified only in specific parts of the South African territory. Drawing on these data, we suggest that in our study area, the choice of sites to be painted may have been predominantly influenced by ontological beliefs concerning how the San perceived the shelters and the surrounding landscape.
Upgrading UTCI through supervised learning using the RUROS dataset
(Elsevier, 2026-04-15) Rodríguez Gallego, José Antonio; Diz Mellado, Eduardo María; Nikolopoulou, Marialena; Chacón Rebollo, Tomás; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Ecuaciones Diferenciales y Análisis Numérico; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; FQM120: Modelado Matemático y Simulación de Sistemas Medioambientales; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) plays a key role in climate-resilient urban planning, but widely used indices such as the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) are constrained by their complex thermophysiological formulations and limited interpretability. This paper proposes an explainable Machine Learning (ML) framework for binary OTC classification based on the RUROS dataset, which contains 6,079 valid questionnaire responses from seven European cities. By substituting thermoregulatory simulations with a data-driven methodology, this study offers a transparent tool that clarifies how environmental variables shape human thermal perception. We assessed 36 distinct workflows in seven cities, comparing inherently interpretable models such as Logistic Regression and Decision Trees against standard baselines. By validating on cities that were held out during training, we confirmed that the model generalizes well to varied climatic conditions. Our final recommendation, a Naïve Bayes model with Downsampling (NBD), relies on air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity to estimate comfort probabilities. The NBD model outperforms the UTCI, reaching a balanced accuracy of 0.611 versus 0.585 for the index. Statistical verification using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and bootstrap confidence intervals shows that this advantage is both consistent and meaningful. In addition to higher predictive accuracy, NBD provides a probabilistic framework that enables urban planners to map heat-risk areas in terms of likelihood rather than relying on fixed thresholds. Together, these results underscore the promise of explainable ML for delivering more flexible and dependable evaluations to support well-being in public urban environments.
Parameter-based optimization of the 3D clay-printability
(Elsevier, 2025-12) Diz Mellado, Eduardo María; Jiménez Guerrero, Adriano; Pérez Fenoy, José; Rivera-Gómez, Carlos; Galán-Marín, Carmen; Construcciones Arquitectónicas I; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICIN). España; Agencia Estatal de Investigación. España; Junta de Andalucía; TEP206: SATH Sostenibilidad en Arquitectura, Tecnología y Patrimonio: Materialidad y Sistemas Constructivos
This study focuses on optimizing the 3D printability through Liquid Deposition Modelling (LDM) of ceramic clays, particularly addressing the challenges of processing low-moisture mixtures. The main objective was to assess how the chemical and physical composition of clays, along with some deflocculant additive, affects their performance during 3D printing. The plasticity and other properties of different types of clay were evaluated. The results showed that clays with higher plasticity, like White, allowed for easier printing with lower pressures, while Red clay, with lower plasticity, required Sodium Silicate to enhance printability at reduced moisture levels. The addition of deflocculates improved the fluidity of the clay, facilitating smoother extrusion without needing higher pressure. However, the study highlighted that reducing water content significantly could not be fully offset by additives, underscoring the importance of maintaining a balanced moisture level. In conclusion, the controlled use of additives and precise regulation of printing conditions greatly improved the efficiency and quality of 3D printing. This research contributes to advancements in ceramic additive manufacturing, offering important insights for improving material handling and print quality in clay-based 3D printing applications.

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