Sustainable Construction Research at Batir - 2014

Building, Architecture and Town Planning department
Brussels School of Engineering / Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles, ULB

Sustainability Research at BATir
Prof. Dr. ir-ar. ur. AHMED Z. KHAN
Chair Sustainable Architecture, & Urbanism

Ahmed.khan@ulb.ac.be

Sustainability Research at BATir: Structure of the presentation

BATir Overview
§  Research, Teaching, & Staff strength
§  5 LABs

Sustainability research tracks @ BATir
§  1. Integrated Design – AK
§  2. Cities of the future in the framework of GEB – AK
§  3. Town planning, Mobility & Sustainable Urbanism – PB
§  4. Multi-scale life cycle energy analysis – AS
§  5. Urban Metabolism – AA
§  6. Integrating Urban form, Energy and Bioclimatism for sustainable urbanism – SH
§  7. Ecosystem Services optimization for Sustainable design and urbanism – PS
§  8. Design & optimization from a sustainability perspective – RFC
§  9. Shallow geothermy - BF
§  TEFRACEM / ECOBES - SS
§  Brussels Retroﬁt XL - Energy efﬁcient renovation of historic buildings - AG

BATir Overview: Research, Teaching, & Staff strength
§  Fusion of 5 labs related to the built environment
§  Research & teaching spans over a large spectrum of topics covering: Civil engineering,

Architectural engineering & Town Planning.
§  14 full-time professors, 1 FNRS R.A., 80 V. ac. staff ~ 30 FTE, 7 postdocs, & 29 PhD students

BATir Overview: 5 LABs
Sustainability Research Coordinators
@
BATir
§  Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan
Chair Sustainable Architecture & Urbanism

§  Full Prof. Philippe Bouillard
Chair SMC & Sustainable Urbanism

BATir

Sustainability Research Tracks

1&2

Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan

T#1 - Integrated Design for Sustainable Architecture & Urbanism
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 

1. THEORY - Sustainability Science, theory & discourse
2. DESIGN – Research by design and Urban design
3. PLANNING – strategic spatial planning, policy, governance
4. ASSESSMENT – strategic / sustainability / enviromental
5. INFRASTRUCTURE – Mobility, transport, utilities
6. ECOLOGY – climate change, ecosystems, Bioclimatism

T#2 - Cities of the Future in the framework of GEB (Global Ecological Balance)
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 

1. Exploring Urban Futures
2. Carbon Neutrality & Air Quality
3. Energy sufﬁciency
4. Resilience
5. Livability
6. Social cohesion

BATir

Best
Prac?ce
/

Cases

Exploring

Urban

Best

Futures

Prac?ce/

Carbon

Neutrality

DESIGN

Research by Design

& Urban design

1&2

Best
Prac?ce
/

Cases

Energy

Suﬃciency

IDSAU
Cases

INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR USTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
CITIES OF THE FUTURE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL BALANCE
Best

COFGEB
Prac?ce/

Social

Cases

Mobility, Transport.
Utilities
Cohesion

Resilience

INFRASTRURE

Best
Prac?ce
/

Cases

Livability

Best
Prac?ce
/

Cases

BATir

Best Practice /
Cases

Exploring
Urban

Best
Futures
Practice/

Carbon
Neutrality

DESIGN

Research by Design

& Urban design

1&2

Best Practice /
Cases

Energy
Sufficiency

Cases
IDSAU
INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR USTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
CITIES OF THE FUTURE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL BALANCE
Best
COFGEB
Practice/
Social
Cases
Mobility, Transport.
Utilities
Cohesion
Resilience

INFRASTRURE

Best Practice /
Cases

Livability

Best Practice /
Cases

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1&2

Research Tracks
IDSAU
framework
with
6
thema?c
and
disciplinary
rela?onal
tracks

§  Educa&onal
contribu&on
+
organizing
and
structuring
the
development
of
individual

PhD
student’s
research
trajectories.

1.
Theory

involves
theory-‐building
track
on
the
rela&onships
between
sustainability
pillars
(3Es

–
economy,
ecology,
equity),
values
and
ethics,
and
their
reinterpreta&ons
in
the

design,
policy
and
technological
discourses
reﬂected
in
the
prolifera&ng
transi&on

strategies
for
enhancing
theore&cal
underpinnings
of
ID

2.
Design

involves
research
by
design
&
urban
design
track
into
building
&
urban
form,

infrastructure,
density
&
land-‐use
rela&onship
at
diﬀerent
scales
(building,
cluster,

neighborhood
to
city
&
region)
&
their
transforma&ons
for
developing
new

concepts,
strategies
&
scenarios
for
ID
(Integrated
Design)

3.
Planning

involves
research
into
the
rela&onships
between
various
substan&al
sustainability

issues,
land-‐use
change
dynamics,
mul&-‐level
governance,
and
their
policy

dimensions
for
ID
&
sustainable
urban
development

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1&2

4.
Strategic

Assessment
-‐
Indicators
/

Models

involves
research
into
the
rela&onships
between
different
sustainability

measurement
systems
(indicators
&
indexes)
at
different
scales
and
their
underlying

methodological
base
(LCA,
ecological/carbon
foot-‐print,
embodied
energy
to
eco-‐
indicators
&
externali&es)
for
developing
new
integrated
models
&
simula&on

methods
for
ID

5.
Infrastructure,

Mobility,

Transport

involves
research
into
the
rela&onships
between
infrastructures
of
all
kind,
mobility,

mul&-‐modality,
u&li&es
(energy,
water,
gas,
communica&on,
etc.),
transporta&on

modes
(hard
&
soP
i.e.
road,
rail,
water
&
air-‐ways;
and
pedestrian,
bicycle,
etc.),

and
the
way
they
influence
urban
morpholology,
and
shapes
urban
forms
that

require
integrated
models
&
simula&on
methods
for
ID

4.
Ecology,

Climate
Change,

Ecosystems

involves
research
into
the
rela&onships
between
ecosystem
services
(par&cularly

the
urban
ones),
material
and
immaterial
urban
ecologies,
urban
metabolism,

bioclima&sm,
in
the
context
of
climate
change
(UHI,
HW,
etc)
in
order
to
develop

new
integrated
design,
planning
and
policy
responses

!

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1&2

Integrated Design for SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
THEORY

DESIGN

PLANNING

Sustainability Science,
theory & discourse

Research by Design & Urban Design

Planning, public policy & Governance

Sustainability Pillars,
Values, Models, science;
Urban & Arch. Theory

Relationships between
Pillars (3Es – economy,
ecology, equity), Values
(participation, solidarity,
etc.) and their
reinterpretations
Paradigm shifts: Genesis
of envt’l movement, env’tdevelopment politics,
climate change, global
warming & sustainability,
natural capitalism,
ecosophy
History: Urban
environmental history,
history of technology, STS
Green consciousness in
architecture, urbanism &

Building envelope & Urban form, land-use and
Density interrelationships

Existential fields / sectors towards
integrated, inter-sectoral and SES
based
Design imperatives: Mixed use, low rise, high
Policy imperatives: Social cohesion,
density, compact, climate-sensitive and resource / environmental sustainability & democratic
energy conserving Integrated design
governance
Substantial issues: energy & entropy, urban
Substantial issues: Social exclusion,
sprawl, heat island, brownfields
environmental degradation, uneven
Analytical frame: Urbanisation & urbanism
development
Analytical frame: Globalisation and
dialectics; spatial structures & social processes
co-define each other; building envelope & urban
rescaling / restructuring processes
form as factors of sustainability
Approaches: strategic spatial planning,
Approaches: Strategic projects, spatial & Typospatial analysis, Transition management,
morphological analysis, research by design,
3P/3E, SES [eco-services & systems
mapping/modelling, GIS
theory], spatial justice & political ecology
Dimensions:
Dimensions:
- Density related [e.g. Space syntax: Urban space - socio-spatial inequalities;
consumption per capita over time]
- Welfare and social services;
- Urban form related [Compact, Polycentric,
- Education and training];
edge, just, eco - city];
- Diversity and identity;
- Infrastructure related [TODs, multi-modal hubs, - Creativity and innovation;

!
!
!

BATir


1&2

Integrated Design for SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
ECOLOGY
Climate change, Ecosystems,
Bioclimatism

INFRASTRUCTURE
Mobility, Infrastructure,
Multi-modality

Urban Climate change, Urban
ecosystem services, material &
immaterial urban ecologies, Urban
metabolism, Bioclimatic design &
strategies

Transportation, Mobility,
utilities (energy, water, gas,
heat, etc.), Multi-modality

Design criteria: Research by design, process etc.

Design criteria:

Planning imperatives:

Planning imperatives:

Policy responses:

Policy Reponses:

Substantial issues: energy & entropy, urban sprawl, heat
island, brownfields

Substantial issues:

Analytical frame: Urbanisation & urbanism dialectics;
spatial structures & social processes co-define each other;
building envelope & urban form as factors of sustainability

Analytical frame:

Approaches: Strategic projects, spatial & Typomorphological analysis, research by design,
mapping/modelling, GIS

Dimensions:
-

Dimensions:

Approaches:

ASSESSMENT
Strategic Assessment Frameworks
INDICATORS or INDEX (label), modeling, scenarios
Integrated Sustainability assessment, Environmental
impact assessment, Environmental conflicts assessment
frameworks
Classification
Methodological base
[Ecological footprint, carbon
[ATHENA based]
calculations, to the eco@ Building scale @ NHD & Urban indicator and externalities]
scale
- product comparison
tools and information
sources (e.g. BEES,
SimaPro and TEAM)
- whole building
decision support tools
(e.g. ATHENA, BEAT
2002, BeCost, envest
2 and EQUER
- whole building
assessment
frameworks or
systems / qualitative
tools based on rating
systems (DCBAmethod, GBTool,
CASBEE, BREEAM
and LEED)

- BREEAM
communities,
- LEED for
Neighborhood
Development and CASBEE for Urban
Development

- LCA [Life Cycle
Assessment]; most tools @
building scale are based on
LCA, @ higher scales
increasingly include qualitative
judgments [e.g. urban
metabolism, material, energy
or mass flow accounting and
the ecodevice model]
- EIA based – ISO & CEN for
buildings, but mostly based
on LCA
- Eco-foot print based @
higher scales: - Food, Travel,
Home, Stuff

BATir


1&2

Strategic Environmental Conflict Assessment Framework: SECAF
Climate Change & Sea Level Rise

Source:
NASA
2012,
IPCC
2007

BATir


1&2

SECAF: Climate Change & SeaS T Level WRise:T I ECoastal Cities
ATE OF THE ORLD’S CI
S 2008/2009

§  LECZ or Low elevation coastal zone (< 10 m asl) covers ~ 2% of the world's land

N

area, but contains 10% of its total population and 13% of its urban population.
Graphs, Diagrams and Maps
§  Enormous Exposure of Populations and Assets [financial, physical, environmental

& socio-cultural] makes themdangerous: Cities and climate change
Drowned and the front-line for action
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN CITIES AT RISK DUE TO SEA-LEVEL RISE

Source: UN-HABITAT Global Urban Observatory 2008

AFRICAN CITIES AT RISK DUE TO SEA-LEVEL RISE

ASIAN CITIES AT RISK DUE TO SEA-LEVEL RISE

Mogadishu

N

N

N

Source:
UN-‐Habitat
2008



This is a UN-HABITAT Feature/Backgrounder, please feel free to publish or quote from this article provided UN-HAB
our website. For further information, please contact: For more information, please contact: Spokesperson & Head, P
Tel: (254 20) 762 3153; 762 3151; Fax: (254 20) 762 4060: E-mail: habitat.press@unhabitat.org; Website: www.unhabitat

BATir


1&2

SECAF: Climate Change & Sea Level Rise: Mobility Flows

WATER WAYS

AIR WAYS

LAND WAYS

BATir


1&2

SECAF: Climate Change & Sea Level Rise: HUMAN MOBILITY &
TOURISM

BATir


SECAF:Demographic Pressures:

1&2

World Population Growth Through History [Billions]

Number of years to add each billion (year)

World Population clock
More
Developed
Countries

Less
Developed
Countries

Less
Developed
Countries
(less
China)

80,794,218

1,234,907

79,559,311

71,906,587

221,354

3,383

217,971

197,004

154

2

151

137

Natural
Increase
per

World

Year
Day
Minute

Sources:
First
and
second
billion:
Popula&on
Reference
Bureau.
Third
through
ninth
billion:
United
Na&ons,
World
Popula+on
Prospects:
The
2004
Revision
(medium
scenario),
2005.

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SECAF: Urbanization patterns:

1&2

GROWTH & RESTRUCTURING

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SECAF: Urbanization patterns:

1&2

GROWTH & RESTRUCTURING

Source:
NASA

BATir


SECAF: Urbanization patterns: Use of Resources

1&2

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1&2

SECAF: Use of ResourcesEnergy Consumption of Construction & Building
Other industries

(62.7%)

Operation of

Building

(10.2%)

Operation of

Business facilities

(9.9%)

Production of

materials

for construction

(10.9%)

Transportation

related to

construction

(5.0%)

Construction work

(1.3%)

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1&2

ECUMENOPOLIS + ECUMENOKEPOS
ECUMENOPOLIS
GLOBAL CITY

+ GLOBAL GARDEN

GLOBAL
S PATIAL
S YNTHESIS

THE
D OUBLE
S CALE:
E COLOGY
O F
N ATURE & URBANISATION =
F RAMEWORK
F OR
U RBANISM

Solutions for Environmental contrasts in COastal Areas

1 2

BATir

&
SECAF: Global Ecological Balance - Global Garden
National Parks:
•  During 1830s, the first National Parks in USA legislated
•  Now, over 25,000 National Parks across the world
Protected Areas:
•  Over 161,000 protected areas in the world (as of
October 2010) representing between 10 and 15
percent of the world's land surface area.
•  By contrast, only 1.17% of the world's oceans is
included in the world's ~6,800 Marine Protected Areas.

Solutions for Environmental contrasts in COastal Areas

BATir

1 2

&
SECAF: Global Ecological Balance - Global CITIES?

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1&2

SECAF: Global Ecological Balance - Global COASTAL CITIES?
Country

Case
study
1

Case
study
2

Italy

Belgium

Rome
Metropolitan
Area

Oostende

Portugal

Lisbon
Metropolitan
Area

Chie?-‐Pescara
urban
area

Zeebrugge

Algarve
Region
and
Funchal

urban
area

United

Kingdom

Israel

India

Vietnam

Sweden

Thames
Gateway

Portsmouth
city

Tel
Aviv
metropolitan
area

Mumbai
Metropolitan
Area

Hai
Phong

Gothenburg

Metropolitan
Area

Haifa
metropolitan
area

Chennai
Metropolitan
Area

Nha
Trang

Malmö
Metropolitan
Area

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1&2

SECAF: Global Ecological Balance - Global COASTAL CITIES?

Ports and Harbours [P&H]

Energy / power generation [EG]

Growth and Development of general Urban functions [UGD]

Natural environments and habitat [NEH]

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SECAF:


1&2

Strategic Environmental Conflict Assessment Framework

Coastal
Urban

Environment

Coastal
Urban

Environment

R

SETTINGS

SYSTEMS

Resources

Related
eco-‐
systems
–
climate

change
paierns,

pollu&on,
etc.

Socio-‐economic,

Poli&cal,
Cultural

&
Spa&al

US

Users/
sectors

C

Conﬂicts

G

Governance

/
Planning

U

Uses

Interest & Pressure groups

Core sub-systems in a framework
for analyzing coastal area
environmental [CAE] conflicts

Interactions
Human Mobility
Conflict dynamics

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SECAF:


1&2


R

Resources

US

Users

Physical/Natural
resources

Inhabitants/households

ecosystems
resources

-‐
Soil
&
land-‐use
resources

-‐
Mineral
resources

-‐
Water
resources

Tourism
sector

Social
&
cultural
resources

Agriculture

-‐
Coastal
landscapes
&

Industry,
Trade
&
commerce

Ports
and
harbours
(PH):
ports

Ins&tu&onal:

Urban
growth
and

development
(UGD):
housing

Legal:

[sea
and
also
air]
and
harbours,

their
moderniza&on
/
expansion,

related
industrial
&
mobility

infrastructures

[and
second
homes],
infrastructure,

recrea&on,
resorts
/
hotels,

beaches,
coastal
defences

Energy
producers

Energy
genera&on
(EG):

Ports
&
harbours

Economy
&
employiert

Conven&onal
[hydel,
thermal,

nuclear]
&
renewables
[&dal,
solar,

wind,
etc.]

Environmental
&
Community

groups

Natural
environment
and

habitat
(NEH):
nature
reserves,

Second-‐home
owners

Governance

Uses

Fishing
ﬂeets

Archeological,
heritage
&

historical
resources

G

U

forests,
na&onal
parks,
bio-‐diversity

zones
and
other
protected
areas.

Government
&
semi-‐

govt.
organiza&ons
[local,

regional,
na&onal,
EU
/

Int’l]

Property-‐rights
&
Legal

systems

Civil
society:

Nongovernmental

organiza&ons

Planning:

Urban
design
&
Planning

systems

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SECAF:


1&2


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Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan

SQAF: Spatial Quality Assessment Framework

1&2

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Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan

1&2

SQAF: Spatial Quality Assessment Framework

CEEE-C, Sgt/Theme 4: Urban Applications

SCF project

1&2

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND WORK PLAN

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3.1 Overall research strategy

CEEE-C, Sgt/Theme 4: Urban Applications

SCF project

The research will be developed in five steps (to be elaborated later, illustrated below
in the scheme): I. Analysis; II. Integration; III. Projection; IV. Synthesis; V. Valorisation
and Dissemination

SCF: Smart Cities of the future

Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan

Centre d’Excellence en Efficacité Energétique
Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency
! SGT4 - Thématique « applications urbaines » - Theme ‘Urban Applications’

___________________________________________________________________________________
Project: CSU
Centre for Sustainable Urbanism
Research Project title: SCF

SMART CITIES OF THE FUTURE:
Exploring Sustainable & Energy Sufficient Urban Futures in Wallonia

!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Table of Content:
0. General description
0.1 Project summary
1. Wallonian urban condition: A state of the art
1.1 Going beyond the state of the art
2. Concept and objectives of the project
3. Research methodology and work plan
3.1 Overall research strategy
3.2 Organisation of research
3.3 Work Packages and deliverables
4. Valorisation
5. Identification of research partners
6. Economic actors for valorisation
7. Personnel, equipment and infrastructure needed
8. Provisional budget
9. References
10. Appendices

Figure 11: Overall research strategy

Building, Architecture & Town Planning department, EPB

Université Libre de Bruxelles

1

Building, Architecture & Town Planning department, EPB

Université Libre de Bruxelles

15

negotiated and designed in a bottom-linked manner. Through its ongoing democratic practice involving a
wide diversity of neighbourhood, city, etc. actors, it improves relations between individuals and
organizations both within and outside the neighbourhood. Processes of SI are steered through socially

1&2

innovative governance [Mac Callum, D., et al. 2009]. In this regard, as mentioned earlier, we propose

BATir


the establishment of a ‘European Social Innovation Network’. The following illustration shows how the
philosophy of SI through IAD works: it reacts to deprivation or poor service provision, is based on the
mobilisation of local and supra-local resources, and depends for its effectiveness on multi-scalar

Prof. Ahmed Z. Khan

EUF: Exploring Urban Futures
governance [Moulaert, et al. 2010].

Illustration 6.2: Dynamics of social innovation

Exploring Urban Futures in the European Cities:

A Social Cohesion based approach

Ahmed Zaib K. Mahsud, Frank Moulaert, Andreas Novy and Daniela Coimbra Swiatek
[in collaboration with Abid Mehmood, Anne Querrien, Bernard Decleve, Elie Faroult, Isabel Andre, Jan
schreurs, Jean-Loup Drubigny, Joao Ferrao, Konrad Miciukiewicz, Loris Servillo, Marco Cremaschi,
Marisol Garcia, Rob Atkinson, Serena Vicari, Stephen Graham, Eduardo de Santiago and other members
of SOCIAL POLIS and URBAN-NET]

Source: SOCIAL POLIS platform; in: CEC, [2010b], p. 22

Accessibility to social resources through SI and IAD promotes social inclusion, overcomes spatial
fragmentation, supports capabilities’ acquisition and ameliorates the urban environment towards
cohesion and sustainability. It may stir a renewed interest in social issues at all levels [local, national,
EU], and social cohesion as a worthwhile concern in itself and not only functional to economic
development. In our recommendations, the conceptual and analytical apparatus of SI and IAD [Moulaert,
72

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1&2

H2020: Improving air quality and reducing carbon footprint of European cities
AIR QUALITY

CARBON F.P.

SOA 3
Climate Change

A

Assessment

M

Air Quality

Monitoring
ANALYSIS

Mo Modelling

WP-1

SMEs

WP-2

I

WP-3
WP-4
Management

Improvement

R

SOA 1

WP-10

Carbon FP

Reduction

SOA 2
Coordination

WP-5
Technical
Solutions

Governance

WP-6

Non-technical
Strategies

Integration
Building & running

INTEGRATION

SOA 5

Scenarios

Organisation

Backcasting
Interaction EU

1

Dissemination

Transport

2

Energy Production

4

Industrial Activity

5

Agriculture

6

Trans-boundary

SOA 4

WP-7

WP-8

WP-9

Governance

Heating

3

SYNTHESIS

Technical
Solutions

Non-technical
Strategies

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3

Prof. Philippe Bouillard

Town planning, Mobility & Sustainable Urbanism
§ 

Sustainable development
- Spatial and temporal planning
•  Human activities planning
•  Eco-environment (a.o. urban noise)

§ 
§ 
§ 

PRDD
Mobility
Port-city interface

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4

Multi-scale life cycle assessment of buildings
Research
project
?tle:

An
integrated
mul.-‐scale
life
cycle
assessment
decision-‐making
framework
for
the

built
environment

Postdoctoral
researcher:
André
Stephan

•  Life
cycle
assessment
and
life
cycle
cos?ng

•  Input-‐output
analysis

•  Mul?-‐objec?ve
op?miza?on

•  Integrated
decision–making
framework
for
building
designers,
planners
&
policy-‐makers

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4

with

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4


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5

Urban Metabolism
PhD
?tle:

Mul.-‐scalar
analysis
of
energy
and
material
urban
flows
as
a

methodological
tool
for
policy
making
in
BCR

PhD
Candidate:
Aris?de
Athanassiadis

•  Urban
metabolism
(UM,
MEFA)
and
consump?on-‐based
approaches
(IOA).

•  Urban
environmental
assessment
at
different
spa?al
scales

•  Correla?on
with
local
factors
iden?fying
drivers
with
the
highest
influence

•  Hybrid
framework
as
a
tool
for
coherent
policy-‐making
in
fields
of
produc?on,

consump?on
as
well
as
the
efficiency
of
the
built
environment.

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Urban Metabolism

5

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Urban Metabolism

5

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6

PhD
Title:

Integrated design process through triangulated analysis of Urban
form, Energy and Bioclimatism for sustainable urbanism

PhD
Candidate:
Séverine Hermand
§  Developing a context-specific and scale-sensitive Integrated Design Process (IDP) for
sustainable urbanism (SU) through triangulated analysis of urban form (including
infrastructure), bioclimatism and energy efficiency in the context of Brussels CR.
§  Within this framework, explore IDP at the level of neighbourhood as the first stage of the
research and the district and the city scales are the next two stages.
§  Focus is the design of open space structure in terms of its capacity in regulating the energy
performance in Brussels.
§  to develop an assessment framework for unfolding differentiated design, planning and policy
responses to facilitate an energy efficient and sustainable urban development in BCR.

BATir


6

Urban Form
Covering more than 8,500 ha the open spaces account for more than half of the region’s
surface area (161.38 km2).

Railway verges 3%

Green spaces linked with roads 3%

Forests 20%

Derelict land 7%

Agricultural areas 7%

Open air recreation areas 4%

Cemeteries 2%

Private large domains 10%

Private gardens 32%

Public parks and gardens 12%

Types and % of total open surface area of the
Brussels Capital Region source: IBGE-BIM

Brussels’ open spaces in black (adapted
from URBIS)

BATir


Urban Form

§  Our intention behind the choice and the
overlapping of the structural indicators
is to keep the complexity of the city’s
structure while structuring it in order to
understand the mechanisms.
§  Modelling the interaction between all
these indicators can be a way to
understand and assess the energy
performances of an urban fabric

Overlapping between spatial scales and analytical tools, S. Hermand 2013

6

BATir


7

Ecosystem Services Optimization for Sustainable design & urbanism
PhD
?tle:

Ecosystem
Services
for
the
Sustainable
Development
of
the
BCR:

towards
an
Ecological
Approach
for
Urban
Design
and
Planning

PhD
Candidate:
Philip
Stessens

To
address
the
capacity
of
ecosystem
services
(ES)
as
one
of
the
core
concepts
for
the
sustainable

development
of
the
BCR
through
developing
an
ecological
approach
for
urban
design
and
planning.

Research
Track

Research-‐by-‐Design
Track

Development
of
a
set
of
spa&ally
explicit
and

In
parallel,
a
research-‐by-‐design
stream
will
be

dynamic
indicators
for
scenarios
tes&ng
by:

maintained
through
organizing
a
series
of

workshops
with
key
stakeholders
for:

•  GIS-‐based
environmental
modeling

(to
describe
heat
ﬂux
and
water
reten&on

•  the
valida&on
of
the
analysis
and
indicators;

behavior)
and;

•  co-‐produce
further
knowledge
on
ES
and

•  survey
and
proximity
analysis
(for

urban
design
interac&on;

accessibility
and
experien&al/cultural
issues);
•  and
shared
scenarios
development.

Design
will
thus
be
used
as
an
integra?ve
and
interdisciplinary
component
of
the
research,
but
also
as
a

trans-‐disciplinary
mode
of
research
involving
stakeholder
par?cipa?on
and
co-‐produc?on.

BATir


7

Ecosystem Services optimization for Sustainable design and urbanism

BATir


8

Prof. Rajan Filomeno Coelho

Design & optimization from a sustainability perspective
Development of multicriteria computational methods for designing structures with:
– Lower mass consumption
– Higher structural safety and robustness
– Consideration of environmental impact indicators

ULB-‐BATir
+
Nordenson
&
Associates

ULB-‐BATir

+
Ney
&
Partners

BATir


8

Prof. Rajan Filomeno Coelho

Design & optimization from a sustainability perspective
§  Several applications of bridges, façades of buildings, etc. with industrial partners
§  Spin-off project « PRINCIPIA »: creation of a company in 2015-2016 offering services
for industries in the building sector, to help them designing optimal structures

ULB-‐BATir

+
Ney
&
Partners

PRINCIPIA:
So;ware
as
a
Service
in
structural
design

BATir


9

Prof. Bertrand François

Shallow geothermy – LGM : Laboratory of GeoMechanics
Op.misa.on
des
sondes
géothermiques
en
système
fermé

Projet
GeoTherWal
–
Financement
Région
Wallonne

Partenaire
universitaire:
ULg
(Profs
R.
Charlier
et
F.
Nguyen)

Partenaire
industriel:
OREX,
GeoLys

Durée
du
projet:
4
ans

PhD
Candidate:
Selçuk
Erol

§  Borehole
heat
exchangers
(BHE)
at
low
enthalpy
of
100
m
to
200
m
connected
with
heat

pump
through
a
closed-‐loop
system.

§  Op?misa?on
of
the
grou&ng
material,
the
BHE
geometry
and
the
technique
of
installa&on

(drilling,
U
pipe
installa&on,
grou&ng)

§  Study
of
the
heat
exchanges
as
a
func&on
of
the
BHE
and
the
ground
proper&es

§  Contacts
with
industrial
partners
to
be
as
close
as
possible
with
the
needs
of
industrial

market

BATir


9

Shallow geothermy

T
soil
>
T
air

Soil
=
Poten?al
heat
source

T
soil
<
T
air

Soil
=
Poten?al
heat
sink

Demand
for

hea&ng

WINTER

SUMMER

Demand
for

cooling

Preene
and
Powrie,
Geotechnique
2009

BATir


9

Shallow geothermy
Borehole
heat
exchanger

§ 
No
structural
role

§ 
Boreholes
of
10-‐15
cm
in
diameter,
50
–
300
m
in
length

§ 
U
tubes
in
borehole
(closed
loop)

§ 
Heat
pump
:
T
from
≈15
°C
to
≈35
°C

§ 
Energy
balance:
geothermy
≈
70
%

electricity
for
heat
pump
≈
30
%

§ 
Maximal
power:
7
to
8
kW
/
probe

From
www.crege.ch

BATir


9

Shallow geothermy

Numerical
simula?on
of
the
heat
exhange

Experimental
characteriza?on
of
heat

exchange
between
BHE
and
ground
in
an

instrumented
sandbox

Service BATir
Construction, Architecture et Urbanisme
Building, Architecture and Town planning
Av. F. D. Roosevelt 50 CP 194/2 1050 Bruxelles
secretariat : tel: 02 650 27 20
fax: 02 650 27 89
e-mail: batir@batir.ulb.ac.be

Prof. Dr. ir-ar. ur. Ahmed Z. Khan:

ahmed.khan@ulb.ac.be
Chair Sustainable Architecture & Urbanism

Sustainable Construction Research at Batir - 2014

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