Project duration: 24 Monate (01.01.2019 – 31.12.2020)

Project volume: 29 764 €

Funder: DAAD, Programm Projekt bezogener Personenaustausch mit Brasilien

Funded doctoral students:M.Eng. Katharina Boudier, M.Sc. Mohamad Rida, M.Sc. Abolfazl Ganji

Partner university in Brazil: Universidade estadual de Campinas, Prof. Gabriela Celani

Short Description

Thermal comfort plays an increasing role in the working and domestic environment for building occupants. A lot of heating and cooling energy is used to provide comfortable temperatures during the day. Especially in a tropical climate as in Campinas (Brazil) occupants are delighted if they have the opportunity of using air conditioning devices, which are getting more affordable to buy. But also in the hot German summer climate the use of air conditioning devices is raising. Since air conditioning requires a lot of energy and hence increases CO2 emissions, it is a major challenge to find more sustainable solutions to provide thermal comfort and.

Within this project a solution should get developed, which shows an energy efficient way to provide more comfortable temperatures for light-weight construction buildings in tropical climates with the consideration of a responsible way with resources.

The project targets a study and the development of passive climate control strategies for light-weight construction buildings with the use of digital fabrication techniques.

The main goals within this project are:

Achievement of an energy efficient solution for thermal comfort in a tropical climate for wooden light-weight building constructions

Development of low cost PCM (phase-change materials) panels for ceiling and/or wall applications with aesthetic value by using upcycled and reused plastic materials (e.g plastic bottles)

·  Development of a parametric lightweight shading device system for better performance through adaptation to the specific solar aspect of each façade.

·  Study the viability of robotic fabrication and assembly of the shading device

·  Performance tests of the developed devices in the tropical climate in Brazil but also in climate chamber tests, as well as in the hot summer period in Germany

·  Find alternative, economic materials as PCM

Interdisciplinary research with specialist from different fields and countries as: building physics, chemistry, materials science, digital fabrication and architecture.