Green Building Innovation

Façade Leasing pilot project

A research team within the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment is developing a circular business model based on the use of multifunctional façades as performance delivering tools. Under this scheme, the client is no longer the owner of a number of building components, but instead leases them from the manufacturer through the use of long-term service contracts.

This strategy could increase the rate and depth of building renovations - updating a large number of university and other commercial buildings in urgent need of technical retrofit -, accelerate the market uptake of new building technologies, and optimize the reuse and recycling of components and materials within the construction industry.   

Facts
Programme: EIT ClimateKIC
Project Initiator and Coordinator: TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Architectural Engineering + Technology, Department of Management in the Built Environment 
Main Partners: EIT ClimateKIC, AluEco | VMRG, `TU Delft FMVG
Industry Partners: Alkondor Hengelo, Alcoa Kawneer | Hueck | Reynards | Sapa | Schüco, Aldowa, De Haan Westerhoff, Kindow, MHZ, Panelen Holland, Real Capital Systems, Renson, Scheuten, Schuurman, Somfy, Trox, VML Technologies
Researchers: Ir. Juan Azcarate-Aguerre, Dr.-Ing. Tillmann Klein
Duration: 01/2015 – Ongoing

Further information

Better Airport Regions

Models and development pathways for sustainable urban transformation.

Airports are often situated near towns and cities and significantly stimulate further urbanisation in the surrounding region. This project looks at the urban regions surrounding international airport hubs and examines how airports could contribute to more sustainability, resilience and flexibility in major urban regions.

The project aims to develop guidelines for the integration of airports and urbanised areas and for the transformation of current airport regions. ‘Better Airport Regions’ is specifically examining the cycles (energy, water, food and traffic), urban development and management of the airport regions of Schiphol and Zurich.

Better Airport Regions is a two-year research project by Delft in cooperation with ‘Airports and Cities’ by ETH Zurich and TU Munich. 

Facts
Programme
NWO
Grant: € 900.000
Role: coordinator
Principal Researcher: Andy van den Dobbelsteen and Arjan van Timmeren
Coordinator: TU Delft
Duration: 2011 to 2013

Free-D Facade Manufacturing

An adjustable mould that can be used to make double-folded panels of glass, concrete, and composites.
The ‘Pinbed Wizard’ is a mould with two hundred simultaneously moving pins, which has been developed thanks in part to funding from STW and the help of the Electronic and Mechanical Support Division of TU Delft. A flexible surface is applied on top of the Pinbed Wizard pins, and on top of that, the material to be moulded or transformed. This makes it possible to make concrete panels by reshaping the mould at just that point during the hardening process that the concrete has the right level of viscosity. With the Pinbed Wizard surface integrated with a glass bending surface, a glass panel when turned soft at 570°C,  transforms with the flexible surface on which it rests.

Facts
Programme
STW-VG2
Grant: € 200.000
Role: projectleader
Principal Researcher: Karel Vollers
Coordinator: TU Delft
Duration: 1/2010 to 1/2012

Ucer

User Centered Energy Reduction.

Today energy reduction in commercial buildings like offices are mostly got by upgrading the energy performance of the building envelope and the building services. Recently, research has shown under laboratory circumstances that energy reductions can also be find with good individual comfort at the workplace and lower comfort conditions in the environment.

The aim of the UCER project is to develop innovative heating and cooling systems at the individual workplace in order to get further energy reductions. The task of the TUDelft is to do the survey of the comfort of the user in real office buildings. In the TKI EnergyGo programmes industry and universities work together in innovative research and product development. The industry has the lead in these kind of projects.

Facts
Programme
TKI EnerGO
Grant: € 200.000
Role: partner
Principal Researcher: Truus Hordijk
Coordinator: PRIVA, de Lier
Duration: 12/2012 to 12/2014

Climate Proof Cities

Strengthening the adaptive capacity and reducing the vulnerability of the urban system against climate change and to develop strategies and policy instruments for adapting our cities and buildings.

The aim of this research programme is to build up a multi-scale (from the level of buildings to city agglomerations), quantitative knowledge base on urban climate, the vulnerability of cities to climate change and expected impacts of possible future changes in climate. The consortium will generate knowledge on the technical and economical effectiveness of adaptation measures linked with an in-depth understanding of the governance processes needed for implementation.

Fact finding
To understand the effectiveness of measures, fact finding on the interaction of the city and the local climate (including urban heat islands) is essential. Based on the various impacts in cities and possible adaptation measures, an overview can be provided of costs and benefits of taking adaptation measures in various scenarios for the development of the global climate which will support decision makers in developing their adaptation strategies.

Facts
Programme
Knowledge for Climate (together with Urbanism and OTB)
Grant: € 710.000
Role: partner
Principal Researcher: Andy van den Dobbelsteen
Coordinator: TNO
Duration: 1/2010 to 1/2014

Further information about the research programme Green Building Innovation.

Architectural Engineering + Technology