São conhecidas as vantagens ambientais das coberturas verdes sobre as edificações, dentre elas, o efeito positivo sobre a temperatura dos espaços internos. As hortas urbanas sobre as coberturas planas podem ser ainda mais interessantes, na medida em que possibilitam o cultivo de alimentos saudáveis junto à habitação. Este artigo tem como objetivo geral apresentar métodos para a definição do Índice de Área Foliar (IAF) para espécies vegetais de hortas urbanas em coberturas planas, observando o ciclo de crescimento da vegetação. O IAF é extremamente relevante na simulação térmica das coberturas verdes. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em três etapas. Na primeira foi definida uma edificação residencial para receber a horta urbana. A edificação foi modelada e configurada no software Energy Plus versão 8.9. Na segunda etapa do método foram definidos três cenários quanto ao IAF considerando o ciclo de crescimento da espécie vegetal alface. Na terceira etapa foram rodadas as simulações termo energéticas e os resultados analisados. Observou-se que entre o cenário que considera a média do IAF constante num ano e o cenário que observa o ciclo IAF de 30 em 30 dias houve uma diminuição de até 2,4% na Intensidade de uso de energia.

Daylight is a fundamental element to obtain built environments that promote environmental comfort and energy efficiency. However, strategies that enhance the building daylight performance can affect its thermal energetic performance. In this sense, research that addresses these aspects at the same time is considered essential. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the daylighting and thermal-energetic performance of administrative environments in a public institution, and to propose strategies that will enhance the use of daylight and lower energy consumption. Therefore, for future projects, and considering new buildings, and retrofit, this research will be an important reference. The research was developed through a case study of an administrative building model, in which the characteristics of solar orientation, light shelf use, glass type, and light and dark colors in walls were modified and combined, deriving it into models proposed. The daylighting performance evaluations were performed through dynamic simulation with the Rhinoceros for Diva software, and the thermal-energetic performance evaluations with the EnergyPlus software. The results of the work showed that a suitable solar orientation has a great impact on the automation of daylight and the energy consumption of the evaluated models, followed by the type of glass and the use of the light colors in internal walls, and that the use of artificial lighting with dimerization is fundamental as a complement to the daylight autonomy. For the boundary conditions of the study, the use of light shelves modified neither the daylight performance nor the thermal-energetic performance of the evaluated models.

Under the many available strategies for the adoption of sustainable practices, the urban agriculture emerges as a relevant alternative. Urban naturation is the vegetative treatment of built surfaces, using plants adapted to the local environmental conditions. The vegetation is a highly relevant element to the regulation and balance of extreme climatic conditions. It also affects buildings thermal comfort and energy use, when assuming functions of control regarding solar radiation, air relative humidity and air movement. Besides the role of climate control, the vegetation can also play a role in food production. The growing of vegetable crops, spices and medicinal herbs has gained the urban spaces of Brazilian cities. The growth of plants at home or in the urban environment, described as productive landscape, becomes one of the few ways of contact with the elements of nature. Therefore, the urban agriculture can create natural spaces in the urban centers, thus, promoting the comfort into two scales: the urban scale and the building scale. On the other hand, the addition of vegetation for food production on built surfaces assumes a multidisciplinary effort. It is needed to technically respond to the suitable choice of substrate and plant species, to the nutrition values of the cultivated foods and, therefore, to the building physics that supports the food production. The aims of this investigation project are: (i) to increase international partnerships in the subject (the Federal University of Pelotas, in Brazil; the Lund and the ALNARP Universities, in Sweden; the Polytechnic University of Madrid, in Spain; and the Arizona State University, in the United States); (ii) to bring information on both the building energy efficiency and the outdoor microclimate as a consequence of the green roof establishment; (iii) to generate a cultivation guide for food production on rooftops. Thus, this paper presents the first step of the research interdisciplinary approach, which deals with the construction of the Cultivation Guide for Rooftop Farmings. Through a literature review, data from 19 food plant species were compiled to inform their proper growth and management. Additionally the same data will be used as the inputs for the modelling of the outdoor microclimate and indoor thermal comfort provided by those species. Exemplifying results in the form of synthesis tables, this paper shows the data of substrate and vegetation for two vegetable species: lettuce and tomato.

O consumo de energia em todos os setores da construção civil vem aumentando no Brasil, diante deste cenário, a pesquisa científica deve contribuir para estabelecer e definir um menor consumo de energia elétrica nos edifícios, sem desconsiderar o conforto térmico dos seus usuários. A avaliação do desempenho de um edifício é medida - dentre outras formas - por um processo de simulação computacional, levando em considerando um contexto climático previamente definido. Para realizar as simulações, o Departamento de Energia dos Estados Unidos desenvolveu o software EnergyPlus, que permite analisar os níveis de eficiência energética e de conforto térmico dos edifícios. Uma das limitações do EnergyPlus está no momento de configurar projetos que envolvam um grande número de simulações com variações entre as componentes configuradas nestes modelos, a ferramenta não apresenta funcionalidades adicionais que permitam a geração de cenários complexos em termos de representação amostral, variando ou parametrizando componentes. Este trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta computacional chamada IDFModifier, capaz de otimizar, redefinir e facilitar a parametrização de simulações computacionais realizadas pelo EnergyPlus, apresentando ainda, alternativas visuais para os resultados das simulações realizadas de acordo com as saídas de interesse do usuário a partir de um estudo de caso.