Innovative approaches for the environmental assessment of ecological building envelopes: a computational application in the ECOLOPES project

The urban environment currently faces several challenges, primarily stemming from climate change exacerbated by human activities and rapid urbanization. These challenges manifest in various forms, including air, water, and land pollution, which adversely impact natural ecosystems and biodiversity. Additionally, these issues give rise to environmental, social, and economic problems, all viewed from an anthropocentric perspective. Urban densification and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are contributing to the degradation of cities and urban ecosystems (IPCC, 2022). The high level of anthropogenic pressure, coupled with limited green spaces, is leading to a loss of biodiversity and habitat fragmentation (Aronson et al., 2017; Lepczyk et al., 2017). Nature-based solutions (NBS) have emerged as a critical tool in mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization and enhancing the livability of ecosystems. The objective of this PhD research is to develop a methodology and associated tools for evaluating the environmental performance of high-performance ecological envelopes using a computational approach, specifically leveraging parametric modelling software such as Grasshopper-Rhinoceros. The research endeavours to assess the environmental impact across three key dimensions of environmental sustainability, identified as paramount through an extensive review of the literature including IPCC reports, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Aichi Targets: The impact of materials used in constructing the building envelope is evaluated from a life-cycle perspective. The effects of NBS systems in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The influence of NBS systems on biodiversity enhancement, and its potential implications for the aforementioned aspects of sustainability. Results from this research set the ground for a comprehensive understanding and quantification of ecological building envelopes' performance in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation, considering the potential microclimate improvement, stormwater runoff reduction, carbon sequestration, global warming potential and support for pollinators. This research is part of a larger project, the ECOLOPES project, funded by the European Union under the FET HORIZON 2020 program (grant agreement number 964414), in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Design.