Enhancing Building Envelope Efficiency for Energy Optimization: A Case Study of Educational Buildings in Shiraz

Articles in Press

Document Type : Article extracted From phd dissertation

Authors
Elahe Nouri Segherlou 1
Ghazaleh Nouri Segherlou 2
Alireza Pahlavan Hassan Kashani 3
1 Department of Architecture, ShQ.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Qhods, Iran.
2 Department of civil engineering, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Architecture, ShQ.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Qods, Iran.
10.22034/he.2026.553999.1158
Abstract
With the excessive increase in global energy consumption, the need for energy-saving strategies has become increasingly important. Over recent decades, energy consumption in public buildings has risen significantly. So far, various policies with different levels of effectiveness have been implemented to improve energy efficiency in the building sector across different types of structures. This study aims to propose a retrofit strategy for enhancing energy efficiency, focusing on higher education buildings located in hot and dry climatic regions, with Shiraz as the case study. Improving certain characteristics of building envelopes can enhance indoor comfort without compromising functional requirements. Comfort needs, including thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, can contribute to reducing energy consumption. In this research, the emphasis is placed on thermal comfort as a means of achieving energy efficiency. Some of the key criteria used in the building envelope retrofit process include external walls, insulation, window glazing type, airtightness (air infiltration rate), and shading. The results of this study indicate that several simple retrofit strategies, such as shading, window glazing improvements, airtightness enhancement, and insulation, can reduce energy consumption by an average of up to 33%. From the perspective of building envelope characteristics, this research offers recommendations for design codes and standards, addressing thermal comfort, practical retrofit strategies, and providing a foundational reference for energy efficiency in educational buildings in Shiraz.

Highlights

1.       خطیبی،اشکان ، شهبازی،مجید و ترابی،زهره . (1401). بررسی رفتار حرارتی نماها باهدف تعیین گزینه مطلوب از نظر مصرف انرژی (مورد مطالعه: ساختمان اداری در اقلیم تهران). نشریه انرژی های تجدیدپذیر و نو، 9(2)، 121-129.

2.       جعفری،لیلا و صلواتیان،سیده مامک . (1402). ارزیابی عملکرد فتوولتائیک یکپارچه با سیستم سایبان در بهینه‌سازی مصرف انرژی ساختمان در اقلیم گرم و خشک (نمونه موردی ساختمان اداری در شهر شیراز). نشریه انرژی های تجدیدپذیر و نو، 10(1)، 70-85.

 

3.       Ascanio-Villabona, J. G., Terés-Zubiaga, J., Muñoz-Maldonado, Y. A., Lengerke-Pérez, O., & LA, D. P. V. (2022). Assessing the Thermal Performance of a Conventional Architecture in Dry Warm Climate. In XV Multidisciplinary International Congress on Science and Technology (pp. 47-58). Springer, Cham.

4.       Bhadbhade, N., Fouiteh, I., Yilmaz, S., Patel, M. K., Boogen, N., & Betz, R. (2021). Energy efficiency Trends and Policies in Switzerland (2000-2019/2020).

5.       Chlechowitz, M., Reuter, M., & Eichhammer, W. (2022). An Indicator based Approach to the Energy Efficiency First Principle (No. S10/2021). Working Paper Sustainability and Innovation.

6.       Harputlugil, T., & de Wilde, P. (2021). The interaction between humans and buildings for energy efficiency: A critical review. Energy Research & Social Science, 71, 101828.

7.       Ardent, F., Beccali, M., & Cellura, M. (2009). Application of the io methodology to the energy and environmental analysis of a regional context. In Handbook of input-output economics in industrial ecology (pp. 435-457). Springer, Dordrecht.

8.       Khalaf, M., Ashrafian, T., & Demirci, C. (2019). Energy efficiency evaluation of different glazing and shading systems in a school building. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 111, p. 03052). EDP Sciences.

9.       Jahnke, R. (2019). Coaching for Change at Joseph Rowntree. In Evidence-Based Initiatives for Organizational Change and Development (pp. 425-433). IGI Global.

10.     Steen Englund, J., Cehlin, M., Akander, J., & Moshfegh, B. (2020). Measured and simulated energy use in a secondary school building in Sweden—A case study of validation, airing, and occupancy behaviour. Energies, 13(9), 2325.

11.     Mélois, A. B., Moujalled, B., Guyot, G., & Leprince, V. (2019). Improving building envelope knowledge from analysis of 219,000 certified on-site air leakage measurements in France. Building and Environment, 159, 106145.

12.     Edelenbosch, O. Y., Rovelli, D., Levesque, A., Marangoni, G., & Tavoni, M. (2021). Long term, cross-country effects of buildings insulation policies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120887.

13.     Zhang, Z., Chong, A., Pan, Y., Zhang, C., & Lam, K. P. (2019). Whole building energy model for HVAC optimal control: A practical framework based on deep reinforcement learning. Energy and Buildings, 199, 472-490.

14.      Kamel, E., & Memari, A. M. (2019). Review of BIM's application in energy simulation: Tools, issues, and solutions. Automation in construction, 97, 164-180.

15.     Kim, N. H. (2021). Effect of inclination on thermal performance of a louver-finned aluminum heat exchanger having a drainage channel. Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 35(1), 381-389.

Keywords
Building Envelopes
Energy Optimization
Educational Buildings
Shiraz
Subjects
1.       خطیبی،اشکان ، شهبازی،مجید و ترابی،زهره . (1401). بررسی رفتار حرارتی نماها باهدف تعیین گزینه مطلوب از نظر مصرف انرژی (مورد مطالعه: ساختمان اداری در اقلیم تهران). نشریه انرژی های تجدیدپذیر و نو، 9(2)، 121-129.
2.       جعفری،لیلا و صلواتیان،سیده مامک . (1402). ارزیابی عملکرد فتوولتائیک یکپارچه با سیستم سایبان در بهینه‌سازی مصرف انرژی ساختمان در اقلیم گرم و خشک (نمونه موردی ساختمان اداری در شهر شیراز). نشریه انرژی های تجدیدپذیر و نو، 10(1)، 70-85.
 
3.       Ascanio-Villabona, J. G., Terés-Zubiaga, J., Muñoz-Maldonado, Y. A., Lengerke-Pérez, O., & LA, D. P. V. (2022). Assessing the Thermal Performance of a Conventional Architecture in Dry Warm Climate. In XV Multidisciplinary International Congress on Science and Technology (pp. 47-58). Springer, Cham.
4.       Bhadbhade, N., Fouiteh, I., Yilmaz, S., Patel, M. K., Boogen, N., & Betz, R. (2021). Energy efficiency Trends and Policies in Switzerland (2000-2019/2020).
5.       Chlechowitz, M., Reuter, M., & Eichhammer, W. (2022). An Indicator based Approach to the Energy Efficiency First Principle (No. S10/2021). Working Paper Sustainability and Innovation.
6.       Harputlugil, T., & de Wilde, P. (2021). The interaction between humans and buildings for energy efficiency: A critical review. Energy Research & Social Science, 71, 101828.
7.       Ardent, F., Beccali, M., & Cellura, M. (2009). Application of the io methodology to the energy and environmental analysis of a regional context. In Handbook of input-output economics in industrial ecology (pp. 435-457). Springer, Dordrecht.
8.       Khalaf, M., Ashrafian, T., & Demirci, C. (2019). Energy efficiency evaluation of different glazing and shading systems in a school building. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 111, p. 03052). EDP Sciences.
9.       Jahnke, R. (2019). Coaching for Change at Joseph Rowntree. In Evidence-Based Initiatives for Organizational Change and Development (pp. 425-433). IGI Global.
10.     Steen Englund, J., Cehlin, M., Akander, J., & Moshfegh, B. (2020). Measured and simulated energy use in a secondary school building in Sweden—A case study of validation, airing, and occupancy behaviour. Energies, 13(9), 2325.
11.     Mélois, A. B., Moujalled, B., Guyot, G., & Leprince, V. (2019). Improving building envelope knowledge from analysis of 219,000 certified on-site air leakage measurements in France. Building and Environment, 159, 106145.
12.     Edelenbosch, O. Y., Rovelli, D., Levesque, A., Marangoni, G., & Tavoni, M. (2021). Long term, cross-country effects of buildings insulation policies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120887.
13.     Zhang, Z., Chong, A., Pan, Y., Zhang, C., & Lam, K. P. (2019). Whole building energy model for HVAC optimal control: A practical framework based on deep reinforcement learning. Energy and Buildings, 199, 472-490.
14.      Kamel, E., & Memari, A. M. (2019). Review of BIM's application in energy simulation: Tools, issues, and solutions. Automation in construction, 97, 164-180.
15.     Kim, N. H. (2021). Effect of inclination on thermal performance of a louver-finned aluminum heat exchanger having a drainage channel. Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 35(1), 381-389.
Human Ecology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 May 2026