Sustainable Habitat

Driving the development of energy communities in Colombia: challenges and opportunities for a decentralized energy transition

María Fernanda Medina-Reyes — 2025-06-30

Energy communities represent a transformative paradigm for democratizing access to renewable energy, decentralizing power systems, and fostering economic sustainability. This study analyzes their global development, with an emphasis on developing countries such as Colombia. The research employs a systematic literature review in Scopus and a keyword co‑occurrence analysis to identify trends; in addition, Colombian regulatory documents were examined to contextualize the findings. The discussion addresses distributed generation, peer‑to‑peer (P2P) energy trading, and regulatory frameworks that drive local energy transitions. Although the opportunities are significant in Colombia, challenges persist in infrastructure, regulation, and social acceptance, particularly in the Caribbean region. The article proposes context‑specific strategies from international experiences to overcome these barriers and consolidate decentralized energy systems that accelerate the country’s energy transition and sustainable development.

Impact of neighborhood morphology in tropical climates: a case study of the traditional neighborhoods of Kanyakumari, India

Monika Shankar — 2025-06-30

The morphology of the built environment interacts with the surrounding thermal environment. Thermal interactions affect a neighborhood's energy demand and thermal comfort. The extreme temperatures owing to climate change demand intervention reciprocating in urban heating. Thus, this study analyzed the thermal interaction between morphology and the thermal environment. The study was conducted in the tropical city of Kanyakumari, located in India. The influence of aspect ratio, sky view factor, green cover ratio, and building cover ratio on the Universal Thermal Climate Index was studied. A quantitative analysis of the morphological variables was conducted to establish a relationship with the comfort variable. The aspect and green cover ratios positively correlated with the climate index. In contrast, the sky view factor and building cover ratio had a negative relation with the index. However, when vegetation was introduced in the streets, the interaction between the aspect ratio and the index was reversed, where an increase in aspect ratio reduced the comfort in the canyon by introducing vegetation.

Assessing outdoor thermal comfort in high-density urban Kampungs in Tamansari, Bandung: a microclimate simulation study

Reinaldi Primanizar — 2025-06-30

Urban kampungs, characterized by dense, organically developed settlements, present unique challenges in outdoor thermal comfort. This study investigates how key physical variables—building arrangement, surface materials, and vegetation—impact the microclimate of outdoor spaces in Tamansari, Bandung, using ENVI-met 4 simulations. The findings reveal that material reflectivity significantly influences air temperature, with lower-albedo paving proving more effective in reducing heat accumulation. Compact building arrangements with a high height-to-width ratio provide essential shading, mitigating heat stress, while strategically placed vegetation enhances shading and wind flow, contributing to improved thermal comfort. These insights offer valuable guidelines for architects and urban planners designing climate-responsive, high-density urban environments. The study underscores the importance of integrating passive cooling strategies to improve outdoor livability in urban kampungs, especially in tropical climates.

Widespread application of rehabilitation strategies for walls of public healthcare centers in Tucumán, Argentina

Amalita Fernandez — 2025-06-30

This work addresses the thermal-energy deficiencies in the vertical envelope of Primary Health Care (PHC) Centers in San Miguel de Tucumán, where previous studies reveal inadequate performance of their walls, resulting in a high energy demand. Different thermal insulation solutions are evaluated based on their thermal performance, economic cost, and life cycle to propose widespread rehabilitation strategies for the diverse types of existing construction solutions. The most convenient proposals were selected using a multi-criteria analysis with a weighting calculation. The analysis of the improvement in ten representative cases shows an average saving of 21.32% in heating and 15.41% in cooling. It is concluded that implementing the selected strategies has a significant potential to optimize thermal behavior and reduce energy demand in the region’s PHC Centers.

Solar protection in mediterranean buildings, Madrid, Spain: designing with algorithms and artificial intelligence

Marcelo Fraile-Narváez — 2025-06-30

This article examines the integration of digital technologies and parametric algorithms when designing solar protection systems for buildings in Mediterranean contexts, such as Madrid. Four solar protection configurations were evaluated through advanced simulations using a base model representative of a medium-scale building, incorporating local climatic data and annual solar trajectories. The strategies examined include horizontal louvers, inclined shading devices, a biomimetic Voronoi design, and a composite model that combines these approaches. The findings highlight how artificial intelligence and computational algorithms optimize energy performance and thermal comfort while redefining aesthetic and sustainable possibilities in contemporary architecture. This approach proposes an innovative framework to address climate challenges, showcasing the potential of digital tools to transform architectural design into a more resilient and adaptive paradigm.

Solar photovoltaic energy in family dwellings: a bibliometric study of issues explored, trends, and challenges

Amelia Eunice Maldonado-Lozano — 2025-06-30

This study analyzes the scientific evolution of solar photovoltaic energy in family dwellings using a bibliometric analysis based on Scopus and tools such as Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. 414 papers published between 2000 and 2024 were reviewed, employing a quantitative approach and network visualization techniques. The findings indicate sustained growth since 2008 and a notable surge since 2016, driven by global interest in renewable energies. The main contributions come from energy, engineering, and environmental sciences, with “Applied Energy” and “Energies” consolidated as key journals. Concepts such as “solar energy” and “energy efficiency” dominate the field, with topics like energy storage and smart grid integration standing out, as well as emerging areas like energy simulations. It is recommended that data sources be expanded and comparative approaches be explored to improve the understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of this technology.

Ecological interventions to improve thermal comfort in a schoolyard in Arequipa, Perú

Katherin Geraldine Vilcanqui-Coaquira — 2025-06-30

Schoolyards have become residual spaces lacking thermal comfort due to increased construction to accommodate student overpopulation. As a result, ecological architectural strategies were simulated to demonstrate their effectiveness in improving thermal comfort in Arequipa, Perú; based on an analysis of children's standard physiological temperature. A mixed-methods approach was used, employing Sun Path for solar analysis, based on the SOPARC Protocol, and on-site measurements. The results obtained in situ were then used with RayMan to verify the strategies applied in Revit and ENVI-met. Results show an improvement in thermal sensation, with the most notable intervention being the change from dirt to grass paving, the addition of tree vegetation, and the implementation of an ecological greenhouse. As such, this research validates the optimization of thermal conditions through prior analysis and subsequent intervention via simulation.

Thermal comfort analysis of dwellings with different construction systems located above 3000 m.a.s.l. in the Rural Andean Zone of Ecuador

Andrea Nataly Moreno-Albuja — 2025-06-30

This research examines the thermal comfort of four non-air-conditioned dwellings located in a rural Andean region of Ecuador, at an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level (masl), to identify passive design strategies. The study describes the environmental and construction characteristics of two neo-vernacular dwellings built with natural materials (TRA-01 and TRA-02) and two dwellings with modern materials (CON-01 and CON-02). Indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity variables were monitored for eight days, along with envelope surface temperatures. The comfort range was evaluated using the operating temperature. The results showed that three dwellings had stable indoor temperatures, although only the straw bale dwelling was partially within the comfort range. The study concludes that the envelope’s thermal insulation, bioclimatic design, and construction quality are needed to maintain adequate temperatures in these cold climate zones.

Revitalization of the Kichwa Saraguro ancestral wattle and daub, Ecuador: conservation, adaptation, and dissemination of constructive heritage

Flor Margarita Lozano-Guamán — 2025-06-30

Construction with wattle and daub has evolved over time, but today faces the risk of disappearing due to material scarcity, a lack of labor, and a preference for "more durable and versatile" systems. This study explores the revitalization of wattle and daub, an ancestral construction technique of the Kichwa people of Saraguro, Ecuador, through a multi-stage mixed-methodological approach: material analysis, design, structural analysis, and the construction of a wattle and daub panel that integrates Andean iconography and adapts to contemporary concrete, metal, and wood porticos; and a practical workshop to disseminate and evaluate the feasibility of construction through mingas (communal participation). The results highlight the viability of wattle and daub in contemporary construction, with its affordable cost and structural efficiency. Its use was promoted by encouraging community participation and the transmission of ancestral knowledge. It is an alternative for contemporary construction, preserving cultural identity and adapting to environmental challenges.

Exploring microalgae applications in building facades: a bibliometric perspective

Aslı Taş — 2025-06-30

Microalgae are microorganisms that offer promising potential for application in sustainable environmental technologies due to their ability to photosynthesize, produce biomass, absorb carbon dioxide, and treat wastewater. These versatile properties allow microalgae to be integrated into architectural façade systems. Photobioreactors that can be integrated into architectural facades can be used for energy generation, air quality improvement, shading, and wastewater treatment. In this context, although there are many bibliometric studies in the literature on the use of microalgae in environmental and industrial applications, no comprehensive bibliometric study focuses on the use of microalgae in architectural facade designs. This study aims to systematically reveal the research trends in this field by examining the literature on the use of microalgae in building facades and cladding systems through bibliometric analysis. According to the research findings, the scientific literature on the use of microalgae in building facades has been increasing rapidly in recent years, with interdisciplinary collaborations focusing on the themes of sustainability, energy efficiency, and biological interaction. The studies published between 2012 and 2024, with leading contributions from countries such as Germany, the USA, China, and the Netherlands, are shaped around keywords such as microalgae, bioreactor, green facade, bio-integration, with a focus on energy efficiency, sustainability, and building biotechnology. As a result, this research makes the current position of microalgae technologies visible and provides strategic recommendations to guide future academic work.

Editorial

Jocelyn Vidal-Ramos — 2025-06-30

El contexto actual de la publicación científica

Cuando se habla de productividad académica, se hace referencia a la generación e implementación de conocimiento que aporta de manera significativa al desarrollo de una disciplina. Como indican Gordillo-Salazar et al. (2020), esta productividad puede manifestarse en diversos productos académicos, como publicaciones científicas, patentes, entre otros.

Según el Ranking Nature Research Leaders 2024 elaborado por Nature Index (2024), que clasifica a los países con los mejores desempeños en investigación, Chile ocupa el puesto número 33 a nivel mundial y el segundo lugar en América Latina, registrando un alza del 4,7%. Solo es superado por Brasil, que se encuentra en el puesto 24, aunque con un descenso del 12,4%. Iberti (2024), en el diario La Tercera, sostiene que este crecimiento en la productividad académica chilena responde tanto a un mayor acceso a fondos concursables nacionales e internacionales como a un fortalecimiento del trabajo colaborativo entre instituciones académicas. Un ejemplo de ello es la Universidad del Bío-Bío, que entre 2019 y 2023 ha alcanzado 2.324 publicaciones, reflejando un crecimiento sostenido gracias a colaboraciones estratégicas, desarrollo tecnológico y políticas de financiamiento en investigación que han robustecido sus capacidades científicas.