About

The Center for Sustainability of the Built Environment (CSBE) brings together a group of motivated and dedicated researchers and technicians, with a wide experience in research, knowledge transfer, teaching and training, in the theme of sustainability of the built environment, specifically: architectural engineering, energy systems (HVAC and renewable energy), environmental quality (indoor and outdoor) and innovative materials in construction, thus being aligned with several of the objectives defined in the United Nations Agenda 2030. Considering the multidisciplinarity of the center, there are several and transdisciplinary research topics, namely:

• Preventive conservation of heritage;
• Building physics: building renovation, indoor air quality, thermal performance, visual comfort, acoustic analysis, energy efficiency, environmental impact, and hygrothermal;
• Sustainability: building, university campuses, city or neighborhoods, and impact of climate change;
• Energy poverty: renewable energy as alternative sources to domestic fossil fuels, and indoor air quality and its impact on health and quality of life;
• Energy Systems for buildings: study, development and evaluation of efficient systems for production and use of renewable energy for buildings;
• HVAC Systems: study, development and evaluation of HVAC systems for buildings to promote energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality;
• Innovative building technologies and materials: development of technologies and application of innovative materials in building construction;
• Computer sciences: development of generative methods and optimization of building design, data science and machine learning applied to the built environment, and modeling and simulation of built environments;
• Promotion and education for sustainability

CSBE has an extensive network of collaborations with the construction industry and with renowned national and international research centers, and has world-class external scientific advisors. The center has long-standing links with international institutions in Europe, North America, and Africa. Its members have established a network of stakeholders interested in the sustainability of the built environment and in the exploration of best practices. In addition, CSBE has been joining forces with companies through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships to strengthen the links between research and practice. Thus, CSBE's activity is expected to develop in line with the profile of its members, namely in the scope of several national and foreign research projects and contracts, with the support and collaboration of several research institutions, operations, companies and training entities, among which we can highlight TDGI - Tecnologia de Gestão de Imóveis, S.A., the University of Coimbra, the University of Lisbon, ADENE - Agência para a Energia, INEGI - Instituto de Ciência e Inovação em Engenharia Mecânica e Engenharia Industrial, and the other university and polytechnic higher education institutions to which ADAI's integrated researchers and collaborators are affiliated.

CSBE conducts tests, in-situ tests and simulations with several monitoring equipments and software in the field of promoting sustainability in the built environment, at the scale of the building and the city. Thus, its members have decisively contributed to the advancement of science in this field and to bringing science closer to society, which has been translated into scientific papers published, the importance of the work done, the recognition of the host institution (ADAI, Energy, Environment and Comfort group) and the internationalization capacity of some of its members.
Thus, based on the solid experience of its members, the center proposes to carry out innovative research and technology transfer, promoting collaboration with other centers at national and international level, as well as disseminating good practices to the academic and professional community - the center proposes to hold Continuous Professional Development (CPD) events, such as training and advanced training in energy simulation software, application of artificial intelligence and use of parametric analysis tools.

It is also worth mentioning that CSBE is led by Prof. Manuel Carlos Gameiro da Silva and consists of 14 researchers, 15 fellows and 1 laboratory technician, carrying out their activities at the facilities of the Industrial Aerodynamics Laboratory of ADAI and at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Coimbra, with a strong and active presence in the Energy for Sustainability Initiative (EfS) of the University of Coimbra.