Daniel Castro Medina

• Researcher
• University of Seville

Natural ventilation in hot climates represents a key strategy to reduce the dependence on mechanical cooling systems, especially in historic buildings, where it is essential to balance thermal comfort and heritage conservation. This study analyses the effectiveness of various natural ventilation strategies in a historic building located in Écija, S...

Extracurricular activities play a key role in the competency development of university students in engineering. These endeavors, such as participating in competitions, engaging in multidisciplinary projects, integrating into professional societies, and collaborating with student associations, provide opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge the...

Bachelor and Master engineering theses assess professional competencies. These theses evolved to meet professional demands, verifying a good preparation. Historically, Spanish engineering required rigorous final projects for professional practice, regulated by professional colleges to ensure quality. These works became formal curriculum subjects, i...

Renovating buildings is a crucial mission for the coming decades to combat energy inefficiencies and produce a resilient building stock. The inefficient thermal envelope has significant implications for occupants, especially for families lacking the financial resources to maintain a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. In scenarios where hou...

Sanitary issues, combined with the effects of climate change, emphasize the comfort of outdoor spaces in cities. Numerous comfort models exist and can predict thermal sensation. However, these comfort indices need to be validated in hot zones and quantify the neutral range considering people’s thermal resilience. The present study investigates the...

The open spaces of cities have become hostile to citizens due to the high temperatures. Lack of thermal comfort hampers outdoor activities. It is imperative to combat these phenomena to bring life back to the streets and make spaces frequently used in the past more appealing to local citizens. The aim is to mitigate the severity of the outdoor clim...

It is necessary to adapt urban areas to climate change through solutions that combine tradition with innovation. This need is more pronounced due to climate change and the heat island effect. This work aims to design a mitigation technique that allows recovery life on the street through an adaptive solar control solution combined with vegetation. T...

Climate change resulting from the high emission of greenhouse gases has caused a continuous increase in the Earth's temperature, leading to an increase in the demand for refrigeration in the residential sector. Added to this is the heat island effect that generates even worse microclimatic conditions. Based on this idea, the CartujaQanat project wa...

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has advanced rapidly, disrupting our daily activities. The pandemic has generated a global need for open spaces that are healthy and safe. However, Streetlife challenges the continued rise in temperatures due to the heat island phenomenon combined with climate change. This promotes the development of new biocl...

Increasing comfort conditions in buildings imply higher energy demands. However, these needs can be mitigated by solar cooling solutions. These systems, such as absorption chillers, are complex and require stable operation, with strict control to maximise the solar fraction and minimise gas consumption. This is incompatible with the variability of...

This paper presents the deep renovation of a social housing district in Mengíbar (Jaén, Spain) through the promotion of passive improvement strategies adapted to the reality of the inhabitants: a population with limited resources that often finds itself in a circumstance of energy vulnerability. The district is located in a predominantly hot climat...

Los distritos de viviendas sociales en pobreza energética en el sur de España presentan un grave problema de sobrecalentamiento en régimen de refrigeración. En estos casos, las medidas convencionales para mejorar el rendimiento de la envolvente del edificio no son suficientes, por lo que en este trabajo se diseña e integra una solución innovadora d...

El proyecto CartujaQanat tiene como objetivo recuperar el uso confortable del espacio público mediante soluciones innovadoras tanto para la dinamización social como para el acondicionamiento de espacios abiertos. Las soluciones diseñadas por el equipo técnico proponen un sistema de acondicionamiento natural de espacios abiertos para crear condicion...

The global need for healthy and safe open spaces faces continuous temperature rise due to the heat island phenomenon and climate change. This problem requires new strategies for improving the habitability of open spaces (indoor and outdoor conditions in buildings). These techniques include reducing solar radiation, reducing the temperature of surro...