Iñigo Rodríguez Vidal

University of the Basque Country | UPV/EHU · ARCHITECTURE

The Basque Country's Habitability Decree of 2022 redefines natural lighting requirements in residential spaces, increasing the Wall-to-Floor Ratio (WFR) compared to previous municipal and sectoral standards, based on the depth of the space considered. This regulatory adjustment seeks to optimize the quality of natural light, a key factor for well-b...

This study presents a detailed analysis of thermal comfort and energy consumption in a Passivhaus-certified apartment in Bolueta Tower, Bilbao, Spain, over a period of three years (2020–2022). Utilizing a comprehensive, long-term monitoring approach, the research investigates the effectiveness of the Passivhaus standard in achieving both energy eff...

Overheating in buildings is a growing challenge in temperate climates, even in those where the traditional design focus was on protecting from cold and winter energy savings. This paper addresses a collateral problem that arose during the study of overheating in a residential Passivhaus building in Bilbao, northern Spain. Specifically, the local cl...

This article investigates the operation of a Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation (MHRV) system in an overheating nZEB apartment in Spain. The building, an apartment tower, was found to have a moderate to severe issue of overheating during extensive parts of the year. The study focuses on a flat located on the top floor of the Bolueta tower I in Bi...

This paper delves into the examination of indoor comfort in classroom environments and its interplay with ventilation on human wellbeing in scenarios of varying indoor carbon dioxide concentrations. The assessment of these parameters was done according to the provisions outlined in the Spanish national Regulation of Thermal Installations in Buildin...

Buildings energy refurbishment interventions, among others, require hygrothermal evaluations of their envelopes in order to avoid pathologies related to condensation, mold growth or, in the worst case, the risk of decomposition of their structures. However, traditional hygrothermal evaluation methods based on stationary methods do not consider many...

This paper delves into the examination of indoor comfort in classroom environments and its interplay with ventilation on human wellbeing in scenarios of varying indoor carbon dioxide concentrations. The assessment of these parameters was done according to the provisions outlined in the Spanish national Regulation of Thermal Installations in Buildin...

Thermal comfort evaluation is crucial in the design of buildings, as it impacts the well-being and productivity of building occupants. Many national regulations and international standards provide guidelines for assessing thermal comfort. In order to simplify this process, we have developed a program called KxKali, which is intended to evaluate the...

Los espacios buscan atender unas condiciones de confort cada vez más exigentes y sin olvidar los criterios de eficiencia energética. En este sentido, los centros de cuidados de ancianos cobran vital relevancia y son un claro ejemplo donde las condiciones interiores y las mejoras a adoptar se centran en perseguir el bienestar del usuario. Además, es...

The Administration of the Basque Country has been responsible for public housing since 1981. Since then, more than 104,000 protected housing units have been built for 2,200,000 inhabitants, 34,000 of which have been directly promoted by the Basque Government. To better adapt its policies to the requirements of a new contemporary society, the Housin...

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a renewed interest in indoor air quality to limit viral spread. In the case of educational spaces, due to the high concentration of people and the fact that most of the existing buildings do not have any mechanical ventilation system, the different administrations have established natural ventilation protocols to...

In the last decade, several European directives have been established to contribute to the 2020, 2030 and 2050 energy saving targets and impose energy efficiency requirements for new construction, existing buildings and building renovation operations. One of the ways to achieve said objectives is to rely on the most demanding energy efficiency labe...

Nowadays, indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied spaces has become a major concern for many stakeholders due to the current health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This problem is even more pressing in the educational context due to the high density of occupation, reduced distance between students, scarce awareness, coexistence of multiple...

During the last decade in the European Union, some targets have been set to reduce energy consumption in buildings, promoting the construction of nearly Zero Energy Buildings and under certificates as Passivhaus. Different regulations define indoor comfort, also Passivhaus standards, considered in this study. Previous studies research the risk of o...

The content of this article focuses on an experience of the subject Environmental Conditioning II of the degree in Foundations of Architecture of the UPV/EHU. Due to the COVID crisis, it was necessary to reorganize the subject, to rethink the teaching methodology and to train in the use of the available computer tools. This course chose to avoid th...

This paper reports the indoor air operative temperature and relative humidity outcomes of a sixteen-month monitoring campaign of an administrative area in an industrial building in Tolosa (Spain). In a survey, users reported indoor climate dissatisfaction during the working hours, such as severe discomfort in the conference rooms due to excessive c...

European Building Codes have transitioned towards Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) requirements in new constructions, demanding high levels of insulation and airtightness derived from research and standards developed in Northern and Central Europe. The use of these principles in Southern Europe, where solar radiation is greater and building typologi...

The regulatory trend in building in Europe has evolved towards the construction of very low energy consumption buildings developed under the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings concept. In order to achieve these objectives, high insulation and airtightness construction standards developed over the years by central and northern European countries are being...

This paper reports the indoor air operative temperature and relative humidity outcomes of a sixteen-month monitoring campaign of an administrative area in an industrial building in Tolosa (Spain). In a survey, users reported indoor climate dissatisfaction during the working hours, such as severe discomfort in the conference rooms due to excessive c...