Martin Tenpierik

Delft University of Technology | TU · Department of Architectural Engineering & Technology

Sound-absorbing barriers and screens are commonly employed to mitigate one of the most annoying noises in workplaces: intelligible speech. However, isolating their acoustic contribution from all the other elements (ceilings, wall treatment, or carpets) is challenging. This study uses a wave-based room acoustic modeling approach to explore the acous...

The Dutch government aims to eliminate natural gas for residential heating in 1.5 million homes by 2030. One strategy is connecting existing dwellings to lower-temperature district heating (DH) systems, although these dwellings might require energy renovations. The heterogeneous dwelling stock causes varying renovation needs that complicate the ene...

Accurate knowledge of solar radiation data or its estimation is crucial to maximize the benefits derived from the Sun. In this context, many sectors are re-evaluating their investments and plans to increase profit margins in line with sustainable development based on knowledge and estimation of solar radiation. This scenario has drawn the attention...

This study introduces a systematic framework to facilitate decision-making in selecting renovation options for preparing existing Dutch dwellings for utilising lower temperature heat (LTH) supplied by district heating (DH) systems. The framework was applied to an archetype terraced intermediate house built between 1945 and 1975 to identify the reno...

Omwille van de doemscenario’s die soms de ronde doen en de veelheid aan mogelijke binnenisolatiesystemen die elk pretenderen dé oplossing te zijn, is het voor eigenaars van woonhuismonumenten vaak moeilijk om te besluiten of na-isolatie een veilig keuze is voor hun gebouw en welk systeem dan de voorkeur geniet. Een betrouwbare hygrothermische model...

This study presents an approach to determine the extent of renovation interventions required for existing Dutch dwellings aiming to transition to lower-temperature district heating (DH) systems. The proposed method is applied to a typical intermediate terraced house built before 1945 in the Netherlands, and it consists of two steps: first, assessin...

Aircraft are a source of noise pollution in areas surrounding airports. Buildings shield or amplify local sound levels, albeit that the level of shielding varies considerably. The sound pressure levels reaching ground receivers in the built environment depend on flight position relative to the receiver, atmospheric and weather effects, and the comp...

How to analyse the omissions of thermal regulations and evaluate methodologies that provide building execution or thermal certificates that do not correspond to reality and usually incur costs? We can start by analysing different simulation methods and shading calculations that provide solar gains and shadow optimisation. After evaluating how the r...

Daylighting is desirable in classrooms but can pose a challenge to classroom illumination when there is a risk of discomfort from glare from windows and sunlight. There are several metrics in use for the evaluation of discomfort from glare from daylight, but none has yet been validated based on the field-of-view conditions of classrooms. A previous...

Vertical greening can be used to absorb and scatter sound, which may reduce noise levels in street canyons. In this paper, a literature review is presented, which combines results and methods from over 40 individual studies. The article describes the guiding principles behind the acoustic effects of vertical greening and provides an overview of the...

Due to environmental concerns, bio-based materials are being increasingly investigated and used in buildings. In general, the density of these materials, and thus their thermal inertia, is low. Thermal inertia can be beneficial for reducing the energy use of buildings by damping indoor temperature fluctuations or by reducing and delaying incoming (...

Lower temperature heating (LTH) involves using the lowest possible supply temperatures to meet residential heating demands, thus supporting the integration of sustainable heating sources and decarbonising the existing residential stock. However, choosing appropriate energy renovation options to prepare existing dwellings for LTH presents decision-m...

This paper discusses a novel, compact sound absorption solution with high performance at various frequencies, including low frequencies, achieved through the effective use of Computational Design and Additive Manufacturing (AM). Sound absorption is widely applied for reducing noise and improving room acoustics; however, it is often constrained by c...

This paper aims to study the thermal performance at wall scale of hollowed bricks made of starch/beet-pulp bio-composites identified as a potent solution for the development of sustainable, non-load bearing, insulation materials to be used in the construction sector. Numerical studies on thermal resistance using the COMSOL software were conducted t...

In the Netherlands, district heating with a lower temperature supply (<70°C) will play a crucial part in accomplishing the energy transition goals of delivering natural gas-free sustainable heating to dwellings. The existing dwellings often require energy renovations to make them suitable for lower temperature heating. However, choosing renovation...

Current urbanization rates concentrate the ever growing demand for food, energy and water (FEW) resources particularly in cities, making them one of the main drivers of greenhouse gas emissions. The FEW nexus integrative approach offers a potential framework for sustainable resource management in cities. However, existing evaluation tools are limit...

The production, processing, and transportation of food, in particular animal-based products, imposes great environmental burden on the planet. The current food supply system often constitutes a considerable part of the total carbon emissions of urban communities in industrialised cities. Urban food production (UFP) is a method that can potentially...

The 14th REHVA HVAC World Congress CLIMA2022 challenges advances in technologies for smart energy transition, digitization, circularity, health and well-being in buildings. How can we create circular buildings, fully heated, cooled and powered by renewable energy? How can we design human-centered indoor environments while mastering life-cycle costs...

A recently published simulation-based study has demonstrated the effect of an individually controlled noise-reducing device (ICND) on improving acoustic quality in classrooms. As a follow-up research, this current study aims to develop a real ICND and test it with its target users-- primary school children. The prototype developed in this study loo...

Recent studies show that environmental noise in urban environments continues to be a great health risk. This noise is especially further transmitted by the hard materials that are mostly used for façades. To predict these effects it is desirable to have a reliable prediction method. There are already several ways to predict sound levels in an urban...

Previous studies indicate that acoustic improvements at classroom-level, such as using ceiling panels, do not work well to solve noise problems in classrooms. Therefore, this study introduced a new way-individual control-to improve classroom acoustics. The acoustic effect of five different classroom settings is simulated: two individual-level acous...

Amsterdam aims to bring down its carbon footprint by 55% in 2030 and by 95% in 2050. For the built environment, plotted pathways towards carbon neutrality primarily revolve around the reduction of fossil based energy demand and the transition towards renewable energy production strategies. The consumption of food resources, and its significant corr...

The municipality of Amsterdam has set stringent carbon emission reduction targets: 55% by 2030 and 95% by 2050 for the entire metropolitan area. One of the key strategies to achieve these goals entails a disconnection of all households from the natural gas supply by 2040 and connecting them to the existing city-wide heat grid. This paper aims to de...

Additive manufacturing allows the fabrication of complex geometries with enhanced performances, making it interesting for application in façade components. Assessing the performance of non-standard geometries and 3D printed parts requires a combination of digital and analytical methods to retrieve validated models which can guide the design process...

Speech intelligibility is crucial in many spaces, yet designers often fail to predict the acoustic shortcomings of certain design choices. This paper builds on the potential of hybrid surface treatments showcasing low-frequency absorption to control background noise levels and high-frequency diffusion to improve speech-in-noise perception to introd...

The increase in global food demand has led to the introduction of new food production systems. One key example is the plant factory. Plant factories face the same challenge as many high-tech building functions: high energy demands resulting from high internal heat loads. In this study we investigate how this energy demand can be reduced through faç...

Currently 40% of EU's final energy consumption is attributed to buildings. Achieving the EU's climate targets would entail improved strategies in designing nearly Zero Energy Buildings. This research aimed to create an integrated decision-making strategy in designing ZEBs with the use of multi-objective optimization of building design and construct...

The acoustic conditions of classrooms received a lot of attention in the last decades because of its important role in school children’s comfort and performance. In a previous field study of 54 classrooms from 21 schools in the Netherlands, more than 85% of the 1145 primary school children reported that they were bothered by noise in the classroom....

The range of products developed by the most common absorption principles that fulfil high performance tuned to specific frequencies, low price, sustainability and aesthetic quality is often limited to porous materials. The quarter wavelength tube principle may perform well, even in low frequencies, but in a narrow frequency range. To widen the rang...

The range of products developed by the most common absorption principles that fulfill high performance tuned to specific frequencies, low price, sustainability and aesthetic quality is often limited to porous materials. The quarter wavelength tube principle may perform well, even in low frequencies, but in a narrow frequency range. To widen the ran...

Phase change materials (PCMs) are materials that can store large amounts of heat during their phase transition from solid to liquid without a significant increase in temperature. While going from liquid to solid this heat is again released. As such, these materials can play an important role in future energy-efficient buildings. If applied in facad...

This article sheds light on the materialization and operation of residential partitioning wall components in relation to circular and flexible performance. The hypothesis is twofold: (1) A stronger integration of materialization and operation aspects is indispensable in establishing sustainable value-models, and (2) recent innovations, concerning t...

A previous field study showed that more than 85% of Dutch children reported they were bothered by noise in the classroom. To investigate the impact of acoustical treatment on children’s phoneme identification, 335 school children (9 to 13 years old) from the previously studied schools were invited to take part in a series of tests in the acoustical...

This paper addresses the connection between circular building design and residential health and well-being. The general research objective is to determine assessment criteria for the performance of indoor partitioning products in a circular model. The overarching aim is to establish a more integrated and inclusive approach to the transition from li...

The aim of this study was to understand the effect of urban street greenery type and arrangements on thermal comfort and heat stress in summer. Field measurements and computer simulations were carried out on East-West (E-W) and North-South (N-S) oriented streets in Isfahan, Iran. Through the field measurements in July 2014, 17 different streets wer...

This paper investigates the potential use of natural ventilation strategies to reduce the energy demand for cooling and mechanical ventilation for high-rise buildings in summer. A 21-storey office building was selected to represent a mechanically ventilated high-rise design in temperate climates. Six natural ventilation scenarios were developed for...

Circular building has gained considerable attention in the Netherlands during the past decade. It is rooted in concepts such as circular economy (CE) and Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C®), accentuating the closing and coupling of material loops to establish effective and efficient resource flows. Moreover, those concepts adhere to a systemic, holistic worldv...

A previous field study showed that more than 85% of Dutch children reported they were bothered by noise in the classroom. To investigate the impact of acoustical treatment on children’s phoneme identification, 335 school children (9 to 13 years old) from the previously studied schools were invited to take part in a series of tests in the acoustical...

Decisions made at early stages of the design are of the utmost importance for the energy-efficiency of buildings. Wrong decisions and design failures related to a building’s general layout, shape, façade transparency or orientation can increase the operational energy tremendously. These failures can be avoided in advance through simple changes in t...

Tall buildings are being designed and built across a wide range of cities. A poorly designed tall building can tremendously increase the building’s appetite for energy. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the design strategies that help a high-rise office building to be more energy efficient. For this purpose, a comparative study on twelve case...

The building envelope is the interface between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment. A building’s energy consumption to a large extent depends on certain envelope design elements. As a consequence, for achieving high levels of energysaving in buildings, design measures with high impact should be firstly defined and then optimise...

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Currently, several research projects investigate Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology as a possible construction method for future buildings. AM methods have some advantages over other production processes, such as great freedom of form, shape complexity, scale, and material use. These characteristics are relevant for façade applications, which d...

Technical requirements are sometimes seen as factors that limit creativity. However, they can also become drivers that help shape a design and become part of its identity. During the Double Face 2.0 project thermal, daylight and manufacturing performance aspects were such design drivers in the development of an innovative lightweight translucent Tr...

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is currently being investigated as possible construction method for future buildings. AM methods have advantages over other production processes, such as great freedom of form, shape complexity, scale and material use. Because the freedom in geometric complexity applies also to the inner part of the products m...

Over the last few years, reverberation times and sound pressure levels have been measured in many sports halls. Most of these halls, for instance those made from stony materials, perform as predicted. However, sports halls constructed with profiled perforated steel roof panels have an unexpected very low reverberation time in the 125 and 250 Hz oct...

In order to reduce the energy demand of households, a new type of Trombe wall is being designed during a 'research through design project' called 'Double Face 2.0'. A Trombe wall is a passive system that reduces the energy demand of a building. In winter, it captures the heat from the sun during the day and releases this heat into the building at n...

Research has shown that staying indoors is not good for our health. People spend more and more of their time indoors. Therefore, providing a healthy and comfortable indoor environment is very important. The SenseLab will contribute to the understanding of and coping with the indoor environment. Students, teachers, researchers, but also the general...

The Double Face 2.0 research project aims at developing a novel type of an adaptive translucent Trombe wall. The novelty of the proposed system is based on the integration of new lightweight and translucent materials, used both for latent heat storage and insulation, advanced computational design processes, used to identify the relationship between...

Decisions made at early stages of the design are of the utmost importance for the energy-efficiency of buildings. Wrong decisions and design failures related to a building’s general layout, shape, façade transparency or orientation can increase the operational energy tremendously. These failures can be avoided in advance through simple changes in t...

In the past decades, many studies have proposed urban greening as a method to mitigate the rising temperatures in cities and urban heat islands. The cooling effect of urban green spaces can be divided into two components; cooling intensity and cooling extension. These two components are affected by different factors. This paper provides a review of...

Up to 44% of EU residents are exposed to noise levels that are detrimental to health. In this context, vertical gardens could play an important role in architectural acoustics, where the main absorber material is the substrate soil. Plants have a beneficial effect for higher frequencies when planted in a large density. In this paper a vertical gard...

Spong3D is an adaptive 3D printed facade system that integrates multiple functions to optimize thermal performances according to the different environmental conditions throughout the year. The proposed system incorporates air cavities to provide thermal insulation and a movable liquid (water plus additives) to provide heat storage where and wheneve...

Written by Martin Tenpierik Research by Martin Tenpierik, Michela Turrin, Yvonne Wattez, Tudor Cosmatu and Stavroula Tsafou

Noise can become uncomfortable for us in many situations both indoors and outdoors. External noise consists of activities (airplanes flying overhead, traffic on the road, etc.) that are either loud enough to be considered uncomfortable when outdoors, or are of an elevated volume to the extent that they infiltrate buildings at levels considered unco...

Sound absorption systems are widely used for reducing noise and improving room acoustics. However, they are often constrained by conventional design and production techniques; and offer limited options for customising performance and form. Moreover, typical solutions are difficult to use for the damping of low frequencies due to their large size or...

Noise can become uncomfortable for us in many situations both indoors and outdoors. External noise consists of activities (airplanes flying overhead, traffic on the road, etc.) that are either loud enough to be considered uncomfortable when outdoors, or are of an elevated volume to the extent that they infiltrate buildings at levels considered unco...

Optimizing the acoustic environment of open plan offices is a complex task due to the large number of design parameters that must be considered. In current practice, acoustic analysis – even in a simplified form – is not naturally integrated into the design process of office spaces. Applying digital acoustic simulation in architectural design curre...

Noise can become uncomfortable for us in many situations both indoors and outdoors. External noise consists of activities (airplanes flying overhead, traffic on the road, etc.) that are either loud enough to be considered uncomfortable when outdoors, or are of an elevated volume to the extent that they infiltrate buildings at levels considered unco...

Measurements in the impedance tube are very useful as they enable the measurement of sound absorption for normal incidence sound. This paper discusses an experiment-based comparison of two measurement techniques in the impedance tube: the standing wave method and the transfer function method. The series of tested samples contain resonant absorbers...

Tall buildings are being designed and built across a wide range of cities. A poorly designed tall building can tremendously increase the building’s appetite for energy. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the design strategies that help a high-rise office building to be more energy efficient. For this purpose, a comparative study on twelve case...

The building envelope is the interface between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment. A building's energy consumption to a large extent depends on certain envelope design elements. As a consequence, for achieving high levels of energy-saving in buildings, design measures with high impact should be firstly defined and then optimis...