Sustainable Energy and Climate Smart Building Research Group
Horizon Europe keywords:
· Advanced materials
· Circular economy
· Climate change mitigation and adaptation
· Energy efficient buildings
· Space-based infrastructures and services
Introduction of the Research Group
Our research group carries out building physics and building energy evaluations, standard and innovative laboratory measurements of building materials and building products, as well as on-site diagnostics and monitoring and expert opinions related to building technology, building constructions and architectural design. We assess building energy demand and indoor comfort using dynamic whole-building simulations, for example the increased risk of summer overheating due to predicted climate change. The soundness of building constructions is checked by dynamic conjugated heat and moisture transfer simulations. We support the design of environmentally conscious and sustainable building constructions and buildings through life-cycle cost (LCC) and environmental life cycle assessment (LCA). Our staff are experienced in both high-tech and low-tech construction technologies, design and construction, and building retrofit work, with outstanding energy efficiency near-zero and net zero energy requirements. Our aim is to be a leader in sustainable construction at home and abroad, to contribute to the development of building culture and the construction industry through innovative research.
Watch our 3-minute introductory video:
Achievements
- Development of an expert system for the life cycle based environmental and cost optimization of whole buildings- Development of the requirement system of the Hungarian building energy regulation
- Heat vulnerability assessment of buildings
- Development of a methodology and evaluating the hygrothermal performance of building constructions and thermal bridges
- Assessing the environmental dependent performance of building constructions
Publications
Kiss, Benedek ; Szalay, Zsuzsa: Sensitivity of buildings' carbon footprint to electricity decarbonization: a life cycle–based multi-objective optimization approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 2022 pp. 1-20. , 20 p. (2022) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-022-02043-ySzagri, Dóra ; Nagy, Balázs: Experimental and numerical hygrothermal analysis of a refurbished double-skin flat roof CASE STUDIES IN THERMAL ENGINEERING 25 Paper: 100941 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2021.100941
Kiss, Benedek ; Szalay, Zsuzsa: Modular approach to multi-objective environmental optimization of buildings AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION 111 Paper: 103044 , 14 p. (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.103044
Kiss, Benedek ; Kácsor, Enikő ; Szalay, Zsuzsa: Environmental assessment of future electricity mix – Linking an hourly economic model with LCA. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 264 Paper: 121536 , 14 p. (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121536
Nagy, Balázs: Designing insulation filled masonry blocks against hygrothermal deterioration
ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS 103 pp. 144-157. , 14 p. (2019)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2019.05.005
Awards
Junior Prima Award, 2021 – Balázs Nagy New National Excellence Postdoc Scholarship, 2021-2022 – Balázs Nagy Researcher Award of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, 2021 – Balázs Nagy Lecturer Prize for Teaching, 2021 – Balázs Nagy Prize for achievements in the supervision of university students (TDK), Pro Progressio Foundation, 2019 - Zsuzsa Szalay Dean's award for coordinating the scientific student competition (TDK), BME Faculty of Civil Engineering, 2019 - Zsuzsa Szalay János Bolyai Research Scholarship, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), 2015- 2018 - Zsuzsa SzalayJournals
Energy and Buildings, Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Energy Efficiency, Journal of Cleaner Production, Engineering Failure AnalysisInfrastructure
Taurus TLP 300 DTX Thermal Conductivity measuring device, Testo devices (Thermal Imager, U-value measurement device, etc.) Softwares: DesignBuilder, Comsol Multiphysics, ecoinvent Workstation with AMD Threadripper CPU and 128 GB RAMProjects
Optimization of buildings and building elements from life cycle and building physics perspective based on complex numerical modelling), 2018-2022, NKFI-6-FK_18-128663, PI: Zsuzsa Szalay VisegradFund 22010231 (Adoption of V4 buildings to nZEB standard using natural and bio-based materials) Partner: Dr. Balázs Nagy, 2020-2022, Visegrad Fund 22010231
MooB - Multi-objective life cycle optimization of sustainable and innovative construction materials and buildings, 2019-2022, International collaboration project, 2018-2.1.15- TÉT-PT-2018-00005, PI: Zsuzsa Szalay
Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings: revision and update of the Hungarian calculation methodology and regulation TNM 7/2006, 2019-2020, National project funded by the Ministry for Innovation and Technology
Industry relations
Knauf Insulation, Austrotherm, Wienerberger, Artifex Publishing, Cemkut, Jaszplastik, GenthermConferences
Central Europe towards Sustainable Building 2022, International Scientific Conference, Prague, July 4-5 2022, Zsuzsa Szalay – Scientific Committee MemberWorld Sustainable Energy Days 2022, Wels, Austria, 5-8 April 2022. Balázs Nagy – Participant
3D Concrete printing – as a major tool of future automation and digitalization, 18 November 2021, Budapest, Hungary. Balázs Nagy – Scientific Committee Member
International Conference on Construction, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, 15-18 October, 2021, Coimbra, Portugal. Balázs Nagy – Participant
Sustainable Built Environment DA-CH Conference 2019, Graz, Austria, 11-14 September 2019, Zsuzsa Szalay – Scientific Committee Member
envibuild 2019 International Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia, 7 November 2019, Zsuzsa Szalay – Scientific Committee Member