Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level

Low-emission buildings designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions can incorporate a variety of material and design solutions. One such solution is our proposed building, which features a unique structural system made entirely of wood. This building is capable of bearing heavy loads without the us...

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Main Authors: Kubenková Katerina, Vavřínová Nikola, Fojtík Roman, Plaček Michal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008263
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author Kubenková Katerina
Vavřínová Nikola
Fojtík Roman
Plaček Michal
author_facet Kubenková Katerina
Vavřínová Nikola
Fojtík Roman
Plaček Michal
author_sort Kubenková Katerina
collection DOAJ
description Low-emission buildings designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions can incorporate a variety of material and design solutions. One such solution is our proposed building, which features a unique structural system made entirely of wood. This building is capable of bearing heavy loads without the use of steel, concrete, or other carbon-intensive materials. The building has the form of a horizontal cylinder with a glazed front wall, a design choice made to optimize shape and minimize the building's energy consumption. The analysis focuses on optimizing the thermal and energy performance of this low-carbon timber building, considering three types of placement relative to ground level: fully above ground, partially embedded, and fully embedded below ground level. The study demonstrated that, in the case of a building located below ground level, heat losses are nearly halved compared to those of an above-ground structure. In terms of annual CO2 emissions, the below-ground building showed an approximate 15 % reduction—depending on the thickness of the applied thermal insulation—relative to its above-ground counterpart. Additionally, experimental measurements confirmed the strong cohesion of the composite system consisting of a spruce timber structure and a polyurethane waterproofing layer (polyurea).
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series Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
spelling doaj-art-213d4fdd3a694bc2b5866ef6c298591f2025-08-20T02:35:22ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-09-017310656610.1016/j.csite.2025.106566Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground levelKubenková Katerina0Vavřínová Nikola1Fojtík Roman2Plaček Michal3Department of Building Construction, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ludvíka Podéště 1875/17, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech RepublicDepartment of Building Construction, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ludvíka Podéště 1875/17, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic; Corresponding author.Department of Building Construction, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ludvíka Podéště 1875/17, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech RepublicDepartment of Public and Social Policy, Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Smetanovo nábřeží 6, 110 01, Praha 1, Czech RepublicLow-emission buildings designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions can incorporate a variety of material and design solutions. One such solution is our proposed building, which features a unique structural system made entirely of wood. This building is capable of bearing heavy loads without the use of steel, concrete, or other carbon-intensive materials. The building has the form of a horizontal cylinder with a glazed front wall, a design choice made to optimize shape and minimize the building's energy consumption. The analysis focuses on optimizing the thermal and energy performance of this low-carbon timber building, considering three types of placement relative to ground level: fully above ground, partially embedded, and fully embedded below ground level. The study demonstrated that, in the case of a building located below ground level, heat losses are nearly halved compared to those of an above-ground structure. In terms of annual CO2 emissions, the below-ground building showed an approximate 15 % reduction—depending on the thickness of the applied thermal insulation—relative to its above-ground counterpart. Additionally, experimental measurements confirmed the strong cohesion of the composite system consisting of a spruce timber structure and a polyurethane waterproofing layer (polyurea).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008263Low-carbon wooden buildingBuilding with a circular cross-sectionBuilding placed below ground levelPolyurethane waterproofingPolyuriaThe thermal technical performance of the wooden building
spellingShingle Kubenková Katerina
Vavřínová Nikola
Fojtík Roman
Plaček Michal
Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Low-carbon wooden building
Building with a circular cross-section
Building placed below ground level
Polyurethane waterproofing
Polyuria
The thermal technical performance of the wooden building
title Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
title_full Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
title_fullStr Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
title_short Analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low-carbon wooden buildings placed above, partly below and completely below ground level
title_sort analysis of the thermal engineering properties of low carbon wooden buildings placed above partly below and completely below ground level
topic Low-carbon wooden building
Building with a circular cross-section
Building placed below ground level
Polyurethane waterproofing
Polyuria
The thermal technical performance of the wooden building
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008263
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AT fojtikroman analysisofthethermalengineeringpropertiesoflowcarbonwoodenbuildingsplacedabovepartlybelowandcompletelybelowgroundlevel
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