Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2021·Ecuador (Quito)

Co-simulation for thermodynamic coupling of crops in buildings. Case study of free-running schools in Quito, Ecuador

Gabriela Ledesma, Jelena Nikolic, Oriol Pons

Building and Environment

Urban Farm DB summary

This study developed a co-simulation model incorporating plant heat and mass balances into building simulations to assess the thermal effect of rooftop farms on building thermal performance. Applied to two free-running schools in Quito, Ecuador, integrated rooftop greenhouses improved thermal comfort and air quality, reducing thermal load by 42% and CO2 exceedance hours by 40%, despite a 2.94 kWh/m2 rise in electricity demand.