Heat in Buildings

At TU Delft we work on high performance building design and on performance analysis, diagnosis, and optimisation of energy systems operating at the level of buildings. This is achieved by combining statistics and data analytics with thermodynamics, building physics, behavioural sciences, and system dynamics. Sustainable heating and cooling systems are more complex than fossil based ones we are used to, and ventilation is much more important in well insulated buildings. To control indoor climate, we need to understand better the complex interactions between outdoor climate, building envelope and facilities, equipment and occupants. Therefore, we develop new methods for analysis and interpretation of large combinations of data sets collected in buildings, or from simulations.

This profile covers the building envelope, occupancy, facilities, hydraulics, inertia, and control of the sustainable energy supply in buildings. This also includes a dedicated course on heat pump fundamentals.

Master thesis

The following departments offer graduation projects in the profile Heat in Buildings:

• Architectural Engineering and Technology (Architecture and Built Environment)
• Management in the Built Environment (Architecture and Built Environment)
• Geoscience and Engineering (Civil Engineering and Geosciences)
• Water Management (Civil Engineering and Geosciences)
• Process and Energy  (Mechanical Engineering)

Examples of graduation projects

• Analysis and optimization of building heating and cooling systems
• Heat pump internal compressor optimization
• Assess potential for retrofitting 70’s housing and older
• Phase change materials in building construction
• Optimal temperature levels in buildings with ATES systems
• Fault detection and diagnosis in building control systems.