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This article has been funded by a KSC Faculty Development Grant (Keene State College, New Hampshire, USA).

Analysis of institutional authors

Moreno Santamaria, BelenAuthorLauret Aguirregabiria, BenitoAuthorHernandez Ramos, Juan AAuthor

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Industrialization and Thermal Performance of a New Unitized Water Flow Glazing Facade

Publicated to:Sustainability. 12 (18): - 2020-01-01 12(18), DOI: 10.3390/su12187564

Authors: Moreno Santamaria, Belen; Gonzalo, Fernando del Ama; Pinette, Danielle; Lauret Aguirregabiria, Benito; Hernandez Ramos, Juan A.;

Affiliations

‎ Keene State Coll, Dept Sustainable Prod Design & Architecture, 229 Main St, Main St, NH 03435 USA - Author
‎ Tech Univ Madrid UPM, Sch Aeronaut & Space Engn, Dept Appl Math, Plaza Cardenal Cisneros 3, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
‎ Tech Univ Madrid UPM, Tech Sch Architecture Madrid, Dept Construct & Architectural Technol, Av Juan de Herrera 4, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author

Abstract

New light envelopes for buildings need a holistic vision based on the integration of architectural design, building simulation, energy management, and the curtain wall industry. Water flow glazing (WFG)-unitized facades work as transparent and translucent facades with new features, such as heat absorption and renewable energy production. The main objective of this paper was to assess the performance of a new WFG-unitized facade as a high-performance envelope with dynamic thermal properties. Outdoor temperature, variable mass flow rate, and solar radiation were considered as transient boundary conditions at the simulation stage. The thermal performance of different WFGs was carried out using simulation tools and real data. The test facility included temperature sensors and pyranometers to validate simulation results. The dynamic thermal transmittance ranged from 1 W/m(2)K when the mass flow rate is stopped to 0.06 W/m(2)K when the mass flow rate is above 2 L/min m(2). Selecting the right glazing in each orientation had an impact on energy savings, renewable energy production, and CO2 emissions. Energy savings ranged from 5.43 to 6.46 KWh/m(2) day in non-renewable energy consumption, whereas the renewable primary energy production ranged from 3 to 3.42 KWh/m(2) day. The CO2 emissions were reduced at a rate of 1 Kg/m(2) day. The disadvantages of WFG are the high up-front cost and more demanding assembly process.

Keywords

Alternative energyBoundary conditionBuilding energy managementCarbon emissionClimateCoefficientDesignEnergyIndustrializationOffice buildingsSimulationSolar heat gainSolar radiationTransmittanceUnitized facadeWallWater flowWater flow glazingWindow

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Sustainability due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Energy Engineering and Power Technology. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 2.33, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jun 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-06-10, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 2
  • Scopus: 4
  • OpenCitations: 2

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-06-10:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 20 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.

    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: United States of America.

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (MORENO SANTAMARIA, BELEN) and Last Author (HERNANDEZ RAMOS, JUAN ANTONIO).