Modelling cities
Martina Ferrando
- Thesis title: Setting and tuning of building stock archetypes for Urban Building Energy Modelling
- PhD Tesi Supervisors: Francesco Causone, Livio Mazzarella
- Phd: STEN, 34° cycle (starting year 2018)
- M. Sc: 2015, Building Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
- B. Sc: 2018, Building and Architectural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Tell us something to introduce yourself
I’m Martina, a building engineer who likes challenges.
Tell us about your research.
My research concerns the energy modelling of buildings at the urban scale, called UBEM. The topic poses great challenges in the systematic simplification of cities to create working models. I focused my attention on bottom-up physics-based UBEM, being the most versatile. This type of UBEM models in detail the building physics of the stock, but they can integrate also other detailed analyses that are peculiar to urban environments. The aim of bottom-up physics-based UBEM is also to design and optimize urban energy systems, for these reasons, building energy demand must be simulated with high spatiotemporal resolution. In particular, my thesis regards the characterization of geometries with the proper thermos-physical attributes to run reliable simulations in the Italian context.
What’s the most significant outcome of your research?
The most significant outcome is the setting of a reliable model of the public housing stock in Milan. This model can be used by the Municipality itself to understand the impact of different energy conservation measures, and future scenarios, and in general, quantify the energy consumption of buildings to improve their efficiency. Moreover, similar models can be easily created for other cities in the same climatic zone as Milan.
Why did you choose to start this experience and why did you choose PoliMi?
I like to think that my work is helpful to the community and people. Even with very small contributions, I think that research gives you the possibility to improve a little bit the world we leave in. I chose Polimi for this experience because it is one of the most important Italian universities for engineering, and also, I love leaving in Milan!
How would you describe this period of your life with three adjectives?
Exciting, I did new stuff every day. This is the same reason why another adjective is challenging. Of course, doing daily new things that you need to learn to do, is not easy. In general, these three years were educational. I learnt a lot, not only in my research field but also about myself, what I want in life and what I need to be happy.
What are your plans after the end of the PhD?
I would like to try to stay in the research field, ideally, inside the university, but I’m open to other solutions. I just would like to continue to do the things I love daily at work.
Which advice would you give to new engineers that are pondering about PhD in Polimi?
Try with a PhD if you like challenges and learning new things. It is a dynamic, young, and stimulating environment, reach of opportunities to learn about science and yourself.
Which personal experience (trip, meeting of a person, book, movie, etc..) mostly affected the way you see things?
My most significant personal experience in life is the visiting period of 9 months in Berkeley (California) during my PhD. The experience opens my horizons due to the melting pot of languages, cultures and lifestyles.
