The field of Sustainable Built Environment exploits the traditional advantages of architectural physics and solar technologies while conducting scientific research and technological development, in order to integrate such technologies in contemporary design practice. The goals are to enhance the physical environmental quality of our buildings and cities, implement strategies for resource conservation and environmental protection, and enhance the ability of cities to cope with severe environmental impacts. Our main research areas are (1) architectural physical environment optimization; (2) sustainable urbanism and building energy; and (3) design studies related to the development of ecological and resilient cities, as well as green buildings.
Outline of General Contents in the Sustainable Built Environment
The origin of sustainable built environment research can be traced back to the 1950s when Professor SHEN Tianxing, the prestigious expert and founder of building physics education in China, established this research area. Being the only national key discipline strictly dedicated to architectural science and technology, our research groups currently set the pace for research and practice in sustainable built environments within China. In particular, our research in the field of architectural lighting and illumination is considered to match first-class standards at the international level.
The three primary research directions in architectural physical environment optimization are: (1) urban thermal environment and building energy efficiency, (2) lighting environment of buildings and urban illumination, and (3) building acoustics and urban noise control. The two core objectives are to solve the scientific issues in the architectural physical environment that have arisen during the process of rapid urbanization and construction in China, and to jointly implement the three objectives for sustainable built environment (improvement of human living quality; ecological and environmental protection; and energy conservation and efficiency).
Sustainable urbanism and building energy research involves, among other things, the investigation of supply and demand pipelines, application of advanced technologies and innovative methodologies for energy efficiency in the built environment, measures for passive and active energy conservation, optimization of energy supply and reclamation systems, and the utilization of renewable energies.
Among our main achievements is the establishment in 2014 of the APEC Sustainable Energy Center (APSEC), which is affiliated with the National Energy Administration of China, and is mainly executed by the professors of our discipline, and sponsored by Tianjin University. The center is listed as one of the top 100 university think tanks in the China Think Tank Index (CTTI), and in 2018 it was ranked as a Top 10 think tank in the field of environment, energy, and infrastructure.
The origins of the research group devoted to green building design and resilient cities can be traced back to 2010. In the same year, the International Research Center for Low-carbon Architecture was established through the collaboration with Cardiff University (UK), and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China). Our research focuses on the sustainable design of multi-scale built environments. Additionally, the Research Center for Coastal City Security and Intelligent Disaster Prevention was established in 2008, and then approved as one of the Tianjin municipal key university research centers for the humanities and social sciences in 2017. The research contents of CCS&IDP mainly include disaster prevention in high-risk urban areas, ecological security and restoration of coastal cities, and ecological renovation of high-density old towns in coastal districts.
Finally, the Tianjin Municipal Key Laboratory for Building Physical Environment & Sustainable Technology was qualified by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) in 2015. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art environmental monitoring equipment, which enables it to provide diversified technological support for cutting-edge studies in architectural acoustics, lighting & illumination, and thermal physics.
