Dr Renata De Vecchi | Environmental quality | Best Researcher Award

Researcher, UFSC/LabEEE, Brazil

Renata De Vecchi is a renowned researcher and professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Brazil, specializing in thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and building labeling. With a passion for improving the environmental and human aspects of architectural design, her work bridges the gap between climate conditions and building performance, particularly in humid subtropical climates. As a leader in the field, De Vecchi has contributed significantly to global databases and Brazilian standards for building energy performance and occupant comfort. Her research, primarily focused on thermal comfort and energy-efficient buildings, aims to provide actionable insights for creating sustainable and comfortable environments. Through her extensive collaborations and field studies, she has influenced building practices in both academic and practical domains.

Profile

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Strengths for the Award

Renata De Vecchi is an excellent candidate for the Research for Best Researcher Award due to her significant contributions to the field of thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and building performance. Her work is pioneering, particularly in the context of humid subtropical climates, which are often underrepresented in global thermal comfort studies.

Some key strengths that make her an ideal candidate include

• High Impact Publications: De Vecchi has authored numerous highly-cited articles in top-tier journals, with some papers such as the development of the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II (439 citations) having a substantial influence on international research.
• Innovative Research: Her work on adaptive comfort models, energy-efficient building systems, and thermal perception in classrooms and office environments has led to important improvements in building design and standards, particularly in Brazil.
• Global Recognition: She is recognized globally for her contributions to energy-efficient building practices and thermal comfort standards, helping shape not just national policies but also international guidelines.
• Collaborations: She has collaborated with a wide network of experts in various fields, which has enhanced the interdisciplinary impact of her work.

Areas for Improvement

While De Vecchi’s research is highly influential, there are a few areas where continued development could further enhance her work:

• Broader Application of Results: While her research has been crucial for Brazilian contexts, further application of her findings to other developing regions with similar climatic conditions could increase the global relevance of her research.
• Broader Outreach: De Vecchi could further enhance her impact by collaborating with industries to directly implement her findings in building design and energy efficiency systems at a larger scale, moving beyond academic circles into more practical, real-world applications.
• Cross-Disciplinary Integration: Although her work bridges engineering, architecture, and climate science, an even closer collaboration with urban planning and policy-making could ensure her findings are integrated into urban development strategies for sustainable cities.

Education

Renata De Vecchi earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), where she also pursued her Ph.D. in Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort. Her academic journey has been marked by a deep commitment to understanding the relationship between environmental factors and human comfort. De Vecchi’s education laid the foundation for her current research focus on energy-efficient buildings and the thermal behavior of indoor spaces in varying climate conditions. Her work is influenced by her experiences living in regions with high humidity and subtropical climates, where she has explored how people’s perceptions of thermal comfort relate to both environmental and cultural variables. Throughout her career, she has continuously sought to expand her expertise in sustainable architecture and energy optimization in buildings.

Experience

Renata De Vecchi has extensive experience in thermal comfort research, building energy efficiency, and environmental design. As a professor and researcher at UFSC, she has led multiple projects on adaptive thermal behavior, energy-efficient building systems, and thermal comfort in office and classroom environments. De Vecchi has collaborated internationally on studies aimed at global thermal comfort databases and the development of national standards for the built environment, particularly focusing on Brazil’s unique climatic conditions. Her field studies have contributed to mixed-mode conditioning systems, air conditioning use, and the impact of relative humidity on thermal perception. In addition, she has authored numerous papers and reports, some of which are widely cited, providing valuable insights for both academics and practitioners in sustainable architecture and building performance. She also actively participates in developing Brazilian thermal comfort standards and building performance labels.

Awards and Honors 

Renata De Vecchi has earned recognition for her groundbreaking work in thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Her research has significantly impacted building standards and guidelines, especially in Brazil, contributing to the development of national thermal comfort protocols. Notable among her honors is her involvement in the creation of the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II, a major international initiative. Her research on energy-efficient buildings and thermal comfort standards has earned her multiple awards in the academic and professional spheres, particularly for her innovative work on adaptive thermal behavior and environmental controls. De Vecchi has received funding and grants from national and international bodies for her research on sustainable architecture and climate-responsive building systems. Additionally, she has been recognized for her leadership in bringing practical solutions to the field of building performance and energy-efficient building design.

Research Focus

Renata De Vecchi’s primary research interests revolve around thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and building performance. She focuses on how various climatic conditions, particularly humid subtropical climates, impact human thermal perception and comfort within office and residential environments. Her work explores the interactions between natural ventilation, air conditioning, and human behavior, with an emphasis on designing buildings that are both comfortable for occupants and energy-efficient. De Vecchi is particularly interested in adaptive comfort models, which consider occupant behavior and personal preferences in building design. Additionally, she contributes to the development of national building standards in Brazil, helping to shape guidelines for thermal acceptability and energy performance in buildings. Through her extensive studies on building labeling, she seeks to improve sustainable architectural practices by evaluating and optimizing the energy performance of residential and commercial buildings. Her work provides actionable insights for improving indoor climate control and building performance.

Publication Top Notes

1. Development of the ASHRAE global thermal comfort database II 🌍🧑‍🔬
2. Conforto e stress térmico 🌡️⚡
3. Evaluating assumptions of scales for subjective assessment of thermal environments 🔎💡
4. Conforto térmico e stress térmico 🏠🌡️
5. Thermal comfort in office buildings: Findings from a field study in mixed-mode and fully-air conditioning environments 🏢❄️
6. Thermal preference and comfort assessment in air-conditioned and naturally-ventilated university classrooms 🏫🌬️
7. User-centered environmental control: a review of current findings on personal conditioning systems 🤖🏠
8. Towards a Brazilian standard for naturally ventilated buildings: guidelines for thermal and air movement acceptability 🇧🇷🏠
9. Influence of relative air humidity and movement on human thermal perception in classrooms 🌧️👩‍🏫
10. Adaptive behaviour and air conditioning use in Brazilian residential buildings 🏠💨
11. ASHRAE 55 adaptive model application in hot and humid climates: the Brazilian case 🔥🇧🇷
12. Thermal history and its influence on occupants’ thermal acceptability and cooling preferences ⏳🌡️
13. Towards a Brazilian standard on thermal comfort 🇧🇷🌞
14. The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales 🌍📊
15. Thermal history and comfort in a Brazilian subtropical climate: a ‘cool’ addiction hypothesis 🏝️🌀
16. Thermal comfort in office buildings: Findings from a field study in mixed-mode and fully-air conditioning environments 🏢❄️
17. Influence of recent and long-term exposure to air-conditioned environments on thermal perception 🌡️🛋️
18. Avaliação de conforto térmico em edificações comerciais que operam sob sistemas mistos de condicionamento ambiental 🏬⚙️
19. From characterisation to evaluation: A review of dynamic and non-uniform airflows in thermal comfort studies 🌬️📖
20. The role of clothing in thermal comfort: how people dress in a temperate and humid climate in Brazil 👗🌦️

Conclusion

Renata De Vecchi is a highly accomplished researcher whose work on thermal comfort and energy-efficient buildings has had a significant impact on both the academic community and building industry. Her innovative approach to adaptive comfort, energy efficiency, and thermal perception in climates like Brazil’s sets her apart as a leading expert in the field. Her ability to influence international standards and building codes, particularly in the context of Brazilian climate conditions, makes her an outstanding candidate for the Research for Best Researcher Award. With a focus on improving sustainability and comfort in built environments, she has proven to be an invaluable contributor to the field, and the recognition of her work would further acknowledge her outstanding contributions to global building practices and climate-responsive design.