Tesla recently introduced its Powerwall line of batteries, aimed at a sector of housing with solar electricity installed. This paper considers the economics behind mass introduction of batteries in the housing sector in the UK from the perspective of peak demand management. Utilities use differential tariffs (such as the Economy 7 tariff on Southern Electric in the UK) to encourage more homogeneous loads. Given current costs of battery systems, this work considers the rates of return that may be possible by buying electricity from the grid in times of low demand, and reselling at peak demand from the perspective of an average UK household. We consider the regulatory framework that would have to be in place to make this feasible and look at the effect a mass uptake of battery technology would have on peak demand management in the UK scenario. Overall however, it is found to not be economically feasible at current prices without heavy government subsidies.

This paper sets out to answer the research question: What differences come about when water-recycling strategies are adapted to the local cultural context? It is argued that water management systems should be circular metabolisms, where wastewater is mobilized as a nutrition source. The aim is to propose water-recycling strategies at a micro level that reflect this. However, water-recycling systems are dependent on a complex set of social factors as to their acceptance/refusal and correct/incorrect use by the end users. This is particularly the case in Ecuador, where a plethora of variations in climates and cultures means that each project is different. This study proposes a qualitative methodology for the development of water-recycling strategies, where semi-structured interviews are first carried out to determine the design parameters of the specific social context where the project is to be implemented. Based on this, a water-recycling system can be proposed that is more likely to be readily accepted by the end users. The paper works with four of case studies, where the methodology is applied in three rural communities and an urban suburb in the Napo province of Ecuador, located in the Amazonian region. The results show that there were distinct differences in the water recycling strategies that were considered most appropriate for each case study. As such participatory design approaches can be said to be of great importance in the design of water-recycling strategies, where further work would necessary in working with the community members for the final system design.

El propósito de este trabajo es estudiar el impacto del cambio de vehículos privados en las tres principales ciudades de Ecuador, y evaluar si la demanda de electricidad creada podría ser satisfecha por energías renovables ubicadas dentro de los límites de la ciudad. El trabajo estudia las tres principales ciudades del Ecuador: Quito, Guayaquil y Cuenca. Se encontró que en teoría y en el caso extremo, si hubiese un cambio repentino donde todos los autos y VUDs de Quito serían reemplazados por vehículos eléctricos, se crearía una demanda de electricidad que podría satisfacerse a través la energía solar fotovoltaica dentro los límites de la ciudad. Esto estaría en línea con la teoría del metabolismo urbano. Sin embargo, no sería factible, hacer esto a través de la energía eólica. En general, se reconoció que en la realidad habría una transición más lenta hacia el uso de vehículos eléctricos, que resolvería parcialmente la demanda de combustibles fósiles del sector de transporte, con poco impacto en la problemática de congestión y la demanda de espacio. Como tal, los sistemas de transporte colectivo y de transporte multimodal tienen un importante papel que desempeñar en este contexto para la siguiente etapa de la investigación.

Up to 44% of EU residents are exposed to noise levels that are detrimental to health. In this context, vertical gardens could play an important role in architectural acoustics, where the main absorber material is the substrate soil. Plants have a beneficial effect for higher frequencies when planted in a large density. In this paper a vertical garden design developed at the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Ecuador (PUCE) was tested for interior acoustic design. The modules solely with substrate and planted with ferns were tested. The objective was to ascertain and explain the random incidence sound absorption coefficient of vertical garden modules. 50 modules making up a total floor area of 10.125 m were used for the measurements. Six different configurations were measured: connected versus dispersed and directly on the floor versus with an air cavity of 5 and 10 cm. Furthermore, each configuration was tested with modules solely filled with substrate and with substrate filled modules with densely planted ferns. The weighted random incidence sound absorption coefficient of the modules densely planted with ferns equals 1.00. This applied to all different configurations tested. The sound absorption coefficient in the lower frequencies (100–315 Hz), mid frequencies (400–1250 Hz) and high frequencies (1600–5000 Hz) was 0.59–0.80, 1.00 and 1.00 respectively. This makes this type of building technology highly suitable for applications where sound needs to be attenuated, paving the way for applying vertical garden systems as a design tool for improving the acoustics of indoor spaces or urban squares.

This paper explores the potential of a vertical garden to function as an active evaporative cooling air conditioning unit. It builds on previous work by Davis, Ramirez and Vallejo [1]. This study shows the results of a full scale, building incorporated vertical garden that measured 1.5 m wide by 2.8 m high. Air flowed behind the garden substrate, where it was cooled and humidified as it flowed down the back of the garden through its contact with the humid surface. The experimental results were compared to the mathematical model developed by Davis and Hirmer [2]. Overall, it was suspected that variations in ambient temperatures during the measurements taking process had a major influence on the results. In taking the data considered most reliable into account however, the results of the mathematical model end experimental data were within 0.44 °C. The results indicate that such gardens show great promise for building climate control, but where further research is needed in order to mitigate the influence of fluctuations in ambient temperatures.

The city is where important exchanges of resources occur, but where what is received from the environment differs greatly from what is returned to it. Energy, water, materials and food are received, yet other waste energy, wastewater, waste materials and organic waste are returned. In nature waste equals food, where circular metabolisms enable resources to be reinvested. In cities in developing countries, not only are resources wasted, but also many people are left out of the value chain. In this paper a Social Urban Metabolism Strategy (SUMS) for Cities is proposed, where through establishing urban metabolism systems marginal communities become part of the value chain. A hypothetical case study is carried out for Quito, Ecuador. First, residential organic waste is mobilized to produce biogas for electricity generation. Second, the micro-plant is located in a community in need of economic regeneration. Third, Quito increases its own electricity generation capacity.

Este estudio se desarrolló en Llano Chico, una parroquia periurbana perteneciente al Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, en Ecuador. Se eligió la energía fotovoltaica debido a la cercanía del lugar con la línea ecuatorial y sus condiciones solares óptimas. El objetivo fue desarrollar una metodología relacionada a la participación comunitaria, para determinar la configuración espacial de un posible proyecto fotovoltaico. La participación de la comunidad fue clave. Los métodos de investigación cualitativos se basaron en: observación, bola de nieve, entrevistas semiestructuradas y un taller participativo. Los resultados respaldan la oportunidad de producir energía fotovoltaica comunitaria para la instalación de alumbrado público en áreas residenciales inseguras y sin base legal, mediante la intervención de las empresas públicas que no pueden operar dada la informalidad de los terrenos. Las estrategias de participación comunitaria promovidas desde la academia pueden descubrir oportunidades contundentes que fomenten el desarrollo en una comunidad.

In Ecuador, 46.4% of households lack access to a sewerage system, where as a result much wastewater is discharged from sewerage into the environment untreated. This paper presents the results of a research project aimed at the development of prototypes that retrofit existing toilets into a manual suction ultra-low flush toilet. These prototypes use around one liter of water, and therefore the amount of sewage produced is substantially reduced. The strategy covered two areas. First, the prototype design is developed with the active participation from users using sociological study tools such as workshops, focus groups and interviews, which enabled to polish or re-define design aspects aimed at improving levels of end-user acceptance. Second, dissemination of results and designed products is implemented through web platforms to enable replicability, allowing potential participation from external collaborators. The main approach of this research is to act at a small scale (houses, departments, buildings) in order to amend the amount of metric tons of wastewater within a larger urban scale.

The research presents a critical study of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the historical centre of Quito, Ecuador, which is a place of residence, commerce and tourism in a world heritage site. The paper draws on data gathered through a participatory study carried out with residents of Quito’s historic centre by the Municipal Institute of Heritage (IMP) from March to December. A deeper understanding of the results related to urban form, transport and social equity were then gained through a semi-structured interview with the IMP project leader in January for the purpose of this paper. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic centre is isolated from the TOD legislation of the city. As such, the objective of the IMP study was to determine grassroots’ perceptions and needs, which then became the overarching concept for the development of a new Integral Urban Development Plan for the historic centre. The results from the participatory study and semi-structured interview were used in this paper to examine a) what people expressed their core needs were, vs b) the requirements established by the TOD model. The historic centre of Quito is an interesting case for a critical examination of the TOD model. It is within the area of inuence of one of the new underground metro stations and contains one of Quito’s main bus/BRT transport hubs. Additionally, the resident population re ects dierent identities, visions and needs for the area, which became highly visible in the qualitative research carried out by the IMP. For example, as a world heritage site there is a constant ux of tourists, on which the commercial sector relies on. However, the needs of the tourist and commercial sector are o en at loggerheads with residents who have lived in the area for generations. Finally, a large sector of the population is characterised as low-income immigrants (from rural areas or abroad), who have entirely dierent needs. The results show the limitations of the TOD model when applied to the historic centre, and give an indication of the People Oriented Development (POD) approach that needs to be adopted instead.

Quito is an Andean city with 2.7 million inhabitants that regularly exceeds the WHO air quality guidelines for O3, SO2, PM2.5, and PM10. Within the historic center in an area of 920.000 m2, only 4% is green space. However, 14.000 m2 of vertical walls exist that could potentially host vertical gardens. The present study evaluates the ability of four vertical gardens to improve air quality and quantifies the area of viable spaces to host vertical gardens in the Historic Center. The air quality was monitored with continuous measuring systems near each vertical garden and in areas outside the area of influence. The capacity for retention of gaseous emissions from an internal combustion engine in an active garden was also evaluated. The results were a mixture of advantages and uncovering possible myths: a) the presence of vertical gardens causes a significant decrease in O3 (up to 99%), NO2 (up to 80%), SO2 (up to 83%), PM2.5 (up to 79%) and PM10 (up to 85%); b) however, a poor choice of plant species in vertical gardens may increase the formation of O3; and c) in the case of exposing an active vertical garden to emissions injected directly into the garden by a combustion engine, the particle size distribution influences its removal, being more efficient with a size greater than 4 smaller diameters.

Over the last decades, a number of new environmental policies have been designed to improve waste management. Among them, extended producer responsibility (EPR) has introduced a mechanism to shift the environmental and financial burden of end‐of‐life products from public management to producers. Recently, EPR has been adopted by a growing number of developing countries, but this policy often struggles in being effectively implemented in such contexts, missing the opportunity of using waste management as a sustainability driver. By discussing the EPR for end‐of‐life tires (ELTs) in Ecuador, this paper proposes a different approach in designing and implementing EPR schemes in developing countries: it recommends consideration of social sustainability, rather than merely copying foreign management frameworks. To address this point, two case studies on socially directed ELT applications were designed and carried out. The case studies aimed at improving resilience of vulnerable populations to natural disasters by increasing the resistance of housing and settlements against catastrophic events using civil engineering applications. The analysis of the case studies’ outcomes brings to light possible policy adjustments, in which social sustainability goals are taken into account within the national EPR scheme. The Ecuadorian case also highlights the benefit of employing an adaptive governance approach when dealing with challenging urban management topics, such as informality (a widespread phenomenon in developing countries) and resilience.

El presente estudio muestra el rendimiento de un prototipo de jardín vertical activo “CMMC” como unidad de enfriamiento y filtro para mejorar la calidad del aire interior y exterior. El comportamiento de jardines verticales fue analizado mediante tres casos de estudio. El jardín vertical activo CMMC enfrió el aire en un promedio de 8,1 °C con una capacidad de enfriamiento promedio de 682,8 W. Incluyendo los efectos del preenfriamiento en la entrada del jardín, el jardín enfrió el aire 14,3 °C en promedio, con una capacidad de enfriamiento promedio de 1.203,2 W. En el tercer caso, se monitoreó la calidad del aire en las cercanías y en sitios sin la influencia del jardín vertical, logrando una disminución de ozono (75%), dióxido de nitrógeno (44%) y partículas PM2,5 (79%) y PM10 (85%). Los resultados fueron concluyentes: el jardín activo CMMC presenta mejoras de calidad del aire superiores respecto a los jardines pasivos. El fenómeno de absorción de contaminantes marca una propuesta para la mejora de la calidad del aire en zonas críticas de contaminación en el Centro Histórico de Quito.

Este estudio se desarrolló en Llano Chico, una parroquia periurbana perteneciente al Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, en Ecuador. Se eligió la energía fotovoltaica debido a la cercanía del lugar con la línea ecuatorial y sus condiciones solares óptimas. El objetivo fue desarrollar una metodología relacionada a la participación comunitaria, para determinar la configuración espacial de un posible proyecto fotovoltaico. La participación de la comunidad fue clave. Los métodos de investigación cualitativos se basaron en: observación, bola de nieve, entrevistas semiestructuradas y un taller participativo. Los resultados respaldan la oportunidad de producir energía fotovoltaica comunitaria para la instalación de alumbrado público en áreas residenciales inseguras y sin base legal, mediante la intervención de las empresas públicas que no pueden operar dada la informalidad de los terrenos. Las estrategias de participación comunitaria promovidas desde la academia pueden descubrir oportunidades contundentes que fomenten el desarrollo en una comunidad.

This research seeks to distinguish which factors influence the ecological footprint and what types of construction have the least environmental impact in a post-disaster social housing building. The first case study is a government social housing design, built with bamboo and concrete masonry blocks, and another design by Ensusitio, a private practice approach to social housing built with bamboo and earth. These houses were granted to victims of the April 2016 earthquake in the Ecuadorian coastal region. The investigation process was carried out based on primary research, which was used to understand how Ensusitio carried out the construction process of Meche's house and also based on a secondary investigation of government social housing. With this information, a comparison is made between them to determine which of the two has the least ecological footprint.

Purpose: Vertical gardens offer multiple benefits in urban environments, including passive cooling services. Previous research explored the use of “active vertical gardens” as potential evaporative air-cooling units by developing a mathematical model based on the FAO-56 Penman Monteith equation. Further research showed that active vertical gardens function best by creating an airflow in the cavity behind the garden such that air is cooled by flowing over the water-saturated garden substrate. The purpose of this paper is to improve the quantification of active vertical garden performance. Design/methodology/approach: A building-incorporated vertical garden was built in Quito, Ecuador, with an air inlet at the top of the garden, an air cavity behind the garden and where air was expelled from the base. Measurements were made of air temperature, humidity and velocity at the air inlet and outlet. Findings: The active vertical garden cooled the air by an average of 8.1 °C with an average cooling capacity of 682.8 W. Including the effects of pre-cooling at the garden inlet, the garden cooled the air by an average of 14.3 °C with an average cooling capacity of 1,203.2 W. Originality/value: The results are promising and support the potential for active vertical gardens to be incorporated into building services and climate control.

Quito is an Andean city with 2.7 million inhabitants that regularly exceeds the WHO air quality guidelines for O3, SO2, PM2.5, and PM10. Within the historic center in an area of 920.000 m2, only 4% is green space. However, 14.000 m2 of vertical walls exist that could potentially host vertical gardens. The present study evaluates the ability of four vertical gardens to improve air quality and quantifies the area of viable spaces to host vertical gardens in the Historic Center. The air quality was monitored with continuous measuring systems near each vertical garden and in areas outside the area of influence. The capacity for retention of gaseous emissions from an internal combustion engine in an active garden was also evaluated. The results were a mixture of advantages and uncovering possible myths: A) the presence of vertical gardens causes a significant decrease in O3 (up to 99%), NO2 (up to 80%), SO2 (up to 83%), PM2.5 (up to 79%) and PM10 (up to 85%); b) however, a poor choice of plant species in vertical gardens may increase the formation of O3; and c) in the case of exposing an active vertical garden to emissions injected directly into the garden by a combustion engine, the particle size distribution influences its removal, being more efficient with a size greater than 4 um but not effective for smaller diameters.