Abstract The thermal performance of buildings can be evaluated prior to its construction by modeling it using a specialized software. Climate boundary conditions must be represented by a weather file that is composed of a weather dataset organized hourly according to a defined year structure such as Test Reference Year (TRY) or Typical Meteorological Year (TMY). Before this study, there were a few weather files available for cities in southern Brazil, notably, Santa Maria, RS, classified as a humid subtropical climate. The most recent available weather file was built in 2014 and presents inconsistencies with respect to precipitation data. Therefore, the objetive of this study was to process and analyze the climate data of Santa Maria over an eighteen-year period (2002-2020), to generate a more reliable weather file. The applied method considered the following procedures: data collection and processing; TRY (TRY17) and TMY2 (TMY0220) definition; solar radiation data calculation; EPW files generation; and comparison between the new EPW files and the previous existing files. As a result, in a short period of time (2014-2020), significant differences among the weather files were observed. The importance of updating weather files in time intervals shorter than 30 years was emphasized. In relation to the comparative analysis, both weather files (TRY17 and TMY0220) presented dry bulb temperatures in consonance with the other files previously available. Although, the correction of precipitation data could originate building simulations closer to the reality.

Resumo A indústria da construção tem um grande impacto no meio ambiente. A difusão dos conceitos de sustentabilidade levou o setor a buscar edifícios com melhor desempenho ambiental. Este artigo tem como objetivo identificar as práticas sustentáveis adotadas por agentes do gerenciamento da indústria da construção em uma cidade de médio porte no Brasil. Para isso, foi aplicado um questionário on-line com foco em agentes de gestão da construção civil, composto por 17 questões referentes ao conhecimento e aplicação de estratégias de sustentabilidade ambiental no gerenciamento de projetos e obras. A amostra considerou 20 empresas de construção associadas ao Sindicato da Industria da Construção Civil do município. Os resultados mostram que, apesar de estarem cientes dos princípios de sustentabilidade e de sua importância, apenas 30% das empresas aplicam pelo menos uma estratégia relacionada à gestão de resíduos, produção de resíduos, poluição sonora, visual, da água e do solo e consumo de energia e água. Este artigo também pode contribuir para a definição de estratégias para incentivar a sustentabilidade no setor da construção.

Abstract The construction industry has a great impact on the environment worldwide. The diffusion of sustainability concepts has led the industry to improve environmental performance in building projects. This paper aims to identify sustainable practicesadopted by managers in the construction industryin a medium-sized city in Brazil. An online surveywith17 questions regarding knowledgeand application of environmental sustainability strategies in project design and construction management was applied to managersin the industry. The sample considered 20 construction companies, members of the city’s Civil Construction Union. Results show that, despite being aware of sustainability principles and their importance, only 30% of the companies apply at least one strategy related to waste management, waste production, sound, visual, water and soil pollution and energy and water consumption. This paper may contribute to the development of strategies to encourage sustainability in the construction sector.