Developing a Facility for Glazing Performance Testing
ABSTRACT The perception that the results of glazing research are definitively embedded into current simulation programs could not be further from the truth. Significant advances have occurred in recent years, including steady-state thermal analysis, transmission and reflection methods for complex glazing systems, as well as attempts to characterise thermal comfort near a faç ade system….
A Simple-to-Use Calculator for determining the Total Solar Heat Gain of a Glazing System
ABSTRACT This project is to develop a simple-to-use calculator for the total solar heat gain of a glazing sys¬ tem exposed to various angles of incidence. Given the date and time, global solar (horizontal) radiation and the global diffuse component, the incident beam angle for the surface orientation under consideration is calculated. The calculation incorporates…
Comparison of the Energy Performance of a Building with Double Skin Facade and Green Wall
ABSTRACT Double Skin Faç ade system and Green Wall system are two faç ade techniques that have the potential to improve indoor thermal performance and reduce the energy consumption of a building. Studies have been done in both areas, but no research has been conducted in comparing the performance of Double Skin Faç ade and…
Retrofits to improve energy efficiency in the tertiary education sector – An investigation of current practice and implications
ABSTRACT ABSTRACT: Addressing energy efficiency in the existing building stock has been acknowledged as one of the most critical yet challenging aspects of reducing our environmental footprint on the ecosystem. This paper presents two case studies of current best practice in energy efficiency retrofit in the tertiary education sector. The analysis of energy performance encompasses…
Energy Consumption and CO2 Emission Reduction for Space Heating using SAP in Chilean Dwellings
ABSTRACT Chile depends by an 80% on fuel imports. Energy prices have been increasing the last years and fuel supply problems have obligated the country to consider cheaper forms of energy such as wood, affecting people’s health. This is not less important taking into account that half of the energy used in a dwelling corresponds…
Learning from ‘Earthship’ based on monitoring and thermal simulation
ABSTRACT This paper describes research which investigates the thermal performance of Earthship, an autonomous, earth-sheltered housing concept that claims to require no active heating or cooling systems despite extreme climatic conditions. This research aims to test these claims through monitoring and thermal simulations. The study involves monitoring the indoor conditions in an Earthship home in…
An Empirical Validation of the ‘AccuRate’ Software Envelope Model in an Australian Cool-temperate Climate
ABSTRACT In 2003, the Building Code of Australia introduced its first thermal performance requirements for residential buildings. It mandated a minimum performance rating of 4 Stars when assessed by approved rating methods. This requirement has been progressively increased to 5 Stars in 2006 and 6 Stars in 2010. While the introduction of a 4 Stars…
Evaluating the suitability of the AccuRate engine for simulation of massive construction elements
ABSTRACT A common criticism of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is the adequacy of the thermal assessment software second generation AccuRate. Many argue that the software is not capable of accurately modelling the building envelope and therefore should not be used as a tool in mandatory regulation. In the ‘Rating’ mode of operation…
An as-occupied life cycle energy assessment of a residential building
ABSTRACT A comprehensive analysis of the energy demand of a building over its entire life, based on actual operational energy data and a comprehensive analysis of both initial and recurring embodied energy, is extremely rare. To address this, the aim of this study was to analyse the total energy demand associated with a case study…
Responsive shading and energy efficiency in office buildings: an Australian case study
ABSTRACT Solar radiation allowed to be transmitted to air-conditioned space through a building’s glazing can be a major contributor to the total annual energy requirement for cooling a building. Without the presence of a sufficient barrier to absorb or reflect the radiation transmitted through the glazing, significant resources are committed to providing air-conditioning and maintaining…
Cooling NZ:institutional drivers behind the growth in air-conditioning
ABSTRACT Cooling by air-conditioning in buildings has been claimed to be addictive to the occupants. But for every addict there is ‘pusher’ who has introduced and supplies the product. This paper examines the motives of the institutional pushers that promote air-conditioning in the built environment in New Zealand. Compared to many countries, New Zealand has…
The Impacts of High Performance Glazing on Typical Light Timber Framed Houses in a New Zealand Winter.
ABSTRACT This paper reports on a project which uses two full-scale, three-bedroom standard houses to identify the impact of changes in building elements and materials on indoor environmental quality. The lightweight, timber framed, stand-alone houses are characteristic of New Zealand construction, and meet the requirements for the current New Zealand Building Code in terms of…
An Investigation of the Readability of Building User Guides
ABSTRACT Building User Guides are intended to inform building occupants of the building systems within their workplace. They are created to describe and document all the necessary information pertaining to the buildings operation, maintenance, management and basic trouble shooting procedures. There is evidence to suggest that the Building User Guides are written at a level…
BOSSA – Buildings Occupants Survey System Australia
ABSTRACT Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is a process that allows designers, developers, owners, operators and tenants to objectively identify dysfunctional building services and design features, and highlight successful design. There is a need for an Australian POE instrument developed for Australian designers, building managers and researchers. The Building Occupants Survey System Australia – BOSSA –…
Role of people-environment relationships in sustainable development
ABSTRACT The current models of sustainable development give emphasis to environmental, social and economic aspects. However, sustainable development aims to achieve environmental and human well-being. The role of people-environment relationship and measure of human well-being in sustainable development is still unexplored. Although Quality of life (QoL) intends to assess well-being, conventional QoL metrics do not…
Influence of height-to-width ratio: Case study on mean radiant temperature for Netherlands buildings
ABSTRACT A significant increase of extreme summer heat waves in Central Europe is arising, which has a strong influence on the living quality of its people. Thermal comfort and micro climate around buildings become important issues in urban planning affecting everyone’s daily lives. The major meteorological parameters, such as air temperature, air humidity, wind direction,…
Minimising the Impact of Resource Consumption in the Design and Construction of Buildings
ABSTRACT Although the construction of buildings normally provides undeniable benefits to the community, there are hidden costs to be paid in terms of the adverse effects on the natural environment. The processes of constructing, renovating, maintaining and demolishing buildings have various impacts and in recent decades there have been efforts made to minimise these effects….
Heat wave risks and residential buildings
ABSTRACT The modelling of the global climate over the 21st century indicates various changes including sea level rise and an overall warming effect of between 1.4 to 5.8 deg C. The local effects of these long term global changes are currently being considered. One possible manifestation of climate change which is likely to have more…
The use of renewable building materials to reduce the embodied energy of construction
ABSTRACT The threat of dangerous levels of global warming demand that we significantly reduce carbon emissions over the coming decades. Globally, carbon emissions from all energy end-uses in buildings in 2004 were estimated to be 8.6 Gt CO2 or almost one quarter of total CO2 emissions (IPCC 2007). In Australia, nearly ten per cent of…
The licensed building practitioner: Another step in the New Zealand battle against the leaking building.
ABSTRACT ABSTRACT: The long-term proposal to license building practitioners marks a final retreat from the strong pioneering tradition of self-help and owner building that historically has been a significant element in small-scale construction within New Zealand. The Licensed Building Practitioners Scheme, introduced into the 2004 Building Act, is a government initiative prompted by severe criticism…
Identifying substantive IEQ factors for efficient building management
ABSTRACT This study aims to develop a rational framework for prioritizing different aspects of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) for the strategic management of IEQ in office buildings. Based on the Post Occupancy Evaluation survey database from the Center for the Built Environment (CBE), a two-dimensional evaluation of various IEQ factors was conducted by (1) estimating…
Fractal Analysis of architecture: determining the methodological limits.
ABSTRACT The box-counting variation of fractal analysis is the most common method for calculating the visual complexity of architecture. This computational approach provides a numerical value reflecting the amount of detail present in an elevation or plan of a building or urban space. As an approach for analysing city planning, urban layouts and architecture, the…
Sustainable retrofitting for carbon neutral buildings
ABSTRACT The paper reports on research concerning the definitions, strategies and technologies for sustainable retrofitting. It examines how these can be combined applied to achieve new carbon neutral buildings from our existing building stock. Full Paper
Comparing Different Approaches to Testing Prospect-Refuge Theory
ABSTRACT In 1975 Jay Appleton theorised that certain environmental conditions allow people to feel safe and secure, by providing opportunities to hide (refuge) and to observe (prospect). This proposition, which has since become known as prospect-refuge theory, has been widely debated in a range of fields and has found an enduring place in environmental psychology….
The evolution of a framework for Building Environmental Assessment (BEA) for green buildings in Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT Sustainable development has become a significant worldwide concern, and Building Environment Assessment (BEA) for green building play an important role to achieve sustainability in buildings. In some countries, rating tools are been used, such as LEED in the US, BREEAM in the UK, and Green Star in Australia. However, Saudi Arabia is yet to…