Sustainable design of built infrastructure and engineering services for South African universities

Published ThesisUniversities have made great strides in research and the development of new knowledge. They are known as centres of enlightenment. However, there is a need for universities to lead by example in other respects, in particular in limiting the environmental impact on cities. This is in respect of the sustainability of built infrastructure and the services provided on campuses, in the wake of challenges of climate change. Practical applications of research in the areas of high-performance buildings, can impact a city positively. Evidences from literature indicate that most of the South African cities were poorly designed from an ecological perspective and have large environmental impacts. New building standards have been recommended but are not comprehensive enough to address problems related to the performance of university buildings and infrastructure. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop an appropriate model for building performance evaluation in higher education institutions based on assessment of parameters for achieving Energy Efficiency (EE), Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and Water Use Efficiency (WUE). The study was executed by multiple case study approach because it permitted case studies of three university campuses in South Africa. The target universities constituted the units of analysis and therefore provided opportunity for in-depth assessment of building parameters of size, orientation, fenestrations, building materials, type of ventilation, building function, type of lighting, and behaviour of occupants to determine their effects on the categories of EE, IEQ and WUE. Data collection included both qualitative and quantitative approaches, which were used to establish relationships between the various parameters and how they affect EE, which in turn is influenced by WUE which affects IEQ. A system dynamic model was used to determine causal relations of the building parameters EE, IEQ and WUE. This approach constitutes an innovative and pioneering contribution to building performance evaluation. The study has established a basic level of awareness and understanding among design- and construction practitioners of the importance of the use of System Dynamics in building performance evaluation, which can be used as a tool for delivering strategic objectives in the preliminary designs of educational buildings and infrastructure. The results of the study contribute to building guidelines for sustainable design of educational neighbourhoods for the transformation of campuses, which in turn can motivate beneficial changes for more sustainable performance of the built facilities

Creating sustainable cities one building at a time: towards an integrated urban design framework

One of the tenets of urban sustainability is that more compact urban forms that are more densely occupied are more efficient in their overall use of space and of energy. In many designs this has been translates into high-rise buildings with a focus on energy management at their outer envelopes. However, pursuing this building focused approach alone means that buildings are treated as stand-alone entities with minimal consideration to their impact on the surrounding urban landscape and vice versa. Where urban density is high, individual buildings interact with each other, reducing access to sunshine and daylight, obstructing airflow and raising outdoor air temperature. If/when each building pursues its own sustainability agenda without regard to its urban context, the result will diminish the natural energy resources available to nearby buildings and worsen the outdoor environment generally. This paper examines some of these urban impacts using examples from the City of London where rapid transformation is taking place as very tall buildings with exceptional energy credentials are being inserted into a low-rise city without a plan for the overall impact of urban form. The focus of the paper is on access to sunshine and wind and the wider implications of sustainable strategies that that focuses on individual buildings to the exclusion of the surrounding urban landscape. The work highlights the need for a framework that accounts for the synergistic outcomes that result from the mutual interactions of buildings in urban spaces

Powerskin Conference: Proceedings

The “third skin†of human beings – the building envelope – has a long history of development with a major impact on architecture. As an interface between inside and outside, facades not only determine aspects such as performance and energy efficiency, they also determine the aesthetics of buildings and cities; to the extend that they can create cultural identity. The invention of the curtain wall made facades independent from the building structure, but it remained an important – yet passive – element.  Powerskin Conference: Proceedings, January 19th 2017– Munich &nbsp

Natural and environmentally responsive building envelopes

In a context of global warming and our needs to reduce CO\d2 emissions, building envelopes will play an important role. A new imperative has been put forth to architects and engineers to develop innovative materials, components and systems, in order to make building envelopes adaptive and responsive to variable and extreme climate conditions. Envelopes serve multiple functions, from shielding the interior environment to collecting, storing and generating energy. Perhaps a more recent concern of terrestrial habitats is permeability and leakages within the building envelope. Such airtight and concealed envelopes with zero particle exchange are a necessity and already exist in regard to space capsules and habitats.This paper attempts to acknowledge existing and visionary envelope concepts and their functioning in conjunction with maintaining a favorable interior environment. It introduces several criteria and requirements of advanced fa\acades along with interior pressurization control. Furthermore, the paper also takes a closer look at the principles of &quot;biomimicry&quot; of natural systems combined with the most up-to-date building materials and construction technologies, trying to integrate the notions of adaptation - where the capacity to survive depends on the ability to adjust to the environment - within the concept of technological evolution and innovation. An &quot;adaptive&quot; attitude in the way in which we conceive our built structures provides a conceptual basis for the advanced building design of our future, as well as one concerned about the efficient management of the available resources. Built environments of the future (in extreme climates or not) will need to respond to Renewable, Adaptive, Recyclable and Environmental (R.A.R.E.) concepts in order to coexist in a sustainable way with their surroundings. <br /

Sustainable Learning Through Architecture Elementary School: A Synergy of Metrics

Sustainability (noun): “Sustainable development is built environment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. When is a good time for our future generations to start learning about sustainability? Education is humanity’s best hope and most effective means in the quest to achieve sustainable future. Sustainability has become a priority and needs to be addressed as a school of thought from a very young age to be more effective and achieve better results. Research shows that sustainability education must begin in early childhood when children tend to learn, absorb, and retain values, attitudes, and form habits/behavioral patterns that will have long lasting impact in later life. Hence the goal of this thesis is to design an elementary school that teaches children the idea of sustainability at an early age to support establishing sustainability as a way of life. The school is intended to be a prototype mainly by being an active teaching tool for students through its architecture to help institute a better understanding of the principles of sustainability. The process involves research and providing a design solution for students who would reiterate the above belief for a sustainable future. Currently sustainability is being more widely accepted and put into practice where educational organizations are embracing the concept of sustainable schools . The design exploration in this thesis is arrived at by investigating old and new educational facilities for methods being used to incorporate sustainability. Current green/sustainable school concepts and new trends, school sustainability policies and agendas, the objective and quantifying metrics, and tools employed to measure sustainability are some topics that would be reviewed upon both in literature and case studies. The effectiveness achieved due to these schools along with generic problems being faced in sustainable schools, including the impact on students (personal health) and their performance, are also comprehended within the research domain. Case studies of existing sustainable schools are examined to see how they are achieving their goals and as informants to the design proposal. To achieve the above stated, a ‘systems approach’ towards sustainability is of primary importance. The systems approach in this context encompasses the ideology of how different metrics/branches of sustainability come together to act as one whole. This method implies integration of metrics such as daylighting, building envelope, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning), and the use of renewable resources in an interactive and inter-dependent dynamic web where the design of one attribute affects either positively or negatively on another attribute. Therefore, every aspect needs to be taken into consideration to avoid any incapacitation in the building systems. Thus, keeping all the metrics in sight of the design parameters helps guide a sustainable and synergetic output

Biomimicry: A Source for Architectural Innovation in Existing Buildings

Today designers, manufacturers and industries are seeking to find sustainable solutions to improve design processes and products that will reduce their environmental impacts. However, they often develop architecture in counterproductive ways by investing time and resources into unproven novel solutions. Yet, there are often better solutions, through biomimicry, that identify successful adaptations found in the natural environment and in biology that can serve to better inform design solutions. Through an in depth investigation of biomimicry, several design strategies are identified, and through a selective process, a few select examples are applied to a renovation of an existing headquarters for the New York State Department of Conservation, (NYSDEC), to create a more efficient, and sustainable building. This introduces a problem, commonly found in the existing building stock, that through re-using an existing building the methods to create a better building design are limited by what already exists. In addition to the proposed design continuing to serve as an environmental conservation office, it now also serves as an example of the applications of biomimicry to the re-design of existing buildings. The focus of this thesis suggests uses of biomimicry solutions derived from plants, bacteria, and other organisms through their natural cycles in order to weigh biomimicry as a possible solution to reaching the goals of the “2030 Challenge.” Furthermore, biomimicry solutions for water, wind and solar collection, as well as response to light and waste management are presented throughout the possible solutions derived from cycles and functions found in nature. In addition, more common solutions derived from human intellectual thinking is used to find interior cosmetic, egress, plumbing and daylighting solutions

Review of Cabin Thermal Management for Electrified Passenger Vehicles

Peer reviewe

Exploring the Applicability of Building Energy Performance Certification Systems in Underground Stations in China

To improve the energy efficiency of underground metro stations, and in view of the absence of a comprehensive energy performance evaluation system for underground stations, this study introduced building Energy Performance Certification (EPC) tools into underground stations and conducted a comparative analysis of their applicability. The findings indicated that due to the unique characteristics of underground stations, China’s current EPC system was inapplicable to them. Specifically, (1) for basic items, although evaluation methods were available, due to the limited energy use data for the statistical method, the self-reference method was preferred, but its calculation encountered issues with missing reference values; (2) for prescribed items, the emphasis should be placed on the energy efficiency requirements of energy use systems rather than those of the thermal performance of envelopes; (3) for alternative items, the energy recovery measures related to the heat dissipation of trains and the piston wind should be addressed. Furthermore, a case study was conducted for verification of the proposed energy evaluation method, and the EPC system was updated based on the results of the comparison. The authors hope that this study will help improve China’s energy evaluation methods for underground stations and serve as a reference for expanding the EPC system to include public transportation buildings

Design and optimization of a zero energy building

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Izmir, 2004Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 96)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxiv, 148 leavesIzmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH), founded in 1992, is the third state university of Izmir. The campus area has the renewable energy sources of several kinds. The aim of this thesis is to design and optimize a building, which produce its own energy by using these sources.Gülbahçe Zero Energy Building (GUZEB) is designed as a library and a gallery, and to be used for symposiums and special day meetings. 32oC geothermal water that is from the ancient cave, which is located in campus area and close to the location of the building, will be used for heating and to meet the hot water requirement of the building. Floor heating system considered being the best heating option with 32oC water source. Necessary pipe length for floor heating system is found by using the software FLUENT.Necessary cooling load is calculated in two different ways by with and without hourly load distribution. With hourly load distribution cooling load calculation is made by using Alarko-Carrier .s HVAC Design Hourly Analysis Program.Additionally, energy storage method is recommended for the cooling plant, which will meet the cooling load. With this method, smaller cooling plant can be chosen instead of choosing cooling plant, which meets the load of symposium days or special day meetings that both are rare. Because of this, electrical load of the cooling plant considered to be lower.Silica-aerogel and many different isolation materials are used in the design of building.s isolation. Fiber lighting is recommended to decrease the lighting load of the building and with automatic controlled curtains and panels; daylight can be controlled during the summer days. So, electric consumption of the building can be tried to be decrease. The wind speed of the location is 5-7 m/s. Electric demand can be met with the photovoltaic panels and wind turbine that will be located in suitable position