Pressure equalisation as design strategy for watertightness

Due to rising energy prices and a higher ecological awareness there is a growing attention for energy efficiency and sustainability in building construction. New concepts and techniques for well insulated and airtight buildings require adapted construction methods for weathertightness. This research project aims at developing design guidelines for new building envelope systems concerning weathertightness. Most building envelope systems rely on pressure moderation to achieve a good weathertightness. By separating the airtightness plane from the water shedding surface a drained cavity can be pressure moderated to limit the amount of water that enters the construction. A better understanding of those phenomena makes way for more rapid evolution in energy efficient and sustainable building envelope design

Development of sustainable material for hybrid wall system to improve indoor thermal performance

Thermal performance of building envelope has been of great importance in determining the indoor thermal environment mainly due to the impact of existing global warming issues. Due to the hot and humid climate of Malaysia, and poor thermal design of building envelope, mechanical cooling of buildings is becoming almost a necessity. This necessity in the case of low-income home owners is an added burden. Thus there is a need to provide wall system with better thermal performance than conventional wall systems. Due to the emphasis on developing sustainable built environments, researchers are striving for waste incorporation in building wall material. However, the waste incorporated within the building wall system, especially in bricks still lacks practical applicability when it comes to the overall performance of the system in terms of mechanical, thermal and physical properties. The focus of the research is to tackle the twin issues of sustainability and thermal performance of building wall systems for affordable homes using a Design Science methodology. A cost-effective sustainable alternative building wall system with better thermal performance than conventional material is proposed by utilizing locally available waste materials such as waste glass and oil palm industry byproducts. The enhancement of thermal performance of wall materials was done by the introduction of cellular porous palm oil fibers to lower the heat transfer. Fiber reinforced mortar (FRM) and thermally enhanced sustainable hybrid (TESH) bricks were developed by optimizing the mix design using Glass Powder, Palm Oil Fly Ash and Oil Palm Fibers based on Taguchi’s Process Parameter approach. Both the FRM and TESH bricks, which constitute the thermally enhanced sustainable hybrid (TESH) wall system, were analyzed for physical, mechanical and thermal performance and they comply with the various codes of practice for building materials. ANSYS WORKBENCH software was used to determine the thermal performance of the newly developed TESH. The temperature distribution and rate of heat transfer through the wall system was found to be significantly lower than conventional wall systems. Also, comparative energy analysis established that the energy consumption is 10.6 % lower for TESH. Due to the lower electricity consumption, the total energy costing for the building was also reduced by 10.2 %. Thus, TESH proves to be more sustainable and cost effective within the operational phase of the building. TESH is a sustainable alternative for low-cost housing units due to its proven low embodied energy as it comprises mainly of locally available waste materials for its production

The role of built environment energy efficiency in a sustainable UK energy economy

Energy efficiency in the built environment can make significant contributions to a sustainable energy economy. In order to achieve this, greater public awareness of the importance of energy efficiency is required. In the short term, new efficient domestic appliances, building technologies, legislation quantifying building plant performance, and improved building regulations to include installed plant will be required. Continuing these improvements in the longer term is likely to see the adoption of small-scale renewable technologies embedded in the building fabric. Internet-based energy services will see low-cost building energy management and control delivered to the mass market in order that plant can be operated and maintained at optimum performance levels and energy savings quantified. There are many technology options for improved energy performance of the building fabric and energy systems and it's not yet clear which will prove to be the most economic. Therefore, flexibility is needed in legislation and energy-efficiency initiatives

How to achieve sustainability : regulatory challenges

The importance of designing sustainable buildings is gaining greater acceptance worldwide. Evidence of this is how regulators are incorporating sustainable design principles into building regulations and requirements. The aim being to increase the number of sustainable buildings and move from a traditional voluntary compliance to one that is mandatory. However, developing regulations that actually achieve these aims can be a difficult exercise. Several countries in South East Asia, such as Singapore and Malaysia, have performance based building regulations that are supplemented by prescriptive measures for achieving the desired performance. Australia too has similar building regulations and has had energy efficiency regulations within the Building Code of Australia for over a decade. This paper explores some of the difficulties and problems that Australian regulators have experienced with the performance-based method and the prescriptive or “deemed-to-comply” method and measures that have been taken to try and overcome these problems. These experiences act as a useful guide to all regulators considering the incorporation of sustainable design measures into their countries building regulations. The paper also speculates on future environmental requirements being incorporated into regulations, including the possibility of non-residential buildings being required to meet minimum energy efficiency requirements, and the possible systems that would need to be in place before such requirements were included. Finally, the paper looks at a possible way forward using direct assessment from electronic designs and introduces several software tools that are currently being developed that move towards achieving this goal. Keywords: Sustainable buildings, Performance-based, Regulations, Energy efficiency, Assessment tools

A multi-criteria performance study of an integrated demand/supply energy system for low and zero carbon technologies within domestic building design

When low carbon and renewable energy (RE) systems are adopted in a building, matching the outputs from RE systems (e.g. photovoltaic, solar collectors, small scale wind turbines and heat pumps) to demand has to be taken into account to fully realise the potential of the hybrid energy system. Considering the varying demand profiles due to different building design options (e.g. orientation, construction types etc), it is necessary to evaluate key technology elements in an integrated context and establish appropriate strategies for simultaneously meeting heating and electricity loads as well as matching demand and supply. This paper presents a new approach to evaluate the interactive effects of low carbon technologies and demand reduction measures in the early design stage of a new building. A case study of a sustainable domestic building project (PLUS 50), was implemented on the basis of the proposed design approach

Are building design rating systems effective towards the goal of sustainability in the design and construction of public and private buildings and how will new energy performance and sustainable design requirements affect the professional liability of building design professionals?

The following paper will explore the future of sustainable building practices as it relates to building design rating systems and whether building design rating systems are effective in conserving energy and resources in the construction of new buildings. This paper will begin by highlighting some of the general principles behind sustainable design practices, and the challenges of determining if building design rating systems are utilized effectively towards the goal of sustainability. In addition, the paper will highlight issues specific to ongoing litigation in Gifford v. U.S. Green Building Council and allegations made within the lawsuit that question the methodology and efficacy of building design rating systems. How political and ideological influences have propelled sustainability practices into the mainstream, and to what extent government is and should be involved in regulating building design rating systems will also be explored. Lastly, how will new energy performance and sustainable design methodologies, which are now being required in the law, affect the professional liability of building design professionals in the future

Systematic Literature Review of Roof Systems on Energy Efficiency of a Building to Support an Ideal Study Framework

A sustainable building envelope is a crucial element to build energy efficient structures that contribute towards sustainable communities. The demand for sustainable building envelopes has grown in response to a growing emphasis on sustainable living. The roofing system is an important component of a sustainable building envelope because it influences the building\u27s energy consumption and indoor comfort levels. The current study focuses on roofing systems and associated solar reflectance and albedo values to document the impact on energy efficiency via cooling/heating energy usage, dollar savings and temperature (ambient and surface) reductions due to the roofing systems. Additionally, the study focuses on organizing the data and findings based on study design parameters to capture the changing efficiency over solar reflectance and albedo values. The PSALSAR framework was used to conduct a systematic literature review. The framework compares the documented data from various literature sources with increasing solar reflectance and albedo values and its impact on energy efficiency. The systematic literature review considered data from 77 papers to analyze parameters like solar reflectance and albedo for different types of roofs, identifying key limitations and gaps using a survey that paves way for future study design on roofing systems. The study provides a useful tool to understand the impact of roof performance on energy efficiency and make informed decisions about the implementation of cool roofs

STUDY OF ECO-ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT AT MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL

Eco-architecture is a sustainable concept which in essence prioritizes natural and environmental aspects in an architectural design. In addition, eco-architecture also focuses on the use of natural energy as an alternative energy source to replace fossil energy which produces C02 which causes damage to natural ecosystems and causes harm to the living things in it. In this research, Marina Bay Sands Hotel is the object of hotel research that uses the concept of eco-architecture in its design. There is also a discussion on the building's energy operational system in which there are passive systems, hybrid systems, active systems and productive systems as levels in the use of building energy with the aim of providing efficient energy for buildings. The last is about the identification of harmony which includes discussing the configuration of the building mass and the orientation of the building. Based on the analysis carried out with the components previously mentioned, it can be concluded that the application of eco-architecture based on its principles has a significant impact on environmental conditions around the site. This is because these principles are principles that pay attention to environmental conditions during the construction period and after the building is active, which makes the building a sustainable building

Examining the uptake of low-carbon approaches within the healthcare sector: case studies from the National Health Service in England

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, is one of the largest organisations in Europe and indeed the world. It therefore has a significant ecological footprint. As a result there are key corporate, financial and environmental targets that the organisation is expected to meet as a means of reducing resource consumption. Using a case study approach, this manuscript examines best practice examples for the uptake of low-carbon strategies for energy conservation. These strategies included sustainable procurement, use of renewable energy technologies, supply chain management, use of building management systems, renegotiating energy contracts, undertaking energy audits, and behaviour change, to realise significant financial, as well as energy and carbon savings. A key focus was management of water resources, including the use of recycling and recovery of heat. The implications of the findings for building ecological and financial resilience within the organisation are also discussed