Users' building optimal performance manual

Occupant behaviour has a significant impact on the overall energy performance of a building. The lack of awareness, misinformation and misunderstanding of the buildings’ systems and features are some of the key elements that impact the use of energy in buildings. This paper presents the results of a workshop performed to increase the awareness of the occupants of two university buildings, in Sydney Australia. The occupants were asked to provide their opinions on their interactions with the lighting, cooling, heating, equipment, windows opening and shading. Then, the behaviours collected in the surveys were converted into energy use, through building simulations, and the results presented in a workshop. After presenting the results, a brainstorming was promoted to collect occupants’ new perceptions based on the previous results. Occupants highlighted as one of the key impacting factors to high levels of energy use the lack of awareness. To answer to the outcome from the workshop, this paper suggested then the incorporation of a users’ building performance (U-BOP) manual as a tool to be used to increase occupant’s awareness and increase the overall performance of a building. It was used as an example and baseline for the manual the building user guideline (BUG) from Green Star and BREEAM, as well as exiting O&M reports. The results of this study and workshop should not be extended to other occupant behavioural situations and patterns. The results should be maintained within the present study and context

Systematic review on stakeholder collaboration for a circular built environment : current research trends, gaps and future directions

Construction is one of the most impactful sectors in the use of resources, while having a complex network of stakeholders. To drive towards sustainable development, implementing circular economy (CE) principles in construction projects by connecting stakeholders has become a priority. This research explores the current trends in CE-research in construction and identifies gaps for future directions in connecting stakeholders for CE. Hence, a systematic literature review (quantitative and qualitative) was undertaken. The quantitative analysis identified a gradual increase of CE research in construction. The qualitative content analysis revealed that there is a tendency to adapt various models/frameworks, actions for CE adaption, strategies for stakeholder collaboration, and, digital technologies to connect stakeholders for CE. Lack of promoting CE is a key challenge that needs to be addressed for efficient stakeholder collaboration. Blockchain, could be an enabler for effective stakeholder collaboration for CE in construction and will be the way forward

The Unconventional Strength Towards STEM Cohort

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) play a critically important role in Australia’s ability to innovate, expand and remain a competitive force globally. Indeed, ensuring that the workforce has the relevant skills in sufficient quantities through a reliable educational pipeline is quite challenging and requires an understanding of how these skills are and will be used within the Australian economy. Moreover, successfully delivering these skills for a knowledge economy will depend not only on producing the correct number of graduates but also on the education system supplying graduates from under-utilised groups (i.e. women & indigenous people) and diverse backgrounds. Currently, millions of children and young people are not developing the required skills to participate effectively in STEM environments. Young indigenous and female groups, in particular, are deprived of the opportunities to build their skills, including STEM literacy that is valued towards career progression in traditionally male-dominated fields (i.e. engineering and construction). As this white paper outlines, the challenges are drawn from recent literature, and a comprehensive review of existing initiatives is presented based on the observations of key partners, including Western Sydney University, the Australian government, research sector, industry, policymakers and communities. However, to build the STEM capacity of graduates with the right knowledge, competencies and qualities, two-way collaboration between the communities, educational institutions (from an early age), Australian workplaces and the government is essential, as no single sector can entirely solve the current STEM skills shortage. Western Sydney University is well-positioned within the high-density indigenous areas to respond to these issues, particularly by monitoring, engaging and promoting all graduates with STEM qualifications to meet the demand from the economy. In fact, by supporting equity and diversity throughout the STEM cohorts, educational institutions not only drive innovation but also establish a thriving STEM-skilled workforce that is fit for the future

Study of a hybrid PV-Thermal solar system to provide electricity and heat in Portugal

Hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) solar collectors are used to simultaneously obtain electricity and heat from the same collector. For the same energy output, the combined collectors lead to a lower total area than separate thermal and PV collectors. Numerical models were developed for two types of hybrid collectors, with a flat-plate and tube geometry: one using monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si) PV cells and one using amorphous silicon (a-Si) flexible PV cells. The electrical, thermal and total efficiency characteristics of both types were quantified. Application of the hybrid collectors to a system generating electricity and hot water was analysed, considering two building types: a residential building and a hotel. The electrical and thermal energies produced annually, as well as the amount of backup energy, were calculated by means of the SolTerm energy simulation program for the climatic conditions of Porto, Lisbon, Faro and Bragança (Portugal). An economical analysis was carried out by comparing the hybrid system with a conventional energy system and with a system with thermal collectors and PV modules installed separately. Finally, the environmental impact of the hybrid system was assessed and compared with a conventional energy system

Climate change impact on a green building

The concept of a green building (GB) implies a building that has implemented several sustainable strategies to increase its resilience to climate change. These types of buildings are designed to be aligned with the climate and location where they stand. Therefore, the strategies used are highly dependent on the outdoor climate and may require changes in the future due to global warming. Evaluating the present energy performance in these buildings and predicting any changes in future climate scenarios is crucial to understand if the strategies adopted initially will maintain efficient. This research aims to predict the resilience of a GB to global warming. It predicts the impact of climate change and determines the thermal comfort and energy performance of a GB by comparing three future climate scenarios with present climate conditions. Hence, a university GB was simulated and calibrated with measured data. Then, to predict climate conditions in the 2050 s and 2090 s, several future weather files based on Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) were used. The results show a reduction in heating energy use and an increase in cooling, leading to a combined impact increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 17.8% (RCP 8.5). The overall energy use tends to remain almost constant through the different scenarios with a maximum predicted increase of 4% in GHG emissions. Similarly, the electricity production from the 625 m2 photovoltaic system in the GB slightly increases through the scenarios with an overall average of 2.17%. Finally, it is predicted that the case study GB maintains the required levels of thermal comfort over time given global warming

Occupant behavior in energy efficiency : a case study in Sydney

Buildings are one of the main energy intensity consumers in a country. Their high rates of energy use are directly related with the performance of their occupants’ activities and the complexity of the required systems to address them. These variables are normally predicted during the design stage of a building, where design teams forecast the total energy use that a specific building will send during their operations stage and even during their whole life-cycle. Meanwhile, literature shows that by comparing the real energy performance results with the predicted ones, there is a substantial difference. This difference is commonly related with low levels of maintenance as well as the way occupants behave when interacting with the systems present in buildings. Therefore, the way occupants behave when using energy is the most impacting factor in the performance of a building. As a result, this paper presents a case study of how occupants influence the energy use of an existing building, using a simulation model that analyses occupant interaction with different building systems, having as baseline the Australian National Construction Building Code. In order to determine the annual energy performance and the GHG emissions of a traditional Australian building in Sydney, it was developed a model using the simulation tools DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus This case study estimates the impact occupants will have in energy use, by varying some parameters related with the system that occupants normally interact with in buildings, such as lighting, air conditioning, appliances and windows

Occupant behaviour and its relation to climate in Australia

Occupant behaviour (OB) is impacted by several interdisciplinary factors: environmental, psychosocial, cultural and economic. One of these impacting factors is the climate. In this study, the patterns of OB interactions with heating, cooling, lighting, equipment, windows and shading collected in questionnaire surveys were used as input data in the simulation models of two university buildings. The buildings, a green-rated and a non-rated one, are in Western Sydney University in Sydney, Australia. Then, the models were simulated in eight different climate zones in Australia. Therefore, this research aimed to understand how different climate zones may impact the energy related to OB and compare this impact between a green-rated building and a building without any rating. The results showed that there is no correlation between climate and OB and the levels of discomfort are related to the cooling season. The green building is less subjected to external changes, indicating that in buildings with automatic and properly controlled centralised management systems, the impacts related to the misuse of energy due to OB would be almost irrelevant. The results of this study should not be extended to other occupant behavioural patterns or situations. The results should be confined within the present research and context

Quantification of the energy use due to occupant behaviour collected in surveys : a case study of a green and non-green building

Perceptions of occupants to energy use, collected in questionnaire surveys, were used as input variable for building simulations. These perceptions are related to occupant interactions with lighting, plug loads, heating, cooling, windows opening and shading. The simulations were performed to a green-rated (GB) and a non-rated building, in Sydney Australia, with similar characteristics. The simulation models were calibrated according to measured annual energy data to incorporate the collected behaviours. Occupants' behaviours (OB) were quantified in terms of energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and costs. Results show that occupants have 25% more impact on the overall energy use in the non-rated building than in the GB. In the GB occupants have a major impact in the heating function while in the non-rated building they impact the lighting system. The GB is less subjected to the direct impact of OB if the majority of its systems are automatically controlled

Actual energy-related occupant behaviours collected in surveys and quantified through building simulations

Two buildings from Western Sydney University, in Sydney Australia, were used as case study for this research. Firstly, 100 questionnaire surveys were performed to the occupants of a green-rated and a non-rated building in order to collect occupants’ interactions with heating, cooling, lighting, plug loads, shading and windows opening. Then, the results from the surveys were quantified by means of dynamic simulations. These simulations were performed to calibrated models, according to actual energy data, from the two buildings mentioned previously. In order to be able to be comparable, the buildings had to have similar characteristics, such as; floor area, types of activities, schedules, primary energy resources used in the main systems, among others. Finally, with the simulation results it was possible to obtain the actual occupants’ actions and behaviours in the two buildings, collected in the surveys. Results show that occupants from the non-rated building are more proactive in terms of energy efficiency than the ones in the green building. Furthermore, heating, lighting and plug loads are the impacting end uses due to occupants’ behaviours in the non-rated building, while in the green building occupants have influence in lighting, heating and cooling. Moreover, due to the fact that most of the main systems, in the green building, are being controlled by a centralized management system, occupants’ behaviours have less impact in the overall energy use

Promoting stakeholder collaboration in adopting circular economy principles for sustainable construction

Circular Economy (CE) has been recognised as one of the most comprehensive way of attaining sustainable development, which considers every aspect; social, technical, economic and environmental, of sustainable development. For a building construction project that aims to achieve circularity, collaboration of project stakeholders both within vertical horizontal supply chains is vital. This research project establishes importance of such collaboration and proposes methodology to identify stakeholders responsible for attaining circularity in projects through collaboration between such stakeholders. This paper reports of the key literature findings of this on-going research. The key findings from the current paper are establishing importance of stakeholder collaborations to achieve circular buildings and potential of blockchain technology in this regard