Assessing the impact of occupant behaviour on the electricity consumption for lighting and small power in office buildings

Lighting and small power will typically account for more than half of the total electricity consumption in an office building. Significant variations in electricity used by different tenants suggest that occupants can have a significant impact on the electricity demand for these end-uses. Yet current modelling techniques fail to represent the interaction between occupant and the building environment in a realistic manner. Understanding the impact of such behaviours is crucial to improve the methodology behind current energy modelling techniques, aiming to minimise the significant gap between predicted and in-use performance of buildings. A better understanding of the impact of occupant behaviour on electricity consumption can also inform appropriate energy saving strategies focused on behavioural change. This paper reports on a study aiming to assess the intent of occupants to switch off lighting and appliances when not in use in office buildings. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the assessment takes the form of a questionnaire and investigates three predictors to behaviour individually: 1) behavioural attitude; 2) subjective norms; 3) perceived behavioural control. The paper details the development of the assessment procedure and discusses preliminary findings from the study. The questionnaire results are compared against electricity consumption data for individual zones within a multi-tenanted office building. Initial results demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between perceived behavioural control and energy consumption for lighting and small powe

Freeform construction application research

The level of automation technology and processes control, within the construction sector, faces unique challenges if it is to catch up with automotive and aerospace applications. The construction industry has problems relating to health and safety, environmental legislation and traditional methods of procurement. These are compounded by diminishing skills in the labour force. One way to address these issues is by increased automation and integration of design, modelling and process control. Digital Fabrication has demonstrated the feasibility of the integration of design and component production on a large scale. Freeform Construction builds on Digital Fabrication by integrating the control of final material deposition. This paper reports on recent meetings held with industrialists to gauge their perceptions of the technology and encourage discourse to identify both applications and opportunities for the wider research community. Examples of digital fabrication in construction are discussed. Freeform Construction is defined and potential applications are presented. An example of physical model generation from construction CAD software is described

Freeform construction: mega-scale rapid manufacturing for construction

The utilisation of automation technology and processes control found in the automotive and aerospace industries is not paralleled in modem day construction. The industry also struggles to improve health and safety issues and still uses traditional methods of procurement. These problems are compounded by the diminishing skills in the labour force. Methods of production must change if these issues are to be resolved. Rapid Manufacturing is a family of digitally controlled additive processes that have the potential to impact on construction processes. This paper outlines some of the major issues facing construction technology and gives examples of the use of large scale Digital Fabrication in the industry. The term 'Freeform Construction' is defined. Potential applications derived from an industrial workshop are presented and results from a series of preliminary studies indicate the viability of mega-scale Rapid Manufacturing for construction. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Design data issues for the control of mega-scale rapid manufacturing

Construction has traditionally relied on specifications and 2D drawings to convey material properties, performance details and location information. The use of advanced 3D solid modelling and digital fabrication methods are enabling the construction of Iconic buildings with an emphasis on the visual design of form. The integration of function with structure, however, has not yet been realised. Rapid manufacturing technologies are able to create physical objects directly from 3D solid modelling data by computer controlled additive processes. Components can be produced with any geometric form and can add further value through integrating function. Large scale versions of these processes are now being investigated for construction applications and an important aspect of these machines are the build instructions. These are created in a series of discrete steps from the design concept, encapsulated in the digital model, through to the machine code instructions. The use of the language used to describe precision, accuracy, tolerance, resolution and minimum feature size are blurred by the use of manufacturing based processes applied to create a new type of construction. This paper explores these issues and offers definitions of these terms in relation to mega-scale freeform fabrication processes for construction

From MPA to strategically designed absorbers using solid freeform fabrication techniques

This paper reports on current work investigating the development of an alternative single material, broad frequency acoustic resonator by applying geometric changes to the cavity, without using sub-millimetre features. The inclusion of internal features such as fins and perforated layers are considered. The manufacture of these complex components is possible directly from CAD data via relatively new manufacturing techniques collectively know as Rapid Manufacturing. The technology has limitations for this application which are explored in the paper. Significant resistance however, has been achieved without the use of resistive materials or sub-millimeter features and significant improvements in peak absorption and increases in bandwidth over ¾ of an octave have been attained. These findings are currently being utilised in the development of a broad frequency absorber

Applying future industrialised processes to construction

Construction has traditionally relied on specifications and 2D drawings to convey material properties, performance details and location information. Advanced 3D solid modelling and digital fabrication methods are growing in construction. Iconic building design is driving the industry towards a new era of the Building Information Model (BIM) where a building is modelled entirely using 3D solid CAD tools containing all the required information for construction. CNC machinery can utilise this information to manufacture components enabling highly bespoke and non-repeating components to be cost competitive. Rapid Manufacturing machines also use this information to build components by selectively adding material rather than the traditional subtractive or formative processes. The BIM drives current machines for the production of models for inspection or to explore assembly issues. Recent developments are scaling up these processes so that whole building components can be built using a mega scale, additive machine. This paper explores some of the issues relating to the design of building components and discusses issues on the implementation of these process

Supporting people living with dementia and faecal incontinence.

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Bridget Russell, et al, 'Supporting people living with dementia and faecal incontinence', British Journal of Community Nursing, Vol. 22 (3): 110-114, March 2017, doi: http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/pdf/10.12968/bjcn.2017.22.3.110. © 2017 MA Healthcare Ltd.There are approximately 17 500 care homes in the UK which are home to about 487 000 older people, the majority are women aged 80 years or older (Care Quality Commission, 2010). As many as 80% of care home residents may have dementia, though this is not always documented, (Gordon et al, 2014). In England the majority of care homes do not have on site nursing provision and rely on community nurse specialists for support when residents require nursing advice and care. The support of people living in care homes is a well-documented problem (Taunton et al, 2005; Heckenberg, 2008; Saga, 2014) and how well they are managed is often seen as a marker of the quality of care (Care Quality Commission, 2010). Faecal incontinence can be a source of distress, discomfort, lead to complications such as skin breakdown and infection and affect an individual’s sense of dignity and self-worth. It can also be a challenging aspect of care for those who work in care homes.Non peer reviewe

Reducing and managing faecal incontinence in people with advanced dementia who are resident in care homes: protocol for a realist synthesis.

INTRODUCTION: Faecal incontinence (FI) is the involuntary loss of liquid or solid stool that is a social or hygienic problem. The prevalence of FI in residents of care homes is high, but it is not an inevitable consequence of old age or dementia. There is good evidence on risk factors, but few studies provide evidence about effective interventions. There is a need to understand how, why, and in what circumstances particular programmes to reduce and manage FI are effective (or not) for people with dementia. The purpose of this review is to identify which (elements of the) interventions could potentially be effective, and examine the barriers and facilitators to the acceptability, uptake and implementation of interventions designed to address FI in people with dementia who are resident in care homes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A realist synthesis approach to review the evidence will be used which will include studies on continence, person-centred care, implementation research in care homes, workforce and research on care home culture. An iterative four-stage approach is planned. Phase 1: development of an initial programme theory or theories that will be 'tested' through a first scoping of the literature and consultation with five stakeholder groups (care home providers, user representatives, academics and practice educators, clinicians with a special interest in FI and continence specialists). Phase 2: a systematic search and analysis of published and unpublished evidence to test and develop the programme theories identified in phase 1. Phase 3: validation of programme theory/ies with a purposive sample of participants from phase 1. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The overall protocol does not require ethical review. The University research ethics committee will review interviews conducted as part of phase 1 and 3. The final fourth phase will synthesise and develop recommendations for practice and develop testable hypotheses for further research

Management of Fecal Incontinence in Older People With Dementia Resident in Care Homes: A Realist Synthesis-The FINCH Study.

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the Editorial to Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, Vol. 198 (9):750-751. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 21 July 2018. The published version is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.06.001. Crown Copyright © 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.Peer reviewe