A mapping of electric construction machinery and electric construction sites in Norway

The Norwegian construction industry is responsible for ca. 2.2 million tonnes CO2eq in 2021. The rise in GHG emissions, noise and air pollution in the built environment is becoming a potential hazard due to the large growth of construction activities within cities. As a response, actors from the Norwegian construction industry have converted diesel construction machinery to electric operation to reduce these impacts. As a result, the electric construction machinery market in Norway has grown exponentially. However, access to electric construction machinery varies greatly. The aim of this paper is to map the available electric construction machinery on the Norwegian market as first steps towards creating a database of electric construction machinery for subsequent energy and power demand modelling of fully electric construction sites. This paper also maps the regional differences in construction machine availability through mapping the known public construction sites in Norway that use electric construction machinery.publishedVersio

Towards emission free construction sites in Northern Norway: Results from a regional survey

The concept of emission free construction sites (EFCS) has emerged as a prioritised measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Norwegian construction activities. EFCS have been evaluated through several pilot projects in Southern Norway, whilst none are found in Northern Norway. This study aims to investigate the major barriers and success factors for developing EFCS-projects in Northern Norway through a digital survey amongst construction industry representatives. The results indicate that major barriers for EFCS implementation are related to limited access and capacity of electricity and power supply, and limited availability and high costs of emission free technologies. Similar challenges are identified from EFCS projects in Southern Norway, making the cold climate, poor infrastructure, and remote conditions in Northern Norway an amplifier of these challenges. The identified success factors are to a large extent aligned with the major barriers, emphasizing improved power supply and charging infrastructure, as well as increased availability of emission free technologies. Predictable and equal requirement specifications in public tenders that reward those who invest in emission free technology are requested, emphasizing the importance of implementing requirements. Further work is needed to gather experience from EFCS pilots in cold and remote areas.publishedVersio

A chronological development of a framework for emission free construction sites in Norway

The building and construction sector is responsible for 3.4% of total GHG emissions in Norway. Around 95% of these emissions arise from the combustion of fossil fuels for the operation of construction machinery and transport. This highlights the importance of transitioning to renewable energy sources for the operation of construction sites. To facilitate this transition, a new concept is emerging in Norway, called emission free construction sites. To fully implement this concept, a clear and consistent definition of emission free construction sites and a commonly agreed stepwise approach to decarbonisation of construction activities is required. This paper presents a chronology of the development of emission free construction sites in Norway to further develop a framework. First, a review of experiences from different research and on-going national activities are presented as a background. The results from applying this framework on construction sites in Norway are presented and issues around harmonisation of definitions, standards, and system boundaries are discussed. The results of this paper are relevant for actors within the construction industry that are interested in reducing GHG emissions from construction works. In conclusion, this paper presents the first steps towards the decarbonisation of construction sites in Norway and demonstrates how Norway has become a testbed for the electrification of construction machinery on construction sites.publishedVersio

Utslippsfrie bygge- og anleggsplasser i Nord-Norge. Kartlegging av barrierer og suksesskriterier

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A comparative assessment of building sustainability schemes in Norway

Various schemes are established to evaluate the sustainability of buildings during their life cycle. These schemes introduce a range of evaluation criteria and indicators and are periodically revised to align with current sustainability trends. This study reviews leading schemes in Norway, and compares their scope, similarities, limitations, and advantages. The review is carried out against a proposed office building in Oslo, Norway. The paper evaluates how the schemes comply with the EU taxonomy and Norwegian building regulations. The schemes are assessed through a literature review and interviews with programme operators. Common sustainability criteria are identified and reviewed. In addition, a comparison of how the schemes address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is conducted. The comparative assessment provides a valuable and practical reference and decision support for project owners in Norway to select the appropriate scheme for their construction project.publishedVersio

Kriterer for sirkulære bygg. Kartlegging av bransjestandard

Kriterier for sirkulære bygg - Kartlegging av bransjestandard Det er behov for videre metodeutvikling av sirkularitet i norske bygninger, inkludert målenheter, definisjoner, systemgrenser og kartlegging av bransjestandard. Denne rapporten samler nåværende statistikk og data for å sette «dagens» bransjestandard for sirkularitet i norske bygg. Resultatene viser at den norske byggenæringen er rundt 7% sirkulær i 2023 ifølge FutureBuilts sirkularitetsindeksmetode. Framskrivingene viser at sirkularitet kan være rundt 14-42% innen 2030 og 34-71% innen 2050 når en rekke politiske og strukturelle tiltak og endringer gjennomføres. Det vises også at dersom målet om full sirkularitet skal oppnås må det settes inn enda flere tiltak. Allikevel er det høye usikkerheter i datakvalitet på grunn av mange antagelser, mange datahull, og et lappeteppe av ulike datakilder. Resultatene fra denne studien er et første steg mot å kartlegge sirkularitet i den norske byggenæringen og viser at et mye mer detaljert datagrunnlag om sirkulær statistikk trengs for å redusere usikkerheter. Resultatene viser hvor mye som må til for at Norges byggenæring skal være fullt sirkulær. Disse resultatene er nyttige for blant annet videreutvikling av FutureBuilts sirkularitetsindeks og Grønn Byggallianses miljødashboard. ZEN partnere FutureBuilt, Bærum kommune, Oslo kommune, Statsbygg, Asplan Viak, og Multiconsult har bidratt til denne rapporten. I tillegg har Entra bidratt.publishedVersio

En utslippsfri anleggsprosess i Rogaland

Forord Denne rapporten gir et kunnskapsgrunnlag for å stille krav til entreprenører og leverandører for utslippsfrie anleggsplasser i Rogaland og simulere energi- og effektbehov for en planlagt helelektrisk anleggsplass i Rogaland. Videre gis det anbefalinger til energi- og effekt-planlegging av elektriske anleggsplasser og vi har kartlagt energiressursene som er tilgjengelig på og i nærheten av en planlagt helelektrisk anleggsplass i Rogaland. Rapporten er finansiert av Regionale Forskningsfond Rogaland gjennom forprosjektet ut-slippsfri anleggsprosess i Rogaland sammen med RISA, Rental.one og Rogaland fylkes-kommune.publishedVersio

Simulation-based framework to evaluate resistivity of cooling strategies in buildings against overheating impact of climate change

Over the last decades overheating in buildings has become a major concern. The situation is expected to worsen due to the current rate of climate change. Many efforts have been made to evaluate the future thermal performance of buildings and cooling technologies. In this paper, the term “climate change overheating resistivity” of cooling strategies is defined, and the calculation method is provided. A comprehensive simulation-based framework is then introduced, enabling the evaluation of a wide range of active and passive cooling strategies. The framework is based on the Indoor Overheating Degree (IOD), Ambient Warmness Degree (AWD), and Climate Change Overheating Resistivity (CCOR) as principal indicators allowing a multi-zonal approach in the quantification of indoor overheating risk and resistivity to climate change. To test the proposed framework, two air-based cooling strategies including a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) unit coupled with a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) (C01) and a Variable Air Volume (VAV) system (C02) are compared in six different locations/climates. The case study is a shoe box model representing a double-zone office building. In general, the C01 shows higher CCOR values between 2.04 and 19.16 than the C02 in different locations. Therefore, the C01 shows superior resistivity to the overheating impact of climate change compared to C02. The maximum CCOR value of 37.46 is resulted for the C01 in Brussels, representing the most resistant case, whereas the minimum CCOR value of 9.24 is achieved for the C02 in Toronto, representing the least resistant case.[OCCuPANt] Impacts of climate change on buildings in Belgium during summe

Prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in patients with congenital hypothyroidism in qazvin, Iran (2015)

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism increases the risk of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Children with hearing impairment are prone to communication disorders. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of SNHL in patients with congenital hypothyroidism in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on children with transient or permanent congenital hypothyroidism in Qazvin province, Iran in 2015. The patients were identified through national neonatal thyroid screening during 2006-2011. Hearing loss was assessed using the auditory brainstem response (ABR). A minimum of three years of follow-up was carried out to determine the permanency of congenital hypothyroidism. Data analysis was performed using t-test and Chi-square. Results: In total, 155 children with congenital hypothyroidism were enrolled in the study, including 67 females (43.2%) and 151 cases of primary congenital hypothyroidism. Abnormal ABR was observed in 10 patients (6.45%) (6.6% in permanent cases and 6.1% in transient cases), seven of whom were female. In addition, eight patients with primary congenital hypothyroidism and two patients with central congenital hypothyroidism had abnormal ABR (P=0.165). Mean primary thyroid-stimulating hormone levels (52.45±39.91 versus 38.23±28.03 IU/l; P=0.355) and T4 (6.07±4.33 versus 6.98±3.40 µg/dl; P=0.307) had no significant differences in the children with SNHL and other patients. At the beginning of the treatment, mean age of the children with SNHL was 28.50±22.13 days, while it was 28.87±30.34 days in the other subjects (P=0.909). Conclusion: According to the results, the prevalence of SNHL was lower in the patients with congenital hypothyroidism compared to the reported rates in other countries. However, the assessment of hearing loss should be prioritized in the infants with congenital hypothyroidism. Keywords: Communication disorders, Congenital hypothyroidism, Diagnosis, Mass screening, Sensorineural hearing los

Differences in response to conventional vitamin D therapy among obese and normal weight children and adolescents in Qazvin, Iran

Vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency is one of the major nutritional deficiencies in children. Obesity has inverse association with vitamin D levels. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in response to conventional treatment for Vit D deficiency and insufficiency in obese and normal weight children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: This nested case control study was conducted in 69 obese children and 133 normal weight matched control suffering from Vit D insufficiency or deficiency. Vit D deficiency was defined as serum 25(OH) D3 <10 ng/mL and Vit D insufficiency was defined as 11< 25(OH) D3 <30 ng/mL. Conventional treatment with 300,000-600,000 IU of vitamin D3 was administered intramuscularly over one day for both groups. The participants were followed up after three month. 25 (OH) D3 was measured at baseline and after the follow up period. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: At baseline, mean Vit D level was 13.5 ng/mL in obese and 14.5 ng/mL in normal weight children (P>0.05). After follow up, mean Vit D level became 29.6 ng/mL in obese and 33 ng/mL in normal weight children (P<0.05). 39.8% of normal weight group still had Vit D insufficiency, while 50.7% of obese group had Vit D insufficiency or deficiency and the difference was borderline significant (P= 0.064). Conclusion Therapeutic response in obese children was less than normal weight children. It seems that treatment with higher doses of Vit D or longer period is necessary in obese children of the present study. Key Words: Adolescents, Children, Obesity, Vitamin D deficienc