A modelling appraisal of design standards in retrofitting a high-rise office building in Brisbane

ABSTRACT: This paper reports the testing of appropriate design standards to optimize energy performance in the pursuit of building retrofits. The impact of whole-building "best" and "normal" practice standards are predicted and evaluated using as a case study a forty-year-old heavy coredependent deep-plan twenty-three storey office building in Brisbane. Predictive modelling used DesignBuilder simulation software. A Forward Simulation Model (FSM) and Data-Driven Simulation Models (DDSM) contributed to the evaluation of "normal" and "best" practice standards. With higher thermal resistance in the built fabric the PassivHaus Model (PHM) -a "best" practice standarddemonstrated a maximum energy saving of 9.5%. Findings suggest that retrofitting for energy saving in internal-load dominated office buildings requires strategies to control internal loads. The wholebuilding energy standards with efficient operational profiles promoted 46% of energy savings, showing systematic appraisal and prediction to derive case-specific design solutions in satisfying the regulatory measures for future commercial buildings in Australia

Evaluating assumptions of scales for subjective assessment of thermal environments – Do laypersons perceive them the way, we researchers believe?

International audienc

Contextual differences in the interpretation of thermal perception scales – the data base from a large-scale international questionnaire study

Within the IEA EBC Annex 69 on Strategy and Practice of Adaptive Thermal Comfort in Low Energy Buildings (http://annex69.org/), we are conducting an international questionnaire study related to thermal comfort scales. Our objective is the analysis of influences on the perception of thermal comfort scales. In particular, we are looking at the effect of the current thermal state, peoples climatic background, and level of adaptation on the relationship between thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and thermal acceptance

The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales

Thermal discomfort is one of the main triggers for occupants’ interactions with components of the built environment such as adjustments of thermostats and/or opening windows and strongly related to the energy use in buildings. Understanding causes for thermal (dis-)comfort is crucial for design and operation of any type of building. The assessment of human thermal perception through rating scales, for example in post-occupancy studies, has been applied for several decades; however, long-existing assumptions related to these rating scales had been questioned by several researchers. The aim of this study was to gain deeper knowledge on contextual influences on the interpretation of thermal perception scales and their verbal anchors by survey participants. A questionnaire was designed and consequently applied in 21 language versions. These surveys were conducted in 57 cities in 30 countries resulting in a dataset containing responses from 8225 participants. The database offers potential for further analysis in the areas of building design and operation, psycho-physical relationships between human perception and the built environment, and linguistic analyses

Publisher Correction: The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales

International audienc

Publisher Correction: The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper