A Comparative Study of the Thermal Performance of Plastic Bottle Wall against Traditional Composite Brick Wall Typologies

According to the container recycling institute, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute around the world. Plastic bottles are considered as an urban junk, however, it has shape characteristics which make them usable in construction in lieu of conventional bricks. This research promotes the use of recycled plastic bottles as eco-bricks by substituting it with the typical construction bricks. It evaluates the thermal performance of sand filled plastic bottle-walls in a comparative analysis with traditional composite brick walls.  The thermal performance of the plastic bottle walls was evaluated through COMSOL® Multi-physics and the results are noted

The Consequences of COVID-19 Instigated Recommendations for Indoor Air Quality: A Literature Review

The spread of COVID-19, as an airborne virus, opened a vast set of investigations within the realm of indoor air quality (IAQ) management and control. These investigations resulted in the publication of a series of recommendations and addenda that complement currently active IAQ standards and guidelines to meet the growing health and safety concerns of building owners, operators, and users. The hypothesis stands that the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus implies that more stringent indoor air quality control measures should be applied. Through a systematic review of selected recently published academic journals, this article explores the intended and non-intended consequences of the indoor air quality recommendations, guidelines, and standards. Two main approaches of classifications are induced from the review. The first categorizes the consequences based on the intentionality (i.e., intended vs. unintended consequences) and temporal scope (i.e. short-term or long-term). The second categorizes consequences based on their area, namely, (1) spatial design, (2) occupants health, comfort and well-being (3) building performance and ventilation, (4) technology and energy efficiency (5) social equity, and (6) policy as well as building standards. This is one of the first reviews make explicit the consequences of COVID related of addenda and recommendations of IAQ standards and guidelines, providing new insights regarding the planned and unplanned consequences. The review also highlights some gaps in the available literature that researchers need to swiftly address before institutionalizing the current health recommendations in IAQ practices

A framework for energy performance indicators: Applying the composite indicator method for a university campus

The available methods to describe energy performance of a complex system such as a university campus are limited to building systems only with minimal reference to the surrounding context. This research is an attempt to investigate some systemic questions at both the building and urban scale and to quantify system performance in a holistic framework utilizing an aggregated performance indicator approach. The dissertation utilizes simulation tools to identify a credible set of campus energy performance indicators integrating both the building and site levels and taking into account the spatial arrangement surrounding each building. The research method propose a series of simulation experiments for a predefined group of building and site performance metrics classified under three categories: form, orientation and location. Building energy performance is calculated using building simulation tools. The remainder of the building and site level metrics are computed using environmental simulation tools. The resulting indicators are normalized, weighted and aggregated to form an urban Campus Energy Performance Index (CePI). The research outcome develops a new method to aid stakeholders in making informed decisions and can be used as a communication tool at different stages of design and planning

Optimizing evaluation methods for the embodied energy and carbon management of existing buildings in Egypt

© 2019 by the authors. There is an increasing demand for the decarbonization of existing buildings. The development of standardized calculation methods has simplified calculation processes and enabled wider engagement with the topic. As the industry advances, optimization and accounting for regional differences will increase in importance. This paper reviews the key drivers in the field, both locally and internationally, and proposes a performance-based evaluation method specific to local construction in Egypt. The aim of the method is to assist in the renovation of existing buildings by guiding the decision-making process through the proposed evaluation framework. A local case study of an existing multi-story apartment building was used to create a baseline for typical local multi-story residential buildings and demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation method. This framework provides the owners of buildings with a decision-making process by which carbon impacts associated with future renovations and operations of existing buildings can be minimized

Thermal Performance Evaluation of Common Exterior Residential Wall Types in Egypt

The demand for energy-efficient housing is on the rise in Egypt. The information about the individual materials used in the construction of typical residential wall assemblies are known in the literature. However, data from lab tests to validate the performance for whole composite walls are limited. Three typical wall types were constructed and tested utilizing a standard experimental evaluation procedure based on thermal convection loads. A research framework combining the validated thermal performance data from the experimental test and the simulated data was developed. The experimental tests were performed utilizing a state-of-the-art guarded hotbox apparatus and following the guidelines of the ASTM C1363-11 standard. The solar radiation load was taken into account in the calculations according to the standard, and the error estimation and uncertainty analysis for the experimental tests are reported. The results of the experimental testing are described and a recommendation of the best wall type is noted. The output of this research will help to initiate a material database of the thermal performance of typical residential wall types used in Egypt that have been validated in the lab. This will be useful for the building industry as a whole to understand the performance of the materials in composite assemblies and their impact on energy efficiency

Development of an Industrial Environmental Index to Assess the Sustainability of Industrial Solvent-Based Processes

In light of the constant increase in global temperatures, increasing risks associated with climate change, and stricter environmental policies, societies are at a crossroad where sound environmental decisions need to be taken. This is particularly applicable to the chemical industry where the sustainability of processes is all the more relevant to decision-making. This article supports the development of a holistic industrial environmental index (IEI) to assess the sustainability of industrial solvent-based processes. Several metrics are reviewed to individually assess particular aspects of the process in terms of materials, equipment, energy, environmental health and safety (EHS) considerations, and the product’s entire life cycle. The metrics are later used to support the development of an aggregate and holistic IEI using a composite indicator method. The developed methodology and framework can pave the way for environmentally sound decision-making in industries and spark the development of dedicated assessment indices similar to IEI that can be applied to a wide array of other industries

Optimizing Evaluation Methods for Embodied Energy and Carbon Management of Existing Buildings in Egypt

There is an increasing demand for the decarbonization of existing buildings. The development of standardized calculation methods has simplified calculation processes and enabled wider engagement with the topic. As the industry advances, optimization and accounting for regional differences will increase in importance. This paper reviews the key drivers in the field, both locally and internationally, and proposes a performance-based evaluation method specific to local construction in Egypt. The aim of the method is to assist in the renovation of existing buildings by guiding the decision-making process through the proposed evaluation framework. A local case study of an existing multi-story apartment building was used to create a baseline for typical local multi-story residential buildings and demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation method. This framework provides the owners of buildings with a decision-making process by which carbon impacts associated with future renovations and operations of existing buildings can be minimized

Optimizing Evaluation Methods for the Embodied Energy and Carbon Management of Existing Buildings in Egypt

There is an increasing demand for the decarbonization of existing buildings. The development of standardized calculation methods has simplified calculation processes and enabled wider engagement with the topic. As the industry advances, optimization and accounting for regional differences will increase in importance. This paper reviews the key drivers in the field, both locally and internationally, and proposes a performance-based evaluation method specific to local construction in Egypt. The aim of the method is to assist in the renovation of existing buildings by guiding the decision-making process through the proposed evaluation framework. A local case study of an existing multi-story apartment building was used to create a baseline for typical local multi-story residential buildings and demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation method. This framework provides the owners of buildings with a decision-making process by which carbon impacts associated with future renovations and operations of existing buildings can be minimized

Thermal performance evaluation of common exterior residential wall types in Egypt

© 2019 by the authors. The demand for energy-efficient housing is on the rise in Egypt. The information about the individual materials used in the construction of typical residential wall assemblies are known in the literature. However, data from lab tests to validate the performance for whole composite walls are limited. Three typical wall types were constructed and tested utilizing a standard experimental evaluation procedure based on thermal convection loads. A research framework combining the validated thermal performance data from the experimental test and the simulated data was developed. The experimental tests were performed utilizing a state-of-the-art guarded hotbox apparatus and following the guidelines of the ASTM C1363-11 standard. The solar radiation load was taken into account in the calculations according to the standard, and the error estimation and uncertainty analysis for the experimental tests are reported. The results of the experimental testing are described and a recommendation of the best wall type is noted. The output of this research will help to initiate a material database of the thermal performance of typical residential wall types used in Egypt that have been validated in the lab. This will be useful for the building industry as a whole to understand the performance of the materials in composite assemblies and their impact on energy efficiency

Development of an Industrial Environmental Index to Assess the Sustainability of Industrial Solvent-Based Processes

In light of the constant increase in global temperatures, increasing risks associated with climate change, and stricter environmental policies, societies are at a crossroad where sound environmental decisions need to be taken. This is particularly applicable to the chemical industry where the sustainability of processes is all the more relevant to decision-making. This article supports the development of a holistic industrial environmental index (IEI) to assess the sustainability of industrial solvent-based processes. Several metrics are reviewed to individually assess particular aspects of the process in terms of materials, equipment, energy, environmental health and safety (EHS) considerations, and the product\u27s entire life cycle. The metrics are later used to support the development of an aggregate and holistic IEI using a composite indicator method. The developed methodology and framework can pave the way for environmentally sound decision-making in industries and spark the development of dedicated assessment indices similar to IEI that can be applied to a wide array of other industries