Energy, SBS symptoms, and productivity in Swiss open-space offices: Economic evaluation of standard, actual, and optimum scenarios

The fundamental aspiration of new-generation high-performing buildings is to reduce energy use while securing indoor environmental quality conducive to human health and productivity. However, existing frameworks for identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of buildings are sporadic and limited to a few parameters. Based on two Swiss open-space buildings, this paper demonstrates an economic comparison combining three KPIs: health (represented by sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms), occupants' productivity (based on the thermal environment and ventilation), and operational energy for heating (based on building simulations using measured inputs). Monetization translated various criteria into the same unit currency and compared them on equal terms. Three scenarios for human- and energy-related performance analysis were actual (considering measured data), standard (using parameters from the national standard), and optimal (maximized productivity). The actual environment in case studies measured in the Fall and Winter seasons was relatively warm, with poor ventilation in one of the two buildings as no mechanical ventilation was on. Therefore, there was some loss of productivity (0.11-0.4%) and SBS symptoms (e.g., dry eyes, fatigue) present in both buildings resulting in up to 2 times the difference between the energy and human costs. The minimum energy costs for the standard scenario indicated that standard settings prioritize energy objectives. Oppositely, energy costs were the highest (47.6-69.6%) in the optimal scenario minimizing the human-related costs but not the weekly SBS symptoms. The analysis presented highlights the conflicting goals when one parameter is prioritized over another one, thus demonstrating the importance of a multi-criteria approach

Exploration of the Bayesian Network framework for modelling window control behaviour

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Extended literature reviews confirm that the accurate evaluation of energy-related occupant behaviour is a key factor for bridging the gap between predicted and actual energy performance of buildings. One of the key energy-related human behaviours is window control behaviour that has been modelled by different probabilistic modelling approaches. In recent years, Bayesian Networks (BNs) have become a popular representation based on graphical models for modelling stochastic processes with consideration of uncertainty in various fields, from computational biology to complex engineering problems. This study investigates the potential applicability of BNs to capture underlying complicated relationships between various influencing factors and energy-related behavioural actions of occupants in buildings: in particular, window opening/closing behaviour of occupants in residential buildings is investigated. This study addresses five key research questions related to modelling window control behaviour: (A) variable selection for identifying key drivers impacting window control behaviour, (B) correlations between key variables for structuring a statistical model, (C) target definition for finding the most suitable target variable, (D) BN model with capabilities to treat mixed data, and (E) validation of a stochastic BN model. A case study on the basis of measured data in one residential apartment located in Copenhagen, Denmark provides key findings associated with the five research questions through the modelling process of developing the BN model

Human-building interaction at work: Findings from an interdisciplinary cross-country survey in Italy

This study presents results from an interdisciplinary survey assessing contextual and behavioral factors driving occupants’ interaction with building and systems in offices located across three different Mediterranean climates in Turin (Northern), Perugia (Central), and Rende (Southern) Italy. The survey instrument is grounded in an interdisciplinary framework that bridges the gap between building physics and social science environments on the energy- and comfort-related human-building interaction in the workspace. Outcomes of the survey questionnaire provide insights into four key learning objectives: (1) individual occupant's motivational drivers regarding interaction with shared building environmental controls (such as adjustable thermostats, operable windows, blinds and shades, and artificial lighting), (2) group dynamics such as perceived social norms, attitudes, and intention to share controls, (3) occupant perception of the ease of use and knowledge of how to operate control systems, and (4) occupant-perceived comfort, satisfaction, and productivity. This study attempts to identify climatic, cultural, and socio-demographic influencing factors, as well as to establish the validity of the survey instrument and robustness of outcomes for future studies. Also, the paper aims at illustrating why and how social science insights can bring innovative knowledge into the adoption of building technologies in shared contexts, thus enhancing perceived environmental satisfaction and effectiveness of personal indoor climate control in office settings and impacting office workers’ productivity and reduced operational energy costs

Human-building interaction at work: Findings from an interdisciplinary cross-country survey in Italy

This study presents results from an interdisciplinary survey assessing contextual and behavioral factors driving occupants’ interaction with building and systems in offices located across three different Mediterranean climates in Turin (Northern), Perugia (Central), and Rende (Southern) Italy. The survey instrument is grounded in an interdisciplinary framework that bridges the gap between building physics and social science environments on the energy- and comfort-related human-building interaction in the workspace. Outcomes of the survey questionnaire provide insights into four key learning objectives: (1) individual occupant's motivational drivers regarding interaction with shared building environmental controls (such as adjustable thermostats, operable windows, blinds and shades, and artificial lighting), (2) group dynamics such as perceived social norms, attitudes, and intention to share controls, (3) occupant perception of the ease of use and knowledge of how to operate control systems, and (4) occupant-perceived comfort, satisfaction, and productivity. This study attempts to identify climatic, cultural, and socio-demographic influencing factors, as well as to establish the validity of the survey instrument and robustness of outcomes for future studies. Also, the paper aims at illustrating why and how social science insights can bring innovative knowledge into the adoption of building technologies in shared contexts, thus enhancing perceived environmental satisfaction and effectiveness of personal indoor climate control in office settings and impacting office workers’ productivity and reduced operational energy costs

Assessing the Landscape Value: An Integrated Approach to Measure the Attractiveness and Pressures of the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont (Italy)

The paper deals with an integrated evaluation methodology finalized to evaluate the landscape value of the UNESCO site “Vineyard landscape of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato” (Piedmont, IT). The methodology consists in the employment of a system of landscape indicators with the aim, on one hand, to measure the landscape value in economic terms and on the other hand, to examine the pressures exercised on the landscape and its components. The present evaluation model could be considered a feasible tool in the decision support system for the definition of territorial scenarios of change

Culture, conformity, and carbon? A multi-country analysis of heating and cooling practices in office buildings

This study investigates human-building interaction in office spaces across multiple countries including Brazil, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, the United States, and Taiwan. We analyze social-psychological, contextual, and demographic factors to explain cross-country differences in adaptive thermal actions (i.e. cooling and heating behaviors) and conformity to the norms of sharing indoor environmental control features, an indicator of energy consumption. Specifically, personal adjustments such as putting on extra clothes are generally preferred over technological solutions such as adjusting thermostats in reaction to thermal discomfort. Social-psychological factors including attitudes, perceived behavioral control, injunctive norms, and perceived impact of indoor environmental quality on work productivity influence occupants’ intention to conform to the norms of sharing environmental control features. Lastly, accessibility to environmental control features, office type, gender, and age are also important factors. These findings demonstrate the roles of social-psychological and certain contextual factors in occupants’ interactions with building design as well as their behavior of sharing environmental control features, both of which significantly influence building energy consumption, and thus, broader decarbonization

Scenarios of climatic resilience, economic feasibility and environmental sustainability for the refurbishment of the early 20th century buildings

This paper aims to examine the theme of energy retrofit within the circumscribed field of refurbishment interventions on load-bearing masonry buildings built in the early 20th century. These include a remarkable share of the fabric of many European cities and, in particular, they can be found in geographical areas characterized by a Mediterranean (mild) climate. The main objective is to increase the climate resilience of the buildings by verifying the economic feasibility and the environmental sustainability of the interventions at the same time observing the specific architectural features of the buildings. We put forward alternative retrofit solutions carrying out synoptic comparisons of several technological solutions and types of materials, assisted by the use of digital tools such as BIM. In order to increase the environmental compatibility of the intervention, this article carries out a closer examination of the comparison between the employment of nanostructured, conventional – of synthetic origin –, and natural materials. The selection of the best intervention solution required the elaboration of an iterative flexible integrated process of assessment of energy, technological, economic, environmental and architectural aspects. The methodology we propose here is applied to the case study of Palazzo Utveggio (Palermo, Italy)

Energy Audit and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis to Identify Sustainable Strategies in the University Campuses: Application to Politecnico di Torino

Universities play a headship role among entities that invest in technological progress and intend to increase education in sustainable culture towards a post-carbon society. With this in mind, Politecnico di Torino is a leader on the national and international scene. It has prepared sustainability lines for the next few years to translate the Sustainable Development Goals into concrete actions. The goal of this work is the evaluation of eight alternative energy efficiency scenarios resulting from the combination of different strategies for the retro!t of the University Campus of Politecnico di Torino. In the first part of the study, the alternatives are assessed in terms of energy performance. Subsequently, an economic evaluation supported by the multi-criteria TOPSIS method makes it possible to order the alternatives according to the opinion of several experts. The integrated evaluation allows considering a set of co-benefits generated by the project going behind the energy aspects. The best strategy involves covering electricity needs with renewable energy sources, adopting students’ engagement policies and optimizing the set-point temperature. The results highlight how low-cost solutions such as awareness campaigns and variation of the set-point temperature can bring signi!cant co-benefits from energy, economic, environmental and social perspectives

The European Green Deal: New Challenges for the Economic Feasibility of Energy Retrofit at District Scale

The European Green Deal proposes an epochal change in the European society by transforming environmental and climatic problems into opportunities and making sustainable and fair the European Union economic system. Radical changes will also concern urban redevelopment and energy efficiency measures in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve these objectives, rules and standards, as well as financial resources and assessment tools, are needed to support both urban planning and public decision process. This paper aims to analyze the existing European programs that are applied in some European smart cities, as they constitute a valuable source of information for the development of financial schemes and evaluation tools ad hoc for the Green Deal implementation. Moreover, the analysis of the pilot projects of the ZenN program has made possible to identify some critical issues regarding the economic feasibility of energy retrofit at a district scale, though further studies will be required to respond to the new assessment challenges launched by the Green Deal