Energy and comfort advice for consumers designing their own house : a connection between iBuild and IWCS

Introduction In the (Dutch) construction industry relatively little attention is paid to low-energy and comfortable housing. It is often limited to prescribed rules by the government. For low-energy and comfortable solutions beyond the minimum legal requirements in one’s own home, someone almost has to be an environmental ‘enthusiast.’ Many people don’t realise that a sustainable building offers besides environmental benefits also other important qualities such as improved health and comfort. Especially the last aspects are important for consumers. Therefore people should be informed about these ‘extra’ benefits of low-energy and comfortable building during for example the designing or buying process. On the one hand people get a more comfortable house (and life) and on the other hand it is positive for the environment and the future population. This paper introduces a project which aims to develop a consumer design support system which is based on combining an architectural design support system with building performance prediction software

Healthy environments from a broad perspective : an overview of research performed at the unit Building Physics and Systems of Eindhoven University of Technology

The design and realization of a healthy indoor environment is a challenge that is investigated from different perspectives at the unit Building Physics and Systems (BPS; Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning) of Eindhoven University of Technology. Performance requirements (for instance, with respect to air quality, thermal comfort and lighting) and performance based assessment methods are the point-of-departure, focusing at computational techniques supporting the design process. Different specific application fields such as dwellings, offices, schools, but also, operating theatres, churches, musea and multifunctional stadiums, underline the applied approach that is part of the research within the unit. In the design of healthy environments, the performance based design assessment is crucial in arriving at innovative design solutions and optimized indoor and outdoor environments. In this assessment computational support tools and experimental verification play an important role. However, assessing the right indicators in an objective way, applying the correct tools and correct application of these tools is not yet well established. Alongside, developments are still ongoing. The work performed in the unit by the different researchers relates to the research questions that can be derived from this notice. The paper gives an introduction to the Unit BPS and presents a brief overview of recent and ongoing research. An extensive list of references is provided for further reading and supports the conclusion that healthy environments can and should be addressed from a wide angle

Healthy environments from a broad perspective : an overview of research performed at the unit Building Physics and Systems of Eindhoven University of Technology

The design and realization of a healthy indoor environment is a challenge that is investigated from different perspectives at the unit Building Physics and Systems (BPS; Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning) of Eindhoven University of Technology. Performance requirements (for instance, with respect to air quality, thermal comfort and lighting) and performance based assessment methods are the point-of-departure, focusing at computational techniques supporting the design process. Different specific application fields such as dwellings, offices, schools, but also, operating theatres, churches, musea and multifunctional stadiums, underline the applied approach that is part of the research within the unit. In the design of healthy environments, the performance based design assessment is crucial in arriving at innovative design solutions and optimized indoor and outdoor environments. In this assessment computational support tools and experimental verification play an important role. However, assessing the right indicators in an objective way, applying the correct tools and correct application of these tools is not yet well established. Alongside, developments are still ongoing. The work performed in the unit by the different researchers relates to the research questions that can be derived from this notice. The paper gives an introduction to the Unit BPS and presents a brief overview of recent and ongoing research. An extensive list of references is provided for further reading and supports the conclusion that healthy environments can and should be addressed from a wide angle

Review of existing energy performance calculation methods for district use

The Dutch building environment is responsible for 40% of the total energy consumption, which makes exploration of the possibilities to save energy in the built environment relevant. Because of a lack of calculation methods and techniques at district level it is difficult to determine which design variant has the best results for energy saving and CO2 reduction. In this paper a review of the existing energy calculation methods at building and district level, considering the advantages, disadvantages and applicability is given

Beoordeling energieprestatie tools

Energiebesparing is nodig om de CO2-doelstellingen te halen en het einde van de fossiele brandstofvoorraad uit te stellen. De gebouwde omgeving is in Nederland verantwoordelijk voor 40 % van het totale energiegebruik [1]. Dit maakt onderzoek naar energiebesparing-mogelijkheden in de gebouwde omgeving van belang. Steeds meer ontwerpers realiseren zich dit en integreren energiebesparingtechnieken in hun ontwerpen. Woningbouw-corporaties renoveren grote woningbouwprojecten (wijken), waarmee de energiebesparing in de bestaande bouw kan worden versneld. Op deze schaal worden collectieve installaties economisch haalbaar en beginnen duurzame energietechnieken economisch aantrekkelijk te worden [19]. De beoordeling van bestaande rekenmethoden voor energieprestatie is onderdeel van een promotieonderzoek. Het doel van dit onderzoek is het ontwerpen van een wijk-evaluatiemodel om woningbouwcorporaties te ondersteunen bij het kiezen van een renovatieoplossing met optimale resultaten voor energieprestatie. Hiervoor zal een nieuw rekenmodel voor energieprestatie op wijkniveau worden ontwikkeld met behulp van bestaande rekenmethoden

Woningontwerp met energie- en comfortadvies

In de Nederlandse woningbouwindustrie wordt nog relatief weinig aandacht besteed aan energiezuinig en duurzaam bouwen. Men durft vaak niet verder te gaan dan de minimaal voorgeschreven eisen in de bouwregelgeving. Hierdoor beseffen nog maar weinig mensen deze bouwwijze veel voordelen heeft zoals milieubesparing, een lagere energierekening en een gezonde en comfortabele woning. Het is daarom van belang de mensen te wijzen op de voordelen van energiezuinig en duurzaam bouwen, bijvoorbeeld gedurende koop- of ontwerpfase. Deze laatste fase zal door de (langzame) verschuiving van de bouwmarkt van massa- naar consumentgerichtbouwen een grote rol kunnen spelen. Consumentgerichtbouwen betekend dat de consument steeds meer invloed krijgt op de indeling, vorm en voorzieningen in zijn toekomstige woning. Hierbij kan gedacht worden aan (meer) inspraak in het ontwerpproces tot het zelfstandig ontwerpen van je toekomstige huis. Door de architect, adviseur en/of consument tijdens het ontwerp de consequenties van zijn ontwerpkeuzes op energiegebruik, comfort en gezondheid te laten zien is de kans groot dat er meer energiezuinige en duurzame woningen gerealiseerd worden. In dit artikel wordt het afstudeeronderzoek naar de ontwikkeling van ontwerpondersteunende software besproken

Energy and comfort advice for consumers designing their own house : a connection between iBuild and IWCS

Introduction In the (Dutch) construction industry relatively little attention is paid to low-energy and comfortable housing. It is often limited to prescribed rules by the government. For low-energy and comfortable solutions beyond the minimum legal requirements in one’s own home, someone almost has to be an environmental ‘enthusiast.’ Many people don’t realise that a sustainable building offers besides environmental benefits also other important qualities such as improved health and comfort. Especially the last aspects are important for consumers. Therefore people should be informed about these ‘extra’ benefits of low-energy and comfortable building during for example the designing or buying process. On the one hand people get a more comfortable house (and life) and on the other hand it is positive for the environment and the future population. This paper introduces a project which aims to develop a consumer design support system which is based on combining an architectural design support system with building performance prediction software