Building Performance Evaluation, Final Report, Domestic Buildings, Phase 2: In-use performance and post occupancy evaluation, Scotland’s Housing Expo

Scotland’s Housing Expo held in August 2010 in Milton of Leys, Inverness was a high profile event developed to showcase innovative sustainable housing that includes a variety of design ideas and technologies contained within one site (Figure 1:1). This event was the first of its kind in Scotland and was based upon similar Expo models found in mainland Europe and the Nordic countries. The Scottish Expo followed a model from Finland, where historically the ‘Housing Fair’ concept has proven very successful in stimulating high quality design and innovation for housing. The purpose of the Expo was to promote best practice in design with the aim of making sustainable design features commonplace in every home. All dwellings on the site were architect designed, and delivered under a unique design and build arrangement by five developers working together on site in partnership with the local housing agency the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA). The project was completed in 2010 and comprises 27 plots: 26 contain individually designed low energy homes; one plot was undeveloped due to the fact that it proved impossible to reconcile the differential between the project cost as designed with the available budget - this is further discussed in sections 1.3 and 1.4. The Expo was open to the public during the summer of 2010 during which time it generated considerable interest and debate across the architectural, housing and construction sectors in Scotland and the UK. The event attracted over 33,000 professional and lay visitors from home and abroad including visitors from Finland, Russia and Australia. There are 52 houses on the site, 20 for rent/low cost home ownership and 32 houses for sale on the open market. Dwellings demonstrate a variety of layouts and forms designed to minimise energy consumption whilst maximising environmental quality. Contributing energy and environmental features include double height and large volume living spaces, compact form and careful orientation to maximise natural lighting, sun-spaces, external and site design. These houses are now occupied and a living community is developing. During the Expo, visitors were invited to vote for their favourite design - this proved to be a metal and timber clad single dwelling house with a double height living room and a large upstairs hall/study area/play space designed by Malcolm Fraser Architects which is situated on Plot 27. The BPE study was undertaken on eight dwellings: four of these were social rented homes and the remaining four dwellings were owner occupied, sold under a shared ownership scheme. The dwellings selected for study were from four different plots (two dwellings on each plot) each having particular features and design approaches of interest to the construction sector. The comparison of two dwellings from each plot allowed analysis of the effects of occupancy in identically constructed dwellings as well as, a comparison of performance across the differing dwelling designs. The study examined the relationships between design intentions and predictions, impacts of the procurement process, users’ experiences and perceptions of the design, and metered environmental and energy performance. Occupant engagement, in the form of diaries, and the testing of improved occupant guidance were included as part of the project

Monitored environmental conditions in new energy efficient housing in Scotland – effects by and on occupants

The need to improve building performance to meet the challenges of climate change has led to increasing numbers of low energy houses being constructed and occupied. Given the drivers for rapid change and use of new materials and technologies, it is vitally important that we understand how these buildings are working to ensure that they meet expectations, both in terms of energy use but also liveability, comfort and health from the occupants' perspective. However, unlike other disciplines, construction rarely evaluates the performance of completed buildings. It is crucial that industry adopts these processes. These buildings are in effect a series of experiments, and the occupants are the subjects of these. There is therefore both a practical and ethical need to review the results and to apply this knowledge in future design. This paper presents findings emerging from a two-year Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) study, funded by Innovate UK, of 26 new build low energy houses in Scotland, UK. The programme aimed to develop capacity for undertaking BPE and this research undertook detailed monitoring of energy consumption and internal environmental conditions, as well has gathering information from users about how they use their houses. Although it is clear that housing standards are improving, the study has found evidence of performance gaps between design expectations and actual performance, both in terms of energy and also the quality of the internal environment. This paper will present data from four case study houses, which illustrates both the effects of occupancy on performance, but also how the building performance can affect the occupants’ experience

Sunlight and mental wellbeing: evidence of links from social housing in Glasgow, Scotland [Conference abstract]

Paper accepted for presentation at VELUX Daylight Symposium 2015 (London

30 Years of MEARU Exhibition

An exhibition and event to look back over 30 years of MEARU's research

End of One Way

Describes the role of three South Minneapolis community-based organizations. Demonstrates how the organizations form partnerships and share leadership with their communities. Explores a set of themes derived from each example of community engagement

Building Performance Evaluation – A design approach for refurbishment of a small traditional building in Scotland

The drive for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions has, in recent years, seen thermal improvements being made to the fabric of historic buildings. This paper discusses, through a case study, the use of Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) to inform refurbishment design of the community owned Land Sea and Islands Centre, located in Arisaig, Scottish Highlands. This is a 19th century stone building with high heat losses, inefficient heating and lighting systems, resulting in occupant discomfort and high running costs. Funding was awarded in 2014 to improve its energy performance. Pre-refurbishment BPE results identified areas of significant heat loss, low internal surface temperatures, discrepancies between predicted and measured U-values, thermal bridges and excessive air infiltration. Refurbishment was completed in June 2015 and post-refurbishment BPE utilised to quantify improvements in building fabric, energy consumption and comfort levels, advocating pre-refurbishment BPE as a beneficial tool for informing traditional building refurbishment

Design optimisation and prototyping for affordable rural housing.

The current shortage of new-build homes in rural areas calls for innovation and improved productivity. Integra House was designed as part of a project that focused on optimising and prototyping the digitally-integrated production of affordable rural housing. The project also explored the potential for using digital methods in housing construction. The aims of the project were to produce affordable and good quality rural housing, to reduce rural fuel poverty, to improve the health and well-being of occupants, and to reduce waste and CO2 emissions. The design was developed using iterations of computer-aided design (CAD), energy and environmental simulation, and structural and capital/life cycle cost-analysis. The design provided a cases study for the comparison of robotic versus artisan assembly of low-energy and low-carbon rural housing, with an emphasis on affordability. The prototype was constructed using whole and milled timber combinations

Amelogenin: A Potential Regulator of Cementum‐Associated Genes

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142042/1/jper1423.pd

Bisphosphonate Modulates Cementoblast Behavior In Vitro

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142297/1/jper1890.pd