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An assessment of energy-saving solutions for the envelope design of high-rise buildings in temperate climates: A case study in the Netherlands
Abstract
The building envelope is the interface between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment. A building's energy consumption to a large extent depends on certain envelope design elements. As a consequence, for achieving high levels of energy-saving in buildings, design measures with high impact should be firstly defined and then optimised. This paper aims at finding energy-saving solutions for the envelope design of high-rise office buildings in temperate climates. For this purpose an existing tall office building is selected as a typical high-rise design in the Netherlands and the energy use prior and after refurbishment is compared through computer simulations with DesignBuilder. A sensitivity analysis in line with a large number of energy performance simulations showed which building envelope parameters have a significant impact on the building's energy consumption; hence need more consideration for improvement. The four measures selected for uplifting the energy performance of the building envelope include glazing type, window-to-wall ratio, sun shading and roof strategies. By taking the base case as a reference and optimising one parameter at each step, this study resulted in a high-performance envelope design that offers a considerable energy-saving by around 42% for total energy use, 64% for heating and 34% for electric lighting.
... As indicated in Table 1, these strategies can be clustered into two groups including designed-related and construction-related. The former includes i) window features [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] (e.g., U-values, glazing types, location, orientation, and window-to-wall ratio (WWR)), ii) integrating shading systems [40][41][42]45,46], iii) building geometry and shape coefficient [44,48], iv) colours of external surfaces [40], and v) considering climate conditions [49]. The construction-related strategies employed by the reviewed studies include i) the use of double skin façade (DSF) [50,51], and ii) thermal insulation for exterior walls [40,42,44]. ...
... As indicated in Table 1, these strategies can be clustered into two groups including designed-related and construction-related. The former includes i) window features [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] (e.g., U-values, glazing types, location, orientation, and window-to-wall ratio (WWR)), ii) integrating shading systems [40][41][42]45,46], iii) building geometry and shape coefficient [44,48], iv) colours of external surfaces [40], and v) considering climate conditions [49]. The construction-related strategies employed by the reviewed studies include i) the use of double skin façade (DSF) [50,51], and ii) thermal insulation for exterior walls [40,42,44]. ...
... The results pointed out that the application of this façade can potentially reduce energy consumption related to heating and cooling by 28% and 53.5%, respectively. In another study, Raji et al. [45] used DesignBuilder simulation software to investigate possibilities for improving energy efficiency of high-rise office buildings in the Netherlands. The results indicated that 42% energysavings can be achieved in the total buildings' energy performance by optimising envelope features (e.g., glazing type, WWR, shading device and roofing system). ...
High-rise buildings consume more energy and have greater environmental impacts, emphasising the need to adopt best practices during the design stage concerning BIM employment. However, despite strong support from the literature, little is known about the applications of BIM in high-rise buildings at the early design stage. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a holistic understanding of the current applications of BIM in high-rise buildings by analysing 60 studies. The findings identified seven research themes, including studies that used BIM for i) optimising building energy efficiency design; ii) collaborative design and planning; iii) life-cycle assessment; iv) designing net-zero energy buildings; v) integrating BIM with smart technologies for designing high-rise buildings; vi) cost analysis, and vii) structural design of high-rise buildings. Furthermore, this study highlights a number of challenges hindering the widespread application of BIM, alongside providing potential directions for the future development of BIM employment in high-rise buildings. 1. Background The recent report by International Energy Agency introduced the building sector as one of the main contributors to global energy consumption and carbon emissions in 2021 [1]. Based on this report, the total final energy use in buildings increased from 115 Exajoule in 2010 to approximately 135 Exajoule in 2021 worldwide [1]. This constitutes the overall shares of the building sector in global energy consumption and total carbon emissions of 30% and 27%, respectively [1]. This is largely driven by the increasing world population and its attendant effects on growing demands for energy, followed by improving access to energy in developing countries, greater ownership and use of energy-consuming appliances, and rapid migration to cities [1]. The energy consumption in the building sector is also expected to increase further in the next decades due to the growing world population. The United Nations projected that the world's population would increase by 2 billion in the next 30 years, e.g., from 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050, reaching nearly 11 billion by 2100 [2]. Therefore, the impending challenge would be the development of enough settlements in the next decades to accommodate the increasing world population. This may become even more serious for countries where land scarcity is already a pressuring challenge. In this regard, one of the viable measures to tackle this challenge is to construct high-rise buildings. Many descriptions have been presented to characterise high-rise or tall buildings [5,7]. In one of the well-established definitions given by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), high-rise buildings are defined as those with more than 14-storeys (or with heights over than 50 m and less than 300 m), while buildings with heights more than 300 m and 600 m are considered as "super-tall" and "mega-tall", respectively [3]. Amid the heated debates for reinforcing sustainable development and urban compactness, combined with the housing urgency and the arrival of new technologies, the interest for residing in high-rise buildings is increasing. Currently, approximately 36 million European households live in high-rise buildings, i.e., one in six of all households [8]. In Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore are distinguished by their high-rise public housing developments. Based on the data published by CTBUH, there are currently 6588 buildings with heights of more than 150 m; 2006 buildings with more than 200 m, and 204 buildings with over 300 m worldwide [9]. These buildings are constructed in over sixty countries. Among all, China has the highest 2 number of high-rise buildings in the world with more than 4100 buildings that are over 150 m, followed by the U.S., South Korea, and UAE (Fig. 1) [9]. With almost half of the world population living in urban areas, the unfolding trend is towards a more urban-style development with taller buildings being considered as an inevitable housing solution in the future. High-rise buildings are known to be more energy-consuming with greater environmental impacts. This is echoed in the findings of Stead-man [10] that investigated the carbon emissions and electricity use of 610 high-rise and low-rise office buildings in the UK. The findings revealed that high-rise buildings' electricity usage and carbon emissions were higher than low-rise buildings by two and a half times and two times, respectively. This is aligned with the findings of Godoy-Shimizu et al. [11] that analysed the association between operational energy use and the height of 611 office buildings in England and Wales. The results showed that increasing buildings' height from five storeys and below to 21 storeys and above led to increasing the mean intensity of electricity and fossil fuel usage by 137% and 42% respectively, while the mean carbon emissions can be more than doubled. The increase in energy use of high-rise buildings can be related to the higher exposure of high-rise buildings to lower temperatures, stronger winds and more solar exposure, as suggested by Godoy-Shimizu et al. [11]. The higher capacity of tall buildings for energy consumption underlines the need of adapting best practices during the design stage to minimise energy use and environmental impacts of high-rise buildings throughout the entire buildings' lifecycle. In this regard, building information modelling (BIM) is an auspicious approach that has appeared strongly over the recent decades to support decision-making during the design stage of project lifecycle [12,13]. The concept of BIM is an overarching term used to characterise various activities in object-oriented Computer-Aided Design (CAD), aiming to provide a better representation of geometric and non-geometric (e.g., functional) attributes of building elements as well as their associated relationships [12-14]. Adopting BIM in the architecture , engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has proven effective in enhancing inter-organisational collaborations while contributing to the bettering design, construction, and maintenance practices across the industry [12]. The initial utilisation of digital tools can be traced back to the 1970s when 2D designs were used to share architectural plans via CAD. Still, only in the early 2000s did the concept of BIM gain momentum [12]. The BIM models created possibilities for incorporating informational textures associated with objects (e.g., construction materials) into the functional designs developed by practitioners [4,12]. Nowadays, BIM is regarded as a promising solution to facilitate the management and integration of project information throughout the entire project lifecycle [12], thus assisting with optimising the use of design data for buildings' performance analysis and realising sustainable designs [15]. The definition of BIM may vary depending on the model's content, its application, and also the analysis set to be carried out. The U. S. national BIM standard comprehensively defines BIM as the process of developing digital models of a given facility aiming to visualise, and perform engineering analysis, conflict analysis, compliance code checking, cost engineering, as-built product, and budgeting [16]. In another definition, Smith and Tardif [17] defined BIM as a mechanism to transfer data into information with the purpose of generating knowledge that further enables users to make informed decisions. Sackey et al. [18] described BIM as a socio-technical system due to its characteristics which are composed of both technical dimensions such as 3D modelling, and aspects with social impacts such as process re-engineering. Therefore, BIM is a multi-layered concept providing a shared data repository that can effectively support decision-making throughout the project lifecycle. This study aims to explore the current applications of BIM during the early stages of building design, looking closely at the current exploitations of this approach for the delivery of high-rise buildings.
... Factors or parameters that influence building energy consumptions includes type of energy used, altitude, location, fabric, building design, shape orientation, operation and technology usage and have been explored in the literature. While much research [3][4][5][6] is focused on the investigation of the design and energy performance of the individual or isolated high-rise buildings, there is little or no study on the impact of surrounding buildings from the perspective of energy performance and thermal comfort. High-rise buildings can experience considerable differences in environmental factors between the top and bottom floor. ...
... Therefore, it is necessary to find the correlation between a building plane and its energy consumption during the design process. Raji et al. [6] investigated the energy-saving solutions for envelope design of tall office building. Several factors which have impacts on high-rise building energy performance were analysed, which including glazing, window-to-wall ratio, shading, roof, insulation, air infiltration and operation schedule. ...
... Heating, cooling and lighting energy demands were analysed to show how each factor affects the building performance. The work [6] concluded that solar radiation has a significant influence on building energy consumption, appropriate shadings could be necessary for saving cooling energy, 11.3% cooling energy can be saved with multiple strategies. ...
... Among the works investigated within the scope of this research, 60% of the studies (14 out of 23 studies) were related to the envelope of high-rise buildings while one was a review paper [13]. Previous research mainly focused on switchable glazing in high-rise residential building [14], the technical, economic, environmental, and comfort implications of new glazing technologies [5,14,15], the impact of thermal bridge of balcony slab on envelope [16], the effects of shape coefficient on envelope load and energy consumption [17], floorto-ceiling glazed areas impact on thermal resilience [18], assessing glazing type window-to-wall ratio, sun shading, and roof strategies for envelope design [18][19][20], climatically responsive design and microclimate interaction with envelope structure [22], infiltration and pressurizing in higher levels of building [23], investigating heat transfer through envelope components [19,20], examining the efficiency of light-weight and low energy dynamic insulation, air-tight cavity function, and low-E coating [24], efficient energy codes and insulation materials [25], analyzing double skin brick wall façade and thermal transmittance (U-value) [26], the impact of location and surrounding [27], improving the envelope design parameters, optimizing plan layout, and taking advantage of natural ventilation to diminish heating and cooling energy demand and carbon emissions [27,28]. ...
... Among the works investigated within the scope of this research, 60% of the studies (14 out of 23 studies) were related to the envelope of high-rise buildings while one was a review paper [13]. Previous research mainly focused on switchable glazing in high-rise residential building [14], the technical, economic, environmental, and comfort implications of new glazing technologies [5,14,15], the impact of thermal bridge of balcony slab on envelope [16], the effects of shape coefficient on envelope load and energy consumption [17], floorto-ceiling glazed areas impact on thermal resilience [18], assessing glazing type window-to-wall ratio, sun shading, and roof strategies for envelope design [18][19][20], climatically responsive design and microclimate interaction with envelope structure [22], infiltration and pressurizing in higher levels of building [23], investigating heat transfer through envelope components [19,20], examining the efficiency of light-weight and low energy dynamic insulation, air-tight cavity function, and low-E coating [24], efficient energy codes and insulation materials [25], analyzing double skin brick wall façade and thermal transmittance (U-value) [26], the impact of location and surrounding [27], improving the envelope design parameters, optimizing plan layout, and taking advantage of natural ventilation to diminish heating and cooling energy demand and carbon emissions [27,28]. ...
... Ge et al. [16] analyzed the impact of balcony thermal bridges on thermal performance through 2D heat transfer simulation. Besides, Raji et al. [19] intended to find an energy-saving solution by comparing the refurbished existing building via DesignBuilder. Furthermore, Kalhor and Emaminejad [25] implemented both quantitative and qualitative research on insulation thermal optimization and market by questionnaire and COMcheck tool. ...
Buildings require a significant amount of energy for heating, cooling, and lighting. Hence, building energy performance has become one of the most important topics in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in the last decade. The building envelope plays a critical role in maximizing energy efficiency and decreasing energy consumption generally. The research objective of this study is to examine and compare the effects of three different building envelope types on energy performance in a high-rise residential building. A literature review and case study were performed for achieving the research objective of this study. In the literature review, records (i.e., journal articles, conference proceedings, and scientific reports) published between 2011 and 2021 were included, and Web of Science and Scopus databases were used. In the case study, passive methods including building design, orientation, insulation, and window-to-wall ratio were employed for a 10-story reinforced concrete residential building in Istanbul, Turkey. The energy performance of the different wall, insulation, and glass components utilized in the building was analyzed and compared via DesignBuilder software. Findings show that each parameter and material have a significant impact on the energy performance of a structure. This research would make a noteworthy contribution to the AEC literature and industry by analyzing the energy performance of different building envelope types and the appropriate scenarios based on the location. The results of this study can be used by policymakers and decision-makers to revise existing codes and policies for new high-rise buildings.
... The distance between the lighting sensors and the number of sensors placed in an open-plan office was chosen by following the structured grid of a cellular office layout, placing 8 lighting sensors covering 3.6 m distance between the sensors. A shading device positioned outside is active when the solar radiation on the window exceeds the solar set-point of 150 W/m 2 (Raji et al., 2016;Park, 2003). ...
... From his findings, it can be assumed that solar radiation would be the main impact factor related to determining glazing areas according to the orientation. Raji et al. (2016) stated that a smaller glazing area achieves a higher percentage of energy savings for heating and cooling. As the results are shown in this study, a WWR of 30% was the optimal case for energy efficiency, which is in line with the previous study. ...
Chapter 6 showed that the office layout and desk location were the most influential design factors for the thermal and visual comfort of users, and layout and orientation were most influential for psychological comfort in office buildings. Office design parameters were analysed to optimise user satisfaction in relation to indoor environmental and organisational quality in office buildings by showing predictable models. However, the predicted satisfaction models had not been tested in terms of energy performance. Therefore, this chapter evaluates the energy performance of the predicted models by computational assessment.a Section 7.2 explains the energy simulation scheme, model typologies, and simulation parameters. Section 7.3 presents the comparison of energy simulation results based on three design factors such as office layout, orientation and WWR. The results present the differences of the energy demand according to the alternative office typologies and contribution of design factors. The annual energy demand of 24 models are compared on the basis of different model typologies, and present the most energy-efficient typologies in section 7.4.
... Energy efficient year-round solutions include having highly insulated and airtight envelopes [7,8], improved glazing [9], and solar shading [10]. During the cooling season, passive cooling systems were installed, such as ground source cooling [11], natural night ventilation (NNV) [12] and evaporative cooling [13]. ...
... The floor of E120 and walls connecting the TLRs to the staircase were modelled as adiabatic. The building has multiple systems (4,5,6,7,8,9,22) with control blocks, that regulate their operation during heating/cooling seasons to maintain constant comfortable temperatures (11,12,16,23). Additionally, for DCV, there is a competing temperature vs. CO 2 demand that is continuously monitored (13,14,15). ...
The characteristic that describes the extent to which buildings and their systems maintain their performance during shocks is called resilience. Building policies in the EU have already addressed the resilience of buildings against possible hazards (i.e., natural disasters, extreme weathers, fires). However, with increasing overheating risks (e.g., climate change) accompanied by their detrimental health and economic impacts, the thermal performance of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) is not guaranteed. This study aims to assess the impact of shocks and combinations on the thermal resilience of educational nZEB against heatwaves (HW) and system shocks (SS) including failure of indirect evaporative cooling (IEC), natural night ventilation (NNV) and solar shading failure (SF). A Modelica model of the building was developed and experimentally validated. Shocks were classified and quantified using the novel normalized degree of shock (doS) index. Heatwaves (HWs) had 20 × to 93 × more critical impact than the worst SS (NNV failure). Additionally SS occurring at the start of the operational period is 1.2 × more critical than SS occurring later in the day as it allowed for significant heat build-up in both classrooms. In future climate scenarios a combination of HWs and power outages will become frequent. This study showed that a combination of a full day of cooling strategy and shading failure occurring on the hottest day of a 6-day long HW, is 10% more critical on both lecture rooms than an individual 10-day long HW. Classroom with heavy thermal mass prolongs the absorptivity of the shocks but delays recovery.
... Increasing building envelope airtightness has a potential to save energy up to 12%, improve IAQ for air-conditioning buildings and reduce indoor concentrations of contamination with outdoor sources [30]. Research done by Raji et al. (2016) [31] in temperate climates on integration of building design with high performance building materials found that energy saving around 42% for heating, 64% for electric and 34% for lighting. Cao et al. (2015) [32] has the same opinion as Raji which is high performance building materials used contribute to energy saving. ...
... Increasing building envelope airtightness has a potential to save energy up to 12%, improve IAQ for air-conditioning buildings and reduce indoor concentrations of contamination with outdoor sources [30]. Research done by Raji et al. (2016) [31] in temperate climates on integration of building design with high performance building materials found that energy saving around 42% for heating, 64% for electric and 34% for lighting. Cao et al. (2015) [32] has the same opinion as Raji which is high performance building materials used contribute to energy saving. ...
Optimization techniques (OT) are tools to find the best solution during a decision making process. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on their objectives and focus areas. Early application of OT was recorded as early as the 1930s with the introduction of the Monte Carlo Method, which is widely used in business studies. The idea was conceived due to poly-objectives, or multi-objectives, in identifying the best solution. OT theories and methods have evolved to cover various fields of study. This paper aims to provide a brief review of OT through a comparison of the pros and cons of each OT technique. The findings emphasize the suitability of each technique for different applications in various fields of study. Finally, this study aims to select the most suitable OT for building performance for energy optimization. In conclusion, the summary of findings and recommendations from Tables 2, 3, and 4 need to be combined during the process of selecting the most suitable OT. Regardless of the various categories and their multiple applications, it is the summary of characteristics of each optimization technique that determines their suitability for adoption depending on the research objectives, strength of the researcher, and availability of data. ANN is suitable for optimization for building energy performance covering energy use, energy cost and energy prediction which offer a high level of accuracy. However, it is a complex model that requires historical data input and can produce only short-term predictions. For broader optimization objectives which cover energy load, a hybrid of ANN and kNN is recommended. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-04-014 Full Text: PDF
... Building envelope is a crucial component in maintaining building energy loss and gain [9]. As the boundary of a thermodynamic system [10,11], it primarily functions to control energy flow, reduce temperature fluctuations, and decrease cooling and heating energy consumption [12]. The thermal insulation and heat storage capacity of the building envelope directly affect indoor thermal comfort and building operational energy consumption. ...
The intensification of global climate change has exacerbated building energy consumption issues, presenting a significant challenge in retrofitting existing buildings to meet current environmental requirements while adapting to future climate scenarios. A multi-objective optimization design process for building envelope retrofits was developed in this study, utilizing random forest (RF) models and atmospheric circulation models to generate future weather data. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and performance simulations were employed to obtain data under various renovation scenarios. A BP neural network model related envelope design parameters to performance indicators, while the NSGA-III algorithm optimized retrofit strategies. The proposed method demonstrates improved efficiency and validity in developing energy-saving solutions that consider future climate scenarios. Results highlight the importance of incorporating climate change factors in retrofit designs, providing valuable insights and methodological support for decision-makers in building energy conservation practices.
... The most common are related to interference with the building envelope. Parameters that affect the envelope energy efficiency can be categorized into façade design parameters, such as WWR (window-wall ratio), glazing type and shading, building material properties and construction, i.e., insulation, thickness and airtightness, and site parameters [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Yousefi et al. [11] added to that list occupant behavior. ...
The residential sector of existing buildings has great potential in energy savings and the improvement of indoor conditions. The modernization of buildings is of particular concern to the policies of the European Union, local governments, and building users. The aim of this paper is to present an analysis of indoor parameters and energy consumption for heating for an apartment located in a pre-war tenement building before and after thermomodernization. The analysis was conducted for winter conditions and was based on measurements and simulations. Originally, the building had not undergone any thermomodernization actions since its reconstruction after WWII. Interior, exterior, and surface temperatures were recorded to describe the thermal conditions of the apartment, while gas meter readings were used to estimate energy consumption for heating purposes. WUFI Plus software (v.3.2.0.1) was used to estimate energy consumption and perform energy simulations for the apartment over an extended period of time. The best thermomodernization effect resulted from the replacement of windows and the inefficient heating system, avoiding surface condensation and reducing final energy consumption by more than 50%. The extended options resulted in energy savings higher than 70%. The presented analysis shows the importance of retrofit measures and proves that even a small improvement can bring significant benefits.
... Furthermore, the window can be folded, not just to provide maximum opportunity for inhabitants to view the surroundings outside of the house, but also as a means of emergency escape, especially during a fire outbreak. It was suggested that housing dwellers prefer adjustable shading strategies that allow desirable option, both in maximizing daylight utilization and minimizing energy demand [20], [21]. ...
Metal grill for housing windows thatis fixed to the wall is commonly used in most of the residential houses in Malaysia. Due to high numbers of burglary cases reported across the country in a year, the feature seems desperately needed. However, the window grill creates a dispute, especially on the emergency exit, building façade, and opportunity to view surrounding outside. Through survey and input from the respondents, the purpose of the research is to propose an innovative idea on housing window that able to address both security and architecture aspects. Understanding behavior of typical housing residents, residents’ perception on window grill, and modus operandi of a burglar are important to ensure the innovation able to minimize the burglary ideation, without compromising the feature’s purpose as a housing window. Inspired by French windows of a traditional Malay kampong house, the design is improvised to correlate with the current context. In this research, the housing typology that is focused on is landed house, which may include bungalow, terrace, semi-detached, and townhouse.
... Buildings 2024, 14, 256 2 of 25 windows on building energy efficiency [6][7][8][9]. For example, Lantonio et al. [10] found that optimal glazed window design can result in energy savings, ranging from 11% to 18%, by simultaneously optimizing the window's U-value, SHGC, visible transmittance, and window-to-wall ratio (WWR). ...
Glass curtain walls (GCWs) have become prevalent in office buildings, owing to their lightweight and modular characteristics. However, their lower thermal resistance, compared to opaque walls, results in increased energy consumption. Incorporating phase-change materials (PCMs) provides a viable solution through which to address the susceptibility of GCWs to external conditions, thus enhancing thermal performance and mitigating energy concerns. This study delves into the influences of the glazing solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), the glazing heat transfer coefficient (U-value), and PCM thickness on the energy performance of buildings. Using Design Builder (DB) software version 6.1.0.006, a multi-story office building was simulated in different climatic zones in China, covering the climatic characteristics of severe cold, cold, hot summer and warm winter, cold summer and winter, and mild regions. The simulation results quantitatively elucidated the effects of the glazing parameters and the number of PCMs on thermal regulation and energy consumption. A sensitivity analysis identified the glazing SHGC as the most influential factor in energy consumption. Additionally, by employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the researchers aimed to achieve a balance between minimal building energy consumption and economic cost, ultimately determining an optimal design solution. The results demonstrated significant energy savings, ranging from 20.16% to 81.18%, accompanied by economic savings, ranging from 15.78% to 79.54%, across distinct climate zones in China.
... The building envelope can be considered as a control surface that delimits the boundaries of the thermodynamic system [16,17]. It plays a multifaceted role, including: controlling the flow of energy, protecting the indoor space from extreme weather conditions, mitigating wide temperature fluctuations, reducing energy consumption for cooling and heating, ensuring comfort conditions and indoor air quality [18]. ...
This paper delves into the potential impact of a changing climate on the energy performance of European buildings. Research aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of current energy requirements focusing on the envelope , considering existing regulations in national policies. Energy simulations are conducted at 94 locations across the European Union to cover the climatic variability and Koppen climate classification. The research analyzes future climate scenarios for the years 2030, 2050, and 2070, using three different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 8.5). According to a comprehensive analysis of heating, cooling, and overall energy performance, climate plays a significant role in buildings' energy balance. In moderately cool climate countries, the demand for air conditioning is projected to decrease in the years ahead. Conversely, in countries with a warm climate, there is a projected increase in the overall energy demand. Consequently, a revision of current energy regulations should be a priority. Providing insights into the relation between building design, energy efficiency, and climate change, the research identifies policy adjustments to ensure buildings can effectively respond to changing climatic conditions. A holistic and dynamic approach can support building design accounting for long-term impacts of climate change to create resilient and energy-efficient structures.
... SHGC led to a 6-18% increase in heating load and a 5-12% decrease in cooling load, thereby reducing energy by 16%. Moreover, Lee et al. [37], Raji et al. [42], and Zhao et al. [43], who experimented on the impact of glazing performance according to climate features, discovered that the U-value must be considered in polar regions where heating is required, whereas SHGC must be regarded in hot climates where cooling is needed. ...
The world is emphasizing the need for building design that considers energy performance to deal with climate problems. South Korea has constantly been tightening the design standards for saving building energy but with a focus on thermal performance and equipment systems. Accordingly, this study conducted an energy simulation experiment on office buildings with different window-to-wall ratios (WWRs) to propose a smart glazing plan to improve energy performance. An energy simulation experiment was performed on office buildings with varying WWRs to hierarchically analyze the influence of building window performance elements, including the heat transmission coefficient (U-value), visible light transmittance (VLT), and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), on building energy performance. The analysis showed that SHGC had the most significant impact on the heating and cooling load, by 22.13%, with the influences of the variables being 12.4% for the U-value, 4.78% for VLT, and 82.83% for SHGC. The results showed that the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) had the greatest impact on energy performance among window performance elements, and the effect increased significantly in certain WWRs. Moreover, to improve the energy performance of buildings with higher WWRs, it is essential to reflect the optimum composition of the U-value and SHGC on the window plan. This study’s findings propose measures to supplement existing window plans focusing on thermal performance. Furthermore, these results hold academic value in providing concrete grounds for that.
... The optimization of building orientation is crucial to using solar radiation. Some studies have focused on this issue, whose results showed that optimizing the building orientation is an important measure for the development of passive technology in solar-enriched regions [30,43,53]. Hong et al. investigated the energy consumption characteristics of low-rise office buildings in Shanghai. ...
... energy gain compared to single-skin façade (Hancheng et al., 2021.) A study done in Holland on a high-rise building with double-skin façade reported that the building achieved 42% reduction in total energy consumption with its glass type, window-wall ratio, shading component, and high-performing envelope design that includes roof isolation (Raji et al., 2016.). When we look at energy consumption in Türkiye, we see that high volumes of fossil fuels are used and the total share of renewable energy sources in the total energy consumption is very low. ...
... Thus, current design methods focus on energy efficient solutions. Energy efficient building envelope parameters include high insulation, airtight envelopes [8], improved glazing [9], and solar shading [10] whereas passive cooling * Corresponding author: abantika.sengupta@kuleuven.be strategies include ground source cooling [11], natural night ventilation (NNV) [12] and indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) techniques [13]. ...
Airtight and highly insulated educational buildings are subjected to overheating risks, even in moderate climates, due to unforeseeable events like frequent heatwaves (HWs) and power outages (POs) leading to heat-stress and negative impact on the health conditions and cognitive performance of the students. The focus of this paper is to evaluate thermal resilience for two lecture rooms equipped with the low-energy cooling strategies natural night ventilation (NNV) and indirect evaporative cooling (IEC). To assess the thermal resilience to overheating, the lecture rooms were tested with and without passive cooling strategies for 3 Typical meteorological years (TMYs), 3 severe HWs and those 3 HWs + POs. Results evaluating the existing indicators unmet degree hours, indoor overheating degree (IOD), ambient warmness degree (AWD), and overheating escalation factor (αIOD) demonstrated that with passive cooling strategies the two test lecture rooms have good thermal resilience during TMY and HW periods (except long-term severe HW), with 18% higher unmet degree hours during HWs. Lecture room with heavier thermal mass demonstrated higher thermal resilience to overheating in long-term assessment. Furthermore the need to develop a holistic resilience indicator taking into account building and system parameters was also pointed out in this study.
... For example, a simulation-based method was employed by Capeluto and Ochoa (2014) to identify and rank energy-efficient retrofitting solutions in 13 urban centres in Europe. Based on the energy simulation of a high-rise office building, Raji et al. (2016) conducted a sensitivity analysis to improve the performance of the building envelope. Several building simulation tools, such as TRNSYS, ESP-r, Ener-gyPlus, and DesignBuilder, are commonly used to estimate the energy demand of buildings (Hong et al., 2018). ...
... • To optimize the building envelope and integrate passive heating and cooling systems to reduce the energy requirement for thermal comfort; • To improve the energy efficiency of active systems i.e. solar thermal panels, photovoltaic systems etc.; • To use and/or produce renewable energy locally Building envelope is the interface between the indoor and the outdoor environment. Several studies revealed the impact of building envelope on it energy consumption and proposed design solutions to improve indoor comfort while reducing the environmental impact of the building [4][5][6][7]. Building envelope performances can be affected by the facade design, the material properties and the orientation. ...
A microalgae-based biofacade is a double-skin facade with integrated photobioreactors (PBRs) for solar cultivation of microalgae. One purpose of cultivating microalgae on building facades is to create an ‘active’ facade that can reduce the energy consumption required to maintain thermal comfort inside the building, by creating exchange loops between the building and the microalgae cultivation system. This paper describes the experimental validation of a thermal model of a building equipped with a biofacade PBR, and its use in analyzing the energy consumption of international-standard buildings in two different climate conditions (oceanic climate using the weather data from Nantes, France, and semi-arid climate using weather data from Los Angeles, USA). The results of this analysis show that the microalgae biofacade almost entirely removes the building's cooling demand, and the warmer the location the stronger the effect. In addition, the heating demand of the biofacade PBR is also greatly reduced (between 92% and 100% depending on the location). The microalgae biofacade is therefore a more sustainable solution to produce valuable biomass and a promising technology for the development of zero-emission buildings; to this end, suggestions for optimizing the process are put forward.
... To solve this issue, many studies have been conducted on high-performance windows, smart windows, and shading systems in both industry and academic fields. Energy reduction through the Double Skin Façade (DSF) system has been verified by previous studies [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. If a DSF system is installed in a building, the building has additional space, and it works as a thermal buffer. ...
Double Skin Façade (DSF) systems have become an alternative to the environmental and energy savings issues. DSF offers thermal buffer areas that can provide benefits to the conditioned spaces in the form of improved comforts and energy savings. There are many studies conducted to resolve issues about the heat captured inside DSF. Various window control strategies and algorithms were introduced to minimize the heat gain of DSF in summer. However, the thermal condition of the DSF causes a time lag between the response time of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system and cooling loads of zones. This results in more cooling energy supply or sometimes less than required, making the conditioned zones either too cold or warm. It is necessary to operate the HVAC system in consideration of all conditions, i.e., DSF internal conditions and indoor environment, as well as proper DSF window controls. This paper proposes an optimal air supply control for a DSF office building located in a hot and humid climate. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based control was developed and tested for its effectiveness. Results show a 10.5% cooling energy reduction from the DSF building compared to the non-DSF building with the same HVAC control. Additionally, 4.5% more savings were observed when using the ANN-based control.
... The objective should be to allow winter sun to heat the indoor spaces while preventing the summer sun from entering inside the building. A number of researchers have attempted to obtain working design of passive buildings in temperate climatic regions [135][136][137][138][139][140]. ...
Passive buildings are proving to be a solution to menaces of energy crisis and greenhouse gas emissions across the world. Such buildings tend to exhibit low energy demand owing to their cleverly designed envelopes, which comprise of walls, roofs, doors, windows and other openings. This requires use of new materials and technology, leading to an increased initial construction cost. However, with reduced energy consumption, the lifecycle cost of a passive building may be lower than that of a conventional building. These passive buildings also need to cater to occupants’ comfort which is subject to local climatic conditions and climate change. This article discusses economic feasibility and climatic adaptability of a passive building, in addition to advances in passive building strategies. Owing to lack of general awareness and standards related to passive building construction, these buildings have not achieved enough popularity. While many countries are striving hard to bring passive buildings to common masses, a large number of countries are yet to initiate the move. This article outlines several active organizations, standards and rating systems for passive buildings. This article also presents some of the recent research trends and a comprehensive bibliography for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.
... To adopt energy-efficient daylight strategies, all window components such as glazing, frame (panes, rails, sill, etc.), and shadings (interior or exterior) should be considered. Among the given window components, mainly shading and glazing materials determine thermal transmittance and solar radiation since they are the two most energy-effective components of windows (Mohammad Yusoff, 2021;Raji et al., 2015). Shading systems (either present outside or inside the building) directly affect the amount of daylight entering interiors as well as the heat gain and privacy (Gomes et al., 2014). ...
Windows are the weakest elements due to their high heat transfer coefficient and are responsible for 60% energy heat/gain loss. Healthcare buildings are one of the biggest consumers of energy due to continuous occupation hours and medical requirements, providing comfortable conditions for people in need of care and staff; yet recently less attention was given to healthcare buildings due to their unique operational requirements and advanced medical equipment. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate energy saving potentials of windows through glazing and shading alternatives over a case study. Within this study, a single patient room in Izmir Turkey has been chosen as a case study, and the room was simulated for sixteen scenarios generated by using four different glazing and shading systems. Each design scenario was simulated using DALEC for their lighting, heating, cooling, and total energy consumption. Results showed that lighting energy consumption constitutes the highest energy demand (up to 52%) and high transmitting glazing usage can reduce lighting loads. Finally, up to 16.3%, energy saving is possible only by changing shading and glazing types. Though there is a great diversity of glazing and shading types, this study’s outputs only reflect the selected four glazing and four shading system types that are offered by DALEC.
Healthcare buildings spend a vast amount of energy to provide thermal and visual comfort for various user profiles. Considering the large number of patient rooms in healthcare facilities, only careful consideration of glazing or shadings can significantly contribute to energy savings. This study focuses on shading and glazing alternatives as an energy-saving strategy. For simulation, an underrecognized BES tool DALEC was hyped to show integrated thermal and visual energy consumption. The findings highlight that energy savings of up to 16.3% is possible.
... It was considered essential to validate the software's accuracy before starting a formal simulation study, though the adequacy of DesignBuilder software for the simulation of natural ventilation and energy consumption in buildings has been proved in some studies [33][34][35]. The model used for validation was derived from a single-story building in Shanghai, China. ...
Solar heat gain and natural ventilation cooling of the indoor environment in buildings are highly influenced by the shading and openable area of windows. In addition to the ambient condition, the Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system’s mode of use can affect the windows’ performance, especially when multiple modes are used in combination (mixed-mode). Although many studies have investigated the mixed-mode application, their conditions for starting/shutting down HVAC equipment and controlling window ventilation are inconsistent with the relevant codes. Here, we propose a mixed-mode operation that resolves the gap between the air conditioning operation temperature and the adaptive comfort upper temperature. It investigates residential buildings’ indoor thermal environment and energy efficiency by combining the effective ventilation opening area ratio (REV) and shading design. Simulation results show that our mixed-mode can reduce the indoor overheating hours by about 50% and the building’s energy consumption by about 50%. We thereby conclude that the openable area of exterior windows in residential buildings in Chongqing should not be less than 10% of the room’s floor axis area where the exterior windows are located. In general, our study expands the existing knowledge of passive energy-saving measures and provides a method for further research on building energy design in hot summer and cold winter regions.
... Reportedly, buildings in Europe are responsible for more than 30% of the continent's total GHG. According to some sources, commercial buildings spend the majority of their energy budget on heating, cooling, and lighting [20]. Consequently, the reduction of energy consumption relies on the productive use of energy [6,10,21]. ...
This study investigates energy use in the construction sector and the potential for reducing energy consumption by improving the thermal efficiency of various building components, including walls, windows, roofs, and floors. The evaluation included a discussion on the prospects of reducing energy use. The building envelope is one of the most important factors to consider in terms of the heating and cooling energy efficiency of buildings. Walls are the fundamental component of a building's envelope and should provide thermal and acoustic comfort without compromising the aesthetic features of the building. The walls have a heat transfer area that is substantially higher than average, and the amount of heat gained or lost depends on the temperatures of the wall's inner and outside surface areas. Therefore, walls have a vital role in reducing the energy consumption of buildings. Bricks are a necessary component of high-performance thermal insulation, and lightweight bricks are especially useful in this regard. Bricks that are specifically manufactured for use in wall construction play an essential role in the management of energy consumption. The study has, as a result, provided a synopsis of the production of lightweight bricks in accordance with the source of the raw materials (e.g. Agriculture and industrial waste, etc).
... Tzempelikos [33] identified that window-to-floor ratio and glazing type have a significant impact on building thermal and lighting energy performance for perimeter office spaces with automated interior roller shades. Furthermore, the four façade parameters with higher impact on total energy, heating energy and electric lighting energy use for the high-rise office buildings in temperate climate of Netherlands are confirmed as glazing type, WWR, shading and roof strategies [34]. Uncertainty analysis and sensitivity analysis were also proposed in peak cooling load calculations [35,36] and properly HVAC systems sizing [37,38] during the design phase based on multiple performance metrics and customer requirements and preferences. ...
Solar radiation makes great influence on cooling load and occupants’ well-being in hot and humid climate zone. Particularly, occupants suffered different extent of solar radiation owing to their positions; thus, assessing the spatial and temporal thermal comfort is essential. It is worthwhile to identify the relative importance of passive solar design parameters for building envelope that these parameters directly affect thermal comfort and energy use. This study confirmed the distribution frequency of cooling loads and temporal thermal comfort usability of the simulation cases in selected cities based on the MRT algorithm that considered the impact of solar radiation. Based on the results, sensitivity analysis was used to analyze the relative importance of passive solar design parameters to clarify the priority when drawing up the façade design strategies. Eventually, correlation among facade parameters, energy use, thermal comfort, and geographic location is revealed. Furthermore, the improvement potential for energy-saving and thermal comfort by adjusting the variables in specific ranges is also demonstrated. The results indicated that within all selected cities, adjusting glazing type makes greatest influence on improvement potential that ranges from 22.8% to 39.5% in annual cooling load and 58.6%–87.5% in temporal thermal comfort usability, whereas the improvement potential for orientation is weaker than other parameters. Moreover, the absolute effect of solar design determinants is also disclosed respectively to discuss the importance of each parameter. Comprehensively, the proposed findings are expected to act as instruction when formulating the passive building envelope design related to solar radiation.
... Whether it's transport, building or our household appliances, reducing our consumption or increasing energy efficiency has become one of the major research topics. Global warming and the energy crisis that Europe and the world are going through have considerably boosted these areas of research either by increasing the production of green energy or by reducing consumption [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Among the various means of reducing energy consumption, the use of LED lamps is certainly the most accessible method and the easiest to implement. ...
The LED represents the hot topic has many traditional lighting systems because of their high energy efficiency and lifetime. Nevertheless, if the emissions of harmonic currents are relatively present in the literature because presenting problems on the grid, the measurements of emissions radiated by LED lamps have rarely been carried out. This work studies the magnetic field above LED Lamp Spot Type with different probes, for the three directions (HX, HY, HZ), in the frequency domain (FD) using a spectrum analyzer by the technique of near-field scan (NFS). The scan step is 0.5 cm, the LED lamps are powered directly by the electrical network 220 V/ 50 Hz, then quantify the magnetic field above the center of the inductor depending on the variation of the mode of lighting for each lamp. We used two lamps of power P = 6 W and P = 12 W, the lighting modes for each lamp are: mode 1 (white), mode 2 (colored), mode 3 (white + colored), to understand the impact of variation power and mode of lighting on the magnetic field.
... The building sector in the EU aims to reduce its footprint for new and existing constructions. Innovative building envelopes could become one of the key solutions to reduce environmental impacts and increase the performance of buildings [1]. More specifically, adaptive façade systems are promising technologies that will continue to gain a substantial share of the 2050 building stock [2]. ...
Adaptive façades are gaining greater importance in highly efficient buildings under a warming climate. There is an increasing demand for adaptive façades designed to regulate solar and thermal gains/losses, as well as avoid discomfort and glare issues. Occupants and developers of office buildings ask for a healthy and energy-neutral working environment. Adaptive façades are appropriate dynamic solutions controlled automatically or through occupant interaction. However, relatively few studies compared their energy and overheating risk performance, and there is still a vast knowledge gap on occupant behavior in operation. Therefore, we chose to study four dynamic envelopes representing four different façade families: dynamic shading, electrochromic glazing, double-skin, and active ventilative façades. Three control strategies were chosen to study the dynamic aspect of solar control, operative temperature, and glare control. Simulations were realized with EnergyPlus on the BESTEST case 600 from the ASHRAE standard 140/2020 for the temperate climate of Brussels. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to study the most influential parameters. The study findings indicate that dynamic shading devices and electrochromic glazing have a remarkable influence on the annual thermal energy demand, decreasing the total annual loads that can reach 30%. On the other hand, BIPV double-skin façades and active ventilative façades (cavity façades) could be more appropriate for cold climates. The study ranks the four façade technologies and provides novel insights for façade designers and building owners regarding the annual energy performance and overheating risk.
... Green buildings contribute to a reduction in energy consumed during the construction phase and their subsequent operational functioning (Lee, Kim, and Na 2015;Pothitou et al. 2016), and since the 1970s energy crisis, a key objective of the construction industry has been energy recovery (Huang and Niu 2015). Raji, Tenpierik, and Dobbelsteen (2015) observed that over the last ten years or so, building energy efficiency has been the recipient of increased investment. This is while a sustainable building maintenance approach presents a prospect to moderate the energy consumption and improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings during their lifecycle (Pearce 2003;Nelson 2008;Dimitriou et al. 2020). ...
This paper intends to establish what is the most influential embodied energy factor, materials, or construction process for high-rise buildings. This study evaluates the performance of 20 green buildings across Australia. These buildings are all high-rise buildings within the cities of Sydney (7), Melbourne (7), and Perth (6). The building Life Cycle Energy (LCE) was used to carefully perform the overall green building analysis. The evaluation of these 20 buildings found that (i) the central factors to be considered include, the energy consumed during construction, ongoing functioning of the building, and its subsequent demolition when contemplating how to build more efficient green high-rise buildings, (ii) to reduce the buildings primary energy consumption the Green buildings analysis (åGSA), was used to identified and formulate energy reduction approaches, (iii) including low energy materials and materials produced from recycled building waste into the construction present an opportunity for the reduction of energy. This paper demonstrates that through the reduction of a building’s embodied energies during the construction and subsequent operational life of the building, a contribution can be made to green buildings. These deliberations are fundamental viewpoints regarding the adaptability of sustainable buildings, particularly for the implications associated with green high-rise constructions.
... Optimising high-rise buildings for various design and performance aspects has been focused on for two decades. Because of the existing challenges mentioned in the previous section, most of the published studies focus on the efficient usage of resources in high-rises, i.e. energy-efficient layout plans [15], natural ventilation potentials [16], energy-saving solutions for the envelope design [17], optimum solar access in high-density urban areas [18], double skin façades for efficient energy usage [19], optimisation processes for improving thermal and power performances [20], multiple building operation scenarios [21], and passive design strategies [22]. Considering the existing and proposed challenges together can result in a conflict between self-sufficiency aspects that increases the complexity of the high-rise design problem. ...
The increase in global population, which negatively affects energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and arable land, necessitates designing sustainable habitation alternatives. Self-sufficient high-rise buildings, which integrate (electricity) generation and efficient usage of resources with dense habitation, can be a sustainable solution for future urbanisation. This paper focuses on transforming Europoint Towers in Rotterdam into self-sufficient buildings considering energy consumption and food production (lettuce crops) using artificial intelligence. Design parameters consist of the number of farming floors, shape, and the properties of the proposed façade skin that includes shading devices. Nine thousand samples are collected from various floor levels to predict self-sufficiency criteria using artificial neural networks (ANN). Optimisation problems with 117 decision variables are formulated using 45 ANN models that have very high prediction accuracies. 13 optimisation algorithms are used for an in-detail investigation of self-sufficiency at the building scale, and potential sufficiency at the neighbourhood scale. Results indicate that 100% and 43.7% self-sufficiencies could be reached for lettuce crops and electricity, respectively, for three buildings with 1800 residents. At the neighbourhood scale, lettuce production could be sufficient for 27,000 people with a decrease of self-sufficiency in terms of energy use of up to 11.6%. Consequently, this paper discusses the potentials and the improvements for self-sufficient high-rise buildings.
... The researches show that fixed shading devices are the most convenient option for preventing discomfort due to the glare [6], and perform more effective on decreasing total energy consumption regarding cooling loads rather than solar control glazing for hot climates [8]. On the other hand, the movable shading strategies can lead to desirable solutions in terms of both minimization of energy demand for lighting and cooling, and maximization of daylight utilization besides thermal comfort in especially heating-dominated climate [13]. ...
Promoting the daylight performance that allows to provide visual comfort conditions by minimizing lighting energy consumption is possible with making a balance of window size, glazing type and shading strategy, which are the major design parameters of the daylighting system. Particularly, in high-rise buildings, where large openings enabling higher daylight availability and view out are preferred, the daylighting system becomes a crucial design consideration in terms of ensuring occupants’ visual comfort and improving lighting energy efficiency. This study aims to identify a proper daylighting design solution with regard to window area, glazing type and shading strategy for a high-rise residential building located in Istanbul considering visual comfort and lighting energy efficiency. The dynamic simulations are carried out by DIVA for Rhino version 4.1.0.12. The results are evaluated with the Daylight Autonomy (DA) to detect daylight availability in the space and Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) to describe the visual comfort conditions related to glare. Furthermore, the lighting energy consumption of each alternative is also analysed to determine the proper daylighting solution. The results have revealed that a proper daylighting solution providing visual comfort by improving lighting energy-efficiency can be determined by the evaluation of the daylight performance both qualitatively and quantitatively.
... In a further study [8], they aimed to find energy-saving solutions for the building envelope design of high-rise office buildings in the temperate climate zone. An existing tall office building in the Netherlands was the subject of research. ...
The reduction of energy consumption is a major issue nowadays that should be considered during the design process. High-rise buildings represent a building type with significantly high energy consumption. They serve typically as offices with fully glazed façades, generating considerable energy demand. This study aims to optimize the envelope and the shading systems of a high-rise office building (Middle Europe). For this purpose, multiple façade variants were tested by assessing the thermal and visual comfort, as well as energy demand. The IDA ICE 4.8 building energy simulation program was used for thermal and lighting modeling and to carry out building physics calculations. Results revealed the best performing, optimized façade configuration in terms of comfort and energy efficiency.
Energy is considered a fundamental issue in social and economic development in countries. In today’s world, the optimal use of energy has received attention due to the increasing need for energy and environmental issues. Considering that modern buildings and infrastructures include a significant part of energy consumption and greenhouse gas production, they have been given special attention. Sustainable buildings play a significant role in reducing energy consumption globally. Also, the need to use renewable resources has increased under the consequences of global warming and the reduction of fossil fuels. As a result, the use of these resources to supply energy to buildings and the design and construction of sustainable buildings have been the focus of many countries to achieve environmental goals. As a result, to reduce the adverse environmental effects and save energy consumption, the composition of renewable resource technology and sustainable buildings is considered a suitable solution and will be investigated in this section. Figure 2.1 shows a graphical abstract of this chapter.
A graphical abstract of the chapter
Energy consumption in the building sector accounts for a significant part of the world's total energy. Recent studies in the building and construction, regardless of the results and performance improvements, try to find an optimal way to integrate all factors that affect building behavior in a multi-objective and integrated way. To do so, the integrated and multi-objective analysis approach is the title intended for this purpose. Integrated design is a comprehensive holistic approach to design that brings together specialisms usually considered separately. It attempts to take into consideration all the factors and modulations necessary for a decision-making process. Finding the most balanced design option while considering several functions is the problem of this research, which can be realized in the integrated design process. Therefore, the study aims to generate an integrated design process, in which aspects of cooling, heating, lighting, and rainwater harvesting are addressed in the design of the southern shading devices of a conventional dormitory building. Finally, the most balanced option that provides the mentioned aspects to a relative balance can be chosen by the architect or designer. To achieve this goal, this study uses the simulation-based method and EnergyPlus software with a quantitative approach. First, the thermal, cooling, and lighting functions of the cases were evaluated. Then, in the development section, the productivity potential of the photovoltaic system and rainwater collection were analyzed as independent variables. Building envelopes of energy-efficient buildings are not simply barriers between interior and exterior; they are building systems that create comfortable spaces by actively responding to the building's external environment, and substantially reducing the buildings' energy consumption. Shading systems are one of the important elements of building envelopes. Beyond the six cases of shading devices, that were studied and been analyzed, which were generated in the integrated and multi-objective design process, the case with maximum shading logic in the summer design day that shaped with a 35-degree slope on its overhang and 65-cm depth and triangular east-west fins was the best choice due to this research criterion. This shading control in addition to providing an excellent cooling load, had a relatively high potential for useful daylighting. Additionally, it had the best performance in terms of absorbing sunlight to generate electricity and collect rainwater. Although the heating load of this case is relatively high, with respect to the challenge of providing cooling in the warm season of Tehran, it can be said that compared to other alternatives and considering all aspects, it performs best in presenting an integrated, multidimensional and balanced approach. Other cases have been examined and analyzed in detail in the research process. Although each of the other cases may be performing best in one particular aspect due to its geometry features, in the multi-objective vision it could not present an integrated and balanced performance in other aspects. It can be concluded that only with slight variations in the geometry of shading devices in the building's façade, the mentioned aspects can be achieved through an integrated design thinking process.
An educational building is a kind of public building with a high density of occupants and high energy consumption. Energy-saving technology utilization is an effective measure to achieve high-performance buildings. However, numerous studies are greatly limited to practical application due to their strong regional pertinence and technical simplicity. This paper aims to further optimize various commonly used technologies on the basis of the current national standards, and to individually establish four recommended technology selection systems corresponding to four major climatic regions for realizing nearly zero energy educational buildings (nZEEBs) in China. An educational building was selected as the case study. An evaluation index of energy-saving contribution rate (ECR) was proposed for measuring the energy efficiency of each technology. Thereafter, high energy efficiency technologies were selected and implemented together in the four basic cases representing different climatic regions. The results showed that the total energy-saving rate in severe cold regions increased by 70.74% compared with current national standards, and about 60% of the total energy-saving rate can be improved in cold regions. However, to realize nZEEBs in hot summer and cold winter regions as well as in hot summer and warm winter regions, photovoltaic (PV) technology needs to be further supplemented.
Load reduction is a fundamental means for achieving the zero/low-energy goal of buildings and for accomplishing carbon-neutrality. However, there is a lack of systematic and comparative study on the key design parameters of building envelopes, particularly under different climate conditions and building morphologies. In this study, the most influential design parameters of high-rise and low-rise buildings in different climate zones are identified by sensitivity analysis and the impacts of climate and building height are studied and compared. The sensitivity analysis is performed using Morris, while a total of thirty-five design parameters under five categories are considered. Five Chinese climate zones covering three typical climates in the world are researched. A wide range of local design and operation constraints are considered when evaluating the building performance in different climate zones. Furthermore, the key design parameters affecting winter thermal discomfort in the climate zones typically without heating provision are also identified. The impact of thermal bridge on building energy performance is further investigated. A remarkable finding is that the overhang is among the most important elements of the high-rise buildings in all climate zones concerned, while skylight is among the most influential elements of the low-rise buildings concerning building load. The results of the studies provide valuable references for the building envelope design for different climate conditions.
Due to the enormous building stock and high energy consumption of the construction sector, green retrofitting of existing buildings has recently become a critical issue. China has implemented building retrofitting on a large scale based on various norms and standards. In practice, however, the effectiveness of the whole building retrofit program is often jeopardized because some decision-makers are limited by their experience and fail to evaluate the program in its entirety. To overcome this problem, this study offers an intelligent decision support model considering tacit knowledge for program decision-making with conflicting objectives. By comparing several data mining approaches and using 152 retrofitted existing buildings as examples, a tacit knowledge mining model based on the XGBoost algorithm with an accuracy of 73.91% is constructed. The predicted results of the knowledge mining model can be used as the input of the multi-objective decision-making model. In addition, the retrofit cost, thermal insulation requirement, and total retrofit area are chosen as the objectives of the multi-objective decision-making model. Then, the model's applicability to building retrofit programs is tested using five buildings as examples. Finally, the results demonstrate that the proposed model can partially replace experts in supporting policymakers and owners throughout the planning stage.
Rising outdoor temperatures throughout the world are a major cause of concern. This necessitates improved air conditioning for achieving indoor comfort at the expense of energy. In a tropical country like India, there has been a swift increase in the usage of space cooling applications. This demands alternative methods for reducing the energy consumption associated with cooling of the indoor spaces. Passive cooling techniques, such as building orientation, window glazing, and window shading, can be promising solutions for reducing the energy consumption in building. The purpose of this study is to choose the optimum types of the above-mentioned cooling systems based on thermal performance, visual comfort, and energy savings for warm and humid climatic condition of Chennai. In addition, the cumulative effect of the chosen passive systems on cooling load reduction in the building and thermal comfort parameters that include Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Percentage People Dissatisfied (PPD) in the indoor space is analyzed using DesignBuilder. The results indicate efficacy of the combined system in maintaining the desired thermal comfort levels and reduction in the cooling loads (35.9%), thereby instigating electricity savings. On introducing the passive techniques, there is an improvement in the thermal comfort levels as indicated by the average PMV (0.4) and PPD (7.9%) values.KeywordsPassive coolingThermal comfortCooling loadGlazingShadingBuilding orientation
Population growth and urbanisation trends bring many consequences related to the increase in global energy consumption, CO2 emissions and a decrease in arable land per person. High‑rises have been one of the inevitable buildings of metropoles to provide extra floor space since the early examples in the 19th century. Therefore, optimisation of high-rise buildings has been the focus of researchers because of significant performance enhancement, mainly in energy consumption and generation. Based on the facts of the 21st century, optimising high-rise buildings for multiple vital resources (such as energy, food, and water) is necessary for a sustainable future.
This research suggests “self-sufficient high-rise buildings” that can generate and efficiently consume vital resources in addition to dense habitation for sustainable living in metropoles. The complexity of self-sufficient high-rise building optimisation is more challenging than optimising regular high-rises that have not been addressed in the literature. The main challenge behind the research is the integration of multiple performance aspects of self-sufficiency related to the vital resources of human beings (energy, food, and water) and consideration of large numbers of design parameters related to these multiple performance aspects. Therefore, the dissertation presents a framework for performance optimisation of self-sufficient high-rise buildings using artificial intelligence focusing on the conceptual phase of the design process. The output of this dissertation supports decision-makers to suggest well-performing high-rise buildings involving the aspects of self sufficiency in a reasonable timeframe.
The construction of high-rise residential buildings has increased dramatically in line with the expansion of cities. However, this type of buildings has relatively higher annual energy consumption and further relies on comprehensive use of fossil fuels. Furthermore, these buildings are rather expensive compared to other types of residential buildings by the global costs throughout their economic life cycle. The present study aims to contribute in improving the energy performance of high-rise residential buildings based on the cost-optimal framework methodology as provided in Recast Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD 2010/31/EU). Recognized as an EU candidate and engaged in accession talks for full membership, Turkey is required to comply with the provisions stipulated in this Directive. In the scope of the present study, advanced retrofit measures aimed to improve the energy performance of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems are suggested based on a high-rise residential building, a representative case study in Turkey. The results indicated that use of decentralized heat recovery ventilator systems combined with demand-controlled ventilation strategy would decrease the energy consumption by an annual rate of 39% in high-rise residential buildings. Besides, it was concluded that use of photovoltaic and waste heat recovery systems was associated with significant superiority in improving the energy efficiency level of high-rise residential buildings at cost-optimum scenarios. In the present study, the aforementioned retrofit measures helped decrease the annual energy consumption and global cost by 50% and 23%, respectively. Accordingly, it was suggested that the utilization of photovoltaic and waste heat recovery systems in high-rise residential buildings should be mandatory through an increase in incentives intended for renewable energy systems and amendment of the building codes in Turkey.
Bioclimatic design strategies are an efficient architectural approach to improve thermal comfort, save energy, and reduce buildings’ carbon footprint. In this study, the effect of five bioclimatic design strategies on energy demands of an office building, considering window-to-wall ratio, solar heat gain coefficient, sun shading with overhangs, thermal insulation and natural ventilation, is investigated along with their associated economic and environmental benefits in the Mediterranean region using EnergyPlus software. For this purpose, six locations were identified to represent different climate’s types. The results revealed that the highest energy savings shares were achieved by incorporating thermal insulation and natural ventilation designs in the hot desert climate with 90.69% and 20.21%, respectively. Furthermore, sun shading and small glazing area with low solar heat gain coefficients are recommended for hot climates and vice versa for cold ones. Moreover, the investigated designs exhibited high economic benefits, which translated by lower life cycle costs and payback periods, and higher savings-to-investment ratios, especially thermal insulation and natural ventilation designs. Additionally, significant CO2 emissions are avoided using these designs. The findings of this work could serve as a guideline for building stakeholders to choose the appropriate designs according to the building climatic conditions.
In the modern construction industry, there is a need for environment friendly energy efficient buildings to support the idea of sustainability. This article investigates the numerical simulation of air distribution of central air conditioning in tall atrium using the CFD technology to simulate the air distribution in the atrium of the large hotel buildings. The optimal atrium design is achieved by numerical simulation of air distribution condition in large Atrium by checking the airflow velocity field as well as temperature field under different working conditions in summers. The precondition of fixed air volume was analyzed using the FLUENT software and change in the vent air supply perspective was realized. The airflow velocity field and temperature field were evaluated under different working conditions and the flow characteristics of lateral line 1-point temperature were compared between 300.5 and 301 K. The rest of the measuring point temperature fluctuates up and down at 300 K, line 2 measure point temperature between 300.5 and 301 K. The hotel atrium was tested on site and the measured value was taken as the initial parameter for numerical simulation. The results of simulation and measurement were compared and analyzed to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the simulated air distribution in large space buildings.
This paper describes CFD modelling of Double Skin Façades (DSF) with venetian blinds inside the façade cavity. The 2-D modelling work investigates the coupled convective, conductive and radiative heat transfer through the DSF system. The angles of the venetian blind can be adjusted and a series of angles (0, 30, 45, 60 and 80 degrees) has been modelled. The modelling results are compared with the measurements from a section of façade tested within a solar simulator and with predictions from a component based nodal model. Agreement between the three methods is generally good. Discrepancies in the results are generally caused by the simplification of the CFD model resulting less turbulence mixing within the façade cavity. The CFD simulation output suggests that the presence of the venetian blinds has led up to 35 percent enhancement in natural ventilation flow for the façade cavity and 75 percent reduction in heat loads for the internal environment. It was also found that little changes of the convective heat transfer coefficients on the glazing surfaces have been caused by the venetian blinds with different angles.
Improving the energy performance of existing building refurbishment has been identified as one of the key measures to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and combat climate change. However, little has been done to uncover how human behaviours would affect the selection of refurbishment solutions selection. The problem is particularly obvious for high-rise residential buildings as they are owned and/or occupied by different peoples with idiosyncratic behaviour and preference. In this research, 46 potential methods commonly used for major sustainable building refurbishment in high-rise residential buildings located in cities with sub-tropical climate like Hong Kong were identified through literature review. These sustainable building refurbishment methods are classified under five groups namely energy user pattern, domestic, high-rise building, climate feature and other building characteristics. A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the feasibility of the identified refurbishment methods based on the perception of owners and occupants. The results show that those methods classified under building services category such as lighting, appliance, ventilation and lift received greater support from owners and occupants. It is interesting to note that owners and occupants did not favour those sustainable refurbishment options which are related to the building envelop when it comes to major building refurbishment. As for the renewable energy refurbishment methods, their acceptability was moderate indicating that there is huge potential for being incorporated into the major building refurbishment. This paper should help improve our understanding on what factors contribute to the satisfaction of owners and occupants of high-rise residential building in a major sustainable refurbishment scheme.
Sensitivity analysis (SA) is usually carried out along with energy simulations to understand buildings performance and reduce their consumptions. The quality of their results mainly depends on thermal models and input data. Having accurate data about properties and operation conditions of buildings is difficult. In consequence, simulation inputs are affected by uncertainties that may have significant effects on outputs and are important to be considered. Law-driven detailed models are widely used. They ensure reliability and versatility but require a large number of input parameters.
The most pleasant architectures are known as systems which are able to maintain great correlation with nature. These systems make the best out of natural potentials to maintain thermal comfort for buildings occupants. To that aim, the first step is to manage the effect of outside weather condition on building's envelope. DSF is known as architects' solution to control incoming wind speed, manage the amounts of solar heat gains and reduce noise pollution in noisy city area. DSF is able to decrease cooling loads by ventilating away the solar heat built up in the cavity. However previous researchers have suggested that the risk of overheating within (DSF) envelope is high in tropical climate. This paper would aim to evaluate the effect of DSF's air-gap size on the amount of solar heat transferred through the façade envelope. CFD tool is applied to simulate 6 different strategies. While during each strategy 60 monitor point record accurate temperature data; the results of the simulations determines rooms' temperature for each strategy. In addition analyzing the result determines that DSF air-gap size is an important factor in order to reduce solar heat gains and reduction up to 3° centigrade is possible by well designed air-gap size.
Sensitivity analysis plays an important role in building energy analysis. It can be used to identify the key variables affecting building thermal performance from both energy simulation models and observational study. This paper is focused on the application of sensitivity analysis in the field of building performance analysis. First, the typical steps of implementation of sensitivity analysis in building analysis are described. A number of practical issues in applying sensitivity analysis are also discussed, such as the determination of input variations, the choice of building energy programs, how to reduce computational time for energy models. Second, the sensitivity analysis methods used in building performance analysis are reviewed. These methods can be categorized into local and global sensitivity analysis. The global methods can be further divided into four approaches: regression, screening-based, variance-based, and meta-model sensitivity analysis. Recent research has been concentrated on global methods because they can explore the whole input space and most of them allow the self-verification, i.e., how much variance of the model output (building energy consumption) has been explained by the method used in the analysis. Third, we discuss several important topics, which are often overlooked in the domain of building performance analysis. These topics include the application of sensitivity analysis in observational study, how to deal with correlated inputs, the computation of the variations of sensitivity index, and the software issues. Lastly, the practical guidance is given based on the advantages and disadvantaged of different sensitivity analysis methods in assessing building thermal performance. The recommendations for further research in the future are made to provide more robust analysis in assessing building energy performance.
Taking into account Mediterranean climate particularities for Barcelona, Spain, a whole year study using TAS simulation software was carried out for a Double Skin Façade corporative office building. It is a typical office building with an extended working hours schedule for acclimatization. Four different cavity widths were simulated - 40cm, 60cm, 80cm, 100cm - as well as three different external opening areas for cavity's natural ventilation purpose. Two Double Skin Façade typologies were simulated - a corridor façade and a multistory façade. Simulations showed cooling loads are much greater than heating loads on a double glazed skin façade building south oriented in a Mediterranean climate town like Barcelona. Results demonstrated that a Multistory Façade, depending on its configuration, might save up to 5% on annual cooling loads respect to a Corridor Façade. Different opening areas and cavity depths shall be used for different typologies in order to obtaining good energy results.
Apparent window size contradictions arise when optimizing simultaneously for low energy (small sizes) and visual comfort (large sizes). Diverse multi-objective optimization methods exist, but basic questions must be solved beforehand such as choosing appropriate evaluation measures. This work aims to determine the suitability of combined optimization criteria on window sizing procedures for low energy consumption with high visual comfort and performance. The paper showcases diverse measures available to valorise energy consumption and visual aspects. A series of energy and visual criteria were selected, defining acceptance thresholds for dynamic evaluations. Whole-building computer simulations were performed on a standardized office located in a temperate climate. Discrete window-to-wall ratio variations were studied to demonstrate how these criteria affect the solution space. Results were classified using a graphical optimization method, obtaining a solution space satisfying both energy and visual requirements. Most project expectations can be met within the range of sizes. However, unprotected windows barely meet acceptance criteria, needing additional control devices. Applying various related criteria with adequate values increases the diversity of acceptable solutions but too many limits it. Clear objectives and acceptance ranges have to be conceptualized in order to translate them into decisions. This becomes important when involving team design.
The energy required to create a comfortable living environment in high-density cities in hot and humid climates usually demands a substantial electricity usage with an associated environmental burden. This paper describes an integrated passive design approach to reduce the cooling requirement for high-rise apartments through an improved building envelope design. The results show that a saving of 31.4% in annual required cooling energy and 36.8% in the peak cooling load for the BASECASE apartment can be achieved with this approach. However, all the passive strategies have marginal effect on latent cooling load, often less than 1%.
Attempts to improve the energy performance in the residential sector mainly pay attention to new buildings. However, a decrease in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions will never occur if nothing is done to improve the existing energy devouring housing stock. This paper discusses economically feasible ways and means to choose between insulation measures, better glazing, installation measures and renewable energy systems such as solar collectors and PV cells. Finally a logical hierarchy of energy-saving measures is deduced from the results.
The majority of decisions in the building design process are taken in the early design stage. This delicate phase presents the greatest opportunity to obtain high performance buildings, but pertinent performance information is needed for designers to be able to deal with multidisciplinary and contrasting objectives.
In the present work, an integrative approach for the early stages of building design is proposed to obtain detailed information on energy efficient envelope configurations. By means of genetic algorithms, a multi-objective search was performed with the aim of minimising the energy need for heating, cooling and lighting of a case study. The investigation was carried out for an open space office building by varying number, position, shape and type of windows and the thickness of the masonry walls.
The search was performed through an implementation of the NSGA-II algorithm, which was made capable of exchanging information with the EnergyPlus building energy simulation tool. The analyses were conducted both in absence and in presence of an urban context in the climates of Palermo, Torino, Frankfurt and Oslo. In addition, a preliminary analysis on the Pareto front solutions was performed to investigate the statistical variation of the values assumed by the input variables in all the non-dominated solutions.
For the analysed case study, results highlighted a small overall Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) of the building in all locations. Pareto front solutions were characterised by low WWR values especially in east, west and north exposed façades. The area of the south facing windows was higher compared to the other orientations and characterised by a higher variability.
A lighting control strategy using daylighting is important to reduce energy consumption, and to provide occupants with visual comfort. The objective of this research is to evaluate visual comfort and building energy demand, and suggest lighting and shading control strategies for visual comfort and building energy savings. This research intends to achieve visual comfort and energy savings in an office building, by means of visual environmental control, and focuses on a quantitative criterion (illuminance), and a qualitative criterion (glare index) in daylighting. We used HDR images captured in real scene and simulation (DIVA-for-Rhino) for glare evaluation. The measured data from the mock-up room and the scale model were compared, to validate the simulation tool. Vertical eye illuminance (Ev) is recommended for the glare index, in place of the DGI or DGP. To prevent disturbing glare and to secure maximum daylight, control strategies of lighting and shading are suggested, related to the Ev value. In addition, the EnergyPlus program was used for calculation of the annual energy consumption. Building energy consumption is presented according to three building orientations, and 10 control strategies of lighting and shading. If there is no need to consider glare, a blind slat angle of 0° or dynamic shading is better in winter, regardless of the building orientation. In summer, a blind slat angle of 30° (static angle) or dynamic shading is suitable for an energy efficient and anti-glare control strategy.
Vast amounts of the European residential stock were built with limited consideration for energy efficiency, yet its refurbishment can help reach national energy reduction goals, decreasing environmental impact. Short-term retrofits with reduced interference to inhabitants can be achieved by upgrading facades with elements that enhance energy efficiency and user comfort. The European Union-funded Meefs Retrofitting (Multifunctional Energy Efficient Façade System) project aims to develop an adaptable mass-produced facade system for energy improvement in existing residential buildings throughout the continent. This article presents a simplified methodology to identify preferred strategies and combinations for the early design stages of such system. This was derived from studying weather characteristics of European regions and outlining climatic energy-saving strategies based on human thermal comfort. Strategies were matched with conceptual technologies like glazing, shading and insulation. The typical building stock was characterized from statistics of previous European projects. Six improvements and combinations were modelled using a simulation model, identifying and ranking preferred configurations. The methodology is summarized in a synoptic scheme identifying the energy rankings of each improvement and combination for the studied climates and façade orientations.
Given the low renewal rate of the building stock, refurbishment of the existing residential buildings is the obvious solution to improve the environmental performance of the building sector. Even though awareness has been raised and building construction industry acknowledges the need for integrated solutions, there is lack of specialised knowledge in the early stages of the strategy development. Moreover, the detailed carrying out of the measures has to fit to the individual project.The paper discusses an integrated approach to refurbishment as a way to upgrade the energy efficiency of the residential stock. The approach aims to integrate the energy performance into the design process of the refurbishment strategy. Different refurbishment options are proposed, systematically organised in a “toolbox” and the impact of each option is assessed. Our methodology gives, in the early design stages, an indication on the retrofitted components’ efficiency. Based on multi-residential case-study buildings, we applied the proposed design approach, which resulted in improvement up to 90% on heating energy need. The toolbox supports the decision-making process of refurbishment projects by defining the impact of the choices, resulting in strategies that address all the relevant building components and achieve significant improvement in energy efficiency.
The objective of this work is to assess the impact of climate interactive facade systems (CRFS) on cooling energy in fully glazed buildings. This work integrates building energy simulation and computational fluid dynamics to establish boundary conditions and to develop geometrical models based on a new constructed multi-storey building. It performs 3D steady RANS CFD simulations, covering the CRFS, outdoor conditions and indoor environment. The result shows that the application of CRFS reduces solar gain into internal spaces, but increases the temperature within the system cavity. From a cooling energy standpoint, this study demonstrates that the CRFS is a construction solution that provides substantial savings for multi-storey glazed buildings in the hot arid climate of the UAE. On a typical summer day, between 17% and 20% of the energy required to cool the interior spaces can be saved. This range varies from orientation to another and depending largely on the level of irradiance and angle of incidence. The parameters that impact the most on cooling load are floor level related to screen height, followed by glazing properties and cavity depth in descending order. The outcome of this work offers to the building industry, a reliable indicator of the energy impact of climate interactive facade systems.
Retrofitting existing buildings is urgent given the increasing need to improve the energy efficiency of the existing building stock. This paper presents a scalable, probabilistic methodology that can support large scale investments in energy retrofit of buildings while accounting for uncertainty. The methodology is based on Bayesian calibration of normative energy models. Based on CEN-ISO standards, normative energy models are light-weight, quasi-steady state formulations of heat balance equations, which makes them appropriate for modeling large sets of buildings efficiently. Calibration of these models enables improved representation of the actual buildings and quantification of uncertainties associated with model parameters. In addition, the calibrated models can incorporate additional uncertainties coming from retrofit interventions to generate probabilistic predictions of retrofit performance. Probabilistic outputs can be straightforwardly translated to quantify risks of under-performance associated with retrofit interventions. A case study demonstrates that the proposed methodology with the use of normative models can correctly evaluate energy retrofit options and support risk conscious decision-making by explicitly inspecting risks associated with each retrofit option.
Identifying the building parameters that significantly impact energy performance is an important step for enabling the reduction of the heating and cooling energy loads of apartment buildings in the design stage. Implementing passive design techniques for these buildings is not a simple task in most dense cities; their energy performance usually depends on uncertainties in the local climate and many building parameters, such as window size, zone height, and features of materials. For this paper, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the most significant parameters for buildings in hot-humid climates by considering the design of an existing apartment building in Izmir, Turkey. The Monte Carlo method is selected for sensitivity and uncertainty analyses with the Latin hypercube sampling (LHC) technique. The results show that the sensitivity of parameters in apartment buildings varies based on the purpose of the energy loads and locations in the building, such as the ground, intermediate, and top floors. In addition, the total window area, the heat transfer coefficient (U) and the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of the glazing based on the orientation have the most considerable influence on the energy performance of apartment buildings in hot-humid climates.
Calibration of an energy simulation with actual data has generally been considered too difficult to be part of the energy audit procedure. The purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic method using a "base load analysis approach" to calibrate a building energy performance model with a combination of monthly utility billing data and sub-metered data such as is commonly available in large buildings in Korea. The calibration procedure was specifically developed to be suitable for use in both the audit and savings determination procedure within a retrofit process. The procedure has been visualized using a logical flow chart and demonstrated using the simulation of a 26-story commercial building located in Seoul as a case study The results indicate that the approach developed provided a reliable and accurate simulation of the monthly and annual building energy requirements of the case study building.
Electricity use characteristics of 10 air-conditioned office buildings in subtropical Hong Kong were investigated. Monthly electricity consumption data were gathered and analysed. The annual electricity use per unit gross floor area ranged from 233 to 368 kWh/m2, with a mean of 292 kWh/m2. The ranges of percentage consumption for the four major electricity end-users – namely heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting, electrical equipment, and lifts and escalators – were 40.1–50.7%, 22.1–29%, 16.6–32.9% and 2.2–5.3%, respectively. Ten key design variables were identified in the parametric and sensitivity analysis using building energy simulation technique. Analysis of the resulting influence coefficients suggested that indoor design condition (from 22 to 25.5 °C), electric lighting (a modest 2 W/m2 reduction in the current lighting code) and chiller COP (from air- to water-cooled) could offer great electricity savings potential, in the order of 14%, 5.2% and 11%, respectively.
A great amount of world energy demand is connected to the built environment. Electricity use in the commercial buildings, accounts for about one-third of the total energy consumption in Turkey and fully air-conditioned office buildings are important commercial electricity end-users since the mid-1990s. In the presented paper, the interactions between different conditions, control strategies and heating/cooling loads in office buildings in the four major climatic zones in Turkey – hot summer and cold winter, mild, hot summer and warm winter, hot and humid summer and warm winter – through building energy simulation program has been evaluated. The simulation results are compared with the values obtained from site measurements done in an office building located in Istanbul. The site-recorded data and simulation results are compared and analyzed. This verified model was used as a means to examine some energy conservation opportunities on annual cooling, heating and total building load at four major cities which were selected as a representative of the four climatic regions in Turkey. The effect of the parameters like the climatic conditions (location), insulation and thermal mass, aspect ratio, color of external surfaces, shading, window systems including window area and glazing system, ventilation rates and different outdoor air control strategies on annual building energy requirements is examined and the results are presented for each city.
A case-study of a public building is presented as an example of the adequacy of timely analyses of building performance, based on a preliminary architectural design. The final design of the case-study building benefited of the thorough analysis performed at this early stage, the main motivation being the willingness of a town government of an intelligent design, leading to a sustainable town-hall building, in a town in the centre region of Portugal. A virtuous combination of a receptive building owner and a multidisciplinary design team, allowed a systematic methodology to be used, providing the opportunity for the consideration of several options for each class of constructive element and the possibility of choosing among the options for each case, based on quantitative results on the expected performance of the building. The options were created and analysed with the help of the VisualDOE™ building simulation tool, aiming at a comfortable and energy efficient building. Several parameters were used for enabling the sensitivity analyses, namely relating to wall structure and materials, window frames, HVAC system, etc.
In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in double-skin facades due to the advantages claimed for this technology in terms of energy saving in the cold season, protection from external noise and wind loads and their high-tech image.The advent of computers and other office equipment has increased the internal heat gains in most offices. Highly glazed facades, together with the extra heat gains from the electric lighting made necessary by deep floor plans and the wider use of false ceilings, have increased the risk of overheating. To preserve comfort and reduce cooling loads, it is important to apply natural cooling strategies, including solar protections use.External solar protections are more effective than internal shading devices. In the case of the double-skin facade, the blinds can be integrated in the cavity. It is thus protected from the bad weather and pollution. Solar protection can remain in place even in the event of important wind, which represents an undeniable advantage for the buildings with great height.This article examines the influence of the position and the colour of the blinds on the cooling consumption of an office building with a double-skin facade.
Double skin façade can be defined as a building façade covering one or several stories with multiple skins. The skins may be air tight or ventilated. With sophisticated study and design, buildings constructed with double skin façade can have better thermal performance than the conventional single skin façade. This paper reports the findings on the energy performance of double skin façade applied to a typical office building under the climatic condition in Hong Kong. An experimental setup was established and the measured data were used to verify the theoretical model developed via the EnergyPlus simulation program. The validated model was then used to evaluate the energy performance of double skin façade with various configurations including glazing type (clear, absorptive or reflective glass), glazing position (inner or outer pane) and glazing layers (single or double glazing material). The results indicate that a double skin façade system with single clear glazing as the inner pane and double reflective glazing as the outer pane can provide an annual saving of around 26% in building cooling energy, as compared to a conventional single skin façade with single absorptive glazing. However, the long payback period of 81 years makes the double skin façade system economically infeasible. Support and motivation are needed from the local government in order to foster successful and widespread application of the double skin façade system in buildings.
The objective of this paper is to assess the capability of existing lighting simulation methods to predict the performance of Complex Fenestration Systems (CFS), whose potential in daylight and sunlight control make them an increasingly popular alternative to conventional glazing.The research was conducted in two phases. First, collect reliable reference data by taking illuminance measurements inside a black-box under a measured and controlled external luminance distribution, the black-box's only aperture being covered with a complex glazing sample. Two types of materials were used: a Serraglaze™ element and a Laser Cut Panel (LCP).Several simulation methods were then investigated and validated against this reference case. For the first method, measured BTDF for both material samples were integrated into different simulation tools to determine the resulting indoor lighting conditions under the external luminance distribution chosen for the reference case. The same method was then applied with calculated BTDF data, based on ray-tracing calculations. Finally, one of the CFS (the LCP) was modeled using the backward ray-tracer RADIANCE so that the inside illuminance distribution could be deduced without requiring BTDF data.The comparison between the experimental reference data and the simulation results showed that the effect of the CFS on the room's illumination could be predicted with acceptable accuracy for most of the tested methods (generally within 10–20%). The simplicity of the testing scenarios allowed error sources related to simulation to be highlighted and helped determine the extent to which an accurate physical description of the samples could influence the results. Based on this study, recommendations were made for a better use of existing simulation methods.
- M Torres
- P Alavedra
- A Guzmán
- E Cuerva
- C Planas
- R Clemente
M. Torres, P. Alavedra, A. Guzmán, E. Cuerva, C. Planas, R. Clemente, et al.,
Double Skin Facades Cavity and Exterior Openings Dimensions for Saving
Energy on Mediterranean Climate, Building Simulion, Beijing, China, 2007.
- B Raji
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