Implementation of life cycle costing for a commercial building: case of a residential apartment at Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaming Peter F

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Analysis of a design process is very important in controlling the initial costs and future costs in possession of an investment project such as commercial building. Therefore, it should be wise to perform a life cycle cost analysis to determine the cost of any category contained in future cost of the building. The analysis also provide information to see how much the total cost incurred by a development project from initial to the future cost by implementing BS ISO 15686 part 5: 2008, regarding life cycle costing. The purpose of this study is to identify the cost proportion and make long-term plans of a commercial building in term of its life cycle costing from a case of a residential apartment in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Results of the study show that there are three groups that make up the life cycle cost: the cost of development of the building, the operating costs, and the cost of maintenance and replacement. For a long-term plan the life cycle cost for 25 years the percentage obtained as follows, initial development cost of 42%, operational costs 39%, maintenance and replacement costs 19%. The results would also make comparison with other existing commercial buildings.

Perceptions of Contractors and Consultants Toward Application of Greenship Rating Tools on Apartment Buildings in Surabaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herry Pintardi Chandra

2014-04-01

Full Text Available During the last ten years, the growth of apartment buildings in Surabaya has encountered the bitter experience of global warming, resource depletion, energy scarcity, and other environmental impacts. We cannot avoid them, but we can minimize the negative impacts of global warming. The green building concept is one of the methods to minimize the environmental impact. It takes into account principles of sustainable development in planning, construction, operation, and maintenance. Greenship Rating Tools is used to evaluate and calculate green achievements, prior to green building certification. The aim of this research is to represent the perceptions of contractors and consultants toward application of Greenship Rating Tools on apartment buildings in Surabaya. Based on the data obtained from a questionnaires survey carried out to 41 respondents, the mean value ranking method is used to evaluate the main factors of Greenship. These factors are Appropriate Site Development, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Water Conservation, Material Resource and Cycle, Indoor Health and Comfort, and Building Environmental Management. In general, the results of this research show that there are a number of differences between perceptions of contractors and consultants toward application of Greenship Rating Tools on apartment buildings in Surabaya. According to the contractors’ perception, Visual Comfort is a factor that would easily to be applied, whilst consultants’ is Landscape. On the other hand, there are factors that would difficult to be applied. Based on contractors’ perceptiom is Climate Change, while consultants’ perception is Renewal Energy. In summary, Greenship Rating Tools can be applied on contractors’ and consultants’ perceptions, whilst there are some variables which can not be applied.

Study of Customer Satisfaction with Living Conditions in New Apartment Buildings

OpenAIRE

Lepkova Natalija; Butkiene Egle; Bełej Miroslaw

2016-01-01

The article aims to analyze the Lithuanian housing market and to look into the satisfaction of people with living conditions in new apartment buildings on this market. The article presents the concept of customer satisfaction in construction and the criteria that define the quality of dwellings; the benefits, consequences, merits and demerits of the assessment of customer satisfaction are also named. A survey of customer satisfaction helped to evaluate the quality of dwellings according to th...

Comparison of Three Bed Bug Management Strategies in a Low-Income Apartment Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changlu Wang

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Bed bug (Cimex lectularius L. infestations are currently controlled by a variety of non-chemical and chemical methods. There have been few studies on the comparative effectiveness of these control techniques. We evaluated three bed bug management strategies in an apartment building: (1 non-chemical methods only (n = 9; (2 insecticides only (n = 6; and (3 integrated pest management including both non-chemical methods and insecticides (n = 9. The apartments were one-bedroom units occupied by seniors or people with disabilities. Bed bug numbers in each apartment were determined by visual inspection and/or installing intercepting devices under bed and sofa legs. The median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and integrated pest management (IPM treatment were: 4 (1, 57, 19 (1, 250, and 14 (1, 219, respectively prior to the treatments. The apartments were retreated if found necessary during biweekly to monthly inspections. After 10 weeks, bed bugs were found to be eliminated from 67, 33, and 44% of the apartments in the three treatment groups, respectively. The final (after 10 weeks median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and IPM treatment were: 0 (0, 134, 11.5 (0, 58, and 1 (0, 38, respectively. There were no significant differences in the speed of bed bug count reduction or the final bed bug counts. Lack of resident cooperation partially contributed to the failure in eliminating bed bugs from some of the apartments. Results of this study suggest that non-chemical methods can effectively eliminate bed bugs in lightly infested apartments.

Experimental Analysis of a Heat Cost Allocation Method for Apartment Buildings

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Fabio Saba

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The correct estimate of individual thermal energy consumptions, and consequently, a fair heat cost allocation among the residents of apartment buildings with centralized heating systems, represents an important driving force towards energy saving, energy efficiency and the reduction of pollutant emissions. Nowadays, in those contexts where direct heat meters cannot be used because of the layout of the hot water distribution system, electronic Heat Cost Allocators (HCAs have the highest market share for the assessment of individual thermal energy consumptions. The uncertainty associated with the parameterization of heat cost allocation devices and the installation effects arising in real applications can negatively affect the accuracy of these devices, as far as the estimation of the individual fractions of thermal energy consumption is concerned. This work deals with the experimental analysis of a novel heat cost allocation method for apartment buildings and its comparison with conventional HCAs. The method allows the indirect estimation of the thermal energy exchanged by water radiators without the need for surface temperature measurements, reducing some of the drawbacks associated with the on-site installation. The experimental analysis was carried out in a full-scale central heating system test facility available at the Italian National Metrology Institute (INRIM and characterized by SI-traceable direct heat meters installed on each water radiator.

Energy statistics for single-family houses, apartment buildings and non-residential premises in 2012; Energistatistik foer smaahus, flerbostadshus och lokaler 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-07-01

This report presents a summary of energy use and heating method in Swedish buildings (2012). The report covers basically three surveys - energy use in houses, in apartment buildings and premises. These three studies are first published separately. The results are then processed further, with the aim to provide a comprehensive picture of energy use in permanently occupied dwellings (houses and apartments) and commercial buildings (excluding industrial premises). This report presents the results of these operations.

Interactive Configuration of High Performance Renovation of Apartment Buildings by the use of CSP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vareilles, E.; Thuesen, Christian; Falcon, M.

2013-01-01

of mid-rise (up to seven stories) apartment buildings. The renovation is based on external rectangular panels, always comprising insulation and cladding, and sometimes including, in addition, doors, windows or solar modules. The panels can be fixed directly onto the walls or onto a metal structure around...

Greening Existing Tribal Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Guidance about improving sustainability in existing tribal casinos and manufactured homes. Many steps can be taken to make existing buildings greener and healthier. They may also reduce utility and medical costs.

Primary energy implications of different design strategies for an apartment building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tettey, Uniben Yao Ayikoe; Dodoo, Ambrose; Gustavsson, Leif

2016-01-01

In this study, we explored the effects of different design strategies on final and primary energy use for production and operation of a newly constructed apartment building. We analysed alternatives of the building “As built” as well as to energy efficiency levels of the Swedish building code and passive house criteria. Our approach is based on achieving improved versions of the building alternatives from combination of design strategies giving the lowest space heating and cooling demand and primary energy use, respectively. We found that the combination of design strategies resulting in the improved building alternatives varies depending on the approach. The improved building alternatives gave up to 19–34% reduction in operation primary energy use compared to the initial alternatives. The share of production primary energy use of the improved building alternatives was 39–54% of the total primary energy use for production, space heating, space cooling and ventilation over 50-year lifespan, compared to 31–42% for the initial alternatives. This study emphasises the importance of incorporating appropriate design strategies to reduce primary energy use for building operation and suggests that combining such strategies with careful choice of building frame materials could result in significant primary energy savings in the built environment. - Highlights: • Primary energy implications of different design strategies were analysed. • The improved building alternatives had 19–34% lower operation primary energy use. • The improved building alternatives had higher production primary energy use. • Still, the improved building alternatives had lower overall primary energy use. • Design strategies should be combined with careful building frame material choice.

Study on the Development of an Optimal Heat Supply Control Algorithm for Group Energy Apartment Buildings According to the Variation of Outdoor Air Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Kurl Kwak

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we have developed an optimal heat supply algorithm which minimizes the heat loss through the distribution pipe line in a group energy apartment. Heating load variation of a group energy apartment building according to the outdoor air temperature was predicted by a correlation obtained from calorimetry measurements of all households in the apartment building. Supply water temperature and mass flow rate were simultaneously controlled to minimize the heat loss rate through the distribution pipe line. A group heating apartment building located in Hwaseong city, Korea, which has 1473 households, was selected as the object building to test the present heat supply algorithm. Compared to the original heat supply system, the present system adopting the proposed control algorithm reduced the heat loss rate by 10.4%.

First experiences with apartment buildings built in monolithic construction to Passivhaus standard; Erste Erfahrungen mit Mehrfamilien-Passivhaeusern in monolithischer Bauweise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Messari-Becker, Lamia; Bollinger, Klaus; Grohmann, Manfred [Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieure GmbH, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2011-02-15

For the first time, apartment buildings are being built in monolithic construction that meet the most exacting requirements regarding energy efficiency and sustainability. These buildings are under construction in the northern district of Kalbach Sued in Frankfurt (Main) by ABG Frankfurt Holding. The architectural design was produced by Scheffler and Partners, the Frankfurt structural engineers Bollinger + Grohmann undertook the structural design including building physics and energy related aspects, and Baumgartner Engineers took charge of M and E design. These apartment buildings are the first monolithically constructed apartment buildings built to Passivhaus standard. They therefore represent a milestone in single-skin monolithic construction in connection with an exacting energy standard. The challenge for architects and engineers was to consider a range of different aspects and accommodate them in the design. In addition to given parameters such as the urban development plan, client requirements such as the number of apartments, aspects of family living and barrier-free standards, the briefing called for the highest construction standard in terms of efficient use of resources in the widest sense. This meant that the emphasis was not only on energy efficiency. Cost efficiency throughout the entire lifecycle of the building was equally as important in order to ensure long term economic sustainability for users and owners. The experience gained on this project will also provide answers to important questions regarding research and development in sustainable building, which is not in any conflict with the creativity and diversity of our architectural culture. (Copyright copyright 2011 Ernst and Sohn Verlag fuer Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH and Co. KG, Berlin)

Energy retrofitting of a typical old Danish multi-family building to a “nearly-zero” energy building based on experiences from a test apartment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morelli, Martin; Rønby, Leif; Mikkelsen, Svend Erik

2012-01-01

The purpose of the research described in this paper was to demonstrate that an old Danish multi-family building built in 1896 could be retrofitted to a “nearly-zero” energy building. Three types of retrofit measures were implemented in a “test” apartment to obtain practical experiences. The first...

Altering existing buildings in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, Simon

2008-01-01

The profiles of both existing housing and existing public and commercial buildings show that many have very poor thermal efficiency. The UK housing stock is replaced at a low rate of about 1% a year, so to cut energy use it is essential to address the challenges of existing buildings. This will involve reducing energy demand through passive measures such as retrofitted insulation, replacement of windows and proper airtightness, while ensuring adequate ventilation. Active measures include upgrading improved boilers and adding locally produced energy from wind, biomass, solar power and other sources. The introduction of Display Energy Certificates will increase energy awareness but there will also need to be a programme of increased demolition for the worst-performing homes. In addition, buildings will need to be adapted to cope with worse weather, higher temperatures and increased flood risk as climate change takes effect. Overheating, rather than excessive cold, is set to become a growing problem for householders and employees in existing UK buildings

Potential Retrofit of Existing Sultan Ismail Parliament Building, Johor to Green Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasin Mohd Norazam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of retrofitting an existing building towards green building was introduced to move towards greener development. This paper investigates the benefits of retrofitting an existing building to green building. The potential retrofit of the existing Sultan Ismail Parliament building was also determined and later the elements of the building to be retrofitted were proposed. The Sultan Ismail Parliament building is one of the newest development that serves as the Johor state administrative center under Iskandar Malaysia. Therefore, this paper focuses on whether the existing building has fulfilled all of the green building elements. A set of questionnaire was distributed to the targeted respondents who were the engineers, architects, technicians, staffs and those who were involved in the development of the Sultan Ismail Parliament building. A total of 60 respondents was involved. Based on the analyzed data, it shows that the existing building has fulfilled only one of the green building elements which is the Indoor Environmental Quality. The items that scored 3.5 and above mean index under this element include the daylight glare is not bothering, the ventilation in the building is adequate, inspections are done regularly, smoking regulation is implemented and the number of openings of windows and doors is sufficient. While it shows that other elements were only partially fulfilled. The criteria that achieved below 3.5 mean index values is considered to be the potential elements that could be used for future retrofitting initiative.

The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption - the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Bandurski, Karol; Hamerla, Miłosz; Szulc, Jowita; Koczyk, Halina

2017-11-01

Occupants' attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants' behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants' behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey's respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants' behavior (e.g. the use of heating control) are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments.

Seismic performance of existing R.C. framed buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sameh A. El-Betar

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The earthquakes disasters basically occur due to buildings damage not because of the earth shaking. Therefore, the countries have being updated the seismic codes. The seismic loads for buildings design in Egyptian Code have been changed from (EC-1994 to (ECP-201, 2012. On the other hand, the need is raised to study the vulnerability of existing buildings, which can be divided into the buildings designed to resist the gravity loads only (GLD and the buildings designed according to Egyptian code (EC-1994. Comparison between forces due to Egyptian code for loads (EC-1994 and (ECP-201, 2012 is carried out on the multi-stories R.C. framed buildings which are the most common type of existing buildings in Egypt. To investigate the vulnerability of existing buildings, nonlinear static pushover analysis is conducted to evaluate the real strength of the existing buildings. Moreover, it is considered a useful and effective tool for the performance of three framed buildings: 3, 6 and 10 stories due to expected future earthquakes. Finally, it is found that the vulnerability of existing GLD buildings occurs at expected ground accelerations (ag greater than 0.125 g in Egyptian seismic map, while the EC-94 designed buildings behave elastically up to (ag equals to 0.2 g and above that a slight damage may occur.

Study of Customer Satisfaction with Living Conditions in New Apartment Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lepkova Natalija

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article aims to analyze the Lithuanian housing market and to look into the satisfaction of people with living conditions in new apartment buildings on this market. The article presents the concept of customer satisfaction in construction and the criteria that define the quality of dwellings; the benefits, consequences, merits and demerits of the assessment of customer satisfaction are also named. A survey of customer satisfaction helped to evaluate the quality of dwellings according to their technical and functional parameters, as well as the degree of cooperation between customers and contractors/builders. The customer satisfaction index (CSI and the degree of loyalty were calculated, and then a customer satisfaction matrix was built up.

The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption – the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bandurski Karol

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Occupants’ attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants’ behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants’ behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey’s respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants’ behavior (e.g. the use of heating control are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments.

Life cycle assessment: Existing building retrofit versus replacement

Science.gov (United States)

Darabi, Nura

The embodied energy in building materials constitutes a large part of the total energy required for any building (Thormark 2001, 429). In working to make buildings more energy efficient this needs to be considered. Integrating considerations about life cycle assessment for buildings and materials is one promising way to reduce the amount of energy consumption being used within the building sector and the environmental impacts associated with that energy. A life cycle assessment (LCA) model can be utilized to help evaluate the embodied energy in building materials in comparison to the buildings operational energy. This thesis takes into consideration the potential life cycle reductions in energy and CO2 emissions that can be made through an energy retrofit of an existing building verses demolition and replacement with a new energy efficient building. A 95,000 square foot institutional building built in the 1960`s was used as a case study for a building LCA, along with a calibrated energy model of the existing building created as part of a previous Masters of Building Science thesis. The chosen case study building was compared to 10 possible improvement options of either energy retrofit or replacement of the existing building with a higher energy performing building in order to see the life cycle relationship between embodied energy, operational energy, and C02 emissions. As a result of completing the LCA, it is shown under which scenarios building retrofit saves more energy over the lifespan of the building than replacement with new construction. It was calculated that energy retrofit of the chosen existing institutional building would reduce the amount of energy and C02 emissions associated with that building over its life span.

THE INFLUENCE OF AN APARTMENT POSITIONING ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela PRADA

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This work is part of the highly topical subject of global warming and energy conservation. The article contains parametric studies of energy consumption and CO² emissions for an apartment located in a block of flats, depending on its location. It was studied the energy consumption of an apartment having different cardinal orientations in the same building and of an apartment with the same position inside the building but located in different climatic zones. The case studies show the difference between the energy consumption of an apartment depending on its position, thus resulting in a few general directions for their heat insulation, so that the specific energy consumption of the apartment is below 100 kWh/m² year.

Energy consumptions in existing buildings; Les consommations d'energie des batiments existants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuss, St. [Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Industries de Strasbourg, 78 - Saint-Remy-Les-Chevreuse (France)]|[Costic, 78 - Sainte Remy les Chevreuses (France)

2002-05-01

This document presents a sectoral analysis of the energy consumptions in existing French buildings: 1) - residential sector: social buildings, private dwellings; 2) - tertiary sector: office buildings, hotels, commercial buildings, school buildings, hospitals; 3) - industry; 4) - general status. (J.S.)

Building America Case Study: Retrofitting Garden-Style Apartments, Brooklyn, New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

H. Nolen, S. Maxwell, R. Neri, J. Grab

2016-12-01

This research effort sought to achieve a solution package that yields energy savings greater than 30 percent over the pre-existing conditions in a minimally intrusive multifamily retrofit project. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) partnered with L+M Development Partners, Inc. on a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program project, Marcus Garvey Village, in Brooklyn, NY (Climate Zone 4A). The Mitchell-Lama Housing Program is a form of housing subsidy in the state of New York that provides affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate- and middle-income families. Marcus Garvey Village was founded in 1975 and contains 625 residential units (ranging from studios to 5-bedroom units) in thirty-two 4-story garden-style apartment structures built with concrete and faced in light brown brick. The single largest challenge for implementation of energy conservation measures at Marcus Garvey was working within occupied spaces. Measures are being implemented in phases to minimize disruption. As of August 2015, the retrofit work is over 50 percent complete. The wall insulation, sealing of the through wall AC vent, and installation of new oil-filled electric baseboards with advanced controls are conducted at one time, limiting disruption to the living room space. In a similar fashion, the kitchen work is done, then the bathroom. The final selection of energy conservation measures is projected to save 26.5 percent in source energy with a cost just under $3.7 million and utility bill savings of nearly $480,000 (of an average $1.8 million annual utility cost for the development).

Prelimanary Investigation on The Factors That Influencing The Maintenance Cost of Apartment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salleh Nor Aini

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Housing is a basic need for all. The increasing numbers of population and income had increase in housing demand. Thus, it has led to the construction of apartments to meet the needs of people and to reduce the use of land to build residential buildings. From year to year, maintenance costs of the building are increased. To ensure the maintenance cost for apartment residence maintenance can be reduced, it is important to determine the factor that influence the maintenance cost of the apartment. This paper is to investigate and identify the factors contributing the increase of maintenance costs. The first objective of this study is to determine the factors that affect the cost of maintaining the apartment and meanwhile the second objective is to rank the factors that influence the maintenance cost of the apartment at Johor Baharu Tengah. To achieve the objectives of the study, the questionnaires were distributed to the parties involved in the management of building. Results of this study concluded that there are five factors that influence maintenance cost are the expectations of tenants, building age, building material, failure to execute maintenance at the right time and budget constraints.

Indoor Environmental Quality Benefits of Apartment Energy Retrofits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Adamkiewicz, Gary [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hotchi, Toshifumi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Russell, Marion [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Spears, Michael [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Vermeer, Kimberly [Urban Habitate Initiatives Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-06-01

Sixteen apartments serving low-income populations in three buildings were retrofit with the goal of simultaneously reducing energy consumption and improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Retrofit measures varied among apartments and included, among others, envelope sealing, installation of continuous mechanical ventilation systems, upgrading bathroom fans and range hoods, attic insulation, replacement of heating and cooling systems, and adding wall-mounted particle air cleaners. IEQ parameters were measured, generally for two one-week periods before and after the retrofits. The measurements indicate an overall improvement in IEQ conditions after the retrofits. Comfort conditions, bathroom humidity, and concentrations of carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and particles generally improved. Formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide levels decreased in the building with the highest concentrations, were unchanged in a second building, and increased in a third building. IEQ parameters other than particles improved more in apartments with continuous mechanical ventilation systems installed. In general, but not consistently, larger percent increases in air exchange rates were associated with larger percent decreases in indoor levels of the pollutants that primarily come from indoor sources.

Energy and architecture: improvement of energy performance in existing buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haase, Matthias; Wycmans, Annemie; Solbraa, Anne; Grytli, Eir

2011-07-01

This book aims to give an overview of different aspects of retrofitting existing buildings. The target group is students of architecture and building engineering as well as building professionals. Eight out of ten buildings which we will inhabit in 2050 already exist. This means that a great potential for reducing our carbon footprint lies in the existing building stock. Students from NTNU have used the renovation of a 1950s school building at Linesoeya in Soer-Trondelag as a case to increase their awareness and knowledge about the challenges building professionals need to overcome to unite technical details and high user quality into good environmental performance. The students were invited by the building owners and initiators of LIPA Eco Project to contribute to its development: By retrofitting an existing building to passive house standards and combining this with energy generated on site, LIPA Eco Project aims to provide a hands-on example with regard to energy efficiency, architectural design and craftsmanship for a low carbon society. The overall goal for this project is to raise awareness regarding resource efficiency measures in architecture and particularly in existing building mass.(au)

Indoor air quality in mechanically ventilated residential dwellings/low-rise buildings: A review of existing information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aganovic, Amar; Hamon, Mathieu; Kolarik, Jakub

Mechanical ventilation has become a mandatory requirement in multiple European standards addressing indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation in residential dwellings (single family houses and low-rise apartment buildings). This article presents the state of the art study through a review...... of the existing literature, to establish a link between ventilation rate and key indoor air pollutants. Design characteristics of a mechanical ventilation system such as supply/exhaustairflow, system and design of supply and exhaust outlets were considered. The performance of various ventilation solutionswas......-house ventilation rate was reported below 0.5h-1 or 14 l/s·person in bedrooms, the concentrations of the pollutants elevated above minimum threshold limits (CO2>1350 ppm; TVOC >3000 μg/m3) defined by the standard. Insufficient or non-existent supply of air was related to significantly higher pollutant...

Eurotheum Frankfurt/Main. New office and apartment building for cosmopolites; Eurotheum Frankfurt/Main. Buero- und Wohnhochhaus fuer Kosmopoliten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pielke, O.E.

2000-07-01

The Eurotheum in Frankfurt is Germany's first and only high-rise building which houses both offices and private apartments. [German] Das Eurotheum stellt im Spannungsfeld der Frankfurter Buerohochhaeuser ein voellig neues Konzept dar: Es ist das erste und bisher einzige Hochhaus in Deutschland, in dem die Funktionen 'Arbeiten' und 'Wohnen' in einem Hochhaus verbunden werden. (orig.)

Greening Existing Buildings in Contemporary Iraqi Urban Reality/ Virtual Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saba Jabar Neama Al-Khafaji

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The approach of greening existing buildings, is an urgent necessity, because the greening operation provides the speed and optimal efficiency in the environmental performance, as well as keeping up with the global green architecture revolution. Therefore, greening existing buildings in Iraq is important for trends towards renewable energies, because of what the country went through economic conditions and crises and wars which kept the country away from what took place globally in this issue. The research problem is: insufficient knowledge about the importance and the mechanism of the greening of existing buildings, including its environmental and economic dimensions, by rationalization of energy consumption and preserving the environment. The research objective is: clarifying the importance of greening existing buildings environmentally and economically, providing a virtual experience for greening the presidency building of Baghdad University, through advanced computer program. The main conclusions is: there is difference representing by reducing the disbursed thermal loads amount for cooling in summer and heating in winter through the use of computerized program (DesignBuilder and that after the implementation of greening operations on the building envelope, which confirms its effectiveness in raising the energy performance efficiency inside the building. Hence, the importance of the application of greening existing buildings approach in Iraq, to bring back Iraqi architecture to environmental and local track proper.

Systems for apartment buildings heat pumps. Final report; System foer fastighetsvaermepumpar. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aakervall, Daniel (WSP Environmental, Stockholm (Sweden)); Rogstam, Joergen; Grotherus, Maarten (Sveriges Energi- och Kylcentrum, Katrineholm (Sweden))

2009-05-15

A fast growing segment of the heat pump business is the apartment building applications. Historically the experience base related to such installations is limited. However, this application is more complex than the much more widely spread domestic applications. The core idea of the project was to generate and collect information to avoid mistakes and to encourage the heat pump technology. By interviewing the 'market' and compiling the information good recommendations has been achieved. It is of great importance to convey the best available recommendations to the installers on the market to avoid pit holes and highlight the opportunities for installers and end consumers. A website has been design and built, www.sfvp.se, which contains useful tools for installers and potential system customers. A number of calculation tools to estimate heat requirement, cost of different heating systems, primary energy need, LCC, etc. are all available. The core of the site is the database containing heat pump installations with related data of importance. The data available is such key data as performance figures, cost of installation, etc. Today 104 system installations are collected in the database and these are marked in a colour coding to indicate the quality of the input data. Installations verified with measurement are given higher significance. It has been an unexpected challenge to find documented systems, so one of the conclusions of the project is that there is a great need for further measurement on the field. More information should be directed to the customers to request such equipment when systems are installed. The database enables statistical analysis of the key figures and it can be seen that the average seasonal COP is 3.2 and there are small differences between exhaust air and ground source heat pumps. It should be emphasised that the number of installations do not give statistical confidence for all kinds of analysis yet. Field measurements in apartment

The application, benefits and challenges of retrofitting the existing buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Khairi, Muhammad; Jaapar, Aini; Yahya, Zaharah

2017-11-01

Sustainable development has been the main topic of debate for years in some countries such as United Kingdom, United State of America and Malaysia. Depletion of natural resources, global warming, economics uncertainty and health issues are some of the reasons behind sustainable development movements, it is not just a political debate in the parliament but more towards collective works among sectors in order to minimizing the negative impact of development to the environment and other living organism. Retrofit an existing building is one of the solutions to reduce the dependency on constructing new buildings. There are huge numbers of existing building stocks that suitable to be retrofitted such as historical buildings, offices, residential, warehouse, factories, vacant buildings and other historical buildings. Therefore, the aim of this research is to provide information on the application, benefits and challenges of retrofitting an existing building. Two buildings were chosen as case studies following by site visits and observation to the buildings. The data were then compared in a table form. Primary and secondary sources were also used for this research. The application of retrofit should be promoted across the construction and conservation industries since it has significant tangible and intangible benefits. It is one of the most environmentally friendly and efficient solutions to optimize the energy performance and could also helps to extend the life of the existing building or historical buildings while ensuring optimum thermal comfort for the occupants which leads to higher productivity.

Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustavsson, Leif; Joelsson, Anna; Sathre, Roger [Ecotechnology, Department of Engineering and Sustainable Development, Mid Sweden University, 83125 Oestersund (Sweden)

2010-02-15

In this study the life cycle primary energy use and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building are analyzed. All life cycle phases are included, including acquisition and processing of materials, on-site construction, building operation, demolition and materials disposal. The calculated primary energy use includes the entire energy system chains, and carbon flows are tracked including fossil fuel emissions, process emissions, carbon stocks in building materials, and avoided fossil emissions due to biofuel substitution. The results show that building operation uses the largest share of life cycle energy use, becoming increasingly dominant as the life span of the building increases. The type of heating system strongly influences the primary energy use and CO{sub 2} emission; a biomass-based system with cogeneration of district heat and electricity achieves low primary energy use and very low CO{sub 2} emissions. Using biomass residues from the wood products chain to substitute for fossil fuels significantly reduces net CO{sub 2} emission. Excluding household tap water and electricity, a negative life cycle net CO{sub 2} emission can be achieved due to the wood-based construction materials and biomass-based energy supply system. This study shows the importance of using a life cycle perspective when evaluating primary energy and climatic impacts of buildings. (author)

Solar potential in existing urban layouts—Critical overview of the existing building stock in Slovenian context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Košir, Mitja; Capeluto, Isaac Guedi; Krainer, Aleš; Kristl, Živa

2014-01-01

In recent years implementation of sustainable building design in the EU has become one of the key issues in reducing energy dependence. In this context efficient use of solar potential incident on building envelope is essential. The goal of the study is to evaluate the influence of interventions required by the new Slovenian legislation and to propose general site planning guidelines. Special emphasis is devoted to the existing building stock, which is due for refurbishment. The study is carried out on the basis of seven typical urban layouts, which are assessed according to the shape of layout, density, building orientation and design. The calculations are carried out with the program SHADING. The study showed that the existing layouts are not as problematic as had been expected and that form and orientation of buildings present a major challenge. Nevertheless, the quality and the duration of insolation are highly dependent on the specifics of each case. The study showed that by respecting the basic rules of good practice in conjunction with the existing requirements no major changes in the existing design principles are needed. - Highlights: • New Slovenian legislation regarding minimum insolation of building envelope. • Seven typical urban layouts were analysed. • Requirements and rules of good practice result in adequate insolation. • Duration of insolation is highly dependent on the specifics of each case

Energy Efficiency in the North American Existing Building Stock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

This report presents the findings of a new assessment of the techno-economic and policy-related efficiency improvement potential in the North American building stock conducted as part of a wider appraisal of existing buildings in member states of the International Energy Agency. It summarizes results and provides insights into the lessons learned through a broader global review of best practice to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. At this time, the report is limited to the USA because of the large size of its buildings market. At a later date, a more complete review may include some details about policies and programs in Canada. If resources are available an additional comprehensive review of Canada and Mexico may be performed in the future.

Energy Impacts of Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality Retrofits of Apartments in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Norris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-11-01

Monthly gas and electricity use data from a set of 13 study apartments and 20 control apartments from three apartment buildings (B1 B3) in California were analyzed. The study apartments were retrofit with simultaneous energy savings and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) improvements as the goal. The control apartments were not retrofit. Pre-retrofit modeling indicated annual energy savings of 21percent, 17percent, and 27percent for the study apartments in B1-B3, respectively. Based on a comparison of changes in energy use of study apartments to energy use changes of control apartments, total measured savings of gas energy plus site electrical energy were 28percent in B1, 5percent in B2, and 3percent in B3. Given the small number of study apartments and the substantial changes in energy use within control apartments, the project yielded no conclusive evidence of energy savings. Apartment energy use increased with number of occupants and with floor area; however, the association with occupancy was most evident. Climate differences did not appear to be the major driver for the variability in energy use among apartments. Changes in occupant behaviors affecting energy use may have overwhelmed and obscured the energy savings in this small number of buildings. Much larger prior studies employing similar retrofits indicate that the retrofits usually do save energy.

A strategic approach for existing buildings to withstand climate change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Torben Valdbjørn

2012-01-01

Buildings play a vital economic and social role in society and are vulnerable to climate change. This paper suggests a strategic approach for existing buildings to withstand climate change. It emphasises the most likely climate impacts, including the change in mean year values as well as the exte...... based on the results of a vulnerability analysis. In addition, this paper describes some issues that must be addressed in case a strategic approach is not developed, as the building sector is continuously investing in measures to adapt to climate change.......Buildings play a vital economic and social role in society and are vulnerable to climate change. This paper suggests a strategic approach for existing buildings to withstand climate change. It emphasises the most likely climate impacts, including the change in mean year values as well as the extent......, the uncertainty of the scenarios leaves major challenges that will grow far more serious, if not addressed and taken into account in building design and into a strategy for the adaptation of existing buildings. An outline of the actions needed for developing a broad strategic approach to the adaptation to climate...

Sustainability in the existing building stock

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elle, Morten; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Hoffmann, Birgitte

2005-01-01

, QRWfacilities management’s most important contribution to sustainable development in the built environment. Space management is an essential tool in facilities management – and it could be considered a powerful tool in sustainable development; remembering that the building not being built is perhaps the most......This paper explores the role of Facilities Management in the relation to sustainable development in the existing building stock. Facilities management is a concept still developing as the management of buildings are becoming more and more professional. Many recognize today that facilities...... management is a concept relevant to others than large companies. Managing the flows of energy and other resources is a part of facilities management, and an increased professionalism could lead to the reduction of the use of energy and water and the generation of waste and wastewater. This is, however...

Risk Factors of Building Apartments for University Talent through the Agent Construction Mode in China: Interrelationship and Prioritization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengrong Liu

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Apartments for university talent (AUT, are apartments provided to staff at non-market price, in order to attract outstanding scholars from around the world to work in universities and improve educational quality. This has been a critical issue in achieving social sustainability in China during rapid urbanization and industrialization. The agent construction mode has been adopted to build AUT because universities usually lack relevant management experience. The agent construction mode is a type of turnkey engineer construction based on the principal-agent model, project bidding mode, engineering contracting projects, and project supervision system. Risk factors are important considerations for both universities and agent construction companies. Although some studies have investigated the risk factors, only a few studies have identified the hierarchical structure of relevant risk factors. Therefore, the interrelationship and prioritization of the risk factors remain unknown, and this situation presents a barrier to better risk management. This paper investigates the interrelationship of risk factors with interpretative structural modeling (ISM. In addition, fuzzy MICMAC (matric d’impacts croises-multiplication appliqué a un classemen analysis was conducted to prioritize the risk factors. The findings provide useful references for better risk management of building AUT through the agent construction mode. Although this study focuses on China, the analytical process can also be generalized to other research topics and other countries.

Optimizing Existing Multistory Building Designs towards Net-Zero Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Y. AbuGrain

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recent global developments in awareness and concerns about environmental problems have led to reconsidering built environment approaches and construction techniques. One of the alternatives is the principle of low/zero-energy buildings. This study investigates the potentials of energy savings in an existing multi-story building in the Mediterranean region in order to achieve net-zero energy as a solution to increasing fossil fuel prices. The Colored building at the Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus was chosen as a target of this study to be investigated and analyzed in order to know how energy efficiency strategies could be applied to the building to reduce annual energy consumption. Since this research objective is to develop a strategy to achieve net-zero energy in existing buildings, case study and problem solving methodologies were applied in this research in order to evaluate the building design in a qualitative manner through observations, in addition to a quantitative method through an energy modeling simulation to achieve desirable results which address the problems. After optimizing the building energy performance, an alternative energy simulation was made of the building in order to make an energy comparison analysis, which leads to reliable conclusions. These methodologies and the strategies used in this research can be applied to similar buildings in order to achieve net-zero energy goals.

Predictors of summertime heat index levels in New York City apartments.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, A; Kinney, P; Shaman, J

2017-07-01

During heat waves, fatal overexposure to heat most often occurs at home. It is not known how factors such as building size, floor level, and different types of air conditioning (AC) contribute to excess indoor heat. We monitored indoor temperature and humidity in 36 apartments in New York City during summers 2014 and 2015 and used these values to calculate the indoor heat index (HI). We investigated the role of AC type and building-level factors on indoor HI using multilevel regression models. Thirty-four of 36 homes had AC. Central and ductless AC types were associated with the coolest indoor conditions; homes with window and portable AC were significantly warmer. Apartments on the top floor of a building were significantly hotter during heat advisory periods than other apartments regardless of the presence of AC. High indoor HI levels persisted in some homes for approximately 1 day following the end of the two heat advisory periods. We provide concrete evidence of higher heat levels in top floor apartments and in homes with certain types of AC. High heat levels that persist indoors after outdoor heat has subsided may present an underappreciated public health risk. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thermal Performance Analysis of Solar Collectors Installed for Combisystem in the Apartment Building

Science.gov (United States)

Žandeckis, A.; Timma, L.; Blumberga, D.; Rochas, C.; Rošā, M.

2012-01-01

The paper focuses on the application of wood pellet and solar combisystem for space heating and hot water preparation at apartment buildings under the climate of Northern Europe. A pilot project has been implemented in the city of Sigulda (N 57° 09.410 E 024° 52.194), Latvia. The system was designed and optimised using TRNSYS - a dynamic simulation tool. The pilot project was continuously monitored. To the analysis the heat transfer fluid flow rate and the influence of the inlet temperature on the performance of solar collectors were subjected. The thermal performance of a solar collector loop was studied using a direct method. A multiple regression analysis was carried out using STATGRAPHICS Centurion 16.1.15 with the aim to identify the operational and weather parameters of the system which cause the strongest influence on the collector's performance. The parameters to be used for the system's optimisation have been evaluated.

Newporter Apartments. Deep Energy Retrofit Short Term Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordon, Andrew [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Howard, Luke [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Kunkle, Rick [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Lubliner, Michael [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Auer, Dan [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States); Clegg, Zach [BA-PIRC, Cocoa, FL (United States)

2012-12-01

This project demonstrates a path to meet the goal of the Building America program to reduce home energy use by 30% in multi-family buildings. The project demonstrates cost-effective energy savings targets as well as improved comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) associated with deep energy retrofits by a large public housing authority as part of a larger rehabilitation effort. The project focuses on a typical 1960’s vintage low-rise multi-family apartment community (120 units in three buildings).

Newporter Apartments: Deep Energy Retrofit Short-Term Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordon, A.; Howard, L.; Kunkle, R.; Lubliner, M.; Auer, D.; Clegg, Z.

2012-12-01

This project demonstrates a path to meet the goal of the Building America program to reduce home energy use by 30% in multi-family buildings. The project demonstrates cost effective energy savings targets as well as improved comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) associated with deep energy retrofits by a large public housing authority as part of a larger rehabilitation effort. The project focuses on a typical 1960's vintage low-rise multi-family apartment community (120 units in three buildings).

Selecting Energy Efficient Building Envelope Retrofits to Existing Department of Defense Building Using Value Focused Thinking

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Pratt, David M

2006-01-01

... these facilities that have the greatest potential for energy efficient building envelope retrofits. There are hundreds of various new building envelope technologies available to retrofit an existing building envelope, including window, roof, and wall technologies...

Protocol for maximizing energy savings and indoor environmental quality improvements when retrofitting apartments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noris, Federico [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Vermeer, Kimberly [Urban Habitat Initiatives Inc., Boston, MA (United States); Adamkiewicz, Gary [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fisk, William J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-06-01

The current focus on building energy retrofit provides an opportunity to simultaneously improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Toward this end, we developed a protocol for selecting packages of retrofits that both save energy and improve IEQ in apartments. The protocol specifies the methodology for selecting retrofits from a candidate list while addressing expected energy savings, IEQ impacts, and costs in an integrated manner. Interviews, inspections and measurements are specified to collect the needed input information. The protocol was applied to 17 apartments in three buildings in two different climates within California. Diagnostic measurements and surveys conducted before and after retrofit implementation indicate enhanced apartment performance.

Thermal comfort and market niches for apartment buildings: impact of the current Thermal Regulation in the private real estate market in Santiago de Chile

OpenAIRE

Encinas Pino, Felipe; De Herde, André; Aguirre Núñez, Carlos; Marmolejo Duarte, Carlos

2009-01-01

Almost a decade has passed since Chile begins to implement a Thermal Regulation for dwellings, which established a minimum requirement for each building component, according to different climatic zones. This article proposes a series of dynamic simulations, in order to assess the thermal comfort (during winter and summer) of apartments in Santiago de Chile for lower and upper middle class. Some building typologies were defined by means of the two stage clustering methodology. These were built...

Does apartment's distance to an in-built transformer room predict magnetic field exposure levels?

Science.gov (United States)

Huss, Anke; Goris, Kelly; Vermeulen, Roel; Kromhout, Hans

2013-01-01

It has been shown that magnetic field exposure in apartments located directly on top or adjacent to transformer rooms is higher compared with exposure in apartments located further away from the transformer rooms. It is unclear whether this also translates into exposure contrast among individuals living in these apartments. We performed spot measurements of magnetic fields in 35 apartments in 14 apartment buildings with an in-built transformer and additionally performed 24-h personal measurements in a subsample of 24 individuals. Apartments placed directly on top of or adjacent to a transformer room had on average exposures of 0.42 μT, apartments on the second floor on top of a transformer room, or sharing a corner or edge with the transformer room had 0.11 μT, and apartments located further away from the transformer room had levels of 0.06 μT. Personal exposure levels were approximately a factor 2 lower compared with apartment averages, but still showed exposure contrasts, but only for those individuals who live in the apartments directly on top or adjacent to a transformer room compared with those living further away, with 0.23 versus 0.06 μT for personal exposure when indoors, respectively. A classification of individuals into 'high' and 'low' exposed based on the location of their apartment within a building with an in-built transformer is possible and could be applied in future epidemiological studies.

Efficacy of an Essential Oil-Based Pesticide for Controlling Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius Infestations in Apartment Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changlu Wang

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L. and Cimex hemipterus F. are among the most difficult urban pests to manage. Many essential oil-based bed bug control products that are considered reduced risk to mammals compared to synthetic insect neurotoxins have become commercially available, but their effectiveness as a stand-alone control method is unknown. This study assessed the field efficacy of an essential oil-based bed bug control product (EcoRaider; a.i. 1% geraniol + 1% cedar oil + 2% sodium lauryl sulfate compared to a pyrethroid and neonicotinoid mixture spray (0.075% Temprid SC; a.i. beta-cyfluthrin + imidacloprid. After 12 weeks, the three treatments—EcoRaider, Temprid SC, and EcoRaider + Temprid SC caused 92.5 ± 2.7, 92.9 ± 3.0, and 91.7% ± 2.7% bed bug count reduction, respectively. No significant differences existed in the bed bug reduction among the treatments. Bed bugs were eliminated from only 22% of the treated apartments. Among those still with bed bugs, 76% of the residents did not know bed bugs were present. We documented the residents’ self-control practices and discussed the potential of using essential oil-based insecticides in bed bug management programs to minimize the health risks to building occupants and pets and to slow down the development of insecticide resistance.

Energy Efficiency Potential in Existing Commercial Buildings: Review of Selected Recent Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belzer, David B.

2009-04-03

This report reviews six recent studies (from 2002 through 2006) by states and utilities to assess the energy saving potential in existing commercial buildings. The studies cover all or portions of California, Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado, Illinois, and the Pacific Northwest. The studies clearly reveal that lighting remains the single largest and most cost effective end use that can be reduced to save energy. Overall the study indicated that with existing technologies and costs, a reasonable range of economic savings potential in existing commercial buildings is between 10 and 20 percent of current energy use. While not a focus of the study, an additional conclusion is that implementation of commercial building monitoring and controls would also play an important role in the nation’s efforts to improve energy efficiency of existing buildings.

Issues to Be Solved for Energy Simulation of An Existing Office Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki Uhn Ahn

2016-04-01

Full Text Available With the increasing focus on low energy buildings and the need to develop sustainable built environments, Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS tools have been widely used. However, many issues remain when applying BEPS tools to existing buildings. This paper presents the issues that need to be solved for the application of BEPS tools to an existing office building. The selected building is an office building with 33 stories above ground, six underground levels, and a total floor area of 91,898 m2. The issues to be discussed in this paper are as follows: (1 grey data not ready for simulation; (2 subjective assumptions and judgments on energy modeling; (3 stochastic characteristics of building performance and occupants behavior; (4 verification of model fidelity-comparison of aggregated energy; (5 verification of model fidelity-calibration by trial and error; and (6 use of simulation model for real-time energy management. This study investigates the aforementioned issues and explains the factors that should be considered to address these issues when developing a dynamic simulation model for existing buildings.

Development of a new energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Choongwan; Hong, Taehoon; Lee, Minhyun; Seon Park, Hyo

2014-01-01

Building energy efficiency rating systems have been established worldwide to systematically manage the energy consumption of existing buildings. This study aimed to develop a new energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings from two perspectives: (i) establishment of reasonable and fair criteria for the building energy efficiency rating system; and (ii) establishment of comparative incentive and penalty programs to encourage the voluntary participation of all residents in the energy saving campaign. Based on the analysis of the conventional energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings, this study was conducted in five steps: (i) data collection and analysis; (ii) correlation analysis between the household size and the CO 2 emission density (i.e., CO 2 emission per unit area); (iii) cluster formation based on results of the correlation analysis using a decision tree; (iv) establishment of a new energy efficiency rating system for existing buildings; and (v) establishment of incentive and penalty programs using advanced case-based reasoning. The proposed system can allow a policymaker to establish a reasonable and fair energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings and can encourage the voluntary participation of all residents in the energy saving campaign. - Highlights: • A new energy efficiency rating system for the residential building was developed. • The incentive and penalty programs were established using an advanced CBR model. • The new system was established using reasonable and fair standards. • It allows all residents to voluntarily participate in the energy saving campaign. • It can be applied to any country or sector in the global environment

Disposal of Kitchen Waste from High Rise Apartment

Science.gov (United States)

Ori, Kirki; Bharti, Ajay; Kumar, Sunil

2017-09-01

The high rise building has numbers of floor and rooms having variety of users or tenants for residential purposes. The huge quantities of heterogenous mixtures of domestic food waste are generated from every floor of the high rise residential buildings. Disposal of wet and biodegradable domestic kitchen waste from high rise buildings are more expensive in regards of collection and vertical transportation. This work is intended to address the technique to dispose of the wet organic food waste from the high rise buildings or multistory building at generation point with the advantage of gravity and vermicomposting technique. This innovative effort for collection and disposal of wet organic solid waste from high rise apartment is more economical and hygienic in comparison with present system of disposal.

Energy efficiency façade design in high-rise apartment buildings using the calculation of solar heat transfer through windows with shading devices

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, P. T. H.

2018-04-01

The architectural design orientation at the first design stage plays a key role and has a great impact on the energy consumption of a building throughout its life-cycle. To provide designers with a simple and useful tool in quantitatively determining and simply optimizing the energy efficiency of a building at the very first stage of conceptual design, a factor namely building envelope energy efficiency (Khqnl ) should be investigated and proposed. Heat transfer through windows and other glazed areas of mezzanine floors accounts for 86% of overall thermal transfer through building envelope, so the factor Khqnl of high-rise buildings largely depends on shading solutions. The author has established tables and charts to make reference to the values of Khqnl factor in certain high-rise apartment buildings in Hanoi calculated with a software program subject to various inputs including: types and sizes of shading devices, building orientations and at different points of time to be respectively analyzed. It is possible and easier for architects to refer to these tables and charts in façade design for a higher level of energy efficiency.

Building OOC layers on top of existing courses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Jørgen; Dalsgaard, Christian; Kjær, Arne

2016-01-01

prefer the term "Open Online Courses", MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) without the M. This paper will present our approach to building OOCs on top of existing campusbased courses at Aarhus University, Denmark. Consequently, participants of an 'OOC track' will engage in collaboration and discussions...

Stiff Columns as Liquefaction Mitigation Measure for Retrofit of Existing Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaheer Ahmed Almani

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, ground reinforcement with jet grouted columns under shallow foundations of existing buildings was analysed using numerical modelling. This study is related with ground reinforcement by installing stiff jet grouted columns around the shallow foundations of existing building when the foundation soil is liquefied during an earthquake. The isolated shallow square footing pad supporting a typical simple frame structure was constructed on the reinforced ground with stiff jet grouted column rows at the shallow depth from the ground surface. This soil-structure system was modelled and analyzed as plane-strain using the FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua 2D dynamic modelling and analysis software. The results showed that liquefaction-induced large settlement of shallow foundation of existing building can be reduced to tolerable limits by applying ground reinforcement with continuous rows vertical jet grouted columns adjacent to footing pad.

Apartment building built to passive-house standard with solar balanced ventilation system; Mehrfamilien-Passivhaus mit solarem Luftsystem. Lueftung/Luftheizung/WRG/Solarfassade an der Rychenbergstrasse, Winterthur - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guetermann, A.

2002-04-15

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) deals with an apartment building in Winterthur, Switzerland, built to passive-house standards and equipped with a solar balanced ventilation system. The building and its convective solar facade are described, as are the fan-assisted, balanced ventilation systems used. The operation of the systems in winter, during transitional periods and in summer is discussed. Domestic hot water preparation is looked at. The energy balance of the building is examined, as is the economic viability of the energy systems. The building, its energy installations and the measurement concept used are considered in detail. Finally, the findings of the study are summarised and commented on.

The potential to supply low temperature district heating to existing building area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Hongwei; Svendsen, Svend

2013-01-01

Low-temperature district heating (LTDH) has the advantages as reduced network heat loss, improved quality match between energy supply and energy demand, and increased utilization of low-grade waste heat and renewable energy. The LTDH represents the next generation district heating (DH) system...... to supply existing building areas which are characterized with high heating demand needs to be examined. In this paper, the DH network deliverable capacity to supply LTDH to an existing building area is studied based on building thermal performance and DH network hydraulic performance simulation....

Estimation of the behavior factor of existing RC-MRF buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Vona, Marco; Mastroberti, Monica

2018-01-01

In recent years, several research groups have studied a new generation of analysis methods for seismic response assessment of existing buildings. Nevertheless, many important developments are still needed in order to define more reliable and effective assessment procedures. Moreover, regarding existing buildings, it should be highlighted that due to the low knowledge level, the linear elastic analysis is the only analysis method allowed. The same codes (such as NTC2008, EC8) consider the linear dynamic analysis with behavior factor as the reference method for the evaluation of seismic demand. This type of analysis is based on a linear-elastic structural model subject to a design spectrum, obtained by reducing the elastic spectrum through a behavior factor. The behavior factor (reduction factor or q factor in some codes) is used to reduce the elastic spectrum ordinate or the forces obtained from a linear analysis in order to take into account the non-linear structural capacities. The behavior factors should be defined based on several parameters that influence the seismic nonlinear capacity, such as mechanical materials characteristics, structural system, irregularity and design procedures. In practical applications, there is still an evident lack of detailed rules and accurate behavior factor values adequate for existing buildings. In this work, some investigations of the seismic capacity of the main existing RC-MRF building types have been carried out. In order to make a correct evaluation of the seismic force demand, actual behavior factor values coherent with force based seismic safety assessment procedure have been proposed and compared with the values reported in the Italian seismic code, NTC08.

Existing buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten

2014-01-01

their homes. These policy measures include building regulations, energy tax and different types of incentives and information dissemination. The conclusion calls for new and innovative policy measures to cope with the realities of renovations of owner-occupied houses and how energy efficiency improvement...

The occurrence of legionalla in hot water distribution systems of some Finnish apartment and office buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zacheus, O M; Kuittinen, M H; Martikainen, P J [National Public Health Institute, Dept. Environ. Hyg. and Toxicol., Kuopio (FI)

1991-01-01

A project concerning the effect of water temperature and water quality on the microbiology of hot water distribution systems in Finnish apartment and office buildings was started in 1989. Here we report preliminary results on the occurrence of legionella. Samples were taken from showerpipes and from hot water mains before and after calorifiers of 17 buildings. Water temperature in the showerpipes ranged from 39 to 55 deg. C. Water temperature before calorifiers ranged from 40 to 52 deg. C and after them from 39 to 59 deg. C. Water temperature did not explain well the occurrence of legionalla. Legionalla pneumophila was isolated from six systems. The isolates were serogroups 1, 5 and 6. Legionella concentrations in positive samples ranged from 100 to 350 000 CFU/l. Highest concentrations of legionalla were obtained from showerpipes and hot water mains before calorifiers. Four legionella positive distribution systems were decontaminated by raising the water temperature to 60-70 deg. C and cleaning taps and showerheads, and flushing them twice a day. The numbers of legionellas in the hot water mains fell below detection limit (50 CFU/l) and their numbers also decreased in showerpipes. Decontamination failed in some parts of the distribution systems where water temperature remained below 60 deg. C. (author) 26 refs.

Energy efficient ventilation based on demand humidity control. Demonstration project with 49 apartments in Soenderborg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

The aim of the project is to demonstrate how the overall energy consumption in apartment buildings can be reduced through a combination of: 1) Energy efficient ventilation based on demand humidity control; 2) Energy efficient design of the building shell including passive solar and seasonally flexible sunspaces; 3) Use of low temperature heating system. The 3 blocks in the project, each with 16 apartments, are furnished with 3 different ventilation systems: 1) Standard exhaust system according to building codes; 2) Ventilation system with humidity control. Each room is furnished with an air inlet valve controlled by a processor, which monitors the humidity; 3) Standard ventilation system with heat recovery. (au)

New EPC-calculation [Energy Efficiency Coefficient]. A few building engineering changes; Nieuwe EPC-bepaling. Enkele bouwtechnische wijzigingen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spiekman, M.E.; Van Dijk, H.A.L. [TNO Built Environment, Delft (Netherlands)

2012-06-15

On July 1st 2012 the existing standards for energy performance of new residential buildings (NEN 5128) and non-residential buildings (NEN 2916) are replaced by a new standard (NEN 7120) in which, next to dwellings and non-residential buildings, new and existing buildings are integrated. In this article the most important changes are described. [Dutch] Vanaf 1 juli worden de bestaande energieprestatienormen voor nieuwbouwwoningen (NEN 5128) en utiliteitsbouw (NEN 2916) vervangen door een nieuwe norm, de NEN 7120. Voorheen waren ervoor de bepaling van de energieprestatiecoefficient (EPC) voor woningen en utiliteitsbouw aparte bepalingsmethoden voorhanden. Ook waren de bepaling van de EPC voor nieuwbouw en de Energie-Index (EI) voor het energielabel voor bestaande bouw (ISSO 82, ISSO 75) in aparte documenten vastgelegd. De nieuwe norm NEN 7120 is voor al deze gebouwcategorieen te gebruiken en zal de huidige bepalingsmethoden vervangen.

Federal Existing Buildings Handbook for Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2017-08-14

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) defined zero energy buildings as "an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." This handbook is focused on applying the EERE definition of zero energy buildings to existing buildings in the federal sector. However, it is not intended to replace, substitute, or modify any statutory or regulatory requirements and mandates.

Low energy house in existing buildings; Niedrigenergiehaus im Bestand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahner, G. [BDA, Stuttgart/Augsburg (Germany)

2008-07-01

Presented is an energetic sanitation of residential units in the frame of a German pilot program (''low energy houses in the existing building sector'') initiated by the ministry of traffic, civil engineering and city development. (GL)

Knowledge inventory for resource efficiency measures in existing buildings; Kunskapsinventering avseende resurseffektiviserande aatgaerder inom befintlig bebyggelse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarnehammar, Anna; Kildsgaard, Ivana; Prejer, Erik

2011-07-01

The report summarizes the state of knowledge for various renovation measures of apartment buildings built between 1941-1980. The renovation potential is estimated to give half the energy use for heating and hot water. This efficiency improvement is considered possible, but not likely. There are many case studies of individual projects with theoretical calculations of renovation potential for different measures. There are relatively many general studies of the housing stock in general where the potential for various measures have been calculated for the whole of Sweden, but few studies of actual projects completed. Binding minimum requirements related to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) for buildings for renovation has been introduced in several other countries in the EU which is also found to contribute to more energy-efficient measures introduced in major renovation projects. The key measures that we have found is the introduction of FTX system, renovation of the building envelope as well as individual metering and billing of heating and hot water.

Structural Identification And Seismic Analysis Of An Existing Masonry Building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Monte, Emanuele; Galano, Luciano; Ortolani, Barbara; Vignoli, Andrea

2008-01-01

The paper presents the diagnostic investigation and the seismic analysis performed on an ancient masonry building in Florence. The building has historical interest and is subjected to conservative restrictions. The investigation involves a preliminary phase concerning the research of the historic documents and a second phase of execution of in situ and laboratory tests to detect the mechanical characteristics of the masonry. This investigation was conceived in order to obtain the 'LC2 Knowledge Level' and to perform the non-linear pushover analysis according to the new Italian Standards for seismic upgrading of existing masonry buildings

Best Practices for HPSB Guiding Principles Implementation in Existing DOE Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, Jordan W.

2014-05-06

The intent of this paper is to document an approach to screening existing buildings at DOE sites for High-Performance and Sustainable Buildings (HPSB) Guiding Principles (GPs) potential, developing policies and programs to address a majority of the HPSB GPs, and how to prioritize buildings with the greatest potential. This paper will also include example strategies for HPSB inventory and projection schedules and best practices on approaching and interpreting select criteria that have been troublesome to sites.

Specifics of Building Envelope Air Leakage Problems and Airtightness Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borodinecs Anatolijs

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In addition to transmission heat loses the infiltration of outdoor air can cause significant heat losses. The external building envelope should be airtight in order to prevent uncontrolled cold air infiltration. The article analysis modern building materials and structures influence on airtightness. The practical measurements of renovated buildings’ airtightness are presented and compared to non-renovated buildings. In addition paper presents data on airtightness measurements of whole multi apartment building and single apartment in analyzed building taking inco accout properties of building materials. The airtightness of single apartment was evaluated with support pressure in neighbor apartments. The results show that the airtightness measurements of multi apartment building can be evaluated by measuring single apartment on last floor with support pressure in neighbor apartments. The practical measurement of renovated buildings had shown the air leakage rate q50 of typical Latvian construction after renovation is between 2.5 and 2.9 m3/(m2·h. Since the building envelope has to minimize the heat loses (transmission and infiltration and ventilation system either mechanical or natural has to provide necessary air exchange, the building envelope airtightness shouldn’t be dependent on type of ventilation systems.

77 FR 24505 - Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Wind Retrofit Projects for Existing Residential Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-24

...] Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Wind Retrofit Projects for Existing Residential Buildings AGENCY... for Wind Retrofit Projects for Existing Residential Buildings. DATES: Comments must be received by... must include the agency name and docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or...

2020 Leadership Agenda for Existing Commercial and Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burr, Andrew [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States). Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Goldthwaite, Carolyn Sarno [Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), Boston, MA (United States). High Performance Buildings; Coffman, Eric [Montgomery County Dept. of General Services, Rockville, MD (United States). Office of Energy and Sustainability

2016-01-21

Leadership by state and local governments is critical to unlock national energy efficiency opportunities and deliver the benefits of efficiency to all Americans. But related to building energy efficiency, what will it mean to be a public sector leader over the next several years? What are the energy efficiency solutions that cities, counties, and states are implementing today that will make their communities more affordable, livable, healthy, and economically competitive? The SEE Action Network 2020 Leadership Agenda for Existing Commercial and Multifamily Buildings establishes a benchmark for state and local government leadership on improving the energy efficiency of buildings and seeks two-way collaboration among state, local, and federal officials. It defines a suite of innovative, yet practical policies and programs for policymakers to consider implementing by 2020, focusing on six important areas.

Changes in Sunlight and Outdoor Thermal Environment Conditions Based on the Layout Plan of Flat Type Apartment Houses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukjin Jung

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Economic growths lead to population increases in large cities. This has brought about the growing necessity for apartment housing which has resulted in higher density populations living in high-rise apartment complexes. Therefore, the urban microclimate is aggravated due to the increasing ratio of artificial coverage and substandard daylight availability. To achieve a comfortable living environment and improve urban microclimates, a process considering the daylight availability and the outdoor thermal environment is required when designing apartment housing complexes. This study selected a total of 27 valid cases using an orthogonal array, L27(313 design of experiments (DOE. As a result of significance probability obtained in DOE analysis, the design factors that have an effect on the outdoor thermal environment and daylight availability were found to be building coverage ratio, distance between buildings, and azimuth. The rankings of the effect of design factors were shown to be in the order of azimuth > building coverage ratio > distance between buildings > floor area ratio > width/depth ratio. The surface temperature of the whole building decreased by 0.3 °C and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT decreased by 1.1 °C as a result of applying the greenery coverage ratio to apartment complexes. Heat Island Potential (HIP also showed a decrease of 5.4 °C (at noon.

Efficient Solutions and Cost-Optimal Analysis for Existing School Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Maria Congedo

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The recast of the energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD describes a comparative methodological framework to promote energy efficiency and establish minimum energy performance requirements in buildings at the lowest costs. The aim of the cost-optimal methodology is to foster the achievement of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs, the new target for all new buildings by 2020, characterized by a high performance with a low energy requirement almost covered by renewable sources. The paper presents the results of the application of the cost-optimal methodology in two existing buildings located in the Mediterranean area. These buildings are a kindergarten and a nursery school that differ in construction period, materials and systems. Several combinations of measures have been applied to derive cost-effective efficient solutions for retrofitting. The cost-optimal level has been identified for each building and the best performing solutions have been selected considering both a financial and a macroeconomic analysis. The results illustrate the suitability of the methodology to assess cost-optimality and energy efficiency in school building refurbishment. The research shows the variants providing the most cost-effective balance between costs and energy saving. The cost-optimal solution reduces primary energy consumption by 85% and gas emissions by 82%–83% in each reference building.

Sensitivity analysis of the energy demand of existing buildings based on the Danish Building and Dwelling Register

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anker; Wittchen, Kim Bjarne; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor

2014-01-01

performance certificate. The Danish Building Research Institute has described a method that can be applied for estimating the energy demand of dwellings. This is based on the information in the Danish Building and Dwelling Register and requirements in the Danish Building Regulations from the year......The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings requires that energy certification of buildings should be implemented in Denmark so that houses that are sold or let should have an energy performance certificate. The result is that only a small part of existing houses has an energy...... of construction of the house. The result is an estimate of the energy demand of each building with a variation. This makes it possible to make an automatic classification of all buildings. The paper discusses the uncertainties and makes a sensitivity analysis to find the important parameters. The variations...

From Point Clouds to Building Information Models: 3D Semi-Automatic Reconstruction of Indoors of Existing Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hélène Macher

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The creation of as-built Building Information Models requires the acquisition of the as-is state of existing buildings. Laser scanners are widely used to achieve this goal since they permit to collect information about object geometry in form of point clouds and provide a large amount of accurate data in a very fast way and with a high level of details. Unfortunately, the scan-to-BIM (Building Information Model process remains currently largely a manual process which is time consuming and error-prone. In this paper, a semi-automatic approach is presented for the 3D reconstruction of indoors of existing buildings from point clouds. Several segmentations are performed so that point clouds corresponding to grounds, ceilings and walls are extracted. Based on these point clouds, walls and slabs of buildings are reconstructed and described in the IFC format in order to be integrated into BIM software. The assessment of the approach is proposed thanks to two datasets. The evaluation items are the degree of automation, the transferability of the approach and the geometric quality of results of the 3D reconstruction. Additionally, quality indexes are introduced to inspect the results in order to be able to detect potential errors of reconstruction.

State of the stock-What do we know about existing buildings and their future prospects?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravetz, Joe

2008-01-01

The UK building stock has seen major changes in the last 50 years, in its form, fabric and function. The context is the expansion of the building stock and built infrastructure, which takes place in most areas at 1-2% per year, with the implication that up to 75% of the dwellings of the year 2050 already exist now. This is a major challenge. The energy performance of much of this stock is generally low, while its economic, social and cultural values are often high. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief outline of the state of knowledge of the existing building stock, and of potential advances in that knowledge. We follow a knowledge mapping approach, set out on several axes. The first is an axis from buildings as physical forms, to buildings as containers of socio-economic activity. Another axis spans between existing buildings, renovations and adaptations, and new buildings. A third axis is that of scale, from building components to large-scale settlements. There are many possible combinations of these parameters. Here we focus on those that are most relevant to the SEMBE goals of sustainable energy management across the whole building stock

Evaluation of existing Hanford buildings for the storage of solid wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, M.C.; Hodgson, R.D.; Sabin, J.C.

1993-05-01

Existing storage space at the Hanford Site for solid low-level mixed waste (LLMW) will be filled up by 1997. Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) has initiated the project funding cycle for additional storage space to assure that new facilities are available when needed. In the course of considering the funding request, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has asked WHC to identify and review any existing Hanford Site facilities that could be modified and used as an alternative to constructing the proposed W-112 Project. This report documents the results of that review. In summary, no buildings exist at the Hanford Site that can be utilized for storage of solid LLMW on a cost-effective basis when compared to new construction. The nearest approach to an economically sensible conversion would involve upgrade of 100,000 ft 2 of space in the 2101-M Building in the 200 East Area. Here, modified storage space is estimated to cost about $106 per ft 2 while new construction will cost about $50 per ft 2 . Construction costs for the waste storage portion of the W-112 Project are comparable with W-016 Project actual costs, with escalation considered. Details of the cost evaluation for this building and for other selected candidate facilities are presented in this report. All comparisons presented address the potential decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) cost avoidances realized by using existing facilities

Development of a plastic rotary heat exchanger for room-based ventilation in existing apartments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Kevin Michael; Svendsen, Svend

2015-01-01

The existing building stock will likely undergo widespread energy renovations to meet future emissions targets. Single-room ventilation may enable the process due to its simple installation, low fan power, and potential for local heat recovery. A short plastic rotary heat exchanger is developed...... for single-room ventilation based on thermal design theory. Performance is predicted from correlations of dimensionless groups for regenerative heat exchangers, and this guides the selection of a polycarbonate honeycomb with small circular channels. Experiments quantify flows and determine temperature...... efficiencies at several ventilation rates while accounting for heat gains from motors and air leakage. The measured and modelled temperature efficiencies show adequate agreement and exceed 80% for a balanced nominal ventilation rate of 28m3/h. This result meets the development criteria but cannot validate...

A proposal for seismic evaluation index of mid-rise existing RC buildings in Afghanistan

Science.gov (United States)

Naqi, Ahmad; Saito, Taiki

2017-10-01

Mid-rise RC buildings gradually rise in Kabul and entire Afghanistan since 2001 due to rapid increase of population. To protect the safety of resident, Afghan Structure Code was issued in 2012. But the building constructed before 2012 failed to conform the code requirements. In Japan, new sets of rules and law for seismic design of buildings had been issued in 1981 and severe earthquake damage was disclosed for the buildings designed before 1981. Hence, the Standard for Seismic Evaluation of RC Building published in 1977 has been widely used in Japan to evaluate the seismic capacity of existing buildings designed before 1981. Currently similar problem existed in Afghanistan, therefore, this research examined the seismic capacity of six RC buildings which were built before 2012 in Kabul by applying the seismic screening procedure presented by Japanese standard. Among three screening procedures with different capability, the less detailed screening procedure, the first level of screening, is applied. The study founds an average seismic index (IS-average=0.21) of target buildings. Then, the results were compared with those of more accurate seismic evaluation procedures of Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM) and Time History Analysis (THA). The results for CSM and THA show poor seismic performance of target buildings not able to satisfy the safety design limit (1/100) of the maximum story drift. The target buildings are then improved by installing RC shear walls. The seismic indices of these retrofitted buildings were recalculated and the maximum story drifts were analyzed by CSM and THA. The seismic indices and CSM and THA results are compared and found that building with seismic index larger than (IS-average =0.4) are able to satisfy the safety design limit. Finally, to screen and minimize the earthquake damage over the existing buildings, the judgement seismic index (IS-Judgment=0.5) for the first level of screening is proposed.

Computer aided seismic and fire retrofitting analysis of existing high rise reinforced concrete buildings

CERN Document Server

Hussain, Raja Rizwan; Hasan, Saeed

2016-01-01

This book details the analysis and design of high rise buildings for gravity and seismic analysis. It provides the knowledge structural engineers need to retrofit existing structures in order to meet safety requirements and better prevent potential damage from such disasters as earthquakes and fires. Coverage includes actual case studies of existing buildings, reviews of current knowledge for damages and their mitigation, protective design technologies, and analytical and computational techniques. This monograph also provides an experimental investigation on the properties of fiber reinforced concrete that consists of natural fibres like coconut coir and also steel fibres that are used for comparison in both Normal Strength Concrete (NSC) and High Strength Concrete (HSC). In addition, the authors examine the use of various repair techniques for damaged high rise buildings. The book will help upcoming structural design engineers learn the computer aided analysis and design of real existing high rise buildings ...

West Village Student Housing Phase I: Apartment Monitoring and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

German, A.; Bell, C.; Dakin, B.; Hoeschele, M.

2014-06-01

Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) worked with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the developer partner West Village Community Partnership (WVCP) to evaluate performance on 192 student apartments completed in September, 2011 as part of Phase I of the multi-purpose West Village project. West Village, the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States. The campus neighborhood is designed to enable faculty, staff and students to affordably live near campus, take advantage of environmentally friendly transportation options, and participate fully in campus life. The aggressive energy efficiency measures that are incorporated in the design contribute to source energy reductions of 37% over the B10 Benchmark. The energy efficiency measures that are incorporated into these apartments include increased wall & attic insulation, high performance windows, high efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling, central heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), 100% high efficacy lighting, and ENERGY STAR major appliances. Results discuss how measured energy use compares to modeling estimates over a 10 month monitoring period and includes a cost effective evaluation.

Monitoring-based HVAC commissioning of an existing office building for energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Liping; Greenberg, Steve; Fiegel, John; Rubalcava, Alma; Earni, Shankar; Pang, Xiufeng; Yin, Rongxin; Woodworth, Spencer; Hernandez-Maldonado, Jorge

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Demonstrated monitoring-based HVAC commissioning using an existing office building. ► Diagnosed various types of faulty operation in the HVAC system by trend data analyses. ► Identified a list of energy saving measures for the HVAC system. ► Quantified energy saving potential for each commissioning measure using calibrated energy simulation model. ► Achieved an actual energy saving of 10% after the implementations of cost-effective measures. -- Abstract: The performance of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems may fail to satisfy design expectations due to improper equipment installation, equipment degradation, sensor failures, or incorrect control sequences. Commissioning identifies and implements cost-effective operational and maintenance measures in buildings to bring them up to the design intent or optimum operation. An existing office building is used as a case study to demonstrate the process of commissioning. Building energy benchmarking tools are applied to evaluate the energy performance for screening opportunities at the whole building level. A large natural gas saving potential was indicated by the building benchmarking results. Faulty operations in the HVAC systems, such as improper operations of air-side economizers, simultaneous heating and cooling, and ineffective optimal start, were identified through trend data analyses and functional testing. The energy saving potential for each commissioning measure is quantified with a calibrated building simulation model. An actual energy saving of 10% was realized after the implementations of cost-effective measures.

Operational Planning of Low-Energy District Heating Systems Connected to Existing Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tol, Hakan; Svendsen, Svend

2012-01-01

. The response of the radiator heating systems at different levels of supply temperature was used to form the operational planning of the low-energy DH system, which determined the design parameters of the low-energy DH network in terms of overall mass flow requirement and the return temperature from...... the buildings. Since the existing buildings were considered to be renovated to low-energy class, the operational planning was simultaneously modelled for both present high-demand and future low-demand situations of the same case area.......This article focuses on low-energy District Heating (DH) systems operating in low-temperatures such as 55°C in terms of supply and 25°C in terms of return in connection with existing buildings. Since the heat loss from the network has a significant impact in case of supplying heat to low...

A Method to Estimate Energy Demand in Existing Buildings Based on the Danish Building and Dwellings Register (BBR)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anker; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor; Wittchen, Kim Bjarne

2013-01-01

an energy label. The Danish Building Research Institute has described a method that can be used to estimate the energy demand in buildings specially dwellings. This is based on the information in the Danish Building and Dwelling Register (BBR) and information on building regulations at construction year......The Energy Performance Directive requires energy certifications for buildings. This is implemented in Denmark so that houses that are sold must have an energy performance label based on an evaluation from a visit to the building. The result is that only a small part of the existing houses has...... for the house. The result is an estimate for energy demand in each building with a variation. This makes it possible to make an automatic classification of all buildings. Then it is possible to find houses in need for thermal improvements. This method is tested for single family houses and flats. The paper...

The Cultural Impact upon Human Struggle for Social Existence in Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"

Science.gov (United States)

El-Dessouky, Mohamed Fawzy

2010-01-01

This paper aims at introducing an insight into the nature of cultural conflict as depicted in Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart." This study shows how the African black culture represented by Ibo tribe comes into disagreement with the white one imposed by the British imperialism. The greatness of Achebe lies in the vivid description of…

Sensitivity analysis of the energy demand of existing buildings based on the Danish Building and Dwelling Register (BBR)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anker; Wittchen, Kim Bjarne; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor

2014-01-01

performance certificate. The Danish Building Research Institute has described a method that can be applied for estimating the energy demand of dwellings. This is based on the information in the Danish Building and Dwelling Register and requirements in the Danish Building Regulations from the year......The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings requires that energy certification of buildings should be implemented in Denmark so that houses that are sold or let should have an energy performance certificate. The result is that only a small part of existing houses has an energy...... of construction of the house. The result is an estimate of the energy demand of each building with a variation. This makes it possible to make an automatic classification of all buildings. The paper discusses the uncertainties and makes a sensitivity analysis to find the important parameters. The variations...

A District Approach to Building Renovation for the Integral Energy Redevelopment of Existing Residential Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mira Conci

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Building energy renovation quotas are not currently being met due to unfavorable conditions such as complex building regulations, limited investment incentives, historical preservation priorities, and technical limitations. The traditional strategy has been to incrementally lower the energy consumption of the building stock, instead of raising the efficiency of the energy supply through a broader use of renewable sources. This strategy requires an integral redefinition of the approach to energy building renovations. The joint project SWIVT elaborates on a district redevelopment strategy that combines a reduction in the energy demand of existing buildings and their physical interconnection within a local micro-grid and heating network. The district is equipped with energy generation and distribution technologies as well as hybrid thermal and electrical energy storage systems, steered by an optimizing energy management controller. This strategy is explored through three scenarios designed for an existing residential area in Darmstadt, Germany, and benchmarked against measured data. Presented findings show that a total primary energy balance at least 30% lower than that of a standard building renovation can be achieved by a cluster of buildings with different thermal qualities and connected energy generation, conversion, and storage systems, with only minimal physical intervention to existing buildings.

Mine subsidence event at Washington West Apartments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, D.B.; Weber, M.W.; Purdy, J.; Acker, P.

1994-01-01

A major mine subsidence event occurred in Scranton, PA in early 1993. The initial damage included breakage of gas and water lines, cracking of pavements and sidewalks, and architectural damage to the seven-story apartment building that houses about 150 elderly persons. Visible damage include a 3/4-in dilation of the expansion joint separating the building, approximately 200 interior and exterior cracks, and distress to utility lines. The Office of Surface mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) funded an integrated geotechnical and structural engineering investigation to determine the cause of the subsidence, the limits of affected areas, and the nature of damage to the building. Work included interior surveys, exterior surveys, installation of crack gages, eight subsurface borings, review of building design drawings, review of geologic and mining data, and structural analysis of the rigid steel frame building. The surveys showed the building had undergone movements consisting of a lateral translation, a longitudinal differential settlement, and a transverse differential settlement. Preliminary structural analyses showed that the differential settlements had introduced significant additional stresses in some of the building columns. This paper provides a case history of the cause and effects of the subsidence event. The techniques used to collect and analyze the data are presented along with the findings of the geotechnical and structural engineering investigations. The paper also describes emergency actions that were implemented, the remedial alternatives that were considered, and the method selected as the recommended alternative

13 CFR 120.131 - Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business. 120.131 Section 120.131 Business Credit and Assistance... § 120.131 Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business. (a) If the SBA...

Predicted carbonation of existing concrete building based on the Indonesian tropical micro-climate

Science.gov (United States)

Hilmy, M.; Prabowo, H.

2018-03-01

This paper is aimed to predict the carbonation progress based on the previous mathematical model. It shortly explains the nature of carbonation including the processes and effects. Environmental humidity and temperature of the existing concrete building are measured and compared to data from local Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency. The data gained are expressed in the form of annual hygrothermal values which will use as the input parameter in carbonation model. The physical properties of the observed building such as its location, dimensions, and structural material used are quantified. These data then utilized as an important input parameter for carbonation coefficients. The relationships between relative humidity and the rate of carbonation established. The results can provide a basis for repair and maintenance of existing concrete buildings and the sake of service life analysis of them.

Energy saving in existing buildings by an intelligent use of interoperable ICTs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osello, A.; Acquaviva, A.; Aghemo, C.; Blaso, L.; Dalmasso, D.; Erba, D.; Fracastoro, G.; Macii, E.; Patti, E.; Pellegrino, A.; Piumatti, P. [Politecnico di Torino, Torino (Italy); Gondre, D.; Savoyat, J.; Virgone, J. [University Lyon, Lyon (France); Jahn, M.; Pramudianto, F. [Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT, Sankt Augustin (Germany); Spirito, M.; Tomasi, R. [Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB), Torino (Italy)

2013-11-15

In this paper, we report a methodology, developed in the context of Smart Energy Efficient Middleware for Public Spaces European Project, aimed at exploiting ICT monitoring and control services to reduce energy usage and CO2 footprint in existing buildings. The approach does not require significant construction work as it is based on commercial-off-the-shelf devices and, where present, it exploits and integrates existing building management systems with new sensors and actuator networks. To make this possible, the proposed approach leverages upon the following main contributions: (a) to develop an integrated building automation and control system, (b) to implement a middleware for the energy-efficient buildings domain, (c) to provide a multi-dimensional building information modelling-based visualisation, and (d) to raise people's awareness about energy efficiency. The research approach adopted in the project started with the selection, as case studies, of representative test and reference rooms in modern and historical buildings chosen for having different requirements and constraints in term of sensing and control technologies. Then, according to the features of the selected rooms, the strategies to reduce the energy consumptions were defined, taking into account the potential savings related to lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and other device loads (PC, printers, etc.). The strategies include both the control of building services and devices and the monitoring of environmental conditions and energy consumption. In the paper, the energy savings estimated through simulation, for both HVAC and lighting, are presented to highlight the potential of the designed system. After the implementation of the system in the demonstrator, results will be compared with the monitored data.

A study on building performance analysis for energy retrofit of existing industrial facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gourlis, Georgios; Kovacic, Iva

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal simulation of a historical industrial hall with limited data availability. • Considering waste heat from machinery after measuring production fluctuations. • Test of retrofit alternatives for roof and skylights. • Results indicate a significant reduction in heating energy demand up to 52%. • After retrofit naturally ventilated hall can achieve thermal comfort in summer. - Abstract: Due to the strengthening of regulations and codes on building energy performance, as well as with the application of national legislations regarding energy management and efficiency, existing industrial facilities are using thermal refurbishment and renovation as impetus for increasing their overall energy efficiency. This paper analyzes a building envelope refurbishment for a case study of an existing historical industrial facility. Critical parameters affecting energy performance of industrial buildings were identified by reviewing relevant literate. Two retrofit scenarios were developed and dynamic thermal simulation using EnergyPlus was implemented to evaluate the potential for improvement. Thereby the impact of interior loads was considered, determined by measurements conducted on factory machines, occupancy and lighting operation patterns. However, information regarding constructions of the existing facility and installed technical building services is limited. There is also uncertainty in the quantification of natural ventilation air change rate for such buildings. To overcome these limitations a study of various material databases was carried out, in order to assess data for building envelope composition. Input values for missing data were provided based on literature, allowing a fair comparison between refurbishment alternatives. Simulation results showed that the heating demand of the facility could be reduced up to 52%, indicating a significant potential for energy savings. Beyond that, thermal performance against summer overheating also

Building America Case Study: Trade-Friendly Retrofit Insulated Panels for Existing Buildings, Albany, New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-03-01

This project evaluated the effectiveness and affordability of integrating retrofit insulated panels into a re-siding project. The Partnership for Home Innovation (PHI) teamed with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Albany Housing Authority (AHA), and the New York State Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) administered by Albany Community Action Partnership to demonstrate an energy retrofit and siding upgrade on a two-story, seven unit, multifamily building in Albany New York (CZ 5). The project focused on accomplishing three goals - doubling the existing wall thermal resistance (from approximately R-13 to a weighted average of R-27), reduction of building air leakage, and completion of the retrofit within a budget where the additional cost for upgrading wall's thermal resistance is equal to the cost of the standard re-siding effort (i.e., the total cost of the energy efficient re-siding scope of work is not more than double the cost of the standard re-siding effort). Lessons learned from the project strongly indicate that the retrofit panel technology can be installed using common installation practices and with minimal training. Other lessons learned include limitation on the use of standard air sealing materials during cold weather installations and the need to develop better installation guidance for trades working with the level of tolerances that may be present in the existing structure. This technology demonstration showed that exterior retrofit panels provide a viable and reasonable option for the siding trades to increase market opportunities and achieve synergistic benefits for aesthetic upgrades to a building's exterior.

Life-Cycle Assessment of Seismic Retrofit Strategies Applied to Existing Building Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umberto Vitiello

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the last few years, the renovation and refurbishment of existing buildings have become the main activities of the construction industry. In particular, many studies have recently focused on the mechanical and energy performances of existing retrofitted/refurbished facilities, while some research has addressed the environmental effects of such operations. The present study aims to assess the environmental impact of some retrofit interventions on an existing reinforced concrete (RC building. Once the structural requirements have been satisfied and the environmental effects of these retrofit solutions defined, the final purpose of this study is to identify the most environmentally sustainable retrofit strategy. The environmental impact of the structural retrofit options is assessed using a life-cycle assessment (LCA. This paper sets out a systematic approach that can be adopted when choosing the best structural retrofit option in terms of sustainability performance. The final aim of the study is to also provide a tool for researchers and practitioners that reflects a deep understanding of the sustainability aspects of retrofit operations and can be used for future researches or practical activities.

Solar-assisted gas-energy water-heating feasibility for apartments

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, E. S.

1975-01-01

Studies of residential energy use, solar-energy technology for buildings, and the requirements for implementing technology in the housing industry led to a project to develop a solar water heater for apartments. A design study for a specific apartment was used to establish a solar water-heater cost model which is based on plumbing contractor bids and manufacturer estimates. The cost model was used to size the system to minimize the annualized cost of hot water. The annualized cost of solar-assisted gas-energy water heating is found to be less expensive than electric water heating but more expensive than gas water heating. The feasibility of a natural gas utility supplying the auxiliary fuel is evaluated. It is estimated that gas-utilizing companies will find it profitable to offer solar water heating as part of a total energy service option or on a lease basis when the price of new base-load supplies of natural gas reaches $2.50-$3.00 per million Btu.

Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative Existing Building Energy Efficiency Analysis: November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finch, P.; Potes, A.

2010-06-01

In June 2009, the State of Hawaii enacted an Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS) with a target of 4,300 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2030 (Hawaii 2009). Upon setting this goal, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), working with select local stakeholders, partnered to execute the first key step toward attaining the EEPS goal: the creation of a high-resolution roadmap outlining key areas of potential electricity savings. This roadmap was divided into two core elements: savings from new construction and savings from existing buildings. BAH focused primarily on the existing building analysis, while NREL focused on new construction forecasting. This report presents the results of the Booz Allen Hamilton study on the existing building stock of Hawaii, along with conclusions on the key drivers of potential energy efficiency savings and on the steps necessary to attain them.

ENERGY DEMANDS OF THE EXISTING COLLECTIVE BUILDINGS WITH BEARING STRUCTURE OF LARGE PRECAST CONCRETE PANELS FROM TIMISOARA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pescari S.

2015-05-01

Full Text Available One of the targets of EU Directives on the energy performance of buildings is to reduce the energy consumption of the existing buildings by finding efficient solutions for thermal rehabilitation. In order to find the adequate solutions, the first step is to establish the current state of the buildings and to determine their actual energy consumption. The current paper aims to present the energy demands of the existing buildings with bearing structure of large precast concrete panels in the city of Timisoara. Timisoara is one of the most important cities in the west side of Romania, being on the third place in terms of size and economic development. The Census of Population and Housing of 2011 states that Timisoara has about 127841 private dwellings and 60 percent of them are collective buildings. Energy demand values of the existing buildings with bearing structure of large precast concrete panels in Timisoara, in their current condition, are higher than the accepted values provided in the Romanian normative, C107. The difference between these two values can reach up to 300 percent.

Study on post occupancy evaluation after remodeling in accordance with the `green remodeling certification standards of existing non-residential buildings'- Focusing on the case of H building

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Kyungjoo; Cho, Dongwoo; Yoon, Yosun

2018-06-01

South Korea has adopted the Paris Convention and promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% from business-as-usual (BAU) levels in the `First Basic Plan to Respond to Climate Change'. The reduction goal of greenhouse gas cannot be achieved considering only new buildings; the analysis results shows that the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings is essential. `The Green Remodeling Certification Standards', established in South Korea in 2016, is in line with the above plan. The post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of remodeled buildings after applying the `Green Remodeling Certification Standards of Existing Buildings' must be studied for expansion of this scheme. The study results are expected to be used as foundational data for the promotion of remodeling existing buildings.

Decreasing of energy consumption for space heating in existing residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamov, S.; Zlateva, M.; Gechkov, N.

2000-01-01

An analysis is for the technical possibilities for reducing the energy consumption in existing buildings by means of the heat control and measurement. The basic performances of the heat capacity control methods, of the hierarchy structure of the control and of the heat measurement technologies are presented. This paper also presents the results from the long-term investigation of energy consumption for heating. The results area consist of three typical and uniform buildings in the city of Kazanlak (Bulgaria). The outcome of the investigation provides a valuable basis for future decisions to be made concerning reconstruction of heating installations and enables the results to be transferred. (Authors)

Rapid energy modeling for existing buildings: Testing the business and environmental potential through an experiment at Autodesk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deodhar, Aniruddha; Stewart, Emma; Young, Rahul; Khan, Haider

2010-09-15

Retrofits of existing buildings represent a huge, growing market and an opportunity to achieve some of the most sizable and cost-effective carbon reductions in any sector of the economy. More 'zero energy' and 'carbon neutral' buildings are being conceived daily by combining energy efficiency measures with renewable energy technologies. However, for all the progress, the building industry faces technical and cost challenges in identifying the highest potential retrofit candidates. This presentation investigates one potential solution, a technology driven workflow called rapid energy modeling, to accelerate and scale the process of analyzing performance for existing buildings in prioritizing improvements.

Market influence on the low carbon energy refurbishment of existing multi-residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkinson, Jonathan G.B.; Jackson, Tim; Mullings-Smith, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between the energy market; the political and regulatory context; and energy design decisions for existing multi-residential buildings, to determine what form the energy market landscape would take if tailored to encourage low carbon solutions. The links between market dynamics, Government strategies, and building designs are mapped to understand the steps that achieve carbon reduction from building operation. This is achieved using a model that takes financial and energy components with market and design variables to provide net present cost and annual carbon outputs. The financial component applies discounted cash flow analysis over the building lifespan, with discount rates reflecting contractual characteristics; the carbon component uses Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) 2005. A scenario approach is adopted to test alternative strategies selected to encourage low carbon solutions in two residential and two office designs. The results show that the forward assumption of energy price escalation is the most influential factor on energy investment, together with the expected differentiation between the escalation of gas and electricity prices. Using this, and other influencing factors, the research reveals trends and strategies that will achieve mainstream application of energy efficiency and microgeneration technologies, and reduce carbon emissions in the existing multi-residential sector.

Improvement of energy performances of existing buildings by application of solar thermal systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krstić-Furundžić Aleksandra

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Improvement of energy performances of the existing buildings in the suburban settlement Konjarnik in Belgrade, by the application of solar thermal systems is the topic presented in this paper. Hypothetical models of building improvements are created to allow the benefits of applying solar thermal collectors to residential buildings in Belgrade climate conditions to be estimated. This case study presents different design variants of solar thermal collectors integrated into a multifamily building envelope. The following aspects of solar thermal systems integration are analyzed in the paper: energy, architectural, ecological and economic. The results show that in Belgrade climatic conditions significant energy savings and reduction of CO2 emissions can be obtained with the application of solar thermal collectors.

Demand management through centralized control system using power line communication for existing buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Mulla, A.; ElSherbini, A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A pilot system was developed for demand management of equipment in buildings. • The networking was based on LonWorks platform and power line communication. • Demand strategies led to load reductions up to 74% and energy savings up to 25%. • The peak load reduction is expected to reach 3.44 GW by the year 2030. - Abstract: Managing peak demand efficiently is vital for maintaining uninterrupted supply of electrical power by utility providers. In this work, a pilot system was developed for managing and controlling the demand of major power consuming equipment in buildings from a central server, while relying mostly on existing infrastructure and maintaining consumer comfort. The system was successfully demonstrated on a selected group of buildings using the LonWorks networking platform. At the building level, the system utilized power line and twisted pair communication to control the thermostats of air-conditioning (A/C) units. The higher level communication was executed through extensible markup language (XML) and simple object access protocol (SOAP). The system provided control capabilities based on A/C unit priority, thermostat temperature, building type and geographic location. The development and execution of demand management strategies for selected buildings led to peak load reductions up to 74%, in addition to energy savings up to 25%. Implementing such a system at a national level in Kuwait is estimated to reduce peak demand by 3.44 GW, amounting to capital savings of $4.13 billion. The use of existing infrastructure reduced the cost and installation time of the system. Based on the successful testing of this pilot system, a larger-scale system is being developed

Influence of Indoor Environment and Occupant Behaviour on Energy Consumption in Passive House Apartments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skød Søvsø, Asger; Peuhkuri, Ruut; Andersen, Rune Korsholm

2015-01-01

In 2012 Køge Boligselskab built 9 building blocks totalling 126 passive house apartments. Their monitored space heating demand (SHD) has been a lot higher than the passive house requirements. The aim of this study was to identify why, and how it relates to indoor environment and occupant behaviour...

Climate Change and Buildings Energy Efficiency - the Key Role of Residents

Science.gov (United States)

Miezis, Martins; Zvaigznitis, Kristaps; Stancioff, Nicholas; Soeftestad, Lars

2016-05-01

Eastern Europe today is confronted with an unavoidable problem - the multifamily apartment building stock is deteriorating but apartment owners do not have sufficient access to resources be they organizational, financial, technical or legal. In addition, destructive myths have grown about the Soviet era buildings despite their continued resilience or the ex- GDR experience in the 90s with the same buildings. Further, without resources, decision making in residential apartments is seen as a major obstacle and used as an explanation why renovation has not taken place in Latvia. This is important not only in the context of a potential housing crisis but also because the renovation of the apartment buildings is an effective solution to significantly reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It has a proven potential to effectively finance the long term renovation of these buildings. This paper summarizes the first findings of a comprehensive and in-depth study of apartment buildings, their owners and the processes relating to renovation, combining social and environmental engineering research methods. It seeks to understand how owners of multi-family buildings in Eastern Europe understand their buildings and then to answer two questions - how to motivate owners to renovate their homes and increase energy efficiency and what business models should be used to implement economically viable and high quality projects.

Renewable Energy Applications for Existing Buildings: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayter, S. J.; Kandt, A.

2011-08-01

This paper introduces technical opportunities, means, and methods for incorporating renewable energy (RE) technologies into building designs and operations. It provides an overview of RE resources and available technologies used successfully to offset building electrical and thermal energy loads. Methods for applying these technologies in buildings and the role of building energy efficiency in successful RE projects are addressed along with tips for implementing successful RE projects.

Mixed strategies for energy conservation and alternative energy utilization (solar) in buildings. Final report. Volume III. Appendixes. [10 appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-06-01

This appendix summarizes building characteristics used to determine heating and cooling loads for each of the five building types in each of the four regions. For the selected five buildings, the following data are attached: new and existing construction characteristics; new and existing construction thermal resistance; floor plan and elevation; people load schedule; lighting load schedule; appliance load schedule; ventilation schedule; and hot water use schedule. For the five building types (single family, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, office buildings, and schools), data are compiled in 10 appendices. These are Building Characteristics; Alternate Energy Sources and Energy Conservation Techniques Description, Costs, Fuel Price Scenarios; Life Cycle Cost Model; Simulation Models; Solar Heating/Cooling System; Condensed Weather; Single and Multi-Family Dwelling Characteristics and Energy Conservation Techniques; Mixed Strategies for Energy Conservation and Alternative Energy Utilization in Buildings. An extensive bibliography is given in the final appendix. (MCW)

Climate Change and Buildings Energy Efficiency – the Key Role of Residents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miezis Martins

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Eastern Europe today is confronted with an unavoidable problem - the multifamily apartment building stock is deteriorating but apartment owners do not have sufficient access to resources be they organizational, financial, technical or legal. In addition, destructive myths have grown about the Soviet era buildings despite their continued resilience or the ex- GDR experience in the 90s with the same buildings. Further, without resources, decision making in residential apartments is seen as a major obstacle and used as an explanation why renovation has not taken place in Latvia. This is important not only in the context of a potential housing crisis but also because the renovation of the apartment buildings is an effective solution to significantly reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It has a proven potential to effectively finance the long term renovation of these buildings. This paper summarizes the first findings of a comprehensive and in-depth study of apartment buildings, their owners and the processes relating to renovation, combining social and environmental engineering research methods. It seeks to understand how owners of multi-family buildings in Eastern Europe understand their buildings and then to answer two questions - how to motivate owners to renovate their homes and increase energy efficiency and what business models should be used to implement economically viable and high quality projects.

Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, S.; Berger, D.; Zuluaga, M.

2014-07-01

In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the 'fresh' air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent, and the 'normal leakage paths through the building envelope' disappear. CARB researchers have found that the majority of high performance, new construction, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four general strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, and the assumption is that products will perform similarly in the field. Proper application involves matching expected performance at expected building pressures, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. This research effort, which included several weeks of building pressure monitoring, sought to provide field validation of system performance. The performance of four substantially different strategies for providing make-up air to apartments was evaluated.

Residents’ Experiences of Privacy and Comfort in Multi-Storey Apartment Dwellings in Subtropical Brisbane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosemary Kennedy

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Dwellings in multi-storey apartment buildings (MSAB are predicted to increase dramatically as a proportion of housing stock in subtropical cities over coming decades. The problem of designing comfortable and healthy high-density residential environments and minimising energy consumption must be addressed urgently in subtropical cities globally. This paper explores private residents’ experiences of privacy and comfort and their perceptions of how well their apartment dwelling modulated the external environment in subtropical conditions through analysis of 636 survey responses and 24 interviews with residents of MSAB in inner urban neighbourhoods of Brisbane, Australia. The findings show that the availability of natural ventilation and outdoor private living spaces play important roles in resident perceptions of liveability in the subtropics where the climate is conducive to year round “outdoor living”. Residents valued choice with regard to climate control methods in their apartments. They overwhelmingly preferred natural ventilation to manage thermal comfort, and turned to the air-conditioner for limited periods, particularly when external conditions were too noisy. These findings provide a unique evidence base for reducing the environmental impact of MSAB and increasing the acceptability of apartment living, through incorporating residential attributes positioned around climate-responsive architecture.

Upgrading the seismic capacity of existing RC buildings using buckling restrained braces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamdy Abou-Elfath

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Many existing RC buildings do not meet the lateral strength requirements of current seismic codes and are vulnerable to significant damage or collapse in the event of future earthquakes. In the past few decades, buckling-restrained braces have become increasingly popular as a lateral force resisting system because of their capability of improving the strength, the stiffness and the energy absorbing capacity of structures. This study evaluates the seismic upgrading of a 6-story RC-building using single diagonal buckling restrained braces. Seismic evaluation in this study has been carried out by static pushover analysis and time history earthquake analysis. Ten ground motions with different PGA levels are used in the analysis. The mean plus one standard deviation values of the roof-drift ratio, the maximum story drift ratio, the brace ductility factors and the member strain responses are used as the basis for the seismic performance evaluations. The results obtained in this study indicate that strengthening of RC buildings with buckling restrained braces is an efficient technique as it significantly increases the PGA capacity of the RC buildings. The results also indicate the increase in the PGA capacity of the RC building with the increase in the amount of the braces.

LANL seismic screening method for existing buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickson, S.L.; Feller, K.C.; Fritz de la Orta, G.O.

1997-01-01

The purpose of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Seismic Screening Method is to provide a comprehensive, rational, and inexpensive method for evaluating the relative seismic integrity of a large building inventory using substantial life-safety as the minimum goal. The substantial life-safety goal is deemed to be satisfied if the extent of structural damage or nonstructural component damage does not pose a significant risk to human life. The screening is limited to Performance Category (PC) -0, -1, and -2 buildings and structures. Because of their higher performance objectives, PC-3 and PC-4 buildings automatically fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method and will be subject to a more detailed seismic analysis. The Laboratory has also designated that PC-0, PC-1, and PC-2 unreinforced masonry bearing wall and masonry infill shear wall buildings fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method because of their historically poor seismic performance or complex behavior. These building types are also recommended for a more detailed seismic analysis. The results of the LANL Seismic Screening Method are expressed in terms of separate scores for potential configuration or physical hazards (Phase One) and calculated capacity/demand ratios (Phase Two). This two-phase method allows the user to quickly identify buildings that have adequate seismic characteristics and structural capacity and screen them out from further evaluation. The resulting scores also provide a ranking of those buildings found to be inadequate. Thus, buildings not passing the screening can be rationally prioritized for further evaluation. For the purpose of complying with Executive Order 12941, the buildings failing the LANL Seismic Screening Method are deemed to have seismic deficiencies, and cost estimates for mitigation must be prepared. Mitigation techniques and cost-estimate guidelines are not included in the LANL Seismic Screening Method

Improving the Energy Performance in Existing Non-residential Buildings in Denmark Using the Total Concept Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krawczyk, Pawel; Afshari, Alireza; Simonsen, Graves K.

2016-01-01

This project is a part of a joint European research project, “Total Concept”, which is a method for improving the energy performance in existing non-Residential buildings. The method focuses on achieving maximum energy savings in a Building within the profitability frames set by a building owner...... was to form a package of measures for an energy performance improvement in the building based on the Total Concept method. This paper presents results from recently analyzed data on two renovated Danish buildings according to the rules of “Total Concept” method. According to the estimation done based...

Life Cycle CO2 Assessment by Block Type Changes of Apartment Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheonghoon Baek

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The block type and structural systems in buildings affect the amount of building materials required as well as the CO2 emissions that occur throughout the building life cycle (LCCO2. The purpose of this study was to assess the life cycle CO2 emissions when an apartment housing with ‘flat-type’ blocks (the reference case was replaced with more sustainable ‘T-type’ blocks with fewer CO2 emissions (the alternative case maintaining the same total floor area. The quantity of building materials used and building energy simulations were analyzed for each block type using building information modeling techniques, and improvements in LCCO2 emission were calculated by considering high-strength concrete alternatives. By changing the bearing wall system of the ‘flat-type’ block to the ‘column and beam’ system of the ‘T-type’ block, LCCO2 emissions of the alternative case were 4299 kg-CO2/m2, of which 26% was at the construction stage, 73% was as the operational stage and 1% was at the dismantling and disposal stage. These total LCCO2 emissions were 30% less than the reference case.

Coalition Building for Health: A Community Garden Pilot Project with Apartment Dwelling Refugees.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggert, Lynne K; Blood-Siegfried, Jane; Champagne, Mary; Al-Jumaily, Maha; Biederman, Donna J

2015-01-01

Refugees often experience compromised health from both pre- and post-migration stressors. Coalition theory has helped guide the development of targeted programs to address the health care needs of vulnerable populations. Using the Community Coalition Action Theory as a framework, a coalition was formed to implement a community garden with apartment-dwelling refugees. Outcomes included successful coalition formation, a community garden, reported satisfaction from all gardeners with increased vegetable intake, access to culturally meaningful foods, and evidence of increased community engagement. The opportunity for community health nurses to convene a coalition to affect positive health for refugees is demonstrated.

A Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haasl, T.

1999-05-11

Although this guide focuses on the retrocommissioning process and its advantages, all three types of commissioning--retrocommissioning, commissioning, and recommissioning--play an equally important role in ensuring that buildings perform efficiently and provide comfortable, safe, and productive work environments for owners and occupants. For new construction and retrofit projects, commissioning should be incorporated early, during design, and last throughout the length of the project. For buildings that were never commissioned, the retrocommissioning process can yield a wealth of cost-saving opportunities while enhancing a building's environment. Finally, once a building is commissioned or retrocommissioned, incorporating recommissioning into the organization's O and M program (by periodically reapplying the original diagnostic testing and checklist procedures) helps ensure that cost savings and other benefits gained from the original process persist over time.

A Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haasl, T.; Sharp, T.

1999-04-01

Although this guide focuses on the retrocommissioning process and its advantages, all three types of commissioning--retrocommissioning, commissioning, and recommissioning--play an equally important role in ensuring that buildings perform efficiently and provide comfortable, safe, and productive work environments for owners and occupants. For new construction and retrofit projects, commissioning should be incorporated early, during design, and last throughout the length of the project. For buildings that were never commissioned, the retrocommissioning process can yield a wealth of cost-saving opportunities while enhancing a building's environment. Finally, once a building is commissioned or retrocommissioned, incorporating recommissioning into the organization's O and M program (by periodically reapplying the original diagnostic testing and checklist procedures) helps ensure that cost savings and other benefits gained from the original process persist over time.

State-of-the-art study on standards for the restoration of existing buildings; State of the Art Studie 'Standards fuer Sanierungen von Bestandsgebaeuden'. Vorbereitende Studie zum 'Energy and GHG Optimised Building Renovation' new annex proposal - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cypra, S.

2009-07-01

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the results of a preliminary study on energy and greenhouse-gas optimised building renovation. The proposals are based on the building standards proposed under the '2000-Watt Society' and 'One-Tonne CO{sub 2} Society' proposals. Comparisons are made with Swiss official building standards as well as Swiss and international standards for zero-energy and passive housing. These standards and requirements are discussed in detail and examples of buildings built to meet them are described. Building standards based on sustainability standards are also discussed and compared. The methodology to be used with respect to single-family homes and apartment blocks is discussed. Finally, knowledge gaps are identified and appropriate literature is listed.

Indoor Air Quality of Residential Building Before and After Renovation

Science.gov (United States)

Sánka, Imrich; Földváry, Veronika

2017-06-01

This study investigates the impact of energy renovation on the indoor air quality of an apartment building during the heating season. The study was performed in one residential building before and after its renovation. An evaluation of the indoor air quality was performed using objective measurements and a subjective survey. The concentration of CO2 was measured in the bedrooms, and a sampling of the total volatile compounds (TVOC) was performed in the living rooms of the selected apartments. Higher concentrations of CO2 and TVOC were observed in the residential building after its renovation. The concentrations of CO2, and TVOC in some of the cases exceeded the recommended maximum limits, especially after implementing energy-saving measures on the building. The average air exchange rate was visibly higher before the renovation of the building. The current study indicates that large-scale renovations may reduce the quality of an indoor environment in many apartments, especially in the winter season.

Risk aversion and willingness to pay for energy efficient systems in rental apartments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farsi, Mehdi [Centre for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zuerichbergstr. 18, Zurich 8032 (Switzerland)

2010-06-15

This paper uses a random utility model to estimate consumers' valuation of energy efficient insulation and ventilation systems in rental apartments. Given consumers' limited experience in residential buildings and the perceived uncertainty about their comfort benefits and resulting energy savings, these relatively new technologies might be undervalued by risk-averse consumers. Using the concept of certainty-equivalence, this paper proposes a model to assess the consumers' risk-aversion for adopting energy-efficient systems. These systems are treated as risky assets while conventional commodities are assumed to be risk-free. The curvature of the utility function is interpreted as a measure of aversion to perceived risks as opposed to explicit risks measured by observed variances. The proposed formulation is applicable in stated preference data with qualitative variables. The model is applied to data from a choice experiment conducted among 264 apartment tenants in Switzerland. The estimated curvatures reject the risk-neutrality hypothesis. The range of the estimated risk premiums suggests that risk considerations remain a central issue in dealing with energy efficiency in residential buildings. The analysis also indicates that assuming same risk attitudes toward new and conventional systems could bias the estimates of the willingness to pay, especially when the system is comprised of several components. (author)

Risk aversion and willingness to pay for energy efficient systems in rental apartments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farsi, Mehdi

2010-01-01

This paper uses a random utility model to estimate consumers' valuation of energy efficient insulation and ventilation systems in rental apartments. Given consumers' limited experience in residential buildings and the perceived uncertainty about their comfort benefits and resulting energy savings, these relatively new technologies might be undervalued by risk-averse consumers. Using the concept of certainty-equivalence, this paper proposes a model to assess the consumers' risk-aversion for adopting energy-efficient systems. These systems are treated as risky assets while conventional commodities are assumed to be risk-free. The curvature of the utility function is interpreted as a measure of aversion to perceived risks as opposed to explicit risks measured by observed variances. The proposed formulation is applicable in stated preference data with qualitative variables. The model is applied to data from a choice experiment conducted among 264 apartment tenants in Switzerland. The estimated curvatures reject the risk-neutrality hypothesis. The range of the estimated risk premiums suggests that risk considerations remain a central issue in dealing with energy efficiency in residential buildings. The analysis also indicates that assuming same risk attitudes toward new and conventional systems could bias the estimates of the willingness to pay, especially when the system is comprised of several components.

Assessment of indoor air in Austrian apartments with and without visible mold growth

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, D.; Habib, J.; Galler, H.; Buzina, W.; Schlacher, R.; Marth, E.; Reinthaler, F. F.

Fungal spores are transported across great distances in the outdoor air and are also regularly found indoors. Building conditions and behavior-related problems in apartments may lead to massive growth of mold within a very short period of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the visible growth of mold indoors influences the concentration of fungal spores in the air as well as the variety of their species. Samples were collected from 66 households in Austria. For each sampling, the corresponding outdoor air was measured as reference value. The size of the visible mold growth was categorized in order to correlate the extent of mold growth with the concentration of airborne spores as well as the fungal genera. In order to determine fungal spore concentrations in the air, the one-stage MAS-100 ® air sampler was used. Malt extract agar (MEA) and dichloran glycerol agar (DG18) plates were used as culture media. The total colony forming units (CFU) per m 3 were determined. The fungi were identified from the isolated colonies. The results show that in apartments visibly affected by mold, the median values were significantly higher than those of apartments without visible mold growth. The extent of visible mold growth is significantly correlated with both concentration of fungal spores ( pPenicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. ( pPenicillium and Aspergillus in the air of apartments is recommended for assessing fungal exposure.

Alternative for Summer Use of Solar Air Heaters in Existing Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio L. González-González

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Among solar thermal technologies for indoor heating, solar air heaters (SAH are appealing for implementation on existing buildings due to their simplicity, fewer risks related to the working fluid, and possible independence from the building structure. However, existing research work mainly focuses on winter use and still fails in providing effective solutions for yearly operation, which would enhance their interest. With the aim of analysing an alternative summer use, this work firstly characterises a double channel-single pass solar air collector through experimentation. From the obtained results, modelling and simulation tasks have been conducted to evaluate the possibilities of using hot air, provided by the SAH, while operating under summer conditions within a closed loop, to feed an air-to-water heat exchanger for domestic hot water (DHW production. The system is studied through simulation under two different configurations for a case study in Valladolid (Spain, during the period from May to September for different airflows in the closed loop. Results show that daily savings can vary from 27% to 85% among the different operating conditions; a configuration where make-up water is fed to the heat exchanger being preferable, with a dedicated water tank for the solar heated water storage of the minimum possible volume. The more favourable results for the harshest months highlight the interest of extending the use of the solar air heaters to the summer period.

Retrofitting Garden-Style Apartments in Brooklyn, New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nolen, Heather [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Neri, Robin [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Grab, Joanna [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)

2016-02-01

This research effort sought to achieve a solution package that yields energy savings greater than 30% over the pre-existing conditions in a minimally intrusive multifamily retrofit project. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) partnered with L+M Development Partners, Inc. on a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program project, Marcus Garvey Village, in Brooklyn, NY (Climate Zone 4A). The Mitchell-Lama Housing Program is a form of housing subsidy in the state of New York that provides affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate- and middle-income families. Marcus Garvey Village was founded in 1975 and contains 625 residential units (ranging from studios to 5-bedroom units) in thirty-two 4-story garden-style apartment structures built with concrete and faced in light brown brick. The single largest challenge for implementation of energy conservation measures at Marcus Garvey was working within occupied spaces. Measures are being implemented in phases to minimize disruption. As of August 2015, the retrofit work is over 50% complete. The wall insulation, sealing of the through wall AC vent, and installation of new oil-filled electric baseboards with advanced controls are conducted at one time, limiting disruption to the living room space. In a similar fashion, the kitchen work is done, then the bathroom. The final selection of energy conservation measures is projected to save 26.5% in source energy with a cost just under $3.7 million and utility bill savings of nearly $480,000 (of an average $1.8 million annual utility cost for the development).

Contemporary facades of multistorey residential buildings in Kiev: Videoecological aspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozlova Nataliia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to one of the actual problems concerning the current state of the facades on apartment buildings in residential districts in Kiev - videoecology. The main purpose of the article is to determine the degree of visual aggressiveness of multistorey residential buildings in Kiev. It also investigates the problem of finding the optimal criteria for creating an ecologically healthy and friendly inhabited environment in the capital city of Ukraine. The modern visual environment in the capital is contaminated, not only because of the increasing numbers of promotional billboards, but also because of the contemporary architecture of high-rise buildings such as office buildings, apartment buildings. Their composition is usually based on a simple description of a rhythm. There are also repetitions of the end parts of buildings in “lowercase” buildings, which are high-rise buildings that alternate with nine or identical apartment groups. It creates a sense of oppressive monotony and leads to psychological and visual fatigue, especially when these repetitions are the only pattern the eye perceives. In the article a theoretical block of ecological-aesthetic criteria is defined, which must be met by the modern architecture facades of multistorey residential houses in Kiev.

Use of building typologies for energy performance assessment of national building stocks. Existent experiences in European Countries and common approach. First TABULA synthesis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loga, Tobias; Diefenbach, Nikolaus (eds.)

2010-06-15

The present study examines the experiences with building typologies in the European countries. The objective is to learn how to structure the variety of energy-related features of existing build-ings. As a result of the enquiry it can be stated that there are a lot of different activities which are based on typological criteria. Some of them are concentrating on providing information material and conducting energy advice. On the other hand, building types are used for a better understand-ing of the energy performance of building portfolios on different levels: from the strategic planning of housing companies up to the evaluation of national policies and measures in the building sector. On the basis of these experiences a common approach for building typologies has been devel-oped. The core elements of this harmonised approach are a classification systematic, a structure for building and supply system data and a coherent energy balance method. Furthermore a uni-form classification of statistical data enables a concerted approach for designing national building stock models. Finally, a concise itinerary is described which allows experts to develop step by step a national or regional building typology which are compatible with the common TABULA approach. (orig.)

Building a Better Robot

Science.gov (United States)

Navah, Jan

2012-01-01

Kids love to build robots, letting their imaginations run wild with thoughts of what they might look like and what they could be programmed to do. Yet when students use cereal boxes and found objects to make robots, often the projects look too similar and tend to fall apart. This alternative allows students to "build" robots in a different way,…

A Study on the Analysis of CO2 Emissions of Apartment Housing in the Construction Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonggeon Lee

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Recent research in the construction industry has focused on the reduction of CO2 emission using quantitative assessment of building life. However, most of this research has focused on the operational stage of a building’s life cycle. Few comprehensive studies of CO2 emissions during building construction have been performed. The purpose of this study is to analyze the CO2 emissions of an apartment housing during the construction process. The quantity of CO2 emissions associated with the utilization of selected building materials and construction equipment were used to estimate the CO2 emissions related to the apartment housing life cycle. In order to set the system boundary for the construction materials, equipment, and transportation used, 13 types of construction work were identified; then the CO2 emissions produced by the identified materials were calculated for each type of construction work. The comprehensive results showed that construction work involving reinforced concrete accounted for more than 73% of the total CO2 emissions. The CO2 emissions related to reinforced concrete work was mainly due to transportation from the supplier to the construction site. Therefore, at the time that reinforced concrete is being supplied, shipping distance and fuel economy management of concrete transportation vehicles should be considered thoroughly for significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

Proposal of new seismic assessment and retrofit technology for existing buildings; Hyogoken nanbu jishin higai wo kyokun to shita kison kozobutsu no taishin shindan system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshioka, K.; Takahashi, Y.; Seki, M.; Tanida, M.; Akiyama, T.; Hashimoto, Y. [Obayashi Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1995-08-10

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.2 on the JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) magnitude hit the southern Hyogo Prefecture on January 17, 1995. This earthquake, the worst in Japan since the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, brought great disaster and destruction to the Hanshin area and Awajishima Island. Most of the damage to concrete and steel structures occurred in buildings designed according to former building codes. Fewer collapses occurred in buildings designed under current building code that have more severe seismic requirements. Existing buildings should be assessed by their seismic potentiality, and retrofitted to escape damage in severe earthquakes such as the Great Hanshin Earthquake. New technology for assessing and retrofitting existing buildings was developed to improve resisting performance in response to severe earthquakes. Earthquake Load or motion exceeding current requirements can be supplied to assess and retrofit existing buildings if a client wants their buildings to exhibit much stronger seismic resistance. The retrofit technologies, such as a base isolation system for whole building, vibration control bracing system with steel damper, and base isolation floor system for computer equipments, can be applied to existing buildings. 11 refs., 9 figs., 8 tabs.

Energy plus standard in buildings constructed by housing associations?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stutterecker, Werner; Blümel, Ernst

2012-01-01

In order to achieve national, European and international energy goals, energy efficiency strategies in the building sector have to be implemented. The passive house standard and low energy standards are already successfully established in single dwelling houses. These high performance standards are starting to penetrate into the sector of housing associations. A case study about an apartment building constructed by a housing association is presented here. It describes the monitoring concept and the results of the 1st year of monitoring. Depending on the definition of the zero energy building standard (extent of loads included in the balancing), the building could be classified as an energy plus building or as a building, which uses more energy, than is supplied by on-site generation. If the building's total energy use (including user specific loads) is defined as load, only 34.5% of these loads were provided by the net energy output of the PV system. If only the heating energy demand is defined as load, the PV system even yielded a surplus of 45.6% of the energy load. -- Highlights: ► Energy monitoring of an apartment building constructed by a housing association. ► Planned as a Passive House with a semi-central ventilation system with decentralized heat pump technology. ► Total end energy demand of the building was 43 kWh/(m² a). ► Total net energy generation by the PV system was 15 kWh/(m² a). ► Apartment no. 1: 52% of the energy demand were used for heating and ventilation.

Energy and behavioral impacts of integrative retrofits for residential buildings: What is at stake for building energy policy reforms in northern China?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Peng; Xu, Tengfang; Shen, Pengyuan

2013-01-01

Based upon the results from extensive building monitoring and surveys on occupant’s behaviors in a representative nine-story apartment building in northern China, building energy simulations were performed to evaluate the impacts of integrative retrofits implemented. Integrative retrofits required by the newer building energy standard produced significant heating-energy savings (i.e., 53%) when compared with baseline buildings commonly built in early 1980s. Taking into account district-heating-system upgrades as part of integrative retrofit measures, a representative apartment building was 66% more efficient than the baseline building. Contrary to expectation, little behavioral change was found in response to the provisions of monetary incentive, billing-method reform, or metering of heating energy use in individual apartment units. Yet this paper identified sizable energy savings potential if occupants’ behavioral changes were to actually happen. This indicates that provisions of financial incentives or individual metering were insufficient for triggering substantial behavioral changes leading toward more energy savings in the current buildings. It is recommended that innovative energy policies, technology upgrades, and education would be needed to promote behavioral changes toward additional energy savings. Finally, measures and strategies to further enhance thermal integrity criteria (e.g., insulations of roof and balcony) are recommended in China’s future building energy policy reforms. - Highlights: ► Integrative retrofits significantly reduce residential heating energy in north China. ► Energy effects of retrofits, incentive, billing and behavioral changes were studied. ► Monetary incentive, control or metering technologies did not lead to behavior change. ► Potential energy savings due to occupants’ behavioral changes are sizable. ► Thermal integrity needs to be enhanced in future building standards and policies.

West Village Student Housing Phase I: Apartment Monitoring and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

German, A. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Bell, C. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Dakin, B. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States); Hoeschele, M. [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), Davis, CA (United States)

2014-06-01

Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) worked with the University of California, Davis and the developer partner West Village Community Partnership (WVCP) to evaluate performance on 192 student apartments completed in September, 2011 as part of Phase I of the multi-purpose West Village project. West Village is the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States. The campus neighborhood is designed to enable faculty, staff, and students to affordably live near campus, take advantage of environmentally friendly transportation options, and participate fully in campus life. The aggressive energy efficiency measures that are incorporated in the design contribute to source energy reductions of 37% over the B10 Benchmark. These measures include increased wall and attic insulation, high performance windows, high efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling, central heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), 100% high efficacy lighting, and ENERGY STAR major appliances. The report discusses how measured energy use compares to modeling estimates over a 10-month monitoring period and includes a cost effective evaluation.

Pattern analysis and suggestion of energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv Shilei; Wu Yong; Sun Jinying

2009-01-01

In China, Energy Efficiency Retrofit for Existing Residential Buildings (EERFERB) is faced with a fast development status. The Central Government decided to prompt the retrofit of 1.5x10 8 m 2 existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region during the '11th Five-Years Plan'. But, at present, the relative incentive policies and measurements are very insufficient. Especially, on the aspect of the retrofit pattern about the organization, retrofit content, investing and financing mode, the policy and management and other factors, no existing successful one can be spreaded into the whole northern heating region. This research not only analyzed the foreign advanced methods, drew lessons from their retrofit in Germany and Poland, but contrasted and analyzed energy efficiency retrofit demonstrations from Harbin, Tianjin, Tangshan and Baotou in China to get our domestic successful patterns and experience. Finally, some recommended retrofit patterns are presented, which can be applied for the instruction and decision-making for the Chinese local governments.

Determining daylight and view preferences from the use of blinds in apartments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Mads Dines

2015-01-01

preferences have significant influence on the daylight level and view as well as possible impact on the building’s energy consumption. Therefore, it is important to conduct further studies in the area in order to be able to design solutions that supports the user preferences better and through that improves...... for the inhabitants’ health and well-being, as well as the energy consumption. Present research is an important contribution, because of the increased knowledge about daylights impact on health and well-being as well as daylights impact on the energy consumption in our buildings. However, it is often seen...... that curtains or blinds, often close off new apartment buildings with large glass areas in dense urban context. Such observations indicate that there can be a discrepancy between the intentions of the design team or architect and the perception of the user. The paper presents the results of observations...

Performance evaluation of existing building structure with pushover analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Handana, MAP; Karolina, R.; Steven

2018-02-01

In the management of the infrastructure of the building, during the period of buildings common building damage as a result of several reasons, earthquakes are common. The building is planned to work for a certain service life. But during the certain service life, the building vulnerable to damage due to various things. Any damage to cultivate can be detected as early as possible, because the damage could spread, triggering and exacerbating the latest. The newest concept to earthquake engineering is Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE). PBEE divided into two, namely Performance Based Seismic Design (PBSD) and Performance Based Seismic Evaluation (PBSE). Evaluation on PBSE one of which is the analysis of nonlinear pushover. Pushover analysis is a static analysis of nonlinear where the influence of the earthquake plan on building structure is considered as burdens static catch at the center of mass of each floor, which it was increased gradually until the loading causing the melting (plastic hinge) first within the building structure, then the load increases further changes the shapes of post-elastic large it reached the condition of elastic. Then followed melting (plastic hinge) in the location of the other structured.

Working apart together: foundations for component groupware

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ter Hofte, H.; ter Hofte, Gerard Henri

1998-01-01

This thesis is the culmination of five years of Working Apart Together. As a research theme, it struck me in 1993 that Working Apart Together was not only a way of working that groupware systems were designed to support, but also a principle that could be applied within the groupware systems

NEW GENERATIONS RAISED IN APARTMENT SCHOOLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faruk Salih ŞEKER

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The main objective of private preparatory schools is preparing students for higher education institutions, they dealt a severe blow to the formal educatio nal institutions. Various solutions generated to close down these schools brought many concerns led to deepening of the problem. In this study, the issue of closing private preparatory schools, which function for preparation for the university entrance ex am, down and converting them into private schools in the academic year of 2014/2015 by regulations enforced by the ministry is discussed. Obviously, this period will results in generations with obesity, physical impairment, postural disorders, respiratory system disorders, cardiovascular and circulatory disorders as well as permanent diseases. These schools are established in apartments and commercial building employed by private preparatory schools previously. It is clearly seen that these physical condi tions may cause serious problems in physical activities and sport practices. The aim of this study is discussing the predicted problems either experienced or will be faced by students since they will continue formal education at schools called “Basic High School” converted from private preparatory schools into formal educational institutions with same physical conditions but different educational programs.

The Application of Buckling Reinforced Bracing and Shear Wall in Retrofitting of Existing Concrete Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Izadi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Vulnerable buildings and their rehabilitation are important problems for earthquake regions. In recent decades the goal of building rehabilitation and strengthening has gained different rehabilitation systems. However, most of these strengthening techniques disturb the occupants, who must vacate the building during renovation. Several retrofitting techniques such as addition masonry infill wall, application of buckling restrained braces and local modification of components has been studied in order to improve the overall seismic performance of such buildings. In response to many of the practical issues and economic considerations, engineers use often convergent unbuckling steel bracing frames as the lateral load resisting system during an earthquake.This kind of bracings increases the hardness and strength of concrete structures.The aim of the present study is the evaluation and comparison of seismic performance and retrofitting of an existing 7-storeys concrete structure with buckling restrained bracings and shear walls by nonlinear static procedure (NSP and accordance with cod-361. The results show that the buckling restrained bracing, decreased drift to acceptable levels and Structure behaves on the life safety of performance level.

Development of weightage for criteria affecting in retrofitting of existing building in Higher Learning Institution with clean energy initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Izie Adiana Abidin, Nur; Aminuddin, Eeydzah; Zakaria, Rozana; Mazzuana Shamsuddin, Siti; Sahamir, Shaza Rina; Shahzaib, Jam; Nafis Abas, Darul

2018-04-01

Campus university building is the Higher Learning Institution (HLI) involves complex activities and operations, conserving the energy has become paramount important. There are several efforts taken by universities to improve its current energy use such as policy development, education, and adaption of energy conservation solution through retrofitting. This paper aims to highlight the importance of the criteria affecting in retrofitting of existing buildings with clean energy in order to achieve zero energy balance in buildings. The focus is given to the development of criteria for solar photovoltaic (solar PV), wind turbines and small-scale hydropower. A questionnaire survey was employed and distributed to the green building expert practitioner. Factor Analysis, Factor Score, and Weightage Factor were adapted as a method of analysis in order to produce the final result with weightage output for prioritization and ranking of the relevant criteria. The result performed assists to provide the stakeholders an overview of the important criteria that should be considered especially during the decision making to retrofit the existing buildings with clean energy resources. The criteria developed are also to establish a structured decision-making process and to ensure the selection of the decision or alternatives achieve the desired outcome.

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Existing Buildings: Radiochemical Processing Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pope, Jason E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2013-11-11

In 2006, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) signed the Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), along with 21 other agencies. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is exceeding this requirement and, currently, about 25 percent of its buildings are High Performance and Sustainable Buildings. The pages that follow document the Guiding Principles conformance effort for the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL) at PNNL. The RPL effort is part of continued progress toward a building inventory that is 100 percent compliant with the Guiding Principles.

Building renovation with interior insulation on solid masonry walls in Denmark - A study of the building segment and possible solutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Odgaard, Tommy; Bjarløv, Søren Peter; Rode, Carsten

2015-01-01

The segment size of the Danish multi-story building stock from the period 1851-1930 is established through a unique major database managed by the Danish authorities. The outcome illustrates a large segment with 219,202 apartment units distributed over 14,832 unique buildings, all sharing characte...

Mobilization for energy renovation. Innovative tools for the uptake of deep renovation of the existing building stock based on behavioural insights

OpenAIRE

Taranu, Victoria; Verbeeck, Griet

2015-01-01

Mobilization for energy renovation. Innovative tools for the uptake of deep renovation of the existing building stock based on behavioural insights. In the context of climate change it is a priority to reduce the energy demand and make a shift towards renewable sources of energy. In Flanders almost half of the existing residential building stock was built before 1970 with low levels of insulation and inefficient installations. The vast majority of Fle...

Extremely low frequency magnetic field measurements in buildings with transformer stations in Switzerland.

Science.gov (United States)

Röösli, Martin; Jenni, Daniela; Kheifets, Leeka; Mezei, Gabor

2011-08-15

The aim of this study was to evaluate an exposure assessment method that classifies apartments in three exposure categories of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) based on the location of the apartment relative to the transformer room. We completed measurements in 39 apartments in 18 buildings. In each room of the apartments ELF-MF was concurrently measured with 5 to 6 EMDEX II meters for 10 min. Measured arithmetic mean ELF-MF was 0.59 μT in 8 apartments that were fully adjacent to a transformer room, either directly above the transformer or touching the transformer room wall-to-wall. In apartments that only partly touched the transformer room at corners or edges, average ELF-MF level was 0.14 μT. Average exposure in the remaining apartments was 0.10 μT. Kappa coefficient for exposure classification was 0.64 (95%-CI: 0.45-0.82) if only fully adjacent apartments were considered as highly exposed (>0.4 μT). We found a distinct ELF-MF exposure gradient in buildings with transformer. Exposure classification based on the location of the apartment relative to the transformer room appears feasible. Such an approach considerably reduces effort for exposure assessment and may be used to eliminate selection bias in future epidemiologic studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radon and the seal offered by the building shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crameri, R.; Furrer, D.; Burkart, W.

1992-01-01

Long term measurements of the radon level before and after the building shell is sealed were carried out in 25 apartment buildings and 7 houses. The average values of the most important meteorological parameters of wind speed, external temperature and barometric pressure which may influence the radon level, were absolutely comparable during the measurement periods before and after the energy renovation of the buildings. Both in houses and in apartment buildings the radon level remained practically unchanged after the building shell was sealed. The lack of any increase in the radon level after reducing the air exchange rate can be explained by virtue of the fact that the balance between the infiltration and elimination of the radon before and after the energy renovation of the buildings remained unchanged. In addition to reducing the air exchange rate, sealing the building shell therefore also results in a reduction in radon infiltration from the soil. Although it is possible in certain cases for the radon level to increase after the building shell has been sealed, a general increase in radon levels inside living areas as a result of energy renovation work can be dismissed. 2 figs., 3 tabs., 30 refs

Modeling Boston: A workflow for the efficient generation and maintenance of urban building energy models from existing geospatial datasets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerezo Davila, Carlos; Reinhart, Christoph F.; Bemis, Jamie L.

2016-01-01

City governments and energy utilities are increasingly focusing on the development of energy efficiency strategies for buildings as a key component in emission reduction plans and energy supply strategies. To support these diverse needs, a new generation of Urban Building Energy Models (UBEM) is currently being developed and validated to estimate citywide hourly energy demands at the building level. However, in order for cities to rely on UBEMs, effective model generation and maintenance workflows are needed based on existing urban data structures. Within this context, the authors collaborated with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to develop a citywide UBEM based on official GIS datasets and a custom building archetype library. Energy models for 83,541 buildings were generated and assigned one of 52 use/age archetypes, within the CAD modelling environment Rhinoceros3D. The buildings were then simulated using the US DOE EnergyPlus simulation program, and results for buildings of the same archetype were crosschecked against data from the US national energy consumption surveys. A district-level intervention combining photovoltaics with demand side management is presented to demonstrate the ability of UBEM to provide actionable information. Lack of widely available archetype templates and metered energy data, were identified as key barriers within existing workflows that may impede cities from effectively applying UBEM to guide energy policy. - Highlights: • Data requirements for Urban Building Energy Models are reviewed. • A workflow for UBEM generation from available GIS datasets is developed. • A citywide demand simulation model for Boston is generated and tested. • Limitations for UBEM in current urban data systems are identified and discussed. • Model application for energy management policy is shown in an urban PV scenario.

A brief comparison of existing regional green building design standards in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.; Liu, Y.; Ren, J.; Cho, S.

2017-03-01

A large country with a variety of regional natural, cultural and economic conditions, China has established a number of green building design (GBD) standards both at national and regional (provincial and municipal) levels. Some researches have been conducted to review and compare such standards. The main aim was to provide valuable references for the establishment of new regionally specific GBD standards in different regions of the country. This paper introduces the preliminary results of the researches. The distribution, frameworks and content of the existing regional GBD standards are introduced and compared in relating to the regionally specific climate, resource, economic and cultural conditions. Conclusions are provided and further researches are recommended.

Post Occupancy Evaluation of 23 Newly Renovated Apartments in Copenhagen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iqbal, Ahsan; Afshari, Alireza

2016-01-01

The present article is based on the post occupancy occupants’ perception of indoor air quality of recently renovated 23 residential apartments in Copenhagen. The apartments are equipped with novel mechanical ventilation systems. The apartments can be categorised in four, according to the design o...

On the effectiveness of smart technologies in the seismic protection of existing buildings Part I: Masonry structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandara, A.; Ramundo, F.; Spina, G.

2008-01-01

The first part of a study concerning innovative intervention techniques for dissipate a share of the input seismic energy compatible with the preservation of existing buildings, including historical and monumental constructions, is presented in this paper. The case of a typical scheme of a long-bay box-like masonry building fitted with a dissipative floating roof is analyzed. In the examined building a wide simulation analysis has shown the achievement of a very satisfying performance. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the system can be maximized by means of active or semi-active devices implemented in the floating roof and a significant reduction of the seismic impact on the building can be obtained compared with non-controlled or simply passively controlled structure. The results prove the remarkable increase of the energy dissipation capability of the system, as well as the reduction of structural damage, independently of any specific strengthening intervention

The radioactivity of house-building materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sos, K.

2007-01-01

The paper compares the natural radioactivity and radon emission properties of different building materials like bricks, concretes, cements, sands, limes, marmors of different origin. A description of the radioactive model of apartments is also given. (TRA)

Comparative Study on Code-based Linear Evaluation of an Existing RC Building Damaged during 1998 Adana-Ceyhan Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Toprak, A. Emre; Gülay, F. Gülten; Ruge, Peter

2008-07-01

Determination of seismic performance of existing buildings has become one of the key concepts in structural analysis topics after recent earthquakes (i.e. Izmit and Duzce Earthquakes in 1999, Kobe Earthquake in 1995 and Northridge Earthquake in 1994). Considering the need for precise assessment tools to determine seismic performance level, most of earthquake hazardous countries try to include performance based assessment in their seismic codes. Recently, Turkish Earthquake Code 2007 (TEC'07), which was put into effect in March 2007, also introduced linear and non-linear assessment procedures to be applied prior to building retrofitting. In this paper, a comparative study is performed on the code-based seismic assessment of RC buildings with linear static methods of analysis, selecting an existing RC building. The basic principles dealing the procedure of seismic performance evaluations for existing RC buildings according to Eurocode 8 and TEC'07 will be outlined and compared. Then the procedure is applied to a real case study building is selected which is exposed to 1998 Adana-Ceyhan Earthquake in Turkey, the seismic action of Ms = 6.3 with a maximum ground acceleration of 0.28 g It is a six-storey RC residential building with a total of 14.65 m height, composed of orthogonal frames, symmetrical in y direction and it does not have any significant structural irregularities. The rectangular shaped planar dimensions are 16.40 m×7.80 m = 127.90 m2 with five spans in x and two spans in y directions. It was reported that the building had been moderately damaged during the 1998 earthquake and retrofitting process was suggested by the authorities with adding shear-walls to the system. The computations show that the performing methods of analysis with linear approaches using either Eurocode 8 or TEC'07 independently produce similar performance levels of collapse for the critical storey of the structure. The computed base shear value according to Eurocode is much higher

Comparative Study on Code-based Linear Evaluation of an Existing RC Building Damaged during 1998 Adana-Ceyhan Earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toprak, A. Emre; Guelay, F. Guelten; Ruge, Peter

2008-01-01

Determination of seismic performance of existing buildings has become one of the key concepts in structural analysis topics after recent earthquakes (i.e. Izmit and Duzce Earthquakes in 1999, Kobe Earthquake in 1995 and Northridge Earthquake in 1994). Considering the need for precise assessment tools to determine seismic performance level, most of earthquake hazardous countries try to include performance based assessment in their seismic codes. Recently, Turkish Earthquake Code 2007 (TEC'07), which was put into effect in March 2007, also introduced linear and non-linear assessment procedures to be applied prior to building retrofitting. In this paper, a comparative study is performed on the code-based seismic assessment of RC buildings with linear static methods of analysis, selecting an existing RC building. The basic principles dealing the procedure of seismic performance evaluations for existing RC buildings according to Eurocode 8 and TEC'07 will be outlined and compared. Then the procedure is applied to a real case study building is selected which is exposed to 1998 Adana-Ceyhan Earthquake in Turkey, the seismic action of Ms = 6.3 with a maximum ground acceleration of 0.28 g It is a six-storey RC residential building with a total of 14.65 m height, composed of orthogonal frames, symmetrical in y direction and it does not have any significant structural irregularities. The rectangular shaped planar dimensions are 16.40 mx7.80 m = 127.90 m 2 with five spans in x and two spans in y directions. It was reported that the building had been moderately damaged during the 1998 earthquake and retrofitting process was suggested by the authorities with adding shear-walls to the system. The computations show that the performing methods of analysis with linear approaches using either Eurocode 8 or TEC'07 independently produce similar performance levels of collapse for the critical storey of the structure. The computed base shear value according to Eurocode is much higher

Comfort and well-being in passive solar buildings. Results from a european Audit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bluyssen, P.M.; Cox, C.W.J.

2006-01-01

Within the European research project HOPE, 97 apartment buildings and 67 office buildings - a large part of which designed to be energy-efficient - were investigated using checklists regarding building characteristics and questionnaires addressed to the occupants regarding their perceived comfort

Mobilisation of the potential for the renewal of energy systems in existing buildings; Mobilisierung der energetischen Erneuerungspotenziale im Wohnbaubestand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ott, W.; Baur, M.; Kaufmann, Y. [econcept AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Jakob, M.; Ott, A. [Centre for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE), ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2005-07-01

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) summarises the findings of an energy-policy project that looked into the potential for the renewal of energy systems in existing buildings. The report presents an analysis of the situation as far as buildings, their ownership and the development of renovation work is concerned. Also, the results of a survey made under the owners of buildings and managers of real estate with respect to building renovation aspects are presented and discussed. Further, an analysis of problems arising from deficits in the renewal of energy-relevant components is provided and background and motivation for the renewal of buildings are looked at. Also, economic aspects and sustainability issues are considered. A further chapter covers strategies and measures that can be used to mobilise the renewal potential, including legislature and labelling systems.

CHI SYMBOLISM IN ACHEBE'S THINGS FALL APART: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

the chi symbolism as exhibited in his famous work Things Fall. Apart. Things Fall Apart by Achebe gives fictionalized account of Igbo life and times which are close to the reality of our era. Philosophy ... solution which he offers to the problems of daily living in society. .... weighed on the balance of reality, they could stand for.

The quest for sustainability in existing buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Michaelsen, Lisbet; Jensen, Per Anker

2014-01-01

to sustainability at societal level. Due to lack of professional skills, decisions about operation and renovation of buildings are made every day in Denmark and beyond, without adequate knowledge about e.g. energy management and the potential ways of integrating sustainability (social, environmental and economic...

Maintenance of Heritage Building: A Case Study from Ipoh, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Seong Yeow

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Heritage buildings represent the tangible cultural heritage of a community. However, many of the heritage buildings have being left neglected. Ipoh as a city rich in heritage, has many dilapidated heritage buildings which are experiencing a resurging interest. However, the problems faced by many owners are the lack of technical information of such buildings, leading to premature abandonment and demolition. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to determine the types and extent of defects present in the building studied. To achieve these objectives, a case study of a century old heritage property in Ipoh, Perak was conducted. The study aims to provide reference to owners and those responsible for the conservation of heritage buildings with similar conditions to identify and prioritize critical defects in relation to the building life span to determine its condition. The findings determined the probable causes of defects such as settlement and façade cracks, which are over 30 years old, were attributed to leaking plumbing pipes, rainwater ingress and the construction of an adjacent 20 story apartment building. The major issues to address were stabilizing the foundation through cement grouting, reinforcing the existing structural systems and roof systems as well as arresting the decay of timber floor structure. In conclusion, major maintenance guidelines are need to address structural issues and weather tightness of the building envelope, especially its roof and drainage systems.

Analysis of energy efficiency retrofit schemes for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems in existing office buildings based on the modified bin method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhaoxia; Ding, Yan; Geng, Geng; Zhu, Neng

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A modified bin method is adopted to propose and optimize the EER schemes. • A case study is presented to demonstrate the analysis procedures of EER schemes. • Pertinent EER schemes for HVAC systems are proposed for the object building. - Abstract: Poor thermal performance of building envelop and low efficiencies of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can always be found in the existing office buildings with large energy consumption. This paper adopted a modified bin method to propose and optimize the energy efficiency retrofit (EER) schemes. An existing office building in Tianjin was selected as an example to demonstrate the procedures of formulating the design scheme. Pertinent retrofit schemes for HVAC system were proposed after the retrofit of building envelop. With comprehensive consideration of energy efficiency and economic benefits, the recommended scheme that could improve the overall energy efficiency by 71.20% was determined

Daylighting for energy conservation in an existing building under tropical climate conditions: a case study of Lai Sue Thai building Ramkhamhaeng University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lerdlekha Tanachaikhan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Daylighting using skylight has been shown to have a high potential in reducing electrical lighting energy, and could provide a more pleasant atmosphere of a daylit space. However, in hot climates, the main constraint of daylighting is the solar heat gain that contributes to major heat load for an air-conditioning system. If the balance between the beneficial light gain used to offset lighting energy requirement and heat gain from daylight is well considered, significant energy savings can be obtained. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the potential of daylighting for energy conservation in the tropics through theoretical analysis (simulation study and experimental observation. Lai Sue Thai Building (an existing and educational building located at Ramkhamkaeng University was selected as a case study. From analysis, use of daylight could reduce electrical energy in this building by up to 76% compared to the initial condition where fully lighting was supplied. Window orientation would also play an important role. Moreover, heat gain through windows due to daylighting can be controlled by overhangs and the appropriate Window-to-Wall ratio that would be about 30% for this building. An experimental study was also carried out to validate the results in a selected room. About 49% and 37% of Relative Root Mean Square Error (RRMSE were observed in light and heat measurements, respectively

Integration of PV modules in existing Romanian buildings from rural areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fara, S.; Finta, D. [IPA SA Research Development, Engineering and Manufacturing for Automation Equipment and Systems, Bucharest (Romania); Fara, L.; Comaneci, D. [Polytechnic Univ. of Bucharest (Romania); Dabija, A.M. [Univ. of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu, Bucharest (Romania); Tulcan-Paulescu, E. [West Univ. of Timisoara, Timisoara (Romania)

2010-07-01

Romania has launched a national research project to promote the use of distributed solar architecture and the use of BIPV systems. These systems include solar tunnels and active solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on the roofs and facades of buildings in rural areas. In contrast to other EU states, Romania does not have a photovoltaic building construction branch. The number of isolated cases are insufficient to identify a starting point regarding the PV market in the building industry. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate the efficiency of integrating various PV elements in buildings from rural areas, to test them and to make them known so that they can be used on a large scale. This will be accomplished by installing new products on 2 buildings in Bucharest and in 1 building in Timisoara. The PV modules will be integrated with the architecture. One of the buildings will be a historical building while the other 2 will be new buildings with different typologies. The installed power for each building will be of about 1.000 Wp, including some technologies with PV modules.

Legal concepts to eliminate the bottleneck in energy-saving modernisations for existing buildings; Rechtskonzepte zur Beseitigung des Staus energetischer Sanierungen im Gebaeudebestand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klinski, Stefan [Hochschule fuer Wirtschaft und Recht (HWR), Berlin (Germany)

2009-10-15

The research project looked at the following: 1. Whether and to what extent the German tenancy law creates, on the one hand, adequate incentives for energy-saving modernisations of existing buildings, on the one hand, and, on the other, whether it creates legal obstacles. 2. How these obstacles could be eliminated i.e. by changing existing tenancy law and instead creating stimuli for energy-saving modernization of existing rental buildings. The report contents a number of specific recommendations for an energy-related reform of the German tenancy law. Major recommendations are: - to eliminate the current toleration duty for modernisation measures if changes are made to the building that conflict with the duties arising from the energy saving provisions of public law, - to consider energy-saving characteristics in the reference rent customary in the locality, - to create a possibility for imposing a flat-rate surcharge which is linked to the savings in heating costs for energy-saving improvement. (orig.)

Study of structural reliability of existing concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Druķis, P.; Gaile, L.; Valtere, K.; Pakrastiņš, L.; Goremikins, V.

2017-10-01

Structural reliability of buildings has become an important issue after the collapse of a shopping center in Riga 21.11.2013, caused the death of 54 people. The reliability of a building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining and removing buildings in ways that ensure maintained health, ward suffered injuries or death due to use of the building. Evaluation and improvement of existing buildings is becoming more and more important. For a large part of existing buildings, the design life has been reached or will be reached in the near future. The structures of these buildings need to be reassessed in order to find out whether the safety requirements are met. The safety requirements provided by the Eurocodes are a starting point for the assessment of safety. However, it would be uneconomical to require all existing buildings and structures to comply fully with these new codes and corresponding safety levels, therefore the assessment of existing buildings differs with each design situation. This case study describes the simple and practical procedure of determination of minimal reliability index β of existing concrete structures designed by different codes than Eurocodes and allows to reassess the actual reliability level of different structural elements of existing buildings under design load.

Integrating Green Building Criteria Into Housing Design Processes Case Study: Tropical Apartment At Kebon Melati, Jakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Farid, V. L.; Wonorahardjo, S.

2018-05-01

The implementation of Green Building criteria is relatively new in architectural practice, especially in Indonesia. Consequently, the integration of these criteria into design process has the potential to change the design process itself. The implementation of the green building criteria into the conventional design process will be discussed in this paper. The concept of this project is to design a residential unit with a natural air-conditioning system. To achieve this purpose, the Green Building criteria has been implemented since the beginning of the design process until the detailing process on the end of the project. Several studies was performed throughout the design process, such as: (1) Conceptual review, where several professionally proved theories related to Tropical Architecture and passive design are used for a reference, and (2) Computer simulations, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel simulation, used to represent the dynamic response of the surrounding environment towards the building. Hopefully this paper may become a reference for designing a green residential building.

Existing School Buildings: Incremental Seismic Retrofit Opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC.

The intent of this document is to provide technical guidance to school district facility managers for linking specific incremental seismic retrofit opportunities to specific maintenance and capital improvement projects. The linkages are based on logical affinities, such as technical fit, location of the work within the building, cost saving…

LEVERAGING TREATMENT OF SALT ATTACK AND RISING DAMP IN HERITAGE BUILDINGS IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haris Fadzilah Abdul Rahman

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Of the common building defects that occur in heritage buildings in Penang, Malaysia, salt attack and rising damp are considered the most challenging, particularly for building conservation. The problem of salt attack is closely associated with rising damp. Moisture from the rising damp makes the building’s existing salts soluble, or ground water that contains salt finds its way through the building wall. This moisture then evaporates on or just below the wall’s surface, leaving salt residue behind. High salt concentrations in masonry walls cause extensive fretting and crumbling of the lower parts of walls. These formations gradually contribute to building dilapidation and reduce the building’s aesthetic value. Sodium chloride and calcium sulphate are commonly found in masonry walls, apart from other forms of salts. The sources of these salts may be natural or manmade. This paper is based on research into the problems of salt attack and rising damp in heritage masonry buildings in Penang, Malaysia. Based on a case study of five buildings in Penang, the research findings showed that these buildings faced several common building defects, including salt attack and rising damp. Treatment guidelines for salt attack and rising damp are proposed within the Malaysian context of architectural heritage and climatic conditions.

Target-oriented obstacle analysis by PESTEL modeling of energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shilei, Lv; Wu Yong

2009-01-01

According to the 'Comprehensive Work Program of Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction' of the Chinese government, during the period of the '11th Five-Year Plan', 1.5x10 8 m 2 of existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region are to be retrofitted for energy efficiency. However, at present, this 'Energy Efficiency Retrofit for Existing Residential Buildings' (EERFERB) faces many obstacles. Under the current working and market system, both the central and local governments and the energy supply companies can not push on this work smoothly. Using both the results of the annual national special inspection of building energy efficiency and some case analyses, this paper examines the necessity for energy efficiency retrofit, along with the relationships among the various Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) factors affecting it. Furthermore, organizational, financial and technical support systems are explored to promote the development of retrofit. Finally, some primary principles to be followed toward the implementation of EERFERB are suggested.

Teaching Ethics with Apartment Leases.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomerenke, Paula J.

1998-01-01

Describes an assignment in a corporate-communications class in which students examine the design and the language of their apartment leases. Discusses how this assignment teaches students about the Plain English laws and the need for plain English in leases and in ethics. (SR)

Dose reduction factors from a radioactive cloud for large buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grand, J. le; Roux, Y.

1986-01-01

A set of complex and accurate computer codes has been established to determine the transport of photons emitted from a radioactive cloud through various media. The geometrical and physical description of large buildings with various numbers of floors and rooms can be done by the user. The codes can calculate, in any room or apartment, the characteristics of the photon fields (photon flux, energy flux and distribution, direction distribution) and whole-body absorbed dose rates in a phantom standing or lying on the floor. The dose reduction factor is then the quotient of the mean absorbed dose rate in the apartment to the absorbed dose rate in the phantom standing on the ground outdoors. Applications to several modern multistorey buildings are presented. The results show the influence of various parameters such as density and composition of building materials, the fraction of the external building surface containing apertures and initial photon energy. (author)

Energy monitoring and the 'energy passport' for buildings - Preliminary study; Energie-Monitoring Gebaeude und Gebaeude-Energiepass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baumgartner, A.; Menti, U.-P. [Amstein and Walthert AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Sigg, R.; Besser, U. [Intep Integrale Planung GmbH, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2004-07-01

This preliminary study for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) examines the situation in Switzerland with regard to the creation of an energy-consumption rating system for buildings. Present and future developments in Europe in this area are examined. This preliminary study provides the basis for a main study in that it defines the main questions to be looked at. Present-day data collection on the energy consumption of buildings is looked at critically. The authors suggest the integration of an energy-consumption data bank in the existing building and apartment register. The situation in Europe, where specific ideas on the introduction of national 'energy passports' for buildings are being looked at, is considered. The work that will have to be done in Switzerland in this area is reviewed, and the essential prerequisites for the implementation of such an energy-monitoring system are discussed.

Analyzing Design Heating Loads in Superinsulated Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arena, Lois [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States)

2015-06-16

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America research team Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) worked with the EcoVillage cohousing community in Ithaca, New York, on the Third Residential EcoVillage Experience neighborhood. This communityscale project consists of 40 housing units—15 apartments and 25 single-family residences. Units range in size from 450 ft2 to 1,664 ft2 and cost from $80,000 for a studio apartment to $235,000 for a three- or four-bedroom single-family home. For the research component of this project, CARB analyzed current heating system sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates to determine if changes in building load calculation methodology should be recommended. Actual heating energy use was monitored and compared to results from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s Manual J8 (MJ8) and the Passive House Planning Package software. Results from that research indicate that MJ8 significantly oversizes heating systems for superinsulated homes and that thermal inertia and internal gains should be considered for more accurate load calculations.

Overheating and Daylighting; Assessment Tool in Early Design of London’s High-Rise Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bachir Nebia

2017-08-01

Full Text Available High-rise residential buildings in dense cities, such as London, are a common response to housing shortage. The apartments in these buildings may experience different levels of thermal and visual comfort, depending on their orientation and floor level. This paper aims to develop simplified tools to predict internal temperatures and daylighting levels, and propose a tool to quickly assess overheating risk and daylight performance in London’s high-rise residential buildings. Single- and double-sided apartments in a high-rise building were compared, and the impact of their floor level, glazing ratio, thermal mass, ventilation strategy and orientation was investigated. Using Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IES VE, temperature and daylight factor results of each design variable were used to develop early design tools to predict and assess overheating risks and daylighting levels. The results indicate that apartments that are more exposed to solar radiations, through either orientation or floor level, are more susceptible to overheat in the summer while exceeding the daylighting recommendations. Different design strategies at different levels and orientations are subsequently discussed.

Seismic assessment of existing RC buildings under alternative ground motion ensembles compatible to EC8 and NTC 2008

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanganelli, Marco; Viti, Stefania; Mariani, V.; Pianigiani, Maria

2017-01-01

This work investigates the effects of the choice of different ensembles of ground motions on the seismic assessment of existing RC buildings through nonlinear dynamic analysis. Nowadays indeed, all the main International Seismic Codes provide a soil classification which is based on the shear wave

Basic Study on Term of Warranty Liability for Water Supply, Drainage, and Sanitation Arrangement Work Defect in Apartment Building

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Junmo; Seo, DeokSeok

2017-06-01

The defect lawsuit of the apartment which is the representative residential style of Korea continues and becomes a social problem. In the defect lawsuit, the term of warranty liability is a period that can demand the defect repair according to defect occurrence, and the exclusion period of the exercise of rights. However, the term of warranty liability stipulated in relevant laws such as Enforcement Decree of the Housing Act is being changed arbitrarily, without any established grounds. Therefore, a reasonable standard for establishing the term of warranty liability is required. In this study, the defects of water supply, drainage and sanitation arrangement work were studied. As a result of analyzing the number of defect occurrence in the apartment, it was shown that the defects in water supply, drainage and sanitation arrangement work occurred more than 80% in the 1st ∼ 2nd year after completion. However, the occurrence of defects from the 3rd year was extremely slight. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the defect occurrence continued until fairly late point of time as the end point of time of the defects was in the 7th to 9th years.

Solar heating and cooling of buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Bourke, R. D.; Davis, E. S.

1975-01-01

Solar energy has been used for space heating and water heating for many years. A less common application, although technically feasible, is solar cooling. This paper describes the techniques employed in the heating and cooling of buildings, and in water heating. The potential for solar energy to displace conventional energy sources is discussed. Water heating for new apartments appears to have some features which could make it a place to begin the resurgence of solar energy applications in the United States. A project to investigate apartment solar water heating, currently in the pilot plant construction phase, is described.

Assessment of Seismic Damage on The Exist Buildings Using Fuzzy Logic

Science.gov (United States)

Pınar, USTA; Nihat, MOROVA; EVCİ, Ahmet; ERGÜN, Serap

2018-01-01

Earthquake as a natural disaster could damage the lives of many people and buildings all over the world. These is micvulnerability of the buildings needs to be evaluated. Accurate evaluation of damage sustained by buildings during natural disaster events is critical to determine the buildings safety and their suitability for future occupancy. The earthquake is one of the disasters that structures face the most. There fore, there is a need to evaluate seismic damage and vulnerability of the buildings to protect them. These days fuzzy systems have been widely used in different fields of science because of its simpli city and efficiency. Fuzzy logic provides a suitable framework for reasoning, deduction, and decision making in fuzzy conditions. In this paper, studies on earthquake hazard evaluation of buildings by fuzzy logic modeling concepts in the literature have been investigated and evaluated, as a whole.

Building envelope for New Buildings and Energy Renovation of Existing Buildings. Project results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudbeck, Claus Christian; Rose, Jørgen; Esbensen, Peter Kjær

1999-01-01

of heat- and moistureflow is insufficiently documented for large insulation thicknesses. Thermal bridges, for instance, plays a larger role for the overall heat loss in these constructions, and moisture in insulation materials will decrease the overall performance of the construction.Due to these facts...... on the following subjects:Scientific basis for calculation programs, Development of calculationsmethods for heat transfer, Development of new building envelope components, Roofing system based on wooden roof elements, Roofing system with drying properties, Moisture uptake and drying from brick constructions...

A Field Study of Wall Furnace Venting and Coincident Exhaust Fan Usage in 16 Northern California Apartments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Less, Brennan D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Delp, William W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Brooks, Andrew [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States); Cohn, Sebastian [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States); Finn, Brian [Association for Energy Affordability, Emeryville, CA (United States)

2016-09-01

To inform efforts to improve combustion appliance testing in residential energy efficiency programs, we studied the frequency of coincident fan use and depressurization-induced downdrafting and spillage from atmospherically vented (i.e., natural draft) wall furnaces in airtight apartments. Indoor environmental conditions, heating appliance operation, use of exhaust fans, and cooking with stovetop or oven were monitored for approximately three weeks each in 16 apartment units in two buildings in Northern California. Apartments also were assessed using standard combustion appliance safety test methods and enhanced protocols. Monitoring occurred in February and March of 2016, with heating demand corresponding to 7.3 ± 0.5 heating degree-days at a 65ºF reference temperature. Most of the furnaces spilled combustion products when the apartments were depressurized in the “worst-case” challenge condition of all exhaust fans operating at their highest settings and all windows closed. Many also spilled under less challenging conditions (e.g., with kitchen exhaust fan on low and bathroom fan operating). On average, bathroom exhaust fans were operated 3.9% of monitored minutes (13.5% max), and cooking (burner or kitchen fan operation) occurred 4.6% of minutes (max 13.3%). Event lengths averaged 17 minutes (max 540) and 34 minutes (max 324), respectively. Their coincident operation averaged 0.34% of minutes (max 2.0%), with average event length of 13 minutes (max 92 minutes). This suggests that the operation of apartment units at or near the currently used worst-case challenge condition is quite rare. Wall furnace burners operated an average of 2.8% of minutes (max of 8.9%), with average burner cycle length of 14 minutes (max 162). Coincident bath fan use, cooking and wall furnace operation was very rare, occurring only a handful of times across all apartments. The highest rate was 0.075% of monitored minutes in one apartment, and the longest event length was 12 minutes

How to simulate pedestrian behaviors in seismic evacuation for vulnerability reduction of existing buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Quagliarini, Enrico; Bernardini, Gabriele; D'Orazio, Marco

2017-07-01

Understanding and representing how individuals behave in earthquake emergencies would be essentially to assess the impact of vulnerability reduction strategies on existing buildings in seismic areas. In fact, interactions between individuals and the scenario (modified by the earthquake occurrence) are really important in order to understand the possible additional risks for people, especially during the evacuation phase. The current approach is based on "qualitative" aspects, in order to define best practice guidelines for Civil Protection and populations. On the contrary, a "quantitative" description of human response and evacuation motion in similar conditions is urgently needed. Hence, this work defines the rules for pedestrians' earthquake evacuation in urban scenarios, by taking advantages of previous results of real-world evacuation analyses. In particular, motion laws for pedestrians is defined by modifying the Social Force model equation. The proposed model could be used for evaluating individuals' evacuation process and so for defining operative strategies for interferences reduction in critical urban fabric parts (e.g.: interventions on particular buildings, evacuation strategies definition, city parts projects).

Experimental modal identification of an existent earthen residential building

OpenAIRE

Aguilar, Rafael; Ramos, Luís F.; Torrealva, D.; Chácara, C.

2013-01-01

The paper presents the preliminary round of in-situ experimental tests carried out at “Hotel Comercio”, a historical construction located at the historical centre of Lima (capital of Peru). The building is a three story republican-type construction built at 19th Century with composite structure of Adobe and “Quincha”. The experimental works consisted on Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) tests aiming at identifying the dynamic characteristics of the building using the environmental noise as sou...

Shear-controlled evolution of the Red Sea: pull apart model

Science.gov (United States)

Makris, J.; Rihm, R.

1991-11-01

Results of seismic and other geophysical investigations suggest that strike-slip processes controlled the break-up of the Arabian plate from Africa and initiated the Red Sea Rift. Early oceanisation was facilitated by nucleation of pull apart basins and massive intrusives. The evolution of the Red Sea has gone through different stages. It was a zone of structural weakness already during the Pan-African orogeny approximately 600 Ma. A major reactivation, however, that gradually led to the present-day configuration was initiated during the late Oligocene with intense magmatic activity and the development of a continental rift. Wrench faulting played a key role in the early evolution of the Red Sea, as it shaped most of its western flank as a sharp plate boundary and resulted in the generation and rapid oceanisation of linearly arranged pull apart basins. Spatial distribution of these basins reflects the geometry of the strike-slip zone, which was controlled by pre-existing fault systems like the Najd Shear System, the Central African Fault Zone or the Onib-Hamisana and Baraka suture zones. Strike-slip motion along the latter zones of weakness influenced mainly the Egyptian and Sudanese coastal areas. Arabia was therefore separated from Africa by oceanisation in those regions, where pull apart basins developed. They were still connected in the in-between segments by stretched continental crust. With Arabia as the "moving" and Africa as the "stable" plate the eastern Red Sea flank was formed by pure shear through stretching, thinning and diffuse extension. As a consequence, the eastern and western flanks of the Red Sea are asymmetrical. The acceleration of the movement of Arabia in early/middle Miocene could no longer be accommodated by the opening in the Gulf of Suez and consequently the Dead Sea strike-slip fault developed approximately 14 Ma ago. Since plate motion was still oblique to the major structural trends, the pull apart evolution on the western flank

Study on the Application of Cool Paintings for the Passive Cooling of Existing Buildings in Mediterranean Climates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Costanzo

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Building roofs play a very important role in the energy balance of buildings, especially in summer, when they are hit by a rather high solar irradiance. Depending on the type of finishing layer, roofs can absorb a great amount of heat and reach quite high temperatures on their outermost surface, which determines significant room overheating. However, the use of highly reflectivecool materials can help to maintain low outer surface temperatures; this practice may improve indoor thermal comfort and reduce the cooling energy need during the hot season. This technology is currently well known and widely used in the USA, whilereceiving increasing attention in Europe. In order to investigate the effectiveness of cool roofs as a passive strategy for passive cooling in moderately hot climates, this paper presents the numerical results of a case study based on the dynamic thermal analysis of an existing office building in Catania (southern Italy, Mediterranean area. The results show how the application of a cool paint on the roof can enhance the thermal comfort of the occupants by reducing the operative temperatures of the rooms and to reduce the overall energy needs of the building for space heating and cooling.

Lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins

Science.gov (United States)

Corti, Giacomo; Dooley, Tim P.

2015-11-01

We present here the results of the first lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins. The experiments simulate relative displacement of two lithospheric blocks along two offset master faults, with the presence of a weak zone in the offset area localising deformation during strike-slip displacement. Reproducing the entire lithosphere-asthenosphere system provides boundary conditions that are more realistic than the horizontal detachment in traditional 1 g experiments and thus provide a better approximation of the dynamic evolution of natural pull-apart basins. Model results show that local extension in the pull-apart basins is accommodated through development of oblique-slip faulting at the basin margins and cross-basin faults obliquely cutting the rift depression. As observed in previous modelling studies, our centrifuge experiments suggest that the angle of offset between the master fault segments is one of the most important parameters controlling the architecture of pull-apart basins: the basins are lozenge shaped in the case of underlapping master faults, lazy-Z shaped in case of neutral offset and rhomboidal shaped for overlapping master faults. Model cross sections show significant along-strike variations in basin morphology, with transition from narrow V- and U-shaped grabens to a more symmetric, boxlike geometry passing from the basin terminations to the basin centre; a flip in the dominance of the sidewall faults from one end of the basin to the other is observed in all models. These geometries are also typical of 1 g models and characterise several pull-apart basins worldwide. Our models show that the complex faulting in the upper brittle layer corresponds at depth to strong thinning of the ductile layer in the weak zone; a rise of the base of the lithosphere occurs beneath the basin, and maximum lithospheric thinning roughly corresponds to the areas of maximum surface subsidence (i.e., the basin depocentre).

Technology line and case analysis of heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in Northern heating areas of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jing; Zhu Neng; Wu Yong

2009-01-01

The building area in northern heating areas accounting for 70% of the total land area in China is 6,500,000,000 m 2 . The average heating energy consumption in northern China is 100-200% times more than developed countries in the same latitude. This paper introduced firstly the heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit background of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China organized by mohurd and MOF, and then put forward the total principle and contents of retrofit. Through analyzing some retrofit cases in Germany, Poland and China, some technological experiences were summarized and finally a technology line suitable for heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China which involved retrofit for heat metering and temperature regulation of heating systems, heat balance of heat source and network, and building envelope was described to provide a systematic, scientific, technological guide for the retrofit projects of 0.15 billion m 2 in 'the Eleventh Five-Year Plan' period.

Façade system for existing office buildings in Copenhagen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hannoudi, Loay Akram; Christensen, Jørgen Erik; Lauring, Michael

2015-01-01

This study investigates solutions for facade renovation of general office buildings built between 1960 and 1980 in the Copenhagen Municipality. 44 buildings are used for the study. They share common structural and construction principles like the use of beams and columns and prefabricated elements...

Check and evaluation system on heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of china based on multi-index comprehensive evaluation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jing; Wu Yong; Zhu Neng

2009-01-01

Heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China is organized and implemented in a large scale by local government in 15 provinces of North China with the unified guidance and control of central government. Firstly, this paper introduced the target of energy-saving reformation of existing residential buildings in North China and the importance of check and evaluation on this target, then pointed out the necessity of building up an evaluation system for energy-saving retrofit. According to the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), three-grade evaluation system was built up for heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China. Also, based on multi-index comprehensive evaluation method combined with life cycle assessment (LCA) theory, post-evaluation thought and successful degree evaluation method, a mathematical model was established. Finally, a set of scientific method for evaluating heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China systematically, scientifically, comprehensively and objectively was created.

Building

OpenAIRE

Seavy, Ryan

2014-01-01

Building for concrete is temporary. The building of wood and steel stands against the concrete to give form and then gives way, leaving a trace of its existence behind. Concrete is not a building material. One does not build with concrete. One builds for concrete. MARCH

Energy Saving Alignment Strategy: Achieving energy efficiency in urban buildings by matching occupant temperature preferences with a building’s indoor thermal environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Xiaoqi; Culligan, Patricia J.; Taylor, John E.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A novel strategy for energy savings in multi-family buildings is presented. • A household’s thermal preferences are matched with a unit’s thermal environment. • Potential energy savings are examined using public housing as a test case. • 2.1–42.0% primary energy savings are shown, depending on climate location. - Abstract: Existing strategies for residential energy savings through physical renovation or motivating occupant energy conservation behavior can be costly and/or have transitory effects. Focusing on multi-family dwellings, an important subset of the urban residential sector, we propose an Energy Saving Alignment Strategy (ESAS) that has advantageous cost-effectiveness and a long-lasting influence. By aligning the distribution of residents’ thermostat preferences with the indoor temperature, ESAS aims to maximize thermal comfort and, accordingly, energy savings in multi-family buildings where indoor temperatures vary between apartments as a function of apartment orientation and floor level. Using a case study of a 1084-apartment public housing complex in New York, we classify both occupants’ thermostat preferences and apartments’ operative temperatures into five groups, and optimize energy efficiency by assigning each group of occupants to the group of apartments that best aligns with their thermostat preference. We test ESAS in eight cities representing all four U.S. census regions and six climate zones. Simulation results reveal 2.1–42.0% in energy savings compared to random apartment assignments depending on geographic location, with the highest energy reductions occurring in cities with mild climates, where the range of occupant thermostat preferences coincides with the natural indoor temperature range. We conclude by providing suggested guidelines on how ESAS might work in practice, and recommendations for extending ESAS research

A systematic approach to assessing the state of the apartment blocks

OpenAIRE

Shpak Aleksandr S.

2015-01-01

Problems of management system of apartment houses are actualized. The SWOT-analysis of apartment houses management system using qualitative and quantitative methods is conducted. Based on the SWOT-analysis we show summarized expert evaluation and binary evaluation of apartment houses management system problems in the urban district. Also based on the SWOT-analysis results we highlight the need for model measures package ("road map") application to ensure information transparency and accountab...

RESIDENTS CLOSE THEIR MACEIO SEASHORE APARTMENT VERANDAHS: ADAPTATION TO A NEW LIFESTYLE OR NON-ADAPTATION TO THE CLIMATE?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Márcio Toledo

2010-11-01

Full Text Available : This paper aims to verify the reason why the apartments verandahs are being closed, a tendency mainly observed at beach cities, and as well the new uses for the rooms, stuffs and typologies in the closing. The methodology applied consisted in photographic surveys and questionnaire applications with residents from nine apartment buildings in the city of Maceio who made up the verandah closure, focusing the handling of door and windows and on the perception of the natural ventilation on summertime and wintertime. It was claimed that the excessive ventilation and the unwished incidence of rain as the major environmental reasons to verandahs closure. It was verified that after the closure, the residents started to utilize it more frequently, keeping the original usage or modifying it. This paper contributes to understand the residents’ reasons, perceptions and choices about the verandahs, creating the conception of new spaces that more and more focus their needs, bringing up elements of projects to architects and project designers.

Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, S. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, D. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, M. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States)

2014-07-01

In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the "fresh" air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent. CARB researchers have found that most new high performance, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. In this research project, CARB evaluated the four ventilation strategies in the field to validate system performance.

Upgrade energy building standards and develop rating system for existing low-income housing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, D.; Norville, C.

1993-07-01

The city of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD) receives grant funding each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide local housing assistance to low-income residents. Through the years, HCD has found that many of the program recipients have had difficulty in managing their households, particularly in meeting monthly financial obligations. One of the major operating costs to low-income households is the utility bill. Furthermore, HCD's experience has revealed that many low-income residents are simply unaware of ways to reduce their utility bill. Most of the HCD funds are distributed to low-income persons as grants or no/low interest loans for the construction or rehabilitation of single-family dwellings. With these funds, HCD builds 80 to 100 new houses and renovates about 500 homes each year. Houses constructed or renovated by HCD must meet HUD's minimum energy efficiency standards. While these minimum standards are more than adequate to meet local building codes, they are not as aggressive as the energy efficiency standards being promoted by the national utility organizations and the home building industry. Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), a city-owned utility, has developed an award-winning program named Comfort Plus which promotes energy efficiency open-quote in new residential construction. Under Comfort Plus, MLGW models house plans on computer for a fee and recommends cost-effective alterations which improve the energy efficiency of the house. If the builder agrees to include these recommendations, MLGW will certify the house and guarantee a maximum annual heating/cooling bill for two years. While the Comfort Plus program has received recognition in the new construction market, it does not address the existing housing stock

Upgrade energy building standards and develop rating system for existing low-income housing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muller, D.; Norville, C. [Memphis and Shelby County Div. of Planning and Development, TN (United States)

1993-07-01

The city of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD) receives grant funding each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide local housing assistance to low-income residents. Through the years, HCD has found that many of the program recipients have had difficulty in managing their households, particularly in meeting monthly financial obligations. One of the major operating costs to low-income households is the utility bill. Furthermore, HCD`s experience has revealed that many low-income residents are simply unaware of ways to reduce their utility bill. Most of the HCD funds are distributed to low-income persons as grants or no/low interest loans for the construction or rehabilitation of single-family dwellings. With these funds, HCD builds 80 to 100 new houses and renovates about 500 homes each year. Houses constructed or renovated by HCD must meet HUD`s minimum energy efficiency standards. While these minimum standards are more than adequate to meet local building codes, they are not as aggressive as the energy efficiency standards being promoted by the national utility organizations and the home building industry. Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), a city-owned utility, has developed an award-winning program named Comfort Plus which promotes energy efficiency{open_quote} in new residential construction. Under Comfort Plus, MLGW models house plans on computer for a fee and recommends cost-effective alterations which improve the energy efficiency of the house. If the builder agrees to include these recommendations, MLGW will certify the house and guarantee a maximum annual heating/cooling bill for two years. While the Comfort Plus program has received recognition in the new construction market, it does not address the existing housing stock.

INFLUENCE OF PIT WALL ANCHORAGE ONTO ADDITIONAL DEFORMATIONS OF EXISTING BUILDINGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kubetskiy Valeriy Leonidovich

2012-07-01

Assessment of additional projected deformations of buildings located in close proximity to pits is exemplified by the specific structure of the pit support system that has active PIT [1] anchors. The authors also consider the influence produced by the structure of anchors onto the two buildings located within the area of influence of the excavation works and protected by the anchors installed underneath the foundations of the two adjacent buildings.

Historical Consumption of Heating Natural Gas and Thermal Monitoring of a Multifamily High-Rise Building in a Temperate/Cold Climate in Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celina Filippín

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the historical consumption of natural gas in a multifamily high-rise building and the monitored winter thermal behavior of an apartment sample. The building is located in the center of Argentina (latitude: 36º27’S; longitude: 64º27’W, where the climate is a cold temperate with an absolute minimum temperature that may reach −10 °C. The building has two blocks, North and South. The building’s annual gas consumption and its variability between 1996 and 2008 are shown. The South block consumed 78% more gas, a situation expected due to lower solar resource availability and greater vulnerability regarding strong and cold SW winds. Indoor temperatures monitored during 2009 in four apartments are described. The outdoor minimum temperature reached −5 °C, with solar irradiance around 500 W/m2 at midday. Results showed that the average indoor temperatures were 20.1, 20.6, 24.0 and 22.1 °C. The highest consumption value corresponded to the apartment exposed to SW cold winds. Compared to the rest of the building, the apartment on the top floor consumes 59% more energy than the average for the gas consumed throughout the year. The authors assume that the energy potentials of intervention are different, and not necessarily all the apartments should have the same technological response.

Building America Case Study: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-12-01

This document addresses adding -or improving - mechanical ventilation systems to existing homes. The purpose of ventilation is to remove contaminants from homes, and this report discusses where, when, and how much ventilation is appropriate in a home, including some discussion of relevant codes and standards. Advantages, disadvantages, and approximate costs of various system types are presented along with general guidelines for implementing the systems in homes. CARB intends for this document to be useful to decision makers and contractors implementing ventilation systems in homes. Choosing the "best" system is not always straightforward; selecting a system involves balancing performance, efficiency, cost, required maintenance, and several other factors. It is the intent of this document to assist contractors in making more informed decisions when selecting systems. Ventilation is an integral part of a high-performance home. With more air-sealed envelopes, a mechanical means of removing contaminants is critical for indoor environmental quality and building durability.

Elevated radon and thoron concentrations from natural radioactivity in building materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.; Vivyurka, A.

1980-01-01

Radon levels in excess of 20 mWL were observed in an apartment building under construction in Elliot Lake. Tracer studies showed ventilation periods as long as 29 hours since the ventilation system of the building was not yet working. It was concluded that, once the contribution from thoron daughters was taken into account, the natural radioactivity of the concrete and other building materials was sufficient to produce the observed levels of radioactivity

Energy conservation in existing office buildings. Appendices to report, Phase I, Volume 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-06-01

A blank form of Questionnaire No. 1 is first presented, followed by data compiled from that questionnaire. Then data are presented on the analyses of the 436 buildings, statistical validation for selection of the 44 building sample, and some examples of the matching buildings for the 44 building sample. Questionnaire No. 2 is then given, followed by additional data collected from the study concerning energy consumption and building characteristics. To complete the appendices, a simulation of a typical building and a hypothetical building is included. (MCW)

Experimental and numerical modelling of thermal performance of a residential building in Belgrade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vučićević Biljana

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to evaluate simulation of thermal performance of a residential 4 floors high building placed in the suburb of Belgrade (ground and 3 upper floors with it's total surface area of 1410 m2. It's supplied with liquid petroleum gas storage tank as a fuel reservoir since there is automatic gas boiler in each apartment. Measurements have been carried out in first floor apartment (68 m2 heating area in heating season period. Measured parameters are: inside and outside air temperature and U-value of apartment envelope. Weather data is obtained by using METEONORM, the software package for climatic data calculation based on last 10 years measurements. TRNSYS 16 has been used as the simulation tool. The behavior of the building in terms of heating loads for climate on a daily and monthly basis in heating season is investigated. The calculations show possibility for saving energy by optimization inside temperature during different gas boiler working regimes.

Cognition through montage and mechanisms of individual memory in Bogusław Bachorczyk's art on the example of the artist's apartment-studio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antos, Janusz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The present text discusses Bogusław Bachorczyk's apartment-studio in Krakow. The decorations he has been making there since 2003 have transformed into a kind of work-in-progress. These decorations, just like Bachorczyk's art, are related to the issues of memory and identity. In 2013 he started the transformation of his apartment by "lacing up the wall" with polychrome in the library room, later to embrace also other rooms. He installed into existing polychromes new elements according to the rule of montage, which has recently constituted the basic strategy of his work.

Target-oriented obstacle analysis by PESTEL modeling of energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shilei, Lv [School of Environment Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Yong, Wu [Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People' s Republic of China, Beijing 100835 (China)

2009-06-15

According to the 'Comprehensive Work Program of Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction' of the Chinese government, during the period of the '11th Five-Year Plan', 1.5 x 10{sup 8} m{sup 2} of existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region are to be retrofitted for energy efficiency. However, at present, this 'Energy Efficiency Retrofit for Existing Residential Buildings' (EERFERB) faces many obstacles. Under the current working and market system, both the central and local governments and the energy supply companies can not push on this work smoothly. Using both the results of the annual national special inspection of building energy efficiency and some case analyses, this paper examines the necessity for energy efficiency retrofit, along with the relationships among the various Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) factors affecting it. Furthermore, organizational, financial and technical support systems are explored to promote the development of retrofit. Finally, some primary principles to be followed toward the implementation of EERFERB are suggested. (author)

Process and a device for manufacturing a composite building panel for use in a building structure cladding system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tetu, B

1991-06-11

A process and device are disclosed for manufacturing a composite panel used for cladding a building. The panel comprises a facing layer made from a plurality of facing elements, such as brick slices, retained in a spaced-apart relationship, and magnetically attractible particulate material disposed between the facing elements to imitate mortar. A rigid backing layer is provided, spaced from the spacing layer, and the space between the facing and the backing layers is filled with an insulation/bonding layer, made of urethane foam. The device for manufacturing the panel comprises a facing element holder in the form of a structure with a plurality of recesses for receiving facing elements, also including spacers between the recesses in order to retain the facing elements in a spaced-apart relationship. Ceramic magnets are provided on the spacers for temporarily retaining the particulate material against gravity until the insulation/bonding layer is built which retains all the panel elements together. The invention enables manufacture of non-planar panels, such as those used on corners of buildings, thereby eliminating the need for a corner joint. 9 figs.

Giant Black Hole Rips Apart Star

Science.gov (United States)

2004-02-01

Thanks to two orbiting X-ray observatories, astronomers have the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it. The event, captured by NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories, had long been predicted by theory, but never confirmed. Astronomers believe a doomed star came too close to a giant black hole after being thrown off course by a close encounter with another star. As it neared the enormous gravity of the black hole, the star was stretched by tidal forces until it was torn apart. This discovery provides crucial information about how these black holes grow and affect surrounding stars and gas. "Stars can survive being stretched a small amount, as they are in binary star systems, but this star was stretched beyond its breaking point," said Stefanie Komossa of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, leader of the international team of researchers. "This unlucky star just wandered into the wrong neighborhood." While other observations have hinted stars are destroyed by black holes (events known as "stellar tidal disruptions"), these new results are the first strong evidence. Evidence already exists for supermassive black holes in many galaxies, but looking for tidal disruptions represents a completely independent way to search for black holes. Observations like these are urgently needed to determine how quickly black holes can grow by swallowing neighboring stars. Animation of Star Ripped Apart by Giant Black Hole Star Ripped Apart by Giant Black Hole Observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton, combined with earlier images from the German Roentgen satellite, detected a powerful X-ray outburst from the center of the galaxy RX J1242-11. This outburst, one of the most extreme ever detected in a galaxy, was caused by gas from the destroyed star that was heated to millions of degrees Celsius before being swallowed by the black hole. The energy liberated in the process

Expert Meeting Report: Transforming Existing Buildings through New Media - An Idea Exchange

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, Stacy [Building Media and the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA), Wilmington, DE (United States)

2012-05-01

This report describes results of a Building America expert meeting on September 13, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosted by the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA). This meeting provided a forum for presentations and discussions on the use of new media to work with remodelers and retrofit projects to improve energy efficiency and deliver research results from the Building America program to remodelers.

Expert Meeting Report: Transforming Existing Buildings through New Media--An Idea Exchange

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, S.

2012-05-01

This report describes results of a Building America expert meeting on September 13, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada, hosted by the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA). This meeting provided a forum for presentations and discussions on the use of new media to work with remodelers and retrofit projects to improve energy efficiency and deliver research results from the Building America program to remodelers.

Small might be beautiful, but bigger performs better: Scale economies in “green” refurbishments of apartment housing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelsen, Claus; Rosenschon, Sebastian; Schulz, Christian

2015-01-01

The energy efficiency of the residential housing stock plays a key role in strategies to mitigate climate change and global warming. In this context, it is frequently argued that private investment and the quality of thermal upgrades are too low in the light of the challenges faced and the potential energy cost savings. While many authors address the potential barriers for investors to increase energy efficiency, studies on the capabilities of different investors to reduce energy requirements of their property are scarce. This study investigates potential advantages of housing company's size, i.e. economies of scale, economies of scope and institutional learning in thermal upgrades of residential housing. Based on unique data on energy consumption in 102,307 apartment buildings in Germany, we present new evidence for the advantages and disadvantages of a housing company's size in “green” retrofitting projects. Our estimations show, that large housing companies outperform private landlords by far in high effort refurbishment projects. In contrast, private landlords appear to have advantages in low effort, incremental refurbishment activities. We demonstrate that a substantial share of the advantages of larger firms can be associated with specialization (i.e. repeated projects). The results offer new options for policy makers to refine the support schemes toward a low carbon housing stock. - Highlights: • First study to analyze the effects of housing companies size on “green” refurbishment • Economies of scale, scope and learning all affect energy efficiency refurbishments. • Specialization on distinct refurbishments influences outcome of thermal upgrades. • Analysis based on a large and unique sample of apartment buildings in Germany

Dynamic simulation of space heating systems with radiators controlled by TRVs in buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Baoping; Fu, Lin; Di, Hongfa [Department of Building Science, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2008-07-01

The objective of this paper is to develop a model for simulating the thermal and hydraulic behavior of space heating systems with radiators controlled by thermostat valves (TRVs) in multi-family buildings. This is done by treating the building and the heating system as a complete entity. Sub-models for rooms, radiators, TRVs, and the hydraulic network are derived. Then the suggested sub-models are combined to form an integrated model by considering interactions between them. The proposed model takes into account the heat transfer between neighboring rooms, the transport delay in the radiator, the self-adjusting function of the TRV, and the consumer's regulation behavior, as well as the hydraulic interactions between consumers. To test the model, two space heating systems in Beijing and Tianjin were investigated, and the model was validated under three operation modes. There was good agreement between the measured and simulated values for room temperature, return water temperature, and flow rate. A modeling analysis case was given based on an existing building and heating system. It was found that when the set value of the TRVs were kept on 2-3, about 12.4% reduction of heat consumption could be gained, compared with the situation in which the TRVs were kept fully open. The water flow rate was an important index that truly reflected the heat load change. It was also noted that if the flow rate or supply water temperature changed much during the transport delay time in the radiator, ignoring the transport delay would introduce an obvious deviation of the simulation results. Additionally, when an apartment stopped using the heating system during a heating season, the heat consumption of its neighboring apartments would be increased about 6-14%. (author)

Solar Panel Installations on Existing Structures

OpenAIRE

Tim D. Sass; Pe; Leed

2013-01-01

The rising price of fossil fuels, government incentives and growing public aware-ness for the need to implement sustainable energy supplies has resulted in a large in-crease in solar panel installations across the country. For many sites the most eco-nomical solar panel installation uses existing, southerly facing rooftops. Adding solar panels to an existing roof typically means increased loads that must be borne by the building-s structural elements. The structural desig...

Technology Solutions Case Study: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2014-12-01

In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the "fresh" air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent, and the normal leakage paths through the building envelope disappear. Researchers from the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) found that the majority of high performance, new construction, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four general strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. In this project, the CARB team evaluated the four different strategies for providing make-up air to multifamily residential buildings and developed guidelines to help contractors and building owners choose the best ventilation systems.

Sustainable Building Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Ole

2009-01-01

of sustainable building operation and a survey amongst building administrators from the private and the social housing sector. Our results show that there are many good examples on sustainable building operation in Danish housing estates, where local building managers, residents etc. have gained impressive......Energy-savings in the existing building stock have becomes a main goal in national and international policies. Often focus is on building-renovations, whereas the potential of sustainable building operation to a large extent has been neglected. Nevertheless, international research as well...... as practical experiences from Danish housing estates indicates that there are large potentials for energy savings by focusing on the operation of the buildings. We suggest that in order to achieve sustainability in the existing housing, renovation and operations should be seen as integrated parts...

Baseline analysis of the existing capacities and needs for capacity building for Marine Strategy Framework Directive implementation in the Celtic Seas sub-region.

OpenAIRE

Twomey, Sarah; O'Mahony, Cathal

2013-01-01

This report evaluates the existing situation in the Celtic Seas sub-region and determines the current state of preparedness for transboundary management of marine ecosystems and MSFD implementation. Recommendations for capacity building are provided through the analysis of the existing conflicts and potential synergies between relevant policies, institutions and information resources for MSFD implementation across the region. This report strives to empower stakeholders through the provision o...

Things Come Together with "Things Fall Apart."

Science.gov (United States)

Puhr, Kathleen M.

1987-01-01

Recommends using C. Achebe's English language novel, "Things Fall Apart," in a unit on tragedy. Provides plot summary and topics for discussion of cultural values and socialization. Notes that besides illustrating character traits, themes and plot structure of the tragic genre, the novel provides an opportunity for learning Nigerian…

Low-energy office buildings using existing technology. Simulations with low internal heat gains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flodberg, Kajsa; Blomsterberg, Aake; Dubois, Marie-Claude [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Div. of Energy and Building Design

2012-11-01

Although low-energy and nearly zero-energy residential houses have been built in Sweden in the past decade, there are very few examples of low-energy office buildings. This paper investigates the design features affecting energy use in office buildings and suggests the optimal low-energy design from a Swedish perspective. Dynamic simulations have been carried out with IDA ICE 4 on a typical narrow office building with perimeter cell rooms. The results from the parametric study reveal that the most important design features for energy saving are demand-controlled ventilation as well as limited glazing on the facade. Further energy-saving features are efficient lighting and office equipment which strongly reduce user-related electricity and cooling energy. Together, the simulation results suggest that about 48% energy can be saved compared to a new office building built according to the Swedish building code. Thus, it is possible, using a combination of simple and well-known building technologies and configurations, to have very low energy use in new office buildings. If renewable energy sources, such as solar energy and wind power, are added, there is a potential for the annual energy production to exceed the annual energy consumption and a net zero-energy building can be reached. One aspect of the results concerns user-related electricity, which becomes a major energy post in very low-energy offices and which is rarely regulated in building codes today. This results not only in high electricity use, but also in large internal heat gains and unnecessary high cooling loads given the high latitude and cold climate. (orig.)

Successful building and sanitation - Energy-saving potentials in house and apartments - Bad Homburg vor der Hoehe. 2. ed.; Erfolgreich sanieren - Energiesparpotentiale in Haus und Wohnung - Bad Homburg vor der Hoehe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-07-01

Climate protection and high energy costs require a reduction of the energy consumption in new buildings and in existing buildings. In 1995, the city Bad Homburg v.d. Hoehe (Federal Republic of Germany) let draw up an energy concept in order to uncover the potentials to effective climate protection. The brochure under consideration is addressed to house owners which would like to reorganize their buildings professionally and energy-saving and to receive a ''first aid'' with this brochure. This brochure consists of the following contributions: (a) Energy-saving construction and reorganization - an investment into the future; (b) Measures of reorganization and saving potentials; (c) Renewable energies in the house; (d) Electricity: The energy in the background; (e) Financial incentives in the overview. (orig./GL)

Disrespect, Tension, and Togetherness--Apartness in Marriage.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenblatt, Paul C.; And Others

1979-01-01

For a study of marital togetherness and apartness, the partners in 136 couples completed questionnaires. The role of disrespect, a factor serving as an abrasive in marriage, was investigated. Findings suggest that therapy for couples with a presenting problem of insufficient contact may first have to deal with abrasive factors. (Author)

Residential building energy estimation method based on the application of artificial intelligence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marshall, S.; Kajl, S.

1999-07-01

The energy requirements of a residential building five to twenty-five stories high can be measured using a newly proposed analytical method based on artificial intelligence. The method is fast and provides a wide range of results such as total energy consumption values, power surges, and heating or cooling consumption values. A series of database were created to take into account the particularities which influence the energy consumption of a building. In this study, DOE-2 software was created for use in 8 apartment models. A total of 27 neural networks were used, 3 for the estimation of energy consumption in the corridor, and 24 for inside the apartments. Three user interfaces were created to facilitate the estimation of energy consumption. These were named the Energy Estimation Assistance System (EEAS) interfaces and are only accessible using MATLAB software. The input parameters for EEAS are: climatic region, exterior wall resistance, roofing resistance, type of windows, infiltration, number of storeys, and corridor ventilation system operating schedule. By changing the parameters, the EEAS can determine annual heating, cooling and basic energy consumption levels for apartments and corridors. 2 tabs., 2 figs.

The geometry of pull-apart basins in the southern part of Sumatran strike-slip fault zone

Science.gov (United States)

Aribowo, Sonny

2018-02-01

Models of pull-apart basin geometry have been described by many previous studies in a variety tectonic setting. 2D geometry of Ranau Lake represents a pull-apart basin in the Sumatran Fault Zone. However, there are unclear geomorphic traces of two sub-parallel overlapping strike-slip faults in the boundary of the lake. Nonetheless, clear geomorphic traces that parallel to Kumering Segment of the Sumatran Fault are considered as inactive faults in the southern side of the lake. I demonstrate the angular characteristics of the Ranau Lake and Suoh complex pull-apart basins and compare with pull-apart basin examples from published studies. I use digital elevation model (DEM) image to sketch the shape of the depression of Ranau Lake and Suoh Valley and measure 2D geometry of pull-apart basins. This study shows that Ranau Lake is not a pull-apart basin, and the pull-apart basin is actually located in the eastern side of the lake. Since there is a clear connection between pull-apart basin and volcanic activity in Sumatra, I also predict that the unclear trace of the pull-apart basin near Ranau Lake may be covered by Ranau Caldera and Seminung volcanic products.

SEISMIC EVALUATION OF EXISTING MID-RISE REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATION FOR BUILDING STRUCTURES TO BE BUILT IN DISASTER AREAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet İNEL

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Over the past several decades, Turkey has been hit by devastating earthquakes and remarkable number of reinforced concrete buildings has been damaged in the high seismicity regions of our country. The aim of this study is to evaluate the seismic performance of the mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings that are major part of building stock of our earthquake-prone country, according to recent Turkish Earthquake Code. 4- and 7-story buildings were selected to represent mid-rise building stock. After determining the structural parameters, each building was subjected to pushover analysis and the capacity curves were obtained. Earthquake performance of each building was determined in the light of their capacity curves according to the recent Turkish Earthquake Code.

Thermal environmental case study of an existing underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system in a high-rise building in the tropics

Science.gov (United States)

Ya, Y. H.; Poh, K. S.

2015-09-01

The performance of an existing underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system in a renowned high-rise office tower in Malaysia was studied to identify the root cause issues behind the poor indoor air quality. Occupants are the best thermal sensor. The building was detected with the sick building syndrome (SBS) that causes runny noses, flu-like symptoms, irritated skin, and etc. Long period of exposure to indoor air pollutants may increase the occupant's health risk. The parameters such as the space temperature, relative humidity, air movement, air change, fresh air flow rate, chilled water supply and return are evaluated at three stories that consist of five open offices. A full traverse study was carried out at one of the fresh air duct. A simplified duct flow measurement method using pitot-tubes was developed. The results showed that the diffusers were not effective in creating the swirl effect to the space. Internal heat gain from human and office electrical equipment were not drawn out effectively. Besides, relative humidity has exceeded the recommended level. These issues were caused by the poor maintenance of the building. The energy efficiency strategy of the UFAD system comes from the higher supply air temperature. It may leads to insufficient cooling load for the latent heat gained under improper system performance. Special care and considerations in design, construction and maintenance are needed to ensure the indoor air quality to be maintained. Several improvements were recommended to tackle the existing indoor air quality issues. Solar system was studied as one of the innovative method for retrofitting.

Integrating Innovation Skills in an Introductory Engineering Design-Build Course

Science.gov (United States)

Liebenberg, Leon; Mathews, Edward Henry

2012-01-01

Modern engineering curricula have started to emphasize design, mostly in the form of design-build experiences. Apart from instilling important problem-solving skills, such pedagogical frameworks address the critical social skill aspects of engineering education due to their team-based, project-based nature. However, it is required of the…

Love Will Keep Us Apart? Understanding Living Apart Together Partnerships in the Post-state-socialist Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Formánková, Lenka; Křížková, Alena

2015-01-01

Roč. 51, č. 6 (2015), s. 993-1022 ISSN 0038-0288 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-13766S; GA ČR GAP404/10/0021 Institutional support: RVO:68378025 Keywords : living apart together * biographical research * gender * new forms of partnership * family policy Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography Impact factor: 0.262, year: 2015 http://sreview.soc.cas.cz/cs/issue/180-sociologicky-casopis-czech-sociological-review-6-2015/3580

Effects of types of ventilation system on indoor particle concentrations in residential buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J S; Jee, N-Y; Jeong, J-W

2014-12-01

The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of ventilation systems on indoor particle concentrations in residential buildings. Fifteen occupied, single-family apartments were selected from three sites. The three sites have three different ventilation systems: unbalanced mechanical ventilation, balanced mechanical ventilation, and natural ventilation. Field measurements were conducted between April and June 2012, when outdoor air temperatures were comfortable. Number concentrations of particles, PM2.5 and CO2 , were continuously measured both outdoors and indoors. In the apartments with natural ventilation, I/O ratios of particle number concentrations ranged from 0.56 to 0.72 for submicron particles, and from 0.25 to 0.60 for particles larger than 1.0 μm. The daily average indoor particle concentration decreased to 50% below the outdoor level for submicron particles and 25% below the outdoor level for fine particles, when the apartments were mechanically ventilated. The two mechanical ventilation systems reduced the I/O ratios by 26% for submicron particles and 65% for fine particles compared with the natural ventilation. These results showed that mechanical ventilation can reduce exposure to outdoor particles in residential buildings. Results of this study confirm that mechanical ventilation with filtration can significantly reduce indoor particle levels compared with natural ventilation. The I/O ratios of particles substantially varied at the naturally ventilated apartments because of the influence of variable window opening conditions and unsteadiness of wind flow on the penetration of outdoor air particles. For better prediction of the exposure to outdoor particles in naturally ventilated residential buildings, it is important to understand the penetration of outdoor particles with variable window opening conditions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN CITY AT THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDINGS OF THE FIRST MASSIVE SERIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RAZUMOVA O. V.

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Summary. The concept of sustainable development is a combination of three components: social, economic and environmental, which are directly related to the development of cities. The economic and demographic crisis has a considerable impact not only on the social sphere, but also on urban planning. The complex approach to restoration and improvement of housing stock is considered, the concept of reconstruction of particular buildings is provided. This approach reflects most fully the purpose of renovating of the particular structure or their groups as a solution to the issue of the complex problem of improving the urban environment. An innovative project for the reconstruction of the buildings of the first mass series with the modification of the space planning solutions of the apartments was proposed, using modern technical and environmental requirements and preserving the housing stock. Purpose of research. The use of innovative approaches in the design of comfortable standard housing and the choice of the technical solutions to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings, reduce energy costs for solving economic and social problems in the reconstruction of the five-story building of the 50-60's.

Numerical analysis of natural ventilation system in a studio apartment in Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Kabir, K. M. Ariful; Hasan, Md. Rakibul; Khan, Md. Abdul Hakim

2017-07-01

The study of temperature and air flow for natural ventilation system has been investigated numerically. A finite element model for studio apartment was developed with the aim of achieving detail energy allocation in the real buildings during the transient process in the walls and internal air. A tool of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is employed to assist the process. In the tropical regions most of the energy is consumed by the heating, cooling and ventilation appliances. Therefore, the optimize ventilation system will be a suitable and valid option for the saving of energy from the household sector to increase cooling performance and ensuring thermal comfort as well. A mathematical exploration is carried out on full scale dwelling and small scale model and indication is given on the relevance of such a comparison. Calculations are carried out with household heat sources for calm and windy period, but without any human. As expected, for windy periods, the wind is the main driving force behind the internal air flow. However, in calm periods for unsteady flow the internal airflow looks like more complexes through observation.

Building America Case Study: Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings, New York, New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2015-10-15

Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.

Radon: the building industry view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farnham, K.G.R.

1992-01-01

Guidance on radon preventive measures in new dwellings is covered by the Building Regulations, and adequate guidance has been published by the Building Research Establishment. This is a satisfactory state of affairs which, unfortunately, is not the case for remedial work in existing buildings. Work in existing buildings should be incorporated in Regulations and adequate funding should be provided by government for the training of builders. (Author)

The value of building safety: A hedonic price approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung Yau

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Theoretical and empirical studies on how building performance is valued by the property market abound in the literature. Some of them investigate changes in property prices after building renovation, but little has been done on pricing the safety performance of buildings. This article presents a study that explores whether residential properties in safer buildings command higher market values in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a good laboratory for this study because building failures can pose a serious threat in such a densely populated high-rise environment. The study measures the safety performance of a building by the weighted number of unauthorised building works (UBWs on the external walls of the buildings. By their nature, UBWs are building works that are constructed without prior approval and consent from the government. A hedonic price model is developed to assess the market value of building safety. For the model estimation, apart from the property transaction data, the number of unauthorised appendages (i.e., UBWs attached to the building facades in each building studied is obtained through a building survey. Based on the analysis results, several hypotheses built upon the theories of self-protection and self-insurance are tested.

Development of renewable energies apart from biomass on farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brule, K.; Pindard, A.; Jaujay, J.; Femenias, A.

2009-01-01

This paper proposes an overview and a prospective glance at the development of renewable energies in farms, apart those which are based on the production or use of biomass. Some indicators are defined (energy production and consumption). Stake holders are identified. Some retrospective major and emerging trends are discussed. The major trends are: growth and diversification of renewable energy production, calling to renewable energy production in farms. The emerging trends are: a recent increase of renewable energy production in farms apart from biomass, locally stressed land market, economic profitability of photovoltaic installations due to purchase tariffs. Some prospective issues are discussed: technical support, financial support, development of other energy sources, and tax policy on fossil energy used in agriculture. Three development hypotheses are discussed

ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDINGS REHABILITATION SOLUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

STAN IVAN F.E.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The paper includes a simplified economical and financial analysis of the buildings rehabilitation solutions, for heating and lighting. The most important economic and financial indicators analyzed and determined are: economic return on investment and payback period of investment in dynamic form, net present value, and internal rate of return economic residual value of the investment on thermal insulation, building maintenance costs, energy costs. In order to reduce the electricity consumption: the methods consisted in replacing inefficient lighting with some efficient energy and for heat consumption: the proposed solution was building rehabilitation (exterior wall insulation, floor insulation board. The analysis consists in determining the economical and financial indicators before and after the building rehabilitation. The 3 rooms apartment is located in Craiova town, (wind zone IV, 2nd floor, orientation is S.

Excavation-caused extra deformation of existing masonry residence in soft soil region

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Y.; Franceschelli, S.

2017-04-01

Growing need for construction of infrastructures and buildings in fast urbanization process creates challenges of interaction between buildings under construction and adjacent existing buildings. This paper presents the mitigation of contradiction between two parties who are involved the interaction using civil engineering techniques. Through the in-depth analysis of the results of monitoring surveys and enhanced accuracy and reliability of surveys, a better understanding of the behavior of deformable buildings is achieved. Combination with the original construction documents, the two parties agree that both of them are responsible for building damages and a better understanding for the rehabilitation of the existing buildings is focused on. Two cases studies are used to demonstrate and describe the importance of better understanding of the behavior of existing buildings and their rehabilitations. The objective of this study is to insight into mechanisms of soil-structure interaction for buildings adjacent to deep excavations, which can result in a damage in existing masonry residence, and to take the optimized measures to make deep excavations safety and economic and adjacent buildings keep good serviceability in urban areas with soft soil conditions.

Facilities improvement for sustainability of existing public office ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study examined the building design features of a cosmopolitan public office building in Abuja. The features were classified into Spatial Plan, Structure and Facilities, to determine which of the 3 variables requires urgent sustainable improvement from end-users' perspective in existing public office buildings in developing ...

Building integration of PCM for natural cooling of buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Álvarez, Servando; Cabeza, Luisa F.; Ruiz-Pardo, Alvaro; Castell, Albert; Tenorio, José Antonio

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A brief overview of PCM solutions for buildings is provided. ► Some weaknesses of existing PCM solutions for buildings were identified. ► New solutions for PCM integration in buildings are proposed. ► Proposed solutions overcome identified weaknesses of existing solutions. - Abstract: The use of night cooling ventilation in addition of phase change materials (PCMs) is a very powerful strategy for reducing the cooling demand of buildings. Nevertheless, there are inherent drawbacks in the way things have been doing so far: (a) The limited area of contact between PCM and the air; (b) the very low convective heat transfer coefficients which prevents the use of significant amounts of PCM and (c) the very low utilization factor of the cool stored due to the large phase shift between the time when cool is stored and time when it is required by the building. In this paper, we present innovative solutions using PCM to overcome the above situation. Compared with existing solutions, innovative solutions proposed, increase the contact area between PCM and air by a factor of approximately 3.6, increase the convective heat transfer coefficient significantly, and improve the utilization factor due to the inclusion of active control systems which allow the cold stored be actually used when required

Analysis of Circular Development and Investment Possibilities (Transport, Energy and Building Related to International Sports Event Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horváth Bálint

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the possibilities of various development areas (transport, energy, building to make the cost-efficient realisation of high-profile investments, and organising and holding international sports events possible. Using a case study, the paper introduces development routes based on the evaluation of environmental and economic perspectives. The current research introduces the investment characteristics based on the development of the Hungarian building, energy and transport sectors for the 2017-2030 period. The main criterion is the integration of ‘circular economy’. For sectors which operate with high material and energy consumption, the consideration of circular economy principles may prove to be important for sustainable development. Through planning highvolume sports and worldwide events, the usual development strategy for traffic systems focuses on public transport and rentable vehicles (f. e. electric scooter, or bicycle which can decrease CO2 emissions via modern technological solutions. Regarding the buildings, sports arenas and related facilities, besides the existing low-carbon solutions, the functions of buildings must be expanded and their usage prolonged. The management of waste left after the life cycle is expended has to be pre-planned. These are the options for making the sector’s GHG emissions decrease apart from circular tenders, which can be further combined with SMART energetic solutions.

Multi-criteria decision model for retrofitting existing buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. D. Bostenaru Dan

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Decision is an element in the risk management process. In this paper the way how science can help in decision making and implementation for retrofitting buildings in earthquake prone urban areas is investigated. In such interventions actors from various spheres are involved. Their interests range among minimising the intervention for maximal preservation or increasing it for seismic safety. Research was conducted to see how to facilitate collaboration between these actors. A particular attention was given to the role of time in actors' preferences. For this reason, on decision level, both the processural and the personal dimension of risk management, the later seen as a task, were considered. A systematic approach was employed to determine the functional structure of a participative decision model. Three layers on which actors implied in this multi-criteria decision problem interact were identified: town, building and element. So-called 'retrofit elements' are characteristic bearers in the architectural survey, engineering simulations, costs estimation and define the realms perceived by the inhabitants. This way they represent an interaction basis for the interest groups considered in a deeper study. Such orientation means for actors' interaction were designed on other levels of intervention as well. Finally, an 'experiment' for the implementation of the decision model is presented: a strategic plan for an urban intervention towards reduction of earthquake hazard impact through retrofitting. A systematic approach proves thus to be a very good communication basis among the participants in the seismic risk management process. Nevertheless, it can only be applied in later phases (decision, implementation, control only, since it serves verifying and improving solution and not developing the concept. The 'retrofit elements' are a typical example of the detailing degree reached in the retrofit design plans in these phases.

Multi-criteria decision model for retrofitting existing buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Bostenaru Dan, M. D.

2004-08-01

Decision is an element in the risk management process. In this paper the way how science can help in decision making and implementation for retrofitting buildings in earthquake prone urban areas is investigated. In such interventions actors from various spheres are involved. Their interests range among minimising the intervention for maximal preservation or increasing it for seismic safety. Research was conducted to see how to facilitate collaboration between these actors. A particular attention was given to the role of time in actors' preferences. For this reason, on decision level, both the processural and the personal dimension of risk management, the later seen as a task, were considered. A systematic approach was employed to determine the functional structure of a participative decision model. Three layers on which actors implied in this multi-criteria decision problem interact were identified: town, building and element. So-called 'retrofit elements' are characteristic bearers in the architectural survey, engineering simulations, costs estimation and define the realms perceived by the inhabitants. This way they represent an interaction basis for the interest groups considered in a deeper study. Such orientation means for actors' interaction were designed on other levels of intervention as well. Finally, an 'experiment' for the implementation of the decision model is presented: a strategic plan for an urban intervention towards reduction of earthquake hazard impact through retrofitting. A systematic approach proves thus to be a very good communication basis among the participants in the seismic risk management process. Nevertheless, it can only be applied in later phases (decision, implementation, control) only, since it serves verifying and improving solution and not developing the concept. The 'retrofit elements' are a typical example of the detailing degree reached in the retrofit design plans in these phases.

Danish building typologies and building stock analyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wittchen, Kim Bjarne; Kragh, Jesper

energy savings in residential buildings. The intension with this analysis was to investigate the possible energy reduction in Denmark if the same approach had been taken for the entire Danish building stock. The report concludes that the ZeroHome initiative clearly results in energy savings, but far from...... enough to meet the government’s plan to make Danish buildings free from use of fossil fuels by 2035. This will probably require around 50 % energy savings in the Danish building stock as a whole. However, the project has proven that dedicated engagement of locals can speed up market penetration...... for energy savings in the existing Building stock....

Numerical analysis of passive strategies for energy retrofit of existing buildings in Mediterranean climate: thermal mass and natural ventilation combination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Calcerano Filippo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The study investigates the potential of coupling natural ventilation and thermal storage systems to improve hygrothermal comfort and reduce energy consumption during summer season in an existing building in the Mediterranean. It aims at bridging the knowledge gap between designers, researchers and building scientists, fostering a multidisciplinary approach and promoting numerical simulation of the energy performance of buildings within architectural professional practice. The study analyses the interaction between six natural ventilation systems (single sided ventilation through facade openings; cross ventilation through facade openings, inlet wind tower, thermal chimney, evaporative cool tower, earth pipes and with two thermal storage typology (heavy and medium-light within four strategic Italian location (Rome, Naples, Messina and Catania. For each interaction we perform a numerical dynamic simulation of indoor comfort, indoor air quality and energy consumption during the summer period, on a reference building model corresponding to the most common Italian typology. Results show that the use of the chosen systems ensures significant reductions of discomfort hours and energy consumption in all configurations. The study also highlights the high efficiency of non invasive systems (single-sided and cross ventilation with automatic control present discomfort hours reduction and energy consumption reduction above 68% for all combinations and the significant influence of the daily thermal range value on the performance of systems without air pre-treatment.

Compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Wei; Garmston, Helen

2012-01-01

Despite increasingly stringent building energy regulations worldwide, non-compliance exists in practice. This paper examines the profile of compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings. In total 404 new-build dwellings completed in the UK from 2006 to 2009 were investigated. Only a third of these dwellings were evidenced as being compliant with Building Regulations Part L (England and Wales). Such low compliance casts a serious concern over the achievability of the UK Government's target for all new-build homes to be ‘zero carbon’ from 2016. Clearly evidenced was a lack of knowledge of Part L and its compliance requirements among the supply and building control sides of new-build dwellings. The results also indicate that the compliance profile was influenced by factors including Standard Assessment Procedure (UK Government's methodology for energy efficiency) calculation submissions, learning and experience of builders and building controls with Part L, use of Part L1A checklist, the introduction of energy performance certificate (EPC), build method, dwelling type, and project size. Better compliance was associated with flats over houses and timber frame over masonry. The use of EPC and Part L1A checklist should be encouraged. Key to addressing the lack of compliance with building energy regulations is training. -- Highlights: ► There exists a lack of compliance, worldwide, with building energy regulations. ► The implementation of England and Wales building energy regulations is problematic. ► Training, learning and experience of builders and building control are critical. ► Energy performance certificate and Part L 2006 checklist helped achieve compliance. ► Flats achieved better compliance over houses; and timber frame over masonry.

Perceived health and comfort in relation to energy use and building characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roulet, C.-A.; Johner, N. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland); Foradini, F. [E4Tech S., Lausanne (Switzerland); Bluyssen, P.; Cox, C. [TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, Delft (Netherlands); Oliveira Fernandes, E. De [IDMEC-FUEP, Porto (Portugal); Mueller, B. [Technical University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Aizlewood, C. [Building Research Establishment, Watford (United Kingdom)

2006-09-15

Within the European research project Health Optimisation Protocol for Energy-efficient Building (HOPE), 96 apartment buildings and 64 office buildings (of which approximately 75% have been designed to be energy-efficient) were investigated. The building characteristics were assessed according to a checklist during a walk-through survey. Occupant questionnaires were used to determine satisfaction about comfort (thermal visual, acoustical and indoor air quality (IAQ)) and their health (Sick Building Syndrome and allergies). Building-averaged collected data are compared, looking for correlations between building characteristics on one hand, and perceived comfort and health on the other hand. Strong correlations are found between perceived IAQ, thermal, acoustic and lighting comfort, confirming results from other studies. Significant correlations between the perceived comfort and building related symptoms were also found, comfortable and healthier buildings being well distinct from uncomfortable ones. Differences of perceived comfort or health between low- and high-energy buildings show that it is possible to design buildings that are healthy, comfortable and energy efficient. (author)

Technology Solutions for Existing Homes Case Study: Trade-Friendly Retrofit Insulated Panels for Existing Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-03-01

For this project with the U.S. Department of Energy Building America team Home Innovation Research Labs, the retrofit insulated panels relied on an enhanced expanded polystyrene (EPS) for thermal resistance of R-4.5/inch, which is an improvement of 10% over conventional (white-colored) EPS. EPS, measured by its life cycle, is an alternative to commonly used extruded polystyrene and spray polyurethane foam. It is a closed-cell product made up of 90% air, and it requires about 85% fewer petroleum products for processing than other rigid foams.

Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide Office Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Guopeng; Liu, Bing; Wang, Weimin; Zhang, Jian; Athalye, Rahul A.; Moser, Dave; Crowe, Eliot; Bengtson, Nick; Effinger, Mark; Webster, Lia; Hatten, Mike

2011-09-27

The Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide for Office Buildings is a component of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides for Existing Buildings series. The aim of the guides is to facilitate a rapid escalation in the number of energy efficiency projects in existing buildings and to enhance the quality and depth of those projects. By presenting general project planning guidance as well as financial payback metrics for the most common energy efficiency measures, these guides provide a practical roadmap to effectively planning and implementing performance improvements for existing buildings.

Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide Retail Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Guopeng; Liu, Bing; Zhang, Jian; Wang, Weimin; Athalye, Rahul A.; Moser, Dave; Crowe, Eliot; Bengtson, Nick; Effinger, Mark; Webster, Lia; Hatten, Mike

2011-09-19

The Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide for Retail Buildings is a component of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides for Existing Buildings series. The aim of the guides is to facilitate a rapid escalation in the number of energy efficiency projects in existing buildings and to enhance the quality and depth of those projects. By presenting general project planning guidance as well as financial payback metrics for the most common energy efficiency measures, these guides provide a practical roadmap to effectively planning and implementing performance improvements for existing buildings.

Winter energy behaviour in multi-family block buildings in a temperate-cold climate in Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filippin, C. [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); Larsen, S. Flores [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); INENCO - Instituto de Investigaciones en Energias No Convencionales, U.N.Sa., CONICET, Avda. Bolivia 5150 - CP 4400, Salta Capital (Argentina); Mercado, V. [LAHV-Laboratorio de Ambienet Humano y Vivienda (INCIHUSA-CCT-CONICET) (Argentina)

2011-01-15

This paper analyzes the thermal and energy behaviour of apartments in three-story block buildings located along a NE-SW axis (azimuth = 120 ) in a temperate-cold climate (latitude: 36 57'; longitude: 64 27') in the city of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, central Argentina. Four apartments had been monitored during May and June 2009. Three of them are located in Block 126. Two of these apartments face South: 15 and 23 on the SE end, ground and first floor, respectively; 18 faces N on the second floor. Finally apartment, 12 is located in Block 374, on the first floor, faces N and shows a carpentry-closed balcony. The purpose of this work is - to study the evolution of the indoor temperature in each apartment; to analyze energy consumption and comfort conditions; to study energy potential and energy intervention in order to reduce energy consumption; to analyze bioclimatic alternatives feasibility and the possibility to extrapolate results to all blocks. On the basis of the analysis of natural gas historical consumption records, results showed that regarding heating energy consumption during the period May-June, Apartment 12, facing N, with its only bedroom facing NW and its carpentry-closed, transparent glass balcony, presented a mean temperature of 21.2 C, using a halogen heater for 6 h/day between 9 pm and 2 am (0.16 kWh/day/m{sup 2}). Apartment 15, on the SE end, first floor of the block consumed 22.5 kWh/day (0.43 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.2 C). Apartment 23, located on the second and top floor (on top of Apartment 15) with higher energy loss, consumed 28 kWh/day (0.54 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature 23.7 C). Apartment 18, also on the second floor and facing N, located in the centre and with its only bedroom facing SE, consumed 18.8 kWh/day (0.48 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.3 C). Apartment 23, with higher thermal loss through its envelope, but with heat transfer from the apartment located below, is the one that showed the highest

Selecting Molecular Recognition. What Can Existing Aptamers Tell Us about Their Inherent Recognition Capabilities and Modes of Interaction?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Landgraf

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The use of nucleic acid derived aptamers has rapidly expanded since the introduction of SELEX in 1990. Nucleic acid aptamers have demonstrated their ability to target a broad range of molecules in ways that rival antibodies, but advances have been very uneven for different biochemical classes of targets, and clinical applications have been slow to emerge. What sets different aptamers apart from each other and from rivaling molecular recognition platforms, specifically proteins? What advantages do aptamers as a reagent class offer, and how do the chemical properties and selection procedures of aptamers influence their function? Do the building blocks of nucleic acid aptamers dictate inherent limitations in the nature of molecular targets, and do existing aptamers give us insight in how these challenges might be overcome? This review is written as an introduction for potential endusers of aptamer technology who are evaluating the advantages of aptamers as a versatile, affordable, yet highly expandable platform to target a broad range of biological processes or interactions.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. Puttagunta, S. Maxwell, D. Berger, and M. Zuluaga

2015-10-01

The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) conducted research to gain more insight into passive vents. Because passive vents are meant to operate in a general environment of negative apartment pressure, the research assessed whether these negative pressures prevail through a variety of environmental conditions.

Real-Time Recognition Non-Intrusive Electrical Appliance Monitoring Algorithm for a Residential Building Energy Management System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kofi Afrifa Agyeman

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The concern of energy price hikes and the impact of climate change because of energy generation and usage forms the basis for residential building energy conservation. Existing energy meters do not provide much information about the energy usage of the individual appliance apart from its power rating. The detection of the appliance energy usage will not only help in energy conservation, but also facilitate the demand response (DR market participation as well as being one way of building energy conservation. However, energy usage by individual appliance is quite difficult to estimate. This paper proposes a novel approach: an unsupervised disaggregation method, which is a variant of the hidden Markov model (HMM, to detect an appliance and its operation state based on practicable measurable parameters from the household energy meter. Performing experiments in a practical environment validates our proposed method. Our results show that our model can provide appliance detection and power usage information in a non-intrusive manner, which is ideal for enabling power conservation efforts and participation in the demand response market.

Efficient modernisation of a panel building - (We reduced a panel house's heat consumption to one fourth)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zsebik, Albin; Czinege, Zoltan

2010-09-15

In an EU pilot project called 'SOLANOVA', a 42-apartment building, was renovated and converted to a low energy consumption building in Dunaujvaros, Hungary in year 2005. The energy consumption of the building in the last four heating seasons was less than a quarter of the baseline consumption before the renovation. This presentation introduces the building and its energy consumption before the renovation; shows the aim, preparation and main steps of the renovation; and takes a look at the building and its heat consumption after the renovation.

Measures taken by the building authorities in order to reduce radiation risks in buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tell, Wilhelm

1980-01-01

The Swedish radon commission has recommended that the risk of radiation and radon emission from the ground be considered when planning for new settlements, building materials with high radioactivity not be allowed for new buildings, and existing buildings with high levels of radioactivity be traced and improved. Maps of gamma radiation from the ground are being worked out showing areas with levels higher than 30 μR/h. Within such areas buildings should be planned taking the ultimate limits for new buildings into account. Building permits are granted for construction of new structures or extensive renovations if it can be shown that radiation levels within the buildings will be within legal limits: 70 Bq/m 3 for new buildings and 200 Bq/m 3 for existing ones. The radon commission has suggested that buildings with a radon daughter concentration exceeding 400 Bq/m 3 should be found and levels reduced to 200 Bq/m 3

Indoor transformer stations and ELF magnetic field exposure: use of transformer structural characteristics to improve exposure assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Okokon, Enembe Oku; Roivainen, Päivi; Kheifets, Leeka; Mezei, Gabor; Juutilainen, Jukka

2014-01-01

Previous studies have shown that populations of multiapartment buildings with indoor transformer stations may serve as a basis for improved epidemiological studies on the relationship between childhood leukaemia and extremely-low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MFs). This study investigated whether classification based on structural characteristics of the transformer stations would improve ELF MF exposure assessment. The data included MF measurements in apartments directly above transformer stations ("exposed" apartments) in 30 buildings in Finland, and reference apartments in the same buildings. Transformer structural characteristics (type and location of low-voltage conductors) were used to classify exposed apartments into high-exposure (HE) and intermediate-exposure (IE) categories. An exposure gradient was observed: both the time-average MF and time above a threshold (0.4 μT) were highest in the HE apartments and lowest in the reference apartments, showing a statistically significant trend. The differences between HE and IE apartments, however, were not statistically significant. A simulation exercise showed that the three-category classification did not perform better than a two-category classification (exposed and reference apartments) in detecting the existence of an increased risk. However, data on the structural characteristics of transformers is potentially useful for evaluating exposure-response relationship.

A multi-objective optimization model for energy-efficiency building envelope retrofitting plan with rooftop PV system installation and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Yuling; Xia, Xiaohua

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A multi-objective optimization model for building envelope retrofit is presented. • Facility performance degradation and maintenance is built into the model. • A rooftop PV system is introduced to produce electricity. • Economic factors including net present value and payback period are considered. - Abstract: Retrofitting existing buildings with energy-efficient facilities is an effective method to improve their energy efficiency, especially for old buildings. A multi-objective optimization model for building envelope retrofitting is presented. Envelope components including windows, external walls and roofs are considered to be retrofitted. Installation of a rooftop solar panel system is also taken into consideration in this study. Rooftop solar panels are modeled with their degradation and a maintenance scheme is studied for sustainability of energy and its long-term effect on the retrofitting plan. The purpose is to make the best use of financial investment to maximize energy savings and economic benefits. In particular, net present value, the payback period and energy savings are taken as the main performance indicators of the retrofitting plan. The multi-objective optimization problem is formulated as a non-linear integer programming problem and solved by a weighted sum method. Results of applying the designed retrofitting plan to a 50-year-old building consisting of 66 apartments demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed model.

The importance of building downwash in assessing the need to heighten stacks of existing small and medium sized industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gomes, J.F.P. [Centro de Tecnologias Ambientais, ISQ - Inst. de Soldadura e Qualidade, Oeiras (Portugal); Duarte, R. [Escola Superior de Tecnologia - Inst. Politecnico de Setubal (Portugal)

2004-07-01

This extended abstract intends to share the authors experience on the modelling of atmospheric pollutant dispersal and on the importance of building downwash considerations when assessing the need to heighten stacks of small and medium sized industrial enterprises (SME's). In order to understand the reasons that make industrial companies, especially SME's, consider stack heightening, in section 2 the existing Portuguese legislation on air quality and the stack heightening rules are briefly commented. New legislation that ought to appear soon (new Portuguese Air Act) is also commented and compared critically with the existing one. Then, section 3 characterizes Portuguese industry in terms of the ambient quality problems related to stack height. The adequacy of the stack heightening legislation to the particularities of the Portuguese case is discussed. In section 4 the authors experience in the specific study of stack heightening is presented. The methodology considered in these studies is discussed and compared with the application of existing and soon to appear legislation on stack height calculation. Finally, section 5 presents the conclusions and the need for an increased awareness on the pollutant dispersal problem is discussed. (orig.)

The relationship between mental health and social solidarity among apartment residents in shahrekord, iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganji, Forouzan; Nekooee, Afsaneh; Safdari, Faranak; Parvin, Neda; Shafei, Akbar; Ganji, Hanife

2012-01-01

To examine the relationship between psychological well-being and social solidarity of apartment residents in Shahrekord, Iran. A sample of 200 apartment dwellers was selected randomly. Fessler Social Solidarity Inventory and General Health Questionnaire were used to gather data. Using partial correlation test and having controlled the effect of age, sex and education, we found significant relationship between mental health and social solidarity (r = 0.47; p= 0.023). After controlling education and marital status, it was also revealed that women were in a better solidarity situation compared to men (psolidarity of apartment residents in Sharekord. Good mental health accompanied with better social solidarity.

Creating mold-free buildings: a key to avoiding health effects of indoor molds.

Science.gov (United States)

Small, Bruce M

2003-08-01

In view of the high costs of building diagnostics and repair subsequent to water damage--as well as the large medical diagnostic and healthcare costs associated with mold growth in buildings--commitment to a philosophy of proactive preventive maintenance for home, apartment, school, and commercial buildings could result in considerable cost savings and avoidance of major health problems among building occupants. The author identifies common causes of mold growth in buildings and summarizes key building design and construction principles essential for preventing mold contamination indoors. Physicians and healthcare workers must be made aware of conditions within buildings that can give rise to mold growth, and of resulting health problems. Timely advice provided to patients already sensitized by exposure to molds could save these individuals, and their families, from further exposures as a result of inadequate building maintenance or an inappropriate choice of replacement housing.

Ready to Retrofit: The Process of Project Team Selection, Building Benchmarking, and Financing Commercial Building Energy Retrofit Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanders, Mark D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Parrish, Kristen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Paul [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-05-01

This guide presents a process for three key activities for the building owner in preparing to retrofit existing commercial buildings: selecting project teams, benchmarking the existing building, and financing the retrofit work. Although there are other essential steps in the retrofit process, the three activities presented in this guide are the critical elements where the building owner has the greatest influence on the outcome of the project.

Stakeholders and Apart Hotels: Multiple Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Kyoko Wada

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Means of accommodation involve a wide range of social actors and agents, as well as different business models. Management strategies in this sector have been increasingly important for long-term sustainability and competitiveness of business organizations. This study aims to analyze the interactions between apart-hotels and their stakeholders to foster an improvement of services provided, aligning the interface of strategic management from the point of view of managers and their key stakeholders. It is an exploratory study, with qualitative chacter, along with multiple case studies of the following establishments: Travel Inn, Hotels Slaviero and Etoile george v. Brazilian enterprises, which manage lodging facilities with apart-hotel concepts, combining features that enable comparative analysis of the study. For conceptual understanding, this study was based on literature about stakeholders, taking the work of Freeman (1984 and Freeman et al (2010 as main references. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with managers of lodging facilities and their key stakeholders and through direct observation and documentation. We found that not all groups of influence are considered in the planning of service flats. However, the organizations surveyed indicated that the market has realized the importance of the groups that exert influence and are influenced by their goals, and are therefore increasingly alert for integration of such groups in their strategic planning.

Things Fall Apart Across Cultures: The Universal Significance of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Things Fall Apart Across Cultures: The Universal Significance of Chinua Achebe's 1958 Reconstruction of the African Heritage. ... There may be variations here and there in different social settings, but the novel portrays people in a communal environment grappling with survival on a daily basis on planet earth.

Taking the Copenhagen Process apart

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cort, Pia

that the Copenhagen Process has legitimately extended vocational education and training policy formation to include the EU and its new institutional settings established through the Open Method of Coordination. Furthermore, vocational education and training is being reconfigured within a neoliberal Lifelong Learning......The aim of this thesis is to analyse the EU vocational education and training policy process (The Copenhagen Process) from a critical perspective based on the policy analysis methodology, “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” (WPR) developed by Professor Carol Bacchi. The main research question...... “How can the European vocational education and training policy process - the Copenhagen Process - be understood from a WPR perspective? “ is addressed in six articles which take apart the Copenhagen Process and deal with specific WPR questions and specific aspects of the Copenhagen Process...

dena refurbishment investigation. Pt. 1. Efficiency of energetic modernization in the inventory of rented apartments. Accompanying research according to the dena project: ''Existing low-energy house''; dena-Sanierungsstudie. T. 1. Wirtschaftlichkeit energetischer Modernisierung im Mietwohnungsbestand. Begleitforschung zum dena-Projekt ''Niedrigenergiehaus im Bestand''. Bericht 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Discher, Henning [Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH, Berlin (Germany); Hinz, Eberhard; Enseling, Andreas [Institut Wohnen und Umwelt GmbH (IWU), Darmstadt (Germany)

2010-12-08

Due to the world-wide increasing energy demand, the strongly varying energy prices and not at least due to the effects of the climate change, politics, economics and science face great challenges. Energy efficiency in the building sector plays an important role in the reduction of energy consumption. An energetic modernization of the existing buildings is crucial toward achieving the goals of climate protection. Nevertheless there still exist caveas toward energy-efficient building and refurbishment. For the future, market constraints must purposefully be reduced and the chances of energy-efficient refurbishments have to be used.

Correcting the Eyesight: Cosmopolitanism in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asım AYDIN

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Correcting the Eyesight: Cosmopolitanism in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Abstract  The evolutionary process of separatist efforts such as colonialism, imperialism, globalization, neo-colonialism or any nationalism are outdated because global resources are becoming scarce every day, so such terms as human solidarity, Cosmopolitanism, and co-existence will have to endure in order to make use of the resources in the most optimum way. Mankind will have to understand that global sameness has to prevail despite long years of hostility, violence and bloodshed. In line with such an understanding, cosmopolitanism, as a term refers to world citizenship and 'a tolerance for things and people who are different’ and 'morality which is not rooted locally, but globally.’ Chinua Achebe tries to change the African images created by the writers depending on Eurocentric and Afrocentric perspectives. He handles the same periphery from an unusual viewpoint that is because he utilizes a different approach in representing Africa and composes counter discourses in response to colonial, imperial and racial discourses presented in colonial contexts.

Construction solutions for the exterior walls in the process of increasing the width of residential buildings of brownfield construction in seismic hazardousand dry hot conditions of Central Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Usmonov Shukhrat Zaurovich

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The main object of this study is the reconstruction, renovation and modernization of the housing built in the period 1975—1985. These buildings have low energy efficiency due to the poor thermal insulation properties of the walls. These apartments do not meet the necessary requirements for year round warmth and comfort.Reconstruction is more preferable, than new-build, because of the cost saving for the land acquisition. Reconstruction is generally 1.5 times cheaper than new-build with 25—40 % reduced cost on building materials and engineering infrastructure.Increasing the width of the apartment blocks from 12 to 15 m can save 9—10 % on the consumption of thermal energy for heating and reduce the m2 construction cost by 5.5—7.0 %. In—5-9 storey high-rise buildings the savings are 3—5 %.Therefore, the width of the apartment block should preferably be between 9—12 m but could be extended to 18 m. The depth of the apartments themselves will be 5.4 — 6.0 —7.2 or 9.0 m. During the reconstruction of 5-storey residential buildings (Building Type105 in a seismic zone, an increase in the width of the block and the lateral stiffness of the building is achieved by building a new reinforced concrete (RC frame on both sides of the building with a depth of between 2 and 6 m. This technique is especially effective in increasing the seismic resistance of the building. Self-supporting walls of cellular concrete blocks (density 600 kg/m3 and a thickness of 300 mm are constructed on the outside of the frame, taking care to avoid cold bridges.Model studies have shown that in the conditions of hot-arid climate the thickness of the air gap in a ventilated facade does not significantly change the cooling-energy consumption of the building, and heating consumption is significantly increased. The building's energy consumption is most influenced by the volume of the air in the air gap. By increasing the ventilation rate in the air gap, the energy

Tandem bike design for apartment residents as an idea to reduce air pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iskandriawan Bambang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Vertical housing is recently popular in urban areas since the availability of land is very limited. A strong preference for living in the city is mainly due to the home to work travel that is relatively close for those who work in the city. While residing in the vertical housing (i.e. apartment can be an advantage, several accommodation facilities are often provided at their minimum standards. As such, a special design of bicycle for apartment residents may an effective solution. Multi-function bike, ridden either by one or two riders and its aesthetic part of interior element can be an attractive offer. Identification of marketing objectives and observation of comparable products were a crucial step in the initial process of tandem bike design. The use of bicycle in urban areas can overcome a number of motorized vehicles operating wherever the using of them may create issues such as traffic jam and air pollution. This study aims to adjust the tandem bike which can be produced commercially for the apartment residents. Stated in the research problems, the design process was successfully fulfilled. Fabrication and product testing were positively completed. A concise and comfortable bike to carry from the lobby to the apartment unit, or vice versa, was successfully created.

Upgrade Opportunities for Buildings in City Centres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silva M.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This proposal focus on the potential of the existing buildings upgrade process in achieving the 20-20-20 goals, as these are the biggest energy consumers, the most significant built area and the better placed buildings within our cities. These buildings frequently lack basic maintenance and need intervention, but include within themselves a vast amount of incorporated energy and centuries of construction knowledge. Beyond the advantages that may result from re-attracting people back into the city centre, upgrading these existing buildings can also have positive bounce-back effect on the reduction of the energy needs related to transportation, as demonstrated in studies that alert to the impact of the building sprawl in the total energy use. As “buildings account for 40 % of total energy consumption in the Union”, the better performance of this sector has a significant role, remembering that “these requirements shall take account of general indoor climate conditions, in order to avoid possible negative effects such as inadequate ventilation, as well as local conditions and the designated function and the age of the building” [1]. The importance of “upgrading” the existing buildings resides on the fact that new buildings represent only approximately 1 or 2% of the total usable area, an estimate that is bound to decrease due to the current construction crisis. While the recent buildings tend to be more efficient, the numerous existing buildings are important stakeholders due to their massive consumptions and incorporated energy. The ongoing Annex 56 on “Energy & Greenhouse Gas Optimized Building Renovation” assumes that “Current standards do not respond effectively to the numerous constraints imposed by existing buildings and in many cases, the requirements result in very expensive measures and complex procedures, seldom accepted by occupants, owners or developers. It is then urgent for the new standards to respond to these

Carbon Efficient Building Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pellervo Matilainen

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Traditionally, the Finnish legislation have focused on energy use and especially on energy used for heating space in buildings. However, in many cases this does not lead to the optimal concept in respect to minimizing green house gases. This paper studies how CO2 emission levels are affected by different measures to reduce energy use in buildings. This paper presents two real apartment buildings with different options of energy efficiency and power sources. The calculations clearly show that in the future electricity and domestic hot water use will have high importance in respect to energy efficiency, and therefore also CO2 equivalent (eq emissions. The importance increases when the energy efficiency of the building increases. There are big differences between average Finnish production and individual power plants; CO2 eq emissions might nearly double depending on the energy source and the power plant type. Both a building with an efficient district heating as a power source, and a building with ground heat in addition to nuclear power electricity as a complimentary electricity source performed very similarly to each other in respect to CO2 eq emissions. However, it is dangerous to conclude that it is not important which energy source is chosen. If hypothetically, the use of district heating would dramatically drop, the primary energy factor and CO2 eq emissions from electricity would rise, which in turn would lead to the increase of the ground heat systems emissions. A problem in the yearly calculations is that the fact that it is very important, sometimes even crucial, when energy is needed, is always excluded.

Seismic design of RC buildings theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Manohar, Sharad

2015-01-01

This book is intended to serve as a textbook for engineering courses on earthquake resistant design. The book covers important attributes for seismic design such as material properties, damping, ductility, stiffness and strength. The subject coverage commences with simple concepts and proceeds right up to nonlinear analysis and push-over method for checking building adequacy. The book also provides an insight into the design of base isolators highlighting their merits and demerits. Apart from the theoretical approach to design of multi-storey buildings, the book highlights the care required in practical design and construction of various building components. It covers modal analysis in depth including the important missing mass method of analysis and tension shift in shear walls and beams. These have important bearing on reinforcement detailing. Detailed design and construction features are covered for earthquake resistant design of reinforced concrete as well as confined and reinforced masonry structures. Th...

Applicability and economic efficiency of earthquake retrofit measures on existing buildings in Bucharest, Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Bostenaru, M.

2009-04-01

The research discussed in this contribution contains two aspects: on one side the economic efficiency of seismic retrofit measures, and on the other their applicability. The research was limited to housing buildings. Bucharest, the capital of Romania, was the object of the research. Strong earthquakes affect Bucharest about three times in a century, the damaging earthquakes of the 20th century being in 1940 and 1977. Other strong earthquakes occurred in 1986 and 1990. Since it is a broad topic, first the building type was determined, which should serve further research. For this scope the building types of the 20th century, which are common in Bucharest, Romania, were investigated. For each building type reports have been written, which comprised the earthquake resilient features, the seismic defficiencies, the damage patterns and the retrofit measures. Each of these features was listed for elements of the building. A first result of the research was an integrated system in order to include latter aspects in the planning in the first steps. So already at the building survey attention has to be paid on how a building is subdivided in order to be able to determine the economic efficiency of the planned action. So were defined the `retrofit elements`. In a first step the characteristics were defined, through which these retrofit elements (for example column, wall part between two windows) can be recognised in the building survey. In a further one, which retrofit measures can be connected to these. Diagrams were built, in order to visualise these findings. For each retrofit element and the corresponding measure the costs were calculated. Also, these retrofit elements and the measures connected to them were modelled for the simulation with the structural software, so that the benefit of the measures could be determined. In the part which regarded the economic efficiency, benefits and costs of retrofit measures had to be compared, so the improvement in the rigidity

Building for the future: The Eurotheum at Frankfurt, Main - an office and domestic building for cosmopolites; Gebaeudetechnische Konzepte der Zukunft: Buero- und Wohnhochhaus fuer Kosmopoliten - Das Eurotheum in Frankfurt am Main

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pielke, O.E. [Brendel Ingenieure AG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2002-09-01

The 'Eurotheum' building in Frankfurt is the first high-rise building in Germany that houses both offices and private apartments. It received the 'Immobilien Award 1999 - Cimmit' for industrial buildings by Immobilien-Zeitung and the Institute for International Research of Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft Koellmann AG. [German] Das Eurotheum im Spannungsfeld der Frankfurter Buerohochhaeuser beruht auf einem voellig neuen Konzept: Es verbindet als erstes Hochaus in Deutschland die Funktionen 'Arbeiten' und 'Wohnen'. Fuer das bislang einmalige Konzept des Frankfurter Eurotheums verlieh die Immobilien-Zeitung und das Institute for International Research der Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft Koellmann AG den Immobilien Award 1999 - Cimmit in der Kategorie Gewerbeimmobilien. (orig.)

Factors Affecting Buying Behavior of an Apartment an Empirical Investigation in Amman, Jordan

OpenAIRE

Mwfeq Haddad; Mahfuz Judeh and Shafig Haddad

2011-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the main factors that influencing the customers' buying behavior toward apartment, and tried to identify the most influencing factors that affect buying. A convenience sample consists of 120 persons who already bought an apartment in different areas in Amman. One sample ttest, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used in testing the hypotheses. This study found that respondents would significantly adopt the main constructs when buying...

Recommendations for enforcing and administering lighting-efficiency standards in existing public buildings in New York State. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-09-30

To determine the most efficient, cost-effective means of enforcing lighting standards in existing public buildings, various enforcement procedures were investigated. A summary of conclusions and recommendations are presented. In Chapter 1, the adoption of a modified version of the sections of the proposed ASHRAE 100 standards that relate to lighting is recommended. The basic features of the proposed ASHRAE 100 standards are described and compared with those of other types of standards, and the modifications recommended to facilitate implementation are then presented. In Chapter 2, the structure is outlined and the details are provided of the enforcement strategy devised based on self-certification and penalties for noncompliance. Chapter 3 is intended to guide the state in implementing that strategy; it is suggested that the State Energy Office begin to conduct inspections of buildings selected first randomly and then according to a specific discriminant-analysis scheme. The timetable that should be followed and the management responsibilities that should be assigned if the state is to meet its 1980 goals related to saving energy through the implementation of lighting-efficiency standards are delineated in Chapter 4. The appendixes provide additional information and data supporting the specific conclusions and recommendations presented throughout the text. (MCW)

Hanford site post-NPH building inspection plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagenblast, G.R. Westinghouse Hanford

1996-01-01

This plan establishes consistent post-NPH building inspection procedures and defines a procedure for prioritization of buildings for inspection to ensure the safety of facilities prior to reentry. Qualification of systems for restart of operation is not included. This plan takes advantage, where possible, of existing national procedures for post-NPH inspection of buildings, of existing structural design and evaluation documentation of Hanford facilities, and current and proposed seismic instrumentation located throughout the Hanford site. A list of buildings, prioritized according to current building safety function and building vulnerability (without regard for or information about a damaging natural forces event) is provided

Evaluation of Passive Vents in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, David [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, Marc [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)

2016-02-01

Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.

Bellanca building, Yellowknife : building envelope retrofit project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajewski, G. [A.D. Williams Engineering Inc., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

The Bellanca building is a ten-story, commercial office building, located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The owner was concerned about annual fuel consumption, relative to other buildings of similar size. Tenants reported cold drafts and some ice build-up had been reported in the past, on the exterior of the cladding. In addition, some water penetration had occurred during rainfall. This presentation provided background information on the Bellanca building and discussed a building envelope retrofit project. A.D. Williams was hired in late 2006 in order to provide an opinion on the present condition of the building envelope. This presentation described the site investigation and presented an interior and exterior review of the building. It also presented a thermographic survey in order to map thermal anomalies and establish trends. Following acceptance of the report on findings, one of five options was selected for further development. This included removal of existing cladding, exterior gypsum wallboard, fiberglass insulation and application of BASF Walltite CT foam, sheathing, rigid insulation, drainage plane and new cladding. The preliminary design was then presented. This paper also described the tender and award of the contract; construction phase; and substantial completion of the project. tabs, figs.

The landscape of existing models for high-throughput exposure assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jolliet, O.; Fantke, Peter; Huang, L.

2017-01-01

and ability to easily handle large datasets. For building materials a series of diffusion-based models have been developed to predict the chemicals emissions from building materials to indoor air, but existing models require complex analytical or numerical solutions, which are not suitable for LCA or HTS...... applications. Thus, existing model solutions needed to be simplified for application in LCA and HTS, and a parsimonious model has been developed by Huang et al. (2017) to address this need. For SVOCs, simplified solutions do exist, assuming constant SVOC concentrations in building materials and steadystate...... for skin permeation and volatilization as competing processes and that requires a limited number of readily available physiochemical properties would be suitable for LCA and HTS purposes. Thus, the multi-pathway exposure model for chemicals in cosmetics developed by Ernstoff et al.constitutes a suitable...

Towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in Europe: A Focus on Retrofit in Non-Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delia D’Agostino

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Buildings are the focus of European (EU policies aimed at a sustainable and competitive low-carbon economy by 2020. Reducing energy consumption of existing buildings and achieving nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs are the core of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED and the recast of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD. To comply with these requirements, Member States have to adopt actions to exploit energy savings from the building sector. This paper describes the differences between deep, major and NZEB renovation and then it provides an overview of best practice policies and measures to target retrofit and investment related to non-residential buildings. Energy requirements defined by Member States for NZEB levels are reported comparing both new and existing residential and non-residential buildings. The paper shows how the attention given to refurbishment of NZEBs increased over the last decade, but the achievement of a comprehensive implementation of retrofit remains one of main challenges that Europe is facing.

Neither single, nor in a couple. A study of living apart together in France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnaud Regnier-Loilier

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Among living arrangements, living apart together relationships arouse curiosity on the part of sociologists, demographers and even the media. From a scientific point of view, how have noncohabiting relationships evolved in recent decades? How can we recognise these relationships, and who are the populations concerned? The present study provides an overall view into noncohabiting relationships in France, shedding light on the characteristics of both the individuals concerned and their relationships. There has been no recent increase in the prevalence of this living arrangement. It competes with cohabiting relationships both among students and among people with cohabiting children. Four main groups of living apart relationships are described: "Young adults", "Out of a family", "Seniors." The reasons for living apart as well as future intentions vary considerably across these groups.

Improving benefit-cost analysis to overcome financing difficulties in promoting energy-efficient renovation of existing residential buildings in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiaotong; Lu, Meijun; Mao, Wei; Ouyang, Jinlong; Zhou, Bo; Yang, Yunkai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Financing difficulties hinder energy retrofit of aging residential buildings in China. • New indices based on benefit-cost analysis are presented to overcome barriers. • New indices can be applied to rank energy measures and propose optimum plans. • Improved benefit-cost analysis will attract the government and residents to co-invest. • A “win–win” model means the governments and residents can co-invest and co-benefit. - Abstract: Energy-efficient renovation of existing residential buildings is an important energy policy in China, but financing difficulties seriously hinder the promotion of the policy. In this article, novel indices based on benefit-cost analysis are presented to overcome the barriers. Firstly, benefit-cost analysis is expanded to include the ratio of energy-saving benefit to investment cost (EnIR), the ratio of environmental benefit to investment cost (EvIR), and the ratio of economic benefit to investment cost (EcIR). The above ratios are applied to determine the optimum plans with the highest cost-effectiveness for the buildings to be renovated. Secondly, according to the actual situation regarding both the government and residents, EnIR is modified to the ratio of energy-saving benefit from the retrofit plan to the part of the investment cost undertaken by the government (EnIgR), EvIR to the ratio of environmental benefit from the retrofit plan to the part of the investment cost undertaken by the government (EvIgR), and EcIR to the ratio of economic benefit from the retrofit plan to the part of the investment cost undertaken by residents (EcIrR). The modified ratios can increase awareness of residents in respect of their individual benefits from the adoption of the optimum plans, and can attract them to co-invest. Through these two steps, financing difficulties could be eased or even no longer considered as obstacles to some extent. The ratios are applied to a case study building in Hangzhou. Based on the results

Energy management systems in buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lush, D. M.

1979-07-01

An investigation is made of the range of possibilities available from three types of systems (automatic control devices, building envelope, and the occupants) in buildings. The following subjects are discussed: general (buildings, design and personnel); new buildings (envelope, designers, energy and load calculations, plant design, general design parameters); existing buildings (conservation measures, general energy management, air conditioned buildings, industrial buildings); man and motivation (general, energy management and documentation, maintenance, motivation); automatic energy management systems (thermostatic controls, optimized plant start up, air conditioned and industrial buildings, building automatic systems). (MCW)

LED Lightbulbs as a Source of Electricity Saving in Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeb Akhtar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Today a number of renewable energy technologies are available for power generation, but fossil fuels are still providing a dominant share nevertheless. In order to decrease the electric bill and save our environment, energy conservation is always crucial. In this paper a very interesting idea is presented which is economically viable to reduce electricity usage in our buildings. An effort has been made to estimate the amount of energy that could be saved in the dormitory section of the IMOP building in Russia. Although there are many ways to reduce the consumption of electricity in this building but here the emphasis is on changing light bulbs inside the rooms, kitchen, toilet and bathroom of each apartment. The scope of the study is to figure out monthly electricity saving by replacing traditional light bulbs by LED light bulbs in the building under consideration. The total investment required and the payback period is also presented.

Guidelines for Using Building Information Modeling for Energy Analysis of Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Reeves

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Building energy modeling (BEM, a subset of building information modeling (BIM, integrates energy analysis into the design, construction, and operation and maintenance of buildings. As there are various existing BEM tools available, there is a need to evaluate the utility of these tools in various phases of the building lifecycle. The goal of this research was to develop guidelines for evaluation and selection of BEM tools to be used in particular building lifecycle phases. The objectives of this research were to: (1 Evaluate existing BEM tools; (2 Illustrate the application of the three BEM tools; (3 Re-evaluate the three BEM tools; and (4 Develop guidelines for evaluation, selection and application of BEM tools in the design, construction and operation/maintenance phases of buildings. Twelve BEM tools were initially evaluated using four criteria: interoperability, usability, available inputs, and available outputs. Each of the top three BEM tools selected based on this initial evaluation was used in a case study to simulate and evaluate energy usage, daylighting performance, and natural ventilation for two academic buildings (LEED-certified and non-LEED-certified. The results of the case study were used to re-evaluate the three BEM tools using the initial criteria with addition of the two new criteria (speed and accuracy, and to develop guidelines for evaluating and selecting BEM tools to analyze building energy performance. The major contribution of this research is the development of these guidelines that can help potential BEM users to identify the most appropriate BEM tool for application in particular building lifecycle phases.

Energy Savings Measure Packages. Existing Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casey, Sean [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Booten, Chuck [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2011-11-01

This document presents the most cost effective Energy Savings Measure Packages (ESMP) for existing mixed-fuel and all electric homes to achieve 15% and 30% savings for each BetterBuildings grantee location across the United States. These packages are optimized for minimum cost to homeowners for source energy savings given the local climate and prevalent building characteristics (i.e. foundation types). Maximum cost savings are typically found between 30% and 50% energy savings over the reference home; this typically amounts to $300 - $700/year.

High-rise build renovation - Colouring a high-rise building's facade; Renovation des Hochhauses Schoppi Spreitenbach. Farbigkeit einer Hochhausfassade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enkerli, W.

2008-07-01

This illustrated article takes a look at the renovation of the 70-metres high, high-rise apartment building that forms an integral part of a large shopping centre in Spreitenbach, Switzerland. The buildings and their infrastructure, realised in 1970, were in need of renovation. The facade elements no longer met energy requirements and the shopping mall was to be extended to meet modern shopping needs. The article deals with the technical and aesthetic requirements placed on the facades. The colour concept for the venetian blinds integrated into the windows, which includes the use of 20 different shades of colour, is described. A total of 3,200 blinds are fitted. The removal of the old window elements and the fitting of the new facade elements is described and discussed.

Sustainable development of the today accommodation; Developpement durable de l'habitat existant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

This first colloquium deals with the energy mastership and the greenhouse gases reduction in the today accommodation. The accommodation represent u=indeed the main part of the energy consumption in front of the industry, the transports, the ternary buildings and the agricultural. This document proposes six papers presented during this day: the importance of the accommodation improvement market; the energy performance of buildings and the main requirements of the french directive; the energy performance of buildings and the german regulations in existing buildings; the energy performance standards in existing buildings in UK; the example of the danish certification; the home energy conservation Act (HECA) in United Kingdom. (A.L.B.)

Entrances and entrance halls of residential buildings in Belgrade: 1918-1941

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Putnik Vladana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Between the two world wars Belgrade saw a surge in housing construction, including many rental apartment buildings, so-called 'luxury city palaces'. In addition to richly decorated street façades in the style of academism, eclecticism and Art Deco, architects paid much attention to the design of entrances and entrance halls. The entrance frequently was the main element of the façade even in buildings in a moderate modernist style. Since this aspect of architectural design is scantily documented, this paper seeks to identify its main trends in the 1920s and 1930s and to establish a typology of entrances and entrance halls of residential buildings. It also outlines the parameters and social circumstances that played a role in giving special attention to this element of residential buildings, and examines whether Belgrade architects pursued a sort of total design inspired by European models.

Involvement of Individuals in the Development of Technical Solutions and Rules of Management for Building Renovation Projects: A Case Study of Latvia

Science.gov (United States)

Pukite, I.; Grekis, A.; Geipele, I.; Zeltins, N.

2017-08-01

In March 2016, the Latvian government approved a new support program for increasing energy efficiency in residential apartment buildings. For the support of renovation of apartment buildings in the period from 2016 to 2023, 166 470 588 EUR will be available. Different persons, such as energy auditors, designers, architects, project managers and builders, will be involved in the process of planning, development and implementation of building renovation. At the development stage of the building renovation project, special attention should be devoted to the first stage - energy audit and technical project development. The problem arises due to the fact that each of these individuals, during the development of technical building documentation, does not work as a completely unified system. The implementation of construction project planning and organisational management system is one of the most important factors to guarantee that the quality of building renovation project is ensured in accordance with the laws and regulatory standards. The paper studies mutual cooperation, professionalism and the role of information feedback of personnel involved in the planning stage of building renovation, which is an essential prerequisite for the renovation process in order to achieve high quality of work and reduce the energy performance indicator. The present research includes the analysis of different technical solutions and their impact on energy efficiency. Mutual harmonisation of technical specifications is also investigated.

Using Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" in Introductory Geography Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Hathaway, James

1993-01-01

Describes use of Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe's novel, "Things Fall Apart," in an introductory geography course at the secondary school or college level. Provides a summary of the book's story, which deals with the impact of colonialism and Christianity on the culture of eastern Nigeria. Includes recommended instructional strategies…

Economic Assessment and Business Models of Rooftop Photovoltaic Systems in Multiapartment Buildings: Case Studies for Austria and Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernadette Fina

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the profitability and business models of shared, nonsubsidized PV systems’ usage in multiapartment buildings in Austria in the context of legislative amendments which came into force in July 2017. In addition, it compares the Austrian results with those of Germany, where significantly higher retail electricity prices determine the profitability benchmark. To that end, a multiobjective optimization model is developed for the optimal dimensioning of PV systems and energy storage facilities in keeping with different end user objectives, ranging from minimizing annual electricity costs to maximizing self-consumption. The results show that the profitability of shared use of nonsubsidized PV systems is marginal in Austria. This means that, based on individual apartment load profiles, the profitability gap ranges between 0 and 40 euros per apartment, whereas the consideration of the building as total load leads to a small cost-saving potential of about 90 euros for the whole building in the best case and thus profitability. In contrast, significant profitability of shared PV systems in multiapartment buildings can be achieved in Germany, where the renewable energy surcharge results in high retail electricity prices. At present, different business models, accounting and billing concepts, are being tested in these countries to learn about the best-practice concepts.

Simulation of thermal indoor climate in buildings by using human Projected Area Factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Jørgen Erik

2009-01-01

Nowadays many new and old buildings in Denmark have large glass surfaces. This is a consequence of the technical development of windows with low U-values that has made it possible to build houses with windows from floor to ceiling in northern climates. On the other hand if one is sitting close to...... for dynamic building thermal analysis. The method is demonstrated in a newer apartment with windows from floor to ceiling and shows how impotent it is to include the radiant effect from the glass sur-faces and how it influences the indoor thermal climate significantly.......Nowadays many new and old buildings in Denmark have large glass surfaces. This is a consequence of the technical development of windows with low U-values that has made it possible to build houses with windows from floor to ceiling in northern climates. On the other hand if one is sitting close...

Energetic Refurbishment of Historic Brick Buildings: Problems and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Zagorskas, Jurgis; Paliulis, Gražvydas Mykolas; Burinskienė, Marija; Venckauskaitė, Jūratė

2013-12-01

Building standards for energy effectiveness are increasing constantly and the market follows these changes by constructing new buildings in accordance with standards and refurbishment of the existing housing stock. Comprehensive trends in European construction market show tremendous increase in building retrofit works. It can be predicted that after the end of this decade, more than half of the construction works in European cities will be taking place in existing buildings, pushing the construction of new buildings to a less important role. Such a growth in building refurbishment works is creating a demand for suitable materials, retrofitting techniques and research. The differences between refurbishment of new-build projects and historical or valuable buildings are insufficiently recognized - mostly the buildings without further cultural preservation requirements are studied. This article covers the theme of refurbishment measures in historical buildings - the specific measures like inside insulation which are allowed due to the valuable façade or other heritage preservation requirements. An overview of other innovative methods for energy saving in existing buildings and their potential is given.

Innovative Hybrid CHP systems for high temperature heating plant in existing buildings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Santoli, Livio; Lo Basso, Gianluigi; Nastasi, B.; d’Ambrosio Alfano, Francesca R.; Mazzarella and Piercarlo, Livio

2017-01-01

This paper deals with the potential role of new hybrid CHP systems application providing both electricity and heat which are compatible with the building architectural and landscape limitations. In detail, three different plant layout options for high temperature heat production along with the

Whole building energy performance anomaly detection at TU/e

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hensen, J.L.M.; Bynum, J.D.

2013-01-01

Existing buildings account for the majority of energy consumption in the building sector. Surveys of existing buildings have found an estimated 10-20% reduction in energy consumption may be feasible. Research at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is seeking to realize this potential in

Traffic Noise as a Factor Influencing Apartment Prices in Large Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szczepańska Agnieszka

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Environmental factors are among the key determinants of real estate prices. They include landscape attractiveness, land relief, exposure to sunlight and proximity to natural features. In large urban centers, traffic noise emissions significantly affect decision-making on the real estate market. Weakly developed road networks and the absence of ring roads that shift road traffic outside residential districts are a widespread problem in the cities of Central-Eastern Europe. The prevention of traffic noise pollution, one of the key environmental problems in Europe, is an important goal of European Union policy. This paper analyzes the correlations between apartment prices and traffic noise levels in Olsztyn, the capital city of the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship (province in north-eastern Poland. A linear correlation analysis was performed, and the distribution of unit prices of apartments was mapped by ordinary kriging.

Achievements and suggestions of heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings in northern heating regions of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Ding; Zhe Tian; Yong Wu; Neng Zhu

2011-01-01

In order to promote energy efficiency and emission reduction, the importance of improving building energy efficiency received sufficient attention from Chinese Government. The heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings of 0.15 billion m 2 in northern heating regions of China was initiated in 2007 and completed successfully at the end of 2010. This article introduced the background and outline of the retrofit project during the period of 11th five-year plan. Numerous achievements that received by retrofit such as environmental protection effect, improvement of indoor environment, improvement of heating system, investment guidance effect, promotion of relevant industries and increasing chances of employment were concluded. Valuable experience that acquired from the retrofit project during the period of 11th five-year plan was also summarized in this article. By analyzing the main problems emerged in the past, pertinent suggestions were put forward to promote a larger scale and more efficient retrofit project in the period of 12th five-year plan. - Highlights: →Successful implementation of a retrofit project in China is introduced. → Significance of the project contributing to emission reduction is analyzed. →Achievements are summarized and future suggestions are put forward.

Domestic hot water. Measurements of consumption and heat loss from circulation pipes; Varmt brugsvand. Maaling af forbrug og varmetab fra cirkulationsledninger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehm, B.; Schroeder, F.; Bergsoee, N.C.

2009-07-01

It is likely that the production and distribution of domestic hot water (DHW) in buildings will constitute a dominant share of both the present and in particular future energy design requirements. The goal of this project has been to propose more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for DHW systems based on analyses of existing conditions. The possibilities include new types of circulation pipes, which have the potential of a 40 per cent reduction of heat losses. In addition to the reduction of heat losses inside the building, a low return temperature from the hot water system will have a large impact on the heat losses from the district heating network when the building is being heated by district heating. The results of this project could influence not only future buildings but also existing buildings in case of renovation of the installations. In this project measurements of water and energy consumptions have been carried out in a number of buildings, and heat losses from the production of domestic hot water and the distribution lines have been measured. In addition to the measurements, analyses and simulations have been carried out. Two models have been developed: One of an apartment room with vertical pipes passing through the room, and one of a room above a basement with horizontal heating pipes. The models make it possible to assess how much of the heat loss from the heating pipes is utilised for space heating. The following recommendations are pointed out: 1) In large buildings e.g. apartment buildings and office buildings the technical installations should be provided with meters so that it is possible to separate the energy consumption for DHW, space heating and ventilation, respectively. 2) In new buildings and in case of retrofitting existing buildings, careful planning of the placement and disposition of hot water taps compared with the location of the hot water tank or heat exchanger is recommended. Also, the necessity of a

Predicted and actual indoor environmental quality: Verification of occupants' behaviour models in residential buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Rune Korsholm; Fabi, Valentina; Corgnati, Stefano P.

2016-01-01

with the building controls (windows, thermostats, solar shading etc.). During the last decade, studies about stochastic models of occupants' behaviour in relation to control of the indoor environment have been published. Often the overall aim of these models is to enable more reliable predictions of building...... performance using building energy performance simulations (BEPS). However, the validity of these models has only been sparsely tested. In this paper, stochastic models of occupants' behaviour from literature were tested against measurements in five apartments. In a monitoring campaign, measurements of indoor....... However, comparisons of the average stochastic predictions with the measured temperatures, relative humidity and CO2 concentrations revealed that the models did not predict the actual indoor environmental conditions well....

Analysis of impact of daylight time savings on energy use of buildings in Kuwait

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krarti, Moncef, E-mail: moncef.krarti@colorado.ed [CEAE Department, CB 428, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Hajiah, Ali [Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat (Kuwait)

2011-05-15

In this paper, a detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. The simulation results indicate that the adoption of DST has mixed impacts for Kuwait. While the commercial and the governmental sectors may benefit from the DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. The overall impact of the DST implementation is rather minimal with a slight increase energy use of about 0.07% and a slight reduction in peak demand of 0.14% or about 12 MW based on 2005 electrical peak demand for Kuwait. - Research highlights: {yields} A detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. {yields} The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. {yields} It is found that while the commercial and the governmental building sectors may benefit from DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. {yields} Since the residential sector represents the majority of the electrical load in Kuwait, DST adoption was found to cause slight increase in annual electrical energy use by about 0.07% and a slight reduction in electrical peak electrical demand by about 0.14%.

Analysis of impact of daylight time savings on energy use of buildings in Kuwait

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krarti, Moncef; Hajiah, Ali

2011-01-01

In this paper, a detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. The simulation results indicate that the adoption of DST has mixed impacts for Kuwait. While the commercial and the governmental sectors may benefit from the DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. The overall impact of the DST implementation is rather minimal with a slight increase energy use of about 0.07% and a slight reduction in peak demand of 0.14% or about 12 MW based on 2005 electrical peak demand for Kuwait. - Research highlights: → A detailed simulation-based analysis is conducted to assess the impact of adopting Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the electrical energy use and peak demand in Kuwait. → The analysis focused on the impact of DST in the building sector since it represents 90% of electrical energy usage of Kuwait. → It is found that while the commercial and the governmental building sectors may benefit from DST, the private residences and apartment buildings can see both their annual energy use and peak demand increase slightly by adopting DST. → Since the residential sector represents the majority of the electrical load in Kuwait, DST adoption was found to cause slight increase in annual electrical energy use by about 0.07% and a slight reduction in electrical peak electrical demand by about 0.14%.

Proposed and existing passive and inherent safety-related structures, systems, and components (building blocks) for advanced light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Moses, D.L.; Lewis, E.B.; Gibson, R.; Pearson, R.; Reich, W.J.; Murphy, G.A.; Staunton, R.H.; Kohn, W.E.

1989-10-01

A nuclear power plant is composed of many structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Examples include emergency core cooling systems, feedwater systems, and electrical systems. The design of a reactor consists of combining various SSCs (building blocks) into an integrated plant design. A new reactor design is the result of combining old SSCs in new ways or use of new SSCs. This report identifies, describes, and characterizes SSCs with passive and inherent features that can be used to assure safety in light-water reactors. Existing, proposed, and speculative technologies are described. The following approaches were used to identify the technologies: world technical literature searches, world patent searches, and discussions with universities, national laboratories and industrial vendors. 214 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs

Proposed and existing passive and inherent safety-related structures, systems, and components (building blocks) for advanced light-water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, C.W.; Moses, D.L.; Lewis, E.B.; Gibson, R.; Pearson, R.; Reich, W.J.; Murphy, G.A.; Staunton, R.H.; Kohn, W.E.

1989-10-01

A nuclear power plant is composed of many structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Examples include emergency core cooling systems, feedwater systems, and electrical systems. The design of a reactor consists of combining various SSCs (building blocks) into an integrated plant design. A new reactor design is the result of combining old SSCs in new ways or use of new SSCs. This report identifies, describes, and characterizes SSCs with passive and inherent features that can be used to assure safety in light-water reactors. Existing, proposed, and speculative technologies are described. The following approaches were used to identify the technologies: world technical literature searches, world patent searches, and discussions with universities, national laboratories and industrial vendors. 214 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs.

Building Inventory Database on the Urban Scale Using GIS for Earthquake Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, O.; Avdan, U.; Guney, Y.; Helvaci, C.

2016-12-01

The majority of the existing buildings are not safe against earthquakes in most of the developing countries. Before a devastating earthquake, existing buildings need to be assessed and the vulnerable ones must be determined. Determining the seismic performance of existing buildings which is usually made with collecting the attributes of existing buildings, making the analysis and the necessary queries, and producing the result maps is very hard and complicated procedure that can be simplified with Geographic Information System (GIS). The aim of this study is to produce a building inventory database using GIS for assessing the earthquake risk of existing buildings. In this paper, a building inventory database for 310 buildings, located in Eskisehir, Turkey, was produced in order to assess the earthquake risk of the buildings. The results from this study show that 26% of the buildings have high earthquake risk, 33% of the buildings have medium earthquake risk and the 41% of the buildings have low earthquake risk. The produced building inventory database can be very useful especially for governments in dealing with the problem of determining seismically vulnerable buildings in the large existing building stocks. With the help of this kind of methods, determination of the buildings, which may collapse and cause life and property loss during a possible future earthquake, will be very quick, cheap and reliable.

Factors influencing energy efficiency investments in existing Swedish residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, Gireesh; Gustavsson, Leif; Mahapatra, Krushna

2010-01-01

We used the data from a survey conducted in 2008 of 3,000 owners of detached houses to analyse the factors that influence the adoption of investment measures to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. For the majority of Swedish homeowners, it was important to reduce their household energy use, and most of them undertook no-cost measures as compared to investment measures. Personal attributes such as income, education, age and contextual factors, including age of the house, thermal discomfort, past investment, and perceived energy cost, influence homeowners' preference for a particular type of energy efficiency measure. The implications for promoting the implementation of energy efficiency investment measures are discussed.

Use Of Snow And Ice Melting Heating Cables On Roofs Of Existing Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Metin ONAL

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Roofs are construction elements which form the upper part of a building and protect it from the all kinds of fall wind and sun lights. They are made as inclined or terrace shaped according to the climatic characteristics of the area they are located and their intended use. Inclined type roofs are preferred for aesthetic and or functionality. It is in interest of mechanical engineering that falling snow on long and effective regions of winter conditions accumulate on the roof surfaces with low inclination due to adhesion force between snowflakes and the roof covering. The mass of snow that turns into ice due to cold weather and wind creates stalactites in the eaves due to gravity. This snow mass leavesbreaks off from inclined surfaces due to the effect of the sun or any vibration and can damage to people or other objects around the building. Falling snow and ice masses from rooftops in urban areas where winter months are intense are also a matter for engineering applications of landscape architecture. In order to prevent snow and icing on the roofs of the buildings located especially in busy human and vehicle traffic routes the use of heating cables is a practical method. The icing can be prevented by means of the heating cables selected according to the installed power to be calculated based on the type of roof and the current country. The purpose of this study is to introduce heating systems to be mounted on the roofs with a lesser workmanship in a short period instead of difficulties and costs that would occur by increasing the roof inclination in present buildings as well as explaining their working principles.

Modeling energy flexibility of low energy buildings utilizing thermal mass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foteinaki, Kyriaki; Heller, Alfred; Rode, Carsten

2016-01-01

In the future energy system a considerable increase in the penetration of renewable energy is expected, challenging the stability of the system, as both production and consumption will have fluctuating patterns. Hence, the concept of energy flexibility will be necessary in order for the consumption...... to match the production patterns, shifting demand from on-peak hours to off-peak hours. Buildings could act as flexibility suppliers to the energy system, through load shifting potential, provided that the large thermal mass of the building stock could be utilized for energy storage. In the present study...... the load shifting potential of an apartment of a low energy building in Copenhagen is assessed, utilizing the heat storage capacity of the thermal mass when the heating system is switched off for relieving the energy system. It is shown that when using a 4-hour preheating period before switching off...

Energy savings in Danish residential building stock

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tommerup, Henrik M.; Svendsen, Svend

2006-01-01

a short account of the technical energy-saving possibilities that are present in existing dwellings and presents a financial methodology used for assessing energy-saving measures. In order to estimate the total savings potential detailed calculations have been performed in a case with two typical...... buildings representing the residential building stock and based on these calculations an assessment of the energy-saving potential is performed. A profitable savings potential of energy used for space heating of about 80% is identified over 45 years (until 2050) within the residential building stock......A large potential for energy savings exists in the Danish residential building stock due to the fact that 75% of the buildings were constructed before 1979 when the first important demands for energy performance of building were introduced. It is also a fact that many buildings in Denmark face...

Green signalling effects in the market for energy-efficient residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuerst, Franz; Oikarinen, Elias; Harjunen, Oskari

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Energy efficiency (EE) levels are hypothesised to affect house transaction prices. • We estimate a hedonic model using Energy Performance Certificates from Finland. • A price premium is found for the most energy-efficient properties. • The empirical results are suggestive of a green signalling effect. • Demand for EE high performers appears to be segmented from lower tiers. - Abstract: Empirical evidence from recent studies suggests that the price premium on energy-efficient buildings is potentially higher than the pure capitalisation of energy savings but the empirical evidence on the size of the non-savings components is scant. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating whether the mandatory energy efficiency ratings for residential properties imply benefits that go beyond energy savings. Using a sample of several thousand apartment transactions from Helsinki, Finland, we first test if higher ratings were significantly associated with higher prices. In addition to a large number of property and neighbourhood characteristics, this dataset contains information on building-level energy usage which allows us to distinguish between the cost savings effect of energy consumption and the value of more intangible factors associated with the energy label. The hedonic model yields a statistically significant 3.3% price premium for apartments in the top three energy-efficiency categories and 1.5% when a set of detailed neighbourhood characteristics are included. When maintenance costs containing energy usage costs are added, a robust and significant price premium of 1.3% persists whereas no differentiation is found for the medium and lower rating categories. These findings may be indicative of energy-efficient buildings having signalling value – and therefore an additional incentive to invest in such buildings – for ‘green’ consumers. However, a favourable energy rating did not appear to speed up the sales process in the

Antoine's Necklace or How to Keep a Necklace from Falling Apart.

Science.gov (United States)

Brechner, Beverly L.; Mayer, John C.

1988-01-01

A construction in geometric topology is presented for an imaginary string of beads, but without the string, forming a necklace that cannot fall apart. Some well-known applications and generalizations of Antoine's Necklace are provided, with all examples subsets of Euclidean spaces. (MNS)

Commercial Buildings Energy Performance within Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lazarova-Molnar, Sanja; Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun; Shaker, Hamid Reza

2015-01-01

Existing commercial buildings represent a challenge in the energy efficiency domain. Energy efficiency of a building, very often equalized to a building’s performance should not be observed as a standalone issue. For commercial buildings, energy efficiency needs to be observed and assessed within...

Estimating the Performance of Random Forest versus Multiple Regression for Predicting Prices of the Apartments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjan Čeh

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study is to analyse the predictive performance of the random forest machine learning technique in comparison to commonly used hedonic models based on multiple regression for the prediction of apartment prices. A data set that includes 7407 records of apartment transactions referring to real estate sales from 2008–2013 in the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was used in order to test and compare the predictive performances of both models. Apparent challenges faced during modelling included (1 the non-linear nature of the prediction assignment task; (2 input data being based on transactions occurring over a period of great price changes in Ljubljana whereby a 28% decline was noted in six consecutive testing years; and (3 the complex urban form of the case study area. Available explanatory variables, organised as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS ready dataset, including the structural and age characteristics of the apartments as well as environmental and neighbourhood information were considered in the modelling procedure. All performance measures (R2 values, sales ratios, mean average percentage error (MAPE, coefficient of dispersion (COD revealed significantly better results for predictions obtained by the random forest method, which confirms the prospective of this machine learning technique on apartment price prediction.

Together and apart: a typology of re-partnering in old age.

Science.gov (United States)

Koren, Chaya

2014-08-01

The human need for love, friendship, and physical contact, and the fear of loneliness do not diminish with age. Widowhood and late-life divorce and increased life expectancy are likely to lead to alternative relationships, such as re-partnering. The purpose of this paper is to explore interplays between emotional and physical components of re-partnering in old age. Theoretical sampling of 20 couples included men who re-partnered at the age of 65+ years and women at the age of 60+ years, following termination of lifelong marriages due to death or divorce. Living arrangements included married or unmarried cohabitation under the same roof or in separate homes. Forty semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The couple was the unit of analysis. Interplays between physical and emotional dimensions were examined using five abductive parameters derived from data analysis resulting in a fourfold typology of emotional and physical closeness/distance in re-partnering in old age: (1) living together (physically and emotionally); (2) living apart (physically) together (emotionally); (3) living together (physically) apart (emotionally); and (4) living apart (physically and emotionally). Findings revealed types of partner relationships that are different from lifelong marriages. The typology could help professionals working with older persons regarding what to expect in re-partnering in old age and be included in developmental theories as an option in old age. A quantitative tool for research and therapy purposes, entitled The Re-partnering in Old Age Typology Scale (RPOAT Scale), based on abductive parameters, could be established for measuring re-partnering relationship quality and classifying re-partnering couples.

Factors influencing energy efficiency investments in existing Swedish residential buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nair, Gireesh; Gustavsson, Leif; Mahapatra, Krushna [Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University, SE-83125 Oestersund (Sweden)

2010-06-15

We used the data from a survey conducted in 2008 of 3,000 owners of detached houses to analyse the factors that influence the adoption of investment measures to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. For the majority of Swedish homeowners, it was important to reduce their household energy use, and most of them undertook no-cost measures as compared to investment measures. Personal attributes such as income, education, age and contextual factors, including age of the house, thermal discomfort, past investment, and perceived energy cost, influence homeowners' preference for a particular type of energy efficiency measure. The implications for promoting the implementation of energy efficiency investment measures are discussed. (author)

Building certification schemes and the quality of indoor environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Da Silva, Nuno Alexandre Faria

Building certification schemes create a new standard for the built environment reflecting the growing environmental consciousness and the need for “green buildings”. They are expected to signify an outstanding quality and excellence. Buildings, which receive a high degree of certification......, providing information on the performance of building certification schemes in relation to IEQ and ratings of building occupants. Then, information was collected on IEQ in existing office buildings certified as green buildings with particular focus on the work performance indicators, acute health symptoms......, and perceptions and comfort. Information on IEQ in the existing buildings was collected through field campaigns. They comprised measurements in 6 office buildings in Singapore certified using the Green Mark (GM) Certification Scheme. The measurements were additionally carried out in 6 office buildings...

Vision-based building energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis using 3D thermography and building information modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Youngjib

The emerging energy crisis in the building sector and the legislative measures on improving energy efficiency are steering the construction industry towards adopting new energy efficient design concepts and construction methods that decrease the overall energy loads. However, the problems of energy efficiency are not only limited to the design and construction of new buildings. Today, a significant amount of input energy in existing buildings is still being wasted during the operational phase. One primary source of the energy waste is attributed to unnecessary heat flows through building envelopes during hot and cold seasons. This inefficiency increases the operational frequency of heating and cooling systems to keep the desired thermal comfort of building occupants, and ultimately results in excessive energy use. Improving thermal performance of building envelopes can reduce the energy consumption required for space conditioning and in turn provide building occupants with an optimal thermal comfort at a lower energy cost. In this sense, energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis for existing building envelopes are key enablers for improving energy efficiency. Since proper retrofit decisions of existing buildings directly translate into energy cost saving in the future, building practitioners are increasingly interested in methods for reliable identification of potential performance problems so that they can take timely corrective actions. However, sensing what and where energy problems are emerging or are likely to emerge and then analyzing how the problems influence the energy consumption are not trivial tasks. The overarching goal of this dissertation focuses on understanding the gaps in knowledge in methods for building energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis, and filling these gaps by devising a new method for multi-modal visual sensing and analytics using thermography and Building Information Modeling (BIM). First, to address the challenges in scaling and

55% Tax Deductions for the Energy Requalification of existing buildings in 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentini, G.

2009-01-01

The 2007 Italian budget law set 55% tax allowances till the end of 2010 for works aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of buildings for winter heating. This article examines the results obtained in the 2007 outreach campaign both in terms of energy and environmental benefits and of service offered to technicians and professionals. [it

Earthquake risk assessment of building structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellingwood, Bruce R.

2001-01-01

During the past two decades, probabilistic risk analysis tools have been applied to assess the performance of new and existing building structural systems. Structural design and evaluation of buildings and other facilities with regard to their ability to withstand the effects of earthquakes requires special considerations that are not normally a part of such evaluations for other occupancy, service and environmental loads. This paper reviews some of these special considerations, specifically as they pertain to probability-based codified design and reliability-based condition assessment of existing buildings. Difficulties experienced in implementing probability-based limit states design criteria for earthquake are summarized. Comparisons of predicted and observed building damage highlight the limitations of using current deterministic approaches for post-earthquake building condition assessment. The importance of inherent randomness and modeling uncertainty in forecasting building performance is examined through a building fragility assessment of a steel frame with welded connections that was damaged during the Northridge Earthquake of 1994. The prospects for future improvements in earthquake-resistant design procedures based on a more rational probability-based treatment of uncertainty are examined

Global climate-oriented building energy use scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, L.D. Danny

2014-01-01

This paper explores the extent to which global fuel use in buildings could be reduced, and the growth in global electricity use in buildings limited, by applying stringent (factor of 3–4) improvements to recent building codes for new buildings worldwide and large (factor of 2–3) reductions in the energy use of existing buildings through renovations. The analysis is carried out for 10 different socio-economic regions of the world, taking into account existing building stock and energy intensities in each region and projected changes in population and income, which in most parts of the world will drive large increases in building floor area. A stock turnover model is applied to project changes in heating, cooling, service hot water (SHW) and non-thermal electricity demand with various rates of improvement in standards for new and renovated buildings, and various rates of renovation and demolition of existing buildings. For a scenario in which population peaks at about 9 billion and global average per capita GDP increases to twice the 2010 value by 2100, the global fuel demand could be reduced by a factor of four while limiting maximum annual electricity demand to twice the 2010 value. - Highlights: • A detailed model for generating global scenarios of building energy use is presented. • Drivers of increasing energy use are population and per capita GDP in 10 regions. • Heating, cooling and ventilation energy uses are projected using a stock turnover model. • Global building fuel demand could decrease by 60–80% by 2100 relative to 2010. • Global building electricity demand could be limited to a 100–200% increase

CO2 Emissions and Cost by Floor Types of Public Apartment Houses in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyoung Jae Jang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In each country in the world, there is a strong need for all industries to reduce CO2 emissions for sustainable development as a preparation for climatic change. The biggest issue in many developed countries, including the United States, is to reduce CO2 emissions for the upcoming implementation of Carbon Emissions Trading. The construction industry, in particular, which accounts for up about 30% of CO2 emissions, will need studies on the amount of CO2 emissions. The purpose of this study is to present the most environmentally friendly and economical apartment house plan types according to the increasing number of layers by evaluating the amount of CO2 emissions and economic efficiency. The results indicated that flat and Y-shaped types are more eco-friendly and economical in lower levels of less than 20 stories. However, the L-shaped type is more highly eco-friendly and economically efficient in higher levels of more than 20 stories. The results of this paper would help to make a decision on the building types and the number of stories in the early stages of construction.

Impact of Weather and Occupancy on Energy Flexibility Potential of a Low-energy Building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zilio, Emanuele; Foteinaki, Kyriaki; Gianniou, Panagiota

The introduction of renewable energy sources in the energy market leads to instability of the energy system itself; therefore, new solutions to increase its flexibility will become more common in the coming years. In this context the implementation of energy flexibility in buildings is evaluated...... solar radiation and the outdoor temperature appeared to have the larger impact on the thermal flexibility of the building. Specifically, the energy flexibility potential of the examined apartment can ensure its thermal autonomy up to 200 h in a typical sunny winter day......., using heat storage in the building mass. This study focuses on the influence of weather conditions and internal gains on the energy flexibility potential of a nearly-zero-energy building in Denmark. A specific six hours heating program is used to reach the scope. The main findings showed that the direct...

Drawing theories apart the dispersion of Feynman diagrams in postwar physics

CERN Document Server

Kaiser, David

2005-01-01

Winner of the 2007 Pfizer Prize from the History of Science Society. Feynman diagrams have revolutionized nearly every aspect of theoretical physics since the middle of the twentieth century. Introduced by the American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88) soon after World War II as a means of simplifying lengthy calculations in quantum electrodynamics, they soon gained adherents in many branches of the discipline. Yet as new physicists adopted the tiny line drawings, they also adapted the diagrams and introduced their own interpretations. Drawing Theories Apart traces how generations of young theorists learned to frame their research in terms of the diagrams—and how both the diagrams and their users were molded in the process.Drawing on rich archival materials, interviews, and more than five hundred scientific articles from the period, Drawing Theories Apart uses the Feynman diagrams as a means to explore the development of American postwar physics. By focusing on the ways young physicists learned new calcul...

Use of error-detection and diagnosis methods in existing buildings - Final report; Einsatz von Fehlerdetektions- und Diagnosemethoden in realen Gebaeuden (IEA Annex 34) - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruber, P.

2000-10-15

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the results of tests made with two expert systems used for error-detection and diagnosis in existing buildings. These expert systems were developed within the framework of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Annex 25 Project entitled 'Real Time Simulation of Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) Systems for Building Optimisation, Fault Detection and Diagnosis'. The aim of using these tools was to help detect planning, installation and commissioning errors. These cannot only affect system performance but also can cause increased energy consumption and a reduction of the working life of the system's components. The tests of the tools took place within the framework of the IEA's Annex 34 'Computer-aided Evaluation of HVAC System Performance: the Practical Application of Fault Detection and Diagnosis Techniques in Real Buildings'. Experience gained with the two tools is presented and discussed. The quality of the results and the use of the systems in practice are discussed and commented on. They strongly differ from one tool to the other.

Price Determinants of Affordable Apartments in Vietnam: Toward the Public–Private Partnerships for Sustainable Housing Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ducksu Seo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Since the Doi Moi policy of economic reform in 1986, Vietnam has experienced economic development and housing market growth with increasing foreign direct investment. While high-end apartment development has dominated since the emergence of the privatized housing market, more recent focus is on the affordable apartment segment with the remarkable surge of middle-income households in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC. While most previous studies have analyzed housing price determinants based on locational classification, this study is based on the affordability framework of the housing market in HCMC. It aims to investigate the price determinants of affordable and unaffordable apartment units using the hedonic regression model. The study identified common factors between the two types of apartments, such as vertical shared access and proximity to downtown, as well as unique factors for each, such as more high-rise towers, foreign development, proximity to main roads, and shopping malls only for the affordable segments. The findings have valuable implications, not only for future investors and developers in setting up successful housing development strategies, but also for the public sector in strongly encouraging public–private partnerships for sustainable housing development in Vietnam.

[Supporting the end of life in a therapeutic coordination apartment].

Science.gov (United States)

Cousineau, Jean-Luc; Thévenin, Laurent

2016-02-01

Therapeutic coordination apartments are medical-social structures which provide accommodation to desocilialized people. For the last 25 years, the association Cordia has been supporting people with debilitating chronic diseases in situations of precarity. The multi-disciplinary approach also ensures that terminally-ill residents are taken care of right up until their last moments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Educational project on risk communication and reduction of the radon exposure in buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrady, J.; Guhr, A.; Uhlig, R.

2009-01-01

The radon exposure in buildings is supposed to be the most important risk factor of lung cancer. In Saxony about 800 000 persons live in apartments with high radon exposure. The study discusses the effects of an educational project to communicate the facts on radon exposure in buildings and to develop risk awareness and individual initiatives to reduce the radon concentration. The project includes support and encouragement with respect of preventive and protective measures to improve the individual situation. Further items cover requirements for control and quantification of intervention impacts, development and optimization of specific strategies for a permanent risk communication in schools. Results of the pilot study are summarized.

INDUCON building concept; INDUCON-rakennuskonsepti

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarja, A.; Laine, J.; Pulakka, S.; Saari, M. [VTT Building and Transport, Espoo (Finland)

2003-08-01

The new and stronger requirements: lifetime economy, functionality in use and in changes of use, technical lifetime performance, energy efficiency, healthy, safety, ecology and local culture, are serving a challenge for the building technology. Additionally the pressure towards decreasing the construction costs with the increase of productivity of the work and capital is increased. The objective of this research work has been to respond the challenges described above with creating alternative building concepts, which could allow production of individually designed apartment and office buildings, including methodology and methods to optimise the building concepts and individual buildings in relation to the lifetime quality. Building concept is a repeatable and documented way of design and construction, which can result in individual buildings with an optimised and high lifetime quality. Lifetime quality is the capability of a building to fulfil the requirements of the users, owners and society during entire design period of the building. The INDUCON building concept is focused on the following issues: Classified and optimised lifetime quality (incl. the viewpoints of functionality, performance, economy, ecology and culture), and the realisation of industrial production on an advanced level (incl. new models of building design and construction, simplification of building systems and products, decrease of the number of parts of buildings, improvement of finishing of the prefabricated components and modules, and improving the interaction and compatibility of structures and building service systems). As a result are presented: systematised and classified definitions of performance properties of buildings; corresponding specifications of building systems, modules and components; design principles, process descriptions; examples (incl. Routings of technical building services, specification and classification of the health and comfort properties of indoor air, calculations

Building energy governance in Shanghai

Science.gov (United States)

Kung, YiHsiu Michelle

With Asia's surging economies and urbanization, the region is adding to its built environment at an unprecedented rate, especially those population centers in China and India. With numerous existing buildings, plus a new building boom, construction in these major Asian cities has caused momentous sustainability challenges. This dissertation focuses on China's leading city, Shanghai, to explore and assess its existing commercial building energy policies and practices. Research estimates that Shanghai's commercial buildings might become a key challenge with regard to energy use and CO2 emissions as compared to other major Asian cities. Relevant building energy policy instruments at national and local levels for commercial buildings are reviewed. In addition, two benchmarks are established to further assess building energy policies in Shanghai. The first benchmark is based on the synthesis of relevant criteria and policy instruments as recommended by professional organizations, while the second practical benchmark is drawn from an analysis of three global cities: New York, London and Tokyo. Moreover, two large-scale commercial building sites - Shanghai IKEA and Plaza 66 - are selected for investigation and assessment of their efforts on building energy saving measures. Detailed building energy savings, CO2 reductions, and management cost reductions based on data availability and calculations are presented with the co-benefits approach. The research additionally analyzes different interventions and factors that facilitate or constrain the implementation process of building energy saving measures in each case. Furthermore, a multi-scale analytical framework is employed to investigate relevant stakeholders that shape Shanghai's commercial building energy governance. Research findings and policy recommendations are offered at the close of this dissertation. Findings and policy recommendations are intended to facilitate commercial building energy governance in Shanghai and

Pemetaan batimetri sebagai informasi dasar untuk penempatan fish apartment di perairan Bangsring, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur (Bathymetry mapping as basic information for fish apartment placement in Bangsring waters, Banyuwangi, East Java

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Arif Zainul Fuad

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present research was to map the bathymetry of the Bangsring coastal area, Banyuwangi. Depth data obtained are used to consider the suitable location for fish apartment placement. The depth of the water was measured using a single beam echosounder with a frequency of 50 Hz. The data obtained by sounding process corrected by Tidal data. The tidal data measured during sampling with the observation interval of 30 minutes. The tidal correction was performed to get the depth value relative to lowest Water Surface (LWS. The results showed the depth of the Bangsring coastal area ranged from 2-49 meters. The deepest region is in the southeast of the research area. Based on the depth of the waters, the locations that can be an alternative placement of fish apartment is located by distance of 200- 250 meters in front of Bangsring coastal area with total area  approximately 30 Ha Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memetakan kedalaman perairan Bangsring, Banyuwangi. Data kedalaman yang didapat dari pemeruman selanjutnya digunakan sebagai pertimbangan untuk mencari alternatif lokasi penempatan fish apartment. Kedalaman perairan di ukur menggunakan Single Beam Echosounder dengan frekuensi 50 Hz. Pemeruman dilakukan selama 2 hari yaitu pada tanggal 17 dan 18 Maret 2016 dengan metode zig zag . Hasil pengukuran kedalaman selanjutnya di koreksi terhadap pasang surut. Pasang surut diukur selama pelaksanaan pemeruman dengan interval pengamatan 30 menit. Koreksi pasang surut dilakukan untuk mendapatkan nilai kedalaman relatif terhadap Lowest Water Surface (LWS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kedalaman Perairan Bangsring Berkisar antara 2-49 meter. Wilayah terdalam berada dibagian tenggara area penelitian. Berdasarkan kedalaman perairan tersebut, maka lokasi Perairan di Bangsring yang dapat dijadikan alternatif penempatan fish apartment adalah di perairan depan pantai bagian timur dengan jarak sejauh 200-250 meter dari garis pantai Bangsring dengan

Better Buildings Neighborhood Program: BetterBuildings Lowell Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heslin, Thomas

2014-01-31

Historic Board, which has jurisdiction in the NHP. The Historic Board was cooperative with any exterior renovations as long as they were not changing the existing aesthetics of the property. If we were replacing a rooftop condenser it needed to be placed where the existing rooftop condenser was located. Receiving proper approval from the Historic Board for any external energy conservation measures was known by all the participating contractors. One area of the retrofits that was contentious regarded venting of the new HVAC equipment. Installing external stacks was not allowed so the contractors had to negotiate with the Historic Board regarding the proper way to vent the equipment that met the needs mechanically and aesthetically. Overall BetterBuildings Lowell was successful at implementing energy and cost saving measures into 31 commercial properties located within the NHP. The 31 retrofits had 1,554,768 square feet of commercial and multifamily housing and a total predicted energy savings exceeding 22,869 a year. Overall the City of Lowell achieved its target goals and is satisfied with the accomplishments of the BetterBuildings program. The City will continue to pursue energy efficient programs and projects.

Technological retrofit of existing buildings: dwelling quality, environmental sustainability, economic rising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariangela Bellomo

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Redevelopment can stand as an effective response to the converging ecological, energy and economic crises if the energy efficiency of the built heritage can be enhanced using renewable energy and innovative technologies with a low environmental impact. To this end, the Research Unit Technology and Environment, University of Naples Federico II, is undertaking a structured set of studies addressing the issue of retrofit technology of buildings in Campania put up in the second half of the 20th century to help in defining best practices for planning, design and production.

Expert Meeting Report: Windows Options for New and Existing Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ojczyk, C.; Carmody, J.; Haglund, K.

2013-05-01

The NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership held an Expert Meeting on Windows Options for New and Existing Homes on November 14, 2011 at the Nolte Building on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Featured speakers included John Carmody and Pat Huelman of the University of Minnesota, Charlie Curcija of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Jim Larson of Cardinal Glass Industries, Peter Yost of Building Green, Peter Baker of Building Science Corporation, and Theresa Weston of Du Pont Innovations. Audience participation was actively encouraged during each presentation to uncover need and promote dialog among researchers and industry professionals.

Expert Meeting Report. Windows Options for New and Existing Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ojczyck, C. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States); Carmody, J. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States); Haglund, K. [Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States)

2013-05-01

The NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership held an Expert Meeting on Windows Options for New and Existing Homes on November 14, 2011, at the Nolte Building on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Featured speakers included John Carmody and Pat Huelman of the University of Minnesota, Charlie Curcija of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Jim Larson of Cardinal Glass Industries, Peter Yost of Building Green, Peter Baker of Building Science Corporation, and Theresa Weston of Du Pont Innovations. Audience participation was actively encouraged during each presentation to uncover need and promote dialog among researchers and industry professionals.

Energy consumption of electricity end uses in Malaysian historic buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamaruzzaman, Syahrul N.; Edwards, Rodger E.; Zawawi, Emma M.A.

2007-07-15

Malaysia has inherited hundreds of heritage buildings from the past including those from the Indian, Chinese and Colonial eras apart from the indigenous traditional buildings. These buildings have the most unique ecstatic value from the viewpoint of architecture, culture, art, etc. Malaysian economy boom in 1980s spurred the need for more buildings especially in large cities. As a result, most of the historic buildings have been converted and transformed into commercial use. As reported by METP, Malaysian buildings energy uses are reflected by the energy consumption in the industrial and commercial sectors. Most of the buildings' energy consumption is electricity, used for running and operating the plants, lighting, lifts and escalators and other equipment in the buildings. These are amongst the factors that have resulted in the high demand for electricity in Malaysia. As outlined in the eighth Malaysia Plan, Malaysia is taking steps in conserving energy and reducing energy consumption on electricity consumption in building. This paper aims to present the breakdown of the major electricity end uses characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia. The analysis was performed on annual data, allowing comparison with published benchmarks to give an indication of efficiency. Based on data collected a 'normalisation' calculated electricity consumption was established with the intention of improving the comparison between buildings in different climatic regions or with different occupancy patterns. This is useful for identifying where the design needed further attention and helped pinpoint problem areas within a building. It is anticipated that this study would give a good indication on the electricity consumption characteristics of historic buildings in Malaysia. (Author)

Irregular Shaped Building Design Optimization with Building Information Modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Xia Sheng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This research is to recognise the function of Building Information Modelling (BIM in design optimization for irregular shaped buildings. The study focuses on a conceptual irregular shaped “twisted” building design similar to some existing sculpture-like architectures. Form and function are the two most important aspects of new buildings, which are becoming more sophisticated as parts of equally sophisticated “systems” that we are living in. Nowadays, it is common to have irregular shaped or sculpture-like buildings which are very different when compared to regular buildings. Construction industry stakeholders are facing stiff challenges in many aspects such as buildability, cost effectiveness, delivery time and facility management when dealing with irregular shaped building projects. Building Information Modelling (BIM is being utilized to enable architects, engineers and constructors to gain improved visualization for irregular shaped buildings; this has a purpose of identifying critical issues before initiating physical construction work. In this study, three variations of design options differing in rotating angle: 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees are created to conduct quantifiable comparisons. Discussions are focused on three major aspects including structural planning, usable building space, and structural constructability. This research concludes that Building Information Modelling is instrumental in facilitating design optimization for irregular shaped building. In the process of comparing different design variations, instead of just giving “yes or no” type of response, stakeholders can now easily visualize, evaluate and decide to achieve the right balance based on their own criteria. Therefore, construction project stakeholders are empowered with superior evaluation and decision making capability.

Modules in historic building construction according to the Copenhagen Building Code

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kudsk, Anders; Thuesen, Christian Langhoff; Hvam, Lars

2011-01-01

This paper describes an analysis of building works from Copenhagen, Denmark in the period 1850 to 1950. In the study we investigate, based on the theory of product architecture and product modularization, if examples of the use of well-defined interfaces can be found. Furthermore, the aim...... is to study how the use of such interfaces has influenced former building processes and how they were implemented and kept stable over decades. The result of the study is that at that time a number of standardized interfaces between the individual parts of the building work existed, and that these interfaces...

Measuring Outdoor Air Intake Rates into Existing Building

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, William; Sullivan, Douglas; Cohen, Sebastian; Han, Hwataik

2009-04-16

Practical and accurate technologies are needed for continuously measuring and controlling outdoor air (OA) intake rates in commercial building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This project evaluated two new measurement approaches. Laboratory experiments determined that OA flow rates were measurable with errors generally less than 10 percent using electronic air velocity probes installed between OA intake louver blades or at the outlet face of louvers. High accuracy was maintained with OA flow rates as low as 15 percent of the maximum for the louvers. Thus, with this measurement approach HVAC systems do not need separate OA intakes for minimum OA supply. System calibration parameters are required for each unique combination of louver type and velocity sensor location but calibrations are not necessary for each system installation. The research also determined that the accuracy of measuring OA flow rates with velocity probes located in the duct downstream of the intake louver was not improved by installing honeycomb airflow straighteners upstream of the probes. Errors varied with type of upstream louver, were as high as 100 percent, and were often greater than 25 percent. In conclusion, use of electronic air velocity probes between the blades of OA intake louvers or at the outlet face of louvers is a highly promising means of accurately measuring rates of OA flow into HVAC systems. The use of electronic velocity probes downstream of airflow straighteners is less promising, at least with the relatively small OA HVAC inlet systems employed in this research.

Fiscal and tax policy support for energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings in China's northern heating region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dongyan

2009-01-01

Energy efficiency retrofit for existing residential buildings (EERERB) in China's northern heating region is an important component of the national energy strategy. The main content and related subject in EERERB performance is the basis of understanding and developing targeted policies. So, this paper designed the content system of EERERB. And then, provided a cost-benefit analysis on related subjects, assessed the government's function in EERERB, and come to the conclusion that the Chinese government should increase fiscal fund investment and implement more fiscal and tax incentive policies. Moreover, in view of China's current policy, which lacks long-term mechanism and flexibility, this paper proposed specific policy recommendations, including clarifying the government's corresponding responsibilities at all levels and increasing the intensity of the central government's transfer payments. It further proposed targeted financial and tax policies for supporting and encouraging heating enterprises and owners, as well as policies to cultivate energy-saving service markets and to support the ESCO.

Improving building performance using smart building concept: Benefit cost ratio comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Miraj, Perdana; Sayuti, Mustika Sari; Berawi, Abdur Rohim Boy

2017-11-01

Smart building concept is an implementation of technology developed in the construction industry throughout the world. However, the implementation of this concept is still below expectations due to various obstacles such as higher initial cost than a conventional concept and existing regulation siding with the lowest cost in the tender process. This research aims to develop intelligent building concept using value engineering approach to obtain added value regarding quality, efficiency, and innovation. The research combined quantitative and qualitative approach using questionnaire survey and value engineering method to achieve the research objectives. The research output will show additional functions regarding technology innovation that may increase the value of a building. This study shows that smart building concept requires higher initial cost, but produces lower operational and maintenance costs. Furthermore, it also confirms that benefit-cost ratio on the smart building was much higher than a conventional building, that is 1.99 to 0.88.

ANALISIS FAKTOR KESEHATAN DAN KESELAMATAN KERJA (K3 YANG SIGNIFIKAN MEMPENGARUHI KECELAKAAN KERJA PADA PROYEK PEMBANGUNAN APARTEMENT STUDENT CASTLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saloni Waruwu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Health and Safety (K3 is an effort to create a safe working atmosphere, comfortable and achieve the goal of maximum productivity. K3 is very important to be implemented in all areas of employment without exception building projects such as apartments, hotels, malls. However, to prevent any risk of workplace accidents is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand. Occupational accidents disebab by several factors, among others, occupational safety and health training (X1, the commitment of top management (X2, work environment (X3, awareness of workers (X4, regulations and safety and health procedures (X5, availability rambu- occupational health and safety signs (X6 in the workplace, and communication workers (X7. The most significant factor affecting the accidents are the top management commitment (X2 with a value of 36.4% koefien regression and awareness of workers (X4 of 30.1%. If both of these factors add up the total is 66.5%.

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart": Teaching through the Novel. [Lesson Plan].

Science.gov (United States)

2002

Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known and most influential contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," is a narrative about the European colonization of Africa told from the viewpoint of the colonized people. Published in 1958, the novel recounts the life of the warrior and village hero Okonkwo and describes the…

Energy conservation in rented buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klingberg, T.; Broechner, J.; Forsman, J.; Gaunt, L.; Holgersson, M.

1984-08-01

The bulletin is an anthology of nine essays by different authors addressing the issue of energy conservation in buildings, where there exists a landlord/tenant relationship. After an overview of the rental market and the stock of rental buildings different types of rental contracts and energy charges are described.

Energetic Refurbishment of Historic Brick Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zagorskas, Jurgis; Mykolas Paliulis, Grazvydas; Burinskiene, Marija

2013-01-01

Building standards for energy effectiveness are increasing constantly and the market follows these changes by constructing new buildings in accordance with standards and refurbishment of the existing housing stock. Comprehensive trends in European construction market show tremendous increase...

Unbonded prestressing tendons and their role in the construction of slender elements of buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Mieszczak, M.

2018-03-01

Steel unbonded tendons have been introduced in Europe for construction prestressing many years later than in the USA, Honkong, Singapore or Australia. In Poland, they appeared in the early 1990s. Despite their short application, in the last decade, the Institute of Materials and Building Constructions of the Cracow University of Technology in cooperation with the TCE Structural Design & Consulting company has developed and implemented several interesting and unique designs of building components, using the advantages of this type of prestressing. In the author’s work, apart from the short description of these tendons, several selected (own and foreign) projects of unique character have been presented.

Transforming the existing building stock to high performed energy efficient and experienced architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Inge

The project Sustainable Renovation examines the challenge of the current and future architectural renovation of Danish suburbs which were designed in the period from 1945 to 1973. The research project takes its starting point in the perspectives of energy optimization and the fact that the building...

Consumer Central Energy Flexibility in Office Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Billanes, Joy Dalmacio; Ma, Zheng; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2017-01-01

Energy flexibility in buildings will play an important role in the smart energy system. Office buildings have more potentials to provide energy flexibility to the grid compared to other types of buildings, due to the existing building management, control systems and large energy consumption....... Consumers in office buildings (building owners/managers and occupants) take a main role for adopting and engaging in building energy flexibility. In this paper provides a systematic review of consumer central energy flexibility in office buildings with the discussion of social, technical and business...... can boost energy flexibility in the office buildings....

Target Pilots Energy Efficiency Measures for Broad Rollout in Existing Stores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-03-01

Target Corporation partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and implement solutions to retrofit existing buildings to reduce annual energy consumption by at least 30% versus requirements set by ASHRAE/ANSI/IESNA Standard 90.1-20041 as part of DOE’s Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) program.

BUILDING DESIGN INFLUENCE ON THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moga Ligia

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Energy efficient design is a high priority in the national energy strategy of European countries considering the latest requirements of the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings. The residential sector is responsible for a significant quantity of energy consumptions from the total amount of consumptions on a worldwide level. In residential building most of the energy consumptions are given mainly by heating, domestic hot water and lighting. Retrofitting the existing building stock offers great opportunities for reducing global energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions. The first part of the paper will address the need of thermal and energy retrofit of existing buildings. The second part will provide an overview on how various variables can influence the energy performance of a building that is placed in all four climatic zones from Romania. The paper is useful for specialist and designers from the construction field in understanding that buildings behave differently from the energy point of view in different climatic regions, even if the building characteristic remain the same.

A review of radon mitigation in large buildings in the US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craig, A.B.

1994-01-01

The Environmental Protection Agency of the US carried out its initial research on radon mitigation in houses, both existing and new. A review of this work is presented in another paper at this workshop. Four years ago, this work was expanded to include the study of radon in schools, both new and existing, and now includes studies in other large buildings, as well. Factors affecting ease of mitigation of existing schools using active soil depressurisation (ASD) have been identified and quantified. Examination of the building and architectural plans makes it possible to predict the ease of mitigation of a specific building. Many schools can be easily and inexpensively mitigated using ASD. However, examination of a fairly large number of schools has shown that a significant percentage of existing schools will be hard to mitigate with ASD. In some cases, the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can be used to pressurise the building and retard radon entry. However, in some cases no central HVAC system exists and the school is difficult and/or expensive to mitigate by any technique. Prevention of radon entry is relatively easy and inexpensive to accomplish during construction of schools and other large buildings. It is also possible to control radon to near ambient levels in new construction, a goal which is much more difficult to approach in existing large buildings. The preferred method of radon prevention in the construction of large buildings is to design the HVAC system for building pressurisation, install a simple ASD system, and seal all entry routes between the sub-slab and the building interior. (author)

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart": Oral and Literary Strategies. [Lesson Plan].

Science.gov (United States)

2002

Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," deals with the clash of cultures and the violent transitions in life and values brought about by the onset of British colonialism in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century. Published in 1958, just before Nigerian independence, the…

International symposium on seismic evaluation of existing nuclear facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orbovic, N.; Bouchon, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, IRSN, 92 - Fontenay aux Roses (France); Vendel, J.; Gelain, T. [IRSN/DPEA/SERAC, 91 - Gif sur Yvette (France)

2003-10-01

Below are summarized the works of Mrs N. Orbovic and M. Bouchon; B. Stojadinovic, N. Orbovic, M.Bouchon and J.T. Wiley; M. Bouchon, N. Orbovic and B. Foure; T. Gelain, F. Gensdarmes, R. Sestier-Carlin, J. Vendel and M. Bouchon dealing respectively with: 1) seismic assessment of existing nuclear facility: a case study position of the IRSN 2) static and dynamic evaluation of an existing nuclear facility reinforced concrete frame structure 3) experimental study of cracking of low-rise reinforced concrete shear walls 4) aeraulics study of crack networks on low-rise reinforced concrete walls subject to static cycling loading. The summaries are followed: 1) The Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has the task of evaluating the seismic safety of existing building inventory in French nuclear facilities. Some of the existing structures are reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry or reinforced concrete in-fill walls built during the 1960's, 70's and 80's following different building codes and seismic input data applicable at the time of construction. The studied building is a laboratory that was built in 1962. The building is composed of three different and independent blocks. The structure is a reinforced concrete frame with masonry in-fills and few stiff concrete elements. Moreover, the building contains an independent massive concrete cell. Structurally, the building has a number of irregularities. From the detailing standpoint, well known deficiencies of low-ductile reinforced concrete structures are evident especially, a lack of transverse reinforcement in the structural joints of the frame. A number of sensitivity studies were conducted using 2D and 3D linear models to evaluate seismic demand. Ambient vibration and regional earthquake records were used to check the soil nature and the existence or not of a possible site effect around the installation as well as to characterize the dynamic behavior of the building. 3D models

Simplified Assessment of R3 Nominal Assurance Degree to Seismic Action of the Existing Masonry Dwellings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodor Broşteanu

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This paper refers to the assessment of the performance level of a building for a given seismic hazard level. Building performance level describes the expected seismic performance given by the computation of R3 Nominal Assurance Degree to Seismic Action of the Existing Masonry Dwellings and Monumental Buildings according to the Romanian Norm P100:1992 [1], modified on 1996 with the chapters 11 and 12, until the Part 3 of P100-1:2006 [2], will be performed for the Assessment and Strengthening Structural Design of the Seismic Vulnerable, Existing Buildings, in the frame of SR EN 1998-1:2004 EC8 [3]. The framing of damages into the potential risk degrees has a social and economic impact. Assessment and retrofitting of the existing buildings have represented a huge engineering challenge as a distinct problem versus a new building design. The performance level of a vulnerable existing building shows us the expected seismic performance level due to the classified damages, the pattern of cracks, the interruption of function, the economic losses and the needed interventions, all in function of the importance class of building on next life span of use. On recommends the computation of R (R3 Nominal Assurance Degree to Seismic Action of the Vulnerable Dwellings for the assessing and strengthening design, in comparison to both norms because of the bearing conventional seismic load computed by [1], will result less than the value which will be computed by the Part 3 of P100-1:2006, i.e. the norm P100:1992 is more severe. In the case of the breakable fracture probability of the existing structural masonry members, one recommends a bigger value of ? – reduction factor unless the given values by [1] for a new structure with a high ductility, especially for the deflections calibration on the same limit state.

Building characteristics, indoor air quality and recurrent wheezing in very young children (BAMSE).

Science.gov (United States)

Emenius, G; Svartengren, M; Korsgaard, J; Nordvall, L; Pershagen, G; Wickman, M

2004-02-01

This study was conducted to examine the impact of building characteristics and indoor air quality on recurrent wheezing in infants. We followed a birth cohort (BAMSE) comprising 4089 children, born in predefined areas of Stockholm, during their first 2 years of life. Information on exposures was obtained from parental questionnaires when the children were 2 months and on symptoms and diseases when the children were 1 and 2 years old. Children with recurrent wheezing, and two age-matched controls per case, were identified and enrolled in a nested case-control study. The homes were investigated and ventilation rate, humidity, temperature and NO2 measured. We found that living in an apartment erected after 1939, or in a private home with crawl space/concrete slab foundation were associated with an increased risk of recurrent wheezing, odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (1.3-4.8) and 2.5 (1.1-5.4), respectively. The same was true for living in homes with absolute indoor humidity >5.8 g/kg, OR 1.7 (1.0-2.9) and in homes where windowpane condensation was consistently reported over several years, OR 2.2 (1.1-4.5). However, air change rate and type of ventilation system did not seem to affect the risk. In conclusion, relatively new apartment buildings, single-family homes with crawl space/concrete slab foundation, elevated indoor humidity, and reported wintertime windowpane condensation were associated with recurrent wheezing in infants. Thus, improvements of the building quality may have potential to prevent infant wheezing.

Consolidation of existing solid waste management plans in the Greater Toronto Area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-08-01

The municipalities of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will be implementing initiatives in solid waste management, in view of the fact that current landfill capacity is nearly exhausted. A consolidation of information is provided on the solid waste management plans, programs, and facilities within the GTA. In response to environmental concerns coupled with difficulties encountered in developing new solid waste disposal facilities, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling efforts are developing rapidly. Some of the measures currently implemented and under investigation include: curbside recycling programs for newspapers, glass, metal, and plastic containers; expanding recycling efforts to apartment buildings; expanding the kinds of materials collected through the curbside programs; improving recycling services in rural areas; public education and promotional programs; promotion of home composting; household hazardous waste programs; recovery of cardboard from commercial and industrial sources, coupled with bans on cardboard at landfills; recovery of selected waste building materials such as wood and drywall, coupled with bans on these materials at landfills; recovery of paper from office buildings; and programs to assist industries in waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. The solid wastes generated in the GTA are managed in a number of facilities including recycling centers, transfer stations, and landfill sites. A 410 tonne/day energy-from-waste facility has recently been approved for Peel Region and is planned to be constructed in the coming year. 21 refs., 1 fig., 14 tabs.

Veskitammi kortermajad = The Veskitammi Apartment Buildings / Urmas Oja

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Oja, Urmas, 1981-2012

2004-01-01

Üks ühe trepikojaga ja kaks kolme trepikojaga kolmekordset puidust korterelamut ümber sisehoovi Laagris. Hoonete puitfassaadid on kujundatud nelja eri pikkusega ja nelja eri värvi laudadest. Projekteerija, maastikukujundus: AB Kosmos. Autorid Ott Kadarik, Villem Tomiste, Mihkel Tüür. Konstruktor: Randväli ja Karema. Projekt ja valmis 2003. Ill.: 6 korruste plaani, 5 värv. välisvaadet

Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liefbroer, A.C.; Poortman, A.R.; Seltzer, J.A.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Most research asks whether or not cohabitation has come to rival marriage. Little is known about the meaning of living apart together (LAT) relationships, and whether LAT is an alternative to marriage and cohabitation or a dating relationship. OBJECTIVE: We examine across Europe: (1) the

From Fiction to Field Notes: Observing Ibo Culture in "Things Fall Apart."

Science.gov (United States)

Schur, Joan Brodsky

1997-01-01

Demonstrates how introducing students to African literature can appeal to their imaginations and encourage them to develop their insights into African culture. Outlines the procedures in a middle school class where the students are transformed into anthropologists as they read Chinua Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart." (MJP)

ImBuild: Impact of building energy efficiency programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, M.J.; Hostick, D.J.; Belzer, D.B.

1998-04-01

As part of measuring the impact of government programs on improving the energy efficiency of the Nation`s building stock, the Department of Energy Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (BTS) is interested in assessing the economic impacts of its portfolio of programs, specifically the potential impact on national employment and income. The special-purpose version of the IMPLAN model used in this study is called ImBuild. In comparison with simple economic multiplier approaches, such as Department of Commerce RIMS 2 system, ImBuild allows for more complete and automated analysis of the economic impacts of energy efficiency investments in buildings. ImBuild is also easier to use than existing macroeconomic simulation models. The authors conducted an analysis of three sample BTS energy programs: the residential generator-absorber heat exchange gas heat pump (GAX heat pump), the low power sulfur lamp (LPSL) in residential and commercial applications, and the Building America program. The GAX heat pump would address the market for the high-efficiency residential combined heating and cooling systems. The LPSL would replace some highly efficient fluorescent commercial lighting. Building America seeks to improve the energy efficiency of new factory-built, modular, manufactured, and small-volume, site-built homes through use of systems engineering concepts and early incorporation of new products and processes, and by increasing the demand for more energy-efficient homes. The authors analyze a scenario for market penetration of each of these technologies devised for BTS programs reported in the BTS GPRA Metrics Estimates, FY99 Budget Request, December 19, 1997. 46 figs., 4 tabs.

Building waste management in Bulgaria: challenges and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadjieva-Zaharieva, R.; Dimitrova, E.; Buyle-Bodin, Francois

2003-01-01

Building waste recycling as aggregates is a modern approach for preventing environmental pollution through both reducing the stocks of waste and decreasing the use of natural aggregates. The reuse of building waste is a relatively new issue for Bulgaria despite the existing considerable quantity of building waste and the significant changes in the environmental rules applied. The paper discusses generated and potential waste streams in Bulgaria in the context of the social and economic restructuring and recent urban development undergone by the country. The main preliminary conditions for developing the recycling activity such as: streams of building waste, experience in recycling, technical and environmental standardization, appropriate technologies, etc. are examined. The authors analyze current practice and research activities with regard to the implementation of advanced EU building-waste recycling methods. Conclusions are drawn about existing opportunities and the priorities of the needed building waste management strategy in the country

Relationship between Quality of Building Maintenance Management Services for Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Satisfaction: Case Study of Bus Terminal Buildings in Penang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Full Chong Choon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Maintenance is often defined as the series of activities undertaken to take care of the building structure and services to ensure the intended functions and optimal performance of a building life cycle. The management department of a building is usually responsible for the enhancement of the indoor environment quality by service delivery and for boosting occupant productivity and satisfaction. Thus, a salient point of this study is to determine the current level of the building’s maintenance management service for indoor environmental quality in Penang bus terminals, along with its occupant satisfaction with regards to the services provided in the building. The assessment of the indoor environmental quality includes the evaluation of thermal comfort, lighting condition, air quality and cleanliness. Apart from that, qualitative and quantitative methodologies were applied during the process of data collection and analysis. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 500 of the targeted population for each bus terminal, including passengers and the staff. In this study, the conclusion was drawn in which the maintenance management service level of the bus terminal was directly proportional to occupant satisfaction. However, the current quality of maintenance management services in the bus terminals are still not up to the level of the occupants’ satisfaction.

Proposed Assessment of Dynamic Resistance of the Existing Industrial Portal Frame Building Structures to the Impact of Mining Tremors

Science.gov (United States)

Rusek, Janusz; Kocot, Wojciech

2017-10-01

The article presents the method for assessing dynamic resistance of the existing industrial portal frame building structures subjected to mining tremors. The study was performed on two industrial halls of a reinforced concrete structure and a steel structure. In order to determine the dynamic resistances of these objects, static and dynamic numerical analysis in the FEA environment was carried out. The scope of numerical calculations was adapted to the guidelines contained in the former and current design standards. This allowed to formulate the criteria, on the basis of which the maximum permissible value of the horizontal ground acceleration was obtained, constituting resistance of the analyzed objects. The permissible range of structural behaviour was determined by comparing the effects of load combinations adopted at the design stage with a seismic combination recognized in Eurocode 8. The response spectrum method was used in the field of dynamic analysis, taking into account the guidelines contained in Eurocode 8 and the guidelines of National. Finally, in accordance with the established procedure, calculations were carried out and the results for the two model portal frame buildings of reinforced concrete and steel structures were presented. The results allowed for the comparison of the dynamic resistance of two different types of material and design, and a sensitivity analysis with respect to their constituent bearing elements. The conclusions drawn from these analyses helped to formulate the thesis for the next stage of the research, in which it is expected to analyze a greater number of objects using a parametric approach, in relation to the geometry and material properties.

Method for simulating predictive control of building systems operation in the early stages of building design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Steffen; Svendsen, Svend

2011-01-01

A method for simulating predictive control of building systems operation in the early stages of building design is presented. The method uses building simulation based on weather forecasts to predict whether there is a future heating or cooling requirement. This information enables the thermal...... control systems of the building to respond proactively to keep the operational temperature within the thermal comfort range with the minimum use of energy. The method is implemented in an existing building simulation tool designed to inform decisions in the early stages of building design through...... parametric analysis. This enables building designers to predict the performance of the method and include it as a part of the solution space. The method furthermore facilitates the task of configuring appropriate building systems control schemes in the tool, and it eliminates time consuming manual...

Refurbishment and school buildings management in a smart building environment

Science.gov (United States)

Di Giuda, Giuseppe Martino; Villa, Valentina; Tagliabue, Lavinia Chiara; Giana, Paolo Ettore; Rinaldi, Stefano; Ciribini, Angelo Luigi Camillo

2018-05-01

Building Information Modelling is a methodology, which is able to take into account many data, both geometrical and non-geometrical, in order to evaluate at the actual condition of the asset. The project has the scope of evaluating the conditions of different school buildings, in order to develop a way to choose the best-tailored management solution to the owner. A further step is the management and planning of design solutions during the life cycle customized on monitored buildings' conditions. The research work focuses on providing a support decisions concerning the gap between the present building state laws and the current state of the existing buildings. The process will be developed in an expanded BIM environment, using sensors, which will give back the state of the consistency of the actual conditions to enable the buildings to adapt themselves in the best way into their specific constraints and boundaries. The results of the study are (i) a complete workflow to make decision and the possibility to shape the decision process on an objective through a scientific approach, (ii) evaluate the current state of the asset and (iii) manage maintenance in the lifespan. Further development will take in consideration all the aspects related to management of big data environment generated by a smart buildings system.

Evaluating the potential of improving residential water balance at building scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Agudelo-Vera, Claudia M; Keesman, Karel J; Mels, Adriaan R; Rijnaarts, Huub H M

2013-12-15

Earlier results indicated that, for an average household, self-sufficiency in water supply can be achieved by following the Urban harvest Approach (UHA), in a combination of demand minimization, cascading and multi-sourcing. To achieve these results, it was assumed that all available local resources can be harvested. In reality, however, temporal, spatial and location-bound factors pose limitations to this harvest and, thus, to self-sufficiency. This article investigates potential spatial and temporal limitations to harvest local water resources at building level for the Netherlands, with a focus on indoor demand. Two building types were studied, a free standing house (one four-people household) and a mid-rise apartment flat (28 two-person households). To be able to model yearly water balances, daily patterns considering household occupancy and presence of water using appliances were defined per building type. Three strategies were defined. The strategies include demand minimization, light grey water (LGW) recycling, and rainwater harvesting (multi-sourcing). Recycling and multi-sourcing cater for toilet flushing and laundry machine. Results showed that water saving devices may reduce 30% of the conventional demand. Recycling of LGW can supply 100% of second quality water (DQ2) which represents 36% of the conventional demand or up to 20% of the minimized demand. Rainwater harvesting may supply approximately 80% of the minimized demand in case of the apartment flat and 60% in case of the free standing house. To harvest these potentials, different system specifications, related to the household type, are required. Two constraints to recycle and multi-source were identified, namely i) limitations in the grey water production and available rainfall; and ii) the potential to harvest water as determined by the temporal pattern in water availability, water use, and storage and treatment capacities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commissioning for Humidified Buildings

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Deal, Brian

1998-01-01

.... Although proper commissioning procedures have been noted to reduce the potential for approximately 70 percent of these claims, no standards exist for the control of moisture migration in building...

Building Energy Simulation Test for Existing Homes (BESTEST-EX); Phase 1 Test Procedure: Building Thermal Fabric Cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Judkoff, Ron [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States; Polly, Ben [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States; Bianchi, Marcus [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States; Neymark, Joel [J. Neymark & Associates, Golden, CO (United States)

2010-08-01

This report documents the initial Phase 1 test process for testing the reliability of software models that predict retrofit energy savings of existing homes, including their associated calibration methods.

Domestic hot water use study, multi-family building energy monitoring and analysis for DHW system sizing criteria development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldner, F.S.

1993-01-01

Thirty New York City multifamily building combined steam heating and domestic hot water (DHW) plants were instrumented for monitoring (mostly hourly) apartment, outdoor, boiler and DHW temperatures and burner on-off times. In nine of these buildings, which had been upgraded, additional data collected were: stack temperature, DHW flow in 15-minute increments, oil ampersand boiler make-up water flows, and DHW temperature before and after the mixing (tempering) valve and on the circulating return line. The project's objectives are to develop comprehensive operating data on combined DHW and heating systems to be used in system design and specifications and for improving operating procedures. DHW requirements in multi-family buildings are currently calculated on the basis of questionable standards. These new, more precise DHW flow data result in a better basis for sizing than existed heretofore. There is a critical need for improved specifications and performance in newly constructed and renovated buildings. Better system choices among various instantaneous generation and storage scenarios will result in savings derived from smaller initial equipment investments as well as more energy efficient operations. The data being generated define figures for DHW energy use so that more reliable and accurate predictions of savings can be calculated. This paper presents DHW demand patterns, seasonal variations, weekday vs. weekend consumption, consumption vs. occupancy levels, coincidence of 15- and 60-minute demand periods, and average vs. peak demand levels. This project is sponsored by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The results of this research are being reviewed for inclusion in a revision of DHW guidelines for the next edition of the ASHRAE Handbook

Building Social Web Applications

CERN Document Server

Bell, Gavin

2009-01-01

Building a web application that attracts and retains regular visitors is tricky enough, but creating a social application that encourages visitors to interact with one another requires careful planning. This book provides practical solutions to the tough questions you'll face when building an effective community site -- one that makes visitors feel like they've found a new home on the Web. If your company is ready to take part in the social web, this book will help you get started. Whether you're creating a new site from scratch or reworking an existing site, Building Social Web Applications

STRUCTURAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF MASONRY BUILDINGS IN TURKEY

OpenAIRE

KORKMAZ, Kasım Armagan; CARHOGLU, Asuman Isıl

2011-01-01

Turkey is located in an active seismic zone. Mid to high rise R/C building and low rise masonry buildings are very common construction type in Turkey. In recent earthquakes, lots of existing buildings got damage including masonry buildings. Masonry building history in Turkey goes long years back. For sure, it is an important structure type for Turkey. Therefore, earthquake behavior and structural vulnerability of masonry buildings are crucial issues for Turkey as a earthquake prone country. I...

Perceptions of building professionals on sustainable development: A comparative study between Hong Kong and Shenyang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo, S.M.; Zhao, C.M.; Cheng, W.Y. [Department of Building and Construction, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

2006-07-01

It is logical to believe that the building professionals (architect, structural engineers, building services engineers, etc.) are the relevant persons that may influence the decision-making process on a real estate development process. Accordingly, the attitudes and perception of building professionals should have a significant influence on sustainable development. This article describes a survey concerning the perceptions of different building professionals, which include architects, construction engineers and building services engineers, on the environment, resource sustainability, and green consumerism in two major cities in China: Hong Kong and Shenyang. It is recognized that energy is central to sustainable development and in 2006/2007, the United Nation Commission on Sustainable Development will focus on energy issue. The discussion in this article will concentrate on the building professionals' perception on energy related issues. Nevertheless, the findings in respect of their awareness of the environment, resources sustainability and other related issues are also summarized. At global level, apart from the need to preserve historical buildings, the professionals in Shenyang feel that 'exhaustion of natural resources' is of major concern and energy preservation is significant. However, the Hong Kong professionals do not consider energy resource sustainability is of urgency. (author)

Energy in buildings: Efficiency, renewables and storage

Science.gov (United States)

Koebel, Matthias M.

2017-07-01

This lecture summary provides a short but comprehensive overview on the "energy and buildings" topic. Buildings account for roughly 40% of the global energy demands. Thus, an increased adoption of existing and upcoming materials and solutions for the building sector represents an enormous potential to reduce building related energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions. The central question is how the building envelope (insulation, fenestration, construction style, solar control) affects building energy demands. Compared to conventional insulation materials, superinsulation materials such as vacuum insulation panels and silica aerogel achieve the same thermal performance with significantly thinner insulation layers. With low-emissivity coatings and appropriate filler gasses, double and triple glazing reduce thermal losses by up to an order of magnitude compared to old single pane windows, while vacuum insulation and aerogel filled glazing could reduce these even further. Electrochromic and other switchable glazing solutions maximize solar gains during wintertime and minimize illumination demands whilst avoiding overheating in summer. Upon integration of renewable energy systems into the building energy supply, buildings can become both producers and consumers of energy. Combined with dynamic user behavior, temporal variations in the production of renewable energy require appropriate storage solutions, both thermal and electrical, and the integration of buildings into smart grids and energy district networks. The combination of these measures allows a reduction of the existing building stock by roughly a factor of three —a promising, but cost intensive way, to prepare our buildings for the energy turnaround.

Competence Building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borrás, Susana; Edquist, Charles

The main question that guides this paper is how governments are focusing (and must focus) on competence building (education and training) when designing and implementing innovation policies. With this approach, the paper aims at filling the gap between the existing literature on competences...... on the one hand, and the real world of innovation policy-making on the other, typically not speaking to each other. With this purpose in mind, this paper discusses the role of competences and competence-building in the innovation process from a perspective of innovation systems; it examines how governments...... and public agencies in different countries and different times have actually approached the issue of building, maintaining and using competences in their innovation systems; it examines what are the critical and most important issues at stake from the point of view of innovation policy, looking particularly...

Airborne Particulate Matter in Two Multi-Family Green Buildings: Concentrations and Effect of Ventilation and Occupant Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Patton, Allison P; Calderon, Leonardo; Xiong, Youyou; Wang, Zuocheng; Senick, Jennifer; Sorensen Allacci, MaryAnn; Plotnik, Deborah; Wener, Richard; Andrews, Clinton J; Krogmann, Uta; Mainelis, Gediminas

2016-01-20

There are limited data on air quality parameters, including airborne particulate matter (PM) in residential green buildings, which are increasing in prevalence. Exposure to PM is associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and since Americans spend almost 90% of their time indoors, residential exposures may substantially contribute to overall airborne PM exposure. Our objectives were to: (1) measure various PM fractions longitudinally in apartments in multi-family green buildings with natural (Building E) and mechanical (Building L) ventilation; (2) compare indoor and outdoor PM mass concentrations and their ratios (I/O) in these buildings, taking into account the effects of occupant behavior; and (3) evaluate the effect of green building designs and operations on indoor PM. We evaluated effects of ventilation, occupant behaviors, and overall building design on PM mass concentrations and I/O. Median PMTOTAL was higher in Building E (56 µg/m³) than in Building L (37 µg/m³); I/O was higher in Building E (1.3-2.0) than in Building L (0.5-0.8) for all particle size fractions. Our data show that the building design and occupant behaviors that either produce or dilute indoor PM (e.g., ventilation systems, combustion sources, and window operation) are important factors affecting residents' exposure to PM in residential green buildings.

SUPERVISORY CONTROL FOR PEAK REDUCTION IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS WHILE MAINTAINING COMFORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nutaro, James J [ORNL; Olama, Mohammed M [ORNL; Kuruganti, Teja [ORNL

2016-01-01

This paper describes a supervisory control strategy for limiting peak power demand by small and medium commercial buildings while still meeting the business needs of the occupants. This control strategy has two features that make it relevant to new and existing buildings. First, it is designed to operate with building equipment, such as air conditioning and refrigeration systems, as they are presently installed in most small and medium commercial buildings. Because of this, the supervisory control could be realized as a software-only retrofit to existing building management systems. Second, the proposed control acts as a supervisory management layer over existing control systems, rather than replacing them outright. The primary idea of this approach is that the controls for individual building equipment request energy resources for a control action and the supervisory control examines the requests and decides which control actions to allow while satisfying a limit on peak power demand.

Indoor air quality in the Swedish housing stock and its dependence on building characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langer, Sarka; Bekö, Gabriel

2013-01-01

.47h-1). The majority of houses (80%) did not comply with the building code that requires 0.5 air changes per hour. The median concentrations in single-family houses and apartments were 6.0 and 10μg/m3, respectively, for NO2, 22 and 13μg/m3 for formaldehyde, and 236 and 143μg/m3 for TVOC. All......Data from a recent Swedish survey on the status of the housing stock and indoor air quality were placed in the public domain by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning in 2011. The available parameters included the year of construction, dwelling location, type of ventilation...

Sick building syndrome: in public buildings and workplaces

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Abdul-Wahab, Sabah A

2011-01-01

... are health and pleasant to live in. The chapters of this book have elaborated in a clear style, yet scientifically solid, the causes, diagnostic tools, health impacts and mitigation approaches that may be applied to existing and planned buildings. I would like to congratulate the authors and the editor for this excellent effort. We at SQU are proud ...

Investigating the presence of hazardous materials in buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustitus, D.A.; Blaisdell, P.M.

1996-01-01

Environmental hazards in buildings can be found in the air, on exposed surfaces, or hidden in roofs, walls, and systems. They can exist in buildings in solid, liquid, and gaseous states. A sound methodology for investigating the presence of environmental hazards in buildings should include several components. The first step in planning an investigation of environmental hazards in buildings is to ascertain why the investigation is to be performed. Research should be performed to review available documentation on the building. Next, a visual inspection of the building should be performed to identify and document existing conditions, and all suspect materials containing environmental hazards. Lastly, samples of suspect materials should be collected for testing. It is important to sample appropriate materials, based on the information obtained during the previous steps of the investigation. It is also important to collect the samples using standard procedures. Pollutants of concern include asbestos, lead, PCBs, and radon

Review of low-energy construction, air tightness, ventilation strategies and indoor radon: results from Finnish houses and apartments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arvela, H.; Holmgren, O.; Reisbacka, H.; Vinha, J.

2014-01-01

Low-energy and passive house construction practices are characterised by increased insulation, high air tightness of the building shell and controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. As a result of the interaction of mechanical ventilation and high air tightness, the pressure difference in a building can be markedly enhanced. This may lead to elevated indoor radon levels. Minor leakages in the foundation can affect the radon concentration, even in the case where such leaks do not markedly reduce the total air tightness. The potential for high pressures to affect indoor radon concentrations markedly increases when the air tightness ACH 50 , i.e. the air change per hour induced by a pressure difference of 50 Pa, is -1 . Pressure differences in Finnish low-rise residential houses having mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation with heat recovery (MSEV) are typically 2-3 Pa, clearly lower than the values of 5-9 Pa in houses with only mechanical exhaust ventilation (MEV). In MSEV houses, radon concentrations are typically 30 % lower than in MEV houses. In new MSEV houses with an ACH50 of 0.6 h -1 , the limit for passive construction, the analytical estimates predict an increase of 100 % in the radon concentration compared with older houses with an ACH50 of 4.0 h -1 . This poses a challenge for efficient radon prevention in new construction. Radon concentrations are typically 30 % lower in houses with two storeys compared with only one storey. The introduction of an MSEV ventilation strategy in typically very airtight apartments has markedly reduced pressure differences and radon concentrations. (authors)

Environmental indicators for buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dammann, S.

Whenever we shop, the products we consider buying are labelled with the economical price we have to pay if we want to purchase them - an important parameter in our decisions as purchasers. The increrasing awareness for environmental limits and backlashes of human activities also in the building...... sector have fostered the wish to define 'the ecological price' of a building as a help for environmental conscious decision-making. In a social constructivist approach this Ph.D. thesis looks across and beyond the manifold existing approaches for environmental indicators for buildings. It acknowledges...... in the Netherlands. It identifies lines of conflict and areas of consent betweeen the relevant actors and elaborates scenarios for a possible closure of ongoing debate about environmental indicators for buildings....

Impact of Urban Heat Island under the Hanoi Master Plan 2030 on Cooling Loads in Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tran Hoang Hai Nam

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to evaluate the influence of urban heat island (UHI under the Hanoi Master Plan 2030 on the energy consumption for space cooling in residential buildings. The weather conditions under the current and future status (master plan condition simulated in the previous study (Trihamdani et al., 2014 were used and cooling loads in all the residential buildings in Hanoi over the hottest month were estimated under the simulated current and future conditions by using the building simulation program, TRNSYS (v17. Three most typical housing types in the city were selected for the simulation. The cooling loads of respective housing types were obtained in each of the districts in Hanoi. The results show that the total cooling loads over June 2010 is approximately 683 Terajoule (TJ under the current status, but it is predicted to increase to 903 TJ under the master plan condition. The increment is largely due to the increase in number of households (203 TJ or 92%, but partially due to the increase in urban temperature, i.e. UHI effect (17 TJ or 8%. The increments in new built-up areas were found to be larger than those in existing built-up areas. The cooling load in apartment is approximately half of that in detached house, which is approximately half of that in row house. Moreover, it was seen that although sensible cooling loads increased with the increase in outdoor temperature, the latent cooling loads decreased due to the decrease in absolute humidity and the increase in air temperature.

Barriers' and policies' analysis of China's building energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yurong; Wang, Yuanfeng

2013-01-01

With the rapid economic growth and the improvement of people's living standards, China's building energy consumption has kept rising during the past 15 years. Under the effort of the Chinese government and the society, China's building energy efficiency has made certain achievements. However, the implementation of building energy efficiency in China is still far from its potential. Based on the analysis of the existing policies implemented in China, the article concluded that the most essential and the most effective ways to promote building energy efficiency is the government's involvement as well as economic and financial incentives. In addition, the main barriers in the process of promoting building energy efficiency in China are identified in six aspects. It has been found that the legal system and administrative issues constitute major barriers, and the lack of financial incentives and the mismatching of market mechanism also hamper the promotion of building energy efficiency. Finally, in view of the existing policies and barriers analysis, three corresponding policy proposals are presented. -- Highlights: •The existing policies implemented in China from three aspects are presented and analysed. •The Government's involvement is the most essential effective way to promote building-energy efficiency. •Six aspects of barriers in promoting building energy efficiency in China are identified. •The legal system and administrative issues constitute the major barriers. •Three policy proposals to further promote building energy efficiency in China are proposed

Building Energy Management Open Source Software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahman, Saifur [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

2017-08-25

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy in November 2013, a Building Energy Management Open Source Software (BEMOSS) platform was engineered to improve sensing and control of equipment in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), small- (5,000 square feet or smaller) and medium-sized (between 5,001 to 50,000 square feet) commercial buildings constitute about 95% of all commercial buildings in the U.S. These buildings typically do not have Building Automation Systems (BAS) to monitor and control building operation. While commercial BAS solutions exist, including those from Siemens, Honeywell, Johnsons Controls and many more, they are not cost effective in the context of small- and medium-sized commercial buildings, and typically work with specific controller products from the same company. BEMOSS targets small and medium-sized commercial buildings to address this gap.

International symposium on seismic evaluation of existing nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orbovic, N.; Bouchon, M.; Vendel, J.; Gelain, T.

2003-10-01

Below are summarized the works of Mrs N. Orbovic and M. Bouchon; B. Stojadinovic, N. Orbovic, M.Bouchon and J.T. Wiley; M. Bouchon, N. Orbovic and B. Foure; T. Gelain, F. Gensdarmes, R. Sestier-Carlin, J. Vendel and M. Bouchon dealing respectively with: 1) seismic assessment of existing nuclear facility: a case study position of the IRSN 2) static and dynamic evaluation of an existing nuclear facility reinforced concrete frame structure 3) experimental study of cracking of low-rise reinforced concrete shear walls 4) aeraulics study of crack networks on low-rise reinforced concrete walls subject to static cycling loading. The summaries are followed: 1) The Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has the task of evaluating the seismic safety of existing building inventory in French nuclear facilities. Some of the existing structures are reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry or reinforced concrete in-fill walls built during the 1960's, 70's and 80's following different building codes and seismic input data applicable at the time of construction. The studied building is a laboratory that was built in 1962. The building is composed of three different and independent blocks. The structure is a reinforced concrete frame with masonry in-fills and few stiff concrete elements. Moreover, the building contains an independent massive concrete cell. Structurally, the building has a number of irregularities. From the detailing standpoint, well known deficiencies of low-ductile reinforced concrete structures are evident especially, a lack of transverse reinforcement in the structural joints of the frame. A number of sensitivity studies were conducted using 2D and 3D linear models to evaluate seismic demand. Ambient vibration and regional earthquake records were used to check the soil nature and the existence or not of a possible site effect around the installation as well as to characterize the dynamic behavior of the building. 3D models revealed a

Effectiveness of duct sealing and duct insulation in multi-family buildings. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karins, N.H.; Tuluca, A.; Modera, M.

1997-07-01

This research investigated the cost-effectiveness of sealing and insulating the accessible portions of duct systems exposed to unconditioned areas in multifamily housing. Airflow and temperature measurements were performed in 25 apartments served by 10 systems a 9 multi-family properties. The measurements were performed before and after each retrofit, and included apartment airflow (supply and return), duct system temperatures, system fan flow and duct leakage area. The costs for each retrofit were recorded. The data were analyzed and used to develop a prototypical multifamily house. This prototype was used in energy simulations (DOE-2.1E) and air infiltration simulations (COMIS 2.1). The simulations were performed for two climates: New York City and Albany. In each climate, one simulation was performed assuming the basement was tight, and another assuming the basement was leaky. Simulation results and average retrofit costs were used to calculate cost-effectiveness. The results of the analysis indicate that sealing leaks of the accessible ductwork is cost-effective under all conditions simulated (simple payback was between 3 and 4 years). Insulating the accessible ductwork, however, is only cost-effective for buildings with leaky basement, in both climates (simple paybacks were less than 5 years). The simple payback period for insulating the ducts in buildings with tight basements was greater than 10 years, the threshold of cost-effectiveness for this research. 13 refs., 5 figs., 27 tabs.

Controlling indoor climate. Passive cooling of residential buildings in hot-humid climates in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhiwu, Wang

1996-10-01

Overheating is a paramount problem in residential buildings in hot and humid climates in China during summer. This study aims to deal with the overheating problem and the problem of poor air quality in dwellings. The main objective is to improve indoor thermal conditions by passive cooling approaches, climatisation techniques in buildings without auxiliary cooling from air conditioning equipment. This thesis focuses on the study of cross-ventilation in apartments, which is one of the most effective ways of natural cooling in a hot humid climate, but is also one of the least understood parts in controlling indoor climate. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique is used, which is a new approach, since cross-ventilation studies have been conventionally made by wind tunnel tests. The validations of the CFD technique are examined by a comparison between wind tunnel tests and computer simulations. The factors influencing indoor air movement are investigated for a single room. Cross-ventilation in two apartments is studied, and the air change efficiency in a Chinese kitchen is calculated with CFD techniques. The thermal performance of ventilated roofs, a simple and widely used type of roof in the region, is specially addressed by means of a full-scale measurement, wind tunnel tests and computer simulations. An integrated study of passive cooling approaches and factors affecting indoor thermal comfort is carried out through a case study in a southern Chinese city, Guangzhou. This thesis demonstrates that passive cooling measure have a high potential in significantly improving indoor thermal conditions during summer. This study also gives discussions and conclusions on the evaluation of indoor thermal environment; effects influencing cross-ventilation in apartments; design guidelines for ventilated roofs and an integrated study of passive cooling. 111 refs, 83 figs, 65 tabs

Indoor environmental quality in French dwellings and building characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Langer, Sarka; Ramalho, Olivier; Derbez, Mickaël; Ribéron, Jacques; Kirchner, Severine; Mandin, Corinne

2016-03-01

A national survey on indoor environmental quality covering 567 residences in mainland France was performed during 2003-2005. The measured parameters were temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and the indoor air pollutants: fourteen individual volatile organic compounds (VOC), four aldehydes and particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5. The measured indoor concentrations were analyzed for correlations with the building characteristics: type of dwelling, period of construction, dwelling location, type of ventilation system, building material, attached garage and retrofitting. The median night time air exchange rate (AER) for all dwellings was 0.44 h-1. The night time AER was higher in apartments (median = 0.49 h-1) than in single-family houses (median = 0.41 h-1). Concentration of formaldehyde was approximately 30% higher in dwellings built after 1990 compared with older ones; it was higher in dwellings with mechanical ventilation and in concrete buildings. The VOC concentrations depended on the building characteristics to various extents. The sampling season influenced the majority of the indoor climate parameters and the concentrations of the air pollutants to a higher degree than the building characteristics. Multivariate linear regression models revealed that the indoor-outdoor difference in specific humidity, a proxy for number of occupants and their indoor activities, remained a significant predictor for most gaseous and particulate air pollutants. The other strong predictors were outdoor concentration, smoking, attached garage and AER (in descending order).

The Association Between Apartment Layout and Depressive Symptomology among Hispanic/Latino Residents in Low-Income Housing: the AHOME Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Earle C; Bafna, Sonit; Machry, Herminia

2018-02-01

In this study of low-income Hispanic/Latino adults living in 291 individual apartments in the Bronx, New York, the apartment layout was significantly associated with the odds of depressive symptomology. Women living in apartments in which the most central rooms were the living, dining, or kitchen (i.e., rooms commonly used for communal activities) were less likely to have depressive symptomology (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.22-0.86) than women in apartments where the central rooms were lobbies or corridors, adjusting for demographics, health conditions, and housing and neighborhood characteristics. No statistically significant association was observed in men. We present the logic underlying the use of layout variables in this study and discuss the implications it may have for understanding the role of the home environment on psychological distress among inhabitants. The results of this study show how space syntax analysis can be used to better understanding disparities in the risk of depression and offer an additional opportunity for public health stakeholders to identify those most at risk for depression.

Investigation of the effectiveness of structural measures for reducing the radiation exposure of the population in aeras with enhanced natural radioactivity. A measuring campaign in existing buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leidner, L.; Urban, M.

1986-01-01

For this measuring campaign, buildings of different structural design located close to each other have been selected in an area with enhanced natural radioactivity in order to find out any differences in indoor radioactivity levels that can be attributed to structural design features. The measuring results show that the structural condition of the cellar is the decisive factor determining the radon concentration in a house for the case that the surrounding earth is the main radon source. In houses with an unimpaired concrete cellar flooring, radon concentrations in the ground floor have been found to be lower by a factor of 5-10 than in houses with a natural rock basement. Building materials have been found to have an effect at only comparably low radon concentrations. Expected impacts of structural measures, as e.g. thermal insulation windows, could not be proven (except for some half-timber buildings). The results of this measuring campaign that allow a direct house-to-house comparison do not confirm the relation between gamma dose rate and radon concentration postulated by results of a data collection campaign made in various administrative districts. The effectiveness of given structural variations cannot be proven by measurements in existing houses. This would rather require pin-pointed structural modifications for assessment, which can be done in a building chosen for this purpose. (orig./HP) [de

Wind/seismic comparison for upgrading existing structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giller, R.A.

1989-01-01

This paper depicts the analysis procedures and methods used to evaluate three existing building structures for extreme wind loads. The three structures involved in this evaluation are located at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. This site is characterized by open flat grassland with few surrounding obstructions and has extreme winds in lieu of tornados as a design basis accident condition. This group of buildings represents a variety of construction types, including a concrete stack, a concrete load-bearing wall structure, and a rigid steel-frame building. The three structures included in this group have recently been evaluated for response to the design basis earthquake that included non-linear time history effects. The resulting loads and stresses from the wind analyses were compared to the loads and stresses resulting from seismic analyses. This approach eliminated the need to prepare additional capacity calculations that were already contained in the seismic evaluations

Alternative methods for evaluation of airtightness of the building envelope; Alternativa metoder foer utvaerdering av byggnadsskalets lufttaethet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikander, Eva; Wahlgren, Paula

2008-07-01

Airtightness plays an important role when constructing energy efficient, sustainable and healthy buildings. In order to obtain airtight buildings, the airtightness needs to be evaluated during the construction phase. This enables improvements of the airtightness in an easy and cost-efficient way. During the construction phase, it is difficult to quantify the airtightness. However, detecting and sealing air leakages are good measures to improve the airtightness of the building. Several methods to detect air leakages are presented. A methodology to search for air leakages in buildings during construction has been developed, together with contractors and experts, and the methodology has been used at two building sites. The quantifiable airtightness of a building is determined by measuring the airflow that enters or exits the building at a certain pressure difference over the building envelope. In some cases it is not possible to measure air tightness according to standard. Therefore, a number of alternative methods have been evaluated. These methods include: extrapolation of measured data to a range used in standard measurements, using a buildings ventilation system fans to create a pressure difference over the building envelope, measuring the airtightness of a smaller part of the building (apartment, fire compartment or component) and tracer gas measurements

Understanding Net Zero Energy Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salom, Jaume; Widén, Joakim; Candanedo, José

2011-01-01

Although several alternative definitions exist, a Net-Zero Energy Building (Net ZEB) can be succinctly described as a grid-connected building that generates as much energy as it uses over a year. The “net-zero” balance is attained by applying energy conservation and efficiency measures...... and by incorporating renewable energy systems. While based on annual balances, a complete description of a Net ZEB requires examining the system at smaller time-scales. This assessment should address: (a) the relationship between power generation and building loads and (b) the resulting interaction with the power grid...

Changes in Sunlight and Outdoor Thermal Environment Conditions Based on the Layout Plan of Flat Type Apartment Houses

OpenAIRE

Jung, Sukjin; Yoon, Seonghwan

2015-01-01

Economic growths lead to population increases in large cities. This has brought about the growing necessity for apartment housing which has resulted in higher density populations living in high-rise apartment complexes. Therefore, the urban microclimate is aggravated due to the increasing ratio of artificial coverage and substandard daylight availability. To achieve a comfortable living environment and improve urban microclimates, a process considering the daylight availability and the outdo...

Building technologies program. 1995 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selkowitz, S.E.

1996-05-01

The 1995 annual report discusses laboratory activities in the Building Technology Program. The report is divided into four categories: windows and daylighting, lighting systems, building energy simulation, and advanced building systems. The objective of the Building Technologies program is to assist the U.S. building industry in achieving substantial reductions in building-sector energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions while improving comfort, amenity, health, and productivity in the building sector. Past efforts have focused on windows and lighting, and on the simulation tools needed to integrate the full range of energy efficiency solutions into achievable, cost-effective design solutions for new and existing buildings. Current research is based on an integrated systems and life-cycle perspective to create cost-effective solutions for more energy-efficient, comfortable, and productive work and living environments. Sixteen subprograms are described in the report.

Factors Influencing the Usage of Compact Fluorescent Lamps in Existing Residential Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olusola Olugbemileke Johnson

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Nigeria as a developing nation is facing increasing demand for electricity especially in the residential areas. The use of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs is one of the several measures towards reducing the demand. However, in Nigeria, the use of CFLs is low. The present study was designed to investigate some factors responsible for the low usage of CFLs in Lagos, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered by hand on 984 households, selected through systematic random sampling techniques from 5 local government areas in Lagos State. The first building along the major street in each of the local government was selected randomly and every tenth building constituted the sample. A household head was surveyed in each of the building selected, and was asked to rate some factors that might have influenced the usage of CFLs. The data generated from the questionnaire were analysed using ranking method. The findings show that inability to measure the saving benefits of CFLs on electricity bills, lack of affordability and high initial cost of acquisition and installation were the most important factors which influence the use of the CFLs. The study concludes by providing some recommendations on how to achieve sustainable energy management in the Lagos and beyond through more efficient residential house lighting.

Rational designing of the internal water supply system in reconstructed residential buildings of mass standard series

OpenAIRE

Orlov Evgeny

2018-01-01

The issues of water supply system reconstruction in mass series buildings are reviewed with consideration of water- and resource saving. Principal points for location of plumbing cells in apartments, arrangement of water devices and wastewater receivers, selection of pipelines for reconstructed water line are described. Comparative analysis of design variants of inner water line before and following reconstruction are given. It was found that applying the developed system design approaches th...

Building Protection Against External Ionizing Fallout Radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dillon, Michael B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Homann, Steven G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-12-01

A nuclear explosion has the potential to injure or kill tens to hundreds of thousands of people through exposure to fallout (external gamma) radiation. Existing buildings can protect their occupants (reducing external radiation exposures) by placing material and distance between fallout particles and indoor individuals. This protection is not well captured in current fallout risk assessment models and so the US Department of Defense is implementing the Regional Shelter Analysis methodology to improve the ability of the Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) model to account for building protection. This report supports the HPAC improvement effort by identifying a set of building attributes (next page) that, when collectively specified, are sufficient to calculate reasonably accurate, i.e., within a factor of 2, fallout shelter quality estimates for many individual buildings. The set of building attributes were determined by first identifying the key physics controlling building protection from fallout radiation and then assessing which building attributes are relevant to the identified physics. This approach was evaluated by developing a screening model (PFscreen) based on the identified physics and comparing the screening model results against the set of existing independent experimental, theoretical, and modeled building protection estimates. In the interests of transparency, we have developed a benchmark dataset containing (a) most of the relevant primary experimental data published by prior generations of fallout protection scientists as well as (b) the screening model results.

NASA's Indigenous Capacity Building Initiative: Balancing Traditional Knowledge and Existing Remote Sensing Training to Inform Management Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

McCullum, A. J. K.; Schmidt, C.; Palacios, S. L.; Ly, V.

2017-12-01

NASA's Indigenous Capacity Building Initiative is aimed to provide remote sensing training, mentoring, and research opportunities to the indigenous community. A key programmatic goal is the co-production of place-based trainings where participants have the opportunity to address specific natural resource research and management issues facing their tribal lands. Three primary strategies have been adopted to engage with our tribal partners, these include: (1) the use of existing tribal networks and conferences such as the National Tribal GIS Conference, (2) coordination with other federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal liaisons at regional Climate Science Centers, and (3) connecting with tribes directly. Regional partner visits with tribes, such as meetings with the Samish Indian Nation, are integral to cultivate trusting, collaborative, and sustained partnerships and an understanding of how Earth Observations can be applied to the unique set of challenges and goals each tribe faces. As the program continues to grow, we aim to increase our incorporation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into technical methods and to develop trainings tailored to thematic areas of interest to specific tribes. Engagement and feedback are encouraged to refine our approaches to increase capacity within the indigenous community to utilize NASA Earth Observations.

Plano de negócio: apartHotel Ílhavo

OpenAIRE

Alpoim, Ivan D`Avila

2013-01-01

Mestrado em Gestão/ Classificação: L83 – Tourism; M10 - General O Plano de Negócios “ApartHotel Ílhavo” analisado nesta tese consiste na segunda fase de construção do “Hotel de Ílhavo”, com recurso a fundos do QREN disponibilizados pelo Turismo de Portugal. O projeto implica a construção de um aparthotel com 20 apartamentos turísticos nas instalações do hotel, procurando obter elevadas taxas de ocupação fora da época estival e ainda durante a semana, pelo que se pretende atingir um clie...

Integrating Building Information Modeling and Augmented Reality to Improve Investigation of Historical Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Chionna

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an experimental system to support investigation of historical buildings using Building Information Modeling (BIM and Augmented Reality (AR. The system requires the use of an off-line software to build the BIM representation and defines a method to integrate diagnostic data into BIM. The system offers access to such information during site investigation using AR glasses supported by marker and marker-less technologies. The main innovation is the possibility to contextualize through AR not only existing BIM properties but also results from non-invasive tools. User evaluations show how the use of the system may enhance the perception of engineers during the investigation process.

Building America House Simulation Protocols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Engebrecht, Cheryn [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2010-09-01

The House Simulation Protocol document was developed to track and manage progress toward Building America's multi-year, average whole-building energy reduction research goals for new construction and existing homes, using a consistent analytical reference point. This report summarizes the guidelines for developing and reporting these analytical results in a consistent and meaningful manner for all home energy uses using standard operating conditions.

Strike-slip pull-apart process and emplacement of Xiangshan uranium-producing volcanic basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Aijin; Guo Lingzhi; Shu Liangshu

2001-01-01

Xiangshan volcanic basin is one of the famous uranium-producing volcanic basins in China. Emplacement mechanism of Xiangshan uranium-producing volcanic basin is discussed on the basis of the latest research achievements of deep geology in Xiangshan area and the theory of continental dynamics. The study shows that volcanic activity in Xiangshan volcanic basin may be divided into two cycles, and its emplacement is controlled by strike-ship pull-apart process originated from the deep regional faults. Volcanic apparatus in the first cycle was emplaced in EW-trending structure activated by clockwise strike-slipping of NE-trending deep fault, forming the EW-trending fissure-type volcanic effusion belt. Volcanic apparatus in the second cycle was emplaced at junction points of SN-trending pull-apart structure activated by sinistral strike-slipping of NE-trending deep faults and EW-trending basement faults causing the center-type volcanic magma effusion and extrusion. Moreover, the formation mechanism of large-rich uranium deposits is discussed as well

Building Energy Assessment and Computer Simulation Applied to Social Housing in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Aranda

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The actual energy consumption and simulated energy performance of a building usually differ. This gap widens in social housing, owing to the characteristics of these buildings and the consumption patterns of economically vulnerable households affected by energy poverty. The aim of this work is to characterise the energy poverty of the households that are representative of those residing in social housing, specifically in blocks of apartments in Southern Europe. The main variables that affect energy consumption and costs are analysed, and the models developed for software energy-performance simulations (which are applied to predict energy consumption in social housing are validated against actual energy-consumption values. The results demonstrate that this type of household usually lives in surroundings at a temperature below the average thermal comfort level. We have taken into account that a standard thermal comfort level may lead to significant differences between computer-aided energy building simulation and actual consumption data (which are 40–140% lower than simulated consumption. This fact is of integral importance, as we use computer simulation to predict building energy performance in social housing.

Current State of the Art Historic Building Information Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Dore, C.; Murphy, M.

2017-08-01

In an extensive review of existing literature a number of observations were made in relation to the current approaches for recording and modelling existing buildings and environments: Data collection and pre-processing techniques are becoming increasingly automated to allow for near real-time data capture and fast processing of this data for later modelling applications. Current BIM software is almost completely focused on new buildings and has very limited tools and pre-defined libraries for modelling existing and historic buildings. The development of reusable parametric library objects for existing and historic buildings supports modelling with high levels of detail while decreasing the modelling time. Mapping these parametric objects to survey data, however, is still a time-consuming task that requires further research. Promising developments have been made towards automatic object recognition and feature extraction from point clouds for as-built BIM. However, results are currently limited to simple and planar features. Further work is required for automatic accurate and reliable reconstruction of complex geometries from point cloud data. Procedural modelling can provide an automated solution for generating 3D geometries but lacks the detail and accuracy required for most as-built applications in AEC and heritage fields.

Airborne Particulate Matter in Two Multi-Family Green Buildings: Concentrations and Effect of Ventilation and Occupant Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allison P. Patton

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There are limited data on air quality parameters, including airborne particulate matter (PM in residential green buildings, which are increasing in prevalence. Exposure to PM is associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and since Americans spend almost 90% of their time indoors, residential exposures may substantially contribute to overall airborne PM exposure. Our objectives were to: (1 measure various PM fractions longitudinally in apartments in multi-family green buildings with natural (Building E and mechanical (Building L ventilation; (2 compare indoor and outdoor PM mass concentrations and their ratios (I/O in these buildings, taking into account the effects of occupant behavior; and (3 evaluate the effect of green building designs and operations on indoor PM. We evaluated effects of ventilation, occupant behaviors, and overall building design on PM mass concentrations and I/O. Median PMTOTAL was higher in Building E (56 µg/m3 than in Building L (37 µg/m3; I/O was higher in Building E (1.3–2.0 than in Building L (0.5–0.8 for all particle size fractions. Our data show that the building design and occupant behaviors that either produce or dilute indoor PM (e.g., ventilation systems, combustion sources, and window operation are important factors affecting residents’ exposure to PM in residential green buildings.

Automated model building

CERN Document Server

Caferra, Ricardo; Peltier, Nicholas

2004-01-01

This is the first book on automated model building, a discipline of automated deduction that is of growing importance Although models and their construction are important per se, automated model building has appeared as a natural enrichment of automated deduction, especially in the attempt to capture the human way of reasoning The book provides an historical overview of the field of automated deduction, and presents the foundations of different existing approaches to model construction, in particular those developed by the authors Finite and infinite model building techniques are presented The main emphasis is on calculi-based methods, and relevant practical results are provided The book is of interest to researchers and graduate students in computer science, computational logic and artificial intelligence It can also be used as a textbook in advanced undergraduate courses

INTEGRATING HEALTH INTO BUILDINGS OF THE FUTURE.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Leila; Younger, Margalit; Chandler, George; Gooch, James; Schramm, Paul

2016-01-01

The health and wellbeing of building occupants should be a key priority in the design, building, and operation of new and existing buildings. Buildings can be designed, renovated, and constructed to promote healthy environments and behaviors and mitigate adverse health outcomes. This paper highlights health in terms of the relationship between occupants and buildings, as well as the relationship of buildings to the community. In the context of larger systems, smart buildings and green infrastructure strategies serve to support public health goals. At the level of the individual building, interventions that promote health can also enhance indoor environmental quality and provide opportunities for physical activity. Navigating the various programs that use metrics to measure a building's health impacts reveals that there are multiple co-benefits of a "healthy building," including those related to the economy, environment, society, transportation, planning, and energy efficiency.

Relationship between Quality of Building Maintenance System and Occupant Satisfaction for Office Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid A.H.A

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Buildings will be weary, decaying and dirty as time goes by; but with highquality maintenance management we can prolong the life-span of building, provide building services and keep the building performance at its ultimate level. The importance of carrying out a systematic and routine maintenance is to conserve building performance. However, this task is often neglected due to various factors including misunderstanding the needs of the maintenance works and lack of budget allocation. This paper highlights the current practice of maintenance management that are being implemented in 6 office buildings located in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Kedah and Pulau Pinang. Using the responses of questionnaire answered by 150 respondents employed from these selected offices, personal interviews and visual inspection the following findings were made: the occupants were satisfied with the maintenance management of their buildings elements and the delivery characteristics of maintenance works. Visual inspection however showed that some elements are not in a good condition. In conclusion, some recommendations are made to improve the existing system including the establishment of a maintenance plan, selection of experienced contractors and the provision of a service desk.

Measure Guideline. Air Sealing Attics in Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otis, Casey [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Maxwell, Sean [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States)

2012-06-01

This Building America Measure Guideline is intended for owners, builders, contractors, homeowners, and other stakeholders in the multifamily building industry, and focuses on challenges found in existing buildings for a variety of housing types. It explains why air sealing is desirable, explores related health and safety issues, and identifies common air leakage points in multifamily building attics. In addition, it also gives an overview of materials and techniques typically used to perform air sealing work.

Diverse interpretations of confidence building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macintosh, J.

1998-01-01

This paper explores the variety of operational understandings associated with the term 'confidence building'. Collectively, these understandings constitute what should be thought of as a 'family' of confidence building approaches. This unacknowledged and generally unappreciated proliferation of operational understandings that function under the rubric of confidence building appears to be an impediment to effective policy. The paper's objective is to analyze these different understandings, stressing the important differences in their underlying assumptions. In the process, the paper underlines the need for the international community to clarify its collective thinking about what it means when it speaks of 'confidence building'. Without enhanced clarity, it will be unnecessarily difficult to employ the confidence building approach effectively due to the lack of consistent objectives and common operating assumptions. Although it is not the intention of this paper to promote a particular account of confidence building, dissecting existing operational understandings should help to identify whether there are fundamental elements that define what might be termed 'authentic' confidence building. Implicit here is the view that some operational understandings of confidence building may diverge too far from consensus models to count as meaningful members of the confidence building family. (author)

New Introductions, Spread of Existing Matrilines, and High Rates of Pyrethroid Resistance Result in Chronic Infestations of Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius L. in Lower-Income Housing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald W Raab

Full Text Available Infestations of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L. have increased substantially in the United States in the past 10-15 years. The housing authority in Harrisonburg, Virginia, conducts heat-treatments after bed bugs are detected in a lower-income housing complex, by treating each infested unit at 60°C for 4-6 hours. However, a high frequency of recurrent infestations called into question the efficacy of this strategy. Genetic analysis using Bayesian clustering of polymorphic microsatellite loci from 123 bed bugs collected from 23 units from May 2012 to April 2013 in one building indicated that (a 16/21 (73% infestations were genetically similar, suggesting ineffective heat-treatments or reintroductions from within the building or from a common external source, followed by local spread of existing populations; and (b up to 5 of the infestations represented new genotypes, indicating that 5 new populations were introduced into this building in one year, assuming they were not missed in earlier screens. There was little to no gene flow among the 8 genetic clusters identified in the building. Bed bugs in the U.S. often possess one or both point mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel, termed knockdown resistance (kdr, from valine to leucine (V419L and leucine to isoleucine (L925I that confer target-site resistance against pyrethroid insecticides. We found that 48/121 (40% bed bugs were homozygous for both kdr mutations (L419/I925, and a further 59% possessed at least one of the kdr mutations. We conclude that ineffective heat treatments, new introductions, reintroductions and local spread, and an exceptionally high frequency of pyrethroid resistance are responsible for chronic infestations in lower-income housing. Because heat treatments fail to protect from reintroductions, and pesticide use has not decreased the frequency of infestations, preventing new introductions and early detection are the most effective strategies to avoid bed bug

InGaN micro-LED-pillar as the building block for high brightness emitters

KAUST Repository

Shen, Chao; Cha, Dong Kyu; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.; Yang, Yang

2013-01-01

In summary, we confirmed the improved electrical and optical characteristics, with reduced efficiency droop in InGaN μLED-pillars when these devices were scaled down in size. We demonstrated that strain relief contributed to further improvement in EQE characteristics in small InGaN μLED-pillars (D < 50 μm), apart from the current spreading effect. The μLED-pillar can be deployed as the building block for large effective-area, high brightness emitter. © 2013 IEEE.

Integrated sustainable urban infrastructures in building projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Quitzau, Maj-Britt; Elle, Morten

2007-01-01

Current strategies in urban planning and development merely promote standardized building solutions, while failing to prioritize innovative approaches of integration between building projects and sustainable urban infrastructures. As a result of this, urban infrastructures – the urban veins...... – are outdated from a sustainability perspective. This paper looks into more holistic ways of approaching building projects and discuss whether this provide a basis for an increased integration of urban infrastructures within building projects. In our study, we especially emphasise how conventional ways...... of approaching building projects are influenced by lock-in of existing infrastructural systems and compare this with two examples of more holistic ways of approaching building projects, developed by two architecture firms. The paper points out that such holistic perspective in building projects provide...

Synthetic building materials for transport buildings and structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gerasimova, Vera

2017-10-01

The most effective building materials account for the highest growth not only in construction of residential and public buildings, but also other capital projects including roadways, bridges, drainage, communications and other engineering projects. Advancement in the technology of more efficient and ecologically responsible insulation materials have been a priority for safety, minimal maintenance and longevity of finished construction projects. The practical use of modern building materials such as insulation, sound reduction and low energy consumption are a benefit in cost and application compared to the use of outdated heavier and labor-intensive materials. The most efficient way for maximizing insolation and sound proofing should be done during the design stages of the project according to existing codes and regulations that are required by Western Government. All methods and materials that are used need to be optimized in order to reach a high durability and low operational and maintenance cost exceeding more than 50 years of the life of the building, whether it is for public, industrial or residential use. Western construction techniques and technologies need to be applied and adapted by the Russian Federation to insure the most productive successful methods are being implemented. The issues of efficient insulation materials are outlined in this article.

Renovation versus New Construction and Building Decision Tool for Educational Facilities

OpenAIRE

Pope, Carrie; Marks, Eric; Back, Edward; Leopard, Tim; Love, Thomas

2016-01-01

Renovation of an existing building is an accomplished stem of the construction industry because it supplies financial diversification for construction stakeholders. Although several construction planning tools and stakeholder alignment exercises have been developed, no tool exists to assist project owners to decide between renovating an existing building and new construction with a comprehensive decision criteria. The objective of this research is to create and test a renovation versus new bu...

Ecological reconstruction of older buildings. Munich, Pariser Str. 10. Oekologische Sanierung. Beispiel: Muenchen, Pariser Str. 10

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalo, R.

1990-04-01

In response to an initiative of the Ernst Friedrich Schumacher Gesellschaft fuer politische Oekologie e.V., the Muenchener Gesellschaft fuer Stadterneuerung GmbH (MGS) carried out a model project for an ecological reconstruction of an older building. Apart from the energy conservation effect, practical experience was to be gained on the ecological and energy efficient application of different measures. The project is to serve as a model for future sanitation projects. (orig./KW).

Sense of community and homeowner participation in housing management: A study of Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung Yau

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Lack of homeowner participation in housing management (free riding has rendered the management of many apartment buildings in Hong Kong ineffective. Proper apartment-building management depends on the voluntary contributions of individual homeowners. Individual homeowners are likely to free-ride on the management efforts of others because they consider the benefits of good housing management to be common goods. Apart from incentives such as subsidies offered by public entities and stricter law enforcement against homeowners that neglect building care, researchers have claimed that communitarian solutions may also work to tackle housing-management problems. In particular, there has been growing interest in the use of social capital, which is regarded as an asset of trust, reciprocity and cooperation, to foster a participatory culture among individual property owners. Empirical study of whether social capital plays a necessary role in housing management has been lacking. This study examines the linkage between social capital and homeowner participation in housing management in Hong Kong. The findings of this study have significant policy and practical implications. In addition to financial incentives or disincentives, public administrators can work to build a sense of community to achieve sustainable management of the existing housing stock in Hong Kong.

"Living Apart Together": Relationships in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Strohm

2009-08-01

Full Text Available We use two surveys to describe the demographic and attitudinal correlates of being in "Living Apart Together" (LAT, cohabiting, and marital relationships for heterosexuals, lesbians, and gay men. About one third of U.S. adults not married or cohabiting are in LAT relationships - these individuals would be classified as "single" in conventional studies that focus on residential unions. Gay men are somewhat more likely than heterosexual men to be in LAT relationships. For heterosexuals and lesbians, LAT relationships are more common among younger people. Heterosexuals in LAT unions are less likely to expect to marry their partners, but more likely to say that couples should be emotionally dependent than are cohabiters. Regardless of sexual orientation, people in LAT relationships perceive similar amounts of emotional support from partners, but less instrumental support than cohabiters perceive.

Understanding the nature of science and scientific progress: A theory-building approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Chuy

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In 1993 Carey and Smith conjectured that the most promising way to boost students’ understanding of the nature of science is a “theory-building approach to teaching about inquiry.” The research reported here tested this conjecture by comparing results from two Grade 4 classrooms that differed in their emphasis on and technological support for creating and improving theories. One class followed a Knowledge Building approach and used Knowledge Forum®, which together emphasize theory improvement and sustained creative work with ideas. The other class followed an inquiry approach mediated through collaborative project-based activities. Apart from this, the two classes were demographically similar and both fell within the broad category of constructivist, inquiry-based approaches and employed a range of modes and media for investigative research and reports. An augmented version of Carey and Smith’s Nature of Science Interview showed that the Knowledge Building approach resulted in deeper understanding of the nature of theoretical progress, the connections between theories and facts, and the role of ideas in scientific inquiry.

Sustainable Building Life Cycle Design