Assessment of uncertainty and confidence in building design exploration

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roya Rezaee ◽  
Jason Brown ◽  
Godfried Augenbroe ◽  
Jinsol Kim
Keyword(s):  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Order Model ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Final Design ◽  
High Level

AbstractPerformance assessment at early stages of buildings design is complicated by an inherent lack of information on the design and the uncertainty in how a building design may evolve to a final design. This pilot study reports on an initial quantification of such uncertainty associated with building energy performance and develops a method for informing decision makers of the risks in early design decisions under this uncertainty. Two case studies of building design decision situations under this uncertainty are explored along with using two different energy modeling tools: a reduced-order model and a high-order model. The intended contribution is to identify if a decision can be made with confidence in early design given a high level of uncertainty in the evolution of a design and what models can support decisions of this sort. Integration of the proposed decision support approach with a computer-aided design model is shown as well.

Subjective Evaluation of Sustainability and Attractiveness Criteria of Planned Buildings: A Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 374-381
Author(s):  
Ulrich Pont ◽  
Ardeshir Mahdavi
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Residential Housing ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Sustainability Criteria ◽  
Competition Result ◽  
High Level ◽  
Architectural Competitions ◽  
Empirical Experiment

Architectural competitions are regarded an important way to find close-to-optimal solutions for given building design tasks. In recent years, sustainability criteria within architectural competitions increased in importance. However, the question how to cleverly integrate sustainability criteria into the required deliverables that architects have to provide in competition entries remains widely unsolved. Even if energy calculations or tabular data are stipulated, both meaningfulness and impact on the jury decision seem to be highly doubtful. This might be due to a number of reasons: First of all, architectural competitions regularly address early design stages. In other words, large uncertainties regarding construction assemblies, glazing properties, and HVAC-systems (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) persist at this moment, thus energy evaluations come with a high level of inaccuracy. Moreover, juries that evaluate competition entries regularly consist of domain specialists for the later building usage and architects, but not necessarily encompass energy efficiency specialists. This is understandable, given the multitude of requirements within building design, where sustainability is only one out of many. Furthermore, there is no common understanding regarding clear decision criteria pertaining to sustainability. Even if certain scalar KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are demanded, these numbers can regularly not describe the overall performance of a building design. Another important aspect is that entries to architectural competitions regularly are checked onto formal issues, but not regarding the plausibility of their content. As such, it cannot be expected that the winning and running-up projects of competitions automatically resemble the most sustainable projects. Literally, any sustainability or energy performance description has to be taken for granted, but can rarely be validated. Commonly it is argued that the winning projects of competitions are regularly the competition entries that show the most balanced mix of different attributes. This, however, is difficult to evaluate. In the present contribution we illustrate the methodology and results of a recently conducted empirical experiment. Thereby, we asked undergraduate and graduate students of architecture to subjectively evaluate a set of competition entries of a recent architectural competition for a high-density, low-energy residential housing project. The project entries were the winning project as well as the five runner-up projects. The students were provided with principle information about the competition and its principle goals and then had to rank the projects regarding different criteria. The comparison of this subjective evaluation was then compared with the competition result. Some differences between the jury’s ranking and the subjective evaluation could be observed.

scholarly journals Consistent management and evaluation of building models in the early design stages

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 212-232
Author(s):  
Jimmy Abualdenien ◽  
Patricia Schneider-Marin ◽  
Ata Zahedi ◽  
Hannes Harter ◽  
Hannah Exner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Building Models ◽  
Consistent Model ◽  
Component Type ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Building Component ◽  
Early Design Stages

The early stages of building design involve the consideration of different design variants and their assessment regarding various performance criteria including energy consumption and costs. During the design process, the involved experts from different disciplines frequently exchange building information to develop a design that satisfies the project’s requirements and objectives. In the course of this iterative process, the building design evolves throughout multiple refinement stages. At the same time, different variants are developed. In BIM-based projects, the maturity of the design information provided by the model is expressed by the notion of Level of development (LOD). So far, however, there is no method to formally define the information requirements of a LOD. In particular, there are no means for expressing the uncertainty involved with the provided information. By contrast, despite the insufficient information available in early design stages, a BIM model appears precise and certain. This situation leads to false assumptions and model evaluations, for example, in the case of energy efficiency calculations or structural analysis. Hence, this paper presents an overview of a set of approaches that were developed to alleviate and preserve the consistency of the designed solutions. The approach includes the development of a multi-LOD meta-model, which allows one to explicitly describe the LOD requirements of each building component type incorporating the possible uncertainties, e.g. concerning the building dimensions. On the basis of this multi-LOD model, methods for evaluating a building design’s performance regarding the building’s structure and life cycle energy performance are proposed that take the defined uncertainties into account. To support the management of design variants in one consistent model, a graph-based approach is introduced. Finally, a minimized communication protocol is described to facilitate the workflow and communicate the evaluation results for supporting the decision-making process.

scholarly journals Opportunities and Limitations of Building Energy Performance Simulation Tools in the Early Stages of Building Design in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9702
Author(s):  
Ramy Mahmoud ◽  
John M. Kamara ◽  
Neil Burford
Keyword(s):  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Passive House ◽  
Performance Simulation ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Building Energy Performance ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Early Design Stages ◽  
The Uk

This research investigates the use of Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) tools in the early stages of building design in UK architectural practices with a particular focus on the barriers and opportunities to their effective application and further uptake. Two primary methods of investigation were undertaken; the first was a wide survey among UK architects and architectural practices, where the responses of 418 participants were electronically gathered and analysed. A deeper understanding of the issues was developed through an analysis of the process of low-energy building design using semi-structured interviews with six representatives of well-established architectural practices in the UK. The findings reveal that while there is an increasing understanding of the importance of BEPS involvement at the early design stages, there was limited evidence of actual early implementation of BEPS tools other than a few well known but specialised tools such as Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) which were used mainly for domestic energy performance evaluation. However, many practices surveyed showed interest in achieving higher standards than the “basic” regulatory backstops, which has resulted in Passive House and BREEAM seeing increasing use in domestic and non-domestic projects respectively. Although there has been a significant increase in the development and availability of tools and methodologies for assessing building energy performance our study shows that the focus for future research needs to be shifted from the “tool development” to looking at methods of implementing and using such tools in practice at the early design stages.

scholarly journals A Walk-In Clinic for Newly Arrived Mentally Burdened Refugees: The Patient Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Catharina Zehetmair ◽  
Valentina Zeyher ◽  
Anna Cranz ◽  
Beate Ditzen ◽  
Sabine C. Herpertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
High Level ◽  
Past Experiences

Providing refugees with psychosocial support is particularly important considering the high level of mental health problems prevalent in this population. A psychosocial walk-in clinic operating within a state reception and registration center in Germany has been supporting mentally burdened refugees since 2016. This study focused on patients’ perspectives on their mental health burden, the psychosocial walk-in clinic, and future help seeking. We conducted interviews with n = 22 refugees attending the walk-in clinic from March to May 2019. Qualitative analysis focused on the following four topics: (1) mental burden from the patients’ perspective, (2) access to the psychosocial walk-in clinic, (3) perception of counseling sessions, and (4) perception of follow-up treatment. The results show that the majority of interviewees were burdened by psychological and somatic complaints, mostly attributed to past experiences and post-migratory stress. Therapeutic counseling and psychiatric medication were found to be particularly helpful. Most of the participants felt motivated to seek further psychosocial support. Key barriers to seeking psychosocial help included shame, fear of stigma, and lack of information. Overall, the psychosocial walk-in clinic is a highly valued support service for newly arrived refugees with mental health issues.

scholarly journals Modeling Energy Efficiency Performance and Cost-Benefit Analysis Achieving Net-Zero Energy Building Design: Case Studies of Three Representative Offices in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5201
Author(s):  
Kittisak Lohwanitchai ◽  
Daranee Jareemit
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Energy Gap ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Investment Cost ◽  
High Investment

The concept of a zero energy building is a significant sustainable strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The challenges of zero energy building (ZEB) achievement in Thailand are that the design approach to reach ZEB in office buildings is unclear and inconsistent. In addition, its implementation requires a relatively high investment cost. This study proposes a guideline for cost-optimal design to achieve the ZEB for three representative six-story office buildings in hot and humid Thailand. The energy simulations of envelope designs incorporating high-efficiency systems are carried out using eQuest and daylighting simulation using DIALux evo. The final energy consumptions meet the national ZEB target but are higher than the rooftop PV generation. To reduce such an energy gap, the ratios of building height to width are proposed. The cost-benefit of investment in ZEB projects provides IRRs ranging from 10.73 to 13.85%, with payback periods of 7.2 to 8.5 years. The energy savings from the proposed designs account for 79.2 to 81.6% of the on-site energy use. The investment of high-performance glazed-windows in the small office buildings is unprofitable (NPVs = −14.77–−46.01). These research results could help architects and engineers identify the influential parameters and significant considerations for the ZEB design. Strategies and technical support to improve energy performance in large and mid-rise buildings towards ZEB goals associated with the high investment cost need future investigations.

scholarly journals Energy Rating of Buildings to Promote Energy-Conscious Design in Israel

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Abraham Yezioro ◽  
Isaac Guedi Capeluto
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Basic Unit ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
New Buildings

Improving the energy efficiency of existing and new buildings is an important step towards achieving more sustainable environments. There are various methods for grading buildings that are required according to regulations in different places for green building certification. However, in new buildings, these rating systems are usually implemented at late design stages due to their complexity and lack of integration in the architectural design process, thus limiting the available options for improving their performance. In this paper, the model ENERGYui used for design and rating buildings in Israel is presented. One of its main advantages is that it can be used at any design stage, including the early ones. It requires information that is available at each stage only, as the additional necessary information is supplemented by the model. In this way, architects can design buildings in a way where they are aware of each design decision and its impact on their energy performance, while testing different design directions. ENERGYui rates the energy performance of each basic unit, as well as the entire building. The use of the model is demonstrated in two different scenarios: an office building in which basic architectural features such as form and orientation are tested from the very beginning, and a residential building in which the intervention focuses on its envelope, highlighting the possibilities of improving their design during the whole design process.

scholarly journals Impact of Window to Wall Ratio on Energy Loads in Hot Regions: A Study of Building Energy Performance

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1080
Author(s):  
Mamdooh Alwetaishi ◽  
Omrane Benjeddou
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Solution ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Heating And Cooling

The concern regarding local responsive building design has gained more attention globally as of late. This is due to the issue of the rapid increase in energy consumption in buildings for the purpose of heating and cooling. This has become a crucial issue in educational buildings and especially in schools. The major issue in school buildings in Saudi Arabia is that they are a form of prototype school building design (PSBD). As a result, if there is any concern in the design stage and in relation to the selection of building materials, this will spread throughout the region. In addition to that, the design is repeated regardless of the climate variation within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research will focus on the influence of the window to wall ratio on the energy load in various orientations and different climatic regions. The research will use the energy computer tool TAS Environmental Design Solution Limited (EDSL) to calculate the energy load as well as solar gain. During the visit to the sample schools, a globe thermometer will be used to monitor the globe temperature in the classrooms. This research introduces a framework to assist architects and engineers in selecting the proper window to wall ratio (WWR) in each direction within the same building based on adequate natural light with a minimum reliance on energy load. For ultimate WWR for energy performance and daylight, the WWR should range from 20% to 30%, depending on orientation, in order to provide the optimal daylight factor combined with building energy efficiency. This ratio can be slightly greater in higher altitude locations.

Bringing Ergonomics to the Design of a Behavioural Care Unit

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Jacqueline B. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Final Design ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The application of ergonomics is important when considering the built environment. In order to create an environment where form follows function, a detailed understanding of the tasks performed by the individuals who will live and work in the facility is required. Early involvement in the project is key to maximizing the benefit of ergonomics. At Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, this early intervention was embraced during the design process of a behavioural care unit for aggressive patients. The ergonomist was involved in three phases of design; user needs analysis, block schematics and detailed design. The user needs and characteristics were established using a combination of focus groups, interviews, direct observation, task analysis and critique of current working environments. The challenge was to present the information to the design team in a useful manner. The format chosen was a modification of Userfit (Poulson 1996) that outlined the various characteristics of the patient group and the design consequences with “what does this mean for me” statements. During the block schematics phase an iterative design process was used to ensure that the ergonomic principles and the user needs were incorporated into the design. Ergonomic input was used in determining the room sizes and layout and to ensure work processes were considered. Simple mock-ups and anthropometric data assisted in illustrating the need for design changes. Examples that highlight the areas of greatest impact of ergonomic intervention include the patient bathrooms, showers and tub room. Significant changes were made to the design to improve the safety of the work and living space of the end users. One of the greatest challenges was having an appreciation for the individual goals of the team members. Ensuring there was adequate space for equipment and staff often resulted in recommendations for increased space. This in turn would increase the cost of the project. The architect and, later in the project, the engineer had goals of bringing the project in on budget. The final design was very much a team effort and truly die result of an iterative process. The sum of the individual contributions could not match the combined efforts. It was only through the ergonomic contributions in this early design phase that the needs of the staff, patients and families could be so well represented. The success of the iterative process provides the foundation for bringing ergonomics considerations into the early design stages of future projects.

scholarly journals Performance and style in the work of Olgyay and Olgyay

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Leatherbarrow ◽  
Richard Wesley
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Building Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Open Architecture ◽  
Form Generation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Building Energy Analysis

The sun control device has to be on the outside of the building, an element of the facade, an element of architecture. And because this device is so important a part of our open architecture, it may develop into as characteristic a form as the Doric column.Victor Olgyay (1910–1970), a Hungarian architect who came to the United States in 1947 with his twin brother and collaborator, Aladár (1910–1963), is best known today as the author of Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism (1963), an important book often referenced in the environmental building design field [1]. As leaders in research in bioclimatic architecture from the early 1950s to the late 1960s, the Olgyay brothers could be considered the ‘fathers’ of contemporary environmental building design. Their research and publications laid the foundation for much of the building simulation software in use today. Other than the difference between working on graph paper and using computer-generated graphics, there is little difference between Autodesk's Ecotect Analysis (simulation and building energy analysis software) and the Olgyays' techniques for the analysis of environmental factors and graphical representation of climate. The manner in which the Olgyays established connections between building design and the science of climate laid the foundation for the development of environmental simulation, one of contemporary architecture's leading methods of form generation. Victor Olgyay's teaching, however, represents another kind of thinking, a broader concern for architecture, beyond energy performance. ‘The primary task of architecture,’ Olgyay announced to his students, ‘is to act in man's favour; to interpose itself between man and his natural surroundings in order to remove the environmental load from his shoulders.

Development of a numerical approach to assess the effect of coupled heat and moisture transfer on energy consumption of residential buildings in Moroccan context

2021 ◽  
pp. 174425912110560
Author(s):  
Yassine Chbani Idrissi ◽  
Rafik Belarbi ◽  
Mohammed Yacine Ferroukhi ◽  
M’barek Feddaoui ◽  
Driss Agliz
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Moisture Transfer ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Heat And Moisture Transfer ◽  
Coupled Heat And Moisture ◽  
Heat And Moisture

Hygrothermal properties of building materials, climatic conditions and energy performance are interrelated and have to be considered simultaneously as part of an optimised building design. In this paper, a new approach to evaluate the energy consumption of residential buildings in Morocco is presented. This approach is based on the effect of coupled heat and moisture transfer in typical residential buildings and on their responses to the varied climatic conditions encountered in the country. This approach allows us to evaluate with better accuracy the response of building energy performance and the indoor comfort of building occupants. Annual energy consumption, cooling and heating energy requirements were estimated considering the six climatic zones of Morocco. Based on the results, terms related to coupled heat and moisture transfer can effectively correct the existing energy consumption calculations of the six zones of Morocco, which currently do not consider energy consumption due to coupled heat and moisture transfer.

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