scholarly journals Trent Brick Panel: innovative envelope system designed according latest UK national fire and energy performance regulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 2069 (1) ◽  
pp. 012203
Author(s):  
E Calabrò ◽  
F Peron ◽  
F J Meggers
Keyword(s):  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Fire Performance ◽  
Building Regulations ◽  
Workforce Management ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Material Procurement ◽  
B Test

Abstract In November 2018, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) introduced an amendment to the Building Regulations 2010, which outlined stricter rules banning the use of combustible materials defined by the new Building Regulation 7(2). This change had a significant impact since early 2019, on the materials and systems that can be used in the construction sector. In 2020, the global pandemic caused by the diffusion of the COVID-19 virus represented a new challenge for the industry, with implications on programme certainty, material procurement, workforce management, moving towards offsite manufacture. The development of the Trent Brick Panel is set against this historical and social context. The envelope prototype is the opportunity for innovation that follows the turn of events. The offsite manufacturing of glass-reinforced concrete panel, mimicking several finishes, is the result of a design investigation carried out with the market-leading actors: developers, main contractors, subcontractors, engineering consultancies, architects, local authorities and warranty providers. The research aims to give an overview of the design principles, sequence and buildability study, assessed weathering performance according to CWCT Sequence B test and fire performance.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Influence of the Primary Energy Factor of Hydropower Plants in the Methodology for Assessing the Energy Performance of Buildings

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Rokas Tamašauskas ◽  
Jolanta Šadauskienė ◽  
Monika Šadauskaitė
Keyword(s):  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Energy Factor ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Hydropower Plants ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Consumption Data ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants

There is currently no common or standardized procedure for certification of the energy performance of buildings, as each EU Member State takes into account the specificities of its own construction sector when implementing the provisions of Directive 2010/31/EU. This usually depends on two features: the purpose of the building and the climate. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the hydropower primary energy factor on assessing the energy performance of buildings. For this purpose, non-renewable primary energy factor values were analyzed regarding actual energy production and consumption data from 19 Lithuanian hydroelectric plants. The results of the studies show that the average value of the non-renewable primary energy factor of hydropower plants is 0.059.

Experimental determination of the residual compressive strength of concrete columns subjected to different fire durations and load ratios

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-543
Author(s):  
Anjaly Nair ◽  
Osama (Sam) Salem
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Concrete Columns ◽  
Fire Exposure ◽  
Fire Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Residual Compressive Strength ◽  
Standard Fire ◽  
Strength Capacity

Purpose At elevated temperatures, concrete undergoes changes in its mechanical and thermal properties, which mainly cause degradation of strength and eventually may lead to the failure of the structure. Retrofitting is a desirable option to rehabilitate fire damaged concrete structures. However, to ensure safe reuse of fire-exposed buildings and to adopt proper retrofitting methods, it is essential to evaluate the residual load-bearing capacity of such fire-damaged reinforced concrete structures. The focus of the experimental study presented in this paper aims to investigate the fire performance of concrete columns exposed to a standard fire, and then evaluate its residual compressive strengths after fire exposure of different durations. Design/methodology/approach To effectively study the fire performance of such columns, eight identical 200 × 200 × 1,500-mm high reinforced concrete columns test specimens were subjected to two different fire exposure (1- and 2-h) while being loaded with two different load ratios (20% and 40% of the column ultimate design axial compressive load). In a subsequent stage and after complete cooling down, residual compressive strength capacity tests were performed on each fire exposed column. Findings Experimental results revealed that the columns never regain its original capacity after being subjected to a standard fire and that the residual compressive strength capacity dropped to almost 50% and 30% of its ambient temperature capacity for the columns exposed to 1- and 2-h fire durations, respectively. It was also noticed that, for the tested columns, the applied load ratio has much less effect on the column’s residual compressive strength compared to that of the fire duration. Originality/value According to the unique outcomes of this experimental study and, as the fire-damaged concrete columns possessed considerable residual compressive strength, in particular those exposed to shorter fire duration, it is anticipated that with proper retrofitting techniques such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) wrapping, the fire-damaged columns can be rehabilitated to regain at least portion of its lost load-bearing capacities. Accordingly, the residual compressive resistance data obtained from this study can be effectively used but not directly to adopt optimal retrofitting strategies for such fire-damaged concrete columns, as well as to be used in validating numerical models that can be usefully used to account for the thermally-induced degradation of the mechanical properties of concrete material and ultimately predict the residual compressive strengths and deformations of concrete columns subjected to different load intensity ratios for various fire durations.

scholarly journals Energy Modelling and Analytics in the Built Environment—A Review of Their Role for Energy Transitions in the Construction Sector

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 679
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Manfren ◽  
Maurizio Sibilla ◽  
Lamberto Tronchin
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Data Interoperability ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
Energy Modelling

Decarbonisation and efficiency goals set as a response to global warming issue require appropriate decision-making strategies to promote an effective and timely change in energy systems. Conceptualization of change is a relevant part of energy transitions research today, which aims at enabling radical shifts compatible with societal functions and market mechanisms. In this framework, construction sector can play a relevant role because of its energy and environmental impact. There is, however, the need to move from general instances to specific actions. Open data and open science, digitalization and building data interoperability, together with innovative business models could represent enabling factors to accelerate the process of change. For this reason, built environment research has to address the co-evolution of technologies and human behaviour and the analytical methods used for this purpose should be empirically grounded, transparent, scalable and consistent across different temporal/spatial scales of analysis. These features could potentially enable the emergence of “ecosystems” of applications that, in turn, could translate into projects, products and services for energy transitions in the built environment, proposing innovative business models that can stimulate market competitiveness. For these reasons, in this paper we organize our analysis according to three levels, from general concepts to specific issues. In the first level, we consider the role of building energy modelling at multiple scales. In the second level, we focus on harmonization of methods for energy performance analysis. Finally, in the third level, we consider emerging concepts such as energy flexibility and occupant-centric energy modelling, considering their relation to monitoring systems and automation. The goal of this research is to evaluate the current state of the art and identify key concepts that can encourage further research, addressing both human and technological factors that influence energy performance of buildings.

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