Integrated design experiences for energy-efficient housing in Chile

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-255
Author(s):  
Ernesto Echeverria-Valiente ◽  
Rodrigo Garcia-Alvarado ◽  
Flavio Celis-D’Amico ◽  
Gerardo Saelzer-Fuica

Purpose This paper aims to review the application of integrated design strategies in several cases of housing in south-central Chile in search of ways to significantly reduce energy loss and demand. Design/methodology/approach First, seven main design features of energy-efficient buildings in developed countries were identified. Second, these features were reviewed in two professional case studies from architectural practices and two academic exercises on residential design in south-central Chile. In all cases reviewed, characteristics of integrated design were verified to reductions in energy loss and demand. Finally, the procedure implemented was evaluated through surveys of those practitioners responsible for each experience studied. Findings This process made it possible to highlight four main features of integrated design, namely, pre-established performance goals, interdisciplinary collaboration, regular broad-ranging meetings and the use of performance assessment tools. With these techniques, reductions of more than 50 per cent in the energy requirements of the housing designs were achieved, while safeguarding the functional, aesthetic and economic aspects of the projects. Research limitations/implications However, professionals currently working in this field did express their concern regarding responsibility for the design and the time needed to complete the process. Practical implications Furthermore, this experience also identified similar modifications made to the design of the houses, which revealed general possibilities for improving energy performance. Social implications The conclusions obtained have been exposed in conferences and graduate programmes and applied in two real projects for the benefit of society: first, the improvement of building envelopes in social housing in Temuco; and second, CASA+, a modular, prefabricated and energy efficient house prototype. Originality/value This paper carried out a novel review of an integrated design process in housing cases of developing countries, and identified the key features, which improve the environmental performance of dwellings.

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-71
Author(s):  
Rodrigo G. Alvarado ◽  
Underlea M. Bruscato ◽  
Maureen T. Kelly ◽  
Flavio C. D'Amico ◽  
Olavo E. Oyola

Integrated design is a strategy to develop sustainable architecture projects incorporating multidisciplinary work and environmental performance assessments, which has provided significant advancement to public buildings in developed countries. This paper presents a review of some aspects of integrated design for the planning and construction of energy efficient housing in the south of Chile, as part of the reconstruction process following the earthquake on 27th February 2010. Firstly, a synthesis is made of the characteristics, implicit conditions, participants, steps, resources and expected results of an integrated design approach according to existing references. This is then contrasted with normal housing design practice in Chile according to current building regulations and interviews with professionals in the field. The design processes of experimental houses and housing projects that place specific focus on energy performance are then analysed, with follow-ups and interviews to review significant aspects. After examining those experiences, the authors identify some particular features and resources of integrated design that promote environmental improvements.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Samaneh Golzan ◽  
Mina Pouyanmehr ◽  
Hassan Sadeghi Naeini

PurposeThe modular dynamic façade (MDF) concept could be an approach in a comfort-centric design through proper integration with energy-efficient buildings. This study focuses on obtaining and/or calculating an efficient angle of the MDF, which would lead to the optimum performance in daylight availability and energy consumption in a single south-faced official space located in the hot-arid climate of Yazd, Iran.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology consists of three fundamental parts: (1) based on previous related studies, a diamond-based dynamic skin façade was applied to a south-faced office building in a hot-arid climate; (2) the daylighting and energy performance of the model were simulated annually; and (3) the data obtained from the simulation were compared to reach the optimum angle of the MDF.FindingsThe results showed that when the angle of the MDF openings was set at 30°, it could decrease energy consumption by 41.32% annually, while daylight simulation pointed that the space experienced the minimum possible glare at this angle. Therefore, the angle of 30° was established as the optimum angle, which could be the basis for future investment in responsive building envelopes.Originality/valueThis angular study simultaneously assesses the daylight availability, visual comfort and energy consumption on a MDF in a hot-arid climate.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen O. Eromobor ◽  
Dillip Kumar Das ◽  
Fidelis Emuze

PurposeArguments for the design of sustainable university buildings have emerged in South Africa. Energy being a major determinant of the sustainability of buildings, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of various building and indoor environmental parameters on the energy performance of university buildings in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey research method, administered within the context of university buildings in South Africa, was used. Data about 16 buildings from three universities were collected. Relevant, inferential statistical analyses were conducted to examine the relative influence of the building parameters on the energy consumed in the buildings. Also, regression models within building parameters were developed independently and in a combination that could be used to estimate energy consumption in the university buildings.FindingsFindings suggested that building and indoor environmental parameters of humidity, indoor temperature, volume, illumination, and window width ratio (WWR), in that order, influenced energy consumption significantly, and also, had direct empirical relationships.Practical implicationsOptimising the building and indoor environmental parameters in design will enhance energy-efficiency in university buildings in South Africa.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature in terms of understanding the order of influence of building parameters on energy consumption in university buildings in the temperate climatic zone of South Africa. It also established empirical models between building and indoor environmental parameters and energy consumption, both independently and in combination, that could assist in designing energy-efficient and sustainable university buildings.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elahe Mirabi ◽  
Fatemeh Akrami Abarghuie

PurposeThe earth-sheltered building is an adaptive strategy reducing energy consumption as well as increasing thermal comfort of the residents. Although this idea historically implemented in the city of Yazd, Iran, its effects on thermal comfort have not been studied thoroughly. This paper aims to discuss and analyze energy performance, in terms of parameters such as orientation, underground depth, nocturnal ventilation and its subsequent effects on thermal comfort in earth-sheltered buildings in Yazd.Design/methodology/approachUsing EnergyPlus software, the obtained numeric data are precisely modeled, simulated and analyzed.FindingsResults show that there is a direct relationship between depth of construction and energy consumption savings. The more construction depth of earth-sheltered buildings, the more percentage of energy consumption savings, that is of a higher rate in comparison to the aboveground ones. However, in south orientation, energy saving significantly reduces from depth of 2 m downwards and the annual indoor temperature fluctuation decreases by 50%. This subsequently yields to experiencing indoor thermal comfort for a significant number of days throughout the year. Considering the effects of orientation factor, the south orientation regardless of the depth provides the most desired outcome regarding energy savings.Originality/valueSimulating the model generalized to the sunken courtyard can approve that the results of this research can be applied to the other models.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Job Momoh ◽  
Joseph Chelemu Kangwa ◽  
Chika Udeaja ◽  
Jin Ruoyu ◽  
Rafiu Dimeji Seidu

PurposeDeveloping countries are currently on the verge of adopting principles used in achieving a sustainable urban future. As the urban population increases due to factors like urban–rural migration, increase in birth rate, migration, industrialisation, commercialisation, amongst others, there is a drastic need to adopt sustainability principles within urban spaces. To understand how sustainability can be achieved, there is a need to recognise how developed countries have designed assessment tools that work within their context which can inform how developing countries can work on their assessment tool. Urban neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools are used to reflect on the overall goal of the project and the most important indicators needed to be implemented within the project. Sustainability indicators are used to measure the levels and progress at which sustainability has been implemented within a project based on the data collected and these results can be used to make informed decisions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of urban sustainability assessment tool.Design/methodology/approachThis research investigates the techniques utilised in developing an urban sustainability assessment tool Sustainable Composite Cities Environmental Evaluation and Design (SUCCEED-ND) tool within the Nigerian context. The data instrument used includes a questionnaire survey that sampled 50 correspondents, and the results were used to develop an urban assessment tool tailored for the Nigerian countries.FindingsThe findings used social, environmental, economic and planning sustainability dimensions in the design of the assessment tool which composes of 21 core sustainability indicators and 105 indicators to develop SUCCEED-ND tool.Originality/valueThis work developed the first urban sustainability assessment tool for the Nigerian urban environment. The result is meant to evaluate and implement sustainability within existing and proposed neighbourhood development.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2110501
Author(s):  
Shambalid Ahady ◽  
Nirendra Dev ◽  
Anubha Mandal

Buildings are significant consumers of energy and producer of greenhouse gases worldwide, and serious efforts have been put into designing energy-efficient buildings. Significant technological advances have been achieved in developed countries; however, advances have rarely been adopted in developing countries like Afghanistan. Such trends emerge from the lack of research in designing energy-efficient buildings to local conditions, practices and materials. This research focused on building energy modelling and simulation to evaluate the energy performance impact of different shading and orientation. The research design follows a case study over an actual seven-storey multi-apartment residential building in the city of Mazar-I-Sharif, Afghanistan, using primary field data and dynamic simulation. Findings demonstrated that neighbouring structures have a positive correlation with a cooling demand. Meanwhile, south is the optimal orientation to face the building's glazed façade, saving up to 7.4% of cooling and 9.7% of heating energy. Moreover, movable shading devices installed on the building's openings in the summer season reduce the building energy load up to 19%, with a total energy cost reduction of AFN. 188,448 ($2447.37 US) annually. The study underlines the vast research scope in customizing building designs to Afghanistan's climatic conditions and other developing countries, thus contributing to buildings’ sustainability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamraiz Ahmad ◽  
Kuan Yew Wong ◽  
Srithar Rajoo

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to review the indicators for the three aspects (environment, economy and society) of sustainability (the triple-bottom line (TBL) perspective) for manufacturing sectors. In addition, this paper aimed to: document the sustainability indicators for manufacturing sectors; perform an analysis of these indicators to show their evolutional progress and maturity in terms of their consistent, repeated and standardized usage; and highlight the further work needed to make them mature and more standardized. Design/methodology/approach The following keywords were used to explore and find the relevant articles: sustainable manufacturing evaluation, sustainability indicators, life cycle assessment, tools for sustainability assessment, and economic and social evaluation in industries. To find articles within this sample, the major focus remained on the terms “indicators,” “metrics,” and “performance measures.” This paper systematically reviewed the studies and analyzed the different sustainability indicators from the TBL viewpoint. Following this, the documented indicators were critically discussed along with their evolutional progress and maturity level. Findings The results showed that solid waste was the least used and immature aspect in the environmental category, whereas the more frequently used and developed indicators were related to material used, energy used and air emissions. Economic assessment was most of the time limited to cost-based indicators. From a social viewpoint, most of the reviewed studies were based on workers and local community and society related indicators rather than consumers-based indicators. From a sectoral viewpoint, comparatively, studies for metal manufacturing industries were more focused on all three dimensions of sustainability. On an overall basis, of the 144 discussed indicators, almost 34 percent (49) were used just once. Comparatively, the usage of indicators was more mature in manufacturing activities of developed countries than developing ones. Moreover, the usage of indicators was more common at the product level than at the other levels. Originality/value Unlike previous sustainability indicator sets which were generally long lists of proposed indicators rather than applicable and measurable ones, this paper reported the indicator sets based on studies for manufacturing sectors. Moreover, in contrast to previous reviews on indicators which were mostly based on the environmental dimension, this paper included all three dimensions of sustainability in one comprehensive review while focusing on recent studies published from 2007 to 2017. This paper has explored the recent evolutional progress and maturity of sustainability indicators, and provided insights into their development in manufacturing sectors.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peadar T Davis ◽  
John A McCord ◽  
Michael McCord ◽  
Martin Haran

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationship between energy performance and property sale price in the Belfast housing market. How energy efficiency is contributes to sale price and thus appraisal value is of growing concern. The obligatory measurement of energy efficiency in private dwellings seeks to encourage improvements in energy performance. This may be capitalised into property value and may stimulate demand for energy-efficient buildings. However, the relationship between energy performance and property value remains nebulous, complex and under-researched – in part due to data limitations. Design/methodology/approach – Using a hedonic pricing specification, this paper measures the effect of energy performance certificates (EPCs) on residential property value. It examines the relationship between 3,797 residential sales transactions across the Belfast housing market, showing the percentage effect on property value with respect to energy performance. Findings – The results indicate a small but positive relationship between better energy performance and higher selling prices. Nonetheless, the findings point towards strong preference, demand tastes and a complex intra-relationship between EPCs and their capitalisation into property value. Pertinently, the findings point towards any energy-efficient-related price effect affect to be marginal alongside more “quality”-based market behaviours. Research limitations/implications – Analogous with other studies, data deficiencies and a lack of incorporating price determining variables (missing determinants) such as heating type and glazing type introduces omitted variable bias and endogeneity problems within the model structure. Originality/value – This paper contributes to emerging literature and policy debate surrounding the measurement and implementation of energy-efficiency certification through a greater understanding of energy performance characteristics in determining property value.


Author(s):  
Grainne McGill ◽  
Lukumon O. Oyedele ◽  
Greg Keeffe

Purpose – Energy efficient building design strategies are growing in popularity, promoted through increased awareness of climate change, rising energy prices, global consciousness and a demand for energy security. To aid this design process, assessment tools such as Code for Sustainable Homes (CSHs) and Passivhaus were introduced in the UK. However, it is suggested that these tools prioritise energy efficiency over occupant health through a fundamental lack of attention to indoor air quality (IAQ). The purpose of this paper is to investigate IAQ in selected dwellings built using CSHs level 6, level 3 and Passivhaus homes in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – Using a case study approach, the investigation consisted of IAQ measurements during summer and winter months, occupant diaries and occupant interviews. Findings – The results from the IAQ measurements show the recommended maximum level of 1,000 ppm was breached in all three Code 6 and two Code 3 homes, with levels slightly below this limit in the two Passivhaus homes. Measurements found high levels of formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and low levels of relative humidity. Practical implications – There is a need for the adequate consideration of IAQ in sustainable assessment methods, including the use of mandatory credits to ensure occupant health is not disregarded in the drive towards zero carbon. Originality/value – These results can be used to recognise areas of improvement in the CSHs and Passivhaus standard, and the design of energy efficient homes in general. Research of this nature is essential to ensure occupant health is not sacrificed through the drive towards zero carbon.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solvår Wågø ◽  
Thomas Berker

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how architectural solutions may influence residential practice and energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is part of a larger study based on qualitative investigations of six energy-efficient housing projects in Norway. Here, the authors examine one of these projects, Løvåshagen in Bergen, the first Norwegian passive house flat building. Based on a combination of 14 interviews with household members and energy consumption data for all flats, the authors show how residential practices influence energy consumption. In the discussion and conclusion, the authors focus on the role of the architecture in these practices. Findings – On the one hand, Løvåshagen reflects a mainstreaming approach to sustainable building, attracting a wide array of different occupants. On the other hand, the specific add-ons that are intended to make the buildings energy efficient require new definitions of comfort and new skills to achieve the promised energy savings. This combination can explain why Løvåshagen, after four years of occupation, has a large variation in actual energy consumption. Practical implications – In designing new energy-efficient housing, greater attention should be paid to the level of end-user control and adaptability, the level of system complexity, and the need for adequate information. An alternative to the mainstreaming approach would be to actively use architecture to influence residential practices towards reduced energy consumption. Originality/value – The use of qualitative methods to analyse quantitative energy data is original and provides promising opportunities to understand the significance of residential practices regarding actual energy consumption.


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