Dynamic evaluation of thermal comfort scenarios in a Colombian large-scale social housing project

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Garay ◽  
Angie Ruiz ◽  
Jose Guevara
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Housing Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Heating Systems ◽  
Viable Solution

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the technical, environmental, economic and thermal comfort impacts of implementing passive measures and heating systems in Ciudad Verde, a large-scale social housing project located at the periphery of Bogota, Colombia.Design/methodology/approachA system dynamics (SD) model is proposed to evaluate scenarios through counterfactual experiments, including technical, environmental and economic components. Model inputs are obtained from building energy simulation models and data collected from official reports, public policy documents and construction records.FindingsResults suggest that the use of heating systems is the best choice to achieve thermal comfort conditions throughout the day. However, both the capital expenditures and CO2 emissions associated with such system make their adoption very difficult. In line with that, the use of heating systems in combination with passive measures stands out as a viable solution since their costs are affordable and their use contributes to reducing CO2 emissions.Originality/valueThe proposed model recreates the dynamics underlying social housing construction processes, the adoption of heating systems and passive measures in low-income dwellings and their corresponding impact on CO2 emissions and indoor thermal comfort conditions. The model can be employed as a support tool in the formulation of social housing policies associated with thermal comfort specifications. In this way, the model represents a first step toward incorporating thermal-related variables into the decision-making processes related to social housing planning and development.

Germany will face long-term housing problems

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Housing Market ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Investment ◽  
Will Force ◽  
German Cities

Subject Germany's housing dilemma. Significance Demographic changes and the shift from publicly to corporately owned housing have led to accommodation shortages and rising rents in West German cities. Despite the government's plans for large-scale social housing investment, these trends will have long-term implications for Germany's housing market. Impacts Over-priced real estate will force developers to invest overseas. Accommodation shortfalls and rising prices will result in mass mobilisation and protests of young people across Germany. Lack of social housing will increase rates of homelessness in German cities.

Asteroid mining becomes a serious proposition

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Academy ◽  
Viable Solution ◽  
The Us ◽  
Legal Foundations ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Subject Asteroid mining. Significance The US firm Planetary Resources in April completed successful tests in orbit of technology it plans to use to prospect for natural resources on asteroids from 2020. Separately, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology late last year announced long-term plans for large-scale asteroid mining. Meanwhile, US legislators have begun laying the legal foundations for a space mining industry. Significant technological challenges remain, but key technologies have already been demonstrated, making the industry a serious prospect. Impacts An investment bubble could follow dramatic early successes or technological breakthroughs. There may be international tension over ownership or priority of access unless new international legal frameworks are agreed in advance. Asteroid mining will not be a viable solution to terrestrial resource depletion for the foreseeable future.

Assessment of energy and emissions saving impact of solar PV modules: a case study of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nusrat Jahan Imu ◽  
Anayo Ezeamama ◽  
Saheed Matemilola
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Solar Module ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Solar Systems ◽  
Generation Capacity

PurposeDecentralized solar systems are increasingly being used as alternative source of off-grid electrification in Bangladesh. They offer solutions to provide (clean) electricity to the low-income households that are not currently served by the national grid. The standards of solar systems need to be improved to maximize the benefits they offer for off-grid electrification.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research approach was used to explore the power output performance of six solar systems samples. In order to realize a proper load management, daily power production was measured to determine the generation capacity of 50, 60 and 100 Wp monocrystalline and polycrystalline modules when average solar irradiation was 916 W/m2. In the testing system, the irradiation was measured by panel analyzer HT instrument I-V 400. The load arrangement comprised of different kinds of appliances (fan, light, TV). The daily consumption of energy by these loads was calculated using daily operational hours to determine system power performance.FindingsThe authors found that monocrystalline system performs better than polycrystalline by 0.39 kilowatt-hour (kWh) with capacity of 100 watt-peak (Wp) modules. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction potential of our sample solar systems were also estimated by assuming a scenario. This was derived by using the electricity emission factor for natural gas (CH4), since CH4 is the main source of energy for power generation in Bangladesh. Savings in CO2 of 0.52 kgCO2/kWh is possible with the adoption of a 100 Wp monocrystalline module.Practical implicationsGovernment actions that promote the use of monocrystalline module will enhance the benefits of the use of solar systems in providing quality and sustainable electricity. This will contribute to government's efforts towards achieving some of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG) and resilience of the most vulnerable population to the effects and impacts of climate change.Originality/valueAlmost all solar modules found in off-grid areas are polycrystalline whose energy generation capacity is much lower compared to monocrystalline types. But use of low efficient polycrystalline solar module hindered the development of country's solar sector and option to save carbon emission. The use of highly efficient monocrystalline solar module will save also the country's land as the country has land scarcity challenges for establishing large-scale solar power plant. The authors also recommend actions that can be implemented at the national level to improve the attractiveness of monocrystalline solar systems in Bangladesh.

On the Initial Establishment of Quality Assurance System for Indemnificatory Housing

2011 ◽  
Vol 94-96 ◽  
pp. 2213-2216
Author(s):  
Wei Xu ◽  
Yan Yan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Quality Assurance System ◽  
Housing Project ◽  
Construction Enterprises ◽  
Assurance System ◽  
Strict Requirement

The comfortable housing project for low-income urban residents possess many special characteristics such as large numbers, dispersed distribution, the large-scale of construction, urgent time schedule and strict requirement of high quality. To ensure reasonable period and construction cost, it is also necessary to reform and innovate the way of construction management thinking and working methods. Pre-control measures of construction quality are put with emphasis on transforming passivity supervision into initiative forewarning. Management efficiency of the comfortable housing project can be enhanced. The comfortable housing project for low-income urban residents is built into environmental project taken to develop energy-saving and ground-saving residential in our country. It is a realistic and sharp contradiction that construction enterprises are pursuing profit when indemnificatory housing constructing is weak of profit, and that it is an easily occurred problem that the quality of indemnificatory housing is not security. In this paper, based on the six sigma quality management the Quality Assurance System of indemnificatory housing is put forward, which can be regarded as guidance for construction enterprises.

scholarly journals Look before you LIEEP

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Gordon ◽  
Katherine Butler ◽  
Paul Cooper ◽  
Gordon Waitt ◽  
Christopher Magee
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Systems Theory ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Ecological Systems Theory ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to present a discursive and evaluative analysis of Energy + Illawarra, an Australian Government Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP) funded interdisciplinary social marketing energy efficiency programme. Energy + Illawarra was a community programme working with low-income older people in Australia and involving social marketers, human geographers and engineers. The paper aims to identify how ecological systems theory can inform social marketing, and what practicalities there may be in doing so. The paper also aims to assess whether a social marketing programme that draws on ecological systems theory can have a positive impact on people’s thermal comfort. Design/methodology/approach First, the paper uses critical discursive analysis to examine the use of various elements of a social marketing energy efficiency programme in relation to the different levels of ecological systems theory. Second, a longitudinal cohort survey study design is used to evaluate the programme’s influence on people’s perceptions of thermal comfort and satisfaction with thermal comfort in their homes. Findings The study found that ecological systems theory could be an effective framework for social marketing programmes. The evaluation study found that the intervention had a positive impact on participant’s perceptions of thermal comfort, satisfaction with thermal comfort and attitudes towards energy efficiency. However, the paper identifies some potential tensions in using ecological systems theory and suggests that issues of power, representation, agenda setting, the need for reflexive practice and consideration of unintended consequences are important considerations in social marketing programmes. Originality/value The work presented here suggests that multi-level social marketing programmes that draw on ecological systems theory can make a useful contribution to social change as demonstrated by the evaluation survey finding positive impacts on thermal comfort and attitudes of participants. However, issues of power, representation, agenda setting, the need for reflexive practice and consideration of unintended consequences should be considered in social marketing programmes.

An evaluation of the performance of a large scale collaborative procurement initiative in the social housing sector

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Bowles ◽  
James Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Procurement Programme

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors relating to the implementation of a new procurement initiative that affect performance and value for money (VFM). The study is based on a four-year research project carried out on behalf of the Scottish Government to monitor and evaluate the performance and efficiency of a bulk procurement vehicle for social housing. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers had a brief to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the procurement process and its influence on cost and efficiency targets. The study employed a mixed method approach with annual rounds of qualitative and quantitative data collection from project stakeholders including the contractors, consultants, clients and sponsor. Confidential semi-structured interviews were conducted on conclusion of the project to gauge views on how well the procurement process worked from the various perspectives and to reflect on the influence of the process on VFM. Findings – The procurement programme failed to achieve the capital cost and efficiency savings targets quantified at the outset and on this measure alone VFM was not demonstrated, although there were a number of reported benefits. A major factor was the extent of process and behavioural change required from the project team and, although a procurement consultant was engaged to facilitate this, the theoretical benefits of “best practice” were not realized. The picture was further complicated by rapidly changing economic conditions experienced, and debate about the robustness of original cost savings targets. Research limitations/implications – The findings and conclusions are of relevance and interest to clients and construction organisations undergoing change through adopting novel procurement processes. Originality/value – The empirical nature of the study provides a comprehensive evidence base for the performance of a collaborative procurement programme and an understanding of the potential difficulties in attaining the theoretical benefits of procurement innovation.

Low-cost retrofit packages for residential buildings in hot-humid Lagos, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nwakaego Chikaodinaka Onyenokporo ◽  
Ekele Thompson Ochedi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Reducing Energy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of affordable retrofit packages that can be applied to existing residential buildings in hot-humid regions to improve occupants’ thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach A critical review of relevant literature to identify passive design strategies for improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption in hot-humid climates with focus on the building envelope was conducted in addition to a simulation study of an existing building typology in study area. Findings There is enormous potential to reduce energy costs and improve thermal comfort through building retrofit packages which is a recent concept in developing countries, such as Nigeria. Analysing the results of the retrofit interventions using building energy simulation helped in developing affordable retrofit packages which had optimum effect in improving indoor comfort temperature to the neutral temperature specified for hot humid Nigeria and further down to 3°C less than that of the reference building used. The use of passive design strategies to retrofit the building might help homeowners reduce their annual energy consumption by up to 46.3 per cent just by improving the indoor thermal comfort. Originality/value In addition to improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption, this research identified affordable retrofit packages and considered its cost implications especially to low-income earners who form a larger population of Lagos, Nigeria, as this was not considered by many previous researchers.

scholarly journals A simulation-based decision support tool for integrating site layout and construction planning of tunneling projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
SeyedReza RazaviAlavi ◽  
Simaan AbouRizk
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Construction Planning ◽  
Construction Operations ◽  
Layout Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Site Layout ◽  
Boring Machines

Purpose Integrating construction and site layout planning in mechanized tunnel infrastructure projects is essential due to the mutual impacts of construction planning and site layout decisions. Simulation can incorporate site layout planning and construction planning of tunneling projects in a unified environment. However, simulation adoption by industry practitioners has remained relatively limited due to the special skills required for building and using simulation models. Therefore, this paper aims to create a simple-to-use simulation tool that supports site layout and construction operation planning of tunneling projects. This tool intends to promote the simulation application in site layout planning. Design/methodology/approach The current paper proposes simulation as a decision support tool (DST) to provide an integrated environment for modeling tunnel construction operations, site layout and capturing the mutual impacts. A special purpose simulation (SPS) tool was customized and developed for typical mechanized tunneling projects, by tunnel boring machines, to facilitate building the model and allow access to users with limited simulation knowledge. Findings The results show that the developed SPS tool is of great assistance to construction industry practitioners to analyze a variety of site layout and construction plan scenarios and make informed decisions based on its comprehensive and intuitive outputs. Originality/value The main contribution of this research is to promote simulation application in site layout planning of tunneling projects through the development of a simple-to-use tool, which has sufficient details for site layout planning and constraints. The developed DST enables planners to make decisions simultaneously on the site layout, other construction planning variables and identify the most efficient plan.

scholarly journals Traditional Values and their Adaptation in Social Housing Design: Towards a New Typology and Establishment of ‘Air House’ Standard in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Firrdhaus Mohd Sahabuddin ◽  
Cristina Gonzalez Longo
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Mechanical Equipment ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Wall Area

Large migration from rural areas to urban areas like Kuala Lumpur has led to some implications for economic, social and cultural development. This high population has placed enormous demand on the existing housing stocks, especially for low-income groups.  However, some issues arise, one of which is overheated indoor air temperature. This problem contributes to the high-energy usage that forces huge sums of money to be spent on cooling the house by using mechanical equipment. Therefore, this study focuses on thermal comfort in social housing, and incorporates traditional values into its design to achieve a certain measurement of natural ventilation in a house. From the study, the carbon emission and energy consumption for an air-conditioned house is 67%, 66% higher than a naturally ventilated house. Therefore, this research has come up with a new typology design, which has a large exposed wall area and full-length openings on the opposite walls to increase cross ventilation. At the end of this research, the measurement of thermal comfort for a naturally ventilated building called ‘Air House’ has been identified.

Prioritizing high-risk sub-groups in a multi-manufacturer vaccine distribution program

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Hovav ◽  
Avi Herbon
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Medical Burden

Purpose Annual influenza epidemics cause great losses in both human and financial terms. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for optimizing a large-scale influenza vaccination program (VP). The goal is to minimize the total cost of the vaccination supply chain while guaranteeing a sufficiently high level of population protection. From a practical point of view, the analysis returns the number of shipments and the quantity of vaccines in each periodic shipment that should be delivered from the manufacturers to the distribution center (DC), from the DC to the clinics, and from the clinics to each sub-group of customers during the vaccination season. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-integer programming optimization model is developed to describe the problem for a supply chain consisting of vaccine manufacturers, the healthcare organization (HCO) (comprising the DC and clinics), and the population being vaccinated (customers). The model suggests a VP that implemented by a nation-wide HCO. Findings The benefits of the proposed approach are shown to be particularly salient in cases of limited resources, as the model distributes demand backlogs in an efficient manner, prioritizing high-risk sub-groups of the population over lower-risk sub-groups. In particular, the authors show a reduction in direct medical burden of consumers, such as the need for doctors, hospitalization resources, and reduction of indirect, non-medical burden, such as loss of workdays. Practical implications Drawing from the extended enterprise paradigm, and, in particular, taking consumer benefits into account, the authors suggest an operational-strategic model that creates impressive added value in a highly constrained supply chain. The model constitutes a powerful decision tool for the deployment of large-scale seasonal products, and its implementation can yield multiple benefits for various consumer segments. Originality/value The model proposed herein constitutes a decision support tool comprising operational-tactical and tactical-strategic perspectives, which logistics managers can utilize to create an enterprise-oriented plan that takes into account medical and non-medical costs.

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