Whole building life cycle assessment at the design stage: a BIM-based framework using environmental product declaration

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo Feng ◽  
Mohamad Kassem ◽  
David Greenwood ◽  
Omar Doukari
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Optimization Framework ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Building Level ◽  
Lca Results

PurposeWhole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) is a key methodology to reduce the environmental impacts in the building sector. Research studies usually face challenges in presenting comprehensive LCA results due to the complexity of assessments at the building level. There is a dearth of methods for the systematic evaluation and optimization of the WBLCA performance at the design stage. The study aims to develop a design optimization framework based on the proposed WBLCA method to evaluate and improve the environmental performance at the building level.Design/methodology/approachThe WBLCA development method is proposed with detailed processes based on the EN 15978 standard. The environmental product declaration (EPD) methods were adopted to ensure the WBLCA is comprehensive and reliable. Building information modeling (BIM) was used to ensure the building materials and assembly contributions are accurate and provide dynamic material updates for the design optimization framework. Furthermore, the interactive BIM-LCA calculation processes were demonstrated for measuring the environmental impacts of design upgrades. The TOPSIS-based LCA results normalization was selected to conduct the comparisons of various building design upgrades.FindingsThe case study conducted for a residential building showed that the material embodied impacts and the operational energy use impacts are the two critical factors that contribute 60–90% of the total environmental impacts and resource uses. Concrete and wood are the main material types accounting for an average of 65% of the material embodied impacts. The air and water heating for the house are the main energy factors, as these account for over 80% of the operational energy use. Based on the original WBLCA results, two scenarios were established to improve building performance through the design optimization framework.Originality/valueThe LCA results show that the two upgraded building designs create an average of 5% reduction compared with the original building design and improving the thermal performance of the house with more insulation materials does not always reduce the WBLCA results. The proposed WBLCA method can be used to compare the building-level environmental performances with the similar building types. The proposed framework can be used to support building designers to effectively improve the WBLCA performance.

Design-airworthiness integration method for general aviation aircraft during early development stage

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 1067-1076
Author(s):  
Maxim Tyan ◽  
Jungwon Yoon ◽  
Nhu Van Nguyen ◽  
Jae-Woo Lee ◽  
Sangho Kim
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Design Framework ◽  
Efficient Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Optimization Framework ◽  
Design Requirements

Purpose Major changes of an aircraft configuration are conducted during the early design stage. It is important to include the airworthiness regulations at this stage while there is extensive freedom for designing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an efficient design framework that integrates airworthiness guidelines and documentation at the early design stage. Design/methodology/approach A new design and optimization process is proposed that logically includes the airworthiness regulations as design parameters and constraints by constructing a certification database. The design framework comprises requirements analysis, preliminary sizing, conceptual design synthesis and loads analysis. A design certification relation table (DCRT) describes the legal regulations in terms of parameters and values suitable for use in design optimization. Findings The developed framework has been validated and demonstrated for the design of a Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) 23 four-seater small aircraft. The validation results show an acceptable level of accuracy to be applied during the early design stage. The total mass minimization problem has been successfully solved while satisfying all the design requirements and certification constraints specified in the DCRT. Moreover, successful compliance with FAR 23 subpart C is demonstrated. The proposed method is a useful tool for design optimization and compliance verifications during the early stages of aircraft development. Practical implications The new certification database proposed in this research makes it simpler for engineers to access a large amount of legal documentation related to airworthiness regulations and provides a link between the regulation text and actual design parameters and their bounds. Originality/value The proposed design optimization framework integrates the certification database that is built of several types of legal documents such as regulations, advisory circulars and standards. The Engineering Requirements and Guide summarizes all the documents and design requirements into a single document. The DCRT is created as a summary table that indicates the design parameters affected by a given regulation(s), the design stage at which the parameter can be evaluated and its value bounds. The introduction of the certification database into the design optimization framework significantly reduces the engineer’s load related for airworthiness regulations.

Revisiting the role of professionals in designing buildings with low embodied and operational energy

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-123
Author(s):  
G.A. Tennakoon ◽  
Anuradha Waidyasekara ◽  
B.J. Ekanayake
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Operational Energy

Purpose Many studies have focused on embodied energy (EE) and operational energy (OE), but a shortage of studies on decision making, which involves several decision makers whose decisions can affect the energy performance of buildings, is evident. From the stages of the project life cycle, the design stage is identified as the ideal stage for integrating energy efficiency into buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to revisit the role of professionals in designing energy-conscious buildings with low EE and OE. Design/methodology/approach This study administered a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews only with 12 experts, due to the lack of expertise in the subject matter. The data were analyzed using manual content analysis. Findings The outcomes revealed the necessity to revisit the role of construction professionals in terms of adopting energy-efficient building design concepts from the project outset. The roles of the key professional groups (i.e. architects, structural engineers, services engineers and quantity surveyors) were identified through this research. Common issues in designing energy-efficient buildings and the means of addressing such problems were outlined. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge by revisiting the roles of construction professionals and proposing how they could leverage their strengths to play the important role and contribute collectively to design buildings with both low OE and EE.

scholarly journals Strategies to Improve the Energy Performance of Buildings: A Review of Their Life Cycle Impact

Buildings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia MIRABELLA ◽  
Martin RÖCK ◽  
Marcella Ruschi Mendes SAADE ◽  
Carolin SPIRINCKX ◽  
Marc BOSMANS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Operational Energy

Globally, the building sector is responsible for more than 40% of energy use and it contributes approximately 30% of the global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This high contribution stimulates research and policies to reduce the operational energy use and related GHG emissions of buildings. However, the environmental impacts of buildings can extend wide beyond the operational phase, and the portion of impacts related to the embodied energy of the building becomes relatively more important in low energy buildings. Therefore, the goal of the research is gaining insights into the environmental impacts of various building strategies for energy efficiency requirements compared to the life cycle environmental impacts of the whole building. The goal is to detect and investigate existing trade-offs in current approaches and solutions proposed by the research community. A literature review is driven by six fundamental and specific research questions (RQs), and performed based on two main tasks: (i) selection of literature studies, and (ii) critical analysis of the selected studies in line with the RQs. A final sample of 59 papers and 178 case studies has been collected, and key criteria are systematically analysed in a matrix. The study reveals that the high heterogeneity of the case studies makes it difficult to compare these in a straightforward way, but it allows to provide an overview of current methodological challenges and research gaps. Furthermore, the most complete studies provide valuable insights in the environmental benefits of the identified energy performance strategies over the building life cycle, but also shows the risk of burden shifting if only operational energy use is focused on, or when a limited number of environmental impact categories are assessed.

Green Building Technologies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Jeremy Gibberd
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Technical Detail ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Structured Approach

Buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy use and produce over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. These impacts are being acknowledged and addressed in specialist building design techniques and technologies that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings. These techniques and technologies can be referred to collectively as green building technologies. This chapter describes green building technologies and shows why they are vital in addressing climate change and reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with built environments. A structured approach is presented which can be applied to identify and integrate green building technologies into new and existing buildings. By combining global implications with technical detail, the chapter provides a valuable guide to green building technologies and their role in supporting a transition to a more sustainable future.

The moderating effects of environmental risk of the industry on the relationship between corporate environmental and financial performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Semenova ◽  
Lars G. Hassel
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Operating Performance ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Industries differ in their environmental impacts, such as emissions, water and energy use, fuel consumption and hazardous wastes, which will have implications for how environmental performance translates to operating performance and market value at company level. By incorporating industry-specific differences of environmental impacts, this paper includes industry-level environmental risk as a moderating factor on the relationship between two indicators of corporate environmental performance (CEP) (management and policy) and corporate financial performance (profitability and market value). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Using panel data of US companies across all industries, the paper empirically tests a regression model, which includes an interaction effect representing both the form and strength of dependency of CEP on the environmental risk of the industry. The paper adopts the natural resource based theory to argue that financial returns are a decreasing function of CEP in high environmental impact industries, where environmental spending beyond compliance is costly and there is not much opportunity for consumer orientation. Findings – The results show that environmental management has different impacts on operating performance at high and low environmental risk of the industry (form of relationship) while environmental policy (reporting) has a stronger signal on market premium in industries with low rather than high environmental risk (strength of relationship). Differences in both form and strength of moderating effects are demonstrated. Research limitations/implications – Further research can introduce other industry-specific moderating factors, such as the disclosure maturity of the industry and the institutionalization of environmental disclosures across boarders in the industries, in order to explore the complexity of the relationship. Practical implications – The results of the paper are relevant to investors, company managers and a broad group of stakeholders when considering both industry- and company-level environmental risks. Originality/value – Previous studies have relied on controlling for industry membership. This paper uses an industry-specific environmental variable, environmental risk of the industry, to examine the form and strength of moderating effects.

Cost estimation for electric light and power elements during building design

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajibade A. Aibinu ◽  
Dharma Dassanayake ◽  
Toong-Khuan Chan ◽  
Ram Thangaraj
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Viable Alternative ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ann Modeling ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
Ann Models ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The study reported in this paper proposed the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) as viable alternative to regression for predicting the cost of building services elements at the early stage of design. The purpose of this paper is to develop, test and validate ANN models for predicting the costs of electrical services components. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research is based on data mining of over 200 building projects in the office of a medium size electrical contractor. Of the over 200 projects examined, 71 usable data were found and used for the ANN modeling. Regression models were also explored using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics Software 21, for the purpose of comparison with the ANN models. Findings – The findings show that the cost forecasting models based on ANN algorithm are more viable alternative to regression models for predicting the costs of light wiring, power wiring and cable pathways. The ANN prediction errors achieved are 6.4, 4.5 and 4.5 per cent for the three models developed whereas the regression models were insignificant. They did not fit any of the known regression distributions. Practical implications – The validated ANN models were converted to a desktop application (user interface) package – “Intelligent Estimator.” The application is important because it can be used by construction professionals to reliably and quickly forecast the costs of power wiring, light wiring and cable pathways using building variables that are readily available or measurable during design stage, i.e. fully enclosed covered area, unenclosed covered area, internal perimeter length and number of floors. Originality/value – Previous studies have concluded that the methods of estimating the budget for building structure and fabric work are inappropriate for use with mechanical and electrical services. Thus, this study is unique because it applied the ANN modeling technique, for the first time, to cost modeling of electrical services components for building using real world data. The analysis shows that ANN is a better alternative to regression models for predicting cost of services elements because the relationship between cost and the cost drivers are non-linear and distribution types are unknown.

scholarly journals Technical considerations in green roof retrofit for stormwater attenuation in the Central Business District

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Wilkinson ◽  
Jessica Lamond ◽  
David G Proverbs ◽  
Lucy Sharman ◽  
Allison Heller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The key aspects that built environment professionals need to consider when evaluating roofs for the purpose of green roof retrofit and also when assessing green roofs for technical due diligence purposes are outlined. Although green or sod roofs have been built over many centuries, contemporary roofs adopt new approaches and technologies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods design based on a systematic review of relevant literature from parallel disciplines was used to identify and quantify the social, economic and environmental benefits of retrofitted green roofs in commercial districts. The technical issues of concern were drawn from a desk-top survey of literature and from stakeholder focus groups undertaken in Sydney in 2012. Findings – There are perceptions amongst built environmental practitioners that may act as artificial barriers to uptake. There is little direct experience within built environment professionals and practitioners, along with a fear of the unknown and a risk averse attitude towards perceived innovation which predicates against green roof retrofit. Furthermore projects with green roofs at inception and early design stage are often “value engineered” out of the design as time progresses. There is a need for best practice guidance notes for practitioners to follow when appraising roofs for retrofit and also for technical due diligence purposes. Research limitations/implications – The focus groups are limited to Sydney-based practitioners. Although many of these practitioners have international experience, few had experience of green roofs. A limited number of roof typologies were considered in this research and some regions and countries may adopt different construction practices. Practical implications – In central business districts the installation of green roof technology is seen as one of the main contributors to water sensitive urban design (WSUD). It is likely that more green roofs will be constructed over time and practitioners need knowledge of the technology as well as the ability to provide best advice to clients. Originality/value – The benefits of green roofs as part of WSUD are increasingly being recognised in terms of reduced flood risk, reduced cost of drainage, improved water quality and lower energy use, as well as other less tangible aspects such as aesthetics and amenity. This research highlights the lack of understanding of the short- and long-term benefits, a poor appreciation and awareness of these benefits; a lack of technical knowledge and issues to be considered with regard to green roofs on behalf of practitioners. The study has highlighted the need for specific training and up-skilling in these areas to provide surveyors with the technical expertise needed. There is also a need to consider how the emerging retrofit and adaptation themes are best designed into the curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Clearly, if the potential benefits of green roofs are to be realised in the future, building professionals need to be fully conversant with the technology and be able to provide reliable and accurate advice.

scholarly journals BIM Based Design Optimization Framework for the Energy Efficient Buildings Design in Turkey

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Technology Implementation ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Process Technology ◽  
Design Guide

Buildings in Turkey consume a great amount of energy to supply comfort conditions. This is due to the ineffective design decisions by designers with no consideration of the environmental impact and energy efficiency. Thus, building design parameters should be studied and examined during the design stage considering the environment that is a crucial factor for the energy efficient building design, which may lead to better energy performance and fewer CO2 emission. BIM as a new way of working methodology enables energy efficient design solutions considering design parameters for the improved high building performance in Turkey. Therefore, this research aims to develop a strategic BIM framework encapsulating the optimized design process, technology implementation, building design rules considering the local values and energy performance assessment of the concept building design. Research adopts multi case studies methodology that helps to gain qualitative and quantitative insights and understand the current practices. Revit based BIM modelling is used with Design Builder for energy performance simulation in relation to the building design parameters. The outcome will be a design guide for the energy optimised building design in Turkey. This design guide will help designers to successful use of BIM for design optimization process, effective technology implementation, rules-based design development and energy assessment scheme reflecting local values for sustainable building design.

scholarly journals Two-Stage Lifecycle Energy Optimization of Mid-Rise Residential Buildings with Building-Integrated Photovoltaic and Alternative Composite Façade Materials

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 642
Author(s):  
Mark Kyeredey Ansah ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Hongxing Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Optimal Configuration ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Sub Saharan

Reducing the lifecycle energy use of buildings with renewable energy applications has become critical given the urgent need to decarbonize the building sector. Multi-objective optimizations have been widely applied to reduce the operational energy use of buildings, but limited studies concern the embodied or whole lifecycle energy use. Consequently, there are issues such as sub-optimal design solutions and unclear correlation between embodied and operational energy in the current building energy assessment. To address these gaps, this study integrates a multi-objective optimization method with building energy simulation and lifecycle assessment (LCA) to explore the optimal configuration of different building envelopes from a lifecycle perspective. Major contributions of the study include the integrated optimization which reflects the dynamics of the whole lifecycle energy use. Insights from the study reveal the optimal configuration of PV and composite building façades for different regions in sub-Saharan Africa. The lifecycle energy use for the optimized building design resulted in 24.59, 33.33, and 36.93% energy savings in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, respectively. Additionally, PV power generation can efficiently cover over 90% of the total building energy demand. This study provides valuable insights for building designers in sub-Saharan Africa and similar areas that minimize lifecycle energy demand.

Variable-fidelity shape optimization of dual-rotor wind turbines

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 2514-2542
Author(s):  
Andrew Thelen ◽  
Leifur Leifsson ◽  
Anupam Sharma ◽  
Slawomir Koziel
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Fast Variable ◽  
Efficient Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Optimization Framework ◽  
Derivative Free ◽  
Variable Fidelity

Purpose Dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) are a novel type of wind turbines that can capture more power than their single-rotor counterparts. Because their surrounding flow fields are complex, evaluating a DRWT design requires accurate predictive simulations, which incur high computational costs. Currently, there does not exist a design optimization framework for DRWTs. Since the design optimization of DRWTs requires numerous model evaluations, the purpose of this paper is to identify computationally efficient design approaches. Design/methodology/approach Several algorithms are compared for the design optimization of DRWTs. The algorithms vary widely in approaches and include a direct derivative-free method, as well as three surrogate-based optimization methods, two approximation-based approaches and one variable-fidelity approach with coarse discretization low-fidelity models. Findings The proposed variable-fidelity method required significantly lower computational cost than the derivative-free and approximation-based methods. Large computational savings come from using the time-consuming high-fidelity simulations sparingly and performing the majority of the design space search using the fast variable-fidelity models. Originality/value Due the complex simulations and the large number of designable parameters, the design of DRWTs require the use of numerical optimization algorithms. This work presents a novel and efficient design optimization framework for DRWTs using computationally intensive simulations and variable-fidelity optimization techniques.

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