scholarly journals Evaluation of a Transparent Wall System for Residential Construction

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Standley ◽  
Ali M. Memari
Keyword(s):  
Systems Analysis ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Residential Construction ◽  
Curtain Wall ◽  
Current Configuration ◽  
Frame System ◽  
New Type ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Wall System

A new type of transparent panelized wall system for residential construction has recently been developed that can be used as an alternative to typical wood-frame and other light-frame wall systems. The new wall system is a prefabricated wall panel consisting of a structural steel back-up frame, transparent polycarbonate sheathing, and a curtain-wall system that may contain an integrated photovoltaic glazing panel. In this paper, after an introduction to the structural and architectural aspects of system, the thermal and energy performance aspects of this wall system are evaluated based on several criteria. The current configuration of the wall system shows an overall U-factor of 1.585 W/m2k. The material and systems analysis using a combination of life-cycle assessment and embodied energy are discussed as well. The embodied energy of the system turns out to be approximately two and a half times that of conventional wood-frame system. The paper provides some concluding remarks regarding the sustainability aspects.

scholarly journals A State of the Art of the Overall Energy Efficiency of Wood Buildings—An Overview and Future Possibilities

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1848
Author(s):  
Matheus Roberto Cabral ◽  
Pierre Blanchet
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Hybrid Buildings ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Mass Timber

The main goal of this study was to review current studies on the state of the art of wood constructions with a particular focus on energy efficiency, which could serve as a valuable source of information for both industry and scholars. This review begins with an overview of the role of materials in wood buildings to improve energy performance, covering structural and insulation materials that have already been successfully used in the market for general applications over the years. Subsequently, studies of different wood building systems (i.e., wood-frame, post-and-beam, mass timber and hybrid constructions) and energy efficiency are discussed. This is followed by a brief introduction to strategies to increase the energy efficiency of constructions. Finally, remarks and future research opportunities for wood buildings are highlighted. Some general recommendations for developing more energy-efficient wood buildings are identified in the literature and discussed. There is a lack of emerging construction concepts for wood-frame and post-and-beam buildings and a lack of design codes and specifications for mass timber and hybrid buildings. From the perspective of the potential environmental benefits of these systems as a whole, and their effects on energy efficiency and embodied energy in constructions, there are barriers that need to be considered in the future.

scholarly journals Seismic and Energy Performance Evaluation of Large-Scale Curtain Walls Subjected to Displacement Control Fasteners

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6725
Author(s):  
Heonseok Lee ◽  
Myunghwan Oh ◽  
Junwon Seo ◽  
Woosuk Kim
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Wind Pressure ◽  
Curtain Wall ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Secondary Damage ◽  
Insulation Performance ◽  
Wall System

Glass façade curtain walls in buildings is the façade system of choice in modern architecture of mid- to high-rise buildings. This study investigates the seismic and thermal insulation performance of curtain wall systems through structural analysis using the finite element method (FEM) and LBNL Window&Therm insulation analysis. The aim was to optimize the capability of the curtain wall module system and the fastener element technology to respond to displacement and vibration caused by dynamic seismic waves. Using the structural analysis of the optimization process, a curtain wall system capable of withstanding earthquake waves of 0.4 Hz, displacement of ±150 mm or more, and capable of responding to three-axis (X, Y, and Z-axis) dynamic earthquakes, was fabricated. Then, a curtain wall system that satisfies not only the evaluation of seismic performance, but also the desired airtightness, watertightness, wind pressure, and insulation, which are essential requirements for field applications, was verified through an experiment. Based on this study, it is expected that a curtain wall system capable of responding to three-axis dynamic seismic waves can be applied to mid- and high-rise buildings to prevent secondary damage in the event of an earthquake.

scholarly journals Attitudes and Approaches of Finnish Retrofit Industry Stakeholders toward Achieving Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7359
Author(s):  
Sadaf Alam ◽  
Miimu Airaksinen ◽  
Risto Lahdelma
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Running Time ◽  
Performance Targets ◽  
Construction Design ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Property Owners

Key stakeholders in industry are highly responsible for achieving energy performance targets. Particularly, this paper assesses the attitudes, approaches, and experiences of Finnish construction professionals regarding energy-efficient buildings, or nZEBs. A three-tier investigation was conducted including surveys and expert interviews with several stakeholders. The structure of this approach was informed by preliminary data and information available on the Finnish construction sector. The questionnaire showed that the stakeholders ranked energy efficiency and embodied energy/carbon as very important. The survey highlighted that the importance of the embodied carbon CO2 in the materials is less important than the energy efficiency from many of the stakeholders’ points of view. “Energy efficiency” is very important for ESCOs, contractors, and facility managers followed by architects, HVAC engineers, and construction design engineers. Nevertheless, the opinions of architects ranked “embodied energy CO2” as the most important regarding nZEB. When it comes to the importance of “running time emissions” toward nZEB, contractors and ESCO companies ranked it as 1 for importance followed by property owners (78%) and tenants (75%). It is very fascinating to see from the survey that “running time carbon emissions” has been ranked 1 (very important) by all stakeholders. This study will enable construction industry stakeholders to make provisions for overcoming the barriers, gaps, and challenges identified in the practices of the nZEB projects. It will also inform the formulation of policies that drive retrofit uptake.

scholarly journals Design Optimisation Strategies for Solid Rammed Earth Walls in Mediterranean Climates

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Giada Giuffrida ◽  
Maurizio Detommaso ◽  
Francesco Nocera ◽  
Rosa Caponetto
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Base Material ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Rammed Earth ◽  
Earth Construction ◽  
Material Choice ◽  
Earth Walls ◽  
Raw Earth

The renewed attention paid to raw earth construction in recent decades is linked to its undoubted sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and low embodied energy. In Italy, the use of raw earth as a construction material is limited by the lack of a technical reference standard and is penalised by the current energy legislation for its massive behaviour. Research experiences, especially transoceanic, on highly performative contemporary buildings made with natural materials show that raw earth can be used, together with different types of reinforcements, to create safe, earthquake-resistant, and thermally efficient buildings. On the basis of experimental data of an innovative fibre-reinforced rammed earth material, energy analyses are developed on a rammed earth building designed for a Mediterranean climate. The paper focuses on the influences that different design solutions, inspired by traditional bioclimatic strategies, and various optimised wall constructions have in the improvement of the energy performance of the abovementioned building. These considerations are furthermore compared with different design criteria aiming at minimising embodied carbon in base material choice, costs, and discomfort hours. Results have shown the effectiveness of using the combination of massive rammed earth walls, night cross ventilation, and overhangs for the reduction of energy demand for space cooling and the improvement of wellbeing. Finally, the parametric analysis of thermal insulation has highlighted the economic, environmental, and thermophysical optimal solutions for the rammed earth envelope.

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.

scholarly journals Evaluating the use of straw bales in achieving passive house certification (PHIUS+ 2015) in western Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Lubyk
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Passive House ◽  
House Design ◽  
Straw Bale ◽  
Wall System

Achieving Passive House certification requires super insulation which can significantly raise the embodied energy and carbon footprint of a project, effectively front-end loading the climate impact, especially where petrochemical foam-based products are used. This research sought to evaluate the use of straw bales - a low embodied energy, carbon sequestering agricultural by-product - to achieve PHIUS+2015 certification. A straw bale wall system was adapted to a single-family detached reference house designed to meet the Passive House standard. The wall system was evaluated for applicability across three Western Canadian cities using WUFI Passive energy simulation software to evaluate compliance; thermal bridging and hygrothermal performance were also evaluated. It was found that the proposed straw bale wall assembly satisfied the PHIUS+ 2015 requirements in all three locations - Saskatoon, Calgary, and Kelowna - with only minor changes required to the reference house design. The annual heating demand and peak heating load, the two targets most sensitive to design changes, were, respectively, 4% and 8.6% below the target in Saskatoon, 63.1% and 21.3% below in Calgary, and 63.1% and 32.6% below in Kelowna. The research also revealed that maintaining a high degree of air tightness is essential for satisfying the requirements. Overall, this research demonstrates that straw bales can be a beneficial component in creating high performance enclosures without exacting a large embodied carbon footprint.

scholarly journals Automatic Material Estimation by Translating BIM Data into ERP Readable Data for Panelized Residential Construction

2019 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Meng Wang ◽  
SangJun Ahn ◽  
Youyi Zhang ◽  
Mohammed Sadiq Altaf ◽  
Mohamed Al-Hussein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Residential Construction ◽  
Construction Technique ◽  
Erp System ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Estimation System

Offsite construction methods have been promoted and recognized globally as advanced construction techniques. Panelization, a two-dimensional form of offsite construction has brought about many benefits including lower transportation requirements and design flexibilities. In North America, the panelized construction technique has become popular particularly for wood-frame wall panels for residential construction. However, although utilizing this advanced construction method can greatly improve the working environment and productivity, the conventional mentality in construction, which overlooks the value of an automated management system to support offsite prefabrication and onsite installation, hinders its potential. An automatic material estimation system can capture all computer-aided design (CAD) data from building information modeling (BIM) files automatically and convert them into enterprise resource planning (ERP) readable data so that the ERP system can be updated for the purpose of material estimation. With the assistance of a feature-based modeling method, the proposed automatic material estimation system can save huge amounts of manual work for quantity take-off and all required CAD data can be captured by the system in a few seconds. Although highly dynamic market demands result in continual changes in design, production plan, schedule, and inventory levels, the adoption of an automatic material estimation system could account for these dynamic changes in order to maximize production. Therefore, in this paper, an automatic material estimation system is proposed in order to enhance the design and estimation process in the manufacturing environment. The proposed system is introduced and the development of supportive software is described. The proposed system is implemented as a case study in a panelized construction manufacturing facility, ACQBUILT, Inc., based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

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