scholarly journals Sustainability at an Urban Level: A Case Study of a Neighborhood in Dubai, UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4355
Author(s):  
Sundus Shareef ◽  
Haşim Altan
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Variables

The United Arab Emirates is witnessing enormous growth and the sustainability attitude has become one of the most important priorities in this development. This paper aims to optimize the environmental sustainability of the Emirate of Dubai communities by adopting an existing community as a case study. The investigation of the case study is looking at sustainability levels that consists of two major factors in neighborhood sustainable design, such as livability and thermal performance. The strategy of enhancing and optimizing the communities’ sustainability starts with an approach to the applicable modifications and solutions to the existed community master planning, where the modifications cover the two main urban design variables; (a) building design, and (b) open and landscape areas. The effect of the adopted scenarios is analyzed to find the improvement in environmental and thermal performance. The study has adopted two computer software packages, namely CityCAD and Integrated Environmental Solutions—Virtual Environment (IES-VE), to undertake the assessments. Furthermore, factors of urban sustainability are evaluated using the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) neighborhood assessment tool. The results have shown that the environmental sustainability levels can be increased after the adoption of certain suggested scenarios, in order to mitigate the likely weakness indicated in the livability aspects, covering land-use diversity, accessibility, transportation system, green and landscape areas, and energy efficiency, and the case study community can be turned toward “Sustainable Community” by implementing recommended actions and modifications.

The role of facilities management in green retrofit of existing buildings in the United Arab Emirates

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mawed ◽  
Vinay Tilani ◽  
Karima Hamani
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Green retrofitting is acknowledged as an essential strategy toward achieving long-term sustainability in the built environment. To implement this strategy successfully, the role of facility managers cannot be ignored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate present practices that are used in managing the existing facilities, to highlight the elements that govern the process of green retrofitting, and discuss the efforts and contribution of facility managers in enhancing the environmental performance of the existing facilities stock in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach This study suggests that an adequate level of awareness of the benefits of green retrofit amongst owners and decision-makers is mostly dependent on facilities management (FM) professionals, who must establish effective communication channel with senior management. FM professionals in the UAE are well equipped and competent in greening existing buildings and can simultaneously lead a building to the path of achieving green building certification. Findings To examine the role of FM in a green retrofit and its current status in the UAE built environment, a two-step qualitative method was adopted. The study started by conducting semi-structured interviews with FM professionals and then assessing the insights obtained from the interviews against an actual case study of a LEED Existing Building certified facility. Research limitations/implications Interviews were limited to FM professionals in the private sector and the results from one case study should be considered cautiously. Originality/value This paper emphasizes the primordial role of FM professionals in promoting green retrofit in the UAE.

scholarly journals The Significance of Sky Temperature in the Assessment of the Thermal Performance of Buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 8057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiman Albatayneh ◽  
Dariusz Alterman ◽  
Adrian Page ◽  
Behdad Moghtaderi
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Brick Veneer ◽  
Simulation Error ◽  
Sky Temperature ◽  
The Impact

Energy-efficient building design needs an accurate way to estimate temperature inside the building which facilitates the calculation of heating and cooling energy requirements in order to achieve appropriate thermal comfort for occupants. Sky temperature is an important factor for any building assessment tool which needs to be precisely determined for accurate estimation of the energy requirement. Many building simulation tools have been used to calculate building thermal performance such as Autodesk Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, which can be used to calculate building internal air temperature but requires sky temperature as a key input factor for the simulation. Real data obtained from real-sized house modules located at University of Newcastle, Australia (southern hemisphere), were used to find the impact of different sky temperatures on the building’s thermal performance using CFD simulation. Various sky temperatures were considered to determine the accurate response which aligns with a real trend of buildings’ internal air temperature. It was found that the internal air temperature in a building keeps either rising or decreasing if higher or lower sky temperature is chosen. This significantly decreases the accuracy of the simulation. It was found that using the right sky temperature values for each module, Cavity Brick Module (CB) Insulated Cavity Brick Module (InsCB), Insulated Brick Veneer Module (InsBV) and Insulated Reverse Brick Veneer Module (InsRBV), will result in 6.5%, 7.1%, 6.2% and 6.4% error correspondingly compared with the real data. These errors mainly refer to the simulation error. On the other hand using higher sky temperatures by +10 °C will significantly increase the simulation error to 16.5%, 17.5%, 17.1% and 16.8% and lower sky temperature by +10 °C will also increase the error to 19.3%, 22.6%, 21.9% and 19.1% for CB, InsCB, InsBV and InsRBV modules, respectively.

The application and barriers of BIM in sustainable building design

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufolahan Oduyemi ◽  
Michael Iheoma Okoroh ◽  
Oluwaseun Samuel Fajana
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Modelling ◽  
Building Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and rank the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in sustainable building design. It also employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the benefits and barriers of using BIM through a literature review. Regression and factor analysis were used to rank these benefits and barriers. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 120 practitioners with 69 completing the survey. Finally, the paper employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM-compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North riverside. Findings The key findings of the statistical analysis indicated that professionals ranked the integrated project delivery as the most established benefit, while the lack of interoperability was ranked the greatest technological challenge. Only three of the attributes of non-technological challenges made statistically unique contributions, namely, training costs and software costs, client demand and potential legal issues. It was also discovered that BIM delivers information needed for environmental performance. In a forward-looking approach, the paper attempts to provide some recommendations that would encourage the continuous application of BIM in sustainable building design. Research limitations/implications This paper does not cover all features of BIM functionality, as the scope of BIM is very enormous and the resources of this research were limited. Practical implications The implication of the study is that it will assist in exploring and ranking the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using BIM while proffering recommendations for future use. This research will be of interest to industry practitioners and academic researchers with an interest in building information modelling. Originality/value This paper contributes with new outlooks aimed at syndicating sustainability with environmental performance and adds to the limited empirical studies on the benefits and barriers of the application of BIM.

scholarly journals Envelope Thermal Performance Analysis Based on Building Information Model (BIM) Cloud Platform—Proposed Green Mark Collaboration Environment

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziwen Liu ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Vincent J.L. Gan ◽  
Luke Peh
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Building Information Model ◽  
Architectural Engineering ◽  
Collaboration Environment ◽  
Building Information

Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable buildings are two future cornerstones of the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. In Singapore’s context, the Green Mark (GM) scoring system is prevalently used to assess the sustainability index of green buildings. BIM provides the semantic and geometry information of buildings, which is proliferated as the technological and process backbone for the green building assessment. This research, through vast literature reviews, identified that the current procedure of achieving a Green Mark score is tedious and cumbersome, which hampers productivity, especially in the calculation of building envelope thermal performance. Furthermore, the project stakeholders work in silos, in a non-collaborative, manual and 2D-based environment for generating relevant documentation to achieve the requisite green mark score. To this end, a cloud-based BIM platform was developed, with the aim of encouraging project stakeholders to collaboratively generate the project’s green mark score digitally in accordance with the regulatory requirements. Through this research, the authors have validated the Envelope Thermal Transfer Value (ETTV) calculation, which is one of the prerequisite criteria to achieve a Green Mark score, through a case study using the developed cloud-based BIM platform. The results indicated that using the proposed platform enhances the productivity and accuracy as far as ETTV calculation is concerned. This study provides a basis for future research in implementing the proposed platform for other criteria under the Green Mark Scheme.

scholarly journals Sustainable Innovation for Queensland's Housing Design: a Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Johnston ◽  
Mirko Guaralda ◽  
Sukanlaya Sawang
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Prefabricated Houses ◽  
Insight Into

This research provides an assessment tool that assists the selection process of sustainability in detached suburban housing. It investigates the implications of using different design and construction methods including architecturally designed houses, developer housing and prefabricated houses. The study simulates one example of the three types of houses that have been chosen to fulfil a real client brief on a real site on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland Australia. Criteria for sustainability assessment are formulated based on literature reviews, exemplar designs and similar research projects for which the houses can be adequately evaluated. This criterion covers aspects including energy use, materials and thermal performance. The data is collected using computer models and sustainability assessment software to compare and draw conclusions on the success of each house.Our study indicates that architecturally designed housing with prefabricated building techniques are a better alternative to generic developer style housing. Our research provides an insight into the implications of three key elements of sustainability including energy use, materials and thermal performance. Designers, builders, developers and home-buyers are given an insight into some options currently available on the housing market and how the choices made during early design stages can provide a more positive environmental impact.  

Climatic-Adaptability Solution in Traditional Architectural of Desert Areas of Iran/Kashan

2014 ◽  
Vol 935 ◽  
pp. 18-22
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Masoumian
Keyword(s):  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Green Building Design ◽  
Efficient Performance ◽  
Climatic Adaptability ◽  
Desert Areas ◽  
Dry Climates ◽  
Building Project

Nowadays, the shortages of fossil based energy on the earth and the pollution caused by using them is a noticeable problem that people are challenging with. As a result, human try to use natural resources vastly instead of fossil-based ones to reduce their consumption dramatically. In this circumstance, the role of architects are more important than ever in reducing the need for energy by proper designing likewise the past construction history. Green building design criteria emphasizes the energy-efficient performance of fenestration materials. Iran is a country comprising of four main different climatic areas. Selecting materials and using proper techniques for a building project is a challenging task in each part. Ancient buildings were built by different materials, techniques and forms in different parts of this country. One of the main parts of climatic areas in Iran is the hot and dry climates such as deserts. The appropriate materials and techniques which were used in ancient buildings in this part of the country to make this area comfortable for people will be investigated in this paper. Moreover, the buildings of Kashan, located in the desert part of Iran, will be mentioned as case study.

Energy Conservation and Green Building Design of Library Case Study on the New Hubei Library

2013 ◽  
Vol 438-439 ◽  
pp. 1746-1750
Author(s):  
Yan Li
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Building Structure ◽  
Green Building Design ◽  
Cultural Service ◽  
Conditioning Control

As the major public buildings and cultural service institutions, libraries play an important role in the strategy of energy-saving buildings. In order to keep pace with the footstep of Western developed countries, China has launched a series of green and energy-saving building practices and achieved certain results. The New Hubei Library is a successful example, with Chinese national conditions and the characteristic of the library itself taken into consideration, and limited conditions in the design process fully made the most use of. Besides the designer has efficiently used energy-saving strategy on building structure maintenance, solar radiation, air conditioning control system and natural ventilation, finally achieved the goal of energy saving of library.

scholarly journals Architect Familiarity and Perceptions Surrounding Sustainable Design, LEED, and Engineered Wood Products in Arkansas

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-31
Author(s):  
Matthew Pelkki ◽  
Gabrielle Sherman ◽  
Tamara Walkingstick ◽  
Kenneth Wallen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Leed Certification ◽  
Engineered Wood Products ◽  
Engineered Wood

The sustainable building design movement has gained momentum within the United States in recent years. This has led to a proliferation of green building certification programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the development of engineered wood products (EWP) like cross laminated timber (CLT). Often, architects serve as the conduit between green building construction material and their use in construction. There is need to investigate the perceptions and practices of architects on the topic of green building certification and EWPs. In partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), this study surveyed registered architects practicing in Arkansas to a) examine interest in and application of LEED certification and b) beliefs related to sustainability, affordability, and availability of EWPs. Results suggest a majority of architects surveyed have interest in the LEED program and have previously earned LEED-certification for a building design. Respondents rated the importance of improving human health and well-being as especially high but appear to doubt the ability of EWP to contribute to sustainable design. Analysis revealed that CLT use is significantly lower than that of more typical EWPs such as plywood panels and glue laminated timber. Architects also indicated that the affordability and availability of modern EWP represent significant barriers to their utilization within the state. To increase the rate of sustainable development, it will be necessary to highlight benefits to human and environmental health and generate interest amongst architectural clientele.

scholarly journals Optimization and Prediction of Design Variables Driven by Building Energy Performance—A Case Study of Office Building in Wuhan

2021 ◽  
pp. 229-242
Author(s):  
Jingyi Li ◽  
Hong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Cluster Method ◽  
Reference Case ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Energy Aspects

AbstractThis research focuses on the energy performance of office building in Wuhan. The research explored and predicted the optimal solution of design variables by Multi-Island Genetic Algorithm (MIGA) and RBF Artificial neural networks (RBF-ANNs). Research analyzed the cluster centers of design variable by K-means cluster method. In the study, the RBF-ANNs model was established by 1,000 simulation cases. The RMSE (root mean square error) of the RBF-ANNs model in different energy aspects does not exceed 15%. Comparing to the reference case (the largest energy consumption case in the optimization), the 214 elite cases in RBF-ANNs model save at least 37.5% energy. By the cluster centers of the design variables in the elite cases, the study summarized the benchmark of 14 design variables and also suggested a building energy guidance for Wuhan office building design.

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