scholarly journals When Performance Informs Design

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Stannard ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Architectural Practice ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Occupant Comfort ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Code Compliance

It is clear that building energy performance plays an essential role in architecture and in architectural practice, not only for reasons of occupant comfort and energy efficiency but also for minimal code compliance. While achieving energy compliance is essential and even laudable, our current definition of “building performance” is somewhat limited. Energy performance analyses are often performed solely for code compliance with a minimal feedback loop during the design process. In the instances when analyses are completed as part of design, a growing array of simulation tools allow designers to make more informed decisions during the design process. There is tremendous potential in this trajectory.

scholarly journals An Overview of Climate Change and Building Energy: Performance, Responses and Uncertainties

Buildings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yassaghi ◽  
Hoque
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Building Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Emissions Scenarios ◽  
Resilient Design

It is becoming increasingly crucial to develop methods and strategies to assess building performance under the changing climate and to yield a more sustainable and resilient design. However, the outputs of climate models have a coarse spatial and temporal resolution and cannot be used directly in building energy simulation tools. This paper reviews methods to develop fine spatial and temporal weather files that incorporate climate emissions scenarios by means of downscaling. An overview of the climate change impact on building energy performance is given, and potential adaptation and mitigation factors in response to the changing climate in the building sector are presented. Also, methods to reflect, propagate, and partition main sources of uncertainties in both weather files and buildings are summarized, and a sample approach to propagate the uncertainties is demonstrated.

scholarly journals Building Performance Evaluation – A Design Approach for Refurbishment of a Small Traditional Building in Scotland

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Janice A. Foster ◽  
Anna Poston ◽  
Samuel A. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Historic Building ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Occupant Comfort ◽  
Lighting Systems

Abstract In recent years, thermal performance improvements have been applied to an increasing number of historic buildings towards the achievement of the legally binding Scottish carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions. Over 20 % of the built environment in Scotland was constructed pre 1919 and the targeting of fabric improvements in these buildings can pose a performance risk if inappropriate measures are applied. This paper discusses through a case study a Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) approach used in conjunction with the design process for refurbishment of a community owned historic building, located in Arisaig, Scotland. The community received funding to improve the energy performance of this nineteenth century stone building and committed to a 75 % reduction in CO2 emissions. BPE was conducted in 2014 as part of the design process and repeated post-refurbishment in 2015 to validate the design. The initial BPE identified high heat losses, inefficient heating and lighting systems that resulted in occupant discomfort, high running costs and consequently the loss of a community facility during the winter months. The resulting BPE quantified improvements to the building fabric, occupant comfort and reduced energy consumption, which advocated this design approach as a beneficial tool for informing historic building refurbishment.

scholarly journals The Discrepancy between As-Built and As-Designed in Energy Efficient Buildings: A Rapid Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6372
Author(s):  
Christine Eon ◽  
Jessica K. Breadsell ◽  
Joshua Byrne ◽  
Gregory M. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Performance Gap ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Building Standards

Energy efficient buildings are viewed as one of the solutions to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. However, studies worldwide indicate that there is a significant gap between building energy targets (as-designed) and the actual measured building energy consumption (as-built). Several underlying causes for the energy performance gap have been identified at all stages of the building life cycle. Focus is generally on the post-occupancy stage of the building life cycle. However, issues relating to the construction and commissioning stages of the building are a major concern, though not usually researched. There is uncertainty on how to address the as-designed versus as-built gap. The objective of this review article is to identify causes for the energy performance gap in buildings in relation to the post-design and pre-occupancy stages and review proposed solutions. The methodology applied in this research is the rapid review, which is a variant of the systematic literature review method. Findings suggest that causes for discrepancies between as-designed and as-built energy performance during the construction and commissioning stages relate to a lack of knowledge and skills, lack of communication between stakeholders and a lack of accountability for building performance post-occupancy. Recommendations to close this gap during this period include better training, improved communication standards, collaboration, energy evaluations based on post-occupancy performance, transparency of building performance, improved testing and verification and reviewed building standards.

Building performance in the context of industry pressures

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-543
Author(s):  
Craig Robertson ◽  
Dejan Mumovic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Energy Gap ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the relationship between designed and actual building performance as represented in an Royal Institute of British Architects- and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers-backed web-based comparison platform and the industry perception of the pressures surrounding building performance assessment. European directives and UK Parliamentary Acts have resulted in a range of mechanisms aimed at encouraging monitoring of energy consumption, responsive management and evidence-based design. Web-based feedback platforms aim to feed evaluation data back to industry anonymously; however, there exists a range of barriers and disincentives that prevent widespread and habitual engagement with building evaluation. Design/methodology/approach – Using energy data from the CarbonBuzzweb platform and a series of semi-structured interviews, a mixed-methods study has been carried out. Analysis of the characteristics of the existing energy discrepancy between designed and actual performance shows where variance typically occurs. Interviews with industry actors presents a synopsis of the perceived and actual legislative and procedural pressures that exist in relation to building performance assessment. Findings – The conclusions of this paper identify weaknesses in the current legislative and incentivisation mechanisms with regard to targeting building energy performance and industrial pressures that hinder broader industry engagement with post-occupancy evaluation. Originality/value – The recommendations arising from this study are for adjustments to the existing legislative framework to increase participation in meaningful building energy evaluation targeted at the specifics of the energy gap and the motivations of industrial actors. This will specifically help to reduce building energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.

scholarly journals Using BIM capabilities to improve existing building energy modelling practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Gerrish ◽  
Kirti Ruikar ◽  
Malcolm Cook ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
Mark Phillip
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Information Storage ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Procedures ◽  
Energy Modelling ◽  
Building Project

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the implications building information modelling (BIM) is having on the building energy modelling (BEM) and design of buildings. It addresses the issues surrounding exchange of information throughout the design process, and where BIM may be useful in contributing to effective design progression and information availability. Design/methodology/approach Through review of current design procedures and examination of the concurrency between architectural and thermophysical design modelling, a procedure for information generation relevant to design stakeholders is created, and applied to a high-performance building project currently under development. Findings The extents of information key to the successful design of a buildings energy performance in relation to its architectural objectives are given, with indication of the level of development required at each stage of the design process. Practical implications BIM offers an extensible medium for parametric information storage, and its implementation in design development offers the capability to include BEM parameter-integrated construction information. The extent of information required for accurate BEM at stages of a building’s design is key to understanding how best to record performance information in a BIM environment. Originality/value This paper contributes to the discussion around the integration of concurrent design procedures and a common data environment. It presents a framework for the creation and dissemination of information during design, exemplifies this on a real building project and evaluates the barriers experienced in successful implementation.

Three-Dimensional Numerical Evaluation of Thermal Performance of Uninsulated Wall Assemblies

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
El Hassan Ridouane ◽  
Marcus V. A. Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Energy Simulation ◽  
Cavity Surface ◽  
Building Energy Simulation ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Whole Building Energy Simulation

Uninsulated wall assemblies are typical in older homes, as many were built before building codes required insulation. Building engineers need to understand the thermal performance of these assemblies as they consider home energy upgrades if they are to properly predict pre-upgrade performance and, consequently, prospective energy savings from the upgrade. Most whole-building energy simulation tools currently use simplified, 1D characterizations of building envelopes and assume a fixed thermal resistance that does not vary over a building’s temperature range. This study describes a detailed 3D computational fluid dynamics model that evaluates the thermal performance of uninsulated wall assemblies. It accounts for conduction through framing, convection, and radiation and allows for material property variations with temperature. Parameters that were varied include ambient outdoor temperature and cavity surface emissivity. The results may serve as input for building energy simulation tools that model the temperature-dependent energy performance of homes with uninsulated walls.

scholarly journals Building Performance Evaluation Using Coupled Simulation of EnergyPlus™ and an Occupant Behavior Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengda Jia ◽  
Ravi Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Simulation ◽  
Building Energy Simulation ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Occupant Behavior ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Simulation Engine

Building energy simulation programs are used for optimal sizing of building systems to reduce excessive energy wastage. Such programs employ thermo-dynamic algorithms to estimate every aspect of the target building with a certain level of accuracy. Currently, almost all building simulation tools capture static features of a building including the envelope, geometry, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, etc. However, building performance also relies on dynamic features such as occupants’ interactions with the building. Such interactions have not been fully implemented in building energy simulation tools, which potentially influences the comprehensiveness and accuracy of estimations. This paper discusses an information exchange mechanism via coupling of EnergyPlus™, a building energy simulation engine and PMFServ, an occupant behavior modeling tool, to alleviate this issue. The simulation process is conducted in Building Controls Virtual Testbed (BCVTB), a virtual simulation coupling tool that connects the two separate simulation engines on a time-step basis. This approach adds a critical dimension to the traditional building energy simulation programs to seamlessly integrate occupants’ interactions with building components to improve the modeling capability, thereby improving building performance evaluation. The results analysis of this paper reveals a need to consider metrics that measure different types of comfort for building occupants.

scholarly journals Whole building validation for simulation programs including synthetic users and heating systems: experimental design

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 22003
Author(s):  
Matthias Kersken ◽  
Paul Strachan ◽  
Eirini Mantesi ◽  
Graeme Flett
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Air Source Heat Pump ◽  
Definition Of

A large-scale study for validating building energy simulation programs against measured data was undertaken within IEA EBC Annex 71 “Building energy performance assessment based on optimized in-situ measurements” as a more complex and realistic successor of the dataset created previously in IEA EBC Annex 58. The validation method consists of a set of high quality measurement data and a precise documentation of all boundary conditions. This enables a user to create a complete model of the different validation scenarios. The results of this model can be compared to the real measurement data. Because of the detailed modelling, the remaining deviations should indicate the limitations of the tool under investigation. The definition of the scenarios consists of extensive weather data and a detailed description of the building geometry, components compositions, thermal bridges, air tightness, ventilation, etc. In addition to the previous Annex 58 dataset this experiment contains synthetic users with internal heat and moisture gains, operated doors and windows and underfloor heating with an air source heat pump. This paper sets out the experimental design, a key element in ensuring a useful experimental dataset.

Defining and demonstrating a smart technology configuration to improve energy performance and occupant comfort in existing buildings: a conceptual framework

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney Newton ◽  
Arezoo Shirazi ◽  
Pernille Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Building Energy Performance ◽  
Smart Building ◽  
Building Technology ◽  
Occupant Comfort

PurposeTo achieve the building and property by 2050, decarbonisation goals will now require a significant increase in the rate of improvement in the energy performance of buildings. Occupant behaviour is crucial. This study seeks to guide the application of smart building technology in existing building stock to support improved building energy performance and occupant comfort.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows a logical partitioning approach to the development of a schema for building energy performance and occupant comfort. A review of the literature is presented to identify the characteristics that label and structure the problem elements. A smart building technology framework is overlaid on the schema. The framework is then applied to configure and demonstrate an actual technology implementation for existing building stock.FindingsThe developed schema represents the key components and relationships of building energy performance when combined with occupant comfort. This schema provides a basis for the definition of a smart building technologies framework for existing building stock. The study demonstrates a viable configuration of available smart building technologies that couple building energy performance with occupant comfort in the existing building stock. Technical limitations (such as relatively simple building management control regimes) and pragmatic limitations (such as change management issues) are noted for consideration.Originality/valueThis is the first development of a schema to represent how building energy performance can be coupled with occupant comfort in existing building stock using smart building technologies. The demonstration study applies one of many possible technology configurations currently available, and promotes the use of open source applications with push-pull functionality. The schema provides a common basis and guide for future studies.

scholarly journals A STRATEGY FOR ENERGY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AT THE EARLY DESIGN STAGE: PREDICTED VS. ACTUAL BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajla Aksamija
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Building Energy Performance ◽  
Software Programs

Developments in information technology are providing methods to improve current design practices, where uncertainties about various design elements can be simulated and studied from the design inception. Energy and thermal simulations, improved design representations and enhanced collaboration using digital media are increasingly being used. With the expanding interest in energy-efficient building design, whole building energy simulation programs are increasingly employed in the design process to help architects and engineers determine which design strategies save energy and improve building performance. The purpose of this research was to investigate the potential of these programs to perform whole building energy analysis during the early stages of architectural design, and compare the results with the actual building energy performance. The research was conducted by simulating energy usage of a fully functional research laboratory building using two different simulation tools that are aimed for early schematic design. The results were compared with utility data of the building to identify the degree of closeness with which simulation results match the actual energy usage of the building. Results indicate that modeled energy data from one of the software programs was significantly higher than the measured, actual energy usage data, while the results from the second application were comparable, but did not correctly predict monthly energy loads for the building. This suggests that significant deviations may exist between modeled and actual energy consumption for buildings, and more importantly between different simulation software programs. Understanding the limitations and suitability of specific simulation programs is crucial for successful integration of performance simulations with the design process.

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