Buildings In Cold Regions Research Articles

Sustainable framework for buildings in cold regions of China considering life cycle cost and environmental impact as well as thermal comfort

In recent decades, environmental problems have enforced designers to estimate the level of environmental emission of building design and reduce their environmental impact. On the premise of ensuring indoor comfort, the cost-effectiveness of solutions for reducing the building’s greenhouse gas has become a critical issue. Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), this paper establishes a building performance trade-off framework for indoor thermal comfort, economics, and environmental implication. This framework consists of four parts: the establishment of the optimization model; sensitivity analysis; obtain of Pareto frontier solutions, and decision-making analysis. Optimization variables involve envelope type and some envelope physical parameters. The “design variables-building performances” database is obtained by using building simulation software combined with the Latin hypercube sampling algorithm. Sensitivity analysis is used to extract the key factors affecting building performance. The designer can prioritize these key factors and it can reduce the uncertainty of building performance. A multi-objective optimization method coupling Gradient Boosted Decision Tree (GBDT) and non-dominated sorting genetic (NSGA-II) algorithm is proposed to seek the trade-off between three performances (obtain Pareto frontier solutions). The Pareto solution provides a more comprehensive reference for the preferences of different stakeholders, and the set of alternative solutions is further shrunk. Finally, take a specific residential building in China’s cold climate zone as a showcase of the trade-off framework. According to the obtained Pareto frontier solution, the solution set is shrunk to a certain range, and the distribution ranges of Life Cycle Costs, the greenhouse gas emissions, and the annual thermal discomfort hour ratio are 122.3–137.1 USD/m2, 15.6–44.8 kg CO2/m2, and 19.1–25.2%, respectively. The trade-off framework adopts the order of objective Pareto optimal and then subjective preference selection, narrowing the scope of alternatives for designers and saving time-cost of decision-making.

A comprehensive evaluation of zero energy buildings in cold regions: Actual performance and key technologies of cases from China, the US, and the European Union

Evaluation of actual zero energy buildings (ZEBs) performance and identification of its regional characteristics are of great significance for similar future projects. Based on more than 400 cases in cold regions, this study compared the post-evaluation and drivers of ZEBs from China, the US and the European Union (EU). Results found that ZEB definition, energy drivers, standard, regional policies, technology adoption and their adoption ratio determine the energy performance of cases. Not all EU and China cases reach the net-zero energy target; however, most ZEBs in the US do. ZEBs in cold regions adopted multiple technologies to achieve high energy-efficiency. The adoption ratio of passive technologies is higher than that of active technologies, especially in China. The active technologies in cold regions are mainly seen in the application of advanced HVAC systems. Such application of renewable technologies exhibits strong regional characteristics; for example, the EU’s carbon emission reduction policies promoted the use of biomass-based technologies. The analysis also found that energy policies greatly enhance the development of ZEBs. Overall, achieving zero energy is a process, not an endpoint and many projects need further refinement after occupancy.

Field comparison test study of external shading effect on thermal-optical performance of ultralow-energy buildings in cold regions of China

External shading systems play a key role in reducing the solar radiation entering the buildings and improving the thermal and daylighting performance of buildings. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the external shading effect on thermal-optical performance of ultralow-energy buildings (UEBs) using field comparison test in cold regions of China. In particular, two identical real residential buildings are continuously monitored in a period: one as a reference zone and another as a study zone. The results highlight that the external shading device with different configurations can reduce indoor temperature fluctuations and the predicted mean vote (PMV) for UEBs during a hot summer. For non-air-conditioning conditions, the maximum temperature reduction of the shading zone is 0.8 °C, while the indoor temperature fluctuates within a small range of less than 2 °C. For air-conditioning conditions, external shading device with slats angle of 90° provides the best performance, with the energy-saving potential (P) of approximately 21.77%. In addition, as the slat angle (SA) and the shading to window ratio (SWR) decrease, the P decreases correspondingly. Moreover, the utilization of an external shading device does not have an absolute advantage in decreasing the indoor illuminance and eliminating indoor discomfort glare. If an external shading system significantly decrease the indoor luminance and illuminance, the external shading system may increase the indoor glare risk and fail to meet the indoor daylighting demand.

Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Buildings—A Scoping Review

As the climate changes globally and locally, the built environment will be subject to different climatic exposure than in the past. Adaptation measures are required to ensure the long-term integrity and successful operation of the built environment. This study examines literature on climate adaptation measures for buildings through a scoping literature review. It is centered around the main journals in the field of climate adaptation of the built environment, then expanded to map the extent of scientific publications about climate adaptation in general. Studies that regard future climate scenarios have been of particular interest. The majority of the identified literature concerns climate change impacts on buildings in warm climates, with overheating being seen as the greatest challenge. Additionally, few empirical studies are found; most identified research is based on computer simulations or literature reviews. The volume of research on the consequences of climate change on buildings in cold regions is surprisingly small, considering the pecuniary stakes involved. The predictions of climate scenarios suggest regulatory/policy measures on climate adaptation should be taken as quickly as possible to avoid greater costs in the future. However, further research into future scenarios is also essential.

Feasibility of ground source heat pump using spiral coil energy piles with seepage for hotels in cold regions

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) using energy piles is a clean and efficient air conditioning technology. However, this system may suffer annual soil thermal imbalance when it is applied in buildings in cold regions, causing cold or heat accumulation in soil and having effect on the system’s long-term operation. To simulate the system performance and investigate system feasibility in Chinese cold regions, a system simulation model is established considering important influential factors of energy piles group. The system is applied in a hotel of four typical cities (Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang and Beijing). The dynamic building load is simulated which shows that the hotels in four cities are heating-dominated with load ratios of 6.78 in Harbin, 6.51 in Changchun, 2.94 in Shenyang and 1.20 in Beijing. Results show that GSHP system using spiral coil energy piles is efficient and only consumes 51–62% power of conventional Boiler + AC system. When GSHP is applied in hotels in cities with similar climates to Harbin and Changchun, the soil thermal imbalance with serious cold accumulation will cause the heating performance decline as well as the heating deficiency. When GSHP is applied in hotels in cities with similar climates to Shenyang, the soil thermal imbalance with cold accumulation will cause the heating performance decline but the system’s heating capacity is acceptable. When GSHP is applied in hotels in cities with similar climates to Beijing, the soil thermal imbalance with slight heat accumulation will increase the heating performance. This work contributes to the performance prediction and application guidance of GSHP systems using spiral coil energy piles in cold regions.

Research on Evaluation System of Green Residential Buildings in Cold Areas of Sichuan

With regard to the rapid growth of China’s building area and the increasing energy consumption of buildings, green buildings have become an important issue for balancing economic development and environmental impact. However, the current evaluation systems for various types of green buildings are often unable to achieve a set of standards in practice due to the distinct regional characteristics of each region. Therefore, in view of the regional characteristics of the climate, terrain, ecology, and economic development in the cold regions of Sichuan, it is important to study the evaluation system of green residential buildings suitable for the cold regions of Sichuan. This article focuses on the regional characteristics of climate, topography, ecology, and economic development in the cold regions of Sichuan, and discusses the limitations of the current standards on the practice of green building in cold regions of Sichuan through a sociological questionnaire survey on the comfort of living in the local population. Then from the two dimensions of the advantages of traditional houses and the particularity of national culture, the strategies for the optimization and improvement of the evaluation index system for green residential buildings in the cold regions of Sichuan were proposed. After comprehensively considering the factors that affect the green residential buildings, including the regional characteristics of the cold regions of Sichuan, and the green performance of buildings, local characteristics and ethnic features were included in the evaluation system. The evaluation index system of green residential buildings in the cold regions of Sichuan, consists of 92 three-level indicators. A professional hierarchical analysis software yaahp was used to establish a multi-level hierarchical model between the indicators, and the indicators were compared with each other layer by layer to clarify the importance of the indicators. Based on this, a judgment matrix for each layer was constructed and obtained. The weight of each indicator is accurate, and the scoring mechanism and grading standards are constructed according to it. Through the calculation, the consistency test of the entire model was passed, thereby confirming the scientificity and rationality of the entire evaluation system.

Research on color planning of campus buildings in Shenyang Jianzhu University

This paper is based on the perspective of regional architectural color planning and selecting campus buildings in cold regions as an example, taking architectural color as the research object, making a multi-viewpoint research on the use of color and its influencing factors. This article conducts actual investigation on the color of exterior facades of buildings in different areas of Shenyang Jianzhu University Campus, systematic evaluation and suggestion on architectural color of Shenyang Jianzhu University on the basis of Munsell color solid system.

Potential of Solar Heating for Ultra-Low-Energy Passive Buildings in Cold Regions

Potential of Solar Heating for Ultra-Low-Energy Passive Buildings in Cold Regions

Energy performance of below-grade envelope of an institutional building in cold regions

The effects of freeze-thaw cycles on the thermal properties of foundation soils are often neglected in many building energy simulation programs. Consequently, there is a lack of research focused on the energy dissipation through the below-grade enclosure of buildings in cold regions, where freeze-thaw cycles occur in soils. This paper aims to investigate the energy performance of the below-grade envelope of an institutional building in cold regions by considering the effect of pore water phase change on the thermal properties and consequently the heat exchange between the basement structure and the surrounding soils. For this purpose, the energy loss through the below-grade envelope of the building was numerically studied using 3-D and 2-D analyses. Moreover, the importance of a promising insulation system for the basement of the building was investigated in this paper. The results showed that the energy loss through the below-grade enclosure of the building decreased by approximately 60% when the insulation layers were added to the basement walls and floor slab (i.e., a 230 mm thick insulation layer underneath the floor slab and a 125 mm thick insulation layer surrounding the basement walls). Although reduced, the below-grade heat losses were still significant. To mitigate that, an additional horizontal insulation layer was attached to the basement walls, which lowered the heat loss through the basement walls by 23%. In addition, it was concluded that the presence of a layer of backfill materials surrounding the basement walls that was initially designed for drainage purposes, decreased the basement heat loss by 16.5%. Finally, the results of the 3-D analysis were compared to an equivalent 2-D analysis. The results showed that the 2-D model predicted approximately 22% higher heat flux compared to the 3-D model.

Study on the Thermal Performance of a Hybrid Heat Collecting Facade Used for Passive Solar Buildings in Cold Region

Passive solar technologies are traditionally considered as cost-effective ways for the building heating. However, conventional passive solar buildings are insufficient to create a relatively stable and comfortable indoor thermal environment. To further increase the indoor air temperature and reduce the heating energy consumption, a hybrid heat collecting facade (HHCF) is proposed in this paper. To analyze the thermal performance of the HHCF, a heat transfer model based on the heat balance method is established and validated by experimental results. Meanwhile, the energy saving potential of a room with the HHCF is evaluated as well. When the HHCF is applied to places where heating is required in the cold season while refrigeration is unnecessary in hot season, the HHCF can reduce the heating need by 40.2% and 21.5% compared with the conventional direct solar heat gain window and the Trombe wall, respectively. Furthermore, a series of parametric analyses are performed to investigate the thermal performance of the room with HHCF under various design and operating conditions. It is found that the thermal performance of the HHCF mainly depends on the window operational schedule, the width and the absorptivity of heat collecting wall, and the thermal performance of the inner double-glass window. The modeling and the parametric study in this paper are beneficial to the design and the optimization of the HHCF in passive solar buildings.

Performance analysis of a proposed geothermal pile system for heating and cooling energy demand for a building in cold regions

In this paper, the performance of a proposed geothermal energy pile system for the energy demand of an institutional building is investigated. The building studied in this research is situated in the Fort-Garry campus of the University of Manitoba in the southernmost portion of Winnipeg (MB) in Canada. In an urban area, underground temperatures are substantially higher than the surrounding rural areas due to the buildings heat leakage to their underneath ground. In this study, this heat loss is harvested through geothermal piles and rejected to the building for the HVAC system utilization. The underground thermal imbalance, which is the most common problem encountered while utilizing the geothermal energy in cold regions, is extensively studied. It is concluded that despite the heat leakage through the basement enclosure, thermal balance of the soil, in case of supporting the total energy demand of the building by geothermal piles, cannot be met. The application of some auxiliary heat sources is proposed. Finally, the amount of energy harvested from the ground is calculated by maintaining the thermal balance of the soil and preventing the freezing at the soil-pile interface which affects adversely the structural performance of geothermal piles.

Modelling of vapour intrusion into a building impacted by a fuel spill in Antarctica

A new vapour intrusion contaminant transport model was designed specifically to allow an assessment of the impact of a hydrocarbon fuel spill on air quality in cold region buildings. The model is applied to a recent situation in Antarctica, where a diesel spill impacted the construction of a new building. For the first time, this model allows consideration of the diffusive resistance of different vapour barrier to the transport of hydrocarbons into the building and an assessment of the effectiveness of different products. Site specific indoor air criteria are derived. Five scenarios are modelled at field temperatures: (1) build on current contaminated site; (2) excavate contaminated soil, backfill with clean soil and assess impact of residual contamination; (3) excavate and backfill with remediated (biopile) soil; (4) backfill with remediated soil and assess impact of residual contamination; (5) backfill with remediated soil and assess impact of a potential future fuel spill. Two different vapour barriers, a co-extruded ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) geomembrane (VB1) and a linear low-density (LLDPE) geomembrane (VB2), are investigated for each scenario and compared to a base case with no vapour barrier, providing quantifiable evidence of the benefit of installing an engineered vapour barrier Contaminant concentrations were below regulatory limits for Scenarios (2–5) with VB1 and air exchange in the building. For all scenarios, the EVOH geomembrane (VB1) was consistently superior at reducing vapour transport into the building indoor air space over the LLDPE geomembrane (VB2) and no vapour barrier. The risk mitigation measures developed for this contaminated Antarctic site may be relevant for other buildings in cold regions.

Deep influence of passive low energy consumption multi-storey residential building in cold region

The example of passive architecture demonstration building in Jilin Province, China, based on the practical experience of this project, the control index of passive and low energy consumption residential buildings in cold and passive buildings is referenced by reference to the German construction standard and the Chinese residence construction document, “passive ultra-low energy consumption green Building Technology Guide (Trial)”. The requirement of passive low energy residential buildings on the ground heat transfer coefficient limits is determined, and the performance requirements of passive residential buildings are discussed. This paper analyzes the requirement of the passive low energy residential building on the ground heat transfer coefficient limit, and probes into the influence factors of the ground thermal insulation of the passive low energy consumption residential building. The construction method of passive low energy consumption residential building is proposed.

寒冷地におけるネット・ゼロ・エネルギービルの構築に関する研究

寒冷地におけるネット・ゼロ・エネルギービルの構築に関する研究

Research on Energy-saving Shape Design of High School Library Building in Cold Region

Considering climatic characteristics in cold region, existing high school libraries in Changchun are researched according to investigation of real conditions of these library buildings. Mathematical analysis and CAD methods are used to summarize the relation between building shape and building energy saving of high school library. Strategies are put forward for sustainable development of high school library building in cold region, providing reliable design basis for construction of high school libraries in Changchun.

Assessing Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as an Alternative Material for Mid-Rise Residential Buildings in Cold Regions in China—A Life-Cycle Assessment Approach

Timber building has gained more and more attention worldwide due to it being a generic renewable material and having low environmental impact. It is widely accepted that the use of timber may be able to reduce the embodied energy of a building. However, the development of timber buildings in China is not as rapid as in some other countries. This may be because of the limitations of building regulations and technological development. Several new policies have been or are being implemented in China in order to encourage the use of timber in building construction and this could lead to a revolutionary change in the building industry in China. This paper is the first one to examine the feasibility of using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as an alternative solution to concrete by means of a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment in China. A seven-storey reference concrete building in Xi’an was selected as a case study in comparison with a redesigned CLT building. Two cities in China, in cold and severe cold regions (Xi’an and Harbin), were selected for this research. The assessment includes three different stages of the life span of a building: materialisation, operation, and end-of-life. The inventory data used in the materialisation stage was mostly local, in order to ensure that the assessment appropriately reflects the situation in China. Energy consumption in the operation stage was obtained from simulation by commercialised software IESTM, and different scenarios for recycling of timber material in the end-of-life are discussed in this paper. The results from this paper show that using CLT to replace conventional carbon intensive material would reduce energy consumption by more than 30% and reduce CO2 emission by more than 40% in both cities. This paper supports, and has shown the potential of, CLT being used in cold regions with proper detailing to minimise environmental impact.

Optimization design and compare of different solar-ground source heat pump system of office building in cold regions

This paper presents two different operation modes of Solar-Ground Source Heat Pump System (SGSHP(S)). With the simulation tool TRNSYS, two different SGSHP system models were built to taking simulation. After making analysis and compare of different simulation results, series operation mode was believed to be better than parallel in the target building.

Research on the Application of Building Information Model Technology in the Design of Urban Residential Buildings in Cold Region

The design of urban residential buildings in cold region is different from that in low latitude region, or the design of general public buildings. The precise grasp of dwelling unit type and appearance style, effective control of building heating and thermal insulation efficiency and the implementation of the sustainable concept of low cost construction and environmental protection are dependent on the early scientific and rational design. And the building information model technology just acts as a platform for the optimization of the design. The study is based on the engineering projects; the planning, the design of building facade, collision detection optimization and the full participation of construction cost control in building information model provide a new train of thoughts and research reference for the residential design in cold region, in the context of the digital age, and to a certain extent, the study looks forward to the future urban residential design and construction industrialization prospect in the cold region . Building information modeling technology improves the design efficiency and quality with its precise data processing and analysis, avoids the defects in design and the material waste of construction and environment pollution, significantly enhancing the pre-processing level of construction structure parts, which is in line with the energy-saving environmental protection and rural environmental construction philosophy advocated by the state, and the green building strategies of sustainable development.

Feasibility analysis of a medium- to low-temperature enhanced geothermal combined with heat pump system (MLEGHP) for heating application in severely cold regions: a case study in Shenyang, Northeastern China

Ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) have been widely applied in China in recent years. However, for heating-dominant buildings in cold regions, more heat from the ground is extracted than rejected, which leads to an annual decrease in heat source temperature and degradation of GSHP heating performance. In this study, a novel medium- to low-temperature enhanced geothermal combined with heat pump system (MLEGHP) is proposed for winter heating. Taking Shenyang city as an example, we technologically and economically investigate the applicability of this novel MLEGHP system in heating-dominated regions over a 30-year period. According to real geological data, hydraulic fracturing simulation, reservoir simulation, heating performance assessment, and economic analysis are conducted successively. Results indicate that the MLEGHP system can continuously work efficiently without performance deterioration and strengthen heating reliability during long-term operation in cold regions. Despite the high initial investment, the heat production and payback period of the system are considerable for large-scale projects. Thus, the MLEGHP system is a potential solution for the underground thermal imbalance of GSHP systems and for winter heating in cold regions.

The Test and Analysis of Air Tightness for Zero Energy Building in Cold Region

The window is an important retaining structure. The gap of doors and windows cooling is an important part of building energy consumption of heating. A window with high quality and advanced construction technology can greatly enhance the air tightness of retaining structure. The experiment is air tightness test based on an energy-saving windows in a zero energy building in the cold region. After the test and analyzes on the windows, the air tightness of windows reached level 8 standard prescribed by “GB/T 7106-2008 Graduations and test methods of air permeability, water tightness, wind load resistance performance for building external windows and doors.