Buildings In South Korea Research Articles

Assessing the Impact of Façade Typologies on Life Cycle Embodied Carbon in University Building Retrofits: A Case Study of South Korea

This study examines the influence of façade typologies on Life Cycle Embodied Carbon (LCEC) in retrofitting university buildings in South Korea. By analyzing 28 cases across seven retrofit scenarios, four main façade types—PW-1, PW-2 (Punched Walls), WW (Window Walls), and CW (Curtain Walls)—were identified as key drivers in retrofit outcomes. PW-1 and PW-2 often require over-cladding due to demolition complexities, whereas WW and CW, despite undergoing full demolition and re-cladding, do not necessarily result in higher carbon emissions. The use of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) can achieve up to a 35% reduction in LCEC compared to traditional materials like stone, particularly in cases requiring minimal structural reinforcement. By balancing sustainability with architectural integrity, this study offers valuable guidance for similar projects globally, providing insights into optimizing retrofit strategies for more sustainable building practices.

Noise reduction and visual disturbance performances of horizontal facade profiles for a multi-story high-rise apartment building

This paper simulates the noise reduction performance of horizontal profiles installed on the façade to reduce the external noise in high-rise residential buildings. The simulation used commercial software based on the ray tracing method and evaluated the performance by modeling a representative rectangular-shaped 30-story apartment building in South Korea. The simulation assumed a four-lane road traffic noise source parallel to the front of the apartment. The key simulation values were cited from configurations derived in previous studies. The sound absorption points were set at the center of each living room on every floor, and windows facing the road were considered for ventilation, being set to be partially open. Horizontal profiles for noise reduction were placed on the exterior of the building, starting from the 20th floor, with protrusion height and vertical spacing as variables. These profiles were combined with noise barriers to assess their impact. As a result, it was confirmed that the noise barrier only reduced the noise in the lower floors, while the horizontal profiles on the upper part of the building could also reduce noise in the upper floors. Additionally, the paper discusses the visual disturbance of the horizontal facade profiles visible from the living rooms.

Analysis of the necessity of revising the building energy efficiency certificate for non-residential buildings in South Korea

The Building Energy Efficiency Certification (BEEC) program is a crucial government policy aimed at reducing building energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in numerous countries, including South Korea. This study aims to evaluate the achievable BEEC level by designing a typical building with a construction permit and analyze the appropriateness of the awarded BEEC level. We collected 327 samples of non-residential buildings from South Korea's architectural administration system and established reference building models from these samples. The buildings were categorized into four use types (office, educational, retail, or cultural) and large or small sizes. We evaluated the energy consumption of the reference buildings and assigned them a BEEC level. Retail buildings exhibited the highest energy consumption, followed by office, cultural, and educational buildings. All reference buildings had an energy consumption of less than 260 kWh/m2/yr and were awarded a BEEC level of 1 to 1++, indicating energy efficient buildings. Non-residential buildings, reflecting common design trends, achieved a BEEC level of at least level 1 without additional efforts to enhance energy efficiency. We recommend the South Korean government should revise the current BEEC rating criteria and review the certification evaluation methodology. The results of this study strongly advocate for continuous improvement of the BEEC certification system. This study is expected to enhance the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies for buildings and advance related policies.

A study on the artwork policy for buildings in South Korea from the perspective of cooperative governance

ABSTRACT Implementing the artwork policy for buildings necessitates collaborative governance, with diverse entities actively participating. In South Korea’s artwork policy for buildings, the review committee exclusively selects the final artwork, blinding the artist’s information for reasons of fairness. This inadvertently overlooks the artist’s crucial role and obscures the work’s planning and procedural aspects. Under the current policy, there is no opportunity for artists and architects to cooperate. The building owner submits the plan for artwork when reporting the building’s construction and after completing the architectural design. In other words, consideration of artwork usually begins after completing an architectural design. In addition, the building owner is mainly responsible for selecting artists, analyzing sites, and developing the artwork concept. In predominant private development, private agencies representing building owners possess greater decision-making authority, yet there is insufficient scrutiny of their competence and ethical considerations. While local governments navigate improvements within the central government’s mandated laws, inherent limitations constrain their progress. Private development, privately owned but designated as public art, engenders tension between private autonomy and governmental intervention. Systematic reorganization is imperative, starting with a dichotomy between private and public development to address these intricate issues comprehensively.

Systematic Review of Green Building Trends in South Korea from 2001 to 2023 Using Research Topic Words

In 2020, South Korea implemented the Green New Deal, and in 2022, it officially proposed the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To effectively promote the development of green buildings in South Korea, it is crucial to analyze their evolutionary trends and processes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to summarize and predict the development trajectory of green buildings in South Korea by studying the research and development trends in this field. Accordingly, this study used content analysis as a research method to analyze 89 research papers and their subject words published from 2001 to 2023. Further in-depth analysis was conducted on five sub-dimensions: technical, economic, legal, systemic, and the popularization and development of green buildings. Since 2000, research has mainly focused on the improvement and development of evaluation index systems and the exploration of energy-saving technologies. In terms of the research and development of green building materials, there is a problem of slow development. In terms of green building management, there is a lack of specific management methods or systematic research. Economic aspects should be studied from the consumers’ perspective. Hence, opportunities and challenges coexist and require joint efforts from the government, academia, enterprises, and other parties.

Analysis of the Energy Consumption of Old Public Buildings in South Korea after Green Remodeling

In Korea, green remodeling of public buildings will be mandatory from 2025, and about 30,000 old public buildings nationwide will conduct green remodeling every year. Therefore, in this study, green remodeling was promoted to improve energy efficiency for existing public buildings located in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do. A remodeling method was developed to reduce the cooling and heating load of the building and reduce construction costs. The development technology was applied to the demonstration building to improve the insulation and airtightness performance of the building. In order to analyze the effect of improving the energy performance of the building, the simulation results and energy consumption before and after remodeling were analyzed. The demand for heating energy decreased by about 68.95%, and the demand for cooling energy decreased by 35.21%. According to an analysis of actual energy consumption, the average monthly energy consumption savings from January to September was 17.4%. It was confirmed that the savings were the highest at 35.4% in February, during winter. Applying the remodeling method developed in this study is expected to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy efficiency and energy consumption of existing buildings.

An Estimation on Average Service Life of Public Buildings in South Korea: In Case of RCC

An Estimation on Average Service Life of Public Buildings in South Korea: In Case of RCC

A resonator installed in a wooden puzzle board greatly enhances sound absorption capability at low frequency: A new approach

Loud noise has become a regular part of life due to growing urbanization and lifestyle changes, making noise pollution a severe health concern. However, eco-friendly materials for low-frequency sound absorption still need improvement. Wooden puzzle-assembled boards are being used to construct wooden buildings in South Korea, but they require better sound absorption performance. Therefore, we have developed a strategy to enhance the sound absorption capability of wooden puzzle-assembled boards by suggesting the installation of a single-frequency resonator on the board. The resonator contains nine pinholes with a 6 mm diameter perforation connected to a 30 mm diameter hole leading to the center hollowed cavity (CHC). We evaluated the sound absorption coefficient (SAC) of the control (i.e., cross-laminated timber (CLT)) and a resonator board. The SAC of the resonator with zero pinholes (i.e., CHC), one pinhole (PH-1), five pinholes (PH-5), and nine pinholes (PH-9) were estimated using a two-microphone transfer function method at low frequencies ranging from 100 to 1600 Hz. The average SAC of PH-9 showed significant improvement at the frequency of 450 Hz (0.637 ± 0.001; 818%) compared to the control samples. The noise reduction coefficient was improved by 239% (0.07 for the control and 0.23 for the PH-9). We compared the experimental results in this study with theoretical results and found that the orientation of the neck length significantly impacted the resonant frequency of the pinhole resonator. This finding provides valuable insights into the design and optimization of pinhole resonators for specific acoustic applications.

Determining the optimal visible light transmittance of semi-transparent photovoltaic considering energy performance and occupants’ satisfaction

With the increasing use of front windows such as curtain walls, the application of semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) systems is effective in producing renewable energy, reducing cooling load via solar radiation control, and improving visual comfort. However, in STPV, the visibility of the view from a window decreases, and this can have a negative impact on the occupants' satisfaction (i.e., psychological satisfaction, task performance, and task load). Therefore, this study sought to present the optimal visible light transmittance (VLT) of STPV that simultaneously considers energy performance and the occupants' satisfaction according to the azimuth of a building. To this end, a residential building in South Korea was selected, and energy performance according to the VLT of STPV (amorphous Si thin film PV) was analyzed using DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus for STPV with three VLTs (i.e., 10%, 20%, and 30%). In order to analyze the occupants' satisfaction according to the VLT of STPV, 31 participants were recruited, and an experiment using virtual reality (VR) was carried out. Multi-objective optimization was performed using the energy performance, psychological satisfaction, and task load. The results showed that as the weight of energy performance was adjusted to 0.33, 0.5, and 0.6, the optimal VLT of STPV was 25.53%, 22.65%, and 20.85% on average, respectively. It is expected that the findings of this study can allow the building owner or building designer to predict the energy performance, the occupants’ psychological satisfaction and task load according to the VLT of STPV.

Potential for local communities in rural areas: sustainable development of prison siting in South Korea

PurposeCorrectional facilities often constitute locally unwanted land use (LULUs), with local residents strongly demanding their relocation. Accordingly, the construction of correctional facilities is currently being promoted in regions that are far from city centres. Some local government officials consider relocating correctional facilities to rural areas as a golden opportunity to revitalise the economies of these areas. This paper focuses on the possibilities of local community participation in the sustainable development of prison siting in rural areas.Design/methodology/approachThe methods and procedure of this study are as follows: (1) to review the relevant literature about regulations or cohesion policies when correctional facilities are constructed, (2) to examine the current issues relating to the conflict between correctional facilities and the local community from the perspective of LULUs and (3) to compare the construction processes of correctional facilities and public buildings in South Korea. The latter focuses on Daegu Correctional Facility as a site study through which to investigate how the facility interacted with the local community when the government decided to locate the correctional facility in a rural area.FindingsThe case study confirmed that communication methods between correctional facilities and stakeholders at each stage affected the occurrence and resolution of conflicts between them. In particular, it was found that correctional facilities in rural areas can transform the characteristics of the community by providing an open facility that serves community needs and boosts the local economy.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a new vision for locating correctional facilities, wherein conflicts are resolved through communication with local communities in rural regions. In addition, the study argues that community participation could allow correctional facilities to function as living hubs in the community and so benefit the residents of rural areas.

Hybrid cooling techniques to improve the performance of solar photovoltaic modules

Photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency is often impeded by concomitant temperature elevations, which may lead to cell degeneration and decreased electrical efficiency. Cooling techniques are commonly used to avoid this problem; however, current techniques, such as water-sprayer and active cooling systems, still have limitations, including the scattering and reflection of photons. In this study, we present a new active dual-cooling system design using two thermoelectric cooling (TEC) units fixed to the back of a PV module to provide rear-end cooling, which were experimentally and numerically studied. A water-thin film cooling system (WFCS) was maintained at the top surface of the module using a small affixed 72-W DC pump, for improving efficiency. For testing, the system was installed on the roof of an agricultural building in South Korea, and its performance efficiency was compared with that of a reference cooling-free PV module. The results showed that the innovation led to a decrease in the module temperature to 21 °C, which led to an efficiency improvement of 11.23 % with an increase in the daily output energy of 8.3 %. Additionally, a numerical simulation model based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to evaluate the temperature profile of the PV module owing to the cooling technique and temperature distribution on the module’s top surface. The maximum temperature reductions were 17.27 and 12 °C in the experimental and simulation results, respectively.

Predictability quantification of occupant presence in high-rise residential apartment buildings

In recent decades, many studies have attempted to develop a reliable occupancy model using either rule-based, stochastic, data-driven, or agent-based approaches. These are based on the hypothesis that occupant presence can become predictable provided sufficient knowledge and data are provided. However, a different view propounds that occupant presence could follow a random-walk pattern or become unpredictable in certain types of rooms/buildings, for example, university labs and library buildings. In this study, the authors report the predictability of occupant presence in high-rise residential apartment buildings in South Korea. The authors collected occupant presence data from 31 households over 147 days using occupancy sensors installed in each household. The predictability of occupant presence was then analyzed using the normalized cumulative periodogram (NCP) and Bartlett’s test. It was found that (1) the predictability of occupant presence is significantly influenced by temporal and spatial resolutions, (2) extending measurement periods (e.g., 7 days vs 147 days) can increase the predictability of occupant presence, (3) for a measurement period of 7 days, the occupant presence for 14 households became unpredictable, and (4) the predictability of occupant presence significantly differs among 31 households.

Influencing of the Building Energy Policies upon the Efficiency of Energy Consumption: The Case of Courthouse Buildings in South Korea

As Korea has declared to realize a net-zero emission by 2050 in the Paris Agreement, the country has begun to implement national energy efficiency policies through the Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design (G-SEED) certification and revision of building insulation thickness standard. However, some studies have reported the ineffectiveness of G-SEED certification and insulation thickness standard in reducing the energy consumption in certain buildings. Therefore, this study investigated the effectiveness of G-SEED certification and the revision of buildings’ insulation thickness standard, and evaluated the energy consumption of courthouse buildings. In addition, this study investigated the total annual energy consumption (electricity, gas, and heating energy) per gross floor area of courthouse buildings located in the central and southern regions of South Korea. Although many studies about the energy consumption analysis of non-residential buildings have been performed previously, a study evaluating the effectiveness of green certification and building insulation thickness standard on the energy consumption of courthouse buildings was performed for the first time. The results revealed that the revision of building insulation thickness standard and G-SEED certification resulted in an energy consumption efficiency of 34.61 and 31.14%, respectively. These results indicated the effectiveness of G-SEED certification and the revision of the building insulation thickness standard for enhancing energy efficiency in Korean courthouse buildings. However, some negative results were observed in the southern area, indicating that it is essential to increase the effectiveness of the building insulation thickness standard and G-SEED certification implementation.

A Decision-Making Model for Optimized Energy Plans for Buildings Considering Peak Demand Charge—A South Korea Case Study

The energy industry has been trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels that emit carbon and to proliferate renewable energy as a way to respond to climate change. The attempts to reduce carbon emissions resulting from the process of generating the electric and thermal energy needed by a building were bolstered with the introduction of the concept of nZEB (nearly zero-energy building). In line with such initiatives, the South Korean government made it mandatory for new buildings to have an nZEB certificate as a way to promote the supply of renewable energy. The criteria for Energy Independence Rate, which is one of the nZEB certification criteria in South Korea, is to maintain the share of renewable energy as at least 20% of the primary energy sources for the building. For a new building in South Korea to have an nZEB certificate, it is required to establish an energy plan that would allow the building to meet the Energy Independence requirement. This optimally reflects the cost of installation for renewable energy facilities and the cost of purchasing energy from external sources, such as the national grid or district heating companies. In South Korea, the base retail rate of energy is calculated based on the peak demand per hour over the year, rather than the contracted energy. This has produced difficulties in standardizing the process with a mathematical model; in addition, there have not been many preceding studies that could be used as a reference. In this regard, this paper analyzed a modeling strategy for developing a realistic yet optimized energy plan in consideration of the unique conditions of the retail energy rates of South Korea, and analyzed the impact of the rates based on peak demands upon the total energy plan. In this study, our research team analyzed the electric billing system, conducted a case study, and analyzed the impact of the billing system that is based on the peak demand upon the optimal cost. By utilizing the restrictions for reaching the 20% Energy Independence goal, this paper calculated the proper energy supply facility capacity for renewable energy. Then, the cases in which the maximum demand modeling was used and the cases without one were compared to confirm the cost benefits observable when the suggested model is added or implemented.

공동주택 프로젝트 시공단계에서의 설계변경 데이터를 활용한 조정요인 간의 연관규칙 분석

The issues of design change that inevitably arises in construction projects are major problem that has plagued the construction industry for a long time. In particular, design change in apartment project, one of the most delivered buildings in South Korea, is a major risk that transfers the burden not only to the owner but also to the construction companies and users. The risk of design change in apartment project does not occur alone, but has a pattern of simultaneous or serial occurrence due to various causes. If the construction manager does not understand the underlying cause of the design change, the cost, schedule, and quality of the project will have very unreasonable consequences for all participants. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationship between design changes and the flow of simultaneous occurrence of a new multi-family housing project by applying the associated rule analysis method, one of the data mining techniques.

A Price Premium for the District Heating System: An Empirical Investigation on South Korean Residents

Representative heating methods in residential buildings in South Korea are the boiler-based individual heating system (IHS) and the district heating system (DHS). When constructing a large-scale new city or redeveloping an old one, the heating method must be determined in advance by reflecting consumers’ preferences. This article intends to explore the price premium that South Korean residents are willing to pay for DHS over IHS. The price premium means the consumer’s additional willingness to pay (AWTP). To obtain this, contingent valuation was employed and the data were gathered by conducting a nationwide survey of 1000 people. The one-and-one-half-bounded model was adopted as the method of inducing the AWTP. Comparison of the results from estimating the model with those from estimating other models revealed that there was no significant difference between the two. Moreover, the former held statistical significance. The price premium or AWTP was estimated as KRW 4353 (USD 3.88) per Gcal. This value corresponds to about 5.9% of the residential heat price, which was KRW 73,587 (USD 65.59) per Gcal in 2020. Heating prices are almost the same, with little difference between DHS and IHS. The results suggest that a large number of residents place a price premium on DHS over IHS.

Development of Simplified Building Energy Prediction Model to Support Policymaking in South Korea—Case Study for Office Buildings

This study aims to support building energy policymaking for office buildings in South Korea through regression models by considering the global temperature rise. The key variables representing building energy standards and codes are selected, and their impact on the annual energy consumption is simulated using EnergyPlus reference models. Then, simplified regression models are built on the basis of the annual energy consumption using the selected variables. The prediction performance of the developed model for forecasting the annual energy consumption of each reference building is good, and the prediction error is negligible. An additional global coefficient is estimated to address the impact of increased outdoor air temperature in the future. The final model shows fair prediction performance with global coefficients of 1.27 and 0.9 for cooling and heating, respectively. It is expected that the proposed simplified model can be leveraged by non-expert policymakers to predict building energy consumption and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions for the target year.

Major Building Materials in Terms of Environmental Impact Evaluation of School Buildings in South Korea

This study aimed to analyze the major building materials in terms of environmental impact evaluation of school buildings in South Korea. Three existing school buildings were selected as the analysis targets, and building materials were analyzed in terms of cumulative weight and six environmental impact categories (global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone-layer depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential). The materials were analyzed from an environmental perspective after integrating the six environmental impact categories into the environmental costs. From the analysis, nine major building materials, including ready-mixed concrete, concrete bricks, aggregate, rebar, cement, stone, glass, insulating materials, and wood, were selected for the school buildings. These analysis results can be used as a streamlined evaluation of the environmental impacts of school buildings. It is thought that the simplified life cycle assessment will help make decisions considering environmental characteristics in the early stage of the construction project. Additionally, it will be possible to make LCA efficient in terms of time and cost, one of the largest constraints of the existing building LCA, and effective reduction in the environmental load.

Time-series analysis of the effects of building and household features on residential end-use energy

This study aimed to comprehensively consider dwelling and household features, analyze their influence on the energy consumption and derive valid determinants for each end-use: heating, cooling, DHW, lighting, electric appliances, and cooking. To this end, information about dwelling and household features was collected through a field survey of 154 households in apartment complexes, representative of residential buildings in South Korea. In addition, a system was installed to measure energy consumption separately for each end-use. The end-use energy consumption data were collected during two periods: 2017 (May 2017–Apr. 2018) and 2019 (Jan.–Dec. 2019). Four models were created to analyze the influence of features on end-use energy consumption for each period. Model 1 was designed to analyze variables with the greatest influence, and Models 2–4 were designed to analyze the influence of physical building features, sociodemographic features, and household appliance-use characteristics. Multiple regression analysis was performed to derive the variables with the greatest influence and the valid variables for each characteristic category, and the influence magnitude was analyzed. These variables with the greatest influence were the same for 2017 and 2019, except for DHW. These variables were the area for exclusive use for the energy consumption of heating and electric appliances; the number of household members for lighting and cooking; the air conditioner operating hours for cooling. Regarding influence by the characteristic category, heating energy consumption was dominantly affected by physical building factor, cooling and electric appliances were mainly affected by household appliance-use characteristics, and DHW and cooking were greatly affected by sociodemographics. As for lighting it was evenly influenced by physical building factors, sociodemographics, and household appliance-use characteristics.

Heat resilience of apartment buildings in Korea and Germany: comparison of building design and climate

A major concern in climate adaptation is to enhance the heat resilient design of residential buildings. However, recent scientific literature addressing overheating analysis is only focussing on individual countries. In this article, we discuss how different design of representative apartment buildings in two countries influences the overheating risk or cooling demand and what conclusions can be drawn from it. This is done for a low-rise apartment building located in Germany and a high-rise building in South Korea applying building performance simulation. Both countries are located in the moderate climate zone, but regional differences in frequency of tropical nights and radiant summer days lead to significant differences in overheating intensity (800 Kh/a for the German and 5100 Kh/a for the Korean) or cooling demand (1800 kWh for the German to 1300 kWh for the Korean). The lower cooling demand but much higher overheating intensity of the Korean building compared to the German is mainly caused by the different solar heat gain due to the glazed balcony design of the Korean building where these balcony rooms are not actively cooled. On the contrary, the common internal façade insulation of Korean buildings results in a higher overheating risk compared to the German building and in addition the lower potential of passive cooling by natural ventilation due to the necessity of insect screens in Korea. The large effect of implementing heat adaptation measures on overheating risk reduction or cooling demand (up to 90%) clearly demonstrates that both buildings are far away from a heat resilient design and that heat adaptation measures can address both climate change adaptation and mitigation.