Improve Building Performance Research Articles

Supporting early-stage design decisions with building performance optimisation: Findings from a design experiment

Building performance optimisation (BPO) has been intensively explored due to its potential in improving building performance and design efficiency. However, studies on its application in supporting early-stage design decisions are rather limited, causing its actual effectiveness to remain questionable. This paper addresses the problem through a design experiment, where participants designed an office building for energy efficiency, using first the conventional method and then BPO. They also evaluated others' design outcomes and completed a questionnaire about the experiment afterwards. The results showed that BPO is effective in supporting early-stage architectural design even for novices. It turned manual designs that are often averagely energy-efficient in the solution space into top designs without significantly affecting other design merits. The average energy use intensity (EUI) decreased by 8.5 % in this experiment. However, it showed a narrow advantage (0.5 % on average) over evaluating a series of design samples and no clear superiority over less-automated supporting methods with more involvement of designers, as its effectiveness is limited by technical difficulties in implementing certain variables strongly correlated with energy efficiency. In addition, while the majority of participants acknowledge the effectiveness of BPO and the acceptance of its design outcomes, manual designs were still preferred by more, mostly for better aesthetics and better alignment of design concepts, implying the necessity of designer's interventions before using BPO outcomes in design practice. The useability of BPO also needs to be improved by shortening the calculation time and lowering the difficulties in building desirable parametric models.

The Use of Seismic Isolators to Improve Building Performance

Abstract The use of seismic isolators is a design method that involves inserting a flexible element at the base of the structure to decouple its movement from that of the ground to reduce vulnerability to earthquakes. They also make it possible to reduce the demand for force and deformation on the various structural elements. The aim of this research is to evaluate the contribution of HDRB high damping elastomeric seismic isolators in the reduction of seismic forces. It also consists in comparing the results of the dynamic analysis of the two fixed base structures in frames or frames braced by shear walls with the isolated structure mounted on an HDRB elastomer system and subjected to the same seismic excitation using the SAP 2000 calculation software. The results obtained showed an attenuation in the accelerations, a lengthening of the period, strong reduction in displacements and a reduction in the shearing force at the base of the isolated structure compared to fixed base structures.

Building Envelope Performance to Achievement of Energy-Efficient Buildings : a case study analysis in Ulil Albab Mosque Yogyakarta

The performance of the building envelope is one of the most important in energy-efficient buildings. As the outermost layer, the building envelope will be very decisive for heat transfer from outside to inside the building. The performance of the building envelope in heat transfer refers to as the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV). OTTV measures the average heat gain into the building through the building envelope. It is a measure widely adopted in many countries to improve the design of energy-efficient buildings. The OTTV value strongly influences the ratio of transparent openings on the building facade. The size of the transparent opening will affect the inclusion of natural lighting in the building. This study aims to see how closely the relationship between the OTTV value and the achievement of natural lighting in buildings according to standards. The values used as success standards are the GBCI and SNI parameters. This research expects to provide a reference for existing buildings to improve building performance, especially for energy efficiency. This study uses a simulation method with OTTV worksheets and DIAlux Evo calculations. The mosque chooses to be a case study because the mosque is a building that has a distinctive orientation. In this research, Ulil Albab mosque, Yogyakarta, for the case study. For the location of Yogyakarta, the Qibla direction is azimuth direction 294° 42′ 39.894″ (Northwest) from Yogyakarta, where the radiation factor value is the largest. The results of this study indicate that the OTTV value can follow the standard by lowering the percentage of WWR in a facade with a high radiation factor value. Still, a WWR that is too small can result in natural lighting being unable to enter the room. In this building, the most efficient thing to do is replace the transparent material with one with better thermal properties.

Meeting User Needs through Building Automation and Control Systems: A Review of Impacts and Benefits in Office Environments

Smart building technologies and building automation and control systems (BACS) can offer a range of additional benefits beyond energy savings, in particular by improving building responsiveness to user needs. Although in recent years these technologies have gained popularity as a means of reducing energy consumption and improving building performance, a clear picture of the role of BACS in providing a wider range of benefits is still missing. This review identifies and collects BACS impacts in office buildings with a special emphasis on improving indoor environmental quality by adapting building operation to changing conditions and guaranteeing feedback and real-time interaction with occupants. The resulting benefits, such as increased employee productivity, fewer occurrences of sick leave, and lower rates of absenteeism are highlighted. Offices represent an interesting field of application, as small improvements in the built environment can have a significant impact on labour costs which are the predominant share of the total operating costs. Furthermore, quantitative relationships between physical factors of the indoor environment and benefits have been displayed where available. This literature review aims at establishing an approach that comprehensively evaluates BACS across their entire spectrum, leading to the promotion of novel business cases.

The Impact of Using Smart Windows Technique in Reducing Energy Consumption and Improving Building Performance in the Office Building

The Impact of Using Smart Windows Technique in Reducing Energy Consumption and Improving Building Performance in the Office Building

Design of external shading devices in Mansehra, Pakistan and their role in climate change

With the rising global temperatures, developing countries are one of the most adversely affected countries by climate change. Furthermore, changes in lifestyle and unsustainable ways of development have resulted in a shift away from passive strategies in the construction industry, which contribute to excessive energy consumption. This demands immediate action to use passive strategies and one of the most widely used passive strategies is shading devices, which can significantly lower the indoor temperature and give the structure the most efficient energy performance. Shading devices were a dominant identity of traditional architecture in Pakistan; however, it has been evident during the past decade the use of such devices has become obsolete due to modernized solutions. This study aims to examine the performance and effectiveness of shading devices in terms of heat gain and daylight levels in residential areas. A comparative case study methodology has been used. The fixed overhanging shading devices of six residential units in Mansehra City, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, have been used. Sun angles are calculated through the SketchUp tool Curic Sun to analyze and determine the performance of overhanging in both summers and winters. This article reveals south shading devices as an essential part of houses built before 2,000 in Mansehra City. Though, houses built after 2,000 do not consider using south shading devices to maximize energy use. This study emphasizes considering the type, design, and use of shading devices according to the building’s orientation to improve building performance and energy efficiency.

Adaption and Tolerance in Built Environment—An Evaluation of Environmental Sensation, Acceptance and Overall Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in a Subtropical Region

The relationship between environmental sensations and acceptance in the indoor environment has yet to be fully explored or quantified. This study is the first in the literature that examines these relationships in thermal comfort, indoor air quality, aural comfort, visual comfort, and overall indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Using a regional IEQ database, the relationship between occupants’ sensation and acceptance of individual environmental aspects was investigated. The results suggest that building occupants had high tolerances towards indoor air quality and aural and visual discomforts, while cold sensations tended to elicit environmental discomfort. Furthermore, the study developed machine learning models with imbalanced data treatment to predict overall IEQ acceptance based on both sensation and acceptance of individual IEQ domains. These models accounted for the influence of environmental adaptation and tolerance on overall IEQ satisfaction determination. They accurately predicted unseen data, indicating high model generalizability and robustness. Overall, the study has practical implications for improving building performance and provides insights to better understand the relationship between environmental sensations and occupants’ acceptance, which should be considered in building design and operation.

A State-of-The-Art Technical Review on Seismic Resilience of Rcc Structural Components Using Seismic Resistance Based Retrofitting Techniques

Existing buildings can be at a greater seismic risk due to non-conformance to current design codes and may require structural retrofitting to improve building performance. The most recent example of that can be seen from the 2015 AD earthquake in Nepal and other sub continental regions, where numbers of buildings were destroyed with more fatal consequences have drawn the attention of the government authorities of Nepal and the general public for seismic earthquake resistance design of buildings. Following the post seismic assessment of building in Nepal after 2015 earthquake, it is revealed that the existing reinforced concrete buildings have some inadequacies in structural components and thus the intensive research and study is required to for the better understanding of the structure in terms of immediate consequences due to direct damage and way to recovery using seismic retrofit assessment.
 This paper presents an overview on performance based evaluation of retrofitted rcc structural member using some advanced retrofitting techniques which is innovative and can be cost effective retrofitting strategies demanding less skilled man power. It is concluded that better seismic resilience can be achieved with the help of innovative methods with the application of innovative materials like textile mortars and fibers. In the following sections a review of experimental flexural loading on beam is presented.

Optimizing construction processes and improving building performance through data engineering and computation

The use of manual labour and physically demanding building techniques is a hallmark of the construction industry. However, recent technological developments have given rise to a rising tendency in the construction industry towards digitalization and data-driven decision-making. The purpose of this study is to investigate how data engineering and computing are used in the construction sector and how they affect building methods. The study depends on a thorough analysis of the literature, which includes 26 pertinent papers from scholarly publications and business reports. The results imply that computing and data engineering can dramatically enhance building procedures and results. Particularly, these technologies make project planning, resource allocation, and risk management more precise and effective. The use of data can also result in more accountability and transparency in building projects, which can save costs and enhance overall project performance. The study also looks at the challenges involved in applying data engineering and computation in the construction sector, including problems with data security, privacy, and quality. The study also emphasises the requirement for more thorough data management plans as well as the creation of industry-wide standards and best practices. The results have important ramifications for experts in the field, academics, and decision-makers, and they can guide future initiatives to incorporate data-driven methods into the construction sector.

Critical indoor environmental factors affecting productivity: perspectives from university staff and postgraduate students

ABSTRACT Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of buildings plays an important role in affecting building occupants’ comfort, health and well-being. However, there is limited understanding of the critical IEQ factors that affect occupants’ work productivity in university office buildings. By surveying 204 people (72 university staff members and 132 postgraduate students) in a tertiary education institution in New Zealand, this research aimed to identify and rank the critical IEQ factors concerning their perceived productivity and how the perceived importance of these factors differed between staff and student cohorts. Statistical analysis identified a total of 16 IEQ factors as important in affecting work productivity, and 15 of them, except cleanliness of the office, could be grouped into four categories: (1) thermal comfort and lighting; (2) acoustics and privacy comfort; (3) spatial comfort and (4) aesthetics and views. Based on the identified critical IEQ factors, a framework was developed and can be used by building facility managers and designers in the tertiary education sector to optimize design solutions to improve building performance that is more conducive to their occupants. The findings from this research can inform the inclusion of design features that will enable staff and students using these buildings to achieve better productivity.

Data-Driven Model-Based Control Strategies to Improve the Cooling Performance of Commercial and Institutional Buildings

The increasing amount of operational data in buildings opens up new methods for improving building performance through advanced controls. Although predictive control has been widely investigated in the literature, field demonstrations still remain rare. Alternatively, model-based controls can provide similar improvement while being easier to implement in real buildings. This paper investigates three data-driven model-based control strategies to improve the cooling performance of commercial and institutional buildings: (a) chiller sequencing, (b) free cooling, and (c) supply air temperature reset. These energy efficiency measures are applied to an existing commercial building in Canada with data from summer 2020 and 2021. The impact of each measure is individually assessed, as well as their combined effects. The results show that all three of the measures together reduce building cooling energy by 12% and cooling system electric energy by 33%.

Seismic evaluation of existing building structure using United States (ASCE 41-17) and Japanese (JBDPA) standard: Case study office building in Indonesia

In this study, the target evaluation building is a reinforced concrete structure with 4 stories in Surabaya City Indonesia that was over 35 years old. The method used is the U.S standard; ASCE 41:17 and the Japanese standard; JBDPA. The results using the ASCE 41-17 Tier 1 checklist with a 975 years earthquake return period (BSE-2E) and collapse prevention performance target obtained several evaluation items that received noncompliant (NC) status. Out of the 21 checklist items, 5 items were compliant (C), 7 items were noncompliant (NC), 2 items not applicable (N/A), and 7 items are unknown (U). The results of the nonlinear static procedure (NSP) also produce performance object building is still below the target performance level. The evaluation results using JBDPA show that the seismic index of structure (IS) at first and second-level screening procedures is less than the seismic demand index of structure (ISO). The results evaluation of these two methods shows the same results, that the building has a deficiency of strength and ductility, to improve building performance against earthquake loads needs to retrofit.

Numerical analysis of thin building envelope-integrated phase change material towards energy-efficient buildings in severe hot location

Phase change materials (PCMs) have a great potential to enhance building thermal comfort and save energy towards energy-efficient buildings. The current study sheds light on employing PCM passively in a thin building envelope under a severely hot location using EnergyPlus software. The thermal contribution of PCM to indoor thermal comfort was evaluated considering the average temperature fluctuation reduction (ATFR), thermal load levelling reduction (TLLR) and operative temperature reduction (OTR). Besides, the total average heat gain reduction (AHGR) and equivalent CO2 emission and electricity cost saving (ECS) were discussed to quantify the energy-saving. Simulation results demonstrated PCM effectiveness during the hottest summer days. Quantitatively, the PCM contributed to the ATFR by 5 °C- 6 °C, along with TLLR and OTR by an average of 38%-59% and 6 °C, respectively. According to the energy-saving analysis, the daily total AHGR owing to PCM integration ranged between 66.6% and 76.5%, where the roof shared the most. The results also indicated environmental and economic benefits, attaining CO2 emission reduction by 2 kg/day and ECS by up to 250 IQD/day. Conclusively, the PCM can significantly improve building performance when integrated passively with thin envelope elements in severely hot locations.

Implementing the Greenship Existing Building 1.1 to Improve Catholic Church Performance (Case Study: St. Antonius Padua Pasuruan, East Java)

Caring for, utilizing and preserving cultural heritage buildings located in polluted areas is not a simple matter. There are many things that become the focus of attention, such as commitment and consistency of human resources, various policies/ regulations as conservation guidelines, supporting equipment, maintenance/ renovation methods, recycling/ reuse materials, utilization management, and cost optimization. Evaluating the performance of cultural heritage buildings based on the Greenship Existing Building Version 1.1. becomes valuable input for managers. The next step is to evaluate the green perception and behavior of the Catholics to overcome the problem of disturbing the comfort of worship. Environmental improvement and improving the quality of green perception and behavior are two inseparable things, interrelated and reinforcing each other. Utilizing Greenship parameters and Importance Performance Analysis can produce a form of evaluation that is right on target. The results of the evaluation become recommendations for the implementation of improving building performance and optimizing the cost of preserving the Catholic Church of St. Antonius Padua Pasuruan as a cultural heritage. Research shows that the Church is ranked Silver, with a Church score of 52.99% (62 points) smaller than the total score of 117 points. Efforts to improve church performance based on the potential of Catholics are focused on reforestation, saving electricity consumption and increasing the capacity of church building maintenance personnel.

Evolutionary seismic design optimization of mega‐brace damper architectures in three‐dimensional structures

AbstractNovel seismic protection systems are widely used to improve building performance or collapse prevention under extreme events. However, a systematic approach for the distribution of dampers in structures expected to operate inelastically under extreme seismic loading does not exist in modern seismic codes. Furthermore, optimal designs are achieved typically performing only forward analysis with no direction on how device topologies and properties distribution affect the response and the plastic action distribution throughout structures for different types of passive devices. To address the above, this study utilizes an evolutionary framework for optimization of the topology and properties of passive dampers in three‐dimensional buildings subject to seismic loading. The framework incorporates a self‐organizing evolutionary algorithm, a novel concept of mega‐brace damper architecture scheme, and an active ground motion subset scheme to efficiently find optimal designs that satisfy predefined performance targets. Three‐dimensional buildings considered include eight‐story irregular, eight‐story regular, and 14‐story regular structures, while passive devices included yielding, friction, and viscous dampers. The seismic environment consisted of twenty‐five synthetic ground motions with 5% of probability of exceedance in 50 years. The study included design examples with realistic three‐dimensional buildings, and the proposed framework yielded optimal designs that exhibited uniform ductility demand along the height when compared to the base buildings. Novel three‐dimensional multiscale mega‐brace architectures not seen in practice were identified, while their corresponding plastic action distribution throughout the buildings was assessed for each case.

Novel biodesign enhancements to at-risk traditional building materials

Extreme weather conditions increase the frequency of regular maintenance on heritage buildings and cause erosion of traditional materials. Developments in bio-enhanced self-repair materials provide an opportunity to improve building performance and reduce the frequency of costly maintenance schedules. The microbial sequestration of carbon by bacteria, encapsulated and layered into several limewash coats, facilitates capturing atmospheric carbon and reduces carbon-generating maintenance regimes. The use of hydrogels, alginates and biofilm derived biopolymers as novel bacterial encapsulation and nutrient delivery vehicles is discussed and the opportunity to develop self-healing sacrificial limewash as a future research project. Microbial enhanced carbon-fixing limewash may also offer a broader application to improve the performance of sustainable materials such as hemp-lime bio-composites as a fast-forward projection of problems and solutions with these materials in the future.

Big Data Architecture for Building Energy Management Systems

The enormous quantity of data handled by building management systems are key to develop more efficient energy operational systems. However, the inability of current systems to take benefit from the generated data may waste good opportunities of improving building performance. Big Data appears as a suitable framework to sustain the management system and conduct future prospective analysis. In this article, we present a Big Data-based architecture for the efficient management of buildings. The different Big Data components are involved not only in the data acquisition phase, but also in the implementation of algorithms capable of analyzing massive data collected from very heterogeneous sources. They also enable fast computations that can help the generation of optimal operational plan generations to improve the building functioning. The proposed architecture has been effectively introduced in four different-purpose buildings, demonstrating that Big Data can help during the energy cycle of the building.

An Air Conditioning Design Strategy of the Stepped Hall Based on Building Performance Simulation

This study proposed an improved air conditioning design strategy based on building performance simulation for a stepped hall. The air velocity and air change rate of the case were measured on-site, which were compared with the simulation data to verify the reliability of the building simulation model. Then, the fully mixing ventilation scheme and the design schemes proposed in this study were simulated. Finally, the building simulation results were summarized to confirm the applicability of the air conditioning design strategy. The building performance results showed that the air distribution performance index (ADPI) value was 76.95% in the original case. Nevertheless, the effective draft temperature (EDT) in the middle seat area exceeded the standard value, indicating that a local cold shock would occur. Moreover, its scale for ventilation efficiency (SVE6) in the residential area was 2.54. However, the SVE6s in the other schemes were between 0.89 and 0.92. It means that the proposed schemes only needed to take one-third of the time to exhaust air. These three indicators’ visualization results can analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each scheme. Therefore, the improved building performance simulation strategy could inspect the design effect and give suggestions quickly for air conditioning design.

Integrated retrofit solutions for improving the energy performance of historic buildings through energy technology suitability analyses: Retrofit plan of wooden truss and masonry composite structure in Korea in the 1920s

Building energy consumption and carbon emissions must be reduced to decrease the rate of global warming. To improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings, energy retrofitting can serve as an effective strategy. Retrofitting historic buildings is difficult due to the conflict between the historical value and usefulness of the building, but a modern scientific approach can help ensure that valuable historical records and artifacts remain protected and available. In addition, the retrofit of historic buildings can contribute, although a small part, to reducing carbon emissions nationally, and can have a symbolic meaning as a combination of history and modernity.This paper proposes a package of appropriate measures to improve energy efficiency, reduce the energy consumption of buildings, and preserve regularly used historic buildings for 100-year-old wooden truss and masonry composite structured historic buildings in Korea. The proposed measures are applied to most historic buildings in Korea built in the 1920s and have the potential to improve building performance. A new approach to applying energy technology to historic buildings is proposed. The energy application suitability analysis process was established by integrating three analysis techniques: the energy-saving effect analysis technique, historical value impact evaluation technique, and economic analysis technique. To achieve an appropriate retrofit plan, the condition of a building was evaluated through on-site diagnosis. Thermal transmittance rate assessments, temperature, and humidity monitoring, and infrared thermal imaging analyses were performed to evaluate the building's condition. Consequently, thermal transmittance rates for the wall and roof of the historic building were 1.18 W/m2K and 1.67 W/m2K, respectively, which indicated a risk of excessive energy consumption and condensation. Then, the suitability of each energy technology was evaluated by analyzing its economic feasibility and impact on the historical value and by simulating the reduction in energy consumption of the building. Thereafter, based on the analyses, the energy technologies deemed suitable were integrated to form an energy-efficient retrofit package, and an appropriate solution was elucidated. In conclusion, the package with the lowest impact on the historical value and the highest energy reduction decreased the total energy consumption by 15.9%. According to the results of this study, the process and package solutions proposed in this study are appropriate measures for historic buildings built in the 1920s in Korea, and can be a strategy with the potential to reduce carbon emissions and energy.

Uncertainty in potential savings from improving energy label: A Monte Carlo study of the Swiss residential buildings

This paper models scenarios for energy label based retrofit targets for Switzerland’s residential building sector for 2050. It takes into account the magnitude and uncertainty in the energy performance gap (EPG) between labelled and actual energy consumption using actual energy performance data, as previous work highlighted that the EPG is not evenly distributed across different building labels. A building stock retrofit model is developed to estimate the potential energy savings from improving building performance through increasing energy label rating. A Monte Carlo analysis is applied using real EPG distribution data. The uncertainty in total energy savings is calculated for business-as-usual case and for three scenarios based on the different retrofit incentive policies of different Swiss Cantons. This allows to quantify the uncertainties in energy and emission outcomes of different policy targets arising from the variable EPG. The results show that with the business-as-usual approach it is impossible to achieve the objectives set (9.7 Mt CO2-eq/y vs 0.4 Mt CO2-eq/y by 2050). On the other hand, to reach the targets, a more aggressive policy aiming at renovating all buildings to the highest standards is necessary, that translates into a renovation rate that seems unrealistically high (3.4% per year until 2050 vs the proposed 1.4%). The contribution is to inform stakeholders designing new policies (notably the EU Renovation Wave policies) of the risk related to energy policies.