Typical Apartment Research Articles

SmartWall

Following the need of urban areas to maintain the existing building stock and simultaneously upgrade the overall energy performance, the renovation down-to-nZEB state has already become a necessity. In this regard, a vast range of prefabricated solutions have been developed lately. The main objective of such solutions would be not only to constitute an effective system to tackle building energy consumption but also to be versatile in terms of implementation and economic viability. In this regard, an adaptable off-site prefabricated envelope solution with an embodied HVAC system called “SmartWall” has been developed. The SmartWall can minimise thermal losses through the well-insulated envelope while, at the same time, its integrated HVAC system efficiently maintains indoor thermal comfort conditions. This study examines the virtual implementation of the SmartWall as a “Plug-n-Play” renovation solution to reach the nZEB state of a typical apartment in a multi-family residence in Athens. The analysis considers two SmartWall alternatives using conventional and eco-friendly materials. The results indicate a reduction of 88% in primary energy consumption without affecting thermal comfort conditions and highlighting that the nZEB state can be ensured if the SmartWall application is enhanced with photovoltaic modules.

PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS OF NATURAL AIR EXCHANGE IN MULTI-APARTMENT RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Most multi-apartment residential buildings built in the 20th century in Central and Eastern Europe do not meet modern energy efficiency requirements. The main part of the thermal energy consumed by buildings is used to heat the supply air from outside, which is the largest share in the energy balance of buildings. The purpose of this research is a parametric analysis of influencing factors on the frequency of air exchange in the room and an experimental study of the concentration of CO2 in a typical apartment. The object of the study is a one-room apartment in a family-type dormitory in the city of Kyiv. The dormitory has ducted natural ventilation. In the work, experimental measurements of the concentration of carbon dioxide were carried out in the premises of the living room, kitchen, corridor of the apartment and in the ventilation channel in the summer period. The indicator gas method was used to measure the air exchange rate. During air infiltration, the average rate of air exchange in the absence of people in the apartment in the living room was 2.41 h-1, in the corridor - 2.34 h-1, in the kitchen - 0.57 h-1. Under exfiltration conditions, the average values were lower: living room – 0.24 h-1, corridor – 0.94 h-1, kitchen – 0.52 h-1. The dependence between wind directions and the phenomena of infiltration and exfiltration in the premises of the apartment was recorded. As a result of the research, it was established that the most influential parameter of the change in the concentration of CO2 in the room is the release from people's breath. It follows from the simulation results that to ensure the regulatory level of CO2 concentration is not higher 1500 ppm, it is necessary to observe the air exchange in the considered room not lower than the level of 1.51 h-1 for conditions when 2 people are constantly in the room That is, the mass balance of CO2, which takes into account the number of inhabitants, can be an attractive alternative method for predicting the intensity of ventilation of a building.

Spatial audio reproduction of floor impact-borne sounds for auditory demonstrations in living environment

Floor impact-borne sound in the multistory residential buildings has been a serious social issue in Korea for a long time. The housing and land authority in a ministry of Korea recently amended the floor impact-borne sound evaluation method and criteria in response to the acoustic characteristics of the actual impact sources perceived in our daily lives. However, many people have not yet been convinced by the effectiveness of those evaluation method and criteria. This study discusses spatial audito reproduction of the various floor impact-borne sounds for auditory demonstrations to increase the laypersons’ understanding of the acoustic features of impact sources. The impact-borne sounds generated both by the standard impact sources used in evaluation and by some actual ones were recorded at a test-bed built in a typical apartment type. Their sound levels and reverberation times were also obtained across 1/3rd octave bands for reference. A multi-channel audio playback system engaging front/rear/ceiling speakers with subwoofers was integrated in a test-bed with a typical setting of living environment to reproduce a realistic sound field. It was optimized to create the sounds close to those actually heard in the room. The impact-borne sounds of the different damping floor systems will also be presented.

Identifying external louver angle for residence opening to optimize the indoor environment for the composite climate of Delhi NCR

The essential part of any shading device is to intercept the solar radiation in such a manner that it allows enough daylight inside the building, while at the same time the indoor thermal comfort is upheld for all the seasons. Earlier studies proved that in comparison with internal shading devices, the external ones minimize the internal heat gain in an effective manner by blocking the radiation, before it reaches the fenestration glazing. However, fixed external shades are incapable of balancing the varying requirements of light and heat for different climatic conditions. Mainly, summer and winter in the composite climate demands adaptive shading solutions as per the changing season. The current study is an attempt to evolve appropriate external adaptive louver shades and recommend louver angles for different months, for a single space of a typical apartment building in Delhi NCR region. The recommended angles allow the occupants to make informed decisions by manually adjusting the louvers to improve the indoor environment. This study utilized ladybug and honeybee plugins for the purpose of simulation. The results show that the monthly adjustments of external adaptive shades enhance the indoor environment and save energy. The study developed, analysed and compared two different types of external adaptive louver shading systems such as EALS (External Adaptive Louver Screen) and EALA (External Adaptive Louver Awning) for better indoor environment and energy saving for west orientation.

Adaptive thermal comfort model and active occupant behaviour in a mixed-mode apartment. A synergy to sustainability.

The adaptive comfort model was mainly developed for naturally ventilated buildings, but few recent studies explore its applicability in mixed-mode buildings. The present study uses the adaptive thermal comfort model (EN15251) in a dynamic thermal simulation (EnergyPlus) parametric analysis of a mixed-mode apartment, in an attempt to determine the energy savings. Two simulation models were created. The first one makes full use of mechanical heating and cooling systems when the required temperature is not reached. The second one adopts a hybrid approach, resembling the existing operation of residential buildings in Greece. The primary regulator of the indoor conditions is the occupant through his/her interaction with the building shell and only when this is not effective the mechanical systems are activated. The internal thermal gains in both models were determined based on the detailed recording of the real conditions in a typical apartment. Many design parameters (window size, thermal insulation position and thickness, orientation, airtightness, glazing properties and shading) along with different occupant behavioural patterns (derived from a questionnaire campaign) have been examined in sensitivity analysis. Machine learning algorithms, such as the Random Forest, were also incorporated to identify most important parameters. Results indicate that airtightness, occupant behaviour and shading are the most important parameters for primary energy consumption for cooling, while airtightness, window size and shading for the total of heating and cooling primary energy consumption.

Analysis of Typical Layout of Apartment Buildings in Indonesia

It is important to determine typical layouts of residential buildings, even in developing countries for standardization towards a zero-carbon society. In Indonesia, housing development in cities continues rising in parallel with high urbanization rates. This study aims to determine the typical layouts of apartments in Indonesia through qualitative and quantitative building typological analyses. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted using the building drawing information constructed across Indonesia from 1986 to 2021. A total of 268 public apartments and 268 private apartments from several major cities were included in the datasets, respectively. As a result, six typical layouts for public apartments and thirteen typical layouts for private apartments were determined for both 1BR and 2BR units. Furthermore, four typical unit layouts from public and private apartments associated with building-scale classifications were proposed, respectively, as the base models for the current typical apartments in Indonesia. The results showed that Indonesian public apartments tended to sacrifice semi-open spaces, such as a wide corridor and an internal void space, to increase the size of units and the number of rooms. Meanwhile, most private apartments were constructed with double-loaded corridor systems without internal voids, which potentially cause poor natural ventilation. The proposed typical layouts will be useful for further building simulations as standard testing models, such as to determine the appropriate cooling techniques for low-carbon apartments.

Evaluation of renovation strategies: cost-optimal, CO₂e optimal, or total energy optimal?

Currently, building renovation decisions are often driven by immediate investment expenses and short-term energy cost savings, rather than long-term optimisation. The difference between the national carbon footprint (CF) methodologies and the LEVEL(s) framework methodology is significant in relation to the application of energy scenarios. Energy scenarios are created at the national level and are not harmonised. CO2e emission factor of Estonian grid electricity is among the highest in Europe and carbon footprints of Estonian buildings are typically dominated by operational energy use (B6) in Life-Cycle Assessment methodology. Therefore, carbon optimisation leads to better energy performance, than the previous cost-optimal benchmark. The application of the LEVEL(S) methodology would further emphasize the dominance of operational energy stage (B6) in Estonian results and guide towards even higher energy efficiency targets.This study shows, that CF optimal renovation solutions differ from cost-optimal solutions and that CF optimal can be considered a more relevant energy efficiency benchmark for deep renovations, instead of cost optimal. It provides an analysis of different renovation solutions for a typical apartment building renovated in 2021. These solutions were examined using three parameters: life-cycle costs, total energy demand, and CF by applying the Estonian assessment method for the CF of construction works.The results of this case study indicate that the renovation options for both CO₂e optimal end operational energy use (B6) throughout the life cycle provide similar results. The CO₂e optimal solution leads to lower building energy performance indicator level, than conditioned by cost optimal solution.The current increasing energy prices are more substantially supporting solutions with lower CF, as total energy demand is an important economic factor not only in operational energy stage (B6), but also in material production, which was also investigated in this study. The results show that, if operational energy (B6) is excluded, there are significant differences in embodied carbon between the materials used for renovation. Lower carbon footprint renovation strategy involves the usage of pre-fabricated timber frame elements, mineral wool for insulation, wooden cladding or cement fibreboard in the facade. The prevalent External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) had the highest CF value and maintenance requirements during the building’s lifetime. As the main objective of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is to drive greenhouse gas reductions, then the steering mechanism should be based on CO2e optimal instead of cost optimal.

RESEARCH OF AIR EXCHANGE IN THE APARTMENT ON THE BASIS OF EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF CO2 MASS TRANSFER

Studying the frequency of air exchange in residential buildings is important from the point of view of ensuring microclimate conditions in the room for residents, as well as ensuring an appropriate level of energy efficiency. The purpose of this study is to experimentally study the concentration of CO2 in a typical apartment using stationary CO2 sensors and determine air exchange based on mass balances. The object of the study is a one-room apartment in a family-type dormitory in the city of Kyiv. The dormitory has ducted natural ventilation. As part of the study, actual and experimental measurements of the concentration of carbon dioxide were carried out in the premises of the living room, kitchen, corridor of the apartment and in the ventilation duct leading to the kitchen. Experimental research conditions were created by artificial injection of carbon dioxide. According to the research results, the air exchange rate in the apartment was at the level of 0.74 h-1 for the living room, 0.66-0.81 h-1 for the corridor, 3.4 h-1 for the kitchen, under conditions when the supply air enters through windows and entrance doors. The results of the research can be used to develop energy-efficient strategies for improving air quality in residential premises.

Nano technology building insulation effect on the thermal behavior of building under different Algerian weather

The energy consumption of the building sector in Algeria represents the largest part of the energy produced in the country. Action to reduce the impact of this sector on the economy and the environment must be taken. The use of thermal insulation to reduce the energy needs of the building sector represents an effective and sustainable solution. The objective of our work is to conduct a study using the TRNSYS 17 software on the influence of the use of thermal insulation in different climates in Algeria. A typical apartment is chosen to run the calculations under three different climates of Algeria. The simulation results obtained for the city of Annaba show that the use of rock wool, cork, expanded polystyrene and airgel insulation allows a reduction of 42.81%, 43.08%, 43.31% and 50.90% respectively. While for the city of Setif the reduction obtained is 34.15%, 34.70%, 35.13% and 52.25% respectively for the same insulation. For the city of Biskra the reduction is 32.07%, 32.28%, 32.45% and 38.72% respectively for the same insulation. The improvement of the thermal performance of the structure and the glazed surfaces according to the Passivhaus standard allows a significant reduction of heating and air conditioning needs estimated at 72, 78.21 and 65.21% respectively for the cities of Annaba, Setif and Biskra. A low energy consumption building is obtained for the city of Annaba and Setif.

Solar Chimneys as an Effective Ventilation Strategy in Multi-Storey Public Housing in the Post-COVID-19 Era

This paper studies the effectiveness of a solar chimney for improving ventilation and air-exchange rates in multi-storey public housing in tropical climates for the potential mitigation of airborne disease transmission. Virtual models of a typical apartment room with natural cross-ventilation, replicated across four levels to mimic a multi-storey block, were set up with six internal wind velocity sensor points per floor. The simulation software Energy2D was then used to evaluate the performance of the models, first testing the presence of a solar chimney, and then additionally the degree to which the solar chimney model was affected by a complementary ceiling fan. Wind velocity was also measured, as this is a variable that affects ACH rates. Using a non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the introduction of a solar chimney was found to have a significant impact on air-flow rates (a variable that positively affects air-exchange rates), resulting in a p-value of 0.000 and Z-value of −3.920. Regression analysis determined that the solar chimney’s effect was enhanced when complemented by a ceiling fan (R-squared value of 0.4687). Consequently, we propose several design strategies that may enable the adoption of the solar chimney concept to improve natural ventilation in residential units.

Efficiency Possibilities of Energy Management of Apartment Building – Use Case

In this paper we are assessing the aspect of ecological renovation of typical apartment building in Slovakia from energy, ecology and user comfort point of view. For increase in energy efficiency of the building we propose to install photovoltaics on the roof and south facing façade with capacity of 45k Wp, heat pumps for utilization of waste heat from the building's sewage system and waste heat from ventilation shafts with total capacity of 50 kWp, external window shading for east, west and south facing façades, green roof and ceiling cooling for apartment units. The complex renovation represents a positive benefit not only from the user, energy and environmental point of view, but also economical.

RECESSED BALCONY HEAT RE-ENTRY EFFECT ON FAÇADE WITH CONDENSER UNITS

The use of split-type air conditioner in Surabaya results in the almost universal typical apartment layouts which feature a recessed balcony upon the building’s exterior façade which then utilized as air-conditioner condenser unit storage. Façade geometry with recessed balcony itself carries its own characteristic of surface air movement which affects the general Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and heat dissipation of a building. Nevertheless, façade as architectural elements greatly influence building’s energy performance. Inefficiencies in heat dissipation from a condenser unit is detrimental on its performance and precipitate energy wastage. Based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis incorporated with energy performance evaluation, the effectiveness of façade geometry with recessed balcony is explored in this paper. It was found that recessed balconies are not an ideal place for condenser unit placement on a façade where many factors contributed to promoting heat re-entry from condenser units into the building’s interior.

Transaction Cost and Agency Perspectives on Eco-Certification of Existing Buildings: A Study of Hong Kong

Eco-certification schemes are usually launched with various incentives provided by local governments to facilitate green building development and building energy retrofits. A number of barriers to building energy retrofitting have been identified in previous literature, while the barriers to the eco-certification of existing buildings are under-researched. Drawing on a set of building data retrievable from the BEAM Society and other sources, we carried out an analysis and found the building energy retrofitting, as well as the certification process, were unwelcomed in multi-owned residential buildings. The identified shortfall is put forward from the perspectives of transaction cost theory and agency theory. The findings reveal that high transaction costs incurred during negotiations and coordination among a large number of co-owners within a typical apartment building can outweigh the benefits of retrofitting and eco-certification. Besides, the remuneration structure of third-party property management agents discourages agents from facilitating co-owners to initiate retrofitting. This study provides significant implications for policymakers to understand the concerns of building owners and managers over the decisions and the processes of both the building energy retrofits and eco-certification. The problems and barriers unveiled in this study will facilitate the refining of current energy efficiency policies and related incentives designs.

Potential of cross-ventilation channels in an ideal typical apartment building predicted by CFD and multi-zone airflow model

Natural ventilation is a passive environmental technology which can improve indoor air quality and cool down the building without consuming energy. However, due to the increasing densities of cities, land prices are constantly increasing. To save building area, apartment houses often use one elevator hall for multiple households (i.e. three-, four-, six-, or eight-households). But when an apartment is on the leeward side, the wind pressure ventilation is low. Therefore, this study proposes establishing a horizontal airflow channel—cross-ventilation channel—in the elevator hall to improve air exchange rate. The paper aim to predict its effect. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation verified by wind tunnel test, and the multi-zone airflow model are applied to predict the air flow rates in seven cities in China, which represented the five climate zones of China. It is found that the horizontal airflow channel can obviously improve the ventilation capacity of the leeward apartment, especially for south-side apartment. The area ratio of channel-to-ground increases by 1%, and the ventilation rate increases by average 5% in this study. It could be used as an alternative technology for improving natural ventilation in apartment buildings.

3D simulations for evaluation of location factors in an urban environment: application of a novel methodology to calculate external exposure doses for evacuees from Pripyat.

This article presents a methodology for assessing the radiation doses in an urban environment due to external irradiation from radionuclides deposited on the ground and other surfaces as well as from a passing radioactive cloud. The approach was developed and applied to assess individual doses of residents of the town of Pripyat who were evacuated shortly after the Chernobyl accident. Typically, the so-called location factor is defined as the ratio of the dose rate at a point of exposure and the dose rate at an undisturbed lawn far from any buildings. The present study used a new definition of the location factor as a regular four-dimensional grid of ratios of air kerma rates indoors and outdoors distributed in space and time. The location factors were calculated for two scenarios: outdoor and indoor values for typical apartments and buildings in Pripyat. Indoor location factors varied within two orders of magnitude depending on the floor of residence and place of staying inside the apartment. Values of the indoor location factor differed during the daytime and night by a factor of 30-40 depending on the behaviour of an individual within the apartment. Both, outdoor and indoor location factors decreased with decreasing distances between buildings. It was shown that during the first 4 days after the accident, air kerma rates in Pripyat were governed by the radionuclides deposited on the ground surface, and not by radionuclides in the cloud. Specifically, the contribution of the radioactive cloud to air kerma rate was maximal (i.e., 2.3%) on the morning of 28 April 1986. The methodology and results of this study are currently being used to reconstruct the radiation gonadal dose for the subjects of the American-Ukrainian study of parental irradiation in Chernobyl cleanup workers and evacuees for investigating germline mutations in their offspring.

Optimization of Controlled Mechanical Ventilation Systems for Indoor Acoustic Comfort

The indoor air quality inside living spaces is a fundamental factor in providing adequate comfort. In order to do this, a minimum air exchange must be ensured. This can be obtained by means of natural or mechanical ventilation or using the Controlled Mechanical Ventilation system (CMV). CMV ensures better energy performance, as in the winter period, the warm air that comes out of the building preheats the cold air that enters, and the opposite occurs in the summer period. A possible problem with CMV is the noise of the fans due to the movement of air and to the electric motor rotation. This work presents the results of acoustic measurements performed on an apartment equipped with CMV, operating in a single and simultaneous mode. Acoustic simulations are also presented using raytracing software on three typical apartments. The acoustic simulation carried out using an adequately calibrated 3D model has proved to be a valid support for the study of noise in rooms connected by doors and corridors. By differentiating the fan speed of the CMV, a considerable acoustic comfort improvement was obtained in the bedrooms and in the living room/kitchen. Class I for living rooms and class I or II for bedrooms according to the EN 16798-1 standard were achieved through speed optimization.

A reinforcement learning approach for control of window behavior to reduce indoor PM2.5 concentrations in naturally ventilated buildings

Smart control of window behavior is a means of effectively reducing concentrations of indoor PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) in naturally ventilated residential buildings without indoor air cleaning devices. This study aimed to develop a reinforcement learning approach to automatically control window behavior in real time for mitigation of indoor PM2.5 pollution. The proposed method trains the window controller with the use of a deep Q-network (DQN) in a specific naturally ventilated apartment in the course of a month. The trained controller can then be employed to control window behavior in order to reduce the indoor PM2.5 concentrations in that apartment. The required input data for the controller are the real-time indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations with a 1-min resolution, which can easily be obtained with low-cost sensors available on the market. A series of simulations were conducted in a virtual typical apartment in Beijing and a real apartment in Tianjin. The results show that, compared with the baseline I/O ratio algorithm, the proposed reinforcement learning window-control algorithm reduced the average indoor PM2.5 concentration by 12.80% in a one-year period. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm reduced the indoor PM2.5 concentrations in the real apartment by 9.11% when compared with the I/O ratio algorithm and by 7.40% when compared with real window behavior.

Eastern sources in European architecture and Art at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries and modern tendencies

Aim. The article investigated the influence of Eastern cultures (Chinese, Japanese) on the style of European Аrt nouveau and the Historicism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Methodology. Used the scientific methods of historic analyze and comparative analyze. Results. Argued, that the fascination of Western European civilization with Eastern cultures began at the end of the seventeenth century — first it was a total fascination with Chinese culture, and from the middle of the nineteenth century — Japanese and Moorish, Arabic, Persian. It is argued that the popularization of Eastern cultures among the Western European community was facilitated by the publication of historical novels on ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, and the Arab East. Through artistic works, admiration for exotic cultures spread to architecture, design, and décor elements. Particular attention was paid to the stylistic specificity of European architecture and Art at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.Scientific novelty. Such as argued, it is proved that the fascination with Chinese and Chinese traditions felt concentrated until the second half of the nineteenth century, when due to archeological excavations of Troy, excavations in Egypt, the opening of the world of Japan and the establishment of trade, it somewhat weakened, giving way to the Japanese and Asian influences, and to the influences of old Romanesque architecture. At the same time, there is a certain combination of Chinese and Japanese influences in Historicism and Art nouveau, which is especially noticeable in decoration. It is cited as evidence of the fascination of Chinese traditions at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the erection of a China-style Perlov Tea Shop in Moscow in 1890, combining the structure of a typical apartment building and elements of traditional Chinese architecture.Practical significance. As results argued, that despite the change of dynasties, traditional architecture remained quite conservative, that is, we can talk about China’s inherent continuity of architectural and artistic traditions. The definitive symbols by which ancient Chinese architecture is known in the world are the following: the typical silhouettes of buildings with traditional concave roofs covered with tiling; the application of polychrome decorated supports, screens; over-saturation with details; the widespread use of complex-shaped carving, the symbolic significance of the mural plots, traditions of which are from prehistoric times, and even polychromy, where each colour had a particular meaning (the main colours were red, gold, blue, green and white). That’s open the road for using this principles in modern Chinese design.

Quantification of Air Change Rate by Selected Methods in a Typical Apartment Building

An important parameter that affects indoor climate of buildings and also ventilation heat losses and gains is the speed of air change between the outdoor environment and the interior of buildings. Indoor air quality is therefore significantly associated with ventilation. Quantification of air change rate is complicated, because it is impacted by many parameters, the most variable of which is air flow. This study focuses on the determination and comparison of air change rate values in two methods by quantification of the aerodynamic coefficient Cp = Cpe − Cpi, so-called “aerodynamic quantification of the building” and the methodology based on “experimental measurements of carbon dioxide”. The study describes and takes into account the effect of wind, building parameters and air permeability for the building using “aerodynamic quantification of the building”. The paper compares these calculated results with the values obtained from experimental measurements method of carbon dioxide in a selected reference room in apartment building and evaluates the accuracy of the prediction of the air exchange rate obtained by these methods. At higher wind speeds the values of air change rate with considering the effect of openings are closer to the values obtained based on experimental measurements of carbon dioxide and the difference between the values without considering the effect of openings increases significantly.

Occupants Satisfaction Towards Building Maintenance of Low-Cost Building Apartment In Kajang: Pilot survey

A typical apartment in Malaysia, especially in urban areas such as Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, is usually categorized as a low-cost residential building. Commonly, to distinguish its classification in the aggressive apartment sector, maintenance management is key to enhancing its market value. Therefore, this study focuses on building apartment maintenance through user satisfaction in the Kajang region, Selangor. Among its research objective is to identify the maintenance team's critical challenges in a low-cost apartment. The research engaged the quantitative and qualitative approaches, where questionnaire surveys were distributed to forty-three (43) respondents and interview sessions with six (6) experts. The research findings illustrated that the current maintenance level was dissatisfactory due to a low maintenance level, reflected through the number of occupants’ complaints about the facilities, maintenance aspects, and obvious building defects. A limited number of workers and a lack of maintenance period for building services were consistently the chief culprits for the maintenance team's poor performance. Hence, overcoming these critical challenges would effectively improve the environment in a low-cost apartment building.