The application of ecosystems services criteria for green building assessment

In the discussion of environmental architecture, we are conjoining two disciplines, the subject of architecture and that of ecology. At their best, green buildings are examples of applied ecology, where designers understand the constitution, organization, and structure of ecosystems, and the impacts of architecture are considered from an environmental perspective. By utilizing the concepts, methods, and language of ecology, designers can create architecture that intentionally engages the natural systems of a site.The establishment of assessment criteria implies the definition of building design criteria. If we establish criteria that are based on our best scientific understanding of environmental capacity, we will begin to develop a building stock that is sustainable. To do this we must quantify the link between the resulting environmental impacts and their cause in building production and use. This is not done in traditional building environmental impact assessment methods, which are based on quantifying assumed negative impacts of man-made interventions on the natural environment, typically using a code compliant reference building as a standard to improve upon. These indexes lack an ecologically derived baseline, or standard of measure, under which sustainable developments can be analyzed and compared on a universal basis.An ecologically derived baseline can be used to measure negative impacts as well as positive impacts of buildings. It also allows vastly different project types, sizes and locations to be compared on an equal basis. This study extends the concept of ecological capacity into an architectural context, and develops carrying capacity as a time and area dependent tool to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental building design. The ecosystem services criteria study uses an objective metric of carrying capacity as an ecologically derived baseline (hectare/years) to assess building sustainability. The farmhouse, a low energy, biological material based building located in Boulder, Colorado is evaluated to show the application of this method. The relative ecological impact of energy and materials for this project is described, as well as identification of effective strategies for reducing environmental impacts of typical buildings.     

Design of passive solar buildings in urban areas

This paper is about designing solar buildings within given urban contexts and the resulting restrictions rather than about town planning with the freedom to arrange buildings freely so as to maximise access to natural resources. A comprehensive bioclimatic design in such a given urban environment must carefully investigate and assess the building’s access to natural resources while taking into account the negative influences that might prevail around the site. The associated constraints can be a challenging but very interesting and rewarding starting point for architectural design. If understood and considered from the beginning these constraints can lead to creative, innovative and beautiful architectural solutions, in other words, to real architecture.     

Local strategies to promote energy retrofitting of single-family houses

Energy retrofitting of existing buildings is a central challenge for local, national, and international climate policies, and in several countries, single-family houses represent a major energy-saving potential. Although many municipalities are implementing local climate policies with initiatives to promote energy retrofitting of buildings, little research has been done regarding the role of single-family houses in local climate policies. Thus, we have little knowledge about specific initiatives to promote energy retrofitting amongst owners of single-family houses, we know little about experience from such initiatives, and we lack knowledge about the extent to which national and EU policies support local initiatives directed at homeowners. This article provides insights into these issues from an explorative study on local climate strategies in Danish front-runner municipalities where single-family housing is the dominating building segment. Based on a study of local governance strategies in 12 municipalities targeting homeowners’ engagement in energy retrofitting, the paper finds that these municipalities have developed promising local network-based ways to engage homeowners in energy retrofitting, but finds simultaneously that the national policy mix is only partly supporting these local initiatives. The paper also points out that the local and regional context for the programmes, including the local economic situation, is of great importance, and this context creates both potentials and challenges for the local programmes.     

Daylighting design: Enhancing energy efficiency and visual quality

The relationship between light and design is inseparable. Light reveals form, space, texture and colour - all of which are fundamental architectural considerations. Furthermore, light is essential to carry out most activities in buildings. Whether for aesthetic effect - to create mood or stimulation - or to fulfil functional requirements - for visibility and safety - light can be provided artificially or as daylight.It is evident that the use of artificial light in buildings accounts for a significant proportion of primary energy consumption - it is often the single largest use in the energy balance. By the careful introduction of natural light and the appropriate control of electric light, important energy savings can be achieved, whilst reinstating the role of daylighting in modern architecture.This paper discusses the roles of daylight in architecture; introduces recent research, development and technologies; and presents a number of case study examples to demonstrate the application of technology.     

Cost optimal analysis of heat pump technology adoption in residential reference buildings

In European Union (EU) buildings consume approximately the 40% of total primary energy. Heat pump (HP) systems have proven to be an efficient and economically viable alternative to conventional systems to provide heating and cooling services in buildings. An effective penetration of this technology in the built environment is critical to achieve the ambitious goals set by the recent EU Directives on energy efficiency and energy performance of buildings. Although this technology is very versatile, its optimal design and management are related to specific climate, operational and economic conditions. The research presented aims to evaluate the performance of technical solutions for heating and cooling in residential buildings, using a “reference building” methodology. The comparison involves performance indicators such as primary energy consumption, CO₂ emission and net present cost.The potential improvements with respect to conventional baseline solutions are assessed and the performance gap between air-source and water-source HP systems is shown referring to realistic operational and climate conditions within the Italian territory. The research suggests the possibility of reducing this performance gap by concentrating future research effort on design and control optimization.     

建筑自然采光方式探讨

将建筑自然采光方法分为不依赖于技术的方法、利用技术支撑建筑设计的方法和采用先进技术的方法三大类,介绍并分析顶部采光、侧向采光、导光管等八种采光方式的利弊及适用场合,同时结合相关典型案例的分析,使各类方法的实际应用较为直观地展现出来。     

EC RESEARCH PROGRAMMES IN SUPPORT OF ENERGY-CONSCIOUS BUILDING DESIGN

This paper outlines the development of programmes which investigate architectural strategies for reducing energy use in buildings and which devise and implement means of introducing such strategies to European Community architects, and means of providing the technical information needed to design energy-efficient buildings. The experience is considered as a case study of a European effort to bring about technical change in architectural design and in the light of a widely-held perception that the integration of ‘scientific’ information in architectural design is problematic.

The paper argues that programmes of design support are essential to advance the implementation of new approaches to energy in architectural design. In parallel with research in energy-efficient building it is necessary to advance our knowledge of certain real and perceived needs and desires of building designers, and it is appropriate that research directions should be influenced accordingly.     

Thermal performance and environmental impact of residential buildings’ heating in Morocco

The seasonal energy requirements and fuel consumption for heating purposes in residential buildings are influenced by the architectural design, construction materials characteristics, meteorological temperature measurements, internal gains and air exchange rate of the building. The goal of this study is to assess the thermal performance and environmental impact of residential buildings’ in Morocco taking into account all these factors and considering two sources of energy: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity. The study concludes that the heating energy requirements for the prototype building vary between 2 and 253 kWh/m².year depending on localities, glazing type, glazing area percentage, the internal gains and the air exchange rates. The electricity consumption is 2.6 times greater than that of LPG in terms of kg oil equivalent, and by using LPG instead of electricity the emissions of greenhouse gases can be 3.4 times reduced.     

Review of intelligent building construction: A passive solar architecture approach

Due to the increase in living standard and demand, energy conservation has become important in industrialized countries. In view of rational use of energy, the present paper reviews intelligent building construction with the aid of passive solar architecture approach, which makes use of specific building design principles and reduces the artificial energy requirements for achieving indoor thermal comfort. As a climate responsive architecture, building design criteria has been studied with the help of several parameters like geographic location and climatic conditions, building shape, orientation, selection of construction materials, building openings viz. windows, selection of suitable sunshades, etc. All the salient building design parameters are studied and important findings and recommendations are suggested as the outcome of the study. The study in turn is useful for various resource persons involved in the construction activities for designing energy efficient intelligent buildings.     

Indigenous architecture of two Indian deserts and modern climatic responsive solutions

This paper presents the climate responsive principles of architectural design evolved through time in the development of indigenous architecture. A scientific analysis of settlements at Leh (Ladakh) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) presents their appropriateness in terms of thermal performance. Principles of architectural design evolved in these settlements when applied to modern buildings, illustrated through two projects designed by the author, suggest how low energy architecture, that is, sustainable, can be developed in the modern context, basically by way of architectural design.     

Projecting performance of reintroduced direct sunlight based on the local meteorological features

An increase in the design of buildings with glass and metal to achieve architectural aesthetics and outdoor views is beginning to receive more attention, claimed by some as a second revolution in glass architecture. The benefits of daylight through the transparent envelopes are unquestionable. When sunlight is introduced into a space, its role in general illumination is what is of interest in this study. Results show that sunlight received in the interior of a building after refurbishment can serve a useful purpose as an additional source of natural illumination.     

Energy consumption in typical Caribbean office buildings: A potential short term solution to energy concerns

This paper examines the feasibility of energy efficiency as a short term solution to the Caribbean’s energy problems. It considers energy consumption across selected office buildings in Barbados, typical of Caribbean architecture. By comparing their energy consumption to that of the energy consumption for the building with the “best observable” consumption in the selected group, the energy efficiency is determined. Data for five (5) buildings with similar characteristics were collected, analyzed and normalized to facilitate a direct comparison between them. The selected indicator was Energy Consumption per Unit Area (I_E = E/A).On examining the equipment and technology (E&T) currently being used in these buildings a definite inefficiency resulting from this was identified. The undetermined inefficiency was allocated to management and operations (M&O).The “best observable” building had an E&T inefficiency of 10%. Results suggest that E&T is responsible for between 10% and 14% additional energy wastage while the inefficiency due to business processes is believed to be largely responsible for inefficiency beyond 14%. Overall inefficiency rose as high as 56%, indicating an opportunity for significant energy savings through an efficiency response.Electrical energy consumed in a building is shown to be not only related to physical space and E&T inefficiency, but also to an x-efficiency factor that is peculiar to the management and operations of that building.     

Energy modeling and data structure framework for Sustainable Human-Building Ecosystems (SHBE) — a review

This paper contributes an inclusive review of scientific studies in the field of sustainable human building ecosystems (SHBEs). Reducing energy consumption by making buildings more energy efficient has been touted as an easily attainable approach to promoting carbon-neutral energy societies. Yet, despite significant progress in research and technology development, for new buildings, as energy codes are getting more stringent, more and more technologies, e.g., LED lighting, VRF systems, smart plugs, occupancy-based controls, are used. Nevertheless, the adoption of energy efficient measures in buildings is still limited in the larger context of the developing countries and middle income/low-income population. The objective of Sustainable Human Building Ecosystem Research Coordination Network (SHBE-RCN) is to expand synergistic investigative podium in order to subdue barriers in engineering, architectural design, social and economic perspectives that hinder wider application, adoption and subsequent performance of sustainable building solutions by recognizing the essential role of human behaviors within building-scale ecosystems. Expected long-term outcomes of SHBE-RCN are collaborative ideas for transformative technologies, designs and methods of adoption for future design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings.     

Investigating the feasibility of positive energy residential buildings in tropical climates

Positive energy residential buildings are houses that generate more energy from renewable sources than they consume while maintaining appropriate thermal comfort levels. However, their design, construction and operation present several critical challenges. In particular, the considerable load reductions are not always compatible with the increased level of comfort expected in modern houses. Tropical climates, meanwhile, should be more amenable to the implementation of positive energy houses for two reasons. Firstly, negligible heating is generally required as compared to colder climates, where the heating energy requirements are considerable. Then, renewable energy resources are usually abundant in tropical climates. This paper investigates the feasibility of positive energy residential buildings in the tropical island of Mauritius. A baseline model representing a typical Mauritian house is designed using DesignBuilder software. The energy efficiency of the model is then optimised by investigating a whole range of passive building design strategies, many of them adapted from vernacular architecture. Results reveal that the application of passive strategies such as shading, insulation and natural ventilation have precluded the need for artificial cooling and ventilation in the positive energy (PE) house. The resulting electricity consumption of the house decreases from 24.14 to 14.30 kWh/m²/year. A 1.2 kW photovoltaic system provides the most cost-effective solution to exceed the annual electricity requirements of the house.     

The bioclimatic features of vernacular architecture in China

The paper presents an analysis of the form and climatic conditions of two traditional buildings in southern and northern parts of China. The vernacular architecture reflects the principles for contemporary bioclimatic design, such as the choice of location, insolation, weather seasonal protection, etc. It creates wonderful microclimate for the inhabitants. It shows the local traditional architecture as the most adequate and suitable answer to the requirements of enviromental and energy consumption need.     

Load and energy requirements in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia: A comparative study

The load and energy requirements in residential buildings vary according to a number of factors. One of these factors is the geographical location in which the building is situated. Using a detached single-family house, the DOE2.1C load and energy analysis program was used to investigate the effect of the geographical location on the load and energy requirements. Four different cities, namely Dhahran, Riyadh, Jeddah and Khamis-Mushayt, representing four different climatic locations, are considered in this study. The analysis shows that the building parameters having the greatest impact on load are conduction through walls and roof, glazing area and infiltration level. The capacity requirements of the equipment and the total energy requirement for year-round air conditioning were calculated for a house in each city. A comparison shows that the city of Khamis-Mushayt has the lowest energy consumption and Jeddah has the highest energy consumption. The equivalent uniform annual cost (EUAC) method was also used to compare the economic performances of typical houses in the four cities. The comparison shows that the district of Khamis-Mushayt has the lowest EUAC, but the difference between the other cities is not significant. Furthermore, it shows that there is a significant difference between the government's and customers' EUACs.     

Analysis of traditional rural houses in Turkey in terms of energy efficiency

Energy consumption of recent buildings in Turkey continues to increase, as it does around the world. Conversely, traditional rural house types perform well in terms of energy efficiency. This study investigated the energy efficiency methods applied in traditional rural houses in the rural Thrace region of Turkey, built using timber, stone and adobe construction methods. The energy-efficient characteristics of the sample structures were identified by investigating their site layout, plan types, building outer shell design and material specifications. This study concludes that in traditional rural houses, prevention of heat-loss has been regarded as highly important; solar energy is highly utilised and the colloquial architecture is well suited to the climatic conditions of the region. This study may contribute to the increased awareness of this subject among designers. The ecological characteristics of traditional rural houses can be applied to current buildings by evaluating and replicating these characteristics.     

Optimum thermal design of office buildings

Proper design and selection of building components at the early stages of the design process can greatly help in achieving thermal comfort with minimum reliance upon HVAC systems and, therefore, minimum energy requirements. Given today's complexities in building design as well as advances in computer technology, optimization techniques can be used as an aid to building designers in their decision making process. Office buildings are characterized by being ‘internal-load’ dominated with internal heat generation determining the need for energy to air-condition such buildings. This paper presents the results of applying an optimization model to the design of energy conserving office buildings in different climatic regions to test the impact of mainly envelope related parameters on the thermal performance of offices. Optimum sets of building design variables for three different sizes office building in four U.S. and two Saudi Arabian cities are presented with the objective of minimizing annual energy consumption for those buildings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trombe walls: A review of opportunities and challenges in research and development

Green building and sustainable architecture are new techniques for addressing the environmental and energy crises. Trombe walls are regarded as a sustainable architectural technology for heating and ventilation. This article reviews the application of Trombe walls in buildings. The reviews discuss the characteristics of Trombe walls, including Trombe-wall configurations, and Trombe-wall technology. The advantages and disadvantages of this sustainable architectural technology have been highlighted, and future research questions have been identified.     

Low energy architecture and solar rights: Restructuring urban regulations, view from Jordan

The concept of solar energy conscious design has emerged worldwide with the growing number of high-rise apartment buildings. It is important to think of maximizing solar energy utilization in buildings through architectural design strategies. This should lead to the setting up of mandatory regulations on both urban and building design levels.This study analyzes the current building regulations of Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) from the standpoint of solar accessibility. It suggests new regulations that ensure adequate solar accessibility in new constructions of residential apartments in Amman. Computer simulations associated with sun masks analyses have been conducted to obtain a firm judgment towards setting up new dimensions of setbacks and building heights for apartment blocks in Amman. The study gives clear and flexible guidelines for urban and architectural designers to determine the number of sunlit floors based on the desired distances between apartment blocks. To achieve the goals of this study, the authors suggest that the current urban regulations in Jordan be modified on energy-based design strategies.