Performance-based building and innovation: balancing client and industry needs

One reason for the interest in performance-based building is that it is commonly advocated as a powerful way of enhancing innovation performance by articulating building performance outcomes, and by offering relevant procurement actors the discretion to innovate to meet these performance requirements more effectively and/or efficiently. The paper argues that the current approach to performance-based building assumes that relevant actors have the capacity, ability and motivation to innovate from a business perspective. It is proposed that the prevailing conceptualization of PBB is too restrictive and should be broadened explicitly to accommodate the required business logic that must be in place before actors will innovate. The relevant performance-based building and innovation literature is synthesized to support the assertion. The paper concludes with an innovation-focused definition of performance-based building.     

Durability and the factor method of ISO 15686-1

Interest in the service life of buildings and components and the future need for maintenance is growing, and the methodology for service life planning is starting to appear in standards. The standard ISO 15686 prescribes a factor methodology for deciding about the expected service life of a component with a prescribed probability of earlier failure. The methodology is based on extensive knowledge about materials and building technology, and examples of the use of this methodology on building components are of value for the discussion on service life planning. Results from a condition survey of timber windows are used to define the service life and effect of the factor method in the Standard. Wood is a very variable material, and for wooden windows maintenance plays a key role in the durability of the component. In this instance, condition assessment is, therefore, not sufficient to estimate the service life. Information about former maintenance and refurbishment is also needed. The results from a condition assessment and the house owner's answers to a questionnaire are combined to evaluate the estimated service life of the windows. The factors for the standardized method for estimating service life with a given confidence limit are shown to have a wide range in values that give considerable uncertainty to the practical use of the standardized methodology. For example, it is shown that the estimated service life with an 80% confidence limit is much lower than the average service life. Thus, the question is posed whether there is any meaning in estimating the lower limit of service life.     

Dutch performance-based approach to building regulations and public procurement

Along with the publication of the first set of performance-based regulations in 1991, the Netherlands Governmental Building Agency (GBA) introduced innovative performance-based procurement and tendering. A structurally different performance-based regulation document was published in 2001. A continuous research effort paralleled these developments, leading recently to the Policy Document on Building Regulations 2002-06 and the approval of a new national programme called Process and System Innovation in Building (PSIB). Actual and future developments are strongly influenced by the turmoil following the recent disclosure of the wide use of outlawed settlement of calculation cost and project 'rights' by the Dutch contractors. In addition, some blatant cases of fraudulent contract administration were revealed. By the end of 2003, key stakeholders within both the government and industry were in agreement that there was a need for radical change of the economic and social performance of the building and construction sector. The PSIB programme, in combination with a strong deregulation initiative, will be the major driver for the application of the performance approach in the sector.     

Performance-based building regulation: current situation and future needs

Although performance-based building regulations are in use or under development in numerous countries worldwide, there remain significant challenges in adequately identifying and defining performance, in understanding and addressing diverse societal expectations, and in establishing robust performance-based regulatory systems. These challenges become intensified as the building construction market becomes increasingly global, with the resulting expectation that building regulatory instruments remain valid across borders and do not create barriers to trade, while at the same time address local and national needs without compromising local cultural and societal norms. Many of these issues are just now beginning to be explored, and there is significant opportunity and need for future research and development in these areas.     

Residential building damage and natural perils: Australian examples and issues

The most important natural perils in Australia are tropical cyclones, earthquakes, bushfires, thunderstorms, floods, landslides and tsunamis. However, as far as residential buildings are concerned, the correct relative order of importance depends on the frames of reference used. Certainly, meteorological perils are more significant than geological hazards. Residential building damage produced by the most important natural hazards is assessed. Governance is shown to be poorly related to actual risk. Tropical cyclone wind-loading codes are amongst the best in the world, but the more limited potential for storm surge damage is largely ignored. While land-use regulations are strong in some states, almost no attention has been paid to appropriate building materials for flood-prone properties. Hail is probably the most important peril along the populated south-eastern seaboard, but no regulations govern roofing materials. Other issues relating to the present understanding of damage to buildings are raised.     

Quantification methods of technical building performance

A building performance assessment toolkit was developed for use by large corporate owners and building portfolio managers in the US. A variety of technical performance aspects are addressed such as energy, lighting, thermal comfort, maintenance and indoor air quality. Every assessment is based on a normative and objective Performance Indicator (PI). For easy data capture and calculation of PIs, the toolkit was implemented in a web hosted form, enabling facility managers and staff to collect the data during a walk-through enabled by PDA-based data entry. The current set of performance indicators is discussed and the results of the first benchmarks, most notably the energy benchmarks, are reported.     

Modelling of enhanced passive and conventional cooling systems

This study modelled a recently completed typical steel-framed speculative office development in the UK. It investigated the comparative performance of the building for various servicing regimes. These included natural and mechanical ventilation, two types of active fabric energy storage (FES) system (AirDeck and AirCore), air-conditioning (a conventional all-air system and chilled ceiling with mechanical ventilation), and mixed-mode solutions combining some of the above approaches. The assessment covered both summer and winter (heating) performance. The main objective was to evaluate overall performance of these systems in terms of thermal comfort and energy use and to compare the findings with more conventional servicing options for the same building. The study demonstrates that active FES can enhance thermal comfort while reducing energy use and emissions. In comparison with conventionally and naturally ventilated systems, the studied FES systems reduced temperature excess hours and peak temperatures, supplied cooler air as a result of overnight cooling, and reduced chiller consumption and boiler ratings as well as emissions. The annual operating costs of these active FES systems increase energy costs by only 13% over that of the naturally ventilated option. The mixed-mode solutions reduce them by over 35% when compared with all-mechanically cooled alternatives.     

Service life planning and performance requirements

Service life planning comprises a model for the determination of a reasonable expected service life for buildings and components, and it establishes a routine for the assessment of design alternatives. A design option is considered reasonable when it meets or exceeds performance requirements over time that have been drawn up specifically for the specific project. Due to this assessment reference, there is a very evident link to the concept of performance-based building. Any stakeholder involved in the value chain or in the design process of the building, as well as regulators and building users, can express performance requirements. Identified requirements, both in relevance and in quality, will vary with the stakeholder and his/her perspective of interest. As building sector manufacturers develop most products with reference to standards rather than with reference to specific requirements, there is no direct link from user requirements to the product design. Instead, the building designer has the responsibility to ensure performance requirements are met by the performance of products integrated into the design. As these design decisions also have to be made at the material and component level, a performance-based building would benefit from an established rationale that enables the communication of performance requirements across the relevant system levels in the relevant design processes. A path for the connection of the established concepts of service life planning and performance-based building is presented. The aim is to identify key elements that need to be developed for the successful linkage of performance-based building with service life planning.     

Translating Singapore architects' environmental awareness into decision making

Construction activity is known to have a major impact on the environment. Construction is a major consumer of a wide range of naturally occurring and synthesized resources. The extraction, processing and utilization of these resources can have various negative impacts on the environment. With increased awareness and knowledge of these impacts, efforts are being made to avoid these adverse effects. Among these is the selection and specification of appropriate materials. This paper studies the level of environmental awareness and knowledge of architects in Singapore when selecting and specifying materials during the design stage. Responses to a questionnaire indicate that the architects are aware of the environmental impacts of building materials, and knowledgeable about possible measures which could help avoid the problems. However, they are not adopting green design approaches. Key policy directions for government, professional bodies, educators and clients are made to enable Singapore architects to apply their knowledge of environmental issues in their design decisions.     

Partnership in building energy performance contracting

Building energy performance contracting is a business strategy to assist building owners overcome the financial barriers for improving the energy performance of their buildings. In return for the investments made into the energy-saving measures, the energy service contractors would share with the building owners the energy cost saving. Although the contractual arrangement is meant to create a win-win situation, disappointments could arise due to mismatches between the expected and actual outcomes. From a micro-economics viewpoint, the key factors contributing to the failure of a building energy performance contract are reviewed. To solve the commonly encountered problems in building energy performance contracting, it is proposed the conventional performance contract is replaced with a partnership formed jointly by the building owner and the energy service contractor, with the latter assuming the role of the performance contractor. This would unite the goals of the two parties and cultivate genuine cooperation between them. The key features for this new contractual arrangement are described along with how this arrangement could resolve typical energy performance contracting problems.     

危房鉴定及智能评级程序应用实例

房屋建筑危险性鉴定是综合性较强的工作,对明确危险点数量及构件总数的建筑可应用"危房鉴定标准智能评定程序"进行综合评定。此外,定量评定之前应对房屋建筑进行整体考虑,从而判别其是否处于危险状态。应用典型鉴定实例阐述鉴定过程中应考虑的地基基础,上部结构及围护结构情况。综合《危险房屋鉴定标准》、《地基基础设计规范》、《建筑变形测量规范》等规范对建筑的危险性评级。     

A guide to European plumbing

As part of its investigation into international building control, the UK Building Research Establishment has also studied water supply and drainage in several countries. The results are given in special reports and a comparative index, written by A. Sobolev, in which the following information appears.     

Energy modeling of two office buildings with data center for green building design

Energy simulation models are developed with EnergyPlus for two office buildings in a R&D center in Shanghai, China to evaluate the energy cost savings of green building design options compared with the baseline building. As a R&D center of an international IT corporation, there are data centers in the two buildings, which make them different from typical office buildings. The data centers house high energy consuming IT equipments and need 24 h air-conditioning every day all year round. In order to achieve energy cost savings, multiple energy efficiency strategies are employed for design proposed building, encompassing high performance building envelope, lighting system, and HVAC system. Through energy modeling, the design proposed options are compared to an ASHRAE 90.1-2004 compliant budget model to highlight energy cost savings versus “standard practice” and show the potential LEED™ Credit EA1—Optimize Energy Performance. Meanwhile, they are also compared to China Code model to figure out the energy cost savings versus the most popular practice conforming to China Public Building Energy Saving Design Standard. The whole building energy simulation results show that the yearly energy cost saving of the proposed design will be approximately 27% from China Code building and 21% from ASHRAE budget building, which can achieve 4 points for LEED credit due to energy performance optimization.     

浅谈高层建筑的消防供配电

本文分析了目前我国高层民用建筑几种主要消防供配电方案,并结合相关规范和工程实例,对《高层民用建筑设计防火规范》中有关消防供配电的条款提出了几点粗浅的看法。     

无机保温砂浆在太阳能建筑示范项目中的应用研究

本文以甘肃省建材科研设计院新型建筑材料中试基地既有建筑节能改造工程为例,通过对改造前后建筑物保温性能的测试,并结合建筑围护结构热工计算与测试数据进行分析研究,结果表明,用无机阻燃保温砂浆节能改造后建筑物节能效果显著。     

Engaging stakeholders in performance-based building: lessons from the Performance-Based Building (PeBBu) Network

Despite decades of recognition and development, performance-based thinking and practice have not been as widely adopted by industry. To address this, the Performance-Based Building (PeBBu) Networks in Europe and Australia engaged a wide variety of industry stakeholders (on both 'supply' and 'demand' sides) in advancing the application of the performance approach in building processes. The background development, activities and accomplishments of the PeBBu Networks are presented together with some lessons learned from the experience of running the Network programmes. To engage stakeholders effectively, the performance approach should be presented as a business issue rather than primarily as a technical issue. The dominant need is for clear communication of the meaning, application and benefits of the performance approach, with emphasis on actual benefits and value.     

第四军医大学继续教育大楼建筑节能优化方案浅析

建筑节能专项审查是施工图设计审查的一项重要内容.第四军医大学的继续教育大楼施工图设计,符合建筑节能有关标准.本着精益求精的理念,为进一步提高节能潜力和节能水平,通过认真细致的分析研究,针对工程各系统设备具体情况,客观地提出了建筑节能的优化方案.优化方案经过原设计单位论证后采用,实现了该楼最大程度的建筑节能.     

Concise exterior lighting simulation methodology

A methodology is proposed which integrates advanced photogrammetric and computer-aided design (CAD) software with lighting simulation tools. The methodology consists of preparing a CAD model from digital photographs and then using lighting simulation packages to carry out the lighting analysis and produce a photo-realistic image. The latter can serve as a decision tool to the lighting designer. The methodology was specifically adapted for illumination studies of buildings of historical and/or architectural importance. The methodology was validated quantitatively by comparing simulation results with on-site field luminance measurements. The rendered photo-realistic images produced also compared favourably with photographs indicating the reliability and effectiveness of the overall simulation procedure.     

Thermal simulation software outputs: a framework to produce meaningful information for design decision-making

This paper describes a process used to develop and test a framework to produce thermal simulation post-processed information meaningful to building design decision-making. The framework adopts a user-centred approach in which the building designer is considered the ultimate simulation tool user either directly or indirectly when supported by consultants. The framework supports the building designer's ‘modus operandi’ and is developed through a set of interdisciplinary research methods. Participatory Action Research, Thematic Analysis and Grounded Theory are used, together with principles from Information Visualization, dynamic thermal modelling and Building Design, following a design approach to problem-solving taken from the discipline of Interaction Design. The various elements of the framework and their connections are derived from analysis of sequences of design actions made by novice designers undertaking complex design activities. Tests of the framework are undertaken through an online questionnaire and five semi-structured interviews with UK architectural design practices.