Determination of strategic adaptation actions for public housing in Singapore

Although building adaptation finds it significant in combating building deterioration and delivering building sustainability, what level of adaptation a building shall receive always seems puzzling to property portfolio managers. This research aims to provide policy makers with a theoretical approach to choose strategically desired adaptation actions for buildings. Personal interviews with policy makers in Singapore public housing sector gave rise to the construction of an Attribute-Action database; this database was used to derive an Attribute-Action Matrix, which consists of a set of preference values for each adaptation action (i.e. retaining, renovating and rebuilding). This approach was then applied to a real public residential building in Singapore. The results show that the total preference values for the actions of retaining, renovating and rebuilding are 157.849, 111.609, and 90.575, respectively; the action of retaining with minor maintenance of building facades is found to be the most desired adaptation strategy for the case building, because compared with the other two, retaining has the maximum total preference value. The presented approach would therefore extend the understanding of how strategic adaptation actions can be made for existing buildings that require adaptation. Lessons learnt in Singapore public housing context may be useful for many other cities in face of similar problems.     

Assessing energy-saving measures in buildings through an intelligent decision support model

Indeed, in the recent years, important efforts in applying energy management processes have been focused on the building sector, which demonstrates the increasing energy intensity and energy consumption indexes. The role of the building energy management systems (BEMS) is known and significant in this respect, for the management of the daily energy operations of a typical building. Effective energy management however requires the use of tools and methodologies that support the strategic decision making process of selecting energy saving measures, which are viable and environmental friendly. The aim of this paper is the presentation of an innovative intelligent decision support model for the identification of the need for intervention and further evaluation of energy saving measures in a typical existing building, based on the systematic incorporation of BEMS data (loads, demands and user requirements). The operation of the model is supportive to the decision makers authorized with the energy-efficient performance of the building and responsible for its management (energy auditors and building administration). In addition, the corresponding computerized decision support system and the appraisal of its pilot application to a typical existing office building in Athens, Greece, are presented and discussed.     

Genetic algorithm-based decision support for the restoration budget allocation of historical buildings

Historical building preservation is becoming increasingly important world-wide due to the emphasis on cultural heritage and its potential benefits. Restoration management and cost allocation for these valuable buildings have been constant concerns. This study discusses problems concerning restoration budget allocation for historical buildings of the Tainan local government. A new contracting method based on genetic algorithm (GA) is presented to support decision makers in determining the optimal budget allocation and relevant contracting methods. Compared with traditional contracting methods, the result of a pilot test shows that the new method provides more effective and economical decision suggestions. Lessons learned in Tainan city could be useful for many other cities that are facing similar problems.     

Climate change adaptation pathways for Australian residential buildings

Climate change can significantly impact on the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of residential buildings. Therefore, climate adaptation should be properly considered in both building design and operation stages to reduce the impact. This paper identified the potential adaptation pathways for existing and new residential buildings, by enhancing their adaptive capacity to accommodate the impact and maintain total energy consumption and GHG emissions no more than the current level in the period of their service life. The feasibility of adaptations was demonstrated by building energy simulations using both representative existing and new housing in eight climate zones varying from cold, temperate to hot humid in Australia. It was found that, in heating dominated climates, a proper level of adaptive capacity of residential buildings could be achieved simply by improving the energy efficiency of building envelop. However, in cooling dominated regions, it could only be achieved by introducing additional measures, such as the use of high energy efficient (EE) appliances and the adoption of renewable energy. The initial costs to implement the adaptations were assessed, suggesting that it is more cost-effective to accommodate future climate change impacts for existing and new houses by improving building envelop energy efficiency in cooling dominated regions, but installing on-site solar PVs instead in heating and cooling balanced regions.     

Adaptive reuse of office buildings into housing: opportunities and risks

One way of adapting and reusing vacant office buildings is conversion into housing. Former research has shown possibilities for this type of conversion, and has delivered instruments for determining the conversion potential of vacant offices. Although adaptation and renovation of outdated offices can prove to be a successful property (real estate) strategy, conversions into housing still only occur on a small scale. There are several reasons for this, including uncertainty about financial feasibility and little knowledge about the opportunities and risks of building conversions. A meta-study of the conversion of 15 office buildings into housing in the Netherlands is used to reveal the drivers for office-to-housing conversions as well as the opportunities and risks that arise in the conversion process. The findings show that various legal, financial, technical, functional and architectonic issues define the opportunities and risks of building conversions. These insights can be used to support the decision-making processes for dealing with vacant office buildings in order to minimize the risks and increase the opportunities.     

Benchmarking Hong Kong and China energy codes for residential buildings

Mandatory energy codes to curb energy use of residential buildings have been formally launched in China for more than two decades but little has been publicized in literature. Similar codes are not available for residential buildings in Hong Kong, but most residential buildings in Hong Kong, especially public housing estates, are HK-BEAM certified to demonstrate their compliance with regulatory and basic design requirements. Given HK-BEAM is internationally recognized and there are doubts about the effectiveness of the China codes, how the energy efficiency of the HK-BEAM certified buildings compare with buildings in compliance with the China codes is of interest to most building designers and policy makers. This paper describes how the energy efficiency of a case study building in compliance with the China codes compare with the one in compliance with HK-BEAM. The energy simulation by HTB2 and BECRES reveal that the case study building in compliance with the China codes is 51.1% better in energy use. In the study, the relative impact of each compliance criterion on energy use and cooling load has been quantified by sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity values indicate that energy use is most sensitive to air-conditioning operation hours, indoor design temperature, coefficient of performance (COP) of the room air-conditioners (RAC) units, and the envelop characteristics. The results of this study indicate that a HK-BEAM certified building cannot satisfy the China codes requirements. This provides good reference to the policy makers, the building owners, and to the China and Hong Kong Governments when considering reciprocal recognition of building energy codes.     

An efficient tool for future building design

Efficient design tools for the thermal performance of buildings have a tremendous potential to curb the profligate use of non-renewable energy and reduce global environmental and housing problems. Consequently a sound design tool philosophy is proposed which will ensure the development of efficient design tools in future. Based on this philosophy a new design tool is proposed which eliminates identified shortcomings. A first order thermal model of a building zone is employed. This uncomplicated representation is essential when extending the application of the model. Extended design tool features are highlighted, namely the simulation of multizone behaviour, time-dependent thermal parameters such as variable ventilation, heat flow into the ground underneath a building, alternative air-conditioning systems such as evaporative and structural cooling and comfort temperatures. The validity of the first order model is proven by 70 validation studies performed in 32 buildings ranging from single-zone buildings in the desert to multistorey office blocks in a city centre. The success of the proposed design tool is evident from its worldwide distribution.     

Development of a conceptual model for the selection of intelligent building systems

With the availability of a myriad of intelligent building components or products in the market, the decision to choose between them becomes significant and crucial in the configuration of building alternative. This results in placing the decision makers in the selection ‘dilemma’. This paper presents the development of a conceptual model for the selection of intelligent building systems which aims at assisting the decision makers to select the most appropriate combination of intelligent building components. The paper commences by reviewing the literature on intelligent building research. A survey is conducted to examine the criticality of selection attributes. Findings of this survey enrich the field of intelligent building research in at least two ways. Firstly, it widens the understanding of the factors, as well as their degree of importance, in affecting the selection of intelligent building systems and components. Second, the identified selection attributes form a conceptual framework which can be used to guide the selection of intelligent building components.     

绿色建筑设计指标在公共建筑中的体现——以绿色建筑在兴安盟党校迁址项目中的实践为例

《内蒙古自治区民用建筑节能和绿色建筑发展条例》第四十条明确规定:国家机关办公建筑、保障性住房和政府投资的学校、医院等公益性建筑;单体建筑面积2万平方米以上的大型公共建筑等应当执行绿色建筑标准。内蒙古兴安盟党校迁址工程为该条例颁布实施后,首个在兴安盟严格按照条例要求投资建设的公益性教育项目,也是兴安盟首个从设计、建造到运行全过程严格按照绿色建筑要求实施建设的绿色建筑项目。该项目2019年12月获得内蒙古绿色建筑二星级设计标识。     

基于SD 的既有公共建筑节能改造综合效益研究

我国既有公共建筑占地面积大且耗能量高,为提高既有公共建筑节能改造项目的综合效益,通过文献梳理和问卷调查,筛选出影响既有公共建筑节能改造的22 个关键因素,应用Vensim PLE 软件建立系统动力学模型。结合某既有公共建筑项目提供的数据建立方程,通过仿真模拟找出影响企业节能改造效益的最敏感因素。在此基础上,制定出了既有公共建筑节能改造效益驱动组合方案进行仿真分析,得出了提升既有公共建筑节能改造效益的最佳驱动策略,为推动既有公共建筑节能改造项目的发展提供一定的理论指导和参考。     

Dairy Cattle Housing in Lancashire,Seventeenth to Twenty-First Centuries

The modernisation and adaptation of dairy cattle housing over 400 years is explored, focusing on the historic county of Lancashire. A distinctive regional building type was continuously upgraded in response to structural changes in dairying and to new business opportunities resulting from industrialisation and improved transport links. Higher standards of animal husbandry and further upgrading were required from the mid-nineteenth century to conform to a succession of national public health regulations. Medical Officers of Health were aware of potential infection risks, both from cattle and from workers in the dairy trade, which they were determined to minimise. Traditional buildings were modified to conform to legislation by providing more spacious housing, with improved cleanliness, light and ventilation. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries the adapted buildings were finally outmoded by further pressures, both local and national, bringing about the end of the vernacular tradition.     

建立大型公共建筑能耗在线监测平台

大型公共建筑在我国民用建筑总能耗中占有很大比重。本文提出了建立大型公共建筑能耗在线监测平台,对各建筑的全年设备耗能状况,设备运行及管理状况进行实时在线监测。文章详细论述了深圳达实智能股份有限公司城市能源监测平台（City Energy Management Platform,简称CEMP）的系统构成,这是国内第一个面向行政管理部门和终端用户开发的,用于能源管理和节能决策的大型系统。     

Using indicators to profile energy consumption and to inform energy policy in a university—A case study in Ireland

The services sector has the least amount of energy end use data available, which poses significant challenges to companies within the sector attempting to benchmark their energy performance and inform energy management decisions. This paper explores through a case study analysis the use of simple performance indicators and how additional data and new metrics can greatly enhance the understanding of energy trends and in particular the assessment of building energy performance. The country chosen for the analysis is Ireland, where the services sector has experienced high energy demand growth since 1990 (4.1% annually) compared with the EU-15 (1.5% annually). Despite this growth, the available energy data is poor, in particular for the public service sub-sectors. The case study chosen is an institution within the education sub-sector, University College Cork. The paper presents some simple energy performance indicators that have been used to date to inform energy policy. The paper then introduces new approaches and tools for assessing energy performance in buildings and how these may be utilised to improve the energy policy decision making and energy management. It discusses how these approaches are been implemented for buildings with separate functions, presents some initial results and discusses future planned work.     

Probabilistic climate projections with dynamic building simulation: Predicting overheating in dwellings

This study, as part of the Low Carbon Futures project, proposes a methodology to incorporate probabilistic climate projections into dynamic building simulation analyses of overheating in dwellings. Using a large climate projection database, suitable building software and statistical techniques (focussing on principal component analysis), output is presented that demonstrates the future overheating risk of a building in the form of a probability curve. Such output could be used by building engineers and architects to design a building to an acceptable future overheating risk level, i.e. providing evidence that the building, with specific adaptation measures to prevent overheating, should achieve thermal comfort for the majority of future climate projections. This methodology is overviewed and the use of the algorithm proposed in relation to existing building practices. While the methodology is being applied to a range of buildings and scenarios, this study concentrates on night-time overheating in UK dwellings with simple and achievable adaptation measures investigated.     

Building typologies as a tool for assessing the energy performance of residential buildings - A case study for the Hellenic building stock

Successful strategies towards minimizing the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the building sector require knowledge on the energy-related characteristics of the existing building stock. Despite the numerous studies on energy conservation applications in buildings, current knowledge on the energy-related characteristics of the building stock still remains limited. Building typologies can be a useful instrument to facilitate the energy performance assessment of a building stock. This work is based on a harmonised structure for European building typologies (TABULA) developed for residential buildings, but the methodology may be extended to the tertiary sector as well. National typologies are sets of model buildings with characteristic energy-related properties representative of a country's building stock. The model buildings are used as a showcase for demonstrating the energy performance and the potential energy savings from typical and advanced energy conservation measures (ECMs) on the thermal envelope and the heat supply system. The proposed Hellenic residential building typology is presented for the first time along with an assessment of various ECMs that are used for an estimate of the energy performance of building stock in Greece in an effort to meet the 9% indicative national energy savings target by 2016.     

Policy options towards an energy efficient residential building stock in the EU-27

The EU-27 residential building stock offers high potential for energy efficiency gains. The policies already in place or proposed to improve the energy efficiency and thus the environmental performance focus on new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings. However, there might be additional measures that could lead to further energy efficiency improvements. In particular, the installation of roofs or windows that show a high thermal efficiency outside major renovations offer a large improvement potential. In this study, the potential environmental and economic impacts of two types of such policy options were analysed: first, measures that require high energy efficiency standards when roofs or windows have to be replaced; and, second, measures that accelerate the replacement of building elements. The results suggest that the two policies offer the potential for substantial additional energy savings. In addition, the installation of energy efficient building elements comes at negative net cost. When the replacement of building elements is accelerated, however, the additional costs do not outweigh the energy cost savings.     

Parisian eco-districts: low energy and affordable housing?

This paper examines how policies and practices for affordable housing in Paris, especially ‘green’ housing for the poor, are being subverted to retain or attract the middle class: the ‘greentrification’ of lower-class neighbourhoods. From the 1960s onward, many middle- and working-class households have left Paris due to de-industrialization and the city’s high housing costs. To bring these middle classes back, the municipality initiated a policy calling for increased social diversity, using social housing as its main policy tool. In France the provision of public housing is legally mandated, and compared with international standards, the income ceilings for gaining access to it are high. Thus, municipalities may pursue urban renovation and construct social housing for the middle class to replace substandard buildings occupied by low-income populations. The Paris municipality has established ‘green’ residential eco-districts known as ‘eco-quartiers’. In the national eco-district programme, the neighbourhoods must meet environmental performance criteria, show potential for economic development, and provide social and functional diversity. Thus, housing location and price must fit the needs of the existing residents. However, most ‘green’ subsidized housing in Paris is for the middle class. Social diversity has become a means of redistribution: more middle class and fewer poor people.     

Building codes vs. the existing housing stock‐some guidelines for energy conservation policy

Energy conservation in the housing sector has become a major policy issue since the first oil crisis in 1973–74. When mandatory building codes are used to improve the energy‐efficiency of new buildings, a high growth of construction will create a strong trend towards lower consumption per dwelling. But construction also adds new buildings to the housing stock, which will mean a higher total energy consumption, even if the marginal consumption is falling. These considerations lead to the conclusion that operating with codes is uniquely a long‐term policy in an energy conservation sense. To be able to gain short‐term conservation effects the policy measures should be directed towards existing buildings. This relation of time is not always clearly understood in the policy formulations that have been studied.     

既有建筑宜居改造及功能提升调查分析

在我国住房建设的总体趋势—从增量向增存并举转变的背景下,建筑宜居改造及功能提升成为了近来建筑业的一项持续性热点工作。对我国既有居住建筑改造与功能提升的3 个发展阶段进行了总结分析,结合中国建筑业协会2019 年做的行业调研,重点研究了建筑宜居改造及功能提升的政策环境、改造需求,并通过调研情况对建筑宜居改造进行了共性分析研究,针对性地提出了制定既有居住建筑共担共建投资组织方式和建立科学评估、内容可选、自主决策的菜单改造模式政策性建议。     

基于数字技术的夏热冬冷地区既有宿舍节能减排改造——以重庆大学B区三舍节能改造为例

建筑节能作为我国节能减排中的重点项目,对于现存建筑的节能改造设计则成为建筑节能中不可或缺的一部分。与单纯的绿色建筑设计不同的是,就现存建筑的改造是在受到既有的结构限制和功能要求下进行的;此外,宿舍这一类型建筑已经成为各高校建筑组成中的一个主体部分,直接关系到学生和相关工作人员的生活起居质量。因此,本设计旨在通过改造设计实现对建筑的二次设计,并充分利用现有的被动式设计策略,与相关主动式绿色建筑设计策略相结合,以数字分析技术为辅助手段进行建筑节能设计,实现对建筑内部热环境、风环境等相关物理环境的改善,最终为宿舍等相关类型建筑的节能改造做出指导。