Application of an integrated indoor climate,HVAC and showcase model for the indoor climate performance of a museum

This paper presents a case study on the performance based design of a HVAC system and controller of a museum. A famous museum in The Netherlands has reported possible damage to important preserved wallpaper fragments. The paper provides an evaluation of the current indoor climate by measurements, showing that the indoor climate performance does not satisfy the requirements for the preservation of old paper. To solve this problem we developed an integrated heat air and moisture (HAM) model consisting of models for respectively: the indoor climate, the HVAC system and controller and a showcase. The presented models are validated by a comparison of simulation and measurement results. The integrated model is used for the evaluation of a new HVAC controller design and the use of a showcase. It is concluded that it is not possible to satisfy the indoor climate within the recommended limits, exclusively by the use of a new control strategy. Furthermore in order to meet the recommendations, the wallpaper fragments should be placed in a showcase and a similar control strategy as presented in the paper, has to be implemented in order to limit the room air temperature change.     

Analysis of the thermal conditions in an unheated museum store in a temperate climate. On the thermal interaction of earth and store

A finite element model of an unheated museum store has been developed for simulating the influence of the building envelope, the wall thickness and the thermal interaction with the surrounding ground on indoor temperature of the store.The question of whether to build the store with high thermal mass or with well-insulated walls with no thermal mass is addressed. The influence from excess humidity entering the store through cracks in the building envelope is also discussed. Finally, ways to stabilize the store temperature by improved design, such as additional insulation of the foundation, will be analysed.The simulations are compared with measurements in a museum store in Ribe, Denmark.     

Fast failure mode identification for ductile structural system reliability

This paper presents a method for fast plastic hinge imposition and system collapse mode identification in large ductile framed structures. The proposed method follows the general scheme of the truncated enumeration method, but makes use of the statistical correlations between different member limit states to impose groups of hinges at each selection level instead of one plastic hinge at a time as used in the previous studies, thus making the search for significant failure modes very rapid. This results in an efficient and accurate method for system reliability estimation. The proposed method is illustrated with the help of numerical examples.     

Local development and climate protection: a case study from Alaska

Resolution of conflicts between local development and protection of the global climate is difficult. In the United States, policies in the energy‐rich state of Alaska favour development of resources rather than protection, and, further, most state policies are not based on jurisprudence principles that consider the problem of global climate change. In our article, we describe a proposal to develop a large coal strip mine that raises conflicts between local development and protection of the global climate. We suggest that application of the Public Trust Doctrine might better protect the global climate. We believe our study has import for similar situations elsewhere.     

Low energy cooling of the White Tower, functioning as a contemporary museum

Historical buildings are of significance not only because they preserve the cultural heritage of nations but also because of their representative character. However, as buildings they not necessarily provide satisfactory comfort and health conditions, despite the fact that they can be high-energy consumers. The Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki has decided to convert the White Tower, a six-floor fortress dating back to the 15th century, into a contemporary city museum with means of audiovisual, virtual and information technologies. A study has been carried out in 2005–2006 to determine the possibilities, given the restrictions applying, to implement measures in order to establish and maintain satisfactory thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions in the White Tower, whilst ensuring its unobstructed function as a contemporary city museum. The measurements and simulations carried out, together with the resulting suggested interventions are discussed in this paper.     

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of building performance using probabilistic climate projections: A UK case study

This study explores the uncertainties and sensitivities in the prediction of the thermal performance of buildings under climate change. This type of analysis is key to the assessment of the adaptability and resilience of buildings to changing climate conditions. The paper presents a comprehensive overview of the key methodological steps needed for a probabilistic prediction of building performance in the long term future (50 to 80 years). The approach propagates uncertainties in climate change predictions as well as the uncertainties related to interventions in building fabric and systems.A case study focussing on an air-conditioned university building at the campus of the authors is presented in order to demonstrate the methodology. This employs the most recent probabilistic climate change projections for the United Kingdom (UKCP09 dataset) and takes into account facility management uncertainties when exploring uncertainties in the prediction of heating energy, cooling energy, and carbon emissions.     

Impacts of climate change on building performance in New Zealand

Climate change is expected to impact on many aspects of building performance, with much of the existing and future building stock likely to be affected. Potential impacts of climate change on buildings are identified, evaluated as to how serious they might be, and actions are considered to ensure that future building performance is not compromised. Climate change scenarios for New Zealand defined the scale of climate changes considered for building performance. For each climate variable, relevant aspects of building performance were examined to determine if there is likely to be a significant impact. Where significant impacts were indicated, they were studied in detail and quantified where possible. A risk-profiling tool was formulated to cover the risk/severity of the most significant climate change impacts, which include flooding, tropical cyclones and overheating. Adaptation strategies were developed for each climate change impact, with different responses appropriate for each impact. Mitigation of greenhouse emissions is also addressed. For those risks where delaying action has serious consequences, it may be appropriate to consider changes in building or zoning regulations to anticipate the future impacts of climate change. Some implications for future building performance, design, standards and regulation are discussed.

On peut s'attendre à ce que les changements aient des incidences sur de nombreux aspects des performances des bâtiments et que la majorité des bâtiments existants et futurs soit touchée. Cet article recense les conséquences potentielles des changements climatiques sur les bâtiments, les évalue quant à leur gravité et étudie les mesures à prendre pour que les performances des futurs bâtiments ne soient pas compromises. La Nouvelle-Zélande a étudié des scénarios de changements climatiques pour définir leur échelle en fonction des performances des bâtiments. Pour chaque variable climatique, on a examiné les aspects pertinents des performances des bâtiments afin de déterminer si elle est susceptible d'avoir un impact significatif. Lorsque c'est le cas, ces impacts ont été étudiés en détail et, dans la mesure du possible, quantifiés. On a conçu un outil de profil des risques pour couvrir les risques et la gravité des conséquences les plus importantes des changements climatiques, ce qui inclut les inondations, les cyclones tropicaux et les vagues de chaleur. Pour chaque conséquence des changements climatiques, on a formulé des stratégies d'adaptation, avec différentes réponses appropriées à chaque impact. On a également étudié l'atténuation des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Quant aux risques pour lesquels tout retard dans les mesures à prendre aurait des conséquences sérieuses, il pourrait être judicieux d'envisager de modi? er la réglementation concernant les bâtiments ou le zonage afin d'anticiper les conséquences futures des changements climatiques. Cet article traite également de certaines implications pour les futures performances des bâtiments, conceptions, normes et réglementations.     

The role of learning and knowledge in adapting to climate change: a case study of Norwegian municipalities

Coping with climate change includes the role of learning and knowledge. Taking a process perspective, this article analyses how municipal officers in the Oslo region of Norway are acquiring knowledge and building competence for adapting to climate change. The article illustrates the interaction between elements of experiential learning, transformative learning and social learning as bases for adapting to emerging climate changes; each being necessary and none alone being sufficient. Their importance differs according to how profound the changes in knowledge and competence are. Experiential learning and transformative learning are stronger under single-loop learning whereas social learning might emerge as more important under triple-loop learning. Because of the uncertainties of climate change, the central government might be wise not to issue detailed regulations for adaptation by municipalities.     

Simulating the impacts of future land use and climate changes on surface water quality in the Des Plaines River watershed, Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, Illinois

Modeling the effects of past and current land use composition and climatic patterns on surface water quality provides valuable information for environmental and land planning. This study predicts the future impacts of urban land use and climate changes on surface water quality within Des Plaines River watershed, Illinois, between 2010 and 2030. Land Change Modeler (LCM) was used to characterize three future land use/planning scenarios. Each scenario encourages low density residential growth, normal urban growth, and commercial growth, respectively. Future climate patterns examined include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emission Scenario (SRES) B1 and A1B groups. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was employed to estimate total suspended solids and phosphorus concentration generated at a 10 year interval. The predicted results indicate that for a large portion of the watershed, the concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) would be higher under B1 and A1B climate scenarios during late winter and early spring compared to the same period in 2010; while the summer period largely demonstrates a reverse trend. Model results further suggest that by 2020, phosphorus concentration would be higher during the summer under B1 climate scenario compared to 2010, and is expected to wane by 2030. The projected phosphorus concentrations during the late winter and early spring periods vary across climate and land use scenarios. The analysis also denotes that middle and high density residential development can reduce excess TSS concentration, while the establishment of dense commercial and industrial development might help ameliorate high phosphorus levels. The combined land use and climate change analysis revealed land use development schemes that can be adopted to mitigate potential future water quality impairment. This research provides important insights into possible adverse consequences on surface water quality and resources under certain climate change and land use scenarios.     

智能建筑系统在博物馆新馆建筑中的应用

智能建筑系统在现代博物馆新馆建筑中的运用，是值得认真研究的课题。文章概括了现代博物馆新馆建筑中实施智能建筑系统的目的和实施智能建筑系统的具体内容。     

Forecasting the local and global socio-economic impact of climate change in the Boreal and Arctic regions of Siberia

Climate change in Siberia, though local, is a problem of global concern. This article examines some of the negative consequences of climate change in the Boreal and Arctic regions of Siberia. Forecasting the local and global socio-economic impacts of climate change in this region includes assessing the potential for adaptation. Forecasting and solving climate-related issues are possible only on the basis of a multidisciplinary approach, consistently implemented at universities. The authors analyse a set of economic problems in the context of climate change: the need to evaluate natural and climate capital, technological demands, adapting technical systems to changes in the climate and increasing the quality of life. They conclude that there is an absence of systemic climate policy in Russia and emphasise the need for consistent accounting of climate-related expenses and benefits in subsurface resource companies carrying out long-term investment projects in the region. The article lays out directions for socio-economic policies that adequately address climate-related challenges.     

The Indoor Environment of a Modern Museum Building,The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts,Norwich, UK

Abstract A multi-disciplinary approach was used to investigate the indoor environment of a modern museum building, and its suitability for the conservation of the collection therein. Climate, gaseous and particulate pollution and the concentrations of bacteria were measured in summer and winter campaigns. While the environment overall was found to be an acceptable one, a number of drawbacks were highlighted, the most serious of these being the large temperature and humidity fluctuations that occurred in the summer.     

Experimental evaluation of a climate façade: Energy efficiency and thermal comfort performance

The results of an extensive experimental campaign on a climate façade with a mechanically ventilated air gap, carried out at the Department of Energetics at the Politecnico di Torino, are presented. Measurements were performed utilizing the TWINS (Testing Window Innovative Systems) test facility, which consists of two outdoor cells, one used for reference purposes, and the other which adopts different active façade configurations. The energy efficiency of the façade and the thermal comfort implications have been evaluated considering the ability to pre-heat the ventilation air in the winter season, and the ability to remove part of the solar load during the summer season; the normalized daily energy passing through the façade and the normalized surface temperature of the inner glass were analysed. The improvement in performance obtained by varying the configuration and operative conditions (changing the air flow rate, the shading device and the internal glazing) has been investigated.     

Designing hybrid places: merging interaction design,ubiquitous technologies and geographies of the museum space

In this paper we discuss how geographical notions of space and place can aid designers in creating meaningful interactions between end users and technologically augmented physical spaces—specifically museums. We review the literature that discusses the use of spatial concepts and metaphors within the interaction design field and discuss several examples of interactive museum installations. We then describe how we have incorporated our understanding of place and human experience into the design and development of a hybrid museum space: an interactive exhibition entitled ‘Re-Tracing the Past’ at the Hunt Museum in Limerick, Ireland.     

Changes in internal temperatures within the built environment as a response to a changing climate

In August 2003, 14,800 heat-related deaths occurred in Paris [1] during what is considered the warmest summer since at least 1500 2, 3, 4 and 5. These deaths resulted not only from unusually high peak temperatures and a reduction in the diurnal temperature swing, but also from a failure of buildings to successfully modify the external environment. It has been estimated [6] that by the 2040s, a 2003-type summer is predicted to be average within Europe. Clearly this will have a great impact on morbidity and mortality and produce challenges for emergency services [7]. The effects of climate change on the internal environment are not well known and are the subject of much current research [8]. For building scientists and emergency planners, there is the need to know the general form of the relationship between increases in external temperature due to climate change and increases in internal temperatures. Here we show that the relationship is linear, and that differing architectures give rise to differing constants of proportionality. This is a surprising result as it had been assumed that, given the complexity of the heat flows within large structures, no simple relationship would exist and had not been found in previous work [9]. We term these constants of proportionality climate change amplification coefficients. These coefficients fully describe the change in the internal environment of an architecture given a seasonal or annual change in external climate and can be used to judge the resilience to climate change of a particular structure. The estimation and use of these coefficients for new or existing buildings will allow: the design of more resilient buildings adapted to a changing climate, cost-benefit analysis of refurbishment options and the rational assembly of at-risk registers of vulnerable building occupants.     

Simulation assessment of living wall thermal performance in winter in the climate of Portugal

Plants on building facades bring a better thermal behavior of the building during the summer. During winter time the studies are scarce. Several design parameters may affect the extent of this vegetation system on the improvement of energy performance as the vegetation itself. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of vertical greenery systems on the energy consumption of buildings during winter conditions of Portugal. It involves performing EnergyPlus simulations after it was validated against other studies. The choice of design parameters for vertical vegetation is also important in making sure that it contributes to energy savings rather than energy consumption. It is found that vertical greenery systems are effective in lowering the thermal losses through North, East and West walls, thus it can improve the energy efficiency of the building mainly by insulating it. This resulted in lower annual energy load for heating. Simulations proofed that living wall systems on the walls facing south do not contribute to energy savings.     

Urban climate resilience through socio-ecological planning: a case study in Charlottetown,Prince Edward Island

ABSTRACT

Climate change impacts, especially on coastal cities, can no longer be ignored and in order to avoid significant losses in the built environment, the economy, and, by consequence, human health and life, it is imperative to address these impacts. We extrapolate the three pathways to urban resilience (persistence, adaptation, and transformation), as a function of the interrelations among the design of built forms (urban and landscape design), blue and green infrastructure (ecosystems), and knowledge-to-action (inclusion of local people and their knowledge). Accordingly, four urban and landscape design theories that integrate urban ecosystems are identified and linked to urban resilience and to the local ecological knowledge (LEK) through an inclusive design process (the charrette). The model is then applied to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, a city that is increasingly subjected to intense storm surges and to sea level rise in Atlantic Canada, where a series of design charrettes integrated the LEK into urban climate resilience proposals that serve as policy recommendations for future action.     

Developing future hourly weather files for studying the impact of climate change on building energy performance in Hong Kong

The concern on climate change leads to growing demand for minimization of energy use. As building is one of the largest energy consuming sectors, it is essential to study the impact of climate change on building energy performance. In this regard, building energy simulation software is a useful tool. A set of appropriate typical weather files is one of the key factors towards successful building energy simulation. This paper reports the work of developing a set of weather data files for subtropical Hong Kong, taking into the effect of future climate change. Projected monthly mean climate changes from a selected General Circulation Model for three future periods under two emission scenarios were integrated into an existing typical meteorological year weather file by a morphing method. Through this work, six sets of future weather files for subtropical Hong Kong were produced. A typical office building and a residential flat were modeled using building simulation program EnergyPlus. Hourly building energy simulations were carried out. The simulated results indicate that there will be substantial increase in A/C energy consumption under the impact of future climate change, ranging from 2.6% to 14.3% and from 3.7% to 24% for office building and residential flat, respectively.