WC2014

Japan’s energy perspective underwent a paradigm shift after the 2011 earthquake. It put in place the ‘setsuden’ (energy saving) campaign. This recommended minimum and maximum temperature settings for summer and winter, without enough empirical evidence. Many large offices adhered to these, often running them in naturally ventilated (NV) mode. In this context, we surveyed four buildings in Tokyo in summer 2012.  About 435 participants provided 2042 sets of data. It contained thermal responses, simultaneous environmental recordings and observations on the use of controls.

Providing cooling effect with low energy consumption makes the exploration of air flow utilization significative. In ASHRAE Standard 55-2010, the cooling effects of elevated air movement are evaluated using the SET index as computed by the Gagge 2-Node model of whole-body heat balance. Air movement in reality has many forms, which might create heat flows and thermal sensations that cannot be accurately predicted by a simple whole-body model, and the affected body surface might be variably nude (e.g. face) or clothed.

In this paper, a global map of maximum indoor operational temperatures of buildings is presented. Maximum indoor operational temperatures were evaluated around the world using both PMV and ATC.

In a case study on outdoor mist cooling, 141 people attending an open campus event were surveyed over 2 hot summer days. Nozzles mounted on an oscillating fan sprayed about 18L/h of mist with average droplet diameter of 25μm. Subjects stood in the misting area where they wished. Time spent in the misting area was recorded. Skin temperature of the forearm and face were taken with IR surface thermometers before entering and after leaving the misted area.

Central to this study is the significance of making adaptation decisions whose success in achieving resilience to indoor overheating, remain effective both in the short term and long term future. This is in the context of climate change and the varying ranges of uncertain trajectories that may happen during a building’s service life in a developing country (Kenya). The study takes a quantified approach to guiding adaptation decisions by using a methodology that allows appraisal of different design options for an extended timescale (1990 to 2100).

Metabolic heat production is one of the key parameters in maintaining the body’s heat balance with the environment. Levels of accuracy and methods for estimation of metabolic rate for various activities are given in most of the commonly used standards, and estimated metabolic rates for an average adult are tabulated to be used where direct measurement is not practical. However, determination of metabolic rate is expected to be different in a younger population compared with that of adults.

This paper compares the values used for the Griffiths constant (G=0.5) and the running mean constant (α=0.8) in adaptive comfort algorithms with the values calculated from thermal comfort field surveys in two naturally ventilated junior schools in Southampton, UK. The surveys were conducted outside the heating season in 2011 and 2012 respectively, including both questionnaire surveys and environmental monitoring. A total of 2693 pupil responses were used for this analysis.

The environmental conditions experienced in UK schools not only influence the effectiveness of teaching and learning but also affect energy consumption and occupant behaviour plays a critical role in determining such conditions.

Mixed mode (MM) buildings open up a new arena for energy efficient design. Zoned MM buildings are the most common, particularly in the developing world where only some areas in a building are air- conditioned (AC) based on programmatic requirements while the rest of it is naturally ventilated (NV). Occupants in the NV zone frequently visit the AC zone and are well aware of the conditions there.

Buildings and communities need to be more resilient in the face of increasing weather extremes due to climate change. Current building models lack adequate definition to address this new challenge. This paper defines resilient design in terms of four ecosystemic factors: robustness, redundancy, feedback and co-evolutionary adaptivity. It builds upon previous work on usability and extends this to include resilient performance in relation to three new UK case studies covering retrofit and new build housing. In each case usability studies are evaluated in terms of resilient design.