building performance

In future building regulations, building performance is going to be extended to global performance, including indoor air quality (IAQ). In the energy performance (EP) field, successive regulations pushed for a "performance-based" approach, based on an energy consumption requirement at the design stage. Nevertheless, ventilation regulations throughout the world are still mostly based on prescriptive approaches, setting airflows requirements.

Maintaining thermal comfort in buildings has become a big challenge in developing countries. Cool roof or high reflective/emissive roof reduces absorbed building solar energy, roof surface temperature to reduce energy consumption and maintain thermal comfort. However, the impact on buildings thermal performance located in hot-dry climate and dusty conditions is not well-known.

Indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been used for decades to evaluate indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation. However, many of these applications reflect a lack of understanding of the connection between indoor CO2, ventilation rates and IAQ. In particular, a concentration of 1800 mg/m3 (1000 ppmv) has been used as a metric of IAQ and ventilation without an appreciation of its basis or application.

Indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been used for decades to purportedly evaluate indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation. However, many applications of CO2 as a metric have reflected a lack of understanding of the connection between indoor CO2 levels, ventilation and IAQ. In many cases, an indoor concentration of 1800 mg/m3 (1000 ppmv) has been used as a metric of IAQ and ventilation without understanding its basis or significance.

A growing number of businesses are moving towards open-plan offices as a way of encouraging impromptu collaborative problem solving among workers. However, while collaboration increases in open-plan offices, a commensurate increase in general noise can hinder employees that need quieter conditions to prosper. In this paper, the effects of conversational noise within an open plan environment are quantified, and the degree to which noise restrictions compromise problem-solving examined.

Over the last three decades the use of building performance simulation (BPS) tools has increased but its ability to support building design is still limited. State of the art BPS tools have the potential to be used more extensively during the entire design process if their current capabilities are expanded.

Nowadays, building performance simulation (BPS) is still primarily used for code compliance checking in the Netherlands whilst it could provide the user already useful design information by e.g. indicating design solutions or introducing uncertainty analysis (UA) and sensitivity analysis (SA). This paper summarizes results from an ongoing research introducing UA and SA in BPS. A case study is performed based on a hypothetical building which is part of an international test method for assessing the accuracy of BPS tools with respect to various building performance parameters.

From the beginning of year 2007 the buildings in Finland must have energy efficiency calculations, which requirements are now part of Building Codes, based on European Performance of Buildings Directive. According the renewed code, being into the force from July 2012, air tightness number q50 cannot be more than 4 m3/ (h*m2). Better air tightness can be shown by measurements. The air infiltration must be calculated in compensation calculations based on air tightness number 2.0 m3/ (h*m2). The energy efficiency requirements caused an immediate response in the building sector.

The improvement of energy efficiency is the key issue after the energy performance of buildings directive came into the force in European Union countries. The city of Kuopio in Finland participate a project, in which different tools will be used and tested to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings. In this project there were pilot buildings e.g. schools. The other pilot school consumed much more heating energy than the other same type of school. Air tightness was measured using the own ventilation system of the building and by remote control from the central operation room.