English

Standardized building performance assessment is best expressed with a so-called normative calculation method, such as the CEN/ISO calculation standards. The normative calculation method has advantages of simplicity, transparency, robustness, and reproducibility. For systematic energy performance assessment at various scales, i.e., at the unit of analysis of one building up to a large-scale collection of buildings, the authors’ group developed the Energy Performance Standard Calculation Toolkit (EPSCT).

The paper aims to evaluate the thermal performance of a typical Chinese low-energy residential building in ‘Hot Summer and Cold Winter’ zone where two prototypes within a six-storey healthy housing with low-energy standards have been investigated. According to the building simulation study undertaken, prototype 1 has relatively good thermal performance compared to prototype 2.

This study investigates in detail conventional and advanced shading devices. Thermal and visual aspects are considered as well as advanced control strategies. The systems are compared regarding energy balances, daylight provision and visual comfort aspects (glare, view contact).  Outside mounted systems offer in all investigated cases best solar protection. A combination of external shading and internal glare protection can reduce the overall energy demand by more than 25% compared to a solar control glazing and/or only internal mounted shadings.

Assuming that isolating a building might not be the best solution to exploit the free renewable sources of its environment (outside air temperature, sky temperature, solar radiation…), a first identification step has been carried out to determine which sources should be exploited. Building energy simulations have been carried out, including various isolation levels and climatic conditions. Then, indicators have been defined in order to quantify the ability of the previous sources to cover the energy needs and the possibility for the building to exploit them.

This work shows the optimization of natural ventilation within buildings at the stage of design and behaviour of the occupants. An evaluation is done by coupled multizone air modelling and thermal building simulation by using a deterministic set of input factors comprising among others climate, local environment, building characteristics, building systems, behaviour of occupants, heat loads. Selected deterministic input factors were varied to generate additional information applied in an optimization loop. 

In 2005, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) in the Victorian State of Australia introduced a new design for relocatable classroom buildings known as the „N1‟ design.  This was further refined in the „N2‟ design incorporating additional Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) features.  This paper presents further improvements made to the „N2‟ relocatable classroom particularly with respect to operational and embodied energy through the use of building energy and lifecycle modelling during the early stages of the design process.

This paper focuses on the study of the office room, investigating the influence of temperature sensor placement on the heating energy consumption and thermal comfort in the central European climate conditions. Temperature simulation of the zone focused on different boundary conditions at points on the location of the sensor compared to the centre of the room. A new approach in the use of ESP-r for evaluation of resultant temperature for different locations in the room, using MRT (mean radiant sensor) function and air temperature was tested.

Since the last decade, it has seen a surge in the need of uncertainty analysis for building energy assessment, but it is often overlooked that the vital part of uncertainty analysis is the determination of uncertainty in model parameters. Significant discrepancy in microclimate state variables has been observed between the predictions and the true climates around the building.

This study compares the performance of three different double skin facade configurations in prevailing summer conditions in a temperate climate. CFD simulation results compare cavity air velocity profiles and indoor temperatures to examine the potential for natural ventilation. Of particular interest, is the possibility of vitiated air flowing from one level to the other and increasing the contamination level on subsequent floors.