English

A simplified model of a primary HVAC system comprising an on-off boiler, thermal storage and solar thermal collectors is simulated in hourly resolution. The simulation passes the results to an optimization algorithm that sizes the system. The objective is to minimize total costs and reach a desired solar ratio. Results show good model performance and short simulation run time.

Buildings and their renewable energy systems typically operate for a lifecycle of well over 20 years. Due to this the climate that a new building or renewable energy system will experience, will change over their effective functional lifetime.  It is therefore crucial that these buildings and systems are designed with due consideration of a changing climate (BRANZ, 2005).  This paper discusses how Ersatz Future Metrological Year (EFMY) climate files are created and used to more reliably predict future system responses in changed climates.

Conventional air-conditioning methods in hospitals have often involved air-recycling and indefinite pressure regimes, which increase cross-infection risk.  Poor comfort conditions and indoor air quality (IAQ) have also been issues.  These were major considerations in the design of the $1.8B Fiona Stanley Hospital. Active chilled beams (ACBs) were selected for the wards.

CFD modelling was identified as the only tool able to predict accurately the performance of a cooling system for a 200m high glazed building lift shaft located in Brisbane, Australia. A conjugate heat transfer, multiband radiation and moving mesh transient CFD modelling strategy was used to assess and design the most energy efficient environmental control possible for this design. The lift movement within the shaft increased the convective heat transfer by a factor of 5, top-down air distribution and transient CFD modelling analysis reduced by 60% the cooling load compared to a steady state

The introduction of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in Poland established minimal building energy performance requirements for new and retrofitted buildings without changing the U-value requirement for the building envelope in the building code. This change in the Polish law has sometimes caused investors to draw the wrong conclusions about thermal standards for single-family residences. With this in mind, this paper seeks to optimise the thermal performance of buildings using both fuzzy sets and Zadeh probability with simple hourly 6R1C building energy simulation.

The case study described in this paper illustrates the role building simulation can play in evaluating refurbishment options that reduce the carbon footprint of existing airport terminals. A model of the terminal building at a busy United Kingdom (UK) regional airport is used to test the effect of different interventions on the environmental and economic performance of the facility. A calibration process is described and each version of the model is simulated to include future passenger increases and weather scenarios.

To investigate the impact of the new UK Climate Projections on building performance, a primary school building has been simulated with help of a dynamic building performance simulation package (EnergyPlus Version 6) using 4 sets of future test reference year data which were produced by the UK Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, Exeter University, Manchester University and Northumbria University respectively. Indoor operative temperatures, heating and cooling energy demand of the sample building at three locations (Edinburgh, Manchester and London) under future climate cond

This paper is part of a research that aims to develop simulation methods to support the architectural design practice. To do that, we need to understand how envelope design decisions are taken, which methods are more frequently used and which design definitions are relevant to take specific decisions. An online survey was developed to get information about the design process of professionals who are involved with architectural design. The survey was responded to by 51 architect-designers, 55 architect-researchers and 28 consultants from various countries.

As a famous large-scale transportation hub in China, the Nanjing South Railway Station (NSRS) is a huge building of 380,000 m2 and 50 meters high, with complex vertical route organization and comprehensive function zones. Because of its large façade, skylight, and huge air infiltration, the NSRS has encountered many difficulties in terms of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) design, especially in calculating the most accurate heating and cooling loads during air infiltration.

Biomimicry offers opportunities to advance the development of flexible, adaptive facades. This paper focuses on fur heat transfer and translates the distinctive performance characteristics of animal fur to building envelopes. A tim-edependent mathematical model is developed to describe the application of fur to a façade. An optimised ‘fur’ layer was shown to have a thermal conductivity of 0.055 W/mK, compared with deer fur at 0.091 W/mK.  When an optimised, fur-lined façade was compared with a conventional lightweight façade under sunny summer conditions, heat gains reduced by up to 50%.