English

In the modern architectural design, large space open area is widely used, for example, atrium, airport, open office, etc. Radiation heat transfer provides better indoor thermal comfort and makes it possible to apply high temperature cooling and low temperature heating. This will lead to high energy efficiency. Water carrying radiation systems, e.g. cooling ceiling and floor heating system, become an applicable solution for a good indoor climate design. The floor cooling is less effective than floor heating and can provide usually limited cooling capacity.

Domed skylights are important architectural design elements to deliver daylight and solar heat into buildings and connect building’s occupants to outdoor. However, most of building energy simulation programs do not cover such skylights to quantify their energy performance when installed in buildings. This paper presents a numerical study on natural laminar convection within vertically eccentric domed cavities when heated from the exterior surface. Both interior and exterior surfaces are held at uniform temperatures.

According to the National Institute of Building Science (2006), one of the main goals of building commissioning is to “maintain facility performance across its life cycle”. In recent years, the maturing of sensing technology has helped to advance this vision through sensor-assisted building commissioning.

While people need to know tomorrow’s weather to decide suitable activities and precautions, so do the “intelligent” building management systems. The accuracy of the short-term prediction of the ambient conditions is particularly import for the development  of predictive control strategies.

In Portugal, the external thermal insulation systems (ETIS) are nowadays a current technical solution in residential buildings, contrasting with the rarely used internal thermal insulation systems (ITIS). In this paper, a quantitative analysis on ITIS is done based on three hygrothermal façade requirements: interstitial condensations, thermal bridges, and temperature variations across the external wall. Computer simulation was used as research tool.

Building performance simulation (BPS) is a powerful technique to predict the performance of a design proposal. It is extensively used towards the end of the design process to, for example, prove code compliance. However, its potential to provide design guidance early in the design process is rarely exploited. That is although decisions taken during conceptual design have a disproportionate impact on the final building performance, relative to time and effort consumed (Domeschek et al, 1994). To intensify the use of BPS early is to extend its capabilities.

A performace assessment study has been performed on the application of Stirling engine (SE) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) residential cogeneration systems in single family detached houses in Canada. Detailed mathematical component models, calibrated with measured data from prototypes, were combined into the whole-building simulation program ESP-r with synthetic electricity and domestic hot water demand profiles from calibrated event based generators to realistically forecast the Greenhouse gas emission reduction and efficiency improvement of these new technologies. Simulation models and

This paper explores effective means to opt for the optimum design solutions of commercial buildings through developing a Based-Simulation Design Support System (BSDSS). The system is established by the integration between EnergyPlus and Radiance software programs. The design alternatives of a typical private office are developed and evaluated based on multi-attribute life-cycle analysis. Results show that there is still a potential to improve the building design especially at the early stage.

Participants in building simulation supported projects are diverse (e.g. design teams, clients, project managers and simulation practitioners) and often geographically dispersed. There is much about conventional approaches to building performance assessments and work practices that reduces productivity and obscures useful indicators of performance. Often, the goal of understanding how the building works and the impact of design decisions is hampered by limitations in the presentation of performance data.

This paper aims to analyze an office building energy performance at Rio de Janeiro. Electrical power consumption profile of a building, resulting from a simulation using building energy-use simulation software, is obtained during a typical year and is shown on an hourly basis and pursuant to final uses. Thus, power consumption figures are obtained through the following final uses: lighting, office equipments, air conditioning and others.