apartment building

Advancing energy efficient renovation solutions in buildings necessitate adopting high-insulation and airtightness to avoid heat loss through transmission and infiltration, which can result in overheating. Elevated indoor temperatures have a highly negative effect on building occupants’ health, wellbeing and productivity. With the possibility of remote working, people spend more time at home, and therefore addressing the elevated indoor temperatures and the overheating risks in residential buildings proves to be essential.

Energy losses from forced air distribution systems have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. Little work has been done to quantify these losses in apartment buildings. In this paper we will discuss field measurements made on four forced air heating systems to evaluate the duct system energy losses to unconditioned basements. The apartments were heated by natural gas furnaces located in the basements. The systems had bare sheet metal ductwork exposed to the basement conditions.

In Nordic countries overheating and cooling systems have not been the issue in apartment buildings. Historically and even in the beginning of 2000 there were not indicated such problems. New architecture with larger windows and strict energy performance requirements has changed the situation. If adequate measures are not used, new buildings may be easily overheated.

Energy losses from forced air distribution systems have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. Little work has been done to quantify these losses in apartment buildings. In this paper we will discuss field measurements made on four forced air heating systems to evaluate the duct system energy losses to unconditioned basements. The apartments were heated by natural gas furnaces located in the basements. The systems had bare sheet metal ductwork exposed to the basement conditions.

The comparison of indoor temperatures measured in different Beijing buildings without air conditioners allowed those conclusions : the indoor temperature is different according to the floor at which a room is located , a high insulation of external walls and roof, along with a proper location of fenestrations and window shading can reduce incidence of solar radiations and improve indoor climates of the room.

Residential buildings in Korea are equipped with only radiant heating systems (Ondol). Fenestration openings alone provide the ventilation, and the system is dependent on occupant control. Describes studies of the ventilation in these buildings carried out to assess the health of the indoor climate. The present study suggests strategies for maintaining the healthy environment and obtains data for the applications of ventilation systems to high-rise apartment buildings. Compares IAQ levels and ventilation rates for natural and mechanical ventilation.

Residential apartments in Hong Kong are usually equipped with up to three window-type air conditioners, placed in living rooms and bedrooms, operated over seven months of hot and humid weather. Analyses the arrangement of room furniture to minimise cold air draughts. The performances were modelled using FLOVENT.

Intelligent coordination of the thermodynamical and air ventilation processes can achieve the necessary compromise between comfort demands, necessary air exchange and low heating costs. A new user demand guided field bus based coordination of single room control and air change rate control is developed and tested for a commercial building automation system. A reconstructed block of 65 flats was used in the field test to show that the control strategy ensures the necessary air exchange in an energy-efficient manner.

A performance evaluation of two passive cooling strategies is presented: daytime ventilation and night cooling, for a six storey apartment building in Beijing and Shanghai, China. A coupled, transient simulation approach is used in order to model heat transfer and air flow. CFD is used to simulate wind-driven ventilation, and Fanger's comfort model is used for occupant thermal comfort. States that the results indicate the superiority of night cooling over daytime ventilation, although there is a high condensation risk. For Shanghai neither were found to be suitable.

Maisonettes, duplexes and triplexes in the city of Montreal have enjoyed much success since they were first built some 60 to 100 years ago. They currently account for half of the city's dwelling units. However, they pose some problems in today's context. Current standards and various innovations in new housing construction serve to underscore some of the limitations. Rooms can be small, kitchen can be dysfunctional, there is little storage space. Describes research carried out to look at the potential for revitalizing plex housing.