1. |
- Davidsson, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Hybrid Ventilation with Innovative Heat Recovery—A System Analysis
- 2013
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-5309. ; 3, s. 245-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the most important factors when low energy houses are built is to have good heat recovery on the ventilation system. However, standard ventilation units use a considerable amount of electricity. This article discusses the consequences on a system level of using hybrid ventilation with heat recovery. The simulation program TRNSYS was used in order to investigate a ventilation system with heat recovery. The system also includes a ground source storage and waste water heat recovery system. The result of the analysis shows that the annual energy gain from ground source storage is limited. However, this is partly a consequence of the fact that the well functioning hybrid ventilation system leaves little room for improvements. The analysis shows that the hybrid ventilation system has potential to be an attractive solution for low energy buildings with a very low need for electrical energy.
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2. |
- Davidsson, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of a Heat Exchanger Suitable for a Hybrid Ventilation System
- 2013
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-5309. ; 3, s. 18-38
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A key component in low energy houses is the heat recovery from the ventilation air. Over recent years, the most frequently used ventilation type is the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. This kind of ventilation results in high heat recovery but does unfortunately consume a considerable amount of electrical energy. Natural or hybrid ventilation has the potential to consume less electricity but normally lacks heat recovery, leading to high-energy consumption for heating, and potentially low comfort. This article describes an investigation of a natural/hybrid ventilation system equipped with heat recovery. One of the key challenges in designing the heat exchanger is to keep the pressure drop low. At the same time the heat recovery rate has to be high. The results from the measurements show that it is possible to design a water-to-air heat exchanger with a temperature efficiency of approximately 80% with a pressure drop of about 1 Pa at air flows corresponding to 0.35 L/(s∙m²) building area. This type of ventilation system has the potential to offer a high thermal comfort, high heat recovery rate at the same time as the electrical consumption from fans is kept low. Old buildings with a natural ventilation system without heat recovery could also be retrofitted with this type of ventilation system.
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3. |
- Schönbeck, Pia, et al.
(author)
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Quantitative Review of Construction 4.0 Technology Presence in Construction Project Research
- 2020
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-5309. ; 10:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of technologies associated with the fourth industrial revolution is rapid. Construction 4.0 represents the architecture, engineering, construction and operations industries exploration of new technologies, equivalent to Industry 4.0 for the manufacturing industry. These concepts address multiple perspectives besides the technological, such as management and processes. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent research regarding construction projects addresses information and communication, automatisation or industrialisation technologies. A scoping review was the method used to perform a quantitative analysis of over two thousand journal papers published from 2015 onwards. The results show that new technologies are addressed separately, while synergy studies are uncommon. Longitudinal analyses show that there was no significant increase in journal papers concerning new technologies from 2015 to 2019. Information and communication was the search criterion with the least number of papers found. The environmental perspective of new technologies was present but the least common from 2019 to 2020. Hence, this review shows that there is an extensive research gap regarding Construction 4.0 technologies in the context of construction projects. Studies regarding synergy and environmental effects of new technologies should increase to start the progress towards a successful entry into the fourth industrial revolution.
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4. |
- Zalejska-Jonsson, Agnieszka
(author)
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Perceived Acoustic Quality and Effect on Occupants’ Satisfaction in Green and Conventional Residential Buildings
- 2019
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-5309. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study presented in this paper focuses on the subjective opinions of occupants of multistory residential buildings by examining the relationship between occupants’ satisfaction and indoor environment quality, and analysing the effect the problems experienced with noise level may have on general satisfaction and the perceived acoustic quality. The analysis is based on data collected through surveys addressed to adults living in green and conventional buildings. The results show that occupants are very satisfied with their apartments, and subjectively rated acoustic quality received very high scores. The responses indicate that noise from neighbours has been experienced relatively seldom by occupants; however, the analysis shows that it is the factor that has the strongest effect on satisfaction with acoustic quality. We have found that the environmental profile of a building has a significant effect on general satisfaction expressed by occupants; however, this effect has not been confirmed for acoustic quality.
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5. |
- Petrović, Bojana, et al.
(author)
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Carbon Assessment of a Wooden Single-Family Building : Focusing on Re-Used Building Products
- 2024
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In: Buildings. - 2075-5309. ; 14:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous research has shown a lack of studies with comparisons between primary (virgin) and secondary (re-used) building materials, and their embodied emissions. The creation of different scenarios comparing the environmental impact of virgin vs. re-used materials is also motivated by the scarcity of raw materials in the world and the emergency of mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings. The aim of this study was to investigate scenarios, including new vs. re-used building products, applying the LCA method for a wooden single-family building. The findings showed a 23% reduction potential for total released (positive) CO2e when comparing the Reference scenario with Scenario I, using re-used wooden-based materials. Further, Scenario II, using all re-used building materials except for installations, showed a 59% CO2e reduction potential compared to the Reference scenario. Finally, Scenario III, which assumes all re-used building products, showed a 92% decreased global warming potential (GWP) impact compared to the Reference scenario. However, when including biogenic carbon and benefits (A5 and D module), the Reference scenario, based on newly produced wooden building materials, has the largest negative GHG emissions. It can be concluded that the re-use of building products leads to significant carbon savings compared to using new building products.
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6. |
- Shen, Jingchun, et al.
(author)
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Enhancing Indoor Environmental Quality and Sustainability in Post-Pandemic Office Settings : A Study on Displacement Ventilation Feasibility
- 2023
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In: Buildings. - 2075-5309. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed global efforts toward transitioning to a sustainable society, driving rapid innovation in building technologies, working practices, building design, and whole life cycle environmental impact consideration. In this pursuit, this study explores the enduring impact of these on an alternative ventilation approach for both existing building renovations and new building implementations. Comparing displacement ventilation to mixed-mode ventilation in a Finnish office building with varying occupancy densities, this study examines indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, total building energy performance, and embodied carbon. The findings reveal that the basic case of mixed ventilation has a specified system primary energy value of 38.83 kWh/m2 (with 28 occupants) and 39.00 kWh/m2 (with 24 occupants), respectively. With the displacement ventilation alternative, it reduces this by 0.3% and 0.1%, enhancing thermal comfort and decreasing turbulence as well as having a marginal decrease in embodied carbon. In general, the study offers three-fold contributions: insights into post-pandemic office mechanical ventilation design with an emphasis on sustainability and ecological footprint considerations, a concrete case study addressing climate action and human-centric IAQ design, and a multifaceted analysis using the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) paradigm, contributing to the groundwork for associated future research and policy progress.
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7. |
- Akıner, İ., et al.
(author)
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The memetic evolution of latin american architectural design culture
- 2021
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI. - 2075-5309. ; 11:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Architecture is an evolutionary field. Through time, it changes and adapts itself according to two things: the environment and the user, which are the touchstones of the concept of culture. Culture changes in long time intervals because of its cumulative structure, so its effects can be observed on a large scale. A nation displays itself with its culture and uses architecture as a tool to convey its cultural identity. This dual relationship between architecture and culture can be observed at various times and in various lands, most notably in Latin American designers. The geographical positions of Latin American nations and their political situations in the twentieth century leads to the occurrence of a recognizable cultural identity, and it influenced the architectural design language of that region. The nonlinear forms in architecture were once experienced commonly around Latin America, and this design expression shows itself in the designers’ other works through time and around the world. The cultural background of Latin American architecture investigated within this study, in terms of their design approach based upon the form and effect of Latin American culture on this architectural design language, is examined with the explanation of the concept of culture by two leading scholars: Geert Hofstede and Richard Dawkins. This paper nevertheless puts together architecture and semiology by considering key twentieth century philosophers and cultural theorist methodologies. Cultural theorist and analyst Roland Barthes was the first person to ask architects to examine the possibility of bringing semiology and architectural theory together. Following an overview of existing semiological conditions, this paper analyzed Roland Barthes and Umberto Eco’s hypothesis of the semiological language of architectural designs of Latin American designers by examining their cultural origin. The work’s findings express the historical conditions that enabled the contemporary architecture and culture study of Latin America between 1945 and 1975 to address the “Latin American model” of architectural modernism.
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8. |
- Ameen, Arman, 1976-, et al.
(author)
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Experimental Evaluation of the Ventilation Effectiveness of Corner Stratum Ventilation in an Office Environment
- 2019
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI. - 2075-5309. ; 9:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An experimental study was conducted in a room resembling an office in a laboratory environment. The study involved investigating the ability of corner-placed stratum ventilation in order to evaluate the ventilation’s effectiveness and local thermal comfort. At fixed positions, the air temperature, air velocity, turbulence intensity, and tracer gas decay measurements were carried out. The results show that corner-placed stratum ventilation behaves very similar to a mixing ventilation system when considering air change effectiveness. The performance of the system was better at lower supply air flow rates for heat removal effectiveness. For the heating cases, the draught rates were all very low, with the maximum measured value of 12%. However, for the cooling cases, the maximum draught rate was 20% and occurred at ankle level in the middle of the room.
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9. |
- Arvidsson, Emma, et al.
(author)
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Quantification of the absorption and scattering effects of diffusers in a room with absorbent ceiling
- 2021
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-5309. ; 11:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In ordinary public rooms, such as classrooms and offices, an absorbent ceiling is the typical first acoustic action. This treatment provides a good acoustic baseline. However, an improvement of specific room acoustic parameters, operating for specific frequencies, can be needed. It has been seen that diffusing elements can be effective additional treatment. In order to choose the right design, placement, and quantity of diffusers, a model to estimate the effect on the acoustics is necessary. This study evaluated whether an SEA model could be used for that purpose, particularly for the cases where diffusers are used in combination with an absorbent ceiling. It was investigated whether the model could handle different quantities of diffusing elements, varied diffusion characteristics, and varied installation patterns. It was found that the model was sensitive to these changes, given that the output from the model in terms of acoustic properties will be reflected by the change of diffuser configuration design. It was also seen that the absorption and scattering of the diffusers could be quantified in a laboratory environment: a reverberation chamber. Through the SEA model, these quantities could be transformed to a full-scale room for estimation of the room acoustic parameters.
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10. |
- Bahrami, Alireza, et al.
(author)
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Strengthening solutions for deep reinforced concrete beam with cutout opening
- 2021
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In: Buildings. - : MDPI. - 2075-5309. ; 11:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since reinforced concrete (RC) buildings have long service life, cutout openings are generally needed in their load‐bearing walls as a sustainable solution in order to meet new requirements of their users. However, the cutout openings decrease the load‐bearing capacity of the walls, which may result in the failure of the buildings. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of making a door opening in a load‐bearing RC wall of an existing building in Gävle in Sweden. The wall studied in the current paper rests on two individual supports at its two ends; thus, it is considered as a deep beam. However, it is called an examined wall (EW) here. The StruSoft FEM‐Design software is used in this study to model, analyze, and design the building based on the Eurocodes and Swedish national annex. The potential need for the EW to be strengthened when the cutout opening is made is also evaluated. It is concluded that strengthening the EW with cutout opening is needed. Different strengthening solutions are proposed for the EW. Moreover, the situation of the EW with the solutions is assessed with regard to the utilization ratio, deflection, and weight. Consequently, it is demonstrated that the proposed strengthening solutions function well for the EW.
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