This study examines the use of building modeling and energy simulations in the design process  of  a  building.  The  take-off  point  is  the  notion  of  energy  simulations  being needed early and throughout the building design process, and that the lack of energy simulations may be explained by the fact that they are time consuming and therefore often too expensive. A greater interoperability between software tools used by relevant disciplines,  such  as  the  architect  and  the  energy  specialist,  would  create  smoother workflows, which would reduce this cost and open up for more frequent and iterative energy  simulation  processes.  The  study  is  an  assessment  of  the  modeling  tool  Revit and  the  simulation  tool  Virtual  Environment  and  whether  they  can  create  smoother workflows, and make leeway for a more frequent use of energy simulations throughout the  design  process.  It  also  investigates  the  limitations  of  what  can  be  examined  by simulations in Virtual Environment. This will hopefully help clarify the future role of energy  simulations  in  design  processes.  The  method  is  a  trial  by  error  approach  of testing the two software tools by building and simulating a model. The results of these tests  show  that  the  workflow  is  not  optimal  (and  therefore  time  consuming)  for frequent  and  iterative simulations  throughout the  design  process,  but  it  also  reveals some  great  possibilities  of  what  can  be  performed  with  these  two  powerful  tools  at hand.  Further  development  with  regards  on  platform  independency  of  the  building information  model,  including  seamless  exporting  and  importing,  seems  necessary  to strengthen the future role of energy simulations.

Der DIN-Fachbericht 13 „Bau- und Nutzungsplanung von wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken“ zählt seit 1988 zu den wichtigsten Planungsinstrumenten für den Bibliotheksbau. Ein DIN-Fachbericht stellt keine verbindliche Norm dar. Seine Aussagen besitzen lediglich empfehlenden Charakter. Trotzdem wurden vor allem die quantitativen Kernaussagen zum Flächenbedarf von Beständen, Nutzerarbeitsplätzen und speziellen Funktionen im DIN-Fachbericht 13 von Trägern, Bauherren und Architekten als Grundlage für die Planung konkreter Projekte weitgehend anerkannt. Die Aussagen des DIN-Fachberichtes haben schon deshalb erheblichen Einfluss auf Bibliotheksplanungen in Deutschland – und sogar darüber hinaus, denn sie werden wegen ihrer Detailliertheit und Vollständigkeit in der internationalen Normenentwicklung geschätzt und als Vorbild betrachtet. Als ambitioniertes Ziel nahm sich das DIN diesmal nicht nur eine Aktualisierung, sondern auch eine Erweiterung um Belange von Öffentlichen Bibliotheken und Archiven vor.

Construction and operation of commercial and residential buildings in the United States have been identified as the single largest sector of energy consumption and contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Subsequently, buildings must be a primary target for reductions. From short-term incentives, to long-term milestones, building energy efficiency, specifically net zero energy buildings, have emerged as a significant and unprecedented objective for a variety of public and private organizations in the United States. Altering the practices of the building culture requires not only technological innovation, but also an understanding of how practitioners within the building culture see their role in transforming it. Consequently my research seeks to understand how building industry professionals comprehend their capacity to influence the cultural boundaries of their profession in order to account for and mitigate the impacts of energy and emissions in the built environment. Ultimately, this study is an investigation into the social construction of technological change. The AIA+2030 Professional Series offered by the Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has served as the single case study for this investigation. By limiting local conditions to the Denver-based Series and defining advocates as the self-selected group of participants, I’ve narrowed this analysis to reflect a workable microcosm of practitioners who are committed to the investigation and integration of net zero energy design, construction, and building operation practices. In order to substantiate this empirical analysis, I employed a triangulated series of data collection and interpretation consisting of: participant observation, interviews, and a survey. Data analysis involved an iterative process of coding and categorizing the primary key words and themes that emerged throughout my investigation. Each of the perspectives offered during this investigation indicate that architects who are advocates of net zero energy building design perceive that consequential opportunities for fundamental change exist within the social and cultural facets of the building culture. Ultimately, by preferencing social and cultural activism over technological manipulation, these advocates have corroborated the notion that technological change is fundamentally rooted in social change. / text

This research examines the practice, buildings and projects of Building Design Group Architects (BDG), a collaborative of architects and students in Durban during the period 1968-1977. It traces the careers of its principal members, firstly as students at the University of Natal, and later in private practice through the formation and practice of BDG. BDG operated at the fringes of conventional practice. Through a diminished office hierarchy, a team culture was established whereby the endeavors of all personnel were to the common purpose of furthering the architectural objectives of the practice. Responsibilities were shared by qualified architects and students alike. BDG were young and uninhibited by the dogmas of the established profession, architectural compromise being supplanted by investigation and experimentation. The practice operated in a studio atmosphere where a heightened expectation was imposed on each project design and individual concerned. The resulting product of the practice was a vibrant oeuvre of work, predominantly residential; the designs asked questions of the conventions of building form, spatial relationships, technology and building economics. The answers to these questions manifested in an architecture resonating with regional identity. The study identifies the early careers of many important architects who were associated with BDG, and who would contribute to the development of contemporary South African architecture. Paul Mikula, Bryan Lee, John Edgar, Brian Kearney as founding members of BDG would shape the direction of the practice and beyond. They were joined at various stages and durations by Kevin MacGarry, Colin Savage, Tony Wilson, Peter Wilkinson, Bruce Stafford, Luis Ferreira da Silva and Jo Noero, all of whom would later start their own independent practices. However, what emerges from the study is the pivotal role of Paul Mikula in the account of BDG. It was his vigor, vision, passion and talent for design that ignited the practice and drew the attention of the local architectural fraternity. The influence of his work and personality was felt by all those around him; he has significantly marked the architectural landscape of the region, and this study promotes the recognition of Paul Mikula as a significant South African architect. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of Natal, 2003.

Uppsala kommun has acquired the land at Ulleråkerand the plan is that it should be the starting point forthe new southeast district. The area is supposed toinclude 8000 new homes. The idea is also that the areashould be a new modern energy-efficient district. Thisreport examines how much energy that could be savedby using a passive house integrated design instead oftodays standard. Simulations in Matlab regarding localenergy utilization has also been done. Calculationsshow that the passive house integrated designgenerates in a total energy saving of 49 per centcompared to the standard house. The local electricalproduction comes from solar cell panels placed on theroofs and facades and the installed power is 19.8 MW.The production covers 80.3 per cent of the totalenergy demand or 91.4 per cent of the electricaldemand per year. But the systems production ismismatched to the local demand for electricity.

The primary energy costs of building materials and structures are discussed and comparisons are made between typical dwelling types. The economics of alternative wall, roof and floor constructions, providing various levels of insulationy are examined. Costs are assessed for a number of periods from 1970 to early 1980 for heating by gas and night rate electricity. The effect of price changes-on the economic attractiveness of insulation is investigated and the likely effects of future price rises are considered. It is concluded that, in certain circumstances, higher levels of insulation than those normally used in the UK have been economically attractive for the last few years and may possibly become more so. A survey of over fifty local authority houses with central heating, carried out by the author in Spring 1978, is described. Three types of houses of similar size were involved, having gas-fired 'wet' systems, and ducted warm air heating from electric storage and gas-fired units respectively. The survey was designed to determine certain aspects of occupant behaviour relevant to fuel consumption. Using regression techniques, relationships are obtained which explain more than two thirds of the variance of mean useful energy input rate between the houses of a given type in cold weather in terms of hours of use of central heating window opening habits, and for warm air heating, the closing of outlet registers. It was also revealed that for the house types with gas-fired heating the number of hours of use of the central heating was strongly influenced by household size and occupancy patterns. The implications for building design of the effects of occupant behaviour and of financial and energy costs are discussed.

An important element in the building fire safety of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong since 1996 has been the use of refuge floors in the building's evacuation system. To prevent smoke collecting and remaining in the refuge floors, the Building Code of Hong Kong requires these floors to have openings on opposite sides to provide adequate wind-induced ventilation. Other researchers using CFD simulations without wind tunnel verification have indicated that under certain conditions smoke could still remain on these floors and thereby reducing the fire safety of the refuge floors. This thesis explores these situations and presents a detailed scientific investigation of the wind movement in and around a refuge floor at mid-height of a high-rise building using wind tunnel testing together with CFD simulations (using CFD CFX-5.6 package). Besides identifying problem areas for smoke logging, this thesis also identifies how the design of a refuge floor can be modified to improve its fire safety. A significant factor on the fire safety of a refuge floor is the blocking effect of the building's central core and its effect on the wind-induced ventilation. Under Hong Kong Building Code, the central core can occupy up to 50% of the refuge floor. Previous investigators did not take into consideration the effect of the maximum core size on natural ventilation of the refuge floor. This thesis investigates the worst case scenario for a refuge floor that has a core occupying 50% of the floor and has two solid walls on opposite side of the floor to identify the problem areas where smoke could collect and remain. In exploring the worst case scenario with two parallel solid walls, the investigations revealed that the ceiling height and the wind direction have a significant effect on the wind ventilation of the refuge floor. These factors were not identified by previous investigators. In the case of the ceiling height, it was found that the head height of the refuge floor should be greater than 0.02 times the building height to achieve the desirable wind environment on the refuge floor. Regarding wind directions, the wind from most angles escapes the floor via the channel-like corridors next to the central core of the building. The main problem area occurred when the wind was perpendicular to the solid side walls. This resulted in noticeable stagnant areas where smoke could remain. To validate the CFD method used in the thesis, wind tunnel experiments were performed to provide the scientific field velocity data of wind flowing over the building and in the refuge floor located at mid-height of the building. Earlier researchers of the refuge floor did not have access to wind tunnel data of a refuge floor. In comparing the wind tunnel experiments with the CFD simulations used in the thesis, acceptable agreement was achieved. These results make it possible for a significant reduction in the CFD computational effort that previous studies required. Based on the findings of the investigations undertaken, design recommendations are proposed to improve the fire safety of the refuge floor in multistorey buildings in Hong Kong.

The thesis deals with a proposed layout of a multi-storey apartment building on the territory of the town of České Budějovice. The thesis contains a literary overview to inform the reader about the issues of design documents, analysis of the land use plan for the corporate town of České Budějovice in connection with the building location and, last but not least, related design documents in agreement with the applicable decree. The objective of this thesis was to develop the design documents meeting the low energy consumption standard, i.e. meeting all current requirements for modern and energy-saving construction projects, in terms of the appearance, employed technologies and materials. An integral part of the results is a placement of the project in a suitable location, as outlined by the land use plan. The thesis is concluded with an evaluation of the architectural and structural solution and of the selected materials in respect to the low energy consumption standard of the building.

abstract: This research is aimed at studying the impact of building design parameters in terms of their importance and mutual interaction, and how these aspects vary across climates and HVAC system types. A methodology is proposed for such a study, by examining the feasibility and use of two different statistical methods to derive all realistic ‘near-optimum’ solutions which might be lost using a simple optimization technique. DOE prototype medium office building compliant with ASHRAE 90.1-2010 was selected for the analysis and four different HVAC systems in three US climates were simulated. The interaction between building design parameters related to envelope characteristics and geometry (total of seven variables) has been studied using two different statistical methods, namely the ‘Morris method’ and ‘Predictive Learning via Rule Ensembles’. Subsequently, a simple graphical tool based on sensitivity analysis has been developed and demonstrated to present the results from parametric simulations. This tool would be useful to better inform design decisions since it allows imposition of constraints on various parameters and visualize their interaction with other parameters. It was observed that the Radiant system performed best in all three climates, followed by displacement ventilation system. However, it should be noted that this study did not deal with performance optimization of HVAC systems while there have been several studies which concluded that a VAV system with better controls can perform better than some of the newer HVAC technologies. In terms of building design parameters, it was observed that ‘Ceiling Height’, ‘Window-Wall Ratio’ and ‘Window Properties’ showed highest importance as well as interaction as compared to other parameters considered in this study, for all HVAC systems and climates. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to extend such analysis using statistical methods such as the ‘Morris method’, which require much fewer simulations to categorize parameters based on their importance and interaction strength. Usage of statistical methods like ‘Rule Ensembles’ or other simple visual tools to analyze simulation results for all combinations of parameters that show interaction would allow designers to make informed and superior design decisions while benefiting from large reduction in computational time. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Built Environment 2015

abstract: The ability to design high performance buildings has acquired great importance in recent years due to numerous federal, societal and environmental initiatives. However, this endeavor is much more demanding in terms of designer expertise and time. It requires a whole new level of synergy between automated performance prediction with the human capabilities to perceive, evaluate and ultimately select a suitable solution. While performance prediction can be highly automated through the use of computers, performance evaluation cannot, unless it is with respect to a single criterion. The need to address multi-criteria requirements makes it more valuable for a designer to know the "latitude" or "degrees of freedom" he has in changing certain design variables while achieving preset criteria such as energy performance, life cycle cost, environmental impacts etc. This requirement can be met by a decision support framework based on near-optimal "satisficing" as opposed to purely optimal decision making techniques. Currently, such a comprehensive design framework is lacking, which is the basis for undertaking this research. The primary objective of this research is to facilitate a complementary relationship between designers and computers for Multi-Criterion Decision Making (MCDM) during high performance building design. It is based on the application of Monte Carlo approaches to create a database of solutions using deterministic whole building energy simulations, along with data mining methods to rank variable importance and reduce the multi-dimensionality of the problem. A novel interactive visualization approach is then proposed which uses regression based models to create dynamic interplays of how varying these important variables affect the multiple criteria, while providing a visual range or band of variation of the different design parameters. The MCDM process has been incorporated into an alternative methodology for high performance building design referred to as Visual Analytics based Decision Support Methodology [VADSM]. VADSM is envisioned to be most useful during the conceptual and early design performance modeling stages by providing a set of potential solutions that can be analyzed further for final design selection. The proposed methodology can be used for new building design synthesis as well as evaluation of retrofits and operational deficiencies in existing buildings. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Architecture 2013