Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

abstract: The building sector is one of the main energy consumers within the USA. Energy demand by this sector continues to increase because new buildings are being constructed faster than older ones are retired. Increase in energy demand, in addition to a number of other factors such as the finite nature of fossil fuels, population growth, building impact on global climate change, and energy insecurity and independence has led to the increase in awareness towards conservation through the design of energy efficient buildings. Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB), a highly efficient building that produces as much renewable energy as it consumes annually, provides an effective solution to this global concern. The intent of this thesis is to investigate the relationship of an important factor that has a direct impact on NZEB: Floor / Area Ratio (FAR). Investigating this relationship will help to answer a very important question in establishing NZEB in hot-arid climates such as Phoenix, Arizona. The question this thesis presents is: “How big can a building be and still be Net Zero?” When does this concept start to flip and buildings become unable to generate the required renewable energy to achieve energy balance? The investigation process starts with the analysis of a local NZEB, DPR Construction Office, to evaluate the potential increase in building footprint and FAR with respect to the current annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Through the detailed analysis of the local NZEB, in addition to the knowledge gained through research, this thesis will offer an FAR calculator tool that can be used by design teams to help assess the net zero potential of their project. The tool analyzes a number of elements within the project such as total building footprint, available surface area for photovoltaic (PV) installation, outdoor circulation and landscape area, parking area and potential parking spots, potential building area in regards to FAR, number of floors based on the building footprint, FAR, required area for photovoltaic installation, photovoltaic system size, and annual energy production, in addition to the maximum potential FAR their project can reach and still be Net Zero. / Dissertation/Thesis / FAR CALCULATOR TOOL / Masters Thesis Built Environment 2016

Most property development firms who invest in property will need to raise some extra financial support. Unforeseen or unexpected expenses can arise at any point in time during the development process. Calculated decisions should be taken with regards to the financial circumstances for any property development project. Decisions should be taken not only for the present but for the future as well. It is therefore important to understand the market and the current economic conditions before applying for capital to fund a property development project. There several types of finance available to fund property development, these include long term borrowing, short term borrowing, construction loans property development investment trust, second mortgages. There is risk to all of the aforementioned finance available.

A construção civil, e mais especificamente os empreendimentos de base imobiliária, necessitam de grandes volumes de recursos concentrados em um curto período para o desenvolvimento de seus produtos, cujo payback é de horizonte largo, dependendo assim de ferramentas que permitam alavancar os empreendimentos para que os recursos sejam utilizados nas atividades fim das empresas deste setor. Desta forma, o setor ganha em produtividade, competitividade e agilidade, incluindo a diminuição da rotatividade de sua mão-de-obra. A securitização vem ao encontro dos interesses do setor por ser um sistema flexível para a captação dos recursos que possibilita o re-direcionamento de recursos da poupança brasileira para o mercado de empreendimentos de base imobiliária. É neste contexto que o presente trabalho apresenta a securitização de empreendimentos de base imobiliária, mais especificamente de edifícios de escritório voltados à locação, como um vetor de impulsão deste mercado a partir do momento que se torna uma alternativa de investimento atrativa aos poupadores, da mesma forma como é vista em países onde este já é um procedimento consagrado. Como o Brasil ainda tem um mercado incipiente, o mercado americano, que já apresenta maturidade, será utilizado como referência para as projeções que serão feitas acerca do desenvolvimento da securitização no Brasil. Com isto, com a projeção das expectativas para o mercado paulistano de edifícios de escritórios e com a demonstração da atratividade dos papéis, pretende-se mostrar que a securitização é um meio de funding2 que pode sustentar grande parte da demanda por recursos para a implantação de novos produtos deste mercado. / Construction industry, specifically, real state ventures, needs great amount of capital concentrated on a short period of time in order to develop its products, which have a long term payback. For that reason, this sector become dependant on methods that allows the leverage of undertakings, so the entrepreneurs’ resources can be employed on the their core business. Such methods allow this sector to have significant gains in terms of productivity, competitiveness and agility, including also the diminution of its employees’ turnover. The securitization comes across the interests of this sector, as it is a flexible financial resource’s gathering system that conducts to the steering of Brazilian’s savings accounts to the real state market. On this context, the present work introduces the real state ventures securitization, focused on office buildings, as an important tool for the development of this market, as it becomes an attractive investment opportunity when compared with the savings options available on the market. As the Brazilian market is still incipient, the American market, that shows more maturity, will be used as benchmark for projections concerning the securitization’s development on Brazil. This projection, combined with São Paulo’s office building market analysis and the demonstration of the attractiveness of the securities as an investment option, will be used to demonstrate that the securitization is a funding structure that can sustain great part of the capital demand for the development of new ventures on this market.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / New and enlarged energy consumption behaviours driven by manufacturing, processing, transportation and an ever growing human population drives the increased extraction and consumption of earths' natural energy sources to such a degree that the energy sources once thought of as infinite now dwindle on the brink of exhaustion. The earth and all systems related to, and contained within it can be regarded as a finite system in which the different components interact and depend on one another. It is through the recognition of this interdependence and the dire situation thereof that a movement towards renewable energy and ultimately survival has been awakened. A movement powered by numerous commissions and associations working tirelessly to decrease environmental impacts and to improve the lives of all people living on the planet Earth. The current research investigates the Green Building Design Movement and how it contributes to a safer and healthier work and global environment. The current research not only investigates the background of the movement and reveals it as a multi facetted approach stemming from the depletion of existing energy sources and social consciences, but also provides insight to the direction which Green Design and future technological advancements are moving From the conclusions contained in this study the reader will gain a better understanding of the technology, processes and development phases used in Green Building design and how these contribute to lower emissions, lower energy consumption and a more responsible habitation of Earth and its finite systems. In conclusion, the author employs a product and alternative energy source discussion, along with a case study to practically illustrate how the knowledge gained can be applied to optimize a building and the systems within it, while reducing energy consumption and the environmental impact of the building.

Ideas of typology are pursued, expanding on popular preconceptions of automobile culture and strip architecture. The elements of type are investigated through an analysis of their physical, social, and economic relationships. An argument of complicity is developed as an alternative to the traditional "eurourbanism" common to many municipal design guidelines. This position seeks to work within the context of the existing city, taking pleasure in its margins, gaps, and adjacencies. Considering the particular physical, cultural and economic conditions of the City of Richmond, this project is framed as the identification of an emerging spatial conception and program/use. The physical space of the city is seen to be shaped most directly by the inclusion of the automobile. The cultural influences of immigration are read on the surfaces of the city and through building programme. Economic realities shape the space of the city as a commodity to be constructed, marketed, and consumed. Through the analysis of the site and contextual conditions, strategies of spatial investigation emerged: the folding of the plane of the city (street) into the space of the building, the horizontal framing of the space of the city (serving as reference and dis-locator to both the automobile and the body as these move through the spaces of the project), and the assemblage of existing types to produce hybrid/mutant types. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Many buildings underperform leading to up to 20% energy waste. Case studies on monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) have shown that using energy management and information systems (EMIS) for continuous energy monitoring and analysis enables the identification of issues that cause energy waste and verifies energy conservation measures. However, MBCx is underutilized by organizations leading to an energy efficiency gap between the energy saving potential of technologies like EMIS and observed savings. This energy efficiency gap can be attributed to general barriers to MBCx and barriers caused specifically by cognitive bias in the decision-making process. Using qualitative data from over 40 organizations implementing and practicing MBCx, this manuscript provides a better understanding of these barriers. Chapter 1 synthesizes and codes the qualitative data to develop a framework of variables acting as barriers and enablers to MBCx. The framework highlights commonly experienced barriers like data configuration, and also variables with conflicting results like payback/return on investment, which was experienced as a barrier to some organizations and enabler to others. Chapter 2 examines the barriers to MBCx through a behavioral decision science lens and finds evidence of cognitive biases, specifically, risk aversion, social norms, choice overload, status quo bias, information overload, professional bias, and temporal discounting. The success of choice architecture in other energy efficiency decisions is used to offer suggestions for ways to overcome these cognitive biases. This manuscript can be used by practitioners to better understand potential barriers to MBCx and by researchers to prioritize gaps and find methods to overcome the barriers to MBCx. / Master of Science

The base tGSt method has been proposed by Carballo, Holzer and Murray [5] as a means of determining the strength of standing seam roof systems under gravity loading. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the accuracy of the base test method. To do this, eleven sets of tests were performed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (VPl&SU). Each test set consisted of a single span base test from which a failure load was predicted for the corresponding three span confirming test. Results of two test sets recorded in Reference [5] were also used to evaluate the method. A secondary objective of this thesis is to comment on the effects that system components (purlin orientation, clip type, bracing configuration, panel type, insulation and purlin type) have on the strength of the system. Results from proprietary tests conducted at VPI & SU were used in conjunction with the results from this research to accomplish the secondary objective. / Master of Science

It is the intent of this thesis to compare the most common problems being faced by today's American cities with those of Staunton. By applying the principles of good planning and common logic, an abbreviated plan for relieving the problems of the commercial district will be evolved. The plan is further intended to incite the leaders and citizens of Staunton to launch an urban renewal project that will serve as a guide to intelligent and continuous planning. / Master of Science

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are active loads as they increase the demand for electricity and introduce several challenges to electrical distribution feeders during charging. Demand Response (DR) or performing load control in commercial buildings along with the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) and ice storage systems at the building level can improve the efficiency of electricity grids and mitigate expensive peak demand/energy charges for buildings. This research aims to provide such a solution to make EV penetration transparent to the grid. Firstly, this research contributes to the development of an integrated control of major loads, i.e., Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting and plug loads while maintaining occupant environmental preferences in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings which are an untapped DR resource. Secondly, this research contributes to improvement in functionalities of EnergyPlus by incorporating a 1-minute resolution data set at the individual plug load level. The research evaluates total building power consumption performance taking into account interactions among lighting, plug load, HVAC and control systems in a realistic manner. Third, this research presents a model to study integrated control of PV and ice storage on improving building operation in demand responsive buildings. The research presents the impact of deploying various combinations of PV and ice storage to generate additional benefits, including clean energy generation from PV and valley filling from ice storage, in commercial buildings. Fourth, this research presents a coordinated load control strategy, among participating commercial buildings in a distribution feeder to optimally control buildings' major loads without sacrificing occupant comfort and ice storage discharge, along with strategically deployed PV to absorb EV penetration. Demand responsive commercial building load profiles and field recorded EV charging profiles have been added to a real world distribution circuit to analyze the effects of EV penetration, together with real-world PV output profiles. Instead of focusing on individual building's economic benefits, the developed approach considers both technical and economic benefits of the whole distribution feeder, including maintaining distribution-level load factor within acceptable ranges and reducing feeder losses. / Ph. D.