Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study Summarized Data - HVAC Characteristics

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study Information on the characteristics of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system(s) in the entire BASE building including types of ventilation, equipment configurations, and operation and maintenance issues was acquired by examining the building plans, conducting a building walk-through, and speaking with the building owner, manager, and/or operator.

Building application of solar energy. Study no. 2: Representative buildings for solar energy performance analysis and market penetration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirshberg, A. S.

1975-01-01

The following topics are discussed: (1) Assignment of population to microclimatic zones; (2) specifications of the mix of buildings in the SCE territory; (3) specification of four typical buildings for thermal analysis and market penetration studies; (4) identification of the materials and energy conserving characteristics of these typical buildings; (5) specifications of the HVAC functions used in each typical building, and determination of the HVAC systems used in each building; and (6) identification of the type of fuel used in each building.

Developing a landscape of urban building energy use with improved spatiotemporal representations in a cool-humid climate

DOE PAGES

Li, Wenliang; Zhou, Yuyu; Cetin, Kristen S.; ...

2018-03-24

Urban buildings account for up to 75% of total energy use in the United States (U.S.). Understanding urban building energy use is important for developing feasible options to mitigate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, an improved bottom-up building energy use model, named City Building Energy Use Model (CityBEUM), was developed to estimate building energy use for all buildings in Polk County, Iowa. First, 28 commercial and 6 residential building prototypes were designed by combing Assessor's parcel data and building footprint data. Then, the EnergyPlus in the CityBEUM was calibrated for all building prototypes using the U.S.more » Energy Information Administration's survey data, monthly utility meter data, and actual weather data. Finally, spatial and temporal variations of building energy use in the study area were estimated using the CityBEUM. Results indicate that the spatial variation of building energy use in the study area can be captured using the CityBEUM. With the monthly-calibrated model, the temporal pattern of urban building energy use can be well represented. The comparison of building energy use using the Typical Meteorological Year and actual weather data demonstrates the importance of using actual weather data in building energy modeling for an improved temporal representation.« less

Developing a landscape of urban building energy use with improved spatiotemporal representations in a cool-humid climate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Wenliang; Zhou, Yuyu; Cetin, Kristen S.

Urban buildings account for up to 75% of total energy use in the United States (U.S.). Understanding urban building energy use is important for developing feasible options to mitigate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, an improved bottom-up building energy use model, named City Building Energy Use Model (CityBEUM), was developed to estimate building energy use for all buildings in Polk County, Iowa. First, 28 commercial and 6 residential building prototypes were designed by combing Assessor's parcel data and building footprint data. Then, the EnergyPlus in the CityBEUM was calibrated for all building prototypes using the U.S.more » Energy Information Administration's survey data, monthly utility meter data, and actual weather data. Finally, spatial and temporal variations of building energy use in the study area were estimated using the CityBEUM. Results indicate that the spatial variation of building energy use in the study area can be captured using the CityBEUM. With the monthly-calibrated model, the temporal pattern of urban building energy use can be well represented. The comparison of building energy use using the Typical Meteorological Year and actual weather data demonstrates the importance of using actual weather data in building energy modeling for an improved temporal representation.« less

Understanding Human Perception of Building Categories in Virtual 3d Cities - a User Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tutzauer, P.; Becker, S.; Niese, T.; Deussen, O.; Fritsch, D.

2016-06-01

Virtual 3D cities are becoming increasingly important as a means of visually communicating diverse urban-related information. To get a deeper understanding of a human's cognitive experience of virtual 3D cities, this paper presents a user study on the human ability to perceive building categories (e.g. residential home, office building, building with shops etc.) from geometric 3D building representations. The study reveals various dependencies between geometric properties of the 3D representations and the perceptibility of the building categories. Knowledge about which geometries are relevant, helpful or obstructive for perceiving a specific building category is derived. The importance and usability of such knowledge is demonstrated based on a perception-guided 3D building abstraction process.

Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study: Quality Assurance Project Plan

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This supplement describes QA/QC aspects of the implementation of the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air's BASE protocol including: recruitment of study buildings, execution of field studies in each building, and the processing and coordination of each building's ata for final submittal to EPA.

Object Based Building Extraction and Building Period Estimation from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comert, Resul; Kaplan, Onur

2018-04-01

The aim of this study is to examine whether it is possible to estimate the building periods with respect to the building heights in the urban scale seismic performance assessment studies by using the building height retrieved from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data. For this purpose, a small area, which includes eight residential reinforced concrete buildings, was selected in Eskisehir (Turkey) city center. In this paper, the possibilities of obtaining the building heights that are used in the estimation of building periods from UAV based data, have been investigated. The investigations were carried out in 3 stages; (i) Building boundary extraction with Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA), (ii) height calculation for buildings of interest from nDSM and accuracy assessment with the terrestrial survey. (iii) Estimation of building period using height information. The average difference between the periods estimated according to the heights obtained from field measurements and from the UAV data is 2.86 % and the maximum difference is 13.2 %. Results of this study have shown that the building heights retrieved from the UAV data can be used in the building period estimation in the urban scale vulnerability assessments.

ASSESSMENT OF VENTILATION RATES IN 100 BASE OFFICE BUILDINGS

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air studied 100 public and private office buildings across the U.S. from 1994-1998. The purpose of the study, entitled The Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study (BASE), was to: a) provide a distribution of IAQ, building, and...

Center for the Built Environment: Research on Controls and Information

Science.gov Websites

Foundation Complex Case Study Publications Research Area : Sustainability, Whole Building Energy, and Other commercial building energy use. Krege Foundation Complex Case Study Analyzing performance of LEED platinum criteria for high performance buildings. Building test equipment The first in-depth case study was

Low-cost and no-cost practice to achieve energy efficiency of government office buildings: A case study in federal territory of Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Ibrahim, Amlus

2016-08-01

This paper presents the findings of a case study to achieve energy-efficient performance of conventional office buildings in Malaysia. Two multi-storey office buildings in Federal Territory of Malaysia have been selected. The aim is to study building energy saving potential then to highlight the appropriate measures that can be implemented. Data was collected using benchmarking method by comparing the measured consumption to other similar office buildings and a series of preliminary audit which involves interviews, a brief review of utility and operating data as well as a walkthrough in the buildings. Additionally, in order to get a better understanding of major energy consumption in the selected buildings, general audit have been conducted to collect more detailed information about building operation. In the end, this study emphasized low-cost and no-cost practice to achieve energy efficiency with significant results in some cases.

Green Building Premium Cost Analysis in Indonesia Using Work Breakdown Structure Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basten, V.; Latief, Y.; Berawi, M. A.; Riswanto; Muliarto, H.

2018-03-01

The concept of green building in the construction industry is indispensable for mitigating environmental issues such as waste, pollution, and carbon emissions. There are some countries that have Green Building rating tools. Indonesia particularly is the country which has Greenship rating tools but the number of Green Building is relatively low. Development of building construction is depended on building investors or owner initiation, so this research is conducted to get the building aspects that have significant effect on the attractiveness using The Green Building Concept. The method in this research is work breakdown structure method that detailing the green building activities. The particular activities will be processed to get the cost elements for the green building achievement that it was targeted to improve better than conventional building. The final result of the study was a very significant work package on green building construction in the city of Indonesia case study.

Demonstration of reduced-order urban scale building energy models

DOE PAGES

Heidarinejad, Mohammad; Mattise, Nicholas; Dahlhausen, Matthew; ...

2017-09-08

The aim of this study is to demonstrate a developed framework to rapidly create urban scale reduced-order building energy models using a systematic summary of the simplifications required for the representation of building exterior and thermal zones. These urban scale reduced-order models rely on the contribution of influential variables to the internal, external, and system thermal loads. OpenStudio Application Programming Interface (API) serves as a tool to automate the process of model creation and demonstrate the developed framework. The results of this study show that the accuracy of the developed reduced-order building energy models varies only up to 10% withmore » the selection of different thermal zones. In addition, to assess complexity of the developed reduced-order building energy models, this study develops a novel framework to quantify complexity of the building energy models. Consequently, this study empowers the building energy modelers to quantify their building energy model systematically in order to report the model complexity alongside the building energy model accuracy. An exhaustive analysis on four university campuses suggests that the urban neighborhood buildings lend themselves to simplified typical shapes. Specifically, building energy modelers can utilize the developed typical shapes to represent more than 80% of the U.S. buildings documented in the CBECS database. One main benefits of this developed framework is the opportunity for different models including airflow and solar radiation models to share the same exterior representation, allowing a unifying exchange data. Altogether, the results of this study have implications for a large-scale modeling of buildings in support of urban energy consumption analyses or assessment of a large number of alternative solutions in support of retrofit decision-making in the building industry.« less

Demonstration of reduced-order urban scale building energy models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heidarinejad, Mohammad; Mattise, Nicholas; Dahlhausen, Matthew

The aim of this study is to demonstrate a developed framework to rapidly create urban scale reduced-order building energy models using a systematic summary of the simplifications required for the representation of building exterior and thermal zones. These urban scale reduced-order models rely on the contribution of influential variables to the internal, external, and system thermal loads. OpenStudio Application Programming Interface (API) serves as a tool to automate the process of model creation and demonstrate the developed framework. The results of this study show that the accuracy of the developed reduced-order building energy models varies only up to 10% withmore » the selection of different thermal zones. In addition, to assess complexity of the developed reduced-order building energy models, this study develops a novel framework to quantify complexity of the building energy models. Consequently, this study empowers the building energy modelers to quantify their building energy model systematically in order to report the model complexity alongside the building energy model accuracy. An exhaustive analysis on four university campuses suggests that the urban neighborhood buildings lend themselves to simplified typical shapes. Specifically, building energy modelers can utilize the developed typical shapes to represent more than 80% of the U.S. buildings documented in the CBECS database. One main benefits of this developed framework is the opportunity for different models including airflow and solar radiation models to share the same exterior representation, allowing a unifying exchange data. Altogether, the results of this study have implications for a large-scale modeling of buildings in support of urban energy consumption analyses or assessment of a large number of alternative solutions in support of retrofit decision-making in the building industry.« less

Students' Conceptions of and Approaches to Knowledge Building and Its Relationship to Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Pei-Shan; Chai, Ching Sing; Hong, Huang-Yao; Koh, Joyce Hwee Ling

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among students' conceptions of knowledge building, approaches to knowledge building, knowledge-building behaviors and learning outcomes. A total of 48 primary school students (from grades 3 and 4) who had experienced knowledge-building activities participated in the present study. After…

'Buildings in Use' Study. Field Tests Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Milwaukee. School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

This report is one product of the 'Buildings in Use' study. The overall study examines architectural attributes of existing buildings in order to determine how they have performed technically and functionally, and the relationship between the environment of the building and the behavior of its user population. Four elementary schools in Columbus,…

FLORIDA LARGE BUILDING STUDY - POLK COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

EPA Science Inventory

The report describes an extensive characterization and parameter assessment study of a single, large building in Bartow, FL, with the purpose of assessing the impact on radon entry of design, construction, and operating features of the building, particularly the mechanical subsys...

An overview of solar energy applications in buildings in Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papamanolis, Nikos

2016-09-01

This work classifies and describes the main fields of solar energy exploitation in buildings in Greece, a country with high solar energy capacities. The study focuses on systems and technologies that apply to residential and commercial buildings following the prevailing design and construction practices (conventional buildings) and investigates the effects of the architectural and constructional characteristics of these buildings on the respective applications. In addition, it examines relevant applications in other building categories and in buildings with increased ecological sensitivity in their design and construction (green buildings). Through its findings, the study seeks to improve the efficiency and broaden the scope of solar energy applications in buildings in Greece to the benefit of their energy and environmental performance.

Building Energy Consumption Pattern Analysis of Detached Housing for the Policy Decision Simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jiyoun; Lee, Seung-Eon

2018-03-01

The Korean government announced its plan to raise the previous reduction goal of greenhouse gas emission from buildings by 26.9% until 2020 on July 2015. Therefore, policies regarding efficiency in the building energy are implemented fast, but the level of building owners and market understanding is low in general, and the government service system which supports decision making for implementing low-energy buildings has not been provided yet. The purpose of this study is to present the design direction for establishing user customized building energy database to perform a role to provide autonomous ecosystem of low-energy buildings. In order to reduce energy consumption in buildings, it is necessary to carry out the energy performance analysis based on the characteristics of target building. By analysing about 20-thousand cases of the amount of housing energy consumption in Korea, this study suggested the real energy consumption pattern by building types. Also, the energy performance of a building could be determined by energy consumption, but previous building energy consumption analysis programs required expert knowledge and experience in program usage, so it was difficult for normal building users to use such programs. Therefore, a measure to provide proper default using the level of data which general users with no expert knowledge regarding building energy could enter easily was suggested in this study.

Study of intelligent building system based on the internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Liyong; Xu, Renbo

2017-03-01

In accordance with the problem such as isolated subsystems, weak system linkage and expansibility of the bus type buildings management system, this paper based on the modern intelligent buildings has studied some related technologies of the intelligent buildings and internet of things, and designed system architecture of the intelligent buildings based on the Internet of Things. Meanwhile, this paper has also analyzed wireless networking modes, wireless communication protocol and wireless routing protocol of the intelligent buildings based on the Internet of Things.

Re-Assessing Green Building Performance: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of 22 GSA Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fowler, Kimberly M.; Rauch, Emily M.; Henderson, Jordan W.

2010-06-01

2nd report on the performance of GSA's sustainably designed buildings. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of measured whole building performance as it compares to GSA and industry baselines. The PNNL research team found the data analysis illuminated strengths and weaknesses of individual buildings as well as the portfolio of buildings. This section includes summary data, observations that cross multiple performance metrics, discussion of lessons learned from this research, and opportunities for future research. The summary of annual data for each of the performance metrics is provided in Table 25. The data represent 1 year ofmore » measurements and are not associated with any specific design features or strategies. Where available, multiple years of data were examined and there were minimal significant differences between the years. Individually focused post occupancy evaluation (POEs) would allow for more detailed analysis of the buildings. Examining building performance over multiple years could potentially offer a useful diagnostic tool for identifying building operations that are in need of operational changes. Investigating what the connection is between the building performance and the design intent would offer potential design guidance and possible insight into building operation strategies. The 'aggregate operating cost' metric used in this study represents the costs that were available for developing a comparative industry baseline for office buildings. The costs include water utilities, energy utilities, general maintenance, grounds maintenance, waste and recycling, and janitorial costs. Three of the buildings that cost more than the baseline in Figure 45 have higher maintenance costs than the baseline, and one has higher energy costs. Given the volume of data collected and analyzed for this study, the inevitable request is for a simple answer with respect to sustainably designed building performance. As previously stated, compiling the individual building values into single metrics is not statistically valid given the small number of buildings, but it has been done to provide a cursory view of this portfolio of sustainably designed buildings. For all metrics except recycling cost per rentable square foot and CBE survey response rate, the averaged building performance was better than the baseline for the GSA buildings in this study.« less

Natural Disasters and Educational Building Design. An Introductory Review and Annotated Bibliography for the Asian Region. Educational Building Report 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinnamon, Ian T.

This study presents an overview of collected literature relevant to school buildings, or building in general, in disaster-prone areas, together with some discussion of the role that school buildings, as a universally present community asset, may play in situations of crisis. The natural disasters referred to in this study include cyclones and…

Small- and Medium-Sized Commercial Building Monitoring and Controls Needs: A Scoping Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katipamula, Srinivas; Underhill, Ronald M.; Goddard, James K.

2012-10-31

Buildings consume over 40% of the total energy consumption in the U.S. A significant portion of the energy consumed in buildings is wasted because of the lack of controls or the inability to use existing building automation systems (BASs) properly. Much of the waste occurs because of our inability to manage and controls buildings efficiently. Over 90% of the buildings are either small-size (<5,000 sf) or medium-size (between 5,000 sf and 50,000 sf); these buildings currently do not use BASs to monitor and control their building systems from a central location. According to Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), aboutmore » 10% of the buildings in the U.S. use BASs or central controls to manage their building system operations. Buildings that use BASs are typically large (>100,000 sf). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) were asked by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Program (BTP) to identify monitoring and control needs for small- and medium-sized commercial buildings and recommend possible solutions. This study documents the needs and solutions for small- and medium-sized buildings.« less

Investigation of wind behaviour around high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Isa, Norasikin; Fitriah Nasir, Nurul; Sadikin, Azmahani; Ariff Hairul Bahara, Jamil

2017-09-01

A study on the investigation of wind behaviour around the high-rise buildings is done through an experiment using a wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics. High-rise buildings refer to buildings or structures that have more than 12 floors. Wind is invisible to the naked eye; thus, it is hard to see and analyse its flow around and over buildings without the use of proper methods, such as the use of wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics software.The study was conducted on buildings located in Presint 4, Putrajaya, Malaysia which is the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Ministry of Information Communications and Culture, Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government and the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community by making scaled models of the buildings. The parameters in which this study is conducted on are, four different wind velocities used based on the seasonal monsoons, and wind direction. ANSYS Fluent workbench software is used to compute the simulations in order to achieve the objectives of this study. The data from the computational fluid dynamics are validated with the experiment done through the wind tunnel. From the results obtained through the use of the computation fluid dynamics, this study can identify the characteristics of wind around buildings, including boundary layer of the buildings, separation flow, wake region and etc. Then analyses is conducted on the occurance resulting from the wind that passes the buildings based on the velocity difference between before and after the wind passes the buildings.

BLAST: Building energy simulation in Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fong, Sai-Keung

1999-11-01

The characteristics of energy use in buildings under local weather conditions were studied and evaluated using the energy simulation program BLAST-3.0. The parameters used in the energy simulation for the study and evaluation include the architectural features, different internal building heat load settings and weather data. In this study, mathematical equations and the associated coefficients useful to the industry were established. A technology for estimating energy use in buildings under local weather conditions was developed by using the results of this study. A weather data file of Typical Meteorological Years (TMY) has been compiled for building energy studies by analyzing and evaluating the weather of Hong Kong from the year 1979 to 1988. The weather data file TMY and the example weather years 1980 and 1988 were used by BLAST-3.0 to evaluate and study the energy use in different buildings. BLAST-3.0 was compared with other building energy simulation and approximation methods: Bin method and Degree Days method. Energy use in rectangular compartments of different volumes varying from 4,000 m3 to 40,000 m3 with different aspect ratios were analyzed. The use of energy in buildings with concrete roofs was compared with those with glass roofs at indoor temperature 21°C, 23°C and 25°C. Correlation relationships among building energy, space volume, monthly mean temperature and solar radiation were derived and investigated. The effects of space volume, monthly mean temperature and solar radiation on building energy were evaluated. The coefficients of the mathematical relationships between space volume and energy use in a building were computed and found satisfactory. The calculated coefficients can be used for quick estimation of energy use in buildings under similar situations. To study energy use in buildings, the cooling load per floor area against room volume was investigated. The case of an air-conditioned single compartment with 5 m ceiling height was evaluated. It was found that the supply of cool air to the lower portion of the compartment provided significant performance of space cooling. The mathematical relationships between different shading patterns and different glass window to wall ratios of single compartments were established to provide a guide for easy approximation of energy use under similar conditions. In addition, the Overall Thermal Transfer Values (OTTV) for the compartments were studied. The monthly and annual energy use of three realistic buildings were investigated. They were a commercial building, an industrial building and a dual-purpose building. The cooling loads per floor area for the buildings were studied and the OTTV were evaluated by two different methods. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate the impact of the parameters of internal heat gains on the energy use of an academic building. It was found that there was major influence of indoor temperature setting on building energy use The performances of using the local weather data file of TMY and example weather years 1980 and 1989 were evaluated. TMY was found to be the most suitable for energy simulation while the weather years 1980 and 1989 yielded good results.

The effect of building façade on natural lighting (Case study: Building of phinisi tower UNM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamala, Nurul

2017-04-01

Utilization of natural lighting is one factor to lower the energy consumption of a building. Model building facade effect on natural light sources that can be absorbed into the building. UNM Phinisi Tower Building is a metaphor for the display of boats phinisi using Hiperbolic paraboloid facade which is futuristic sophistication of the application of science and technology, so that this object that is the focus of research on the effects on the building facade natural lighting. A quantitative research methods using Autodesk Echotech program to determine the value of the building into the natural lighting illuminance, either by using the facade and do not. The aim of research is to determine the percentage utilization of natural light into the building using a building facade. The study concluded the decline percentage in the value of the illuminance after the building using the building facade is 49% -74% and a mean value of 60.3%, so it can be concluded that the building facade effects on the natural lighting.

Quantification of mold contamination in multi-level buildings using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index.

PubMed

Vesper, Stephen; Cox-Ganser, Jean M; Wymer, Larry; Park, Ju-Hyeong

2018-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the possible use of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) to quantify mold contamination in multi-level, office buildings. Settled-dust samples were collected in multi-level, office buildings and the ERMI value for each sample determined. In the first study, a comparison was made between two identical four-story buildings. There were health complaints in one building but none in the other building. In the second study, mold contamination was evaluated on levels 6-19 of an office building with a history of water problems and health complaints. In the first study, the average ERMI value in the building with health complaints was 5.33 which was significantly greater than the average ERMI value, 0.55, in the non-complaint building. In the second study, the average ERMI values ranged from a low of -0.58 on level 8 to a high of 5.66 on level 17, one of the top five ranked levels for medical symptoms or medication use. The mold populations of ten (six Group 1 and four Group 2) of the 36-ERMI molds were in significantly greater concentrations in the higher compared to lower ERMI environments. The ERMI metric may be useful in the quantification of water-damage and mold growth in multi-level buildings.

External shading devices for energy efficient building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahdan, M. S.; Ahmad, S. S.; Hussin, M. A.

2018-02-01

External shading devices on a building façade is an important passive design strategy as they reduce solar radiation. Although studies have proven the benefits of external shading devices, many are designed solely for aesthetic purposes without fully considering its high potential to reduce solar radiation and glare. Furthermore, explorations into shading devices by the design team are mostly left too late in the design development phases. Hence, the paper looks into the effectiveness of external shading devices on a building towards more energy efficient building. The study aims to analyse the effects of various configurations of external shading devices towards the energy consumption of a case study building based on computer simulations. This study uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) through Autodesk Revit software as simulation tool. The constant variables for the simulation are the orientation of the building, types of glazing used by the building and the internal loads of the building. Whereas, the manipulated variable is the types of shading device used. The data were sorted according to the categories and translated into a chart. Analysis of the findings indicate that shading devices with different configurations show significant results in the energy consumption and the best configuration is the egg-crate shading devices. The study recommends that the consideration for shading device as a passive design strategy needs to be developed at the early stage of the building design.

Relative significance of heat transfer processes to quantify tradeoffs between complexity and accuracy of energy simulations with a building energy use patterns classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarinejad, Mohammad

This dissertation develops rapid and accurate building energy simulations based on a building classification that identifies and focuses modeling efforts on most significant heat transfer processes. The building classification identifies energy use patterns and their contributing parameters for a portfolio of buildings. The dissertation hypothesis is "Building classification can provide minimal required inputs for rapid and accurate energy simulations for a large number of buildings". The critical literature review indicated there is lack of studies to (1) Consider synoptic point of view rather than the case study approach, (2) Analyze influence of different granularities of energy use, (3) Identify key variables based on the heat transfer processes, and (4) Automate the procedure to quantify model complexity with accuracy. Therefore, three dissertation objectives are designed to test out the dissertation hypothesis: (1) Develop different classes of buildings based on their energy use patterns, (2) Develop different building energy simulation approaches for the identified classes of buildings to quantify tradeoffs between model accuracy and complexity, (3) Demonstrate building simulation approaches for case studies. Penn State's and Harvard's campus buildings as well as high performance LEED NC office buildings are test beds for this study to develop different classes of buildings. The campus buildings include detailed chilled water, electricity, and steam data, enabling to classify buildings into externally-load, internally-load, or mixed-load dominated. The energy use of the internally-load buildings is primarily a function of the internal loads and their schedules. Externally-load dominated buildings tend to have an energy use pattern that is a function of building construction materials and outdoor weather conditions. However, most of the commercial medium-sized office buildings have a mixed-load pattern, meaning the HVAC system and operation schedule dictate the indoor condition regardless of the contribution of internal and external loads. To deploy the methodology to another portfolio of buildings, simulated LEED NC office buildings are selected. The advantage of this approach is to isolate energy performance due to inherent building characteristics and location, rather than operational and maintenance factors that can contribute to significant variation in building energy use. A framework for detailed building energy databases with annual energy end-uses is developed to select variables and omit outliers. The results show that the high performance office buildings are internally-load dominated with existence of three different clusters of low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity energy use pattern for the reviewed office buildings. Low-intensity cluster buildings benefit from small building area, while the medium- and high-intensity clusters have a similar range of floor areas and different energy use intensities. Half of the energy use in the low-intensity buildings is associated with the internal loads, such as lighting and plug loads, indicating that there are opportunities to save energy by using lighting or plug load management systems. A comparison between the frameworks developed for the campus buildings and LEED NC office buildings indicates these two frameworks are complementary to each other. Availability of the information has yielded to two different procedures, suggesting future studies for a portfolio of buildings such as city benchmarking and disclosure ordinance should collect and disclose minimal required inputs suggested by this study with the minimum level of monthly energy consumption granularity. This dissertation developed automated methods using the OpenStudio API (Application Programing Interface) to create energy models based on the building class. ASHRAE Guideline 14 defines well-accepted criteria to measure accuracy of energy simulations; however, there is no well-accepted methodology to quantify the model complexity without the influence of the energy modeler judgment about the model complexity. This study developed a novel method using two weighting factors, including weighting factors based on (1) computational time and (2) easiness of on-site data collection, to measure complexity of the energy models. Therefore, this dissertation enables measurement of both model complexity and accuracy as well as assessment of the inherent tradeoffs between energy simulation model complexity and accuracy. The results of this methodology suggest for most of the internal load contributors such as operation schedules the on-site data collection adds more complexity to the model compared to the computational time. Overall, this study provided specific data on tradeoffs between accuracy and model complexity that points to critical inputs for different building classes, rather than an increase in the volume and detail of model inputs as the current research and consulting practice indicates. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Earthquake recovery of historic buildings: exploring cost and time needs.

PubMed

Al-Nammari, Fatima M; Lindell, Michael K

2009-07-01

Disaster recovery of historic buildings has rarely been investigated even though the available literature indicates that they face special challenges. This study examines buildings' recovery time and cost to determine whether their functions (that is, their use) and their status (historic or non-historic) affect these outcomes. The study uses data from the city of San Francisco after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to examine the recovery of historic buildings owned by public agencies and non-governmental organisations. The results show that recovery cost is affected by damage level, construction type and historic status, whereas recovery time is affected by the same variables and also by building function. The study points to the importance of pre-incident recovery planning, especially for building functions that have shown delayed recovery. Also, the study calls attention to the importance of further investigations into the challenges facing historic building recovery.

Study of fuel cell on-site, integrated energy systems in residential/commercial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakefield, R. A.; Karamchetty, S.; Rand, R. H.; Ku, W. S.; Tekumalla, V.

1980-01-01

Three building applications were selected for a detailed study: a low rise apartment building; a retail store, and a hospital. Building design data were then specified for each application, based on the design and construction of typical, actual buildings. Finally, a computerized building loads analysis program was used to estimate hourly end use load profiles for each building. Conventional and fuel cell based energy systems were designed and simulated for each building in each location. Based on the results of a computer simulation of each energy system, levelized annual costs and annual energy consumptions were calculated for all systems.

From neurons to nests: nest-building behaviour as a model in behavioural and comparative neuroscience.

PubMed

Hall, Zachary J; Meddle, Simone L; Healy, Susan D

Despite centuries of observing the nest building of most extant bird species, we know surprisingly little about how birds build nests and, specifically, how the avian brain controls nest building. Here, we argue that nest building in birds may be a useful model behaviour in which to study how the brain controls behaviour. Specifically, we argue that nest building as a behavioural model provides a unique opportunity to study not only the mechanisms through which the brain controls behaviour within individuals of a single species but also how evolution may have shaped the brain to produce interspecific variation in nest-building behaviour. In this review, we outline the questions in both behavioural and comparative neuroscience that nest building could be used to address, summarize recent findings regarding the neurobiology of nest building in lab-reared zebra finches and across species building different nest structures, and suggest some future directions for the neurobiology of nest building.

Building Inventory Database on the Urban Scale Using GIS for Earthquake Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, O.; Avdan, U.; Guney, Y.; Helvaci, C.

2016-12-01

The majority of the existing buildings are not safe against earthquakes in most of the developing countries. Before a devastating earthquake, existing buildings need to be assessed and the vulnerable ones must be determined. Determining the seismic performance of existing buildings which is usually made with collecting the attributes of existing buildings, making the analysis and the necessary queries, and producing the result maps is very hard and complicated procedure that can be simplified with Geographic Information System (GIS). The aim of this study is to produce a building inventory database using GIS for assessing the earthquake risk of existing buildings. In this paper, a building inventory database for 310 buildings, located in Eskisehir, Turkey, was produced in order to assess the earthquake risk of the buildings. The results from this study show that 26% of the buildings have high earthquake risk, 33% of the buildings have medium earthquake risk and the 41% of the buildings have low earthquake risk. The produced building inventory database can be very useful especially for governments in dealing with the problem of determining seismically vulnerable buildings in the large existing building stocks. With the help of this kind of methods, determination of the buildings, which may collapse and cause life and property loss during a possible future earthquake, will be very quick, cheap and reliable.

Comparative study of air-conditioning energy use of four office buildings in China and USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Xin; Yan, Da; An, Jingjing

Energy use in buildings has great variability. In order to design and operate low energy buildings as well as to establish building energy codes and standards and effective energy policy, it is crucial to understand and quantify key factors influencing building energy performance. Here, this study investigates air-conditioning (AC) energy use of four office buildings in four locations: Beijing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Berkeley. Building simulation was employed to quantify the influences of key factors, including climate, building envelope and occupant behavior. Through simulation of various combinations of the three influencing elements, it is found that climate can lead tomore » AC cooling consumption differences by almost two times, while occupant behavior resulted in the greatest differences (of up to three times) in AC cooling consumption. The influence of occupant behavior on AC energy consumption is not homogeneous. Under similar climates, when the occupant behavior in the building differed, the optimized building envelope design also differed. In conclusion, the optimal building envelope should be determined according to the climate as well as the occupants who use the building.« less

Comparative study of air-conditioning energy use of four office buildings in China and USA

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Xin; Yan, Da; An, Jingjing; ...

2018-04-05

Energy use in buildings has great variability. In order to design and operate low energy buildings as well as to establish building energy codes and standards and effective energy policy, it is crucial to understand and quantify key factors influencing building energy performance. Here, this study investigates air-conditioning (AC) energy use of four office buildings in four locations: Beijing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Berkeley. Building simulation was employed to quantify the influences of key factors, including climate, building envelope and occupant behavior. Through simulation of various combinations of the three influencing elements, it is found that climate can lead tomore » AC cooling consumption differences by almost two times, while occupant behavior resulted in the greatest differences (of up to three times) in AC cooling consumption. The influence of occupant behavior on AC energy consumption is not homogeneous. Under similar climates, when the occupant behavior in the building differed, the optimized building envelope design also differed. In conclusion, the optimal building envelope should be determined according to the climate as well as the occupants who use the building.« less

Study on the Application Mode and Legal Protection of Green Materials in Medical-Nursing Combined Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhiyong, Xian

2017-09-01

In the context of green development, green materials are the future trend of Medical-Nursing Combined building. This paper summarizes the concept and types of green building materials. Then, on the basis of existing research, it constructs the green material system framework of Medical-Nursing Combined building, puts forward the application mode of green building materials, and studies the policy and legal protection of green material application.

Leading Cultural Change in a School District through a Budget Building Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford, Ricky Warren

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess, plan, and implement a budget building process through collaboration with the stakeholders of a targeted school district. The research question of this study was, "Will allowing the stakeholders more input, autonomy, and collaboration during a budget building process build a team environment and…

76 FR 74076 - Notice of Random Assignment Study To Evaluate the YouthBuild Program; Final Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-30

... Evaluate the YouthBuild Program; Final Notice AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor... rigorous, nationally-representative estimates of the net impacts of the YouthBuild program. The Department... study. In the sites randomly selected to participate in this evaluation, all applicants for YouthBuild...

Fire in High Buildings. Fire Study No. 21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbreath, M.

Research into and measures of fire protection with regard to high building design are discussed with suggestions for proper building equipment, materials, and planning. The study outlines how smoke and toxic gases spread in high buildings through stairs, service shafts, air handling and heating equipment. The problems of basement fires, means of…

Enhancements to AERMOD's building downwash algorithms based on wind-tunnel and Embedded-LES modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monbureau, E. M.; Heist, D. K.; Perry, S. G.; Brouwer, L. H.; Foroutan, H.; Tang, W.

2018-04-01

Knowing the fate of effluent from an industrial stack is important for assessing its impact on human health. AERMOD is one of several Gaussian plume models containing algorithms to evaluate the effect of buildings on the movement of the effluent from a stack. The goal of this study is to improve AERMOD's ability to accurately model important and complex building downwash scenarios by incorporating knowledge gained from a recently completed series of wind tunnel studies and complementary large eddy simulations of flow and dispersion around simple structures for a variety of building dimensions, stack locations, stack heights, and wind angles. This study presents three modifications to the building downwash algorithm in AERMOD that improve the physical basis and internal consistency of the model, and one modification to AERMOD's building pre-processor to better represent elongated buildings in oblique winds. These modifications are demonstrated to improve the ability of AERMOD to model observed ground-level concentrations in the vicinity of a building for the variety of conditions examined in the wind tunnel and numerical studies.

Exploring the relation between spatial configuration of buildings and remotely sensed temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myint, S. W.; Zheng, B.; Kaplan, S.; Huang, H.

2013-12-01

While the relationship between fractional cover of buildings and the UHI has been well studied, relationships of how spatial arrangements (e.g., clustered, dispersed) of buildings influence urban warming are not well understood. Since a diversity of spatial patterns can be observed under the same percentage of buildings cover, it is of great interest and importance to investigate the amount of variation in certain urban thermal feature such as surface temperature that is accounted for by the inclusion of spatial arrangement component. The various spatial arrangements of buildings cover can give rise to different urban thermal behaviors that may not be uncovered with the information of buildings fraction only, but can be captured to some extent using spatial analysis. The goal of this study is to examine how spatial arrangements of buildings influence and shape surface temperature in different urban settings. The study area selected is the Las-Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada, located in the Mojave Desert. An object-oriented approach was used to identify buildings using a Geoeye-1 image acquired on October 12, 2011. A spatial autocorrelation technique (i.e., Moran's I) that can measure spatial pattern (clustered, dispersed) was used to determine spatial configuration of buildings. A daytime temperature layer in degree Celsius, generated from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image, was integrated with Moran's I values of building cover and building fractions to achieve the goals set in the study. To avoid uncertainty and properly evaluate if spatial pattern of buildings has an impact on urban warming, the relation between Moran's I values and surface temperatures was observed at different levels according to their fractions (e.g., 0-0.1, 0.5-0.6, 0.9-1). There is a negative correlation exists between spatial pattern of buildings and surface temperatures implying that dispersed building arrangements elevate surface temperatures more severely than clustered buildings. This suggests that more clustered buildings have less impact on the urban heat island (UHI) effect. We conclude that having buildings as clustered as possible can be expected to protect the settlements from increased heat island effects, reduce pollution, and preserve the hydrological systems.

Architectural design and physical activity: an observational study of staircase and elevator use in different buildings.

PubMed

Bassett, David R; Browning, Ray; Conger, Scott A; Wolff, Dana L; Flynn, Jennifer I

2013-05-01

The indoor built environment has the potential to influence levels of physical activity. However, the extent to which architectural design in commercial buildings can influence the percentage of people choosing to use the stairs versus elevators is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if buildings with centrally located, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing staircases result in a greater percentage of people taking the stairs. Direct observations of stair and elevator use were conducted in 3 buildings on a university campus. One of the buildings had a bank of 4 centrally located elevators and a fire escape stairwell behind a steel door. The other 2 buildings had centrally located staircases and out-of-the-way elevators. The percentage of people who ascended the stairs was 8.1% in the elevator-centric building, compared with 72.8% and 81.1% in the 2 stair-centric buildings (P < .001). In addition, the percentage of people who descended the stairs was 10.8% in the first building, compared with 89.5% and 93.7% in the stair-centric buildings (P < .001). The results of the current study suggest that if buildings are constructed with centrally located, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing staircases, a greater percentage of people will choose to take the stairs.

Study on post occupancy evaluation after remodeling in accordance with the `green remodeling certification standards of existing non-residential buildings'- Focusing on the case of H building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Kyungjoo; Cho, Dongwoo; Yoon, Yosun

2018-06-01

South Korea has adopted the Paris Convention and promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% from business-as-usual (BAU) levels in the `First Basic Plan to Respond to Climate Change'. The reduction goal of greenhouse gas cannot be achieved considering only new buildings; the analysis results shows that the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings is essential. `The Green Remodeling Certification Standards', established in South Korea in 2016, is in line with the above plan. The post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of remodeled buildings after applying the `Green Remodeling Certification Standards of Existing Buildings' must be studied for expansion of this scheme. The study results are expected to be used as foundational data for the promotion of remodeling existing buildings.

Life cycle assessment: Existing building retrofit versus replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darabi, Nura

The embodied energy in building materials constitutes a large part of the total energy required for any building (Thormark 2001, 429). In working to make buildings more energy efficient this needs to be considered. Integrating considerations about life cycle assessment for buildings and materials is one promising way to reduce the amount of energy consumption being used within the building sector and the environmental impacts associated with that energy. A life cycle assessment (LCA) model can be utilized to help evaluate the embodied energy in building materials in comparison to the buildings operational energy. This thesis takes into consideration the potential life cycle reductions in energy and CO2 emissions that can be made through an energy retrofit of an existing building verses demolition and replacement with a new energy efficient building. A 95,000 square foot institutional building built in the 1960`s was used as a case study for a building LCA, along with a calibrated energy model of the existing building created as part of a previous Masters of Building Science thesis. The chosen case study building was compared to 10 possible improvement options of either energy retrofit or replacement of the existing building with a higher energy performing building in order to see the life cycle relationship between embodied energy, operational energy, and C02 emissions. As a result of completing the LCA, it is shown under which scenarios building retrofit saves more energy over the lifespan of the building than replacement with new construction. It was calculated that energy retrofit of the chosen existing institutional building would reduce the amount of energy and C02 emissions associated with that building over its life span.

Ventilation, temperature, and HVAC characteristics in small and medium commercial buildings in California.

PubMed

Bennett, D H; Fisk, W; Apte, M G; Wu, X; Trout, A; Faulkner, D; Sullivan, D

2012-08-01

This field study of 37 small and medium commercial buildings throughout California obtained information on ventilation rate, temperature, and heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system characteristics. The study included seven retail establishments; five restaurants; eight offices; two each of gas stations, hair salons, healthcare facilities, grocery stores, dental offices, and fitness centers; and five other buildings. Fourteen (38%) of the buildings either could not or did not provide outdoor air through the HVAC system. The air exchange rate averaged 1.6 (s.d. = 1.7) exchanges per hour and was similar between buildings with and without outdoor air supplied through the HVAC system, indicating that some buildings have significant leakage or ventilation through open windows and doors. Not all buildings had sufficient air exchange to meet ASHRAE 62.1 Standards, including buildings used for fitness centers, hair salons, offices, and retail establishments. The majority of the time, buildings were within the ASHRAE temperature comfort range. Offices were frequently overcooled in the summer. All of the buildings had filters, but over half the buildings had a filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value rating of 4 or lower, which are not very effective for removing fine particles. Most U.S. commercial buildings (96%) are small- to medium-sized, using nearly 18% of the country's energy, and sheltering a large population daily. Little is known about the ventilation systems in these buildings. This study found a wide variety of ventilation conditions, with many buildings failing to meet relevant ventilation standards. Regulators may want to consider implementing more complete building inspections at commissioning and point of sale. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

A review study of maintenance and management issues in Malaysian commercial building towards sustainable future practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Faizal; Ibrahim, Siti Halipah; Riazi, Salman Riazi Mehdi

2017-10-01

Good management of the building will be able to influence the quality of the buildings that remain long, safe and beautiful without any damage and problems. This research paper aims to explore the issue of maintenance and management that appear in managing the commercial building in Malaysian construction and property industry. The data in this research has been gathered through the reviewing process of secondary data such as journals, proceeding, thesis etc. in the area that related to maintenance and management issue in commercial building. As highlighted by previous study, building a good management can ensure that the facilities available in the building are well and meet the standard. Thus, exposure to the problems and needs in the management of the building would be able to improve the quality of building management systems to be more effective and fulfil the client needs and features.

Testing the temporal nature of social disorder through abandoned buildings and interstitial spaces.

PubMed

Wallace, Danielle; Schalliol, David

2015-11-01

With the recent housing crisis, studying abandoned buildings has once again become important. However, it has been some time since abandoned buildings were the subject of direct study, leaving scholars with scant knowledge about the characteristics of abandoned buildings, how they change, and their relationship to neighborhood processes. To fill this gap, we employed longitudinal photographic and SSO evaluations of 36 abandoned buildings and their immediate surroundings in Chicago for one year (n=587). Results demonstrate the presence and severity of social disorder cues vary across time points and the time of day of observation. There is a relationship between abandoned buildings and social disorder, though the relationship is not a trend. Also, social disorder is diminished around extremely decayed buildings. Lastly, we find that our results are driven by the measurement of places ignored by most SSO studies, including alleys and the rear side of buildings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in School Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhásová Šenitková, Ingrid

2017-12-01

This paper presents results to thermal comfort and environment quality questions in 21 school building rooms. Results show that about 80% of the occupants expressed satisfaction with their thermal comfort in only 11% of the buildings surveyed. Air quality scores were somewhat higher, with 26% of buildings having 80% or occupant satisfaction. With respect to thermal comfort and air quality performance goals set out by standards, most buildings appear to be falling far short. Occupant surveys offer a means to systematically measure this performance, and also to provide diagnostic information for building designers and operators. The odours from building materials as well as human odours were studied by field measurement. The odour intensity and indoor air acceptability were assessed by a sensory panel. The concentrations of total volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide were measured. The odours from occupancy and building materials were studied under different air change rate. The case study of indoor air acceptability concerning to indoor odours and its effect on perceived air quality are also presented in this paper.

Passive fire building protection system evaluation (case study: millennium ict centre)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Vinky; Stephanie

2018-03-01

Passive fire protection system is a system that refers to the building design, both regarding of architecture and structure. This system usually consists of structural protection that protects the structure of the building and prevents the spread of fire and facilitate the evacuation process in case of fire. Millennium ICT Center is the largest electronic shopping center in Medan, Indonesia. As a public building that accommodates the crowd, this building needs a fire protection system by the standards. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate passive fire protection system of Millennium ICT Center building. The study was conducted to describe the facts of the building as well as direct observation to the research location. The collected data is then processed using the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method in its weighting process to obtain the reliability value of passive fire protection fire system. The results showed that there are some components of passive fire protection system in the building, but some are still unqualified. The first section in your paper

ACMV Energy Analysis for Academic Building: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hywel, R.; Tee, B. T.; Arifin, M. Y.; Tan, C. F.; Gan, C. K.; Chong, CT

2015-09-01

Building energy audit examines the ways actual energy consumption is currently used in the facility, in the case of a completed and occupied building and identifies some alternatives to reduce current energy usage. Implementation of energy audit are practically used to analyze energy consumption pattern, monitoring on how the energy used varies with time in the building, how the system element interrelate, and study the effect of external environment towards building. In this case study, a preliminary energy audit is focusing on Air-Conditioning & Mechanical Ventilation (ACMV) system which reportedly consumed 40% of the total energy consumption in typical building. It is also the main system that provides comfortable and healthy environment for the occupants. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the current ACMV system performance, energy optimization and identifying the energy waste on UTeM's academic building. To attain this, the preliminary data is collected and then analyzed. Based on the data, economic analysis will be determined before cost-saving methods are being proposed.

Reserve-building activities in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Schwartz, Carolyn E; Ayandeh, Armon; Ramanathan, Murali; Benedict, Ralph; Dwyer, Michael G; Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca; Zivadinov, Robert

2015-08-12

Cognitive reserve has been implicated as a possible protective factor in multiple sclerosis (MS) but to date no study has compared reserve-building activities across disease course or to healthy controls. This study aims to describe differences in reserve-building activities across the MS disease course and healthy controls. Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional cohort study that included 276 healthy controls, and subjects with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS; n = 67), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS; n = 358) and secondary progressive MS (PMS; n = 109). Past reserve-building activities were operationalized as occupational attainment and education. Current activities comprised 6 strenuous and 6 non-strenuous activities, including 5 reserve-building activities and television-watching. Multivariate Analysis of Variance models examined group differences in past and current activities, after adjusting for covariates. There were group differences in past and current reserve-building activities. SPMS patients had lower past reserve-building activities than healthy controls. All forms of MS engaged in fewer strenuous current reserve-building pursuits than healthy controls. RRMS read less than healthy controls. SPMS engaged in fewer job-related non-strenuous activities. All MS groups watched more television than healthy controls. MS patients show significantly fewer past and present reserve-building activities. Although it is difficult to establish causality without future prospective studies, lifestyle-modifying interventions should prioritize expanding MS patients' repertoire of strenuous and non-strenuous activities.

Construction Performance Optimization toward Green Building Premium Cost Based on Greenship Rating Tools Assessment with Value Engineering Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Basten, Van; Riswanto; Budiman, Rachmat

2017-07-01

Green building concept becomes important in current building life cycle to mitigate environment issues. The purpose of this paper is to optimize building construction performance towards green building premium cost, achieving green building rating tools with optimizing life cycle cost. Therefore, this study helps building stakeholder determining building fixture to achieve green building certification target. Empirically the paper collects data of green building in the Indonesian construction industry such as green building fixture, initial cost, operational and maintenance cost, and certification score achievement. After that, using value engineering method optimized green building fixture based on building function and cost aspects. Findings indicate that construction performance optimization affected green building achievement with increasing energy and water efficiency factors and life cycle cost effectively especially chosen green building fixture.

Motivating College Students' Learning English for Specific Purposes Courses through Corpus Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Lin-Fang

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to determine how to motivate technical college students to learn English for specific purposes (ESP) courses through corpus building and enhance their language proficiency during the coursework for their majors. This study explores corpus building skills, how to simplify ESP courses by corpus building for English as second…

Natural radioactivity measurements of building materials in Baotou, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Caifeng; Lu, Xinwei; Li, Nan; Yang, Guang

2012-12-01

Natural radioactivity due to (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in the common building materials collected from Baotou city of Inner Mongolia, China was measured using gamma-ray spectrometry. The radiation hazard of the studied building materials was estimated by the radium equivalent activity (Ra(eq)), internal hazard index (H(in)) and annual effective dose (AED). The concentrations of the natural radionuclides and Ra(eq) in the studied samples were compared with the corresponding results of other countries. The Ra(eq) values of the building materials are below the internationally accepted values (370 Bq kg(-1)). The values of H(in) in all studied building materials are less than unity. The AEDs of all measured building materials are at an acceptable level.

Impacts of Commercial Building Controls on Energy Savings and Peak Load Reduction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernandez, Nicholas E.P.; Katipamula, Srinivas; Wang, Weimin

Commercial buildings in the United States use about 18 Quadrillion British thermal units (Quads) of primary energy annually . Studies have shown that as much as 30% of building energy consumption can be avoided by using more accurate sensing, using existing controls better, and deploying advanced controls; hence, the motivation for the work described in this report. Studies also have shown that 10% to 20% of the commercial building peak load can be temporarily managed/curtailed to provide grid services. Although many studies have indicated significant potential for reducing the energy consumption in commercial buildings, very few have documented the actualmore » savings. The studies that did so only provided savings at the whole building level, which makes it difficult to assess the savings potential of each individual measure deployed.« less

Effects of Newly Designed Hospital Buildings on Staff Perceptions: A Pre-Post Study to Validate Design Decisions.

PubMed

Schreuder, Eliane; van Heel, Liesbeth; Goedhart, Rien; Dusseldorp, Elise; Schraagen, Jan Maarten; Burdorf, Alex

2015-01-01

This study investigates effects of the newly built nonpatient-related buildings of a large university medical center on staff perceptions and whether the design objectives were achieved. The medical center is gradually renewing its hospital building area of 200,000 m.(2) This redevelopment is carefully planned and because lessons learned can guide design decisions of the next phase, the medical center is keen to evaluate the performance of the new buildings. A pre- and post-study with a control group was conducted. Prior to the move to the new buildings an occupancy evaluation was carried out in the old setting (n = 729) (pre-study). Post occupation of the new buildings another occupancy evaluation (post-study) was carried out in the new setting (intervention group) and again in some old settings (control group) (n = 664). The occupancy evaluation consisted of an online survey that measured the perceived performance of different aspects of the building. Longitudinal multilevel analysis was used to compare the performance of the old buildings with the new buildings. Significant improvements were found in indoor climate, perceived safety, working environment, well-being, facilities, sustainability, and overall satisfaction. Commitment to the employer, working atmosphere, orientation, work performance, and knowledge sharing did not improve. The results were interpreted by relating them to specific design choices. We showed that it is possible to measure the performance improvements of a complex intervention being a new building design and validate design decisions. A focused design process aiming for a safe, pleasant and sustainable building resulted in actual improvements in some of the related performance measures. © The Author(s) 2015.

Airborne asbestos in public buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chesson, J.; Hatfield, J.; Schultz, B.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampled air in 49 government-owned buildings (six buildings with no asbestos-containing material, six buildings with asbestos-containing material in generally good condition, and 37 buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material). This is the most comprehensive study to date of airborne asbestos levels in U.S. public buildings during normal building activities. The air outside each building was also sampled. Air samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy using a direct transfer preparation technique. The results show an increasing trend in average airborne asbestos levels; outdoor levels are lowest and levels in buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material are highest.more » However, the measured levels and the differences between indoors and outdoors and between building categories are small in absolute magnitude. Comparable studies from Canada and the UK, although differing in their estimated concentrations, also conclude that while airborne asbestos levels may be elevated in buildings that contain asbestos, levels are generally low. This conclusion does not eliminate the possibility of higher airborne asbestos levels during maintenance or renovation that disturbs the asbestos-containing material.« less

Infrared survey of 50 buildings constructed during 100 years: thermal performances and damage conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ljungberg, Sven-Ake

1995-03-01

Different building constructions and craftsmanship give rise to different thermal performance and damage conditions. The building stock of most industrial countries consists of buildings of various age, and constructions, from old historic buildings with heavy stone or wooden construction, to new buildings with heavy or light concrete construction, or modern steel or wooden construction. In this paper the result from a detailed infrared survey of 50 buildings from six Swedish military camps is presented. The presentation is limited to a comparison of thermal performance and damage conditions of buildings of various ages, functions, and constructions, of a building period of more than 100 years. The result is expected to be relevant even to civilian buildings. Infrared surveys were performed during 1992-1993, with airborne, and mobile short- and longwave infrared systems, out- and indoor thermography. Interpretation and analysis of infrared data was performed with interactive image and analyzing systems. Field inspections were carried out with fiber optics system, and by ocular inspections. Air-exchange rate was measured in order to quantify air leakages through the building envelope, indicated in thermograms. The objects studied were single-family houses, barracks, office-, service-, school- and exercise buildings, military hotels and restaurants, aircraft hangars, and ship factory buildings. The main conclusions from this study are that most buildings from 1880 - 1940 have a solid construction with a high quality of craftsmanship, relatively good thermal performance, due to extremely thick walls, and adding insulation at the attic floor. From about 1940 - 1960 the quality of construction, thermal performance and craftsmanship seem to vary a lot. Buildings constructed during the period of 1960 - 1990 have in general the best thermal performance due to a better insulation capacity, however, also one finds here the greatest variety of problems. The result from this study is to be incorporated in planning of short- and long term maintenance programs of the Swedish Defence. In general the military buildings are expected to have better status than civilian buildings, due to the more rigorous control during the building process, performed by military building authorities.

An international survey of building energy codes and their implementation

DOE PAGES

Evans, Meredydd; Roshchanka, Volha; Graham, Peter

2017-08-01

Buildings are key to low-carbon development everywhere, and many countries have introduced building energy codes to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Yet, building energy codes can only deliver results when the codes are implemented. For this reason, studies of building energy codes need to consider implementation of building energy codes in a consistent and comprehensive way. This research identifies elements and practices in implementing building energy codes, covering codes in 22 countries that account for 70% of global energy use in buildings. These elements and practices include: comprehensive coverage of buildings by type, age, size, and geographic location; an implementationmore » framework that involves a certified agency to inspect construction at critical stages; and building materials that are independently tested, rated, and labeled. Training and supporting tools are another element of successful code implementation. Some countries have also introduced compliance evaluation studies, which suggested that tightening energy requirements would only be meaningful when also addressing gaps in implementation (Pitt&Sherry, 2014; U.S. DOE, 2016b). Here, this article provides examples of practices that countries have adopted to assist with implementation of building energy codes.« less

Examining the impact of lahars on buildings using numerical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mead, Stuart R.; Magill, Christina; Lemiale, Vincent; Thouret, Jean-Claude; Prakash, Mahesh

2017-05-01

Lahars are volcanic flows containing a mixture of fluid and sediment which have the potential to cause significant damage to buildings, critical infrastructure and human life. The extent of this damage is controlled by properties of the lahar, location of elements at risk and susceptibility of these elements to the lahar. Here we focus on understanding lahar-induced building damage. Quantification of building damage can be difficult due to the complexity of lahar behaviour (hazard), varying number and type of buildings exposed to the lahar (exposure) and the uncertain susceptibility of buildings to lahar impacts (vulnerability). In this paper, we quantify and examine the importance of lahar hazard, exposure and vulnerability in determining building damage with reference to a case study in the city of Arequipa, Peru. Numerical modelling is used to investigate lahar properties that are important in determining the inundation area and forces applied to buildings. Building vulnerability is quantified through the development of critical depth-pressure curves based on the ultimate bending moment of masonry structures. In the case study area, results suggest that building strength plays a minor role in determining overall building losses in comparison to the effects of building exposure and hydraulic characteristics of the lahar.

An international survey of building energy codes and their implementation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, Meredydd; Roshchanka, Volha; Graham, Peter

Buildings are key to low-carbon development everywhere, and many countries have introduced building energy codes to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Yet, building energy codes can only deliver results when the codes are implemented. For this reason, studies of building energy codes need to consider implementation of building energy codes in a consistent and comprehensive way. This research identifies elements and practices in implementing building energy codes, covering codes in 22 countries that account for 70% of global energy use in buildings. These elements and practices include: comprehensive coverage of buildings by type, age, size, and geographic location; an implementationmore » framework that involves a certified agency to inspect construction at critical stages; and building materials that are independently tested, rated, and labeled. Training and supporting tools are another element of successful code implementation. Some countries have also introduced compliance evaluation studies, which suggested that tightening energy requirements would only be meaningful when also addressing gaps in implementation (Pitt&Sherry, 2014; U.S. DOE, 2016b). Here, this article provides examples of practices that countries have adopted to assist with implementation of building energy codes.« less

US EPA Base Study Standard Operating Procedure for Building Recruiting

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Building recruiting for the BASE study is defined by a random selection of buildings within cities of population exceeding 100,000 inhabitants and located in selected climatic regions of the United States.

Dynamics of airborne fungal populations in a large office building

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burge, H. A.; Pierson, D. L.; Groves, T. O.; Strawn, K. F.; Mishra, S. K.

2000-01-01

The increasing concern with bioaerosols in large office buildings prompted this prospective study of airborne fungal concentrations in a newly constructed building on the Gulf coast. We collected volumetric culture plate air samples on 14 occasions over the 18-month period immediately following building occupancy. On each sampling occasion, we collected duplicate samples from three sites on three floors of this six-story building, and an outdoor sample. Fungal concentrations indoors were consistently below those outdoors, and no sample clearly indicated fungal contamination in the building, although visible growth appeared in the ventilation system during the course of the study. We conclude that modern mechanically ventilated buildings prevent the intrusion of most of the outdoor fungal aerosol, and that even relatively extensive air sampling protocols may not sufficiently document the microbial status of buildings.

Organophosphate and phthalate esters in indoor air: a comparison between multi-storey buildings with high and low prevalence of sick building symptoms.

PubMed

Bergh, Caroline; Magnus Åberg, K; Svartengren, Magnus; Emenius, Gunnel; Östman, Conny

2011-07-01

An extensive study has been conducted on the prevalence of organophosphorous flame retardants/plasticizers and phthalate ester plasticizers in indoor air. The targeted substances were measured in 45 multi-storey apartment buildings in Stockholm, Sweden. The apartment buildings were classified as high or low risk with regard to the reporting of sick building symptoms (SBS) within the project Healthy Sustainable Houses in Stockholm (3H). Air samples were taken from two to four apartments per building (in total 169 apartments) to facilitate comparison within and between buildings. Association with building characteristics has been examined as well as association with specific sources by combining chemical analysis and exploratory uni- and multivariate data analysis. The study contributes to the overall perspective of levels of organophosphate and phthalate ester in indoor air enabling comparison with other studies. The results indicated little or no difference in the concentrations of the target substances between the two risk classifications of the buildings. The differences between the apartments sampled within (intra) buildings were greater than the differences between (inter) buildings. The concentrations measured in air ranged up to 1200 ng m(-3) for organophosphate esters and up to 11 000 ng m(-3) for phthalate esters. Results in terms of sources were discerned e.g. PVC flooring is a major source of benzylbutyl phthalate in indoor air.

Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz Andrade, Antonio

2009-01-01

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The…

Technicians for Intelligent Buildings. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prescott, Carolyn; Thomson, Ron

"Intelligent building" is a term that has been coined in recent years to describe buildings in which computer technology is intensely applied in two areas of building operations: control systems and shared tenant services. This two-part study provides an overview of the intelligent building industry and reports on issues related to the…

Overview of the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) study was conducted over a five-year period from 1994-1998, to characterize determinants of indoor air quality (IAQ) and occupant perceptions in representative public and commercial office buildings.

BIPV: a real-time building performance study for a roof-integrated facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaditya, Gayathri; Mani, Monto

2018-03-01

Building integrated photovoltaic system (BIPV) is a photovoltaic (PV) integration that generates energy and serves as a building envelope. A building element (e.g. roof and wall) is based on its functional performance, which could include structure, durability, maintenance, weathering, thermal insulation, acoustics, and so on. The present paper discusses the suitability of PV as a building element in terms of thermal performance based on a case study of a 5.25 kWp roof-integrated BIPV system in tropical regions. Performance of PV has been compared with conventional construction materials and various scenarios have been simulated to understand the impact on occupant comfort levels. In the current case study, PV as a roofing material has been shown to cause significant thermal discomfort to the occupants. The study has been based on real-time data monitoring supported by computer-based building simulation model.

Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Data (BASE)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) study was a five year study to characterize determinants of indoor air quality and occupant perceptions in representative public and commercial office buildings across the U.S. This data source is the raw data from this study about the indoor air quality.

Retrofitting solutions for two different occupancy levels of educational buildings in tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junjing; Pantazaras, Alexandros; Lee, Siew Eang; Santamouris, Mattheos

2018-01-01

Within the multi-functionality of educational buildings, the energy conservation potential can be very different. In addition, among different retrofitting solutions investigated involving interventions on the building envelope, ventilation strategies, artificial lighting systems as well as equipment upgrading, different saving potential would come from different aspects. The opportunities for energy saving potential from the overall point of view and from the detailed aspect view of different retrofitting solutions would be very useful and important for building renovation decision making. This study presents a detailed retrofitting study of two different educational buildings. One represents a building with average occupancy variation and containing mainly offices and labs. The other one represents a building with high occupancy variation and containing mainly lecture rooms and studios. This comparison of the results gives an idea of the different energy saving potential for different types of educational buildings. Principal component analysis is also adopted to investigate the detailed performance of one of the buildings which is influenced stronger by these retrofitting solutions.

[Dynamic changes of urban architecture landscape based on Barista: a case study in Tiexi District of Shenyang City].

PubMed

Zhang, Pei-feng; Hu, Yuan-man; He, Hong-shi; Xiong, Zai-ping; Liu, Miao

2010-12-01

In this paper, three-dimensional building information was extracted from high resolution satellite image based on Barista software. Combined with ArcGIS software, the dynamic changes of the building landscape in Tiexi District of Shenyang City during urban renewal process were analyzed from the conversion contribution rate, building density, average building height, and built-up area rate. It was found that during this urban renewal process, four dominant landscape types (vacant lot, residential building, industrial building, and road) were the main parts of the landscape changes. The areas of vacant lot, residential building, commercial building, and road increased, while that of industrial building decreased. The building density decreased, while the average building height increased. There was an obvious regional variation in building landscape. The building density in industrial district was higher than that in residential district, while the average building height was in adverse. The further from the city center, the lower the building density and building average height.

The changes of densities and patterns of roads and rural buildings: a case study on Dongzhi Yuan of the Loess Plateau, China.

PubMed

Bi, Xiaoli; Wang, Hui; Ge, Jianping

2010-05-01

Roads and buildings are considered as primary causes of rural landscape changes. In this study, linear regression models were used to analyze the dynamic influences of environmental factors and variables on roads and rural buildings from 1979 to 2005 in Dongzhi Yuan (tableland) of the Loess Plateau, China. The relationship between roads and rural buildings and their effects on Dongzhi Yuan are discussed also. The results showed that three environmental factors (topography, land cover, and development level) explained roads better than rural buildings referring densities and patterns. The environmental variables significantly related to roads have decreased, whereas those related to rural buildings have increased over time. Among these significant variables, percent of farmland mostly determined the densities and patterns of both roads and rural buildings. There was significant correlation between roads and rural buildings in terms of density and pattern. In addition, roads and rural buildings have increased greatly in gully areas of this region. Therefore, more attention should be paid to planning of roads and rural buildings in Dongzhi Yuan.

Secondary Students Learning Mathematics through Digital Game Building: A Study of the Effects and Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Qing; Vandermeiden, Elise; Lemieux, Collette; Nathoo, Shahista

2016-01-01

This study explored secondary students' learning experiences in mathematics through digital game building. In this study, students were asked to become designers and builders in order to coauthor their own mathematics learning. Grounded in enactivism, this study examined the impact of game building on students' achievement. In addition, it…

Building energy modeling for green architecture and intelligent dashboard applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBlois, Justin

Buildings are responsible for 40% of the carbon emissions in the United States. Energy efficiency in this sector is key to reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions. This work studied the passive technique called the roof solar chimney for reducing the cooling load in homes architecturally. Three models of the chimney were created: a zonal building energy model, computational fluid dynamics model, and numerical analytic model. The study estimated the error introduced to the building energy model (BEM) through key assumptions, and then used a sensitivity analysis to examine the impact on the model outputs. The conclusion was that the error in the building energy model is small enough to use it for building simulation reliably. Further studies simulated the roof solar chimney in a whole building, integrated into one side of the roof. Comparisons were made between high and low efficiency constructions, and three ventilation strategies. The results showed that in four US climates, the roof solar chimney results in significant cooling load energy savings of up to 90%. After developing this new method for the small scale representation of a passive architecture technique in BEM, the study expanded the scope to address a fundamental issue in modeling - the implementation of the uncertainty from and improvement of occupant behavior. This is believed to be one of the weakest links in both accurate modeling and proper, energy efficient building operation. A calibrated model of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation's LEED Gold, 3,400 m2 building was created. Then algorithms were developed for integration to the building's dashboard application that show the occupant the energy savings for a variety of behaviors in real time. An approach using neural networks to act on real-time building automation system data was found to be the most accurate and efficient way to predict the current energy savings for each scenario. A stochastic study examined the impact of the representation of unpredictable occupancy patterns on model results. Combined, these studies inform modelers and researchers on frameworks for simulating holistically designed architecture and improving the interaction between models and building occupants, in residential and commercial settings. v

The Effectiveness of Full Day School System for Students’ Character Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benawa, A.; Peter, R.; Makmun, S.

2018-01-01

The study aims to put forward that full day school which was delivered in Marsudirini Elementary School in Bogor is effective for students’ character building. The study focused on the implementation of full day school system. The qualitative-based research method applied in the study is characteristic evaluation involving non-participant observation, interview, and documentation analysis. The result of this study concludes that the full day school system is significantly effective in education system for elementary students’ character building. The full day school system embraced the entire relevant processes based on the character building standard. The synergy of comprehensive components in instructional process at full day school has influenced the building of the students’ character effectively and efficiently. The relationship emerged between instructional development process in full day school system and the character building of the students. By developing instructional process through systemic and systematic process in full day school system, the support of stakeholders (leaders, human resources, students, parents’ role) and other components (learning resources, facilities, budget) provides a potent and expeditious contribution for character building among the students eventually.

Wifi-friendly building, enabling wifi signal indoor: an initial study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suherman; Mubarakah, Naemah; Sagala, Romulo S.; Prayitno, Hendra

2018-03-01

The 802.11 network (wireless fidelity/WiFi) is the most common wireless infrastructure applied for internet access indoor. Widespread devices and installation simplicity make it better than similar technologies such as 802.16 and other 802.xx series. The access points are the most influential devices for indoor access. However, building indoor architectures contribute to the signal quality. Since WiFi installation in buildings becomes prevalent, the architecture should consider WiFi-friendliness into consideration. The more friendly the building to WiFi signal, the more efficient the 802.11 based wireless infrastructure. This paper present preliminary study how the building, specially the obstacle material, effects the WiFi signal propagation indoor. The study was performed by using ESP8266-based WiFi signal reader, to determine the impact indoor obstacles to WiFi signal propagation. The initial study shows that simple reflecting materials increase signal level about 1.14 dBm. WiFi-friendly building can be achieved by transforming building properties into signal interconnector. A simple photo frame with aluminium sheet insertion increase signal level on the second floor up to 6.56dBm.

TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials

PubMed Central

Gil, M. L. Almoraima; Mosquera, María J.

2018-01-01

The high pollution levels in our cities are producing a significant increase of dust on buildings. An application of photoactive coatings on building materials can produce buildings with self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we have developed a simple sol-gel route for producing Au-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts with application on buildings. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) improved the TiO2 photoactivity under solar radiation because they promoted absorption in the visible range. We varied the content of AuNPs in the sols under study, in order to investigate their effect on self-cleaning properties. The sols obtained were sprayed on a common building stone, producing coatings which adhere firmly to the stone and preserve their aesthetic qualities. We studied the decolourization efficiency of the photocatalysts under study against methylene blue and against soot (a real staining agent for buildings). Finally, we established that the coating with an intermediate Au content presented the best self-cleaning performance, due to the role played by its structure and texture on its photoactivity. PMID:29558437

Web building and silk properties functionally covary among species of wolf spider.

PubMed

Lacava, Mariángeles; Camargo, Arley; Garcia, Luis F; Benamú, Marco A; Santana, Martin; Fang, Jian; Wang, Xungai; Blamires, Sean J

2018-04-15

Although phylogenetic studies have shown covariation between the properties of spider major ampullate (MA) silk and web building, both spider webs and silks are highly plastic so we cannot be sure whether these traits functionally covary or just vary across environments that the spiders occupy. As MaSp2-like proteins provide MA silk with greater extensibility, their presence is considered necessary for spider webs to effectively capture prey. Wolf spiders (Lycosidae) are predominantly non-web building, but a select few species build webs. We accordingly collected MA silk from two web-building and six non-web-building species found in semirural ecosystems in Uruguay to test whether the presence of MaSp2-like proteins (indicated by amino acid composition, silk mechanical properties and silk nanostructures) was associated with web building across the group. The web-building and non-web-building species were from disparate subfamilies so we estimated a genetic phylogeny to perform appropriate comparisons. For all of the properties measured, we found differences between web-building and non-web-building species. A phylogenetic regression model confirmed that web building and not phylogenetic inertia influences silk properties. Our study definitively showed an ecological influence over spider silk properties. We expect that the presence of the MaSp2-like proteins and the subsequent nanostructures improves the mechanical performance of silks within the webs. Our study furthers our understanding of spider web and silk co-evolution and the ecological implications of spider silk properties. © 2018 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2018 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

A classifying method analysis on the number of returns for given pulse of post-earthquake airborne LiDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinxia; Dou, Aixia; Wang, Xiaoqing; Huang, Shusong; Yuan, Xiaoxiang

2016-11-01

Compared to remote sensing image, post-earthquake airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data contains a high-precision three-dimensional information on earthquake disaster which can improve the accuracy of the identification of destroy buildings. However after the earthquake, the damaged buildings showed so many different characteristics that we can't distinguish currently between trees and damaged buildings points by the most commonly used method of pre-processing. In this study, we analyse the number of returns for given pulse of trees and damaged buildings point cloud and explore methods to distinguish currently between trees and damaged buildings points. We propose a new method by searching for a certain number of neighbourhood space and calculate the ratio(R) of points whose number of returns for given pulse greater than 1 of the neighbourhood points to separate trees from buildings. In this study, we select some point clouds of typical undamaged building, collapsed building and tree as samples from airborne LiDAR point cloud data which got after 2010 earthquake in Haiti MW7.0 by the way of human-computer interaction. Testing to get the Rvalue to distinguish between trees and buildings and apply the R-value to test testing areas. The experiment results show that the proposed method in this study can distinguish between building (undamaged and damaged building) points and tree points effectively but be limited in area where buildings various, damaged complex and trees dense, so this method will be improved necessarily.

Accommodating Change: A Case Study in Planning a Sustainable New Business School Building.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Lee

2002-01-01

Provides a case study of the planning and design of a new building for the Open University Business School. Goals included an energy-efficient building that would break the paradigm of traditional university working methods. (EV)

Energy simulation and optimization for a small commercial building through Modelica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivas, Bryan

Small commercial buildings make up the majority of buildings in the United States. Energy consumed by these buildings is expected to drastically increase in the next few decades, with a large percentage of the energy consumed attributed to cooling systems. This work presents the simulation and optimization of a thermostat schedule to minimize energy consumption in a small commercial building test bed during the cooling season. The simulation occurs through the use of the multi-engineering domain Dymola environment based on the Modelica open source programming language and is optimized with the Java based optimization program GenOpt. The simulation uses both physically based modeling utilizing heat transfer principles for the building and regression analysis for energy consumption. GenOpt is dynamically coupled to Dymola through various interface files. There are very few studies that have coupled GenOpt to a building simulation program and even fewer studies have used Dymola for building simulation as extensively as the work presented here. The work presented proves Dymola as a viable alternative to other building simulation programs such as EnergyPlus and MatLab. The model developed is used to simulate the energy consumption of a test bed, a commissioned real world small commercial building, while maintaining indoor thermal comfort. Potential applications include smart or intelligent building systems, predictive simulation of small commercial buildings, and building diagnostics.

Resilient design in the conservation of Johar market heritage building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roesmanto, Totok

2017-12-01

Johar Market building based on Law of Repubic of Indonesia No.11 of 2010 is a heritage building. It was built in 1936 located near traditional square of Pasebaan and Aloon- Aloon was built by Dutch merchants union in 1678. Semarang based on decentralized policy by the Dutch Government in 1906 became a trading city. Rapid development of trading activities has caused the city planning policy by Semarang Government since 1970 made Aloon-Aloon become market buildings. Johar Market and market buildings in surrounding were on fire in 2015. Basing on Law No.11 of 2010 Semarang Government plans to conserve Johar Market heritage building and reconstruct Aloon-Aloon based on proposal of Roesmanto in 2016. The architect bureau assigned by the Semarang Government designed a new building in the middle of South-Johar Market to accommodate Johar merchants. This study aims to evaluate the design of new building by the architect bureau considering that since 2012 the city of Semarang including earthquake prone areas. The revitalization of Johar Market should use resilient design in order to prevent future damages to heritage buildings located nearby and new building must be spaced sufficiently against surrounding heritage buildings. This research uses descriptive qualitative method base on the field data after Johar Market burned and design planned bureau architect. The results of this study found that the distance between new building and heritage building is less wide.

Measurement of natural radioactivity in building materials used in Urumqi, China.

PubMed

Ding, Xiang; Lu, Xinwei; Zhao, Caifeng; Yang, Guang; Li, Nan

2013-07-01

Building materials contain natural radionuclides (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K, which cause direct radiation exposure of the public. The concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in commonly used building materials of Urumqi, China have been analysed using gamma-ray spectrometry. The concentrations of (226)Ra, (40)K and (232)Th in the studied building materials range from 19.8 to 87.4, from 273.3 to 981.2 and from 11.6 to 47.7 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq), gamma index (Iγ) and alpha index (Iα) were calculated to assess the radiation hazards to people living in dwellings made of the materials studied. The calculated Raeq values of all the building materials are lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg(-1) for building materials. The values of Iγ and Iα of all the building materials are less than unity. The study shows that these materials may be safely used as construction materials and do not pose significant radiation hazards.

Strategies for Relationship and Trust Building by Successful Superintendents: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Leann L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify strategies and behaviors that successful superintendents used to build strong relationships and trust with their boards within their entry period. The three research questions were developed to guide this study: 1. What strategies and behaviors were successful superintendents using to build strong…

Workplace building design and office-based workers' activity: a study of a natural experiment.

PubMed

Jancey, Jonine M; McGann, Sarah; Creagh, Robyn; Blackford, Krysten D; Howat, Peter; Tye, Marian

2016-02-01

This opportunistic natural study investigated the effects of relocation of office workers from a 30-year-old building to a new purpose-built building. The new building included an attractive central staircase that was easily accessed and negotiated, as well as breakout spaces and a centralised facilities area. The researchers aimed to determine the impact of the purpose-built office building on the office workers' sedentariness and level of physical activity. In 2013, a natural pre-post study was undertaken with office-based workers in their old conventional 1970s building and on relocating to a new purpose-built 'activity permissive' building. Objective movement data was measured using accelerometers. Anthropometric and demographic data was also collected. Forty-two office-based workers significantly decreased their percentage of daily sitting time (T1 = 84.9% to T2=79.7%; p<0.001) and increased their percentage of daily standing time (T1=11.2% to T2 17.0%; p<0.001) in the new building. Moderate activity significantly declined (T1=3.9% to 3.2%=T2; p=0.038). There was a significant decrease in mean minutes of sitting time (19.62 minutes; p<0.001) and increase in standing time (22.03 minutes; p<0.001). The design of a building can influence activity. This opportunistic study on the impact of workplace relocation on office-based workers' activity showed modest positive outcomes in sitting and standing. Evidence is required to inform building design policy and practice that supports physical activity and reduces levels of sedentariness in the workplace. © 2015 The Authors.

Intelligent transportation systems Professional Capacity Building Program needs assessment : a review and synthesis of thirteen studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This report, ITS Professional Capacity Building: A Review and Synthesis of Thirteen Studies, serves as a companion report to ITS Professional Capacity Building: Field Interviews. This report summarizes what other organizations concerned about ITS sta...

Use of Machine Learning Algorithms to Propose a New Methodology to Conduct, Critique and Validate Urban Scale Building Energy Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Maharshi

City administrators and real-estate developers have been setting up rather aggressive energy efficiency targets. This, in turn, has led the building science research groups across the globe to focus on urban scale building performance studies and level of abstraction associated with the simulations of the same. The increasing maturity of the stakeholders towards energy efficiency and creating comfortable working environment has led researchers to develop methodologies and tools for addressing the policy driven interventions whether it's urban level energy systems, buildings' operational optimization or retrofit guidelines. Typically, these large-scale simulations are carried out by grouping buildings based on their design similarities i.e. standardization of the buildings. Such an approach does not necessarily lead to potential working inputs which can make decision-making effective. To address this, a novel approach is proposed in the present study. The principle objective of this study is to propose, to define and evaluate the methodology to utilize machine learning algorithms in defining representative building archetypes for the Stock-level Building Energy Modeling (SBEM) which are based on operational parameter database. The study uses "Phoenix- climate" based CBECS-2012 survey microdata for analysis and validation. Using the database, parameter correlations are studied to understand the relation between input parameters and the energy performance. Contrary to precedence, the study establishes that the energy performance is better explained by the non-linear models. The non-linear behavior is explained by advanced learning algorithms. Based on these algorithms, the buildings at study are grouped into meaningful clusters. The cluster "mediod" (statistically the centroid, meaning building that can be represented as the centroid of the cluster) are established statistically to identify the level of abstraction that is acceptable for the whole building energy simulations and post that the retrofit decision-making. Further, the methodology is validated by conducting Monte-Carlo simulations on 13 key input simulation parameters. The sensitivity analysis of these 13 parameters is utilized to identify the optimum retrofits. From the sample analysis, the envelope parameters are found to be more sensitive towards the EUI of the building and thus retrofit packages should also be directed to maximize the energy usage reduction.

An insight into actual energy use and its drivers in high-performance buildings

DOE PAGES

Li, Cheng; Hong, Tianzhen; Yan, Da

2014-07-12

Using portfolio analysis and individual detailed case studies, we studied the energy performance and drivers of energy use in 51 high-performance office buildings in the U.S., Europe, China, and other parts of Asia. Portfolio analyses revealed that actual site energy use intensity (EUI) of the study buildings varied by a factor of as much as 11, indicating significant variation in real energy use in HPBs worldwide. Nearly half of the buildings did not meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2004 energy target, raising questions about whether a building’s certification as high performing accuratelymore » indicates that a building is energy efficient and suggesting that improvement in the design and operation of HPBs is needed to realize their energy-saving potential. We studied the influence of climate, building size, and building technologies on building energy performance and found that although all are important, none are decisive factors in building energy use. EUIs were widely scattered in all climate zones. There was a trend toward low energy use in small buildings, but the correlation was not absolute; some small HPBs exhibited high energy use, and some large HPBs exhibited low energy use. We were unable to identify a set of efficient technologies that correlated directly to low EUIs. In two case studies, we investigated the influence of occupant behavior as well as operation and maintenance on energy performance and found that both play significant roles in realizing energy savings. We conclude that no single factor determines the actual energy performance of HPBs, and adding multiple efficient technologies does not necessarily improve building energy performance; therefore, an integrated design approach that takes account of climate, technology, occupant behavior, and operations and maintenance practices should be implemented to maximize energy savings in HPBs. As a result, these findings are intended to help architects, engineers, operators, and policy makers improve the design and operation of HPBs.« less

Automatic 3d Building Model Generations with Airborne LiDAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yastikli, N.; Cetin, Z.

2017-11-01

LiDAR systems become more and more popular because of the potential use for obtaining the point clouds of vegetation and man-made objects on the earth surface in an accurate and quick way. Nowadays, these airborne systems have been frequently used in wide range of applications such as DEM/DSM generation, topographic mapping, object extraction, vegetation mapping, 3 dimensional (3D) modelling and simulation, change detection, engineering works, revision of maps, coastal management and bathymetry. The 3D building model generation is the one of the most prominent applications of LiDAR system, which has the major importance for urban planning, illegal construction monitoring, 3D city modelling, environmental simulation, tourism, security, telecommunication and mobile navigation etc. The manual or semi-automatic 3D building model generation is costly and very time-consuming process for these applications. Thus, an approach for automatic 3D building model generation is needed in a simple and quick way for many studies which includes building modelling. In this study, automatic 3D building models generation is aimed with airborne LiDAR data. An approach is proposed for automatic 3D building models generation including the automatic point based classification of raw LiDAR point cloud. The proposed point based classification includes the hierarchical rules, for the automatic production of 3D building models. The detailed analyses for the parameters which used in hierarchical rules have been performed to improve classification results using different test areas identified in the study area. The proposed approach have been tested in the study area which has partly open areas, forest areas and many types of the buildings, in Zekeriyakoy, Istanbul using the TerraScan module of TerraSolid. The 3D building model was generated automatically using the results of the automatic point based classification. The obtained results of this research on study area verified that automatic 3D building models can be generated successfully using raw LiDAR point cloud data.

A study of energy use for ventilation and air-conditioning systems in Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chung Hoi Philip

Most of the local modern buildings are high-rise with enclosed structure. Mechanical ventilation and air conditioning (MVAC) systems are installed for thermal comfort. Various types of MVAC systems found in Hong Kong were critically reviewed with comments on their characteristics in energy efficiency as well as application. The major design considerations were also discussed. Besides MVAC, other energy-consuming components in commercial buildings were also identified, such as lighting, lifts and escalators, office equipment, information technology facilities, etc. A practical approach has been adopted throughout this study in order that the end results will have pragmatic value to the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry in Hong Kong. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has become a major issue in commercial buildings worldwide including Hong Kong. Ventilation rate is no doubt a critical element in the design of HVAC systems, which can be realized more obviously in railway train compartments where the carbon dioxide level will be built up quickly when the compartments are crowded during rush hours. A study was carried out based on a simplified model using a train compartment that is equipped with an MVAC system. Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) is a single-value parameter for controlling building energy use and is relatively simple to implement legislatively. The local government has taken a first step in reacting to the worldwide concern of energy conservation and environmental protection since 1995. Different methods of OTTV calculation were studied and the computation results were compared. It gives a clear picture of the advantages and limitations for each method to the building designers. However, due to the limitations of using OTTV as the only parameter for building energy control, some new approaches to a total control of building energy use were discussed and they might be considered for future revision of the building energy codes in Hong Kong. A sample database of 20 existing commercial buildings was established for further analysis of building energy use. Heat gains through building envelopes were reviewed with reference to fundamental theory behind as well as the heat transfer equations presented in the literature. The prevailing methodologies of cooling load estimation and energy calculation were studied. Building energy auditing methods were discussed with reference to the local practice as well as international standards and guides. The common procedures of building energy auditing with three stages were outlined: historical data collection/analysis, preliminary site survey, and detailed energy consumption investigation. A typical commercial building was selected for detailed study of energy use by MVAC systems. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Application of snakes and dynamic programming optimisation technique in modeling of buildings in informal settlement areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rüther, Heinz; Martine, Hagai M.; Mtalo, E. G.

This paper presents a novel approach to semiautomatic building extraction in informal settlement areas from aerial photographs. The proposed approach uses a strategy of delineating buildings by optimising their approximate building contour position. Approximate building contours are derived automatically by locating elevation blobs in digital surface models. Building extraction is then effected by means of the snakes algorithm and the dynamic programming optimisation technique. With dynamic programming, the building contour optimisation problem is realized through a discrete multistage process and solved by the "time-delayed" algorithm, as developed in this work. The proposed building extraction approach is a semiautomatic process, with user-controlled operations linking fully automated subprocesses. Inputs into the proposed building extraction system are ortho-images and digital surface models, the latter being generated through image matching techniques. Buildings are modeled as "lumps" or elevation blobs in digital surface models, which are derived by altimetric thresholding of digital surface models. Initial windows for building extraction are provided by projecting the elevation blobs centre points onto an ortho-image. In the next step, approximate building contours are extracted from the ortho-image by region growing constrained by edges. Approximate building contours thus derived are inputs into the dynamic programming optimisation process in which final building contours are established. The proposed system is tested on two study areas: Marconi Beam in Cape Town, South Africa, and Manzese in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Sixty percent of buildings in the study areas have been extracted and verified and it is concluded that the proposed approach contributes meaningfully to the extraction of buildings in moderately complex and crowded informal settlement areas.

Automatic computation for optimum height planning of apartment buildings to improve solar access

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seong, Yoon-Bok; Kim, Yong-Yee; Seok, Ho-Tae

2011-01-15

The objective of this study is to suggest a mathematical model and an optimal algorithm for determining the height of apartment buildings to satisfy the solar rights of survey buildings or survey housing units. The objective is also to develop an automatic computation model for the optimum height of apartment buildings and then to clarify the performance and expected effects. To accomplish the objective of this study, the following procedures were followed: (1) The necessity of the height planning of obstruction buildings to satisfy the solar rights of survey buildings or survey housing units is demonstrated by analyzing through amore » literature review the recent trend of disputes related to solar rights and to examining the social requirements in terms of solar rights. In addition, the necessity of the automatic computation system for height planning of apartment buildings is demonstrated and a suitable analysis method for this system is chosen by investigating the characteristics of analysis methods for solar rights assessment. (2) A case study on the process of height planning of apartment buildings will be briefly described and the problems occurring in this process will then be examined carefully. (3) To develop an automatic computation model for height planning of apartment buildings, geometrical elements forming apartment buildings are defined by analyzing the geometrical characteristics of apartment buildings. In addition, design factors and regulations required in height planning of apartment buildings are investigated. Based on this knowledge, the methodology and mathematical algorithm to adjust the height of apartment buildings by automatic computation are suggested and probable problems and the ways to resolve these problems are discussed. Finally, the methodology and algorithm for the optimization are suggested. (4) Based on the suggested methodology and mathematical algorithm, the automatic computation model for optimum height of apartment buildings is developed and the developed system is verified through the application of some cases. The effects of the suggested model are then demonstrated quantitatively and qualitatively. (author)« less

Technology Solutions Case Study: Retrofit Measures for Embedded Wood Members in Insulated Mass Masonry Walls

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

K. Ueno

2015-10-01

In this project, the Building Science Corporation team studied a historic brick building in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which is being renovated into 10 condominium units and adding insulation to the interior side of walls of such masonry buildings.

A study on fire spreading model for the safety distance between the neighborhood occupancies and historical buildings in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C. H.; Chien, S. W.; Ho, M. C.

2015-08-01

Cultural heritages and historical buildings are vulnerable against severe threats from fire. Since the 1970s, ten fire-spread events involving historic buildings have occurred in Taiwan, affecting a total of 132 nearby buildings. Developed under the influence of traditional Taiwanese culture, historic buildings in Taiwan are often built using non-fire resistant brick-wood structure and located in proximity to residential occupancies. Fire outbreak in these types of neighborhood will lead to severe damage of antiquities, leaving only unrecoverable historical imagery. This study is aimed to investigate the minimal safety distance required between a historical building and its surroundings in order to reduce the risk of external fire. This study is based on literature analysis and the fire spread model using a Fire Dynamics Simulator. The selected target is Jingmei Temple in Taipei City. This study explored local geography to identify patterns behind historical buildings distribution. In the past, risk reduction engineering for cultural heritages and historical buildings focused mainly on fire equipment and the available personnel with emergency response ability, and little attention was given to external fire risks and the affected damage. Through discussions on the required safety distance, this research provides guidelines for the following items: management of neighborhoods with historical buildings and consultation between the protection of cultural heritages and disaster prevention, reducing the frequency and extent of fire damages, and preserving cultural resource.

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farley, Jenne; Ruch, Russell

This evaluation explored the feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25%-30% source energy savings through the study of three case studies. There is an urgent need to scale up energy efficiency retrofitting of Chicago's multifamily buildings in order to address rising energy costs and a rapidly depleting rental stock. Aimed at retrofit program administrators and building science professionals, this research project investigates the possibility of using prescriptive retrofit packages as a time- and resource-effective approach to the process of retrofitting multifamily buildings.

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farley, Jenne; Ruch, Russell

This evaluation explored the feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25%-30% source energy savings through the study of three case studies. There is an urgent need to scale up energy efficiency retrofitting of Chicago's multifamily buildings in order to address rising energy costs and a rapidly depletingrental stock. Aimed at retrofit program administrators and building science professionals, this research project investigates the possibility of using prescriptive retrofit packages as a time- and resource-effective approach to the process of retrofitting multifamily buildings.

Study of structural reliability of existing concrete structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Druķis, P.; Gaile, L.; Valtere, K.; Pakrastiņš, L.; Goremikins, V.

2017-10-01

Structural reliability of buildings has become an important issue after the collapse of a shopping center in Riga 21.11.2013, caused the death of 54 people. The reliability of a building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining and removing buildings in ways that ensure maintained health, ward suffered injuries or death due to use of the building. Evaluation and improvement of existing buildings is becoming more and more important. For a large part of existing buildings, the design life has been reached or will be reached in the near future. The structures of these buildings need to be reassessed in order to find out whether the safety requirements are met. The safety requirements provided by the Eurocodes are a starting point for the assessment of safety. However, it would be uneconomical to require all existing buildings and structures to comply fully with these new codes and corresponding safety levels, therefore the assessment of existing buildings differs with each design situation. This case study describes the simple and practical procedure of determination of minimal reliability index β of existing concrete structures designed by different codes than Eurocodes and allows to reassess the actual reliability level of different structural elements of existing buildings under design load.

Excavation-caused extra deformation of existing masonry residence in soft soil region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Y.; Franceschelli, S.

2017-04-01

Growing need for construction of infrastructures and buildings in fast urbanization process creates challenges of interaction between buildings under construction and adjacent existing buildings. This paper presents the mitigation of contradiction between two parties who are involved the interaction using civil engineering techniques. Through the in-depth analysis of the results of monitoring surveys and enhanced accuracy and reliability of surveys, a better understanding of the behavior of deformable buildings is achieved. Combination with the original construction documents, the two parties agree that both of them are responsible for building damages and a better understanding for the rehabilitation of the existing buildings is focused on. Two cases studies are used to demonstrate and describe the importance of better understanding of the behavior of existing buildings and their rehabilitations. The objective of this study is to insight into mechanisms of soil-structure interaction for buildings adjacent to deep excavations, which can result in a damage in existing masonry residence, and to take the optimized measures to make deep excavations safety and economic and adjacent buildings keep good serviceability in urban areas with soft soil conditions.

Associations of indoor carbon dioxide concentrations and environmental susceptibilities with mucous membrane and lower respiratory building related symptoms in the BASE study: Analyses of the 100 building dataset

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erdmann, Christine A.; Apte, Michael G.

Using the US EPA 100 office-building BASE Study dataset, they conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses to quantify the relationship between indoor CO{sub 2} concentrations (dCO{sub 2}) and mucous membrane (MM) and lower respiratory system (LResp) building related symptoms, adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, presence of carpet in workspace, thermal exposure, relative humidity, and a marker for entrained automobile exhaust. In addition, they tested the hypothesis that certain environmentally-mediated health conditions (e.g., allergies and asthma) confer increased susceptibility to building related symptoms within office buildings. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for statistically significant, dose-dependent associations (p < 0.05) for dry eyes,more » sore throat, nose/sinus congestion, and wheeze symptoms with 100 ppm increases in dCO{sub 2} ranged from 1.1 to 1.2. These results suggest that increases in the ventilation rates per person among typical office buildings will, on average, reduce the prevalence of several building related symptoms by up to 70%, even when these buildings meet the existing ASHRAE ventilation standards for office buildings. Building occupants with certain environmentally-mediated health conditions are more likely to experience building related symptoms than those without these conditions (statistically significant ORs ranged from 2 to 11).« less

Exposure and vulnerability assessment of buildings extracted from lidar derived datasets in Bucao River floodplains, Zambales, Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paz-Alberto, Annie Melinda; Ramos, Gloria N.; Espiritu, Jo Adrianne; Mapanao, Kathrina M.; Lao, Ranilo B.

2017-09-01

The Philippines has a geographic and geological setting that make it prone to various hazards including weather and climate-related. It is usually strongly affected by monsoon and typhoon occurrences that cause floods due to torrential rains that causes great risks in man's life and properties, resulting in a significant national loss. Strategies for disaster prevention to protect human lives, properties and social infrastructure is therefore necessary. Different important parameters in disaster risk management such as earth observations, Light Detection and Ranging and Geographic Information System were integrated and utilized in this study. This study dealt with mapping and assessment of buildings that might possibly be exposed and vulnerable to flooding based on the simulated flood maps at different rainfall scenarios in Bucao River Basin. The assessment was done through GIS overlay analysis of the CLSU PHIL-LiDAR 1 Project outputs, the 3D building GIS database and flood hazard maps. Results of this study were series of maps with statistics at different rainfall scenarios. From 23,097 building features extracted, 10,118 buildings, 4,258 buildings and 7,433 buildings were the identified highest number of buildings exposed to flooding and a total of 2,427 buildings, 3,914 buildings and 7,204 buildings from the exposed were identified that had high vulnerabilities in terms of height at low, medium and high hazards of 100 year return period, respectively. Through these maps, it is easier to disseminate information that is more realistic to the residents about the hazardous areas and to help them act on warning and evacuating measures.

Impact of the buildings areas on the fire incidence.

PubMed

Srekl, Jože; Golob, Janvit

2010-03-01

A survey of statistical studies shows that probability of fires is expressed by the equation P(A) = KAα, where A = total floor area of the building and K and  are constants for an individual group, or risk category. This equation, which is based on the statistical data on fires in Great Britain, does not include the impact factors such as the number of employees and the activities carried out in these buildings. In order to find out possible correlations between the activities carried out in buildings, the characteristics of buildings and number of fires, we used a random sample which included 134 buildings as industrial objects, hotels, restaurants, warehouses and shopping malls. Our study shows that the floor area of buildings has low impact on the incidence of fires. After analysing the sample of buildings by using multivariate analysis we proved a correlation between the number of fires, floor area of objects, work operation period (per day) and the number of employees in objects.

Comparative study of building footprint estimation methods from LiDAR point clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozas, E.; Rivera, F. F.; Cabaleiro, J. C.; Pena, T. F.; Vilariño, D. L.

2017-10-01

Building area calculation from LiDAR points is still a difficult task with no clear solution. Their different characteristics, such as shape or size, have made the process too complex to automate. However, several algorithms and techniques have been used in order to obtain an approximated hull. 3D-building reconstruction or urban planning are examples of important applications that benefit of accurate building footprint estimations. In this paper, we have carried out a study of accuracy in the estimation of the footprint of buildings from LiDAR points. The analysis focuses on the processing steps following the object recognition and classification, assuming that labeling of building points have been previously performed. Then, we perform an in-depth analysis of the influence of the point density over the accuracy of the building area estimation. In addition, a set of buildings with different size and shape were manually classified, in such a way that they can be used as benchmark.

Assessment of existing local houses condition as analysis tools for shore housing improvement program in Weriagar district, Bintuni Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firmansyah, F.; Fernando, A.; Allo, I. P. R.

2018-01-01

The housing assessment is a part of the pre-feasibility study inThe Shore Housing Improvement Program in Weriagar District, West Papua. The housing assessment was conducted to identify the physical condition of existing houses. The parameters of assessment formulated from local references, practices and also national building regulation that covers each building system components, such as building structure/frame, building floor, building cover, and building roof. This study aims to explains lessons from local practices and references, used as the formula to generate assessment parameter, elaborate with Indonesia building regulation. The result of housing assessment were used as a basis to develop the house improvement strategy, the design alternative for housing improvement and further planning recommendations. The local knowledges involved in housing improvement program expected that the local-based approach could respect to the local build culture, respect the local environment, and the most important can offer best suitable solutions for functional utility and livability.

A new multiple regression model to identify multi-family houses with a high prevalence of sick building symptoms "SBS", within the healthy sustainable house study in Stockholm (3H).

PubMed

Engvall, Karin; Hult, M; Corner, R; Lampa, E; Norbäck, D; Emenius, G

2010-01-01

The aim was to develop a new model to identify residential buildings with higher frequencies of "SBS" than expected, "risk buildings". In 2005, 481 multi-family buildings with 10,506 dwellings in Stockholm were studied by a new stratified random sampling. A standardised self-administered questionnaire was used to assess "SBS", atopy and personal factors. The response rate was 73%. Statistical analysis was performed by multiple logistic regressions. Dwellers owning their building reported less "SBS" than those renting. There was a strong relationship between socio-economic factors and ownership. The regression model, ended up with high explanatory values for age, gender, atopy and ownership. Applying our model, 9% of all residential buildings in Stockholm were classified as "risk buildings" with the highest proportion in houses built 1961-1975 (26%) and lowest in houses built 1985-1990 (4%). To identify "risk buildings", it is necessary to adjust for ownership and population characteristics.

Technology for Building Systems Integration and Optimization – Landscape Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goetzler, William; Guernsey, Matt; Bargach, Youssef

BTO's Commercial Building Integration (CBI) program helps advance a range of innovative building integration and optimization technologies and solutions, paving the way for high-performing buildings that could use 50-70% less energy than typical buildings. CBI’s work focuses on early stage technology innovation, with an emphasis on how components and systems work together and how whole buildings are integrated and optimized. This landscape study outlines the current body of knowledge, capabilities, and the broader array of solutions supporting integration and optimization in commercial buildings. CBI seeks to support solutions for both existing buildings and new construction, which often present very differentmore » challenges.« less

Improving building energy efficiency in India: State-level analysis of building energy efficiency policies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Sha; Tan, Qing; Evans, Meredydd

India is expected to add 40 billion m2 of new buildings till 2050. Buildings are responsible for one third of India’s total energy consumption today and building energy use is expected to continue growing driven by rapid income and population growth. The implementation of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is one of the measures to improve building energy efficiency. Using the Global Change Assessment Model, this study assesses growth in the buildings sector and impacts of building energy policies in Gujarat, which would help the state adopt ECBC and expand building energy efficiency programs. Without building energy policies, buildingmore » energy use in Gujarat would grow by 15 times in commercial buildings and 4 times in urban residential buildings between 2010 and 2050. ECBC improves energy efficiency in commercial buildings and could reduce building electricity use in Gujarat by 20% in 2050, compared to the no policy scenario. Having energy codes for both commercial and residential buildings could result in additional 10% savings in electricity use. To achieve these intended savings, it is critical to build capacity and institution for robust code implementation.« less

Wheelchair accessibility to public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.

PubMed

Yarfi, Cosmos; Ashigbi, Evans Y K; Nakua, Emmanuel K

2017-01-01

Accessibility implies making public places accessible to every individual, irrespective of his or her disability or special need, ensuring the integration of the wheelchair user into the society and thereby granting them the capability of participating in activities of daily living and ensuring equality in daily life. This study was carried out to assess the accessibility of the physical infrastructures (public buildings) in the Kumasi metropolis to wheelchairs after the passage of the Ghanaian Disability Law (Act 716, 2006). Eighty-four public buildings housing education facilities, health facilities, ministries, departments and agencies, sports and recreation, religious groups and banks were assessed. The routes, entrances, height of steps, grade of ramps, sinks, entrance to washrooms, toilets, urinals, automated teller machines and tellers' counters were measured and computed. Out of a total of 84 buildings assessed, only 34 (40.5%) of the buildings, 52.3% of the entrances and 87.4% of the routes of the buildings were accessible to wheelchair users. A total of 25% (13 out of 52) of the public buildings with more than one floor were fitted with elevators to connect the different levels of floors. The results of this study show that public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis are not wheelchair accessible. An important observation made during this study was that there is an intention to improve accessibility when buildings are being constructed or renovated, but there are no laid down guidelines as how to make the buildings accessible for wheelchair users.

Wheelchair accessibility to public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana

PubMed Central

Ashigbi, Evans Y.K.

2017-01-01

Background Accessibility implies making public places accessible to every individual, irrespective of his or her disability or special need, ensuring the integration of the wheelchair user into the society and thereby granting them the capability of participating in activities of daily living and ensuring equality in daily life. Objective This study was carried out to assess the accessibility of the physical infrastructures (public buildings) in the Kumasi metropolis to wheelchairs after the passage of the Ghanaian Disability Law (Act 716, 2006). Methods Eighty-four public buildings housing education facilities, health facilities, ministries, departments and agencies, sports and recreation, religious groups and banks were assessed. The routes, entrances, height of steps, grade of ramps, sinks, entrance to washrooms, toilets, urinals, automated teller machines and tellers’ counters were measured and computed. Results Out of a total of 84 buildings assessed, only 34 (40.5%) of the buildings, 52.3% of the entrances and 87.4% of the routes of the buildings were accessible to wheelchair users. A total of 25% (13 out of 52) of the public buildings with more than one floor were fitted with elevators to connect the different levels of floors. Conclusion The results of this study show that public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis are not wheelchair accessible. An important observation made during this study was that there is an intention to improve accessibility when buildings are being constructed or renovated, but there are no laid down guidelines as how to make the buildings accessible for wheelchair users. PMID:29062761

Seismic responses of two adjacent buildings. I. Data and analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Çelebi, Mehmet

1993-01-01

In this two-part paper, responses of two, adjacent, seven-story buildings in Norwalk, California, to the Whittier-Narrows, Calif, earthquake of Oct. 1, 1987 are studied. Building A, instrumented according to code recommendations, and building B, extensively instrumented, are offset by 16.3 m from one another. The data set includes motions from the superstructure of both buildings, from a downhole below the foundation of building B, and from three free-field sites. Part I of the paper includes descriptions of the buildings, site, instrumentation, and analysis of the data of each building. System identification and spectral analysis techniques are employed in part I. Building A has identical first-mode frequencies of 0.65 Hz for both building axes. The strong-motion response characteristics of building A are considerably different than those determined from low-amplitude tests. Building B has fundamental modes at 0.76 Hz and 0.83 Hz in the major and minor axes, respectively. Torsional and diaphragm effects in building B are negligible.

Stochastic landslide vulnerability modeling in space and time in a part of the northern Himalayas, India.

PubMed

Das, Iswar; Kumar, Gaurav; Stein, Alfred; Bagchi, Arunabha; Dadhwal, Vinay K

2011-07-01

Little is known about the quantitative vulnerability analysis to landslides as not many attempts have been made to assess it comprehensively. This study assesses the spatio-temporal vulnerability of elements at risk to landslides in a stochastic framework. The study includes buildings, persons inside buildings, and traffic as elements at risk to landslides. Building vulnerability is the expected damage and depends on the position of a building with respect to the landslide hazard at a given time. Population and vehicle vulnerability are the expected death toll in a building and vehicle damage in space and time respectively. The study was carried out in a road corridor in the Indian Himalayas that is highly susceptible to landslides. Results showed that 26% of the buildings fall in the high and very high vulnerability categories. Population vulnerability inside buildings showed a value >0.75 during 0800 to 1000 hours and 1600 to 1800 hours in more buildings that other times of the day. It was also observed in the study region that the vulnerability of vehicle is above 0.6 in half of the road stretches during 0800 hours to 1000 hours and 1600 to 1800 hours due to high traffic density on the road section. From this study, we conclude that the vulnerability of an element at risk to landslide is a space and time event, and can be quantified using stochastic modeling. Therefore, the stochastic vulnerability modeling forms the basis for a quantitative landslide risk analysis and assessment.

Workplace building design and office‐based workers' activity: a study of a natural experiment

PubMed Central

McGann, Sarah; Creagh, Robyn; Blackford, Krysten D.; Howat, Peter; Tye, Marian

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: This opportunistic natural study investigated the effects of relocation of office workers from a 30‐year‐old building to a new purpose‐built building. The new building included an attractive central staircase that was easily accessed and negotiated, as well as breakout spaces and a centralised facilities area. The researchers aimed to determine the impact of the purpose‐built office building on the office workers' sedentariness and level of physical activity. Method: In 2013, a natural pre‐post study was undertaken with office‐based workers in their old conventional 1970s building and on relocating to a new purpose‐built ‘activity permissive’ building. Objective movement data was measured using accelerometers. Anthropometric and demographic data was also collected. Results: Forty‐two office‐based workers significantly decreased their percentage of daily sitting time (T1 = 84.9% to T2=79.7%; p<0.001) and increased their percentage of daily standing time (T1=11.2% to T2 17.0%; p<0.001) in the new building. Moderate activity significantly declined (T1=3.9% to 3.2%=T2; p=0.038). There was a significant decrease in mean minutes of sitting time (19.62 minutes; p<0.001) and increase in standing time (22.03 minutes; p<0.001). Conclusions: The design of a building can influence activity. This opportunistic study on the impact of workplace relocation on office‐based workers' activity showed modest positive outcomes in sitting and standing. Evidence is required to inform building design policy and practice that supports physical activity and reduces levels of sedentariness in the workplace. PMID:26455349

Achieving Actionable Results from Available Inputs: Metamodels Take Building Energy Simulations One Step Further

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horsey, Henry; Fleming, Katherine; Ball, Brian

Modeling commercial building energy usage can be a difficult and time-consuming task. The increasing prevalence of optimization algorithms provides one path for reducing the time and difficulty. Many use cases remain, however, where information regarding whole-building energy usage is valuable, but the time and expertise required to run and post-process a large number of building energy simulations is intractable. A relatively underutilized option to accurately estimate building energy consumption in real time is to pre-compute large datasets of potential building energy models, and use the set of results to quickly and efficiently provide highly accurate data. This process is calledmore » metamodeling. In this paper, two case studies are presented demonstrating the successful applications of metamodeling using the open-source OpenStudio Analysis Framework. The first case study involves the U.S. Department of Energy's Asset Score Tool, specifically the Preview Asset Score Tool, which is designed to give nontechnical users a near-instantaneous estimated range of expected results based on building system-level inputs. The second case study involves estimating the potential demand response capabilities of retail buildings in Colorado. The metamodel developed in this second application not only allows for estimation of a single building's expected performance, but also can be combined with public data to estimate the aggregate DR potential across various geographic (county and state) scales. In both case studies, the unique advantages of pre-computation allow building energy models to take the place of topdown actuarial evaluations. This paper ends by exploring the benefits of using metamodels and then examines the cost-effectiveness of this approach.« less

How effective is mandatory building energy disclosure program in Australia?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Lim, B. T. H.

2018-04-01

Mandatory green building regulations are often considered as the most effective tool to promote better energy efficiency and environmental protection. Nevertheless, its effectiveness compared to the voluntary counterpart has not been fully explored yet. In addressing this gap, this study aims to examine the environmental performance of green building stocks affected by the Australian mandatory building energy disclosure program. To this, this study analysed energy savings and carbon reduction efficiencies using the normalisation approach. The result shows that mandatory energy disclosure program did contribute to the reduction in energy usage and carbon emissions from the affected building stocks. More specifically, affected green building stocks showed a good efficiency especially in carbon reductions. The research results inform policymakers the possible improvement required for the mandatory disclosure program to increase the effectiveness towards dealing with the contemporary environmental issues aroused from the building sector, especially in energy savings perspective.

Mitigating shear lag in tall buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaur, Himanshu; Goliya, Ravindra K.

2015-09-01

As the height of building increases, effect of shear lag also becomes considerable in the design of high-rise buildings. In this paper, shear lag effect in tall buildings of heights, i.e., 120, 96, 72, 48 and 36 stories of which aspect ratio ranges from 3 to 10 is studied. Tube-in-tube structural system with façade bracing is used for designing the building of height 120 story. It is found that bracing system considerably reduces the shear lag effect and hence increases the building stiffness to withstand lateral loads. Different geometric patterns of bracing system are considered. The best effective geometric configuration of bracing system is concluded in this study. Lateral force, as wind load is applied on the buildings as it is the most dominating lateral force for such heights. Wind load is set as per Indian standard code of practice IS 875 Part-3. For analysis purpose SAP 2000 software program is used.

A comprehensive framework to assess, model, and enhance the human role in conserving energy in commercial buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azar, Elie

Energy conservation and sustainability are subjects of great interest today, especially in the commercial building sector which is witnessing a very high and growing demand for energy. Traditionally, efforts to reduce energy consumption in this sector consisted of researching and developing energy efficient building technologies and systems. On the other hand, recent studies indicate that human actions are major determinants of building energy performance and can lead to excessive energy use even in advanced low-energy buildings. As a result, it is essential to determine if the approach to future energy reduction initiatives should remain solely technology-focused, or if a human-focused approach is also needed to complement advancements in technology and improve building operation and performance. In practice, while technology-focused solutions have been extensively researched, promoted, and adopted in commercial buildings, research efforts on the role of human actions and energy use behaviors in energy conservation remain very limited. This study fills the missing gap in literature by presenting a comprehensive framework to (1) understand and quantify the influence of human actions on building energy performance, (2) model building occupants' energy use behaviors and account for potential changes in these behaviors over time, and (3) test and optimize different human-focused energy reduction interventions to increase their adoption in commercial buildings. Results are significant and prove that human actions have a major role to play in reducing the energy intensity of the commercial building sector. This sheds the light on the need for a shift in how people currently use and control different buildings systems, as this is crucial to ensure efficient building operation and to maximize the return on investment in energy-efficient technologies. Furthermore, this study proposes methods and tools that can be applied on any individual or groups of commercial buildings to evaluate the human impact on their energy performance. This is expected to boost research on the topic and promote the integration of human-focused interventions in large-scale energy reduction initiatives and policies. Finally, this dissertation presents a roadmap for the future challenges to energy conservation and the steps to take towards a more sustainable building sector and society.

The influence of wind speed on airflow and fine particle transport within different building layouts of an industrial city.

PubMed

Mei, Dan; Wen, Meng; Xu, Xuemei; Zhu, Yuzheng; Xing, Futang

2018-04-20

In atmospheric environment, the layout difference of urban buildings has a powerful influence on accelerating or inhibiting the dispersion of particle matters (PM). In industrial cities, buildings of variable heights can obstruct the diffusion of PM from industrial stacks. In this study, PM dispersed within building groups was simulated by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations coupled Lagrangian approach. Four typical street building arrangements were used: (a) a low-rise building block with Height/base H/b = 1 (b = 20 m); (b) step-up building layout (H/b = 1, 2, 3, 4); (c) step-down building layout (H/b = 4, 3, 2, 1); (d) high-rise building block (H/b = 5). Profiles of stream functions and turbulence intensity were used to examine the effect of various building layouts on atmospheric airflow. Here, concepts of particle suspension fraction and concentration distribution were used to evaluate the effect of wind speed on fine particle transport. These parameters showed that step-up building layouts accelerated top airflow and diffused more particles into street canyons, likely having adverse effects on resident health. In renewal old industry areas, the step-down building arrangement which can hinder PM dispersion from high-level stacks should be constructed preferentially. High turbulent intensity results in formation of a strong vortex that hinders particles into the street canyons. It is found that an increase in wind speed enhanced particle transport and reduced local particle concentrations, however, it did not affect the relative location of high particle concentration zones, which are related to building height and layout. This study has demonstrated the height variation and layout of urban architecture affect the local concentration distribution of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere and for the first time that wind velocity has particular effects on PM transport in various building groups. The findings may have general implications in optimization the building layout based on particle transport characteristics during the renewal of industrial cities. For city planners, the results and conclusions are useful for improving the local air quality. The study method also can be used to calculate the explosion risk of industrial dust for people who live in industrial cities.

Analysis of Energy Consumption and Possibilities of Thermal-Modernization in Residential Buildings in Poland Case Study: The Town of Zielona Góra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsabry, A.; Truszkiewicz, P.; Szymański, K.; Łaskawiec, K.; Rojek, Ł.

2017-12-01

The article presents an analysis of buildings belonging the Department of Public Utilities and Housing in Zielona Góra. The research was based on a set of questions for building operators. The questionnaires consisted of 30 questions concerning general and detailed information about the buildings. In order to clearly present the results, this article includes data only about residential and residential-commercial buildings. Forty building built in different periods were selected for analysis.

Build MyTune: Children's Reflective Practice during Music Creativity Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Chia-Pao

2015-01-01

The current study examined how components of reflective practice interplay with children's music-making and sharing processes. This study employed a qualitative approach with 11 children who played classroom instruments and researcher-designed computer programs ("Build MyTune I" and "Build MyTune II") while attending music…

Characterization of pollutant dispersion near elongated buildings based on wind tunnel simulations

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents a wind tunnel study of the effects of elongated rectangular buildings on the dispersion of pollutants from nearby stacks. The study examines the influence of source location, building aspect ratio, and wind direction on pollutant dispersion with the goal of de...

Energy Efficiency of Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soares, Nelson; Pereira, Luísa Dias; Ferreira, João; Conceição, Pedro; da Silva, Patrícia Pereira

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to propose an energy efficiency plan (with technical and behavioural improvement measures) for a Portuguese higher education building--the Teaching Building of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC). Design/methodology/approach: The study was developed in the context of both the "Green…

Providing pressure inputs to multizone building models

DOE PAGES

Herring, Steven J.; Batchelor, Simon; Bieringer, Paul E.; ...

2016-02-13

A study to assess how the fidelity of wind pressure inputs and indoor model complexity affect the predicted air change rate for a study building is presented. The purpose of the work is to support the development of a combined indoor-outdoor hazard prediction tool, which links the CONTAM multizone building simulation tool with outdoor dispersion models. The study building, representing a large office block of a simple rectangular geometry under natural ventilation, was based on a real building used in the Joint Urban 2003 experiment. A total of 1600 indoor model flow simulations were made, driven by 100 meteorological conditionsmore » which provided a wide range of building surface pressures. These pressures were applied at four levels of resolution to four different building configurations with varying numbers of internal zones and indoor and outdoor flow paths. Analysis of the results suggests that surface pressures and flow paths across the envelope should be specified at a resolution consistent with the dimensions of the smallest volume of interest, to ensure that appropriate outputs are obtained.« less

Design and Construction Process of Two LEED Certified University Buildings: A Collective Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rich, Kim

2011-01-01

This study was conducted at the early stages of integrating LEED into the design process in which a clearer understanding of what sustainable and ecological design was about became evident through the duration of designing and building of two academic buildings on a university campus. In this case study, due to utilizing a grounded theory…

Building America Case Study: Balancing Hydronic Systems in Multifamily Buildings, Chicago, Illinois (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2014-09-01

In multifamily hydronic systems, temperature imbalance may be caused by undersized piping, improperly adjusted balancing valves, inefficient water temperature and flow levels, and owner/occupant interaction with the boilers, distribution and controls. The effects of imbalance include tenant discomfort, higher energy use intensity and inefficient building operation. This paper explores cost-effective distribution upgrades and balancing measures in multifamily hydronic systems, providing a resource to contractors, auditors, and building owners on best practices to improve tenant comfort and lower operating costs. The research was conducted by The Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) in conjunction with Elevate Energy. The team surveyed existingmore » knowledge on cost-effective retrofits for optimizing distribution in typical multifamily hydronic systems, with the aim of identifying common situations and solutions, and then conducted case studies on two Chicago area buildings with known balancing issues in order to quantify the extent of temperature imbalance. At one of these buildings a booster pump was installed on a loop to an underheated wing of the building. This study found that unit temperature in a multifamily hydronic building can vary as much as 61 degrees F, particularly if windows are opened or tenants use intermittent supplemental heating sources like oven ranges. Average temperature spread at the building as a result of this retrofit decreased from 22.1 degrees F to 15.5 degrees F.« less

Dynamic Analysis of an Office Building due to Vibration from Road Construction Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chik, T. N. T.; Kamil, M. R. H.; Yusoff, N. A.; Ibrahim, M. H. W.

2018-04-01

Construction activities are widely known as one of the predominant sources of man-made vibrations that able to create nuisance towards any adjacent building, and this includes the road construction operations. Few studies conclude the construction-induced vibration may be harmful directly and indirectly towards the neighbouring building. This lead to the awareness of study the building vibration response of concrete masonry load bearing system and its vibrational performance towards the road construction activities. This study will simulate multi-storey office building of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Enstek at Negeri Sembilan by using finite element vibration analyses. The excitation of transient loads from ground borne vibrations which triggered by the road construction activities are modelled into the building. The vibration response was recorded during in-situ ambient vibration test by using Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV), which specifically performed on four different locations. The finite element simulation process was developed in the commercial FEA software ABAQUS. Then, the experimental data was processed and evaluated in MATLAB ModalV to assess the vibration criteria of the floor in building. As a result, the vibration level of floor in building is fall under VC-E curve which was under the maximum permissible level for office building (VC-ISO). The vibration level on floor is acceptable within the limit that have been referred.

Challenges of Capacity Building in Multisector Community Health Alliances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Jeffrey A.; Christianson, Jon B.; Hearld, Larry R.; Hurley, Robert; Scanlon, Dennis P.

2010-01-01

Capacity building is often described as fundamental to the success of health alliances, yet there are few evaluations that provide alliances with clear guidance on the challenges related to capacity building. This article attempts to identify potential challenges of capacity building in multistakeholder health alliances. The study uses a multiple…

76 FR 23528 - Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-27

... flood insurance premium rates for new buildings and the contents in those buildings. DATES: Comments are... premium rates for new buildings built after these elevations are made final, and for the contents in those buildings. Comments on any aspect of the Flood Insurance Study and FIRM, other than the proposed BFEs, will...

The design-build contracting methodology for transportation projects : a review of practice and evaluation for Connecticut applications.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-06-10

Two primary contracting methods are used by most state transportation agencies to : design and build infrastructure: design-bid-build and design-build. The objective : of this study is to conduct a literature review to identify how ConnDOTs use of...

A cross-sectional study of the temporal evolution of electricity consumption of six commercial buildings.

PubMed

Pickering, Ethan M; Hossain, Mohammad A; Mousseau, Jack P; Swanson, Rachel A; French, Roger H; Abramson, Alexis R

2017-01-01

Current approaches to building efficiency diagnoses include conventional energy audit techniques that can be expensive and time consuming. In contrast, virtual energy audits of readily available 15-minute-interval building electricity consumption are being explored to provide quick, inexpensive, and useful insights into building operation characteristics. A cross sectional analysis of six buildings in two different climate zones provides methods for data cleaning, population-based building comparisons, and relationships (correlations) of weather and electricity consumption. Data cleaning methods have been developed to categorize and appropriately filter or correct anomalous data including outliers, missing data, and erroneous values (resulting in < 0.5% anomalies). The utility of a cross-sectional analysis of a sample set of building's electricity consumption is found through comparisons of baseload, daily consumption variance, and energy use intensity. Correlations of weather and electricity consumption 15-minute interval datasets show important relationships for the heating and cooling seasons using computed correlations of a Time-Specific-Averaged-Ordered Variable (exterior temperature) and corresponding averaged variables (electricity consumption)(TSAOV method). The TSAOV method is unique as it introduces time of day as a third variable while also minimizing randomness in both correlated variables through averaging. This study found that many of the pair-wise linear correlation analyses lacked strong relationships, prompting the development of the new TSAOV method to uncover the causal relationship between electricity and weather. We conclude that a combination of varied HVAC system operations, building thermal mass, plug load use, and building set point temperatures are likely responsible for the poor correlations in the prior studies, while the correlation of time-specific-averaged-ordered temperature and corresponding averaged variables method developed herein adequately accounts for these issues and enables discovery of strong linear pair-wise correlation R values. TSAOV correlations lay the foundation for a new approach to building studies, that mitigates plug load interferences and identifies more accurate insights into weather-energy relationship for all building types. Over all six buildings analyzed the TSAOV method reported very significant average correlations per building of 0.94 to 0.82 in magnitude. Our rigorous statistics-based methods applied to 15-minute-interval electricity data further enables virtual energy audits of buildings to quickly and inexpensively inform energy savings measures.

A cross-sectional study of the temporal evolution of electricity consumption of six commercial buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pickering, Ethan M.; Hossain, Mohammad A.; Mousseau, Jack P.

Current approaches to building efficiency diagnoses include conventional energy audit techniques that can be expensive and time consuming. In contrast, virtual energy audits of readily available 15-minute-interval building electricity consumption are being explored to provide quick, inexpensive, and useful insights into building operation characteristics. A cross sectional analysis of six buildings in two different climate zones provides methods for data cleaning, population-based building comparisons, and relationships (correlations) of weather and electricity consumption. Data cleaning methods have been developed to categorize and appropriately filter or correct anomalous data including outliers, missing data, and erroneous values (resulting in < 0.5% anomalies). Themore » utility of a cross-sectional analysis of a sample set of building's electricity consumption is found through comparisons of baseload, daily consumption variance, and energy use intensity. Correlations of weather and electricity consumption 15-minute interval datasets show important relationships for the heating and cooling seasons using computed correlations of a Time-Specific-Averaged- Ordered Variable (exterior temperature) and corresponding averaged variables (electricity consumption)(TSAOV method). The TSAOV method is unique as it introduces time of day as a third variable while also minimizing randomness in both correlated variables through averaging. This study found that many of the pair-wise linear correlation analyses lacked strong relationships, prompting the development of the new TSAOV method to uncover the causal relationship between electricity and weather. We conclude that a combination of varied HVAC system operations, building thermal mass, plug load use, and building set point temperatures are likely responsible for the poor correlations in the prior studies, while the correlation of time-specific-averaged-ordered temperature and corresponding averaged variables method developed herein adequately accounts for these issues and enables discovery of strong linear pair-wise correlation R values. TSAOV correlations lay the foundation for a new approach to building studies, that mitigates plug load interferences and identifies more accurate insights into weather-energy relationship for all building types. Over all six buildings analyzed the TSAOV method reported very significant average correlations per building of 0.94 to 0.82 in magnitude. Our rigorous statistics-based methods applied to 15- minute-interval electricity data further enables virtual energy audits of buildings to quickly and inexpensively inform energy savings measures.« less

A cross-sectional study of the temporal evolution of electricity consumption of six commercial buildings

DOE PAGES

Pickering, Ethan M.; Hossain, Mohammad A.; Mousseau, Jack P.; ...

2017-10-31

Current approaches to building efficiency diagnoses include conventional energy audit techniques that can be expensive and time consuming. In contrast, virtual energy audits of readily available 15-minute-interval building electricity consumption are being explored to provide quick, inexpensive, and useful insights into building operation characteristics. A cross sectional analysis of six buildings in two different climate zones provides methods for data cleaning, population-based building comparisons, and relationships (correlations) of weather and electricity consumption. Data cleaning methods have been developed to categorize and appropriately filter or correct anomalous data including outliers, missing data, and erroneous values (resulting in < 0.5% anomalies). Themore » utility of a cross-sectional analysis of a sample set of building's electricity consumption is found through comparisons of baseload, daily consumption variance, and energy use intensity. Correlations of weather and electricity consumption 15-minute interval datasets show important relationships for the heating and cooling seasons using computed correlations of a Time-Specific-Averaged- Ordered Variable (exterior temperature) and corresponding averaged variables (electricity consumption)(TSAOV method). The TSAOV method is unique as it introduces time of day as a third variable while also minimizing randomness in both correlated variables through averaging. This study found that many of the pair-wise linear correlation analyses lacked strong relationships, prompting the development of the new TSAOV method to uncover the causal relationship between electricity and weather. We conclude that a combination of varied HVAC system operations, building thermal mass, plug load use, and building set point temperatures are likely responsible for the poor correlations in the prior studies, while the correlation of time-specific-averaged-ordered temperature and corresponding averaged variables method developed herein adequately accounts for these issues and enables discovery of strong linear pair-wise correlation R values. TSAOV correlations lay the foundation for a new approach to building studies, that mitigates plug load interferences and identifies more accurate insights into weather-energy relationship for all building types. Over all six buildings analyzed the TSAOV method reported very significant average correlations per building of 0.94 to 0.82 in magnitude. Our rigorous statistics-based methods applied to 15- minute-interval electricity data further enables virtual energy audits of buildings to quickly and inexpensively inform energy savings measures.« less

The effects of tunnel horizontal distance on the vertical deformations of an adjacent building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balkaya, Müge

2015-12-01

Due to the rapid development of urbanization and the need for effective transportation, it became a common application to construct subway tunnels in modern cities. However, these construction activities may lead to undesirable deformations on the adjacent buildings. In this study, the effect of tunnel horizontal distance on the deformations of an adjacent building is investigated using 2D finite element analysis. The results of the finite element analysis showed that, although high settlement values were not observed for the cases investigated in this study, the vertical deformations of the building decreased as the tunnel moved away from the building.

Energy Performance and Optimal Control of Air-conditioned Buildings Integrated with Phase Change Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Na

This thesis presents an overview of the previous research work on dynamic characteristics and energy performance of buildings due to the integration of PCMs. The research work on dynamic characteristics and energy performance of buildings using PCMs both with and without air-conditioning is reviewed. Since the particular interest in using PCMs for free cooling and peak load shifting, specific research efforts on both subjects are reviewed separately. A simplified physical dynamic model of building structures integrated with SSPCM (shaped-stabilized phase change material) is developed and validated in this study. The simplified physical model represents the wall by 3 resistances and 2 capacitances and the PCM layer by 4 resistances and 2 capacitances respectively while the key issue is the parameter identification of the model. This thesis also presents the studies on the thermodynamic characteristics of buildings enhanced by PCM and on the investigation of the impacts of PCM on the building cooling load and peak cooling demand at different climates and seasons as well as the optimal operation and control strategies to reduce the energy consumption and energy cost by reducing the air-conditioning energy consumption and peak load. An office building floor with typical variable air volume (VAV) air-conditioning system is used and simulated as the reference building in the comparison study. The envelopes of the studied building are further enhanced by integrating the PCM layers. The building system is tested in two selected cities of typical climates in China including Hong Kong and Beijing. The cold charge and discharge processes, the operation and control strategies of night ventilation and the air temperature set-point reset strategy for minimizing the energy consumption and electricity cost are studied. This thesis presents the simulation test platform, the test results on the cold storage and discharge processes, the air-conditioning energy consumption and demand reduction potentials in typical air-conditioning seasons in typical China cites as well as the impacts of operation and control strategies.

The Effect of Body Build and BMI on Aerobic Test Performance in School Children (10-15 Years)

PubMed Central

Slinger, Jantine; Verstappen, Frans; Breda, Eric Van; Kuipers, Harm

2006-01-01

Body Mass Index (BMI) has often questionably been used to define body build. In the present study body build was defined more specifically using fat free mass index (FFMI = fat free mass normalised to the stature) and fat mass index (FMI = fat mass normalised to stature). The body build of an individual is ‘solid’ in individuals with a high FFMI for their FMI and is ‘slender’ in individuals with a low FFMI relative to their FMI. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between aerobic test performance and body build defined as solid, average or slender in 10 to 15 year old children. Five-hundred-and-two children (53% boys) aged 10 to 15 years of age were included in the study. Aerobic test performance was estimated with an incremental cycle ergometer protocol and a shuttle run test. BMI and percentage fat (by skin folds) were determined to calculate FMI and FFMI. After adjustment for differences in age, gender and body mass the solid group achieved a significantly higher maximal power output (W) and power output relative to body mass (W/kg) during the cycle test (p < 0.05) and a higher shuttle-run score (p < 0.05) compared to the slender group. The power output relative to FFM (W/kg FFM) was comparable (p > 0.05) between different body build groups. This study showed that body build is an important determinant of the aerobic test performance. In contrast, there were no differences in aerobic test performance per kilogramme FFM over the body build groups. This suggests that the body build may be determined by genetic predisposition. Key Points Children with a solid body build perform better in aerobic exercise tests than slender children. The power output relative to fat free mass was comparable in the solid, slender and average group. Besides body composition, body build should be considered related to other performance measurements. PMID:24357967

Use Of Infrared Thermography For The Identification Of Design And Construction Faults In Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeber, Stephen A.

1984-03-01

Many design and construction details can affect building energy consumption in unex-pected ways. Further, design and construction errors can increase building energy consumption, result in discomfort to building occupants and cause structural damage to the building. Infrared inspections can easily evaluate the energy efficiency of various aspects of a building's design and identify flaws that might otherwise be detected as a result of occupants' complaints or damage to the building's mechanical or structural systems. Infrared thermography can be used by the architect to evaluate his designs and by the contractor to control the quality of construction. This paper discusses a number of issues that can help determine the effectiveness of infrared building surveys. Following this, three case stud-ies will be presented to illustrate design flaws that were detected through infrared build-ing surveys.

Buildings vs. ballistics: Quantifying the vulnerability of buildings to volcanic ballistic impacts using field studies and pneumatic cannon experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, G. T.; Kennedy, B. M.; Wilson, T. M.; Fitzgerald, R. H.; Tsunematsu, K.; Teissier, A.

2017-09-01

Recent casualties in volcanic eruptions due to trauma from blocks and bombs necessitate more rigorous, ballistic specific risk assessment. Quantitative assessments are limited by a lack of experimental and field data on the vulnerability of buildings to ballistic hazards. An improved, quantitative understanding of building vulnerability to ballistic impacts is required for informing appropriate life safety actions and other risk reduction strategies. We assessed ballistic impacts to buildings from eruptions at Usu Volcano and Mt. Ontake in Japan and compiled available impact data from eruptions elsewhere to identify common damage patterns from ballistic impacts to buildings. We additionally completed a series of cannon experiments which simulate ballistic block impacts to building claddings to investigate their performance over a range of ballistic projectile velocities, masses and energies. Our experiments provide new insights by quantifying (1) the hazard associated with post-impact shrapnel from building and rock fragments; (2) the effect of impact obliquity on damage; and (3) the additional impact resistance buildings possess when claddings are struck in areas directly supported by framing components. This was not well identified in previous work which may have underestimated building vulnerability to ballistic hazards. To improve assessment of building vulnerability to ballistics, we use our experimental and field data to develop quantitative vulnerability models known as fragility functions. Our fragility functions and field studies show that although unreinforced buildings are highly vulnerable to large ballistics (> 20 cm diameter), they can still provide shelter, preventing death during eruptions.

Recognition of building group patterns in topographic maps based on graph partitioning and random forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xianjin; Zhang, Xinchang; Xin, Qinchuan

2018-02-01

Recognition of building group patterns (i.e., the arrangement and form exhibited by a collection of buildings at a given mapping scale) is important to the understanding and modeling of geographic space and is hence essential to a wide range of downstream applications such as map generalization. Most of the existing methods develop rigid rules based on the topographic relationships between building pairs to identify building group patterns and thus their applications are often limited. This study proposes a method to identify a variety of building group patterns that allow for map generalization. The method first identifies building group patterns from potential building clusters based on a machine-learning algorithm and further partitions the building clusters with no recognized patterns based on the graph partitioning method. The proposed method is applied to the datasets of three cities that are representative of the complex urban environment in Southern China. Assessment of the results based on the reference data suggests that the proposed method is able to recognize both regular (e.g., the collinear, curvilinear, and rectangular patterns) and irregular (e.g., the L-shaped, H-shaped, and high-density patterns) building group patterns well, given that the correctness values are consistently nearly 90% and the completeness values are all above 91% for three study areas. The proposed method shows promises in automated recognition of building group patterns that allows for map generalization.

Impact of production systems on swine confinement buildings bioaerosols.

PubMed

Létourneau, Valérie; Nehmé, Benjamin; Mériaux, Anne; Massé, Daniel; Duchaine, Caroline

2010-02-01

Hog production has been substantially intensified in Eastern Canada. Hogs are now fattened in swine confinement buildings with controlled ventilation systems and high animal densities. Newly designed buildings are equipped with conventional manure handling and management systems, shallow or deep litter systems, or source separation systems to manage the large volumes of waste. However, the impacts of those alternative production systems on bioaerosol concentrations within the barns have never been evaluated. Bioaerosols were characterized in 18 modern swine confinement buildings, and the differences in bioaerosol composition in the three different production systems were evaluated. Total dust, endotoxins, culturable actinomycetes, fungi, and bacteria were collected with various apparatuses. The total DNA of the air samples was extracted, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to assess the total number of bacterial genomes, as a total (culturable and nonculturable) bacterial assessment. The measured total dust and endotoxin concentrations were not statistically different in the three studied production systems. In buildings with sawdust beds, actinomycetes and molds were found in higher concentrations than in the conventional barns. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Scopulariopsis species were identified in all the studied swine confinement buildings. A. flavus, A. terreus, and A. versicolor were abundantly present in the facilities with sawdust beds. Thermotolerant A. fumigatus and Mucor were usually found in all the buildings. The culturable bacteria concentrations were higher in the barns with litters than in the conventional buildings, while real-time PCR revealed nonstatistically different concentrations of total bacteria in all the studied swine confinement buildings. In terms of workers' respiratory health, barns equipped with a solid/liquid separation system may offer better air quality than conventional buildings or barns with sawdust beds. The impact of ventilation rates, air distribution, or building design still has to be explored.

Strategic Behavior in Certifying Green Buildings: An Inquiry of the Non-building Performance Value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang Hsieh, Lin-Han; Noonan, Douglas

2017-08-01

This study determines the magnitude of the market signaling effect arising from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for green buildings and explores the mechanisms behind the signaling effect. Previous studies have shown that signaling or marketability plays an important role in the pursuit for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and equivalent green-building certification. By analyzing all new construction projects receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from 2000 to 2012 in the US, this study estimates the relative importance of `green' signaling. This broad perspective using project-level data enables an analysis of some drivers of signaling and the pursuit of marketing benefits. The roles of local competition and market conditions, as well as municipal regulations are examined, especially as they differ between types of building owners (e.g., for-profit firms, governments, nonprofits). The results indicate that the non-building performance value—value captured by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design signals above and beyond the specific building attributes that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifies—dominates the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scores around certification tier thresholds. Further, strong evidence of spatial clustering of this non-building performance value for some owner types indicates that for-profit owners may be more responsive to local competition than non-profit owners. Local legislative mandates predict greater signaling intensity by government-owned buildings, as expected, but for-profit-owned projects tend to signal less, even after controls for local conditions. The results highlight the importance of local conditions, including peer effects and regulations, in driving non-building performance values across a wide range of green buildings.

Strategic Behavior in Certifying Green Buildings: An Inquiry of the Non-building Performance Value.

PubMed

Chiang Hsieh, Lin-Han; Noonan, Douglas

2017-08-01

This study determines the magnitude of the market signaling effect arising from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for green buildings and explores the mechanisms behind the signaling effect. Previous studies have shown that signaling or marketability plays an important role in the pursuit for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and equivalent green-building certification. By analyzing all new construction projects receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from 2000 to 2012 in the US, this study estimates the relative importance of 'green' signaling. This broad perspective using project-level data enables an analysis of some drivers of signaling and the pursuit of marketing benefits. The roles of local competition and market conditions, as well as municipal regulations are examined, especially as they differ between types of building owners (e.g., for-profit firms, governments, nonprofits). The results indicate that the non-building performance value-value captured by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design signals above and beyond the specific building attributes that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifies-dominates the attainment of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scores around certification tier thresholds. Further, strong evidence of spatial clustering of this non-building performance value for some owner types indicates that for-profit owners may be more responsive to local competition than non-profit owners. Local legislative mandates predict greater signaling intensity by government-owned buildings, as expected, but for-profit-owned projects tend to signal less, even after controls for local conditions. The results highlight the importance of local conditions, including peer effects and regulations, in driving non-building performance values across a wide range of green buildings.

Effects of building roof greening on air quality in street canyons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baik, Jong-Jin; Kwak, Kyung-Hwan; Park, Seung-Bu; Ryu, Young-Hee

2012-12-01

Building roof greening is a successful strategy for improving urban thermal environment. It is of theoretical interest and practical importance to study the effects of building roof greening on urban air quality in a systematic and quantitative way. In this study, we examine the effects of building roof greening on air quality in street canyons using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that includes the thermodynamic energy equation and the transport equation of passive, non-reactive pollutants. For simplicity, building roof greening is represented by specified cooling. Results for a simple building configuration with a street canyon aspect ratio of one show that the cool air produced due to building roof greening flows into the street canyon, giving rise to strengthened street canyon flow. The strengthened street canyon flow enhances pollutant dispersion near the road, which decreases pollutant concentration there. Thus, building roof greening improves air quality near the road. The degree of air quality improvement near the road increases as the cooling intensity increases. In the middle region of the street canyon, the air quality can worsen when the cooling intensity is not too strong. Results for a real urban morphology also show that building roof greening improves air quality near roads. The degree of air quality improvement near roads due to building roof greening depends on the ambient wind direction. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for constructing green roofs for the purpose of improving air quality near roads or at a pedestrian level as well as urban thermal environment. Further studies using a CFD model coupled with a photochemistry model and a surface energy balance model are required to evaluate the effects of building roof greening on air quality in street canyons in a more realistic framework.

Squaring the circle. Social and environmental implications of pre-pottery neolithic building technology at Tell Qarassa (South Syria).

PubMed

Balbo, Andrea L; Iriarte, Eneko; Arranz, Amaia; Zapata, Lydia; Lancelotti, Carla; Madella, Marco; Teira, Luis; Jiménez, Miguel; Braemer, Frank; Ibáñez, Juan José

2012-01-01

We present the results of the microstratigraphic, phytolith and wood charcoal study of the remains of a 10.5 ka roof. The roof is part of a building excavated at Tell Qarassa (South Syria), assigned to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period (PPNB). The Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the Levant coincides with the emergence of farming. This fundamental change in subsistence strategy implied the shift from mobile to settled aggregated life, and from tents and huts to hard buildings. As settled life spread across the Levant, a generalised transition from round to square buildings occurred, that is a trademark of the PPNB period. The study of these buildings is fundamental for the understanding of the ever-stronger reciprocal socio-ecological relationship humans developed with the local environment since the introduction of sedentism and domestication. Descriptions of buildings in PPN archaeological contexts are usually restricted to the macroscopic observation of wooden elements (posts and beams) and mineral components (daub, plaster and stone elements). Reconstructions of microscopic and organic components are frequently based on ethnographic analogy. The direct study of macroscopic and microscopic, organic and mineral, building components performed at Tell Qarassa provides new insights on building conception, maintenance, use and destruction. These elements reflect new emerging paradigms in the relationship between Neolithic societies and the environment. A square building was possibly covered here with a radial roof, providing a glance into a topologic shift in the conception and understanding of volumes, from round-based to square-based geometries. Macroscopic and microscopic roof components indicate buildings were conceived for year-round residence rather than seasonal mobility. This implied performing maintenance and restoration of partially damaged buildings, as well as their adaptation to seasonal variability.

Squaring the Circle. Social and Environmental Implications of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Building Technology at Tell Qarassa (South Syria)

PubMed Central

Balbo, Andrea L.; Iriarte, Eneko; Arranz, Amaia; Zapata, Lydia; Lancelotti, Carla; Madella, Marco; Teira, Luis; Jiménez, Miguel; Braemer, Frank; Ibáñez, Juan José

2012-01-01

We present the results of the microstratigraphic, phytolith and wood charcoal study of the remains of a 10.5 ka roof. The roof is part of a building excavated at Tell Qarassa (South Syria), assigned to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period (PPNB). The Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the Levant coincides with the emergence of farming. This fundamental change in subsistence strategy implied the shift from mobile to settled aggregated life, and from tents and huts to hard buildings. As settled life spread across the Levant, a generalised transition from round to square buildings occurred, that is a trademark of the PPNB period. The study of these buildings is fundamental for the understanding of the ever-stronger reciprocal socio-ecological relationship humans developed with the local environment since the introduction of sedentism and domestication. Descriptions of buildings in PPN archaeological contexts are usually restricted to the macroscopic observation of wooden elements (posts and beams) and mineral components (daub, plaster and stone elements). Reconstructions of microscopic and organic components are frequently based on ethnographic analogy. The direct study of macroscopic and microscopic, organic and mineral, building components performed at Tell Qarassa provides new insights on building conception, maintenance, use and destruction. These elements reflect new emerging paradigms in the relationship between Neolithic societies and the environment. A square building was possibly covered here with a radial roof, providing a glance into a topologic shift in the conception and understanding of volumes, from round-based to square-based geometries. Macroscopic and microscopic roof components indicate buildings were conceived for year-round residence rather than seasonal mobility. This implied performing maintenance and restoration of partially damaged buildings, as well as their adaptation to seasonal variability. PMID:22848723

Simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yixing; Liang, Xin; Hong, Tianzhen; ...

2017-03-15

In current building performance simulation programs, occupant presence and interactions with building systems are over-simplified and less indicative of real world scenarios, contributing to the discrepancies between simulated and actual energy use in buildings. Simulation results are normally presented using various types of charts. However, using those charts, it is difficult to visualize and communicate the importance of occupants’ behavior to building energy performance. This study introduced a new approach to simulating and visualizing energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings. First, the Occupancy Simulator was used to simulate the occupant presence and movement and generate occupant schedules for each spacemore » as well as for each occupant. Then an occupant behavior functional mockup unit (obFMU) was used to model occupant behavior and analyze their impact on building energy use through co-simulation with EnergyPlus. Finally, an agent-based model built upon AnyLogic was applied to visualize the simulation results of the occupant movement and interactions with building systems, as well as the related energy performance. A case study using a small office building in Miami, FL was presented to demonstrate the process and application of the Occupancy Simulator, the obFMU and EnergyPlus, and the AnyLogic module in simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behaviors in office buildings. Furthermore, the presented approach provides a new detailed and visual way for policy makers, architects, engineers and building operators to better understand occupant energy behavior and their impact on energy use in buildings, which can improve the design and operation of low energy buildings.« less

Simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yixing; Liang, Xin; Hong, Tianzhen

In current building performance simulation programs, occupant presence and interactions with building systems are over-simplified and less indicative of real world scenarios, contributing to the discrepancies between simulated and actual energy use in buildings. Simulation results are normally presented using various types of charts. However, using those charts, it is difficult to visualize and communicate the importance of occupants’ behavior to building energy performance. This study introduced a new approach to simulating and visualizing energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings. First, the Occupancy Simulator was used to simulate the occupant presence and movement and generate occupant schedules for each spacemore » as well as for each occupant. Then an occupant behavior functional mockup unit (obFMU) was used to model occupant behavior and analyze their impact on building energy use through co-simulation with EnergyPlus. Finally, an agent-based model built upon AnyLogic was applied to visualize the simulation results of the occupant movement and interactions with building systems, as well as the related energy performance. A case study using a small office building in Miami, FL was presented to demonstrate the process and application of the Occupancy Simulator, the obFMU and EnergyPlus, and the AnyLogic module in simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behaviors in office buildings. Furthermore, the presented approach provides a new detailed and visual way for policy makers, architects, engineers and building operators to better understand occupant energy behavior and their impact on energy use in buildings, which can improve the design and operation of low energy buildings.« less

Bole Elementary School: A Study of the Arrangement of Information. Part 4: School Building in Early Development. International School Building News 16, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghebtsawi, Tesheme

This report illustrates the method, called the "SfB System," recommended in an earlier publication by this organization, for systematization of building projects. The aim of the report is to show how to arrange information on building elements and building construction for clear definition of the parts to be built and for easy…

Characterization of pollutant dispersion near elongated buildings based on wind tunnel simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, S. G.; Heist, D. K.; Brouwer, L. H.; Monbureau, E. M.; Brixey, L. A.

2016-10-01

This paper presents a wind tunnel study of the effects of elongated rectangular buildings on the dispersion of pollutants from nearby stacks. The study examines the influence of source location, building aspect ratio, and wind direction on pollutant dispersion with the goal of developing improved algorithms within dispersion models. The paper also examines the current AERMOD/PRIME modeling capabilities compared to wind tunnel observations. Differences in the amount of plume material entrained in the wake region downwind of a building for various source locations and source heights are illustrated with vertical and lateral concentration profiles. These profiles were parameterized using the Gaussian equation and show the influence of building/source configurations on those parameters. When the building is oriented at 45° to the approach flow, for example, the effective plume height descends more rapidly than it does for a perpendicular building, enhancing the resulting surface concentrations in the wake region. Buildings at angles to the wind cause a cross-wind shift in the location of the plume resulting from a lateral mean flow established in the building wake. These and other effects that are not well represented in many dispersion models are important considerations when developing improved algorithms to estimate the location and magnitude of concentrations downwind of elongated buildings.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Judd, Kathleen S.; Sanquist, Thomas F.; Zalesny, Mary D.

This study, sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, aimed to understand the potential for institutional and behavioral change to enhance the performance of buildings, through a demonstration project with the Department of Defense in five green buildings on the Fort Carson, Colorado, Army base. To approach this study, the research team identified specific occupant behaviors that had the potential to save energy in each building, defined strategies that might effectively support behavior change, and implemented a coordinated set of actions during a three-month intervention.

A long-term, integrated impact assessment of alternative building energy code scenarios in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Sha; Eom, Jiyong; Evans, Meredydd

2014-04-01

China is the second largest building energy user in the world, ranking first and third in residential and commercial energy consumption. Beginning in the early 1980s, the Chinese government has developed a variety of building energy codes to improve building energy efficiency and reduce total energy demand. This paper studies the impact of building energy codes on energy use and CO2 emissions by using a detailed building energy model that represents four distinct climate zones each with three building types, nested in a long-term integrated assessment framework GCAM. An advanced building stock module, coupled with the building energy model, ismore » developed to reflect the characteristics of future building stock and its interaction with the development of building energy codes in China. This paper also evaluates the impacts of building codes on building energy demand in the presence of economy-wide carbon policy. We find that building energy codes would reduce Chinese building energy use by 13% - 22% depending on building code scenarios, with a similar effect preserved even under the carbon policy. The impact of building energy codes shows regional and sectoral variation due to regionally differentiated responses of heating and cooling services to shell efficiency improvement.« less

Adolescent Boys' and Girls' Block Constructions Differ in Structural Balance: A Block-Building Characteristic Related to Math Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Beth M.; Pezaris, Elizabeth E.; Bassi, Julie

2012-01-01

Two studies were conducted on block building in adolescents, assessing middle school (Study 1) and high school students (Study 2). Students were asked to build something interesting with blocks. In both samples, the same pattern of gender differences were found; boys built taller structures than girls, and balanced a larger number of blocks on a…

An empirical study on energy efficiency improvement through photovoltaic systems and a LED lighting control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young Kwan; Lee, Jae Hyeong

2015-09-01

In this research, a facility was constructed and its performance was analyzed to improve the energy efficiency of a vertical-type water treatment building. After the design and construction of a fixed tilt Photovoltaic in Building (PVIB) on the rooftop using a crystalline silicon solar cell module and photovoltaic generator integrated with the building by using a Building Integrated Photovoltaic System (BIPV), a thin-film module on the rooftop and outer wall of water treatment building, and the generation efficiency was analyzed. Also, a DC distribution was established for use of a brushless DC (BLDC) pump motor, and the existing lighting-facility-based manual on-off method was turned into a system for energy conservation by controlling light emitting diode (LED) through a wireless motion sensor and dimming control. In addition, a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) for a real-time analysis of the energy efficiency for a vertical0type water treatment building was prepared and tested. The vertical-type water treatment building developed in this study is currently operating the BEMS. The vertical-type water treatment building reported in this paper is expected to reduce energy consumption by about 30% compared to existing water treatment systems.

Changes in productivity, psychological wellbeing and physical wellbeing from working in a 'green' building.

PubMed

Thatcher, Andrew; Milner, Karen

2014-01-01

Based on improvements in indoor environmental quality claims are that 'green' buildings are healthier and promote greater productivity than conventional buildings. However, the empirical evidence over the last decade has been inconclusive, usually with flawed study designs. This study explored whether a 'green' building leads to a healthier, more productive work environment. A one-year, longitudinal comparison of two groups of employees of a large commercial bank; a group that moved into a GreenStar-accredited building and a group that stayed in a conventional building, was conducted. Measures of psychological wellbeing, physical wellbeing, productivity, and perceptions of the physical environment were taken before the move, six months later, and one year later. Results indicate that the 'green' building group had significantly increased self-reported productivity and physical wellbeing. The perceptions of the physical work environment indicate that respondents in the 'green' building group experienced significant air quality improvements (specifically, reduced stale air, better ventilation, improved air movement, reduced humidity, and conditions that were not too drafty) but perceived the lighting conditions as dimmer. Despite positive findings 'green' building rating tools require amendment to focus on those qualities that actually lead to improved wellbeing and productivity.

A financing model to solve financial barriers for implementing green building projects.

PubMed

Lee, Sanghyo; Lee, Baekrae; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Jaejun

2013-01-01

Along with the growing interest in greenhouse gas reduction, the effect of greenhouse gas energy reduction from implementing green buildings is gaining attention. The government of the Republic of Korea has set green growth as its paradigm for national development, and there is a growing interest in energy saving for green buildings. However, green buildings may have financial barriers that have high initial construction costs and uncertainties about future project value. Under the circumstances, governmental support to attract private funding is necessary to implement green building projects. The objective of this study is to suggest a financing model for facilitating green building projects with a governmental guarantee based on Certified Emission Reduction (CER). In this model, the government provides a guarantee for the increased costs of a green building project in return for CER. And this study presents the validation of the model as well as feasibility for implementing green building project. In addition, the suggested model assumed governmental guarantees for the increased cost, but private guarantees seem to be feasible as well because of the promising value of the guarantee from CER. To do this, certification of Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) for green buildings must be obtained.

A Financing Model to Solve Financial Barriers for Implementing Green Building Projects

PubMed Central

Lee, Baekrae; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Jaejun

2013-01-01

Along with the growing interest in greenhouse gas reduction, the effect of greenhouse gas energy reduction from implementing green buildings is gaining attention. The government of the Republic of Korea has set green growth as its paradigm for national development, and there is a growing interest in energy saving for green buildings. However, green buildings may have financial barriers that have high initial construction costs and uncertainties about future project value. Under the circumstances, governmental support to attract private funding is necessary to implement green building projects. The objective of this study is to suggest a financing model for facilitating green building projects with a governmental guarantee based on Certified Emission Reduction (CER). In this model, the government provides a guarantee for the increased costs of a green building project in return for CER. And this study presents the validation of the model as well as feasibility for implementing green building project. In addition, the suggested model assumed governmental guarantees for the increased cost, but private guarantees seem to be feasible as well because of the promising value of the guarantee from CER. To do this, certification of Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) for green buildings must be obtained. PMID:24376379

Odor and odorous chemical emissions from animal buildings: Part 4 - correlations between sensory and chemical measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study supplemented the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) by making comprehensive measurements, over a full calendar year, of odor emissions from five swine and four dairy rooms/buildings (subset of the total number of buildings monitored for the NAEMS project). The measurements ma...

Expanding the Notion of Historical Text through Historic Building Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baron, Christine; Dobbs, Christina

2015-01-01

Among the disciplinary skills necessary for understanding in the social studies classroom is the ability to determine context and build meaning from past events. Historical buildings are an important component of historical study, and they serve as a type of nontraditional text that students can decode and use to construct meaning about multiple…

How Macromedia Used Blogs to Build Its Developers' Communities: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Jingli

2008-01-01

Business organizations are using blogs as a conversational technology to help build a community of practice where knowledge exchange and sharing actively take place. This case study examines how Macromedia used blogs to build its developers' communities and become more organizationally effective. Four major types of interactions between the…

Knotworking and the Visibilization of Learning in Building Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerosuo, Hannele; Mäki, Tarja; Korpela, Jenni

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to study the visibilization of learning in the context of developing a new collaborative practice, knotworking, in building design. The case under study describes the process of learning from the initiation of knotworking to its experimentation. The implementation of new building information modeling tools acted as an…

Approaches for building community participation: A qualitative case study of Canadian food security programs.

PubMed

Hyett, Nerida; Kenny, Amanda; Dickson-Swift, Virginia

2017-10-01

There is increasing opportunity and support for occupational therapists to expand their scope of practice in community settings. However, evidence is needed to increase occupational therapists' knowledge, confidence, and capacity with building community participation and adopting community-centered practice roles. The purpose of this study is to improve occupational therapists' understanding of an approach to building community participation, through case study of a network of Canadian food security programs. Qualitative case study was utilized. Data were semistructured interviews, field observations, documents, and online social media. Thematic analysis was used to identify and describe four themes that relate to processes used to build community participation. The four themes were use of multiple methods, good leaders are fundamental, growing participation via social media, and leveraging outcomes. Occupational therapists can utilize an approach for building community participation that incorporates resource mobilization. Challenges of sustainability and social exclusion must be addressed.

A systematic review of team-building interventions in non-acute healthcare settings.

PubMed

Miller, Christopher J; Kim, Bo; Silverman, Allie; Bauer, Mark S

2018-03-01

Healthcare is increasingly delivered in a team-based format emphasizing interdisciplinary coordination. While recent reviews have investigated team-building interventions primarily in acute healthcare settings (e.g. emergency or surgery departments), we aimed to systematically review the evidence base for team-building interventions in non-acute settings (e.g. primary care or rehabilitation clinics). We conducted a systematic review in PubMed and Embase to identify team-building interventions, and conducted follow-up literature searches to identify articles describing empirical studies of those interventions. This process identified 14 team-building interventions for non-acute healthcare settings, and 25 manuscripts describing empirical studies of these interventions. We evaluated outcomes in four domains: trainee evaluations, teamwork attitudes/knowledge, team functioning, and patient impact. Trainee evaluations for team-building interventions were generally positive, but only one study associated team-building with statistically significant improvement in teamwork attitudes/knowledge. Similarly mixed results emerged for team functioning and patient impact. The evidence base for healthcare team-building interventions in non-acute healthcare settings is much less developed than the parallel literature for short-term team function in acute care settings. Only one intervention we identified has been tested in multiple non-acute settings by distinct research teams. Positive findings regarding the utility of team-building interventions are tempered by a lack of control conditions, inconsistency in outcome measures, and high probability of bias. Considering these results alongside the well-recognized costs of poor healthcare teamwork suggests that additional research is sorely needed to develop the evidence base for team-building in non-acute settings.

Impacts of building geometry modeling methods on the simulation results of urban building energy models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yixing; Hong, Tianzhen

We present that urban-scale building energy modeling (UBEM)—using building modeling to understand how a group of buildings will perform together—is attracting increasing attention in the energy modeling field. Unlike modeling a single building, which will use detailed information, UBEM generally uses existing building stock data consisting of high-level building information. This study evaluated the impacts of three zoning methods and the use of floor multipliers on the simulated energy use of 940 office and retail buildings in three climate zones using City Building Energy Saver. The first zoning method, OneZone, creates one thermal zone per floor using the target building'smore » footprint. The second zoning method, AutoZone, splits the building's footprint into perimeter and core zones. A novel, pixel-based automatic zoning algorithm is developed for the AutoZone method. The third zoning method, Prototype, uses the U.S. Department of Energy's reference building prototype shapes. Results show that simulated source energy use of buildings with the floor multiplier are marginally higher by up to 2.6% than those modeling each floor explicitly, which take two to three times longer to run. Compared with the AutoZone method, the OneZone method results in decreased thermal loads and less equipment capacities: 15.2% smaller fan capacity, 11.1% smaller cooling capacity, 11.0% smaller heating capacity, 16.9% less heating loads, and 7.5% less cooling loads. Source energy use differences range from -7.6% to 5.1%. When comparing the Prototype method with the AutoZone method, source energy use differences range from -12.1% to 19.0%, and larger ranges of differences are found for the thermal loads and equipment capacities. This study demonstrated that zoning methods have a significant impact on the simulated energy use of UBEM. Finally, one recommendation resulting from this study is to use the AutoZone method with floor multiplier to obtain accurate results while balancing the simulation run time for UBEM.« less

Impacts of building geometry modeling methods on the simulation results of urban building energy models

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yixing; Hong, Tianzhen

2018-02-20

We present that urban-scale building energy modeling (UBEM)—using building modeling to understand how a group of buildings will perform together—is attracting increasing attention in the energy modeling field. Unlike modeling a single building, which will use detailed information, UBEM generally uses existing building stock data consisting of high-level building information. This study evaluated the impacts of three zoning methods and the use of floor multipliers on the simulated energy use of 940 office and retail buildings in three climate zones using City Building Energy Saver. The first zoning method, OneZone, creates one thermal zone per floor using the target building'smore » footprint. The second zoning method, AutoZone, splits the building's footprint into perimeter and core zones. A novel, pixel-based automatic zoning algorithm is developed for the AutoZone method. The third zoning method, Prototype, uses the U.S. Department of Energy's reference building prototype shapes. Results show that simulated source energy use of buildings with the floor multiplier are marginally higher by up to 2.6% than those modeling each floor explicitly, which take two to three times longer to run. Compared with the AutoZone method, the OneZone method results in decreased thermal loads and less equipment capacities: 15.2% smaller fan capacity, 11.1% smaller cooling capacity, 11.0% smaller heating capacity, 16.9% less heating loads, and 7.5% less cooling loads. Source energy use differences range from -7.6% to 5.1%. When comparing the Prototype method with the AutoZone method, source energy use differences range from -12.1% to 19.0%, and larger ranges of differences are found for the thermal loads and equipment capacities. This study demonstrated that zoning methods have a significant impact on the simulated energy use of UBEM. Finally, one recommendation resulting from this study is to use the AutoZone method with floor multiplier to obtain accurate results while balancing the simulation run time for UBEM.« less

USING TIME VARIANT VOLTAGE TO CALCULATE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND POWER USE OF BUILDING SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Makhmalbaf, Atefe; Augenbroe , Godfried

2015-12-09

Buildings are the main consumers of electricity across the world. However, in the research and studies related to building performance assessment, the focus has been on evaluating the energy efficiency of buildings whereas the instantaneous power efficiency has been overlooked as an important aspect of total energy consumption. As a result, we never developed adequate models that capture both thermal and electrical characteristics (e.g., voltage) of building systems to assess the impact of variations in the power system and emerging technologies of the smart grid on buildings energy and power performance and vice versa. This paper argues that the powermore » performance of buildings as a function of electrical parameters should be evaluated in addition to systems’ mechanical and thermal behavior. The main advantage of capturing electrical behavior of building load is to better understand instantaneous power consumption and more importantly to control it. Voltage is one of the electrical parameters that can be used to describe load. Hence, voltage dependent power models are constructed in this work and they are coupled with existing thermal energy models. Lack of models that describe electrical behavior of systems also adds to the uncertainty of energy consumption calculations carried out in building energy simulation tools such as EnergyPlus, a common building energy modeling and simulation tool. To integrate voltage-dependent power models with thermal models, the thermal cycle (operation mode) of each system was fed into the voltage-based electrical model. Energy consumption of systems used in this study were simulated using EnergyPlus. Simulated results were then compared with estimated and measured power data. The mean square error (MSE) between simulated, estimated, and measured values were calculated. Results indicate that estimated power has lower MSE when compared with measured data than simulated results. Results discussed in this paper will illustrate the significance of enhancing building energy models with electrical characteristics. This would support different studies such as those related to modernization of the power system that require micro scale building-grid interaction, evaluating building energy efficiency with power efficiency considerations, and also design and control decisions that rely on accuracy of building energy simulation results.« less

Indoor Air Quality of Residential Building Before and After Renovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánka, Imrich; Földváry, Veronika

2017-06-01

This study investigates the impact of energy renovation on the indoor air quality of an apartment building during the heating season. The study was performed in one residential building before and after its renovation. An evaluation of the indoor air quality was performed using objective measurements and a subjective survey. The concentration of CO2 was measured in the bedrooms, and a sampling of the total volatile compounds (TVOC) was performed in the living rooms of the selected apartments. Higher concentrations of CO2 and TVOC were observed in the residential building after its renovation. The concentrations of CO2, and TVOC in some of the cases exceeded the recommended maximum limits, especially after implementing energy-saving measures on the building. The average air exchange rate was visibly higher before the renovation of the building. The current study indicates that large-scale renovations may reduce the quality of an indoor environment in many apartments, especially in the winter season.

Energy Design Analysis and Evaluation of a Proposed Air Rescue and Fire Fighting Administration Building for Teterboro Airport

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griffith, B.; Pless, S.; Talbert, B.

2003-07-01

A new/proposed building for the Teterboro Airport was selected as a case study for High Performance Building Initiative research efforts. This report documents research-level energy analysis conducted on the Teterboro Airport building during predesign and design phases of the project.

Net-zero Building Cluster Simulations and On-line Energy Forecasting for Adaptive and Real-Time Control and Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiwang

Buildings consume about 41.1% of primary energy and 74% of the electricity in the U.S. Moreover, it is estimated by the National Energy Technology Laboratory that more than 1/4 of the 713 GW of U.S. electricity demand in 2010 could be dispatchable if only buildings could respond to that dispatch through advanced building energy control and operation strategies and smart grid infrastructure. In this study, it is envisioned that neighboring buildings will have the tendency to form a cluster, an open cyber-physical system to exploit the economic opportunities provided by a smart grid, distributed power generation, and storage devices. Through optimized demand management, these building clusters will then reduce overall primary energy consumption and peak time electricity consumption, and be more resilient to power disruptions. Therefore, this project seeks to develop a Net-zero building cluster simulation testbed and high fidelity energy forecasting models for adaptive and real-time control and decision making strategy development that can be used in a Net-zero building cluster. The following research activities are summarized in this thesis: 1) Development of a building cluster emulator for building cluster control and operation strategy assessment. 2) Development of a novel building energy forecasting methodology using active system identification and data fusion techniques. In this methodology, a systematic approach for building energy system characteristic evaluation, system excitation and model adaptation is included. The developed methodology is compared with other literature-reported building energy forecasting methods; 3) Development of the high fidelity on-line building cluster energy forecasting models, which includes energy forecasting models for buildings, PV panels, batteries and ice tank thermal storage systems 4) Small scale real building validation study to verify the performance of the developed building energy forecasting methodology. The outcomes of this thesis can be used for building cluster energy forecasting model development and model based control and operation optimization. The thesis concludes with a summary of the key outcomes of this research, as well as a list of recommendations for future work.

Winning Bodies and Souls: State Building and the Necessity of Nationalism

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

the citizens that live within its territory. The RAND study, America’s Role in Nation Building: from Germany to Iraq, nicely encapsulates the...neglect of nationalism in the theory and practice of the state building when it blithely observes that:   What principally distinguishes Germany , Japan...Nation Building: From Germany to Iraq (Santa Monica: RAND, 2003), xix. 6 This argument views nation-building projects as primarily the result of what

Community Capacity Building for Physical Activity Promotion among Older Adults—A Literature Review

PubMed Central

Ubert, Tobias; Forberger, Sarah; Gansefort, Dirk; Zeeb, Hajo; Brand, Tilman

2017-01-01

Community-based interventions to promote physical activity (PA) among older adults are of high interest in health promotion since they promise to be effective strategies to reach this population group. Community capacity building, that is, the local promotion of knowledge, skills, commitment, structures, and leadership, is among the recommended core strategies. However, little guidance is provided on how to achieve a high degree of community capacity. This study aims to identify practical strategies to enhance community capacities for PA promotion among older adults (50 years or older) and to evaluate their success. A literature review was conducted using scientific databases (PsycInfo and Web of Sciences) and grey literature (national and international project databases), and 14 studies (16 articles) were identified. Five groups of capacity building strategies emerged from the literature: (1) building community coalitions and networks, (2) training of professionals, (3) training of laypersons, (4) strengthening competence and awareness in the target population, and (5) allocation of financial resources. All studies used more than one strategy. Coalition building and strengthening competence and awareness were most frequently used. Feasibility and acceptability of the capacity building strategies were demonstrated. However, intervention effects on PA behavior and other relevant outcomes were inconsistent. The one study that systematically compared different capacity building approaches did not find any evidence for beneficial effects of intensified capacity building. More rigorous research evaluating the efficacy of specific strategies to enhance community capacities for PA promotion is needed. PMID:28902146

Community Capacity Building for Physical Activity Promotion among Older Adults-A Literature Review.

PubMed

Ubert, Tobias; Forberger, Sarah; Gansefort, Dirk; Zeeb, Hajo; Brand, Tilman

2017-09-13

Community-based interventions to promote physical activity (PA) among older adults are of high interest in health promotion since they promise to be effective strategies to reach this population group. Community capacity building, that is, the local promotion of knowledge, skills, commitment, structures, and leadership, is among the recommended core strategies. However, little guidance is provided on how to achieve a high degree of community capacity. This study aims to identify practical strategies to enhance community capacities for PA promotion among older adults (50 years or older) and to evaluate their success. A literature review was conducted using scientific databases (PsycInfo and Web of Sciences) and grey literature (national and international project databases), and 14 studies (16 articles) were identified. Five groups of capacity building strategies emerged from the literature: (1) building community coalitions and networks, (2) training of professionals, (3) training of laypersons, (4) strengthening competence and awareness in the target population, and (5) allocation of financial resources. All studies used more than one strategy. Coalition building and strengthening competence and awareness were most frequently used. Feasibility and acceptability of the capacity building strategies were demonstrated. However, intervention effects on PA behavior and other relevant outcomes were inconsistent. The one study that systematically compared different capacity building approaches did not find any evidence for beneficial effects of intensified capacity building. More rigorous research evaluating the efficacy of specific strategies to enhance community capacities for PA promotion is needed.

Particle size distribution and composition in a mechanically ventilated school building during air pollution episodes.

PubMed

Parker, J L; Larson, R R; Eskelson, E; Wood, E M; Veranth, J M

2008-10-01

Particle count-based size distribution and PM(2.5) mass were monitored inside and outside an elementary school in Salt Lake City (UT, USA) during the winter atmospheric inversion season. The site is influenced by urban traffic and the airshed is subject to periods of high PM(2.5) concentration that is mainly submicron ammonium and nitrate. The school building has mechanical ventilation with filtration and variable-volume makeup air. Comparison of the indoor and outdoor particle size distribution on the five cleanest and five most polluted school days during the study showed that the ambient submicron particulate matter (PM) penetrated the building, but indoor concentrations were about one-eighth of outdoor levels. The indoor:outdoor PM(2.5) mass ratio averaged 0.12 and particle number ratio for sizes smaller than 1 microm averaged 0.13. The indoor submicron particle count and indoor PM(2.5) mass increased slightly during pollution episodes but remained well below outdoor levels. When the building was occupied the indoor coarse particle count was much higher than ambient levels. These results contribute to understanding the relationship between ambient monitoring station data and the actual human exposure inside institutional buildings. The study confirms that staying inside a mechanically ventilated building reduces exposure to outdoor submicron particles. This study supports the premise that remaining inside buildings during particulate matter (PM) pollution episodes reduces exposure to submicron PM. New data on a mechanically ventilated institutional building supplements similar studies made in residences.

Infography use to requirements specification for the design of the building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losev, Konstantin; Sinenko, Sergey

2017-10-01

The study contributes to a growing body of research Transport infrastructure in a construction object life cycle management and presents areas in which further investigation is needed. The object of study are Railway buildings and structures and the Employer’s information requirements (EIR) for design of individual residential building. The task of the study was to determine necessary and sufficient scope of parameters which contained in inforaphic form of EIR comparing with traditional text form of EIR. Also, the task was to determine what categories of the traditional EIR are transferred to an infographic representation form and what categories are ignored in case of a relatively low complexity building. Methods that have been used in the study were infographical representation of text and further expert evaluation. Conclusions of the study present the necessary and sufficient scope of parameters for inforaphic form of EIR, the relations between infographic parameters and categories of the EIR traditional form and subcategories of the traditional EIR that are ignored in case of a relatively low complexity building.

Study on Building Extraction from High-Resolution Images Using Mbi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Z.; Wang, X. Q.; Li, Y. L.; Zhang, S. S.

2018-04-01

Building extraction from high resolution remote sensing images is a hot research topic in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing. However, the diversity and complexity of buildings make building extraction methods still face challenges in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and so on. In this study, a new building extraction framework based on MBI and combined with image segmentation techniques, spectral constraint, shadow constraint, and shape constraint is proposed. In order to verify the proposed method, worldview-2, GF-2, GF-1 remote sensing images covered Xiamen Software Park were used for building extraction experiments. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method improve the original MBI significantly, and the correct rate is over 86 %. Furthermore, the proposed framework reduces the false alarms by 42 % on average compared to the performance of the original MBI.

Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study and Resulting Plan for the Bay Mills Indian Community

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kushman, Chris

In 2011 the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. was awarded an Energy Efficiency Development and Deployment in Indian Country grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Tribal Energy Program. This grant aimed to study select Bay Mills Indian Community community/government buildings to determine what is required to reduce each building’s energy consumption by 30%. The Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) buildings with the largest expected energy use were selected for this study and included the Bay Mills Ellen Marshall Health Center building, Bay Mills Indian Community Administration Building, Bay Mills Community College main campus, Bay Mills Charter School and themore » Waishkey Community Center buildings. These five sites are the largest energy consuming Community buildings and comprised the study area of this project titled “Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study and Resulting Plan for the Bay Mills Indian Community”. The end objective of this study, plan and the Tribe is to reduce the energy consumption at the Community’s most energy intensive buildings that will, in turn, reduce emissions at the source of energy production, reduce energy expenditures, create long lasting energy conscious practices and positively affect the quality of the natural environment. This project’s feasibility study and resulting plan is intended to act as a guide to the Community’s first step towards planned energy management within its buildings/facilities. It aims to reduce energy consumption by 30% or greater within the subject facilities with an emphasis on energy conservation and efficiency. The energy audits and related power consumption analyses conducted for this study revealed numerous significant energy conservation and efficiency opportunities for all of the subject sites/buildings. In addition, many of the energy conservation measures require no cost and serve to help balance other measures requiring capital investment. Reoccurring deficiencies relating to heating, cooling, thermostat setting inefficiencies, powering computers, lighting, items linked to weatherization and numerous other items were encountered that can be mitigated with the energy conservation measures developed and specified during the course of this project.« less

Residential Building Energy Code Field Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R. Bartlett, M. Halverson, V. Mendon, J. Hathaway, Y. Xie

This document presents a methodology for assessing baseline energy efficiency in new single-family residential buildings and quantifying related savings potential. The approach was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program with the objective of assisting states as they assess energy efficiency in residential buildings and implementation of their building energy codes, as well as to target areas for improvement through energy codes and broader energy-efficiency programs. It is also intended to facilitate a consistent and replicable approach to research studies of this type and establish a transparent data setmore » to represent baseline construction practices across U.S. states.« less

A cross-sectional study of the temporal evolution of electricity consumption of six commercial buildings

PubMed Central

Hossain, Mohammad A.; Mousseau, Jack P.; Swanson, Rachel A.; French, Roger H.; Abramson, Alexis R.

2017-01-01

Current approaches to building efficiency diagnoses include conventional energy audit techniques that can be expensive and time consuming. In contrast, virtual energy audits of readily available 15-minute-interval building electricity consumption are being explored to provide quick, inexpensive, and useful insights into building operation characteristics. A cross sectional analysis of six buildings in two different climate zones provides methods for data cleaning, population-based building comparisons, and relationships (correlations) of weather and electricity consumption. Data cleaning methods have been developed to categorize and appropriately filter or correct anomalous data including outliers, missing data, and erroneous values (resulting in < 0.5% anomalies). The utility of a cross-sectional analysis of a sample set of building’s electricity consumption is found through comparisons of baseload, daily consumption variance, and energy use intensity. Correlations of weather and electricity consumption 15-minute interval datasets show important relationships for the heating and cooling seasons using computed correlations of a Time-Specific-Averaged-Ordered Variable (exterior temperature) and corresponding averaged variables (electricity consumption)(TSAOV method). The TSAOV method is unique as it introduces time of day as a third variable while also minimizing randomness in both correlated variables through averaging. This study found that many of the pair-wise linear correlation analyses lacked strong relationships, prompting the development of the new TSAOV method to uncover the causal relationship between electricity and weather. We conclude that a combination of varied HVAC system operations, building thermal mass, plug load use, and building set point temperatures are likely responsible for the poor correlations in the prior studies, while the correlation of time-specific-averaged-ordered temperature and corresponding averaged variables method developed herein adequately accounts for these issues and enables discovery of strong linear pair-wise correlation R values. TSAOV correlations lay the foundation for a new approach to building studies, that mitigates plug load interferences and identifies more accurate insights into weather-energy relationship for all building types. Over all six buildings analyzed the TSAOV method reported very significant average correlations per building of 0.94 to 0.82 in magnitude. Our rigorous statistics-based methods applied to 15-minute-interval electricity data further enables virtual energy audits of buildings to quickly and inexpensively inform energy savings measures. PMID:29088269

An international survey of building energy codes and their implementation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, Meredydd; Roshchanka, Volha; Graham, Peter

Buildings are key to low-carbon development everywhere, and many countries have introduced building energy codes to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Yet, building energy codes can only deliver results when the codes are implemented. For this reason, studies of building energy codes need to consider implementation of building energy codes in a consistent and comprehensive way. This research identifies elements and practices in implementing building energy codes, covering codes in 22 countries that account for 70% of global energy demand from buildings. Access to benefits of building energy codes depends on comprehensive coverage of buildings by type, age, size, andmore » geographic location; an implementation framework that involves a certified agency to inspect construction at critical stages; and independently tested, rated, and labeled building energy materials. Training and supporting tools are another element of successful code implementation, and their role is growing in importance, given the increasing flexibility and complexity of building energy codes. Some countries have also introduced compliance evaluation and compliance checking protocols to improve implementation. This article provides examples of practices that countries have adopted to assist with implementation of building energy codes.« less

Building the Plane Inflight: Observations from Case Studies in Wartime Flight Training for Partner Nations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-26

guidance on how to build an effective SC program. Whether used as pre-decisional guides or ex post facto evaluation tools, they fall short of...Building the Plane Inflight: Observations from Case Studies in Wartime Flight Training for Partner...Nations A Monograph by Major Timothy J. Day United States Air Force School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General

Using Mindfulness to Build a Transformative School Culture: A Phenomenological Study of Elementary School Principals Who Create an Atmosphere of Academic Rigor and Teacher Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FitzGerald, Susan

2012-01-01

This study focused on the motivations and discernment leading to the transformational leadership approach and showed there is continuing momentum in the area towards mindful engagement to build trust in a school culture. The purpose of the study was to investigate how transformational leaders build a culture through trust and commitment within a…

Seismic safety assessment of unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings in Pakistan and its neighbourhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korkmaz, K. A.

2009-06-01

Pakistan and neighbourhood experience numerous earthquakes, most of which result in damaged or collapsed buildings and loss of life that also affect the economy adversely. On 29 October, 2008, an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred in Ziarat, Quetta Region, Pakistan which was followed by more than 400 aftershocks. Many villages were completely destroyed and more than 200 people died. The previous major earthquake was in 2005, known as the South Asian earthquake (Mw=7.6) occurred in Kashmir, where 80 000 people died. Inadequate building stock is to be blamed for the degree of disaster, as the majority of the buildings in the region are unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings. In this study, seismic vulnerability of regionally common unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings was investigated using probabilistic based seismic safety assessment. The results of the study showed that unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings display higher displacements and shear force. Probability of damage due to higher displacements and shear forces can be directly related to damage or collapse.

A numerical simulation strategy on occupant evacuation behaviors and casualty prediction in a building during earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuang; Yu, Xiaohui; Zhang, Yanjuan; Zhai, Changhai

2018-01-01

Casualty prediction in a building during earthquakes benefits to implement the economic loss estimation in the performance-based earthquake engineering methodology. Although after-earthquake observations reveal that the evacuation has effects on the quantity of occupant casualties during earthquakes, few current studies consider occupant movements in the building in casualty prediction procedures. To bridge this knowledge gap, a numerical simulation method using refined cellular automata model is presented, which can describe various occupant dynamic behaviors and building dimensions. The simulation on the occupant evacuation is verified by a recorded evacuation process from a school classroom in real-life 2013 Ya'an earthquake in China. The occupant casualties in the building under earthquakes are evaluated by coupling the building collapse process simulation by finite element method, the occupant evacuation simulation, and the casualty occurrence criteria with time and space synchronization. A case study of casualty prediction in a building during an earthquake is provided to demonstrate the effect of occupant movements on casualty prediction.

Experience implementing energy standards for commercial buildings and its lessons for the Philippines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Busch, John; Deringer, Joseph

1998-10-01

Energy efficiency standards for buildings have been adopted in over forty countries. This policy mechanism is pursued by governments as a means of increasing energy efficiency in the buildings sector, which typically accounts for about a third of most nations' energy consumption and half of their electricity consumption. This study reports on experience with implementation of energy standards for commercial buildings in a number of countries and U.S. states. It is conducted from the perspective of providing useful input to the Government of the Philippines' (GOP) current effort at implementing their building energy standard. While the impetus for this workmore » is technical assistance to the Philippines, the intent is to shed light on the broader issues attending implementation of building energy standards that would be applicable there and elsewhere. The background on the GOP building energy standard is presented, followed by the objectives for the study, the approach used to collect and analyze information about other jurisdictions' implementation experience, results, and conclusions and recommendations.« less

Mechanisms and sources of radon entry in buildings constructed with modern technologies.

PubMed

Zhukovsky, M V; Vasilyev, A V

2014-07-01

To investigate the influence of modern building construction technologies on the accumulation of radon indoor, 20 rooms in buildings constructed using mostly monolithic concrete or aerated concrete blocks have been studied. Dominance of the diffusion mechanism of radon entry in buildings constructed with modern technologies has been established. As a result of computer simulations it was found that the main contribution to the variability of radon concentration was made by changes in the ventilation rate. At a low ventilation rate (<0.2 h(-1)) radon concentration above 200 Bq m(-3) can be observed for residential buildings. There is a need for the regulation of the radium-specific activity in building materials. According to the estimates of this study, the content of 226Ra in building materials should not exceed the value of 100 Bq kg(-1). © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Strategies/Behaviors That Successful Superintendents Use to Build Strong Relationships and Trust during Their Entry Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, C. K.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to identify strategies/behaviors that successful superintendents used to build strong relationships and trust with their school boards within their entry period. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What strategies/behaviors are successful superintendents using to build strong relationships and trust…

A Disability and Health Institutional Research Capacity Building and Infrastructure Model Evaluation: A Tribal College-Based Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Corey L.; Manyibe, Edward O.; Sanders, Perry; Aref, Fariborz; Washington, Andre L.; Robertson, Cherjuan Y.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this multimethod study was to evaluate the institutional research capacity building and infrastructure model (IRCBIM), an emerging innovative and integrated approach designed to build, strengthen, and sustain adequate disability and health research capacity (i.e., research infrastructure and investigators' research skills)…

Optimal management program for asbestos containing building materials to be available in the event of a disaster.

PubMed

Kim, Young-Chan; Hong, Won-Hwa

2017-06-01

The safe management and disposal of asbestos is a matter of considerable importance. A large number of studies have been undertaken to quantify the issue of waste management following a disaster. Nevertheless, there have been few (if any) studies concerning asbestos waste, covering the amount generated, the cost of disposal, and the degree of hazard incurred. Thus, the current study focuses on developing a program for the management of Asbestos Containing Building Materials (ACBMs), which form the source of asbestos waste in the event of a disaster. The study will also discuss a case study undertaken in a specific region in Korea in terms of: (1) the location of ACBM-containing buildings; (2) types and quantities of ACBMs; (3) the cost of ACBM disposal; (4) the amount of asbestos fiber present during normal times and during post-disaster periods; (5) the required order in which ACBM-containing buildings should be dismantled; and (6) additional greenhouse gases generated during ACBM removal. The case study will focus on a specific building, with an area of 35.34m 2 , and will analyze information concerning the abovementioned points. In addition, the case study will focus on a selected area (108 buildings) and the administrative district (21,063 buildings). The significance of the program can be established by the fact that it visibly transmits information concerning ACBM management. It is a highly promising program, with a widespread application for the safe management and optimal disposal of asbestos in terms of technology, policy, and methodology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Auto-DR and Pre-cooling of Buildings at Tri-City Corporate Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yin, Rongxin; Xu, Peng; Kiliccote, Sila

2008-11-01

Over the several past years, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has conducted field tests for different pre-cooling strategies in different commercial buildings within California. The test results indicated that pre-cooling strategies were effective in reducing electric demand in these buildings during peak periods. This project studied how to optimize pre-cooling strategies for eleven buildings in the Tri-City Corporate Center, San Bernardino, California with the assistance of a building energy simulation tool -- the Demand Response Quick Assessment Tool (DRQAT) developed by LBNL's Demand Response Research Center funded by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program. From themore » simulation results of these eleven buildings, optimal pre-cooling and temperature reset strategies were developed. The study shows that after refining and calibrating initial models with measured data, the accuracy of the models can be greatly improved and the models can be used to predict load reductions for automated demand response (Auto-DR) events. This study summarizes the optimization experience of the procedure to develop and calibrate building models in DRQAT. In order to confirm the actual effect of demand response strategies, the simulation results were compared to the field test data. The results indicated that the optimal demand response strategies worked well for all buildings in the Tri-City Corporate Center. This study also compares DRQAT with other building energy simulation tools (eQUEST and BEST). The comparison indicate that eQUEST and BEST underestimate the actual demand shed of the pre-cooling strategies due to a flaw in DOE2's simulation engine for treating wall thermal mass. DRQAT is a more accurate tool in predicting thermal mass effects of DR events.« less

Multidisciplinary life cycle metrics and tools for green buildings.

PubMed

Helgeson, Jennifer F; Lippiatt, Barbara C

2009-07-01

Building sector stakeholders need compelling metrics, tools, data, and case studies to support major investments in sustainable technologies. Proponents of green building widely claim that buildings integrating sustainable technologies are cost effective, but often these claims are based on incomplete, anecdotal evidence that is difficult to reproduce and defend. The claims suffer from 2 main weaknesses: 1) buildings on which claims are based are not necessarily "green" in a science-based, life cycle assessment (LCA) sense and 2) measures of cost effectiveness often are not based on standard methods for measuring economic worth. Yet, the building industry demands compelling metrics to justify sustainable building designs. The problem is hard to solve because, until now, neither methods nor robust data supporting defensible business cases were available. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory is beginning to address these needs by developing metrics and tools for assessing the life cycle economic and environmental performance of buildings. Economic performance is measured with the use of standard life cycle costing methods. Environmental performance is measured by LCA methods that assess the "carbon footprint" of buildings, as well as 11 other sustainability metrics, including fossil fuel depletion, smog formation, water use, habitat alteration, indoor air quality, and effects on human health. Carbon efficiency ratios and other eco-efficiency metrics are established to yield science-based measures of the relative worth, or "business cases," for green buildings. Here, the approach is illustrated through a realistic building case study focused on different heating, ventilation, air conditioning technology energy efficiency. Additionally, the evolution of the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability multidisciplinary team and future plans in this area are described.

Enhancement of global flood damage assessments using building material based vulnerability curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Englhardt, Johanna; de Ruiter, Marleen; de Moel, Hans; Aerts, Jeroen

2017-04-01

This study discusses the development of an enhanced approach for flood damage and risk assessments using vulnerability curves that are based on building material information. The approach draws upon common practices in earthquake vulnerability assessments, and is an alternative for land-use or building occupancy approach in flood risk assessment models. The approach is of particular importance for studies where there is a large variation in building material, such as large scale studies or studies in developing countries. A case study of Ethiopia is used to demonstrate the impact of the different methodological approaches on direct damage assessments due to flooding. Generally, flood damage assessments use damage curves for different land-use or occupancy types (i.e. urban or residential and commercial classes). However, these categories do not necessarily relate directly to vulnerability of damage by flood waters. For this, the construction type and building material may be more important, as is used in earthquake risk assessments. For this study, we use building material classification data of the PAGER1 project to define new building material based vulnerability classes for flood damage. This approach will be compared to the widely applied land-use based vulnerability curves such as used by De Moel et al. (2011). The case of Ethiopia demonstrates and compares the feasibility of this novel flood vulnerability method on a country level which holds the potential to be scaled up to a global level. The study shows that flood vulnerability based on building material also allows for better differentiation between flood damage in urban and rural settings, opening doors to better link to poverty studies when such exposure data is available. Furthermore, this new approach paves the road to the enhancement of multi-risk assessments as the method enables the comparison of vulnerability across different natural hazard types that also use material-based vulnerability curves. Finally, this approach allows for more accuracy in estimating losses as a result of direct damages. 1 http://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/pager/

The Effectiveness of Taiwan Building Energy Regulation under the influence of Future Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Yu-Teng; Huang, Kuo-Tsang

2017-04-01

Building energy consumption comprises circa 40% of the national annual energy usage in Taiwan, and the majority proportion is attributed to the cooling apparatus usage. As cooling energy is closely related to the outdoor climate, it is expected that the future global climate change would amplify its demand. Considering the building energy regulation criteria are the minimum requirements that the building has to be complied with, this study tried to investigate whether the current building energy regulation in Taiwan, initiated in 2013, would still be capable of maintaining the energy use in the future as today's level. The research adopted EnergyPlus to simulate the annual cooling energy use of several virtual office building cases with the constructed hourly future weather data under future climate change scenarios of RCP45 and RCP85 defined by IPCC. The virtual building cases are generated by a structured orthogonal array with each case is constituted by 10 building design parameters. The results revealed that the building energy consumption based on the current regulation criteria failed to maintain at the same level in the future as oppose to nowadays. By comparing to the current cooling energy usage, it would rise by 13% and 22% in RCP45 and RCP85, respectively, at the end of this century. This research further parametrically studied the potential cooling energy mitigation strategies and proposed effective building envelope design schemes in order to neutralize the future building energy increase.

Building Colleges for the Future: Pedagogical and Ideological Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Rob

2017-01-01

This article focuses on the "Building Colleges for the Future" (BCF) initiative (2008) which saw a wave of new-build Further Education (FE) colleges spring up across England in the final years of the New Labour government. It draws on qualitative data from a research study focusing on four new-build colleges in the West Midlands of…

D Building Reconstruction by Multiview Images and the Integrated Application with Augmented Reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jin-Tsong; Chu, Ting-Chen

2016-10-01

This study presents an approach wherein photographs with a high degree of overlap are clicked using a digital camera and used to generate three-dimensional (3D) point clouds via feature point extraction and matching. To reconstruct a building model, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used to click photographs from vertical shooting angles above the building. Multiview images are taken from the ground to eliminate the shielding effect on UAV images caused by trees. Point clouds from the UAV and multiview images are generated via Pix4Dmapper. By merging two sets of point clouds via tie points, the complete building model is reconstructed. The 3D models are reconstructed using AutoCAD 2016 to generate vectors from the point clouds; SketchUp Make 2016 is used to rebuild a complete building model with textures. To apply 3D building models in urban planning and design, a modern approach is to rebuild the digital models; however, replacing the landscape design and building distribution in real time is difficult as the frequency of building replacement increases. One potential solution to these problems is augmented reality (AR). Using Unity3D and Vuforia to design and implement the smartphone application service, a markerless AR of the building model can be built. This study is aimed at providing technical and design skills related to urban planning, urban designing, and building information retrieval using AR.

Modeling Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Infiltration in Low-Income Multifamily Housing before and after Building Energy Retrofits

PubMed Central

Fabian, Maria Patricia; Lee, Sharon Kitman; Underhill, Lindsay Jean; Vermeer, Kimberly; Adamkiewicz, Gary; Levy, Jonathan Ian

2016-01-01

Secondhand exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in multifamily housing remains a health concern despite strong recommendations to implement non-smoking policies. Multiple studies have documented exposure to ETS in non-smoking units located in buildings with smoking units. However, characterizing the magnitude of ETS infiltration or measuring the impact of building interventions or resident behavior on ETS is challenging due to the complexities of multifamily buildings, which include variable resident behaviors and complex airflows between numerous shared compartments (e.g., adjacent apartments, common hallways, elevators, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, stack effect). In this study, building simulation models were used to characterize changes in ETS infiltration in a low income, multifamily apartment building in Boston which underwent extensive building renovations targeting energy savings. Results suggest that exterior wall air sealing can lead to increases in ETS infiltration across apartments, while compartmentalization can reduce infiltration. The magnitude and direction of ETS infiltration depends on apartment characteristics, including construction (i.e., level and number of exterior walls), resident behavior (e.g., window opening, operation of localized exhaust fans), and seasonality. Although overall ETS concentrations and infiltration were reduced post energy-related building retrofits, these trends were not generalizable to all building units. Whole building smoke-free policies are the best approach to eliminate exposure to ETS in multifamily housing. PMID:26999174

Modeling Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Infiltration in Low-Income Multifamily Housing before and after Building Energy Retrofits.

PubMed

Fabian, Maria Patricia; Lee, Sharon Kitman; Underhill, Lindsay Jean; Vermeer, Kimberly; Adamkiewicz, Gary; Levy, Jonathan Ian

2016-03-16

Secondhand exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in multifamily housing remains a health concern despite strong recommendations to implement non-smoking policies. Multiple studies have documented exposure to ETS in non-smoking units located in buildings with smoking units. However, characterizing the magnitude of ETS infiltration or measuring the impact of building interventions or resident behavior on ETS is challenging due to the complexities of multifamily buildings, which include variable resident behaviors and complex airflows between numerous shared compartments (e.g., adjacent apartments, common hallways, elevators, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, stack effect). In this study, building simulation models were used to characterize changes in ETS infiltration in a low income, multifamily apartment building in Boston which underwent extensive building renovations targeting energy savings. Results suggest that exterior wall air sealing can lead to increases in ETS infiltration across apartments, while compartmentalization can reduce infiltration. The magnitude and direction of ETS infiltration depends on apartment characteristics, including construction (i.e., level and number of exterior walls), resident behavior (e.g., window opening, operation of localized exhaust fans), and seasonality. Although overall ETS concentrations and infiltration were reduced post energy-related building retrofits, these trends were not generalizable to all building units. Whole building smoke-free policies are the best approach to eliminate exposure to ETS in multifamily housing.

Performance or marketing benefits? The case of LEED certification.

PubMed

Matisoff, Daniel C; Noonan, Douglas S; Mazzolini, Anna M

2014-01-01

Green building adoption is driven by both performance-based benefits and marketing based benefits. Performance based benefits are those that improve performance or lower operating costs of the building or of building users. Marketing benefits stem from the consumer response to green certification. This study illustrates the relative importance of the marketing based benefits that accrue to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings due to green signaling mechanisms, specifically related to the certification itself are identified. Of course, all participants in the LEED certification scheme seek marketing benefits. But even among LEED participants, the interest in green signaling is pronounced. The green signaling mechanism that occurs at the certification thresholds shifts building patterns from just below to just above the threshold level, and motivates builders to cluster buildings just above each threshold. Results are consistent across subsamples, though nonprofit organizations appear to build greener buildings and engage in more green signaling than for-profit entities. Using nonparametric regression discontinuity, signaling across different building types is observed. Marketing benefits due to LEED certification drives organizations to build "greener" buildings by upgrading buildings at the thresholds to reach certification levels.

Green Buildings and Health.

PubMed

Allen, Joseph G; MacNaughton, Piers; Laurent, Jose Guillermo Cedeno; Flanigan, Skye S; Eitland, Erika Sita; Spengler, John D

2015-09-01

Green building design is becoming broadly adopted, with one green building standard reporting over 3.5 billion square feet certified to date. By definition, green buildings focus on minimizing impacts to the environment through reductions in energy usage, water usage, and minimizing environmental disturbances from the building site. Also by definition, but perhaps less widely recognized, green buildings aim to improve human health through design of healthy indoor environments. The benefits related to reduced energy and water consumption are well-documented, but the potential human health benefits of green buildings are only recently being investigated. The objective of our review was to examine the state of evidence on green building design as it specifically relates to indoor environmental quality and human health. Overall, the initial scientific evidence indicates better indoor environmental quality in green buildings versus non-green buildings, with direct benefits to human health for occupants of those buildings. A limitation of much of the research to date is the reliance on indirect, lagging and subjective measures of health. To address this, we propose a framework for identifying direct, objective and leading "Health Performance Indicators" for use in future studies of buildings and health.

The impact of roofing material on building energy performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badiee, Ali

The last decade has seen an increase in the efficient use of energy sources such as water, electricity, and natural gas as well as a variety of roofing materials, in the heating and cooling of both residential and commercial infrastructure. Oil costs, coal and natural gas prices remain high and unstable. All of these instabilities and increased costs have resulted in higher heating and cooling costs, and engineers are making an effort to keep them under control by using energy efficient building materials. The building envelope (that which separates the indoor and outdoor environments of a building) plays a significant role in the rate of building energy consumption. An appropriate architectural design of a building envelope can considerably lower the energy consumption during hot summers and cold winters, resulting in reduced HVAC loads. Several building components (walls, roofs, fenestration, foundations, thermal insulation, external shading devices, thermal mass, etc.) make up this essential part of a building. However, thermal insulation of a building's rooftop is the most essential part of a building envelope in that it reduces the incoming "heat flux" (defined as the amount of heat transferred per unit area per unit time from or to a surface) (Sadineni et al., 2011). Moreover, more than 60% of heat transfer occurs through the roof regardless of weather, since a roof is often the building surface that receives the largest amount of solar radiation per square annually (Suman, and Srivastava, 2009). Hence, an argument can be made that the emphasis on building energy efficiency has influenced roofing manufacturing more than any other building envelope component. This research project will address roofing energy performance as the source of nearly 60% of the building heat transfer (Suman, and Srivastava, 2009). We will also rank different roofing materials in terms of their energy performance. Other parts of the building envelope such as walls, foundation, fenestration, etc. and their thermal insulation energy performance value will not be included this study. Five different UAB campus buildings with the same reinforced concrete structure (RC Structure), each having a different roofing material were selected, surveyed, analyzed, and evaluated in this study. Two primary factors are considered in this evaluation: the energy consumption and utility bills. The data has been provided by the UAB Facilities Management Department and has been monitored from 2007 to 2013 using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test methods. The energy utilities examined in this study involved electricity, domestic water, and natural gas. They were measured separately in four different seasons over a seven-year time period. The building roofing materials consisted of a green roof, a white (reflective) roof, a river rock roof, a concrete paver roof, and a traditional black roof. Results of the tested roofs from this study indicate that the white roof is the most energy efficient roofing material.

Modeling climate change impact in hospitality sector, using building resources consumption signature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, Armando; Bernardino, Mariana; Silva Santos, António; Pimpão Silva, Álvaro; Espírito Santo, Fátima

2016-04-01

Hotels are one of building types that consumes more energy and water per person and are vulnerable to climate change because in the occurrence of extreme events (heat waves, water stress) same failures could compromise the hotel services (comfort) and increase energy cost or compromise the landscape and amenities due to water use restrictions. Climate impact assessments and the development of adaptation strategies require the knowledge about critical climatic variables and also the behaviour of building. To study the risk and vulnerability of buildings and hotels to climate change regarding resources consumption (energy and water), previous studies used building energy modelling simulation (BEMS) tools to study the variation in energy and water consumption. In general, the climate change impact in building is evaluated studying the energy and water demand of the building for future climate scenarios. But, hotels are complex buildings, quite different from each other and assumption done in simplified BEMS aren't calibrated and usually neglect some important hotel features leading to projected estimates that do not usually match hotel sector understanding and practice. Taking account all uncertainties, the use of building signature (statistical method) could be helpful to assess, in a more clear way, the impact of Climate Change in the hospitality sector and using a broad sample. Statistical analysis of the global energy consumption obtained from bills shows that the energy consumption may be predicted within 90% confidence interval only with the outdoor temperature. In this article a simplified methodology is presented and applied to identify the climate change impact in hospitality sector using the building energy and water signature. This methodology is applied to sixteen hotels (nine in Lisbon and seven in Algarve) with four and five stars rating. The results show that is expect an increase in water and electricity consumption (manly due to the increase in cooling) and a decrease in gas consumption (for heating). The hotels in Algarve are more vulnerable than Lisbon hotels.

Critical review of the building downwash algorithms in AERMOD.

PubMed

Petersen, Ron L; Guerra, Sergio A; Bova, Anthony S

2017-08-01

The only documentation on the building downwash algorithm in AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model), referred to as PRIME (Plume Rise Model Enhancements), is found in the 2000 A&WMA journal article by Schulman, Strimaitis and Scire. Recent field and wind tunnel studies have shown that AERMOD can overpredict concentrations by factors of 2 to 8 for certain building configurations. While a wind tunnel equivalent building dimension study (EBD) can be conducted to approximately correct the overprediction bias, past field and wind tunnel studies indicate that there are notable flaws in the PRIME building downwash theory. A detailed review of the theory supported by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind tunnel simulations of flow over simple rectangular buildings revealed the following serious theoretical flaws: enhanced turbulence in the building wake starting at the wrong longitudinal location; constant enhanced turbulence extending up to the wake height; constant initial enhanced turbulence in the building wake (does not vary with roughness or stability); discontinuities in the streamline calculations; and no method to account for streamlined or porous structures. This paper documents theoretical and other problems in PRIME along with CFD simulations and wind tunnel observations that support these findings. Although AERMOD/PRIME may provide accurate and unbiased estimates (within a factor of 2) for some building configurations, a major review and update is needed so that accurate estimates can be obtained for other building configurations where significant overpredictions or underpredictions are common due to downwash effects. This will ensure that regulatory evaluations subject to dispersion modeling requirements can be based on an accurate model. Thus, it is imperative that the downwash theory in PRIME is corrected to improve model performance and ensure that the model better represents reality.

Preventing fatalities in building bombings: what can we learn from the Oklahoma City bombing?

PubMed

Glenshaw, Mary T; Vernick, Jon S; Li, Guohua; Sorock, Gary S; Brown, Sheryll; Mallonee, Sue

2007-07-01

Bombings are an increasing threat to the public's health. Descriptive studies of blast injuries have been published, but these injuries have not been studied using analytical epidemiological methods. This study assesses factors associated with fatality risk among individuals exposed to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Retrospective case-control analysis using multivariable logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) of fatality are calculated among occupants of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Of the 348 occupants exposed, 163 (46.8%) were fatally injured. Fatality risk was greatest in the collapsed region of the building (adjusted OR 176.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 65.9-474.2). Age > or =40 was also associated with a significantly increased risk of fatality (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.4-9.8). Among people found in the noncollapsed region of the building, employees' status compared to a visitor's or child's status was protective (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.01-1.3). Structural collapse is the most important risk factor for fatality in a building bombing. Progressive collapse may be prevented through more supportive building design. Protection of vulnerable building occupants can be improved by placement of relevant facilities in more structurally reinforced areas. Regular evacuation training of personnel and clear egress routes may also reduce fatality in a building bombing.

Thermally adapted design strategy of colonial houses in Surabaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antaryama, I. G. N.; Ekasiwi, S. N. N.; Mappajaya, A.; Ulum, M. S.

2018-03-01

Colonial buildings, including houses, have been considered as a representation of climate-responsive architecture. The design was thought to be a hybrid model of Dutch and tropical architecture. It was created by way of reinventing tropical and Dutch architecture design principles, and expressed in a new form, i.e. neither resembling Dutch nor tropical building. Aside from this new image, colonial house does show good climatic responses. Previous researches on colonial house generally focus on qualitative assessment of climate performance of the building. Yet this kind of study tends to concentrate on building elements, e.g. wall, window, etc. The present study is designed to give more complete picture of architecture design strategy of the house by exploring and analysing thermal performance of colonial buildings and their related architecture design strategies. Field measurements are conducted during the dry season in several colonial building in Surabaya. Air temperature and humidity are both taken, representing internal and external thermal conditions of the building. These data are then evaluated to determine thermal performance of the house. Finally, various design strategies are examined in order to reveal their significant contributions to its thermal performance. Results of the study in Surabaya confirm findings of the previous researches that are conducted in other locations, which stated that thermal performance of the house is generally good. Passive design strategies such as mass effect and ventilation play an important role in determining performance of the building.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Torcellini, Paul A.; Bonnema, Eric; Goldwasser, David

Building energy consumption can only be measured at the site or at the point of utility interconnection with a building. Often, to evaluate the total energy impact, this site-based energy consumption is translated into source energy, that is, the energy at the point of fuel extraction. Consistent with this approach, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) definition of zero energy buildings uses source energy as the metric to account for energy losses from the extraction, transformation, and delivery of energy. Other organizations, as well, use source energy to characterize the energy impacts. Four methods of making the conversion from sitemore » energy to source energy were investigated in the context of the DOE definition of zero energy buildings. These methods were evaluated based on three guiding principles--improve energy efficiency, reduce and stabilize power demand, and use power from nonrenewable energy sources as efficiently as possible. This study examines relative trends between strategies as they are implemented on very low-energy buildings to achieve zero energy. A typical office building was modeled and variations to this model performed. The photovoltaic output that was required to create a zero energy building was calculated. Trends were examined with these variations to study the impacts of the calculation method on the building's ability to achieve zero energy status. The paper will highlight the different methods and give conclusions on the advantages and disadvantages of the methods studied.« less

Automated Deployment of Advanced Controls and Analytics in Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pritoni, Marco

Buildings use 40% of primary energy in the US. Recent studies show that developing energy analytics and enhancing control strategies can significantly improve their energy performance. However, the deployment of advanced control software applications has been mostly limited to academic studies. Larger-scale implementations are prevented by the significant engineering time and customization required, due to significant differences among buildings. This study demonstrates how physics-inspired data-driven models can be used to develop portable analytics and control applications for buildings. Specifically, I demonstrate application of these models in all phases of the deployment of advanced controls and analytics in buildings: in the first phase, "Site Preparation and Interface with Legacy Systems" I used models to discover or map relationships among building components, automatically gathering metadata (information about data points) necessary to run the applications. During the second phase: "Application Deployment and Commissioning", models automatically learn system parameters, used for advanced controls and analytics. In the third phase: "Continuous Monitoring and Verification" I utilized models to automatically measure the energy performance of a building that has implemented advanced control strategies. In the conclusions, I discuss future challenges and suggest potential strategies for these innovative control systems to be widely deployed in the market. This dissertation provides useful new tools in terms of procedures, algorithms, and models to facilitate the automation of deployment of advanced controls and analytics and accelerate their wide adoption in buildings.

Statistical distribution of building lot frontage: application for Tokyo downtown districts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usui, Hiroyuki

2018-03-01

The frontage of a building lot is the determinant factor of the residential environment. The statistical distribution of building lot frontages shows how the perimeters of urban blocks are shared by building lots for a given density of buildings and roads. For practitioners in urban planning, this is indispensable to identify potential districts which comprise a high percentage of building lots with narrow frontage after subdivision and to reconsider the appropriate criteria for the density of buildings and roads as residential environment indices. In the literature, however, the statistical distribution of building lot frontages and the density of buildings and roads has not been fully researched. In this paper, based on the empirical study in the downtown districts of Tokyo, it is found that (1) a log-normal distribution fits the observed distribution of building lot frontages better than a gamma distribution, which is the model of the size distribution of Poisson Voronoi cells on closed curves; (2) the statistical distribution of building lot frontages statistically follows a log-normal distribution, whose parameters are the gross building density, road density, average road width, the coefficient of variation of building lot frontage, and the ratio of the number of building lot frontages to the number of buildings; and (3) the values of the coefficient of variation of building lot frontages, and that of the ratio of the number of building lot frontages to that of buildings are approximately equal to 0.60 and 1.19, respectively.

Atrium building study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1990-01-01

The CIGNA design team was faced with creating a new 500,000 square foot office building on a pastoral 610 acre corporate campus in Bloomfield, Connecticut, just outside of Hartford. Challenges abounded during the design process, from the selection of a specific building site on the sprawling campus to the evolution of a building form incorporating an atrium, to the selection of building systems and materials, to the design to the office interiors and atrium landscape. This document summarizes the original design problem, focusing on design criteria and performance standards that led to the decision to design an atrium building asmore » well as decision concerning its function, its form, its building systems and materials, and its passive energy strategies.« less

Balancing Hydronic Systems in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruch, Russell; Ludwig, Peter; Maurer, Tessa

2014-07-01

In multifamily hydronic systems, temperature imbalance may be caused by undersized piping, improperly adjusted balancing valves, inefficient water temperature and flow levels, and owner/occupant interaction with the boilers, distribution, and controls. The imbalance leads to tenant discomfort, higher energy use intensity, and inefficient building operation. This research, conducted by Building America team Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit, explores cost-effective distribution upgrades and balancing measures in multifamily hydronic systems, providing a resource to contractors, auditors, and building owners on best practices to improve tenant comfort and lower operating costs. The team surveyed existing knowledge on cost-effective retrofits for optimizing distribution inmore » typical multifamily hydronic systems, with the aim of identifying common situations and solutions, and then conducted case studies on two Chicago area buildings with known balancing issues in order to quantify the extent of temperature imbalance. At one of these buildings a booster pump was installed on a loop to an underheated wing of the building. This study found that unit temperature in a multifamily hydronic building can vary as much as 61°F, particularly if windows are opened or tenants use intermittent supplemental heating sources like oven ranges. Average temperature spread at the building as a result of this retrofit decreased from 22.1°F to 15.5°F.« less

BDW-1

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This data set is associated with the results found in the journal article: Perry et al, 2016. Characterization of pollutant dispersion near elongated buildings based on wind tunnel simulations, Atmospheric Environment, 142, 286-295.The paper presents a wind tunnel study of the effects of elongated rectangular buildings on the dispersion of pollutants from nearby stacks. The study examines the influence of source location, building aspect ratio, and wind direction on pollutant dispersion with the goal of developing improved algorithms within dispersion models. The paper also examines the current AERMOD/PRIME modeling capabilities compared to wind tunnel observations. Differences in the amount of plume material entrained in the wake region downwind of a building for various source locations and source heights are illustrated with vertical and lateral concentration profiles. These profiles were parameterized using the Gaussian equation and show the influence of building/source configurations on those parameters. When the building is oriented at 4500b0 to the approach flow, for example, the effective plume height descends more rapidly than it does for a perpendicular building, enhancing the resulting surface concentrations in the wake region. Buildings at angles to the wind cause a cross-wind shift in the location of the plume resulting from a lateral mean flow established in the building wake. These and other effects that are not well represented in many dispersio

Characterization of pollutant dispersion near elongated ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This paper presents a wind tunnel study of the effects of elongated rectangular buildings on the dispersion of pollutants from nearby stacks. The study examines the influence of source location, building aspect ratio, and wind direction on pollutant dispersion with the goal of developing improved algorithms within dispersion models. The paper also examines the current AERMOD/PRIME modeling capabilities compared to wind tunnel observations. Differences in the amount of plume material entrained in the wake region downwind of a building for various source locations and source heights are illustrated with vertical and lateral concentration profiles. These profiles were parameterized using the Gaussian equation and show the influence of building/source configurations on those parameters. When the building is oriented at 45° to the approach flow, for example, the effective plume height descends more rapidly than it does for a perpendicular building, enhancing the resulting surface concentrations in the wake region. Buildings at angles to the wind cause a cross-wind shift in the location of the plume resulting from a lateral mean flow established in the building wake. These and other effects that are not well represented in many dispersion models are important considerations when developing improved algorithms to estimate the location and magnitude of concentrations downwind of elongated buildings. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Computational Exposur

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong; ...

2015-10-07

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Indoor Environmental Quality in Mechanically Ventilated, Energy-Efficient Buildings vs. Conventional Buildings.

PubMed

Wallner, Peter; Munoz, Ute; Tappler, Peter; Wanka, Anna; Kundi, Michael; Shelton, Janie F; Hutter, Hans-Peter

2015-11-06

Energy-efficient buildings need mechanical ventilation. However, there are concerns that inadequate mechanical ventilation may lead to impaired indoor air quality. Using a semi-experimental field study, we investigated if exposure of occupants of two types of buildings (mechanical vs. natural ventilation) differs with regard to indoor air pollutants and climate factors. We investigated living and bedrooms in 123 buildings (62 highly energy-efficient and 61 conventional buildings) built in the years 2010 to 2012 in Austria (mainly Vienna and Lower Austria). Measurements of indoor parameters (climate, chemical pollutants and biological contaminants) were conducted twice. In total, more than 3000 measurements were performed. Almost all indoor air quality and room climate parameters showed significantly better results in mechanically ventilated homes compared to those relying on ventilation from open windows and/or doors. This study does not support the hypothesis that occupants in mechanically ventilated low energy houses are exposed to lower indoor air quality.

BacNet and Analog/Digital Interfaces of the Building Controls Virtual Testbed

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nouidui, Thierry Stephane; Wetter, Michael; Li, Zhengwei

2011-11-01

This paper gives an overview of recent developments in the Building Controls Virtual Test Bed (BCVTB), a framework for co-simulation and hardware-in-the-loop. First, a general overview of the BCVTB is presented. Second, we describe the BACnet interface, a link which has been implemented to couple BACnet devices to the BCVTB. We present a case study where the interface was used to couple a whole building simulation program to a building control system to assess in real-time the performance of a real building. Third, we present the ADInterfaceMCC, an analog/digital interface that allows a USB-based analog/digital converter to be linked tomore » the BCVTB. In a case study, we show how the link was used to couple the analog/digital converter to a building simulation model for local loop control.« less

The impact of a 'green' building on employees' physical and psychological wellbeing.

PubMed

Thatcher, Andrew; Milner, Karen

2012-01-01

Multiple claims and some empirical findings suggest that 'green' buildings should be healthier (psychologically and physically) and promote greater productivity than conventional buildings. The empirical evidence in this regard over the last decade or so has been inconclusive suggesting either that the studies are flawed or that there are specific aspects of green buildings that promote wellbeing and productivity and others that do not. This study looks at a longitudinal comparison of two groups; a group that moved into South Africa's first GreenStar-accredited building and a group that did not. Measures were taken before the move and six months later. Results demonstrated that the 'green' building did not produce significantly better physical or psychological wellbeing, or higher perceived productivity. These results are discussed in relation to suggestions for what design features to focus on that may produce significant results.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Building cost effective, high performance homes that provide superior comfort, health, and durability is the goal of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) program. Through Building America research and other innovative programs throughout the country, many of the technical challenges to building to the ZERH standard have been addressed. This case study describes the development of a 62-unit multifamily community constructed by nonprofit developer Mutual Housing at the Spring Lake subdivision in Woodland, CA. The Spring Lake project is expected to be the first ZERH-certified multifamily project nationwide. Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovationmore » worked with Mutual Housing throughout the project. The case study discusses challenges encountered, lessons learned, and how obstacles were overcome. An objective of this project was to gain a highly visible foothold for residential buildings built to the DOE ZERH specification that can be used to encourage participation by other California builders.« less

Who Is Going to Build the Wall? A Building Trades Crisis in the U.S.A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toppin, Ian

2018-01-01

The context of this study was to examine factors contributing to significant workforce shortages in building trades in the United States. As it is, recruitment of qualified skilled trades workers is becoming increasingly difficult due to lack of a pipeline of prospective workers, and training programs. The study assumed a theoretical inquiry…

The Army Family Team Building Program: Facilitating a Transformative Learning Process--An Intrinsic Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gall, Joseph A.

2009-01-01

This study sought to understand how the Army Family Team Building program influences self-reliance and self-sufficiency in Army spouses as they integrate into the Army community. The purpose of the Army Family Team Building program is to empower Army spouses with knowledge and skills, which foster well-being and improve quality of life. The…

Literature review on use of nonwood plant fibers for building materials and panels

Treesearch

John A. Youngquist; Brent E. English; Roger C. Scharmer; Poo Chow; Steven R. Shook

1994-01-01

The research studies included in this review focus on the use of nonwood plant fibers for building materials and panels. Studies address (1) methods for efficiently producing building materials and panels from nonwood plant fibers; (2) treatment of fibers prior to board production; (3) process variables, such as press time and temperature, press pressure, and type of...

Leading the Small Rural School in Iceland and Australia: Building Leadership Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wildy, Helen; Siguräardóttir, Sigríäur Margrét; Faulkner, Robert

2014-01-01

This study builds on a set of Australian case studies exploring the impact of Place on the work of principals and of the importance of Place in the preparation and development of principals. The project compares the ways that principals in Iceland and Australia build leadership capacity in small rural schools. Leaders of small schools in both…

An Experimental Study of the Low-cost MEMS-type Seismometer for Structural Health Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, RenCheng; Wu, Yih-Min; Hsu, Ting-Yu

2016-04-01

The Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) research group at National Taiwan University (NTU) and a technology company have been developing a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) type of accelerometer named Palert designed for EEW purpose. The main advantage of Palert is that it is a relatively low-cost seismometer. On the other hand, due to the high price of commercial hardware of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems, the application of SHM to buildings is limited. Therefore, the low price of Palert devices makes it affordable to general purpose application and would lead to popularization of SHM for buildings. This study serves as a pre-study for this purpose and the feasibility for SHM application for Palert is also verified. In order to monitor the health of the building, the method proposed by Nakata et al. is used to estimate fundamental normal-mode frequency of a steel building in the laboratory of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE). The results show that the Palert is reliable to measure the building's response for the most of the normal buildings with less than ten stories. The fundamental normal-mode frequencies estimated using the Palert are quite comparable to the ones estimated using the high-performance accelerometers and data acquisition system. The Palert illustrates the possibility to be used to monitor the health of a building but further studies are still necessary.

Environmental and economic evaluation of natural capital appropriation through building construction: practical case study in the Italian context.

PubMed

Bastianoni, Simone; Galli, Alessandro; Pulselli, Riccardo Maria; Niccolucci, Valentina

2007-11-01

This paper focuses on appropriation of natural capital through construction of buildings. The ecological footprint and the Costanza natural capital concepts are applied. The environmental consequences of human settlement are currently of great concern, and a need is felt to reduce the impact of building on the environment. The embodied energy of building materials and the "land area" required to sustain their production are considered to evaluate the demand on nature of this activity. The ecological footprints of 2 typical Italian buildings are compared. The paper also focuses on how to reduce the natural capital appropriation of building construction by means of environmentally inexpensive materials, renewable energy resources, and optimization of the use of bioproductive land by construction of multistoried buildings. Finally, to allocate an environmental load of buildings, an economic evaluation of natural capital appropriation through building construction is proposed.

Earthquake insurance pricing: a risk-based approach.

PubMed

Lin, Jeng-Hsiang

2018-04-01

Flat earthquake premiums are 'uniformly' set for a variety of buildings in many countries, neglecting the fact that the risk of damage to buildings by earthquakes is based on a wide range of factors. How these factors influence the insurance premiums is worth being studied further. Proposed herein is a risk-based approach to estimate the earthquake insurance rates of buildings. Examples of application of the approach to buildings located in Taipei city of Taiwan were examined. Then, the earthquake insurance rates for the buildings investigated were calculated and tabulated. To fulfil insurance rating, the buildings were classified into 15 model building types according to their construction materials and building height. Seismic design levels were also considered in insurance rating in response to the effect of seismic zone and construction years of buildings. This paper may be of interest to insurers, actuaries, and private and public sectors of insurance. © 2018 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2018.

Evaluation of green building rating tools based on existing green building achievement in Indonesia using Life Cycle Assessment Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basten, Van; Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Budiman, Rachmat; Riswanto

2017-03-01

Total completed building construction value in Indonesia increased 116% during 2009 to 2011. That's followed by increasing 11% energy consumption in Indonesia in the last three years with 70% energy met to the electricity needs of commercial building. In addition, a few application of green building concept in Indonesia made the greenhouse gas emissions or CO2 amount increased by 25%. Construction, operation, and maintain of building cost consider relatively high. The evaluation in this research is used to improve the building performance with some of green concept alternatives. The research methodology is conducted by combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches through interview and case study. Assessing the successful of optimization functions in the existing green building is based on the operational and maintenance phase with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Method. The result of optimization that is the largest efficiency and effective of building life cycle.

Data and Analytics to Inform Energy Retrofit of High Performance Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Tianzhen; Yang, Le; Hill, David

Buildings consume more than one-third of the world?s primary energy. Reducing energy use in buildings with energy efficient technologies is feasible and also driven by energy policies such as energy benchmarking, disclosure, rating, and labeling in both the developed and developing countries. Current energy retrofits focus on the existing building stocks, especially older buildings, but the growing number of new high performance buildings built around the world raises a question that how these buildings perform and whether there are retrofit opportunities to further reduce their energy use. This is a new and unique problem for the building industry. Traditional energymore » audit or analysis methods are inadequate to look deep into the energy use of the high performance buildings. This study aims to tackle this problem with a new holistic approach powered by building performance data and analytics. First, three types of measured data are introduced, including the time series energy use, building systems operating conditions, and indoor and outdoor environmental parameters. An energy data model based on the ISO Standard 12655 is used to represent the energy use in buildings in a three-level hierarchy. Secondly, a suite of analytics were proposed to analyze energy use and to identify retrofit measures for high performance buildings. The data-driven analytics are based on monitored data at short time intervals, and cover three levels of analysis ? energy profiling, benchmarking and diagnostics. Thirdly, the analytics were applied to a high performance building in California to analyze its energy use and identify retrofit opportunities, including: (1) analyzing patterns of major energy end-use categories at various time scales, (2) benchmarking the whole building total energy use as well as major end-uses against its peers, (3) benchmarking the power usage effectiveness for the data center, which is the largest electricity consumer in this building, and (4) diagnosing HVAC equipment using detailed time-series operating data. Finally, a few energy efficiency measures were identified for retrofit, and their energy savings were estimated to be 20percent of the whole-building electricity consumption. Based on the analyses, the building manager took a few steps to improve the operation of fans, chillers, and data centers, which will lead to actual energy savings. This study demonstrated that there are energy retrofit opportunities for high performance buildings and detailed measured building performance data and analytics can help identify and estimate energy savings and to inform the decision making during the retrofit process. Challenges of data collection and analytics were also discussed to shape best practice of retrofitting high performance buildings.« less

Building vulnerability to hydro-geomorphic hazards: Estimating damage probability from qualitative vulnerability assessment using logistic regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ettinger, Susanne; Mounaud, Loïc; Magill, Christina; Yao-Lafourcade, Anne-Françoise; Thouret, Jean-Claude; Manville, Vern; Negulescu, Caterina; Zuccaro, Giulio; De Gregorio, Daniela; Nardone, Stefano; Uchuchoque, Juan Alexis Luque; Arguedas, Anita; Macedo, Luisa; Manrique Llerena, Nélida

2016-10-01

The focus of this study is an analysis of building vulnerability through investigating impacts from the 8 February 2013 flash flood event along the Avenida Venezuela channel in the city of Arequipa, Peru. On this day, 124.5 mm of rain fell within 3 h (monthly mean: 29.3 mm) triggering a flash flood that inundated at least 0.4 km2 of urban settlements along the channel, affecting more than 280 buildings, 23 of a total of 53 bridges (pedestrian, vehicle and railway), and leading to the partial collapse of sections of the main road, paralyzing central parts of the city for more than one week. This study assesses the aspects of building design and site specific environmental characteristics that render a building vulnerable by considering the example of a flash flood event in February 2013. A statistical methodology is developed that enables estimation of damage probability for buildings. The applied method uses observed inundation height as a hazard proxy in areas where more detailed hydrodynamic modeling data is not available. Building design and site-specific environmental conditions determine the physical vulnerability. The mathematical approach considers both physical vulnerability and hazard related parameters and helps to reduce uncertainty in the determination of descriptive parameters, parameter interdependency and respective contributions to damage. This study aims to (1) enable the estimation of damage probability for a certain hazard intensity, and (2) obtain data to visualize variations in damage susceptibility for buildings in flood prone areas. Data collection is based on a post-flood event field survey and the analysis of high (sub-metric) spatial resolution images (Pléiades 2012, 2013). An inventory of 30 city blocks was collated in a GIS database in order to estimate the physical vulnerability of buildings. As many as 1103 buildings were surveyed along the affected drainage and 898 buildings were included in the statistical analysis. Univariate and bivariate analyses were applied to better characterize each vulnerability parameter. Multiple corresponding analyses revealed strong relationships between the "Distance to channel or bridges", "Structural building type", "Building footprint" and the observed damage. Logistic regression enabled quantification of the contribution of each explanatory parameter to potential damage, and determination of the significant parameters that express the damage susceptibility of a building. The model was applied 200 times on different calibration and validation data sets in order to examine performance. Results show that 90% of these tests have a success rate of more than 67%. Probabilities (at building scale) of experiencing different damage levels during a future event similar to the 8 February 2013 flash flood are the major outcomes of this study.

75 FR 29772 - Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

... (c)(6). Grant applications for the Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition: Prospect Studies--Building... on: Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition: Prospect Studies--Building New Clinical Infrastructure for...

A review of building information modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wen; Han, Rui

2018-05-01

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is widely seen as a catalyst for innovation and productivity. It is becoming standard for new construction and is the most significant technology changing how we design, build, use and manage the building. It is a dominant technological trend in the software industry and although the theoretical groundwork was laid in the previous century, it is a popular topic in academic research. BIM is discussed in this study, which results can provide better and more comprehensive choices for building owners, designers, and developers in future.

The design of a solar energy collection system to augment heating and cooling for a commercial office building

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basford, R. C.

1977-01-01

Analytical studies supported by experimental testing indicate that solar energy can be utilized to heat and cool commercial buildings. In a 50,000 square foot one-story office building at the Langley Research Center, 15,000 square feet of solar collectors are designed to provide the energy required to supply 79 percent of the building heating needs and 52 percent of its cooling needs. The experience gained from the space program is providing the technology base for this project. Included are some of the analytical studies made to make the building design changes necessary to utilize solar energy, the basic solar collector design, collector efficiencies, and the integrated system design.

Potential for the Use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts to Reduce Energy Consumption and Provide Energy and Cost Savings in Non-Building Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Charles; Green, Andrew S.; Dahle, Douglas

2013-08-01

The findings of this study indicate that potential exists in non-building applications to save energy and costs. This potential could save billions of federal dollars, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, increase energy independence and security, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Federal Government has nearly twenty years of experience with achieving similar energy cost reductions, and letting the energy costs savings pay for themselves, by applying energy savings performance contracts (ESPC) inits buildings. Currently, the application of ESPCs is limited by statute to federal buildings. This study indicates that ESPCs can be a compatible and effective contracting tool for achievingmore » savings in non-building applications.« less

Geoinformation techniques for the 3D visualisation of historic buildings and representation of a building's pathology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsilimantou, Elisavet; Delegou, Ekaterini; Ioannidis, Charalabos; Moropoulou, Antonia

2016-08-01

In this paper, the documentation of an historic building registered as Cultural Heritage asset is presented. The aim of the survey is to create a 3D geometric representation of a historic building and in accordance with multidisciplinary study extract useful information regarding the extent of degradation, constructions' durability etc. For the implementation of the survey, a combination of different types of acquisition technologies is used. The project focuses on the study of Villa Klonaridi, in Athens, Greece. For the complete documentation of the building, conventional topography, photogrammetric and laser scanning techniques is combined. Close range photogrammetric techniques are used for the acquisition of the façades and architectural details. One of the main objectives is the development of an accurate 3D model, where the photorealistic representation of the building is achieved, along with the decay pathology, historical phases and architectural components. In order to achieve a suitable graphical representation for the study of the material and decay patterns beyond the 2D representation, 3D modelling and additional information modelling is performed for comparative analysis. The study provides various conclusions regarding the scale of deterioration obtained by the 2D and 3D analysis respectively. Considering the variation in material and decay patterns, comparative results are obtained regarding the degradation of the building. Overall, the paper describes a process performed on a Historic Building, where the 3D digital acquisition of the monuments' structure is realized with the combination of close range surveying and laser scanning methods.

White Sands Missile Range 2007 Urban Study: Flow and Stability Around a Single Building Volume 1: Field Study Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

results in his 2003 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) presentation (Banff, Canada) (3). 1.2.2 WSMR 2005 Urban Study (W05US) In 2005 March...used in the W03US and W05US urban field studies at WSMR, NM (section 1). This building was concrete cinder-block with a nearly flat roof. To the...prior to the field study execution, the two 2-story- tall trees on the northeast and southeast corners of the building were unexpectedly removed

School Buildings for the 21st Century -- Some Features of New School Buildings in Iceland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigurðardóttir, Anna Kristín; Hjartarson, Torfi

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify features of change in the recent design of school buildings in Iceland, and how they might affect teaching practices. Environmental and architectonic features characterising school buildings designed and built at the beginning of the 21st century are examined in light of challenges involving architecture,…

Indoor air quality in public buildings. Volume 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheldon, L.; Zelon, H.; Sickles, J.

Two separate but closely related studies of exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in buildings where people spend long periods of time were conducted. This report summarizes results obtained in six buildings: a new hospital, office and nursing home and another office, office/school, and nursing home. At each building sampling was performed at three indoor locations and a single outdoor location.

Soft storey effects on plastic hinge propagation of moment resisting reinforced concrete building subjected to Ranau earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Chee Ghuan; Chia, Wei Ting; Majid, Taksiah A.; Nazri, Fadzli Mohamed; Adiyanto, Mohd Irwan

2017-10-01

On 5th June 2015, a moderate earthquake with Mw 5.9 hit Ranau, resulted in damages of the existing non-seismically designed buildings, such that 61 buildings, including mosques, schools, hospitals and Ranau police headquarters were suffered from different level structural damages. Soft storey irregularity is one of the main reasons of the building damage. This study is to investigate the soft-story effect on the propagation path of plastic hinges RC building under seismic excitation. The plastic hinges formation and seismic performance of five moment resisting RC frames with different infill configurations are studied. The seismic performance of building is evaluated by Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Open ground soft storey structure shows the lowest seismic resistance, collapses at 0.55g pga. The maximum interstorey drift ratio (IDRmax) in soft storey buildings ranging from 0.53% to 2.96% which are far greater than bare frame ranging from 0.095% to 0.69%. The presence of infill walls creates stiffer upper stories causing moments concentrate at the soft storey, resulting the path of plastic hinge propagation is dominant at the soft storey columns. Hence, the buildings with soft storey are very susceptible under earthquake load.

The measures for achieving nZEB standard of retrofitted educational building for specific polish location - case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, Jerzy; Mijakowski, Maciej; Trząski, Adrian

2017-11-01

Most of the EU member states have already set a definition of nZEB for new buildings and some of the countries also done it for existing buildings. As there is no definition of nZEB for existing buildings in Poland, the paper will include various considerations of such a standard. Next, a case study of educational building retrofitting to a proposed nZEB standard will be presented. The aim of the paper is to present what measures can be used in order to decrease energy consumption in existing building. The measures are divided into three parts: architectural and construction, installations and energy sources. Thus a complexity of the solutions are presented. As the nZEB standard is related to available energy sources, also an influence of local condition will be considered. Building chosen for analysis is located in an area under historic protection which makes the work even more difficult. It was proved that used solutions were chosen not only to reduce energy demand or increase energy production from renewable energy sources, but also to increase social and aesthetic features of the building.

Optimization for energy efficiency of underground building envelope thermal performance in different climate zones of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Luyang; Liu, Jing; Zhang, Huibo

2017-11-01

The object of this article is to investigate the influence of thermal performance of envelopes in shallow-buried buildings on energy consumption for different climate zones of China. For the purpose of this study, an effective building energy simulation tool (DeST) developed by Tsinghua University was chosen to model the heat transfer in underground buildings. Based on the simulative results, energy consumption for heating and cooling for the whole year was obtained. The results showed that the relationship between energy consumption and U-value of envelopes for underground buildings is different compared with above-ground buildings: improving thermal performance of exterior walls cannot reduce energy consumption, on the contrary, may result in more energy cost. Besides, it is can be derived that optimized U-values of underground building envelopes vary with climate zones of China in this study. For severe cold climate zone, the optimized U-value of underground building envelopes is 0.8W/(m2·K); for cold climate zone, the optimized U-value is 1.5W/(m2·K); for warm climate zone, the U-value is 2.0W/(m2·K).

Accurate facade feature extraction method for buildings from three-dimensional point cloud data considering structural information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongzhi; Ma, Yuqing; Zhu, A.-xing; Zhao, Hui; Liao, Lixia

2018-05-01

Facade features represent segmentations of building surfaces and can serve as a building framework. Extracting facade features from three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data (3D PCD) is an efficient method for 3D building modeling. By combining the advantages of 3D PCD and two-dimensional optical images, this study describes the creation of a highly accurate building facade feature extraction method from 3D PCD with a focus on structural information. The new extraction method involves three major steps: image feature extraction, exploration of the mapping method between the image features and 3D PCD, and optimization of the initial 3D PCD facade features considering structural information. Results show that the new method can extract the 3D PCD facade features of buildings more accurately and continuously. The new method is validated using a case study. In addition, the effectiveness of the new method is demonstrated by comparing it with the range image-extraction method and the optical image-extraction method in the absence of structural information. The 3D PCD facade features extracted by the new method can be applied in many fields, such as 3D building modeling and building information modeling.

Building characteristics associated with moisture related problems in 8,918 Swedish dwellings.

PubMed

Hägerhed-Engman, Linda; Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf; Sundell, Jan

2009-08-01

Moisture problems in buildings have in a number of studies been shown to increase the risk for respiratory symptoms. The study Dampness in Buildings and Health (DBH) was initiated with the aim to identify health relevant exposures related to dampness in buildings. A questionnaire study about home environment with a focus on dampness problems and health was conducted in one county of Sweden (8,918 homes, response rate 79%). Building characteristics that were associated with one or more of the dampness indicators were for single-family houses, older houses, flat-roofed houses built in the 1960s and 1970s, houses with a concrete slab on the ground that were built before 1983. Moreover, tenancy and earlier renovation due to mould or moisture problems was strongly associated with dampness. A perception of dry air was associated with window-pane condensation, e.g. humid indoor air.

Diffusion of Energy Efficient Technology in Commercial Buildings: An Analysis of the Commercial Building Partnerships Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonopoulos, Chrissi Argyro

This study presents findings from survey and interview data investigating replication of green building measures by Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) partners that worked directly with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL partnered directly with 12 organizations on new and retrofit construction projects, which represented approximately 28 percent of the entire U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CBP program. Through a feedback survey mechanism, along with personal interviews, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered relating to replication efforts by each organization. These data were analyzed to provide insight into two primary research areas: 1) CBP partners' replication efforts of green building approaches used in the CBP project to the rest of the organization's building portfolio, and, 2) the market potential for technology diffusion into the total U.S. commercial building stock, as a direct result of the CBP program. The first area of this research focused specifically on replication efforts underway or planned by each CBP program participant. The second area of this research develops a diffusion of innovations model to analyze potential broad market impacts of the CBP program on the commercial building industry in the United States. Findings from this study provided insight into motivations and objectives CBP partners had for program participation. Factors that impact replication include motivation, organizational structure and objectives firms have for implementation of energy efficient technologies. Comparing these factors between different CBP partners revealed patterns in motivation for constructing energy efficient buildings, along with better insight into market trends for green building practices. The optimized approach to the CBP program allows partners to develop green building parameters that fit the specific uses of their building, resulting in greater motivation for replication. In addition, the diffusion model developed for this analysis indicates that this method of market prediction may be used to adequately capture cumulative construction metrics for a whole-building analysis as opposed to individual energy efficiency measures used in green building.

Premium cost optimization of operational and maintenance of green building in Indonesia using life cycle assessment method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Basten, Van; Budiman, Rachmat; Riswanto

2017-06-01

Building has a big impact on the environmental developments. There are three general motives in building, namely the economy, society, and environment. Total completed building construction in Indonesia increased by 116% during 2009 to 2011. It made the energy consumption increased by 11% within the last three years. In fact, 70% of energy consumption is used for electricity needs on commercial buildings which leads to an increase of greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Green Building cycle costs is known as highly building upfront cost in Indonesia. The purpose of optimization in this research improves building performance with some of green concept alternatives. Research methodology is mixed method of qualitative and quantitative approaches through questionnaire surveys and case study. Assessing the successful of optimization functions in the existing green building is based on the operational and maintenance phase with the Life Cycle Assessment Method. Choosing optimization results were based on the largest efficiency of building life cycle and the most effective cost to refund.

Complex analysis of energy efficiency in operated high-rise residential building: Case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korniyenko, Sergey

2018-03-01

Energy conservation and human thermal comfort enhancement in buildings is a topical issue of modern architecture and construction. The innovative solution of this problem makes it possible to enhance building ecological and maintenance safety, to reduce hydrocarbon fuel consumption, and to improve life standard of people. The requirements to increase of energy efficiency in buildings should be provided at all the stages of building's life cycle that is at the stage of design, construction and maintenance of buildings. The research purpose is complex analysis of energy efficiency in operated high-rise residential building. Many actions for building energy efficiency are realized according to the project; mainly it is the effective building envelope and engineering systems. Based on results of measurements the energy indicators of the building during annual period have been calculated. The main reason of increase in heat losses consists in the raised infiltration of external air in the building through a building envelope owing to the increased air permeability of windows and balcony doors (construction defects). Thermorenovation of the building based on ventilating and infiltration heat losses reduction through a building envelope allows reducing annual energy consumption. Energy efficiency assessment based on the total annual energy consumption of building, including energy indices for heating and a ventilation, hot water supply and electricity supply, in comparison with heating is more complete. The account of various components in building energy balance completely corresponds to modern direction of researches on energy conservation and thermal comfort enhancement in buildings.

Effects of team-building on communication and teamwork among nursing students.

PubMed

Yi, Y J

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of team-building on communication and teamwork (i.e. teamwork skills and team effectiveness) among nursing students. Team-building is effective for improving communication and teamwork among the nursing organization. However, the effects of team-building are not well known especially in Korea. This study used a quasi-experimental design. The sample was composed of 195 junior-year nursing students in Korea. The experimental group (100 subjects) participated in team-building activities over a 100-day period, whereas no intervention was applied to the control group (95 subjects). Pretest was conducted in both groups, and post-test was conducted after the 100-day intervention. The pre-post change in mean communication competence score did not differ between the two groups. However, the mean scores for teamwork skills and team effectiveness differed significantly between the two groups after team-building activity. This study was not a double-blind test, and randomized sampling was not implemented. Caution should thus be used when interpreting the findings. Team-building activities were effective for improving the teamwork skills and team effectiveness among Korean nursing students. It is recommended that team-building activities should be included regularly as an integral educational approach in nursing education. The findings suggest that suggests that team-building for improving communication and teamwork should be designated as one of the required criteria for nursing college programme accreditation in many countries, including Korea. However team-building requires further testing to verify this across cultures. Nurses need to receive formal team-building training for improving communication and teamwork, and formal education should be included in their job training schedule. It is recommended that communication competence and teamwork be used as one of job performance evaluations in their workplace. © 2015 International Council of Nurses.

Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments.

PubMed

Allen, Joseph G; MacNaughton, Piers; Satish, Usha; Santanam, Suresh; Vallarino, Jose; Spengler, John D

2016-06-01

The indoor built environment plays a critical role in our overall well-being because of both the amount of time we spend indoors (~90%) and the ability of buildings to positively or negatively influence our health. The advent of sustainable design or green building strategies reinvigorated questions regarding the specific factors in buildings that lead to optimized conditions for health and productivity. We simulated indoor environmental quality (IEQ) conditions in "Green" and "Conventional" buildings and evaluated the impacts on an objective measure of human performance: higher-order cognitive function. Twenty-four participants spent 6 full work days (0900-1700 hours) in an environmentally controlled office space, blinded to test conditions. On different days, they were exposed to IEQ conditions representative of Conventional [high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] and Green (low concentrations of VOCs) office buildings in the United States. Additional conditions simulated a Green building with a high outdoor air ventilation rate (labeled Green+) and artificially elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels independent of ventilation. On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on the Conventional building day (p < 0.0001). VOCs and CO2 were independently associated with cognitive scores. Cognitive function scores were significantly better under Green+ building conditions than in the Conventional building conditions for all nine functional domains. These findings have wide-ranging implications because this study was designed to reflect conditions that are commonly encountered every day in many indoor environments. Allen JG, MacNaughton P, Satish U, Santanam S, Vallarino J, Spengler JD. 2016. Associations of cognitive function scores with carbon dioxide, ventilation, and volatile organic compound exposures in office workers: a controlled exposure study of green and conventional office environments. Environ Health Perspect 124:805-812; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510037.

Development of Next Generation Energy Audit Protocols for the Rapid and Advanced Analysis of Building Energy Use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartley, Christopher Ahlvin

Current building energy auditing techniques are outdated and lack targeted, actionable information. These analyses only use one year's worth of monthly electricity and gas bills to define energy conservation and efficiency measures. These limited data sets cannot provide robust, directed energy reduction recommendations. The need is apparent for an overhaul of existing energy audit protocols to utilize all data that is available from the building's utility provider, installed energy management system (EMS), and sub-metering devices. This thesis analyzed the current state-of-the-art in energy audits, generated a next generation energy audit protocol, and conducted both audits types on four case study buildings to find out what additional information can be obtained from additional data sources and increased data gathering resolutions. Energy data from each case study building were collected using a variety of means including utility meters, whole building energy meters, EMS systems, and sub-metering devices. In addition to conducting an energy analysis for each case study building using the current and next generation energy audit protocols, two building energy models were created using the programs eQuest and EnergyPlus. The current and next generation energy audit protocol results were compared to one another upon completion. The results show that using the current audit protocols, only variations in season are apparent. Results from the developed next generation energy audit protocols show that in addition to seasonal variations, building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) schedules, occupancy schedules, baseline and peak energy demand levels, and malfunctioning equipment can be found. This new protocol may also be used to quickly generate accurate building models because of the increased resolution that yields scheduling information. The developed next generation energy auditing protocol is scalable and can work for many building types across the United States, and perhaps the world.

Rise of Buoyant Emissions from Low-Level Sources in the Presence of Upstream and Downstream Obstacles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pournazeri, Sam; Princevac, Marko; Venkatram, Akula

2012-08-01

Field and laboratory studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of surrounding buildings on the plume rise from low-level buoyant sources, such as distributed power generators. The field experiments were conducted in Palm Springs, California, USA in November 2010 and plume rise from a 9.3 m stack was measured. In addition to the field study, a laboratory study was conducted in a water channel to investigate the effects of surrounding buildings on plume rise under relatively high wind-speed conditions. Different building geometries and source conditions were tested. The experiments revealed that plume rise from low-level buoyant sources is highly affected by the complex flows induced by buildings stationed upstream and downstream of the source. The laboratory results were compared with predictions from a newly developed numerical plume-rise model. Using the flow measurements associated with each building configuration, the numerical model accurately predicted plume rise from low-level buoyant sources that are influenced by buildings. This numerical plume rise model can be used as a part of a computational fluid dynamics model.

Impact of building configuration on air quality in street canyon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xiaomin; Huang, Zhen; Wang, Jia-song

The objective of this study is to provide a simulation of emissions from vehicle exhausts in a street canyon within an urban environment. Standard, RNG and Chen-Kim k- ɛ turbulence models are compared with the wind tunnel measured data for optimization of turbulence model. In the first approach, the investigation is made into the effect of the different roof shapes and ambient building structures. The results indicate that the in-canyon vortex dynamics (e.g. vortex orientation) and the characteristics of pollutant dispersion are dependent on the roof shapes and ambient building structures strongly. A second set of calculations for a three-dimensional simulation of the street canyon setup was performed to investigate the influence of building geometry on pollutant dispersion. The validation of the numerical model was evaluated using an extensive experimental database obtained from the atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel at the Meteorological Institute of Hamburg University, Germany (Studie on different roof geometries in a simplified urban environment, 1995). The studies give evidence that roof shapes, the ambient building configurations and building geometries are important factors determining the flow patterns and pollutant dispersion in street canyon.

Energy performance of building fabric - Comparing two types of vernacular residential houses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Draganova, Vanya Y.; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Tsuzuki, Kazuyo

2017-10-01

Notwithstanding apparent differences, Japanese and Bulgarian traditional residential houses share a lot of common features - building materials, building techniques, even layout design. Despite the similarities, these two types of houses have not been compared so far. The study initiates such comparison. The focus is on houses in areas with similar climate in both countries. Current legislation requirements are compared, as well as the criteria for thermal comfort of people. Achieving high energy performance results from a dynamic system of 4 main key factors - thermal comfort range, heating/cooling source, building envelope and climatic conditions. A change in any single one of them can affect the final energy performance. However, it can be expected that a combination of changes in more than one factor usually occurs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the thermal performance of building envelope designed under current regulations and a traditional one, having in mind the different thermal comfort range in the two countries. A sample building model is calculated in Scenario 1 - Japanese traditional building fabric, Scenario 2 - Bulgarian traditional building fabric and Scenario 3 - meeting the requirements of the more demanding current regulations. The energy modelling is conducted using EnergyPlus through OpenStudio cross-platform of software tools. The 3D geometry for the simulation is created using OpenStudio SketchUp Plug-in. Equal number of inhabitants, electricity consumption and natural ventilation is assumed. The results show that overall low energy consumption can be achieved using traditional building fabric as well, when paired with a wider thermal comfort range. Under these conditions traditional building design is still viable today. This knowledge can reestablish the use of traditional building fabric in contemporary design, stimulate preservation of local culture, building traditions and community identity.

Near-Source Modeling Updates: Building Downwash & Near-Road

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation describes recent research efforts in near-source model development focusing on building downwash and near-road barriers. The building downwash section summarizes a recent wind tunnel study, ongoing computational fluid dynamics simulations and efforts to improve ...

Site selection feasibility for a solar energy system on the Fairbanks Federal Building

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A feasibility study was performed for the installation of a solar energy system on the Federal Building in Fairbanks, Alaska, a multifloor office building with an enclosed parking garge. The study consisted of determining the collectable solar energy at the Fairbanks site on a monthly basis and comparing this to the monthly building heating load. Potential conventional fuel savings were calculated on a monthly basis and the overall economics of the solar system applications were considered. Possible solar system design considerations, collector and other system installation details, interface of the solar system with the conventional HVAC systems, and possible control modes were all addressed. Conclusions, recommendations and study details are presented.

Radioactivity of natural and artificial building materials - a comparative study.

PubMed

Szabó, Zs; Völgyesi, P; Nagy, H É; Szabó, Cs; Kis, Z; Csorba, O

2013-04-01

Building materials and their additives contain radioactive isotopes, which can increase both external and internal radioactive exposures of humans. In this study Hungarian natural (adobe) and artificial (brick, concrete, coal slag, coal slag concrete and gas silicate) building materials were examined. We qualified 40 samples based on their radium equivalent, activity concentration, external hazard and internal hazard indices and the determined threshold values of these parameters. Absorbed dose rate and annual effective dose for inhabitants living in buildings made of these building materials were also evaluated. The calculations are based on (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations determined by gamma-ray spectrometry. Measured radionuclide concentrations and hence, calculated indices and doses of artificial building materials show a rather disparate distribution compared to adobes. The studied coal slag samples among the artificial building materials have elevated (226)Ra content. Natural, i.e. adobe and also brick samples contain higher amount of (40)K compared to other artificial building materials. Correlation coefficients among radionuclide concentrations are consistent with the values in the literature and connected to the natural geochemical behavior of U, Th and K elements. Seven samples (coal slag and coal slag concrete) exceed any of the threshold values of the calculated hazard indices, however only three of them are considered to be risky to use according to the fact that the building material was used in bulk amount or in restricted usage. It is shown, that using different indices can lead to different conclusions; hence we recommend considering more of the indices at the same time when building materials are studied. Additionally, adding two times their statistical uncertainties to their values before comparing to thresholds should be considered for providing a more conservative qualification. We have defined radon hazard portion to point to the limitations of the internal hazard considerations based on only measured (226)Ra activity concentrations without direct radon measurements. Our data are compared to those obtained in other countries and they provide a good basis to expand the database of radioactivity of building materials and gives information about the safety and situation of the building material industry in this central region of Europe. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attributes of the Federal Energy Management Program's Federal Site Building Characteristics Database

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loper, Susan A.; Sandusky, William F.

2010-12-31

Typically, the Federal building stock is referred to as a group of about one-half million buildings throughout the United States. Additional information beyond this level is generally limited to distribution of that total by agency and maybe distribution of the total by state. However, additional characterization of the Federal building stock is required as the Federal sector seeks ways to implement efficiency projects to reduce energy and water use intensity as mandated by legislation and Executive Order. Using a Federal facility database that was assembled for use in a geographic information system tool, additional characterization of the Federal building stockmore » is provided including information regarding the geographical distribution of sites, building counts and percentage of total by agency, distribution of sites and building totals by agency, distribution of building count and floor space by Federal building type classification by agency, and rank ordering of sites, buildings, and floor space by state. A case study is provided regarding how the building stock has changed for the Department of Energy from 2000 through 2008.« less

Build Angle: Does It Influence the Accuracy of 3D-Printed Dental Restorations Using Digital Light-Processing Technology?

PubMed

Osman, Reham B; Alharbi, Nawal; Wismeijer, Daniel

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the build orientation/build angle on the dimensional accuracy of full-coverage dental restorations manufactured using digital light-processing technology (DLP-AM). A full dental crown was digitally designed and 3D-printed using DLP-AM. Nine build angles were used: 90, 120, 135, 150, 180, 210, 225, 240, and 270 degrees. The specimens were digitally scanned using a high-resolution optical surface scanner (IScan D104i, Imetric). Dimensional accuracy was evaluated using the digital subtraction technique. The 3D digital files of the scanned printed crowns (test model) were exported in standard tessellation language (STL) format and superimposed on the STL file of the designed crown [reference model] using Geomagic Studio 2014 (3D Systems). The root mean square estimate (RMSE) values were evaluated, and the deviation patterns on the color maps were further assessed. The build angle influenced the dimensional accuracy of 3D-printed restorations. The lowest RMSE was recorded for the 135-degree and 210-degree build angles. However, the overall deviation pattern on the color map was more favorable with the 135-degree build angle in contrast with the 210-degree build angle where the deviation was observed around the critical marginal area. Within the limitations of this study, the recommended build angle using the current DLP system was 135 degrees. Among the selected build angles, it offers the highest dimensional accuracy and the most favorable deviation pattern. It also offers a self-supporting crown geometry throughout the building process.

Buildings of the Future Scoping Study: A Framework for Vision Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Na; Goins, John D.

2015-02-01

The Buildings of the Future Scoping Study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office, seeks to develop a vision for what U.S. mainstream commercial and residential buildings could become in 100 years. This effort is not intended to predict the future or develop a specific building design solution. Rather, it will explore future building attributes and offer possible pathways of future development. Whether we achieve a more sustainable built environment depends not just on technologies themselves, but on how effectively we envision the future and integrate these technologies in a balanced way that generates economic, social,more » and environmental value. A clear, compelling vision of future buildings will attract the right strategies, inspire innovation, and motivate action. This project will create a cross-disciplinary forum of thought leaders to share their views. The collective views will be integrated into a future building vision and published in September 2015. This report presents a research framework for the vision development effort based on a literature survey and gap analysis. This document has four objectives. First, it defines the project scope. Next, it identifies gaps in the existing visions and goals for buildings and discusses the possible reasons why some visions did not work out as hoped. Third, it proposes a framework to address those gaps in the vision development. Finally, it presents a plan for a series of panel discussions and interviews to explore a vision that mitigates problems with past building paradigms while addressing key areas that will affect buildings going forward.« less

Analysis Thermal Comfort Condition in Complex Residential Building, Case Study: Chiangmai, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juangjandee, Warangkana

2017-10-01

Due to the increasing need for complex residential buildings, it appears that people migrate into the high-density urban areas because the infrastructural facilities can be easily found in the modern metropolitan areas. Such rapid growth of urbanization creates congested residential buildings obstructing solar radiation and wind flow, whereas most urban residents spend 80-90% of their time indoor. Furthermore, the buildings were mostly built with average materials and construction detail. This causes high humidity condition for tenants that could promote mould growth. This study aims to analyse thermal comfort condition in complex residential building, Thailand for finding the passive solution to improve indoor air quality and respond to local conditions. The research methodology will be in two folds: 1) surveying on case study 2) analysis for finding the passive solution of reducing humidity indoor air The result of the survey indicated that the building need to find passive solution for solving humidity problem, that can be divided into two ways which raising ventilation and indoor temperature including increasing wind-flow ventilation and adjusting thermal temperature, for example; improving building design and stack driven ventilation. For raising indoor temperature or increasing mean radiant temperature, daylight can be passive solution for complex residential design for reducing humidity and enhance illumination indoor space simultaneous.

Promoting elementary students' epistemology of science through computer-supported knowledge-building discourse and epistemic reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Feng; Chan, Carol K. K.

2018-04-01

This study examined the role of computer-supported knowledge-building discourse and epistemic reflection in promoting elementary-school students' scientific epistemology and science learning. The participants were 39 Grade 5 students who were collectively pursuing ideas and inquiry for knowledge advance using Knowledge Forum (KF) while studying a unit on electricity; they also reflected on the epistemic nature of their discourse. A comparison class of 22 students, taught by the same teacher, studied the same unit using the school's established scientific investigation method. We hypothesised that engaging students in idea-driven and theory-building discourse, as well as scaffolding them to reflect on the epistemic nature of their discourse, would help them understand their own scientific collaborative discourse as a theory-building process, and therefore understand scientific inquiry as an idea-driven and theory-building process. As hypothesised, we found that students engaged in knowledge-building discourse and reflection outperformed comparison students in scientific epistemology and science learning, and that students' understanding of collaborative discourse predicted their post-test scientific epistemology and science learning. To further understand the epistemic change process among knowledge-building students, we analysed their KF discourse to understand whether and how their epistemic practice had changed after epistemic reflection. The implications on ways of promoting epistemic change are discussed.

Assessing high shares of renewable energies in district heating systems - a case study for the city of Herten

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aydemir, Ali; Popovski, Eftim; Bellstädt, Daniel; Fleiter, Tobias; Büchele, Richard

2017-11-01

Many earlier studies have assessed the DH generation mix without taking explicitly into account future changes in the building stock and heat demand. The approach of this study consists of three steps that combine stock modeling, energy demand forecasting, and simulation of different energy technologies. First, a detailed residential building stock model for Herten is constructed by using remote sensing together with a typology for the German building stock. Second, a bottom-up simulation model is used which calculates the thermal energy demand based on energy-related investments in buildings in order to forecast the thermal demand up to 2050. Third, solar thermal fields in combination with large-scale heat pumps are sized as an alternative to the current coal-fired CHPs. We finally assess cost of heat and CO2 reduction for these units for two scenarios which differ with regard to the DH expansion. It can be concluded that up to 2030 and 2050 a substantial reduction in buildings heat demand due to the improved building insulation is expected. The falling heat demand in the DH substantially reduces the economic feasibility of new RES generation capacity. This reduction might be compensated by continuously connecting apartment buildings to the DH network until 2050.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Balancing Hydronic Systems in Multifamily Buildings, Chicago, Illinois

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-09-01

In multifamily building hydronic systems, temperature imbalance may be caused by undersized piping, improperly adjusted balancing valves, inefficient water temperature and flow levels, and owner/occupant interaction with the boilers, distribution and controls. The effects of imbalance include tenant discomfort, higher energy use intensity and inefficient building operation. In this case study , Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit and Elevate Energy. explores cost-effective distribution upgrades and balancing measures in multifamily hydronic systems, providing a resource to contractors, auditors, and building owners on best practices to improve tenant comfort and lower operating costs.

Superintendents' Entry Periods: Strategies and Behaviors That Successful Superintendents Use to Build Strong Relationships and Trust with Their School Boards during Their Entry Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howland, Sean J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to identify strategies/behaviors that successful superintendents used to build strong relationships and trust with their school boards during their entry periods. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What strategies/behaviors are successful superintendents using to build strong relationships and trust with…

Preassembled Building Components. Proceedings of a Program Conducted as Part of the Conferences of the Building Research Institute Division of Engineering and Industrial Research (Fall 1960).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.

Four aspects of preassembled building components are discussed--(1) attitudes on preassembled components, (2) principles of preassembled components construction, (3) structural component case studies, and (4) mechanical component case studies. In section 1, various views on preassembled components are discussed including--(1) the architect's view,…

Abiotic determinants of the historical buildings biodeterioration in the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp.

PubMed

Piotrowska, Małgorzata; Otlewska, Anna; Rajkowska, Katarzyna; Koziróg, Anna; Hachułka, Mariusz; Nowicka-Krawczyk, Paulina; Wolski, Grzegorz J; Gutarowska, Beata; Kunicka-Styczyńska, Alina; Zydzik-Białek, Agnieszka

2014-01-01

The paper presents the results of a study conducted at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim on the occurrence of biodeterioration. Visual assessment of the buildings revealed signs of deterioration of the buildings in the form of dampness, bulging and crumbling plaster, and wood fiber splitting. The external surfaces, and especially the concrete strips and ground immediately adjoining the buildings, were colonized by bryophytes, lichens, and algae. These organisms developed most intensively close to the ground on the northern sides of the buildings. Inside the buildings, molds and bacteria were not found to develop actively, while algae and wood-decaying fungi occurred locally. The factors conducive to biological corrosion in the studied buildings were excessive dampness of structural partitions close to the ground and a relative air humidity of above 70%, which was connected to ineffective moisture insulation. The influence of temperature was smaller, as it mostly affected the quantitative composition of the microorganisms and the qualitative composition of the algae. Also the impact of light was not very strong, but it was conducive to algae growth.

Assessment of energy and economic performance of office building models: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, X. Y.; Ye, C. T.; Li, H. S.; Wang, X. L.; Ma, W. B.

2016-08-01

Energy consumption of building accounts for more than 37.3% of total energy consumption while the proportion of energy-saving buildings is just 5% in China. In this paper, in order to save potential energy, an office building in Southern China was selected as a test example for energy consumption characteristics. The base building model was developed by TRNSYS software and validated against the recorded data from the field work in six days out of August-September in 2013. Sensitivity analysis was conducted for energy performance of building envelope retrofitting; five envelope parameters were analyzed for assessing the thermal responses. Results indicated that the key sensitivity factors were obtained for the heat-transfer coefficient of exterior walls (U-wall), infiltration rate and shading coefficient (SC), of which the sum sensitivity factor was about 89.32%. In addition, the results were evaluated in terms of energy and economic analysis. The analysis of sensitivity validated against some important results of previous studies. On the other hand, the cost-effective method improved the efficiency of investment management in building energy.

Chilled water study EEAP program for Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Book 1. Final Submission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-02-01

The Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP) Study for Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) was to provide a thorough examination of the central chilled water plants on site. WRAMC is comprised of seventy-one (71) buildings located on a 113-acre site in Washington, D.C. There are two (2) central chilled water plants (Buildings 48 and 49) each with a primary chilled water distribution system. In addition to the two (2) central plants, three (3) buildings utilize their own independent chillers. Two (2) of the independent chillers (Buildings 7 and T-2), one of which is inoperative (T-2), are smaller air-cooled units, whilemore » the third (Building 54) has a 1,900-ton chilled water plant comprised of three (3) centrifugal chillers. Of the two (2) central chilled water plants, Building 48 houses six (6) chillers totalling 7,080 tons of cooling and Building 49 houses one (1) chiller with 660 tons of cooling. The total chiller cooling capacity available on site is 9,840 tons.« less

Nation-building policies in Timor-Leste: disaster risk reduction, including climate change adaptation.

PubMed

Mercer, Jessica; Kelman, Ilan; do Rosario, Francisco; de Deus de Jesus Lima, Abilio; da Silva, Augusto; Beloff, Anna-Maija; McClean, Alex

2014-10-01

Few studies have explored the relationships between nation-building, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Focusing on small island developing states, this paper examines nation-building in Timor-Leste, a small island developing state that recently achieved independence. Nation-building in Timor-Leste is explored in the context of disaster risk reduction, which necessarily includes climate change adaptation. The study presents a synopsis of Timor-Leste's history and its nation-building efforts as well as an overview of the state of knowledge of disaster risk reduction including climate change adaptation. It also offers an analysis of significant gaps and challenges in terms of vertical and horizontal governance, large donor presence, data availability and the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for nation-building in Timor-Leste. Relevant and applicable lessons are provided from other small island developing states to assist Timor-Leste in identifying its own trajectory out of underdevelopment while it builds on existing strengths. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

The efficacy of a theory-based, participatory recycling intervention on a college campus.

PubMed

Largo-Wight, Erin; Johnston, Dedee DeLongpre; Wight, Jeff

2013-11-01

Recycling solid waste is an important primary prevention focus to protect environmental resources and human health. Recycling reduces energy consumption and emissions and the need to harvest raw material, which protects air, water, and land. In the study described in this article, the authors conducted an eight week field study to test the efficacy of an intervention aimed to increase can and bottle recycling on a college campus. Recycling volume was assessed in three campus buildings (two treatments and one control) over eight weeks. The control building had standard outdoor-only recycling. The treatment buildings had standard outdoor recycling plus four weeks with the treatment indoor recycling. Total can and bottle recycling volume increased 65%-250% in the treatment buildings compared to the control building. Recycling significantly increased in both the classroom (t = -2.9, p < .05) and administrative (t = -12.4, p < .001) treatment buildings compared to the control building (t = -.13, p = .91). Results suggest that convenience of receptacles alone, without education or additional promotion, resulted in significantly more recycling. Health promoters should prioritize efforts to make recycling easy and convenient.

DISPOSAL OF RESIDUES FROM BUILDING DECONTAMINATION ACTIVITIES

EPA Science Inventory

After a building has gone through decontamination activities from a chemical attack there will be a significant amount of building decontamination residue that will need to undergo disposal. This project consists of a fundamental study to investigate the desorption of simulated c...

The Design of Archives Buildings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faye, Bernard

1982-01-01

Studies specific problems arising from design of archives buildings and examines three main purposes of this type of building, namely conservation, classification and restoration of archives, and the provision of access to them by administrators and research workers. Three references are listed. (Author/EJS)

VOC sink behaviour on building materials--model evaluation

EPA Science Inventory

The event of 11 September 2001 underscored the need to study the vulnerability of buildings to weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including chemical, biological, physical, and radiological agents. Should these agents be released inside a building, they would interact with interio...

The relative impacts of vegetation, topography and spatial arrangement on building loss to wildfires in case studies of California and Colorado

Treesearch

Patricia M. Alexandre; Susan I. Stewart; Miranda H. Mockrin; Nicholas S. Keuler; Alexandra D. Syphard; Avi Bar-Massada; Murray K. Clayton; Volker C. Radeloff

2015-01-01

Wildfires destroy thousands of buildings every year in the wildland urban interface. However, fire typically only destroys a fraction of the buildings within a given fire perimeter, suggesting more could be done to mitigate risk if we understood how to configure residential landscapes so that both people and buildings could survive fire.

Building America Top Innovations 2012: Reduced Call-Backs with High-Performance Production Builders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none,

2013-01-01

This Building America Top Innovations profile describes ways Building America teams have helped builders cut call-backs. Harvard University study found builders who worked with Building America had a 50% drop in call-backs. One builder reported a 50-fold reduction in the incidence of pipe freezing, a 50% reduction in drywall cracking, and a 60% decline in call-backs.

Multiple Sensor Platform Coordination Using Stigmergy

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-01

French biologist P.P. Grass`e in 1959 while studying nest building of termites . He observed that indirect coordination among termites was accomplished...through sensing and modification of their environment. The chemicals secreted by each termite during nest building affected the building actions of...neighboring termites , resulting in a coordinated building strategy. Stigmergy is not limited to termites . Some species of ants use stigmergy for trail

Performance assessment of conventional and base-isolated nuclear power plants for earthquake and blast loadings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yin-Nan

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are required by code and regulations to be designed for a family of extreme events, including very rare earthquake shaking, loss of coolant accidents, and tornado-borne missile impacts. Blast loading due to malevolent attack became a design consideration for NPPs and SNF after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The studies presented in this dissertation assess the performance of sample conventional and base isolated NPP reactor buildings subjected to seismic effects and blast loadings. The response of the sample reactor building to tornado-borne missile impacts and internal events (e.g., loss of coolant accidents) will not change if the building is base isolated and so these hazards were not considered. The sample NPP reactor building studied in this dissertation is composed of containment and internal structures with a total weight of approximately 75,000 tons. Four configurations of the reactor building are studied, including one conventional fixed-base reactor building and three base-isolated reactor buildings using Friction Pendulum(TM), lead rubber and low damping rubber bearings. The seismic assessment of the sample reactor building is performed using a new procedure proposed in this dissertation that builds on the methodology presented in the draft ATC-58 Guidelines and the widely used Zion method, which uses fragility curves defined in terms of ground-motion parameters for NPP seismic probabilistic risk assessment. The new procedure improves the Zion method by using fragility curves that are defined in terms of structural response parameters since damage and failure of NPP components are more closely tied to structural response parameters than to ground motion parameters. Alternate ground motion scaling methods are studied to help establish an optimal procedure for scaling ground motions for the purpose of seismic performance assessment. The proposed performance assessment procedure is used to evaluate the vulnerability of the conventional and base-isolated NPP reactor buildings. The seismic performance assessment confirms the utility of seismic isolation at reducing spectral demands on secondary systems. Procedures to reduce the construction cost of secondary systems in isolated reactor buildings are presented. A blast assessment of the sample reactor building is performed for an assumed threat of 2000 kg of TNT explosive detonated on the surface with a closest distance to the reactor building of 10 m. The air and ground shock waves produced by the design threat are generated and used for performance assessment. The air blast loading to the sample reactor building is computed using a Computational Fluid Dynamics code Air3D and the ground shock time series is generated using an attenuation model for soil/rock response. Response-history analysis of the sample conventional and base isolated reactor buildings to external blast loadings is performed using the hydrocode LS-DYNA. The spectral demands on the secondary systems in the isolated reactor building due to air blast loading are greater than those for the conventional reactor building but much smaller than those spectral demands associated with Safe Shutdown Earthquake shaking. The isolators are extremely effective at filtering out high acceleration, high frequency ground shock loading.

Using the World Health Organization health system building blocks through survey of healthcare professionals to determine the performance of public healthcare facilities.

PubMed

Manyazewal, Tsegahun

2017-01-01

Acknowledging the health system strengthening agenda, the World Health Organization (WHO) has formulated a health systems framework that describes health systems in terms of six building blocks. This study aimed to determine the current status of the six WHO health system building blocks in public healthcare facilities in Ethiopia. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted in five public hospitals in central Ethiopia which were in a post-reform period. A self-administered, structured questionnaire which covered the WHO's six health system building blocks was used to collect data on healthcare professionals who consented. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. The overall performance of the public hospitals was 60% when weighed against the WHO building blocks which, in this procedure, needed a minimum of 80% score. For each building block, performance scores were: information 53%, health workforce 55%, medical products and technologies 58%, leadership and governance 61%, healthcare financing 62%, and service delivery 69%. There existed a significant difference in performance among the hospitals ( p  < .001). The study proved that the WHO's health system building blocks are useful for assessing the process of strengthening health systems in Ethiopia. The six blocks allow identifying different improvement opportunities in each one of the hospitals. There was no contradiction between the indicators of the WHO building blocks and the health sustainable development goal (SDG) objectives. However, such SDG objectives should not be a substitute for strategies to strengthen health systems.

Failure mechanism of shear-wall dominant multi-story buildings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yuksel, S.B.; Kalkan, E.

2008-01-01

The recent trend in the building industry of Turkey as well as in many European countries is towards utilizing the tunnel form (shear-wall dominant) construction system for development of multi-story residential units. The tunnel form buildings diverge from other conventional reinforced concrete (RC) buildings due to the lack of beams and columns in their structural integrity. The vertical load-carrying members of these buildings are the structural-walls only, and the floor system is a flat plate. Besides the constructive advantages, tunnel form buildings provide superior seismic performance compared to conventional RC frame and dual systems as observed during the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey (1999 Mw 7.4 Kocaeli, Mw 7.2 Duzce, and 2004 Mw 6.5 Bingol). With its proven earthquake performance, the tunnel form system is becoming the primary construction technique in many seismically active regions. In this study, a series of nonlinear analyses were conducted using finite element (FE) models to augment our understanding on their failure mechanism under lateral forces. In order to represent the nonlinear behavior adequately, The FE models were verified with the results of experimental studies performed on three dimensional (3D) scaled tunnel form building specimens. The results of this study indicate that the structural walls of tunnel form buildings may exhibit brittle flexural failure under lateral loading, if they are not properly reinforced. The global tension/compression couple triggers this failure mechanism by creating pure axial tension in the outermost shear-walls.

Environmental comfort as criteria for energy management: a case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rhee, E.K.

This study is a field experiment aimed at evaluating environmental comfort by investigating the impact of different environmental conditions on the perceptions, behaviors and performance of building occupants. The development of a prediction model for thermal comfort and the determination of actual energy savings achieved by altering environmental conditions are other major goals of this study. The research approach is a case study applying a pretest-posttest experimental design. An office building in Ann Arbor is selected for the study. It represents a typical office building in terms of design, occupancy, building systems and environmental conditions, suggesting that the study resultsmore » may be applicable to other office settings. It was found that building occupants were satisfied with the pretest environmental conditions which were within the range of current comfort standards, and with the posttest conditions which were lower than current standards. Changes in environmental conditions had little effect on the occupants' perceptions, behavior and performance, although the changes achieved considerable energy savings during the heating season. Among the other major findings, it was demonstrated that psychological factors were more decisive than objective environmental conditions in determining thermal comfort. The study concludes that an energy management program in an office building that is based on 69/sup 0/F indoor temperature, 30% relative humidity, 10-15 cfm/person ventilation rate, 50 fc lighting level, and 105 F domestic hot water can save energy while maintaining environmental comfort among occupants.« less

Development of maintenance composite priority index for buildings in Palestine: A pilot case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Issa, Amjad; Awad, Riyad

2017-11-01

The current building maintenance practices in Palestine are not based on scientific systematic methods. Most of the municipalities use one criterion to define the maintenance priorities, which is the "worst-first" criterion. Therefore, the current practices in defining buildings maintenance plans are not dealing with the known phases that are generally followed, including those in establishing building inventories, building condition survey, detailed visual inspection, identification of the proper maintenance and rehabilitation measures, and setting priorities. Accordingly, the recent preparation of the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual for Palestinian municipalities is an important step to guide them towards preparing and implementing their O&M priority-based plans, considering scare resources. During the course of preparation of the Manual, the proposed procedures were applied at ten pilot municipalities. This study aims to explore the outcome of the implementation of the 2014/2015 O&M buildings maintenance priorities at these municipalities through the development of maintenance composite priority index (PI). The new proposed priority index is a scientific tool that will identify the priority of maintenance buildings through using a systematic procedure instead of first worst one. To achieve this, analyses of the outcome of a questionnaire designed to collect relevant information from these municipalities was conducted. The maintenance priority index for buildings is calculated considering different indicators among them building status (condition), classification and importance of the building, number of beneficiaries (users), safety aspects (severity level in the building), and people complaints. The main component of the PI is the building condition index (BCI) which forms about 40% of the total weight. The physical inspection, which is the main input for calculating the BCI, is conducted on two levels; the primary level, and the secondary level. The buildings are ranked in descending order based on the PI values for each public building. The buildings that have the highest values of PI take the most priority till the specified asset maintenance budget for the targeted year is achieved. Finally, the results indicate that most of the maintenance works are funded by municipalities own budgets and not by the government.

Technology Solutions for New and Existing Homes Case Study: Addressing Multifamily Piping Losses with Solar Hot Water

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D. Springer, M. Seitzler, and C. Backman

2016-12-01

Sun Light & Power, a San Francisco Bay Area solar design-build contractor, teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America partner the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) to study this heat-loss issue. The team added three-way valves to the solar water heating systems for two 40-unit multifamily buildings. In these systems, when the stored solar hot water is warmer than the recirculated hot water returning from the buildings, the valves divert the returning water to the solar storage tank instead of the water heater. This strategy allows solar-generated heat to be applied to recirculation heat loss in additionmore » to heating water that is consumed by fixtures and appliances.« less

U.S. Team Green Building Challenge 2002

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2002-09-01

Flier about the U.S. Team and its projects participating in the International Green Building Challenge. Along with many other countries, the United States accepted the Green Building Challenge (GBC), an international effort to evaluate and improve the performance of buildings worldwide. GBC started out in 1996 as a competition to determine which country had the greenest buildings; it evolved into a cooperative process among the countries to measure the performance of green buildings. Although the auto industry can easily measure efficiency in terms of miles per gallon, the buildings industry has no standard way to quantify energy and environmental performance.more » The Green Building Challenge participants hope that better tools for measuring the energy and environmental performance of buildings will be an outcome of their efforts and that these tools will lead to higher and better performance levels in buildings around the world. The ultimate goal is to design, construct, and operate buildings that contribute to global sustainability by conserving and/or regenerating natural resources and minimizing nonrenewable energy use. The United States' Green Building Challenge Team '02 selected five buildings from around the country to serve as case studies; each of the five U.S. building designs (as well as all international case studies) were assessed using an in-depth evaluation tool, called the Green Building Assessment Tool (GBTool). The GBTool was specifically created and refined by international teams, for the GBC efforts. The goal of this collaborative effort is to improve this evaluation software tool so that it can be used globally, while taking into account regional and national conditions. The GBTool was used by the U.S. Team to assess and evaluate the energy and environmental performance of these five buildings: (1) Retail (in operation): BigHorn Home Improvement Center, Silverthorne, Colorado; (2) Office (in operation), Philip Merrill Environmental; (3) School (in construction), Clearview Elementary School, Hanover, Pennsylvania; (4) Multi-family residential (in construction), Twenty River Terrace, Battery Park City, New York; and (5) Office/lab (in design), National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, Hawaii. These projects were selected, not only because they were good examples of high-performance buildings and had interested owners/design team members, but also because building data was available as inputs to test the software tool. Both the tool and the process have been repeatedly refined and enhanced since the first Green Building Challenge event in 1998; participating countries are continuously providing feedback to further improve the tool and global process for the greatest positive effect.« less

Fungi and bacteria in mould-damaged and non-damaged office environments in a subarctic climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salonen, Heidi; Lappalainen, Sanna; Lindroos, Outi; Harju, Riitta; Reijula, Kari

The fungi and bacterial levels of the indoor air environments of 77 office buildings were measured in winter and a comparison was made between the buildings with microbe sources in their structures and those without such sources. Penicillium, yeasts, Cladosporium and non-sporing isolates were the commonest fungi detected in the indoor air and in settled dust, in both the mould-damaged and control buildings. Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus glaucus and Stachybotrys chartarium were found only in environmental samples from the mould-damaged buildings. Some other fungi, with growth requiring of water activity, aw, above 0.85, occurred in both the reference and mould-damaged buildings, but such fungi were commoner in the latter type of buildings. The airborne concentrations of Penicillium, Aspergillus versicolor and yeasts were the best indicators of mould damage in the buildings studied. Penicillium species and A. versicolor were also the most abundant fungi in the material samples. This study showed that the fungi concentrations were very low (2-45 cfu m -3 90% of the concentrations being <15 cfu m -3) in the indoor air of the normal office buildings. Although the concentration range of airborne fungi was wider for the mould-damaged buildings (2-2470 cfu m -3), only about 20% of the samples exceeded 100 cfu m -3. The concentrations of airborne bacteria ranged from 12 to 540 cfu m -3 in the control buildings and from 14 to 1550 cfu m -3 in the mould-damaged buildings. A statistical analysis of the results indicated that bacteria levels are generally <600 cfu m -3 in office buildings in winter and fungi levels are <50 cfu m -3. These normal levels are applicable to subarctic climates for urban, modern office buildings when measurements are made using a six-stage impactor. These levels should not be used in evaluations of health risks, but elevated levels may indicate the presence of abnormal microbe sources in indoor air and a need for additional environmental investigations.

1. 133842 PACIFIC AVE. ITALIANATE BUILDING ON LEFT IS THE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. 1338-42 PACIFIC AVE. ITALIANATE BUILDING ON LEFT IS THE CITIZENS BANK AND THE IRVING BUILDING (1888-89). A HOMOGENEOUS DESIGN FOR THREE SEPERATE PROPERTY OWNERS, DESIGNED BY CARL AUGUST DARMER. - Union Depot Area Study, Tacoma, Pierce County, WA

INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS. VOLUME 2

EPA Science Inventory

Two separate but closely related studies of exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in buildings where people spend long periods of time were conducted. The report summarizes results obtained in six buildings: a new hospital, office and nursing home and another office, off...

Design and Implementation of Green Construction Scheme for a High-rise Residential Building Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yong; Huang, You Zhen

2018-06-01

This paper mainly studies the green construction scheme of a high-rise residential building project. From "four sections one environmental protection", saving material, water saving, energy saving, economical use of land and environmental protection conduct analysis and research. Adopting scientific, advanced, reasonable and economical construction technology measures, implementing green construction method. Promoting energy-saving technologies in buildings, ensuring the sustainable use of resources, Maximum savings of resources and energy, increase energy efficiency, to reduce pollution, reducing the adverse environmental impact of construction activities, ensure construction safety, build sustainable buildings.

Means of escape provisions and evacuation simulation of public building in Malaysia and Singapore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samad, Muna Hanim Abdul; Taib, Nooriati; Ying, Choo Siew

2017-10-01

The Uniform Building By-law 1984 of Malaysia is the legal document governing fire safety requirements in buildings. Its prescriptive nature has made the requirements out dated from the viewpoint of current performance based approach in most developed countries. The means of escape provisions is a critical requirement to safeguard occupants' safety in fire especially in public buildings. As stipulated in the UBBL 1984, the means of escape provisions includes sufficient escape routes, travel distance, protection of escape routes, etc. designated as means to allow occupants to escape within a safe period of time. This research aims at investigating the effectiveness of those provisions in public buildings during evacuation process involving massive crowd during emergencies. This research includes a scenario-based study on evacuation processes using two software i.e. PyroSim, a crowd modelling software to conduct smoke study and Pathfinder to stimulate evacuation model of building in Malaysia and Singapore as comparative study. The results show that the buildings used as case study were designed according to Malaysian UBBL 1984 and Singapore Firecode, 2013 respectively provide relative safe means of escape. The simulations of fire and smoke and coupled with simulation of evacuation have demonstrated that although there are adequate exits designated according to fire requirements, the impact of the geometry of atriums on the behavior of fire and smoke have significant effect on escape time especially for unfamiliar user of the premises.

Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount ofmore » energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.« less

Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

2015-05-01

Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in the exterior caulk of San Francisco Bay Area buildings, California, USA.

PubMed

Klosterhaus, Susan; McKee, Lester J; Yee, Donald; Kass, Jamie M; Wong, Adam

2014-05-01

Extensive evidence of the adverse impacts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans has now been documented for over 40 years. Despite the ban on production and new use of PCBs in the United States in 1979, a number of fish consumption advisories remain in effect, and there remains considerable uncertainty regarding ongoing environmental sources and management alternatives. Using a blind sampling approach, 25 caulk samples were collected from the exterior of ten buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area and analyzed for PCBs using congener-specific gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chlorine using portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF). PCBs were detected in 88% of the caulk samples collected from the study area buildings, with 40% exceeding 50 ppm. Detectable PCB concentrations ranged from 1 to 220,000 ppm. These data are consistent with previous studies in other cities that have identified relatively high concentrations of PCBs in concrete and masonry buildings built between 1950 and 1980. Portable XRF was not a good predictor of the PCB content in caulk and the results indicate that portable XRF analysis may only be useful for identifying caulk that contains low concentrations of Cl (≤ 10,000 ppm) and by extension low or no PCBs. A geographic information system-based approach was used to estimate that 10,500 kg of PCBs remain in interior and exterior caulk in buildings located in the study area, which equates to an average of 4.7 kg PCBs per building. The presence of high concentrations in the exterior caulk of currently standing buildings suggests that building caulk may be an ongoing source of PCBs to the San Francisco Bay Area environment. Further studies to expand the currently small international dataset on PCBs in caulking materials in buildings of countries that produced or imported PCBs appear justified in the context of both human health and possible ongoing environmental release. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Cold Climate Foundation Wall Hygrothermal Research Facility, Cloquet, Minnesota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-09-01

This case study describes the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Residential Research Facility (CRRF) in northern Minnesota, which features more than 2,500 ft2 of below-grade space for building systems foundation hygrothermal research. Here, the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership team researches ways to improve the energy efficiency of the building envelope, including wall assemblies, basements, roofs, insulation, and air leakage.

Building Quality Report Cards for Geriatric Care in The Netherlands: Using Concept Mapping to Identify the Appropriate "Building Blocks" from the Consumer's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groenewoud, A. Stef; van Exel, N. Job A.; Berg, Marc; Huijsman, Robbert

2008-01-01

Purpose: This article reports on a study to identify "building blocks" for quality report cards for geriatric care. Its aim is to present (a) the results of the study and (b) the innovative step-by-step approach that was developed to arrive at these results. Design and Methods: We used Concept Mapping/Structured Conceptualization to…

Study of building typology of school constructed during the Dutch Colonial Period in Indonesia. Case study of Hoogere Burgerschool (HBS) in Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarwo Wibowo, Arif

2018-03-01

Bandung is one of the most important colonial cities in Indonesia. In the early 20th century the capital city of Dutch East-Indies Government planned to move in Bandung. Critical infrastructures were intensively built during that period, such as streets and railways, houses, governmental buildings, train stations, hospitals and educational facilities. Besides the famous campus of Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng (ITB), still in the same period, several schools were also constructed. One of the most important schools was Hoogere Burgerschool in Bandung (HBS Bandung), now SMUN 3 and 5, Bandung designed by Charles Prosper Wolff Schoemaker and constructed in 1915. HBS Bandung was the fourth HBS constructed by Dutch East Indies Government, therefore became important and put itself as a reference for the later school buildings in Bandung. This study is analyzing how the architects’ frame of mind in producing this design works. Survey and direct data collecting were used to take the exact embodiment of building design. Usage and functional analysis were also used to match space and other standard used in a school building at that time. This study will give an understanding of building typology of school during the Dutch Colonial Period in Indonesia.

STUDIES OF COSMIC-RAY MUONS AND NEUTRONS IN A FIVE-STORY CONCRETE BUILDING.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Lin; Sheu, Rong-Jiun

2018-05-01

This study thoroughly determined the flux and dose rate distributions of cosmic-ray muons and neutrons in a five-story concrete building by comparing measurements with Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic-ray showers. An angular-energy-dependent surface source comprising secondary muons and neutrons at a height of 200 m above ground level was established and verified, which was used to concatenate the shower development in the upper atmosphere with subsequent simulations of radiation transport down to ground level, including the effect of the terrain and studied building. A Berkeley Lab cosmic-ray detector and a highly sensitive Bonner cylinder were used to perform muon and neutron measurements on each building floor. After careful calibration and correction, the measured responses of the two detectors were discovered to be reasonably consistent with the theoretical predictions, thus confirming the validity of the two-step calculation model employed in this study. The annual effective doses from cosmic-ray muons and neutrons on the open roof of the building were estimated to be 115.2 and 35.2 μSv, respectively. Muons and neutrons were attenuated floor-by-floor with different attenuation factors of 0.97 and 0.78, and their resultant dose rates on the first floor of the building were 97.8 and 9.9 μSv, respectively.

Green buildings need good ergonomics.

PubMed

Hedge, A; Dorsey, J A

2013-01-01

A retrospective post-occupancy evaluation survey of 44 occupants in two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum buildings on a US college campus is reported. The Internet survey covered a range of indoor environment and ergonomics issues. Results show that working in these buildings were a generally positive experience for their health, performance and satisfaction. However, in one building there were persistent issues of variability in air temperature, air freshness, air quality and noise that affected the perceived health and performance of the occupants. Although the buildings were energy-efficient and sustainable structures, ergonomics design issues were identified. Implications for the role of ergonomics in green buildings and in the US LEED rating system are discussed. This survey identified a number of ergonomics design issues present in the LEED Platinum energy-efficient and sustainable buildings that were studied. These results highlight the importance of integrating ergonomics design into green buildings as a component in the US LEED rating system.

Improving building performance using smart building concept: Benefit cost ratio comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Miraj, Perdana; Sayuti, Mustika Sari; Berawi, Abdur Rohim Boy

2017-11-01

Smart building concept is an implementation of technology developed in the construction industry throughout the world. However, the implementation of this concept is still below expectations due to various obstacles such as higher initial cost than a conventional concept and existing regulation siding with the lowest cost in the tender process. This research aims to develop intelligent building concept using value engineering approach to obtain added value regarding quality, efficiency, and innovation. The research combined quantitative and qualitative approach using questionnaire survey and value engineering method to achieve the research objectives. The research output will show additional functions regarding technology innovation that may increase the value of a building. This study shows that smart building concept requires higher initial cost, but produces lower operational and maintenance costs. Furthermore, it also confirms that benefit-cost ratio on the smart building was much higher than a conventional building, that is 1.99 to 0.88.

Occupant comfort and health in green and conventional university buildings.

PubMed

Hedge, A; Miller, L; Dorsey, J A

2014-01-01

Green building standards are significantly impacting modern construction practices. The resulting structures are more energy efficient, but their impact on occupant health has not been widely studied. To investigate a range of indoor environment and ergonomic issues in green buildings. Retrospective post-occupancy evaluation survey of 319 occupants in two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings and one conventional building on a Canadian University campus. Results show that working in the LEED buildings was a generally positive experience for their health, performance, and satisfaction. However, the LEED buildings did not always receive the highest ratings for environmental conditions or for health and productivity. Respondents indicated a range of concerns with thermal conditions, office lighting, noise and their overall workstation designs and these were not always better in the green buildings. These results highlight the need for better integration of ergonomic design into green buildings and into the LEED rating system, and these implications are discussed.

Effect of strong-column weak-beam design provision on the seismic fragility of RC frame buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surana, Mitesh; Singh, Yogendra; Lang, Dominik H.

2018-04-01

Incremental dynamic analyses are conducted for a suite of low- and mid-rise reinforced-concrete special moment-resisting frame buildings. Buildings non-conforming and conforming to the strong-column weak-beam (SCWB) design criterion are considered. These buildings are designed for the two most severe seismic zones in India (i.e., zone IV and zone V) following the provisions of Indian Standards. It is observed that buildings non-conforming to the SCWB design criterion lead to an undesirable column failure collapse mechanism. Although yielding of columns cannot be avoided, even for buildings conforming to a SCWB ratio of 1.4, the observed collapse mechanism changes to a beam failure mechanism. This change in collapse mechanism leads to a significant increase in the building's global ductility capacity, and thereby in collapse capacity. The fragility analysis study of the considered buildings suggests that considering the SCWB design criterion leads to a significant reduction in collapse probability, particularly in the case of mid-rise buildings.

Measured moisture in buildings and adverse health effects: A review.

PubMed

Mendell, M J; Macher, J M; Kumagai, K

2018-04-23

It has not yet been possible to quantify dose-related health risks attributable to indoor dampness or mold (D/M), to support setting specific health-related limits for D/M. An overlooked target for assessing D/M is moisture in building materials, the critical factor allowing microbial growth. A search for studies of quantified building moisture and occupant health effects identified 3 eligible studies. Two studies assessed associations between measured wall moisture content and respiratory health in the UK. Both reported dose-related increases in asthma exacerbation with higher measured moisture, with 1 study reporting an adjusted odds ratio of 7.0 for night-time asthma symptoms with higher bedroom moisture. The third study assessed relationships between infrared camera-determined wall moisture and atopic dermatitis in South Korea, reporting an adjusted odds ratio of 14.5 for water-damaged homes and moderate or severe atopic dermatitis. Measuring building moisture has, despite extremely limited available findings, potential promise for detecting unhealthy D/M in homes and merits more research attention. Further research to validate these findings should include measured "water activity," which directly assesses moisture availability for microbial growth. Ultimately, evidence-based, health-related thresholds for building moisture, across specific materials and measurement devices, could better guide assessment and remediation of D/M in buildings. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An empirical analysis of an innovative application for an underutilized resource: small-diameter roundwood in recreational buildings

Treesearch

Randall Cantrell

2004-01-01

Builders were surveyed to explore perceptions regarding small-diameter roundwood (SDR). The study empirically tests a model of builders’ attitudes and opinions about using SDR as a building material in recreational buildings. Findings suggest that, of the 130 builders surveyed, most are likely to use SDR in recreational buildings when it meets the following criteria: 1...

Mean wind speed below building height in residential neighborhoods with different tree densities

Treesearch

G.M. Heisler

1990-01-01

There is little available knowledge of the absolute or relative effects of trees and buildings on wind at or below building height in residential neighborhoods. In this study, mean wind speed was measured at a height of 6.6 ft (2 m) in neighborhoods of single-family houses. BuIlding densities ranged between 6% and 12% of the land ares, and tree-cover densities were...

15. WEST SIDE OF 1900 BLOCK, PACIFIC AVE. FROM RIGHT; ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. WEST SIDE OF 1900 BLOCK, PACIFIC AVE. FROM RIGHT; 1920-22 PACIFIC AVE., WIEGAL COMPANY CANDY FACTORY (1904); 1924-26 PACIFIC AVE., CAMPBELL BUILDING (DAVIS BUILDING) (1890); 1928-30 PACIFIC AVE., REESE-CRANDALL & REDMAN BUILDING, (1890); 1932-36 PACIFIC AVE., MC DONALD & SMITH BUILDING (1890); 1938-48 PACIFIC AVE., F.S. HARMON COMPANY WAREHOUSE (1908), DESIGNED BY CARL AUGUST DARMER. - Union Depot Area Study, Tacoma, Pierce County, WA

Diagramming Transactive Building Business Cases: Using Principles of e3 Value to Document Valuation Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hammerstrom, Donald J.; Makhmalbaf, Atefe; Marinovici, Maria C.

Energy management in buildings is becoming more transactive. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office recently defined innovative use cases wherein market-like mechanisms are used to manage energy within buildings, between buildings, and between buildings and third-party entities, such as power utilities. A next step toward defining a set of transactive use cases in the buildings domain is to carefully diagram the corresponding business cases to capture details of transactions among all stakeholders and their economic value propositions. The principles of e3-value diagramming are applied in this report toward creating business value diagrams. Thesemore » principles are extended to be consistent with Universal Modeling Language use-case diagrams. Example diagrams are presented for a subset of buildings-domain use cases that were introduced in an earlier Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report. The diagrams are intended to clearly represent an understanding of the transactions through which individual entities accumulate value in their respective use cases, and the diagrams should therefore support economic valuation studies. The report reviews some of the foundational principles of e3 value and includes authors’ insights concerning the formulation of these diagrams using Universal Modeling Language as a more systematic modeling approach.« less

Evaluating investment in quality improvement capacity building: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Mery, Gustavo; Dobrow, Mark J; Baker, G Ross; Im, Jennifer; Brown, Adalsteinn

2017-01-01

Purpose Leading health systems have invested in substantial quality improvement (QI) capacity building, but little is known about the aggregate effect of these investments at the health system level. We conducted a systematic review to identify key steps and elements that should be considered for system-level evaluations of investment in QI capacity building. Methods We searched for evaluations of QI capacity building and evaluations of QI training programmes. We included the most relevant indexed databases in the field and a strategic search of the grey literature. The latter included direct electronic scanning of 85 relevant government and institutional websites internationally. Data were extracted regarding evaluation design and common assessment themes and components. Results 48 articles met the inclusion criteria. 46 articles described initiative-level non-economic evaluations of QI capacity building/training, while 2 studies included economic evaluations of QI capacity building/training, also at the initiative level. No system-level QI capacity building/training evaluations were found. We identified 17 evaluation components that fit within 5 overarching dimensions (characteristics of QI training; characteristics of QI activity; individual capacity; organisational capacity and impact) that should be considered in evaluations of QI capacity building. 8 key steps in return-on-investment (ROI) assessments in QI capacity building were identified: (1) planning—stakeholder perspective; (2) planning—temporal perspective; (3) identifying costs; (4) identifying benefits; (5) identifying intangible benefits that will not be included in the ROI estimation; (6) discerning attribution; (7) ROI calculations; (8) sensitivity analysis. Conclusions The literature on QI capacity building evaluation is limited in the number and scope of studies. Our findings, summarised in a Framework to Guide Evaluations of QI Capacity Building, can be used to start closing this knowledge gap. PMID:28219957

324 Building Baseline Radiological Characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R.J. Reeder, J.C. Cooper

This report documents the analysis of radiological data collected as part of the characterization study performed in 1998. The study was performed to create a baseline of the radiological conditions in the 324 Building.

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE PAGES

Sun, K; Hong, T

2017-07-01

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energymore » performance of buildings. This study presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). The study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

Facts and Narrative - the Concept of 4d Capturing of Heritage Building; a Case Study of Sompur Mahavihara, Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, Md. M.; Rahaman, H.

2013-07-01

This study embarked upon a premise that considers architecture of building as a dynamic phenomenon. A building from its conception is susceptible to change due to various reasons. An historical building that is several hundred years old must have undergone through changes due to political, social, religious and most importantly functional reasons. Hence capturing building and its dynamic evolution is necessary to appreciate its architecture as well as its heritage value. Whereas the conventional method of fact based historiography only captures the building in particular moment. It makes architectural historians to become perplexed over to which particular moment to be documented. It is a great challenge for the architectural historians to bring back these dynamic characters of the building that are mostly inconspicuous in nature from this point of time. In this situation the historical discourse also remains elusive and blurred. The idea of 4d capturing comes in front in this scenario. Current research would venture into this emerging idea to record the architecture of the early period. This paper highlights the need for a flexible tool to capture this dynamic character of the building. By citing the case study of the 7th century Buddhist Monastery in Bengal, this paper thus argues for the need of capturing the narrative of a historical building than the facts to get a complete picture of its architecture. This study aims at capturing the narrative of Sompur Mahavihara, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Bangladesh, which is currently in ruinous condition. However, it's few hundred years life suggests that as architecture it was subject to change due to different reasons, mainly political, religious and rituals. Being a monument that belongs to the flourishing phase of a society, traditionally this monastery architecture certainly played a role as a stage for religious and political pageantry as well as different religious performances. As architecture it works as complex process of interaction of different layers of ideas, agendas and authorship through time. This paper would further explore different tools for historians to capturing this process of interaction and preserving/ conserving the narrative of this building using virtual modelling.

Building Scientific Confidence in the Development and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Building Scientific Confidence in the Development and Evaluation of Read-Across Using Tox21 Approaches Slide presentation at GlobalChem conference and workshop in Washington, DC on Case Study on Building Scientific Confidence in the Development and Evaluation of Read-Across Using Tox21 Approaches

FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY: DESIGNING A GREEN SCIENCE BUILDING AT A SMALL MAINE COLLEGE

EPA Science Inventory

The overarching goal of the project ‘as to develop a feasibility study of building design and construction that takes into account the various local conditions, optimizes energy savings. use of building materials, and long term sustainability of the structur...

Building Global Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochrane, Thomas; Buchem, Ilona; Camacho, Mar; Cronin, Catherine; Gordon, Averill; Keegan, Helen

2013-01-01

Within the background where education is increasingly driven by the economies of scale and research funding, we propose an alternative online open and connected framework (OOC) for building global learning communities using mobile social media. We critique a three year action research case study involving building collaborative global learning…

Integrating Green Building Criteria Into Housing Design Processes Case Study: Tropical Apartment At Kebon Melati, Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farid, V. L.; Wonorahardjo, S.

2018-05-01

The implementation of Green Building criteria is relatively new in architectural practice, especially in Indonesia. Consequently, the integration of these criteria into design process has the potential to change the design process itself. The implementation of the green building criteria into the conventional design process will be discussed in this paper. The concept of this project is to design a residential unit with a natural air-conditioning system. To achieve this purpose, the Green Building criteria has been implemented since the beginning of the design process until the detailing process on the end of the project. Several studies was performed throughout the design process, such as: (1) Conceptual review, where several professionally proved theories related to Tropical Architecture and passive design are used for a reference, and (2) Computer simulations, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel simulation, used to represent the dynamic response of the surrounding environment towards the building. Hopefully this paper may become a reference for designing a green residential building.

Demand controlled ventilating systems: Sensor market survey. Energy conservation in buildings and community systems programme, annex 18, December 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raatschen, W.; Sjoegren, M.

The subject of indoor and outdoor air quality has generated a great deal of attention in many countries. Areas of concern include outgassing of building materials as well as occupant-generated pollutants such as carbon dioxide, moisture, and odors. Progress has also been made towards addressing issues relating to the air tightness of the building envelope. Indoor air quality studies indicate that better control of supply flow rates as well as the air distribution pattern within buildings are necessary. One method of maintaining good indoor air quality without extensive energy consumption is to control the ventilation rate according to the needs and demands of the occupants, or to preserve the building envelope. This is accomplished through the use of demand controlled ventilating (DCV) systems. The specific objective of Annex 18 is to develop guidelines for demand controlled ventilating systems based on state of the art analyses, case studies on ventilation effectiveness, and proposed ventilation rates for different users in domestic, office, and school buildings.

Controlling Energy Performance on the Big Stage - The New York Times Company

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Settlemyre, Kevin; Regnier, Cindy

2015-08-01

The Times partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of DOE’s Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) Program to develop a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of three EEMs that were implemented during the construction of The Times building between 2004-2006. With aggressive goals to reduce energy use and carbon emissions at a national level, one strategy of the US Department of Energy is looking to exemplary buildings that have already invested in new approaches to achieving the energy performance goals that are now needed at scale. The Times building incorporated a number of innovative technologies, systems and processes that makemore » their project a model for widespread replication in new and existing buildings. The measured results from the post occupancy evaluation study, the tools and processes developed, and continuous improvements in the performance and cost of the systems studied suggest that these savings are scalable and replicable in a wide range of commercial buildings nationwide.« less

Scaffolding knowledge building in a Web-based communication and cultural competence program for international medical graduates.

PubMed

Lax, Leila R; Russell, M Lynn; Nelles, Laura J; Smith, Cathy M

2009-10-01

Professional behaviors, tacitly understood by Canadian-trained physicians, are difficult to teach and often create practice barriers for IMGs. The purpose of this design research study was to develop a Web-based program simulating Canadian medical literacy and culture, and to evaluate strategies of scaffolding individual knowledge building. Study 1 (N = 20) examined usability and pedagogic design. Studies 2 (N = 39) and 3 (N = 33) examined case participation patterns. Model design was validated in Study 1. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated high levels of participation, on unprompted third tries, on knowledge tests. Recursive patterns were strongest on Reflective Exercises. Five strategies scaffolded knowledge building: (1) video simulations, (2) contextualized resources, (3) concurrent feedback, (4) Reflective Exercises, and (5) commentaries prompting "reflection on reflection." Scaffolded design supports complex knowledge building. These findings are concurrent with educational research on the importance of recursion and revision of knowledge for improvable and relational understanding.

Building-to-Grid Integration through Commercial Building Portfolios Participating in Energy and Frequency Regulation Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlak, Gregory S.

Building energy use is a significant contributing factor to growing worldwide energy demands. In pursuit of a sustainable energy future, commercial building operations must be intelligently integrated with the electric system to increase efficiency and enable renewable generation. Toward this end, a model-based methodology was developed to estimate the capability of commercial buildings to participate in frequency regulation ancillary service markets. This methodology was integrated into a supervisory model predictive controller to optimize building operation in consideration of energy prices, demand charges, and ancillary service revenue. The supervisory control problem was extended to building portfolios to evaluate opportunities for synergistic effect among multiple, centrally-optimized buildings. Simulation studies performed showed that the multi-market optimization was able to determine appropriate opportunities for buildings to provide frequency regulation. Total savings were increased by up to thirteen percentage points, depending on the simulation case. Furthermore, optimizing buildings as a portfolio achieved up to seven additional percentage points of savings, depending on the case. Enhanced energy and cost savings opportunities were observed by taking the novel perspective of optimizing building portfolios in multiple grid markets, motivating future pursuits of advanced control paradigms that enable a more intelligent electric grid.

Reserch on Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Color Steel Building Based on Multi-Source High-Resolution Satellite Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S. W.; Ma, J. J.; Wang, J. M.

2018-04-01

As representative vulnerable regions of the city, dense distribution areas of temporary color steel building are a major target for control of fire risks, illegal buildings, environmental supervision, urbanization quality and enhancement for city's image. In the domestic and foreign literature, the related research mainly focuses on fire risks and violation monitoring. However, due to temporary color steel building's special characteristics, the corresponding research about temporal and spatial distribution, and influence on urban spatial form etc. has not been reported. Therefore, firstly, the paper research aim plans to extract information of large-scale color steel building from high-resolution images. Secondly, the color steel plate buildings were classified, and the spatial and temporal distribution and aggregation characteristics of small (temporary buildings) and large (factory building, warehouse, etc.) buildings were studied respectively. Thirdly, the coupling relationship between the spatial distribution of color steel plate and the spatial pattern of urban space was analysed. The results show that there is a good coupling relationship between the color steel plate building and the urban spatial form. Different types of color steel plate building represent the pattern of regional differentiation of urban space and the phased pattern of urban development.

Tsunami Simulators in Physical Modelling - Concept to Practical Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, Ian; Allsop, William; Robinson, David; Rossetto, Tiziana; McGovern, David; Todd, David

2017-04-01

Whilst many researchers have conducted simple 'tsunami impact' studies, few engineering tools are available to assess the onshore impacts of tsunami, with no agreed methods available to predict loadings on coastal defences, buildings or related infrastructure. Most previous impact studies have relied upon unrealistic waveforms (solitary or dam-break waves and bores) rather than full-duration tsunami waves, or have used simplified models of nearshore and over-land flows. Over the last 10+ years, pneumatic Tsunami Simulators for the hydraulic laboratory have been developed into an exciting and versatile technology, allowing the forces of real-world tsunami to be reproduced and measured in a laboratory environment for the first time. These devices have been used to model generic elevated and N-wave tsunamis up to and over simple shorelines, and at example coastal defences and infrastructure. They have also reproduced full-duration tsunamis including Mercator 2004 and Tohoku 2011, both at 1:50 scale. Engineering scale models of these tsunamis have measured wave run-up on simple slopes, forces on idealised sea defences, pressures / forces on buildings, and scour at idealised buildings. This presentation will describe how these Tsunami Simulators work, demonstrate how they have generated tsunami waves longer than the facilities within which they operate, and will present research results from three generations of Tsunami Simulators. Highlights of direct importance to natural hazard modellers and coastal engineers include measurements of wave run-up levels, forces on single and multiple buildings and comparison with previous theoretical predictions. Multiple buildings have two malign effects. The density of buildings to flow area (blockage ratio) increases water depths and flow velocities in the 'streets'. But the increased building densities themselves also increase the cost of flow per unit area (both personal and monetary). The most recent study with the Tsunami Simulators therefore focussed on the influence of multiple buildings (up to 4 rows) which showed (for instance) that the greatest forces can act on the landward (not seaward) rows of buildings. Studies in the 70m long, 4m wide main channel of the Fast Flow Facility on tsunami defence structures have also measured forces on buildings in the lee of a failed defence wall and tsunami induced scour. Supporting presentations at this conference: McGovern et al on tsunami induced scour at coastal structures and Foster et al on building loads.

Determining urban land uses through building-associated element attributes derived from lidar and aerial photographs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xuelian

Urban land-use research is a key component in analyzing the interactions between human activities and environmental change. Researchers have conducted many experiments to classify urban or built-up land, forest, water, agriculture, and other land-use and land-cover types. Separating residential land uses from other land uses within urban areas, however, has proven to be surprisingly troublesome. Although high-resolution images have recently become more available for land-use classification, an increase in spatial resolution does not guarantee improved classification accuracy by traditional classifiers due to the increase of class complexity. This research presents an approach to detect and separate residential land uses on a building scale directly from remotely sensed imagery to enhance urban land-use analysis. Specifically, the proposed methodology applies a multi-directional ground filter to generate a bare ground surface from lidar data, then utilizes a morphology-based building detection algorithm to identify buildings from lidar and aerial photographs, and finally separates residential buildings using a supervised C4.5 decision tree analysis based on the seven selected building land-use indicators. Successful execution of this study produces three independent methods, each corresponding to the steps of the methodology: lidar ground filtering, building detection, and building-based object-oriented land-use classification. Furthermore, this research provides a prototype as one of the few early explorations of building-based land-use analysis and successful separation of more than 85% of residential buildings based on an experiment on an 8.25-km2 study site located in Austin, Texas.

Scout: An Impact Analysis Tool for Building Energy-Efficiency Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, Chioke; Langevin, Jared; Roth, Amir

Evaluating the national impacts of candidate U.S. building energy-efficiency technologies has historically been difficult for organizations with large energy efficiency portfolios. In particular, normalizing results from technology-specific impact studies is time-consuming when those studies do not use comparable assumptions about the underlying building stock. To equitably evaluate its technology research, development, and deployment portfolio, the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office has developed Scout, a software tool that quantitatively assesses the energy and CO2 impacts of building energy-efficiency measures on the national building stock. Scout efficiency measures improve upon the unit performance and/or lifetime operational costs of an equipmentmore » stock baseline that is determined from the U.S. Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). Scout measures are characterized by a market entry and exit year, unit performance level, cost, and lifetime. To evaluate measures on a consistent basis, Scout uses EnergyPlus simulation on prototype building models to translate measure performance specifications to whole-building energy savings; these savings impacts are then extended to a national scale using floor area weighting factors. Scout represents evolution in the building stock over time using AEO projections for new construction, retrofit, and equipment replacements, and competes technologies within market segments under multiple adoption scenarios. Scout and its efficiency measures are open-source, as is the EnergyPlus whole building simulation framework that is used to evaluate measure performance. The program is currently under active development and will be formally released once an initial set of measures has been analyzed and reviewed.« less

Joint application of Geoelectrical Resistivity and Ground Penetrating Radar techniques for the study of hyper-saturated zones. Case study in Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesbah, Hany S.; Morsy, Essam A.; Soliman, Mamdouh M.; Kabeel, Khamis

2017-06-01

This paper presents the results of the application of the Geoelectrical Resistivity Sounding (GRS) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for outlining and investigating of surface springing out (flow) of groundwater to the base of an service building site, and determining the reason(s) for the zone of maximum degree of saturation; in addition to provide stratigraphic information for this site. The studied economic building is constructed lower than the ground surface by about 7 m. A Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) survey was performed at 12 points around the studied building in order to investigate the vertical and lateral extent of the subsurface sequence, three VES's were conducted at each side of the building at discrete distances. And a total of 9 GPR profiles with 100- and 200-MHz antennae were conducted, with the objective of evaluating the depth and the degree of saturation of the subsurface layers. The qualitative and quantitative interpretation of the acquired VES's showed easily the levels of saturations close to and around the studied building. From the interpretation of GPR profiles, it was possible to locate and determine the saturated layers. The radar signals are penetrated and enabled the identification of the subsurface reflectors. The results of GPR and VES showed a good agreement and the integrated interpretations were supported by local geology. Finally, the new constructed geoelectrical resistivity cross-sections (in contoured-form), are easily clarifying the direction of groundwater flow toward the studied building.

Analysis of an Irregular RC Multi-storeyed Building Subjected to Dynamic Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AkashRaut; Pachpor, Prabodh; Dautkhani, Sanket

2018-03-01

Many buildings in the present scenario have irregular configurations both in plan and elevation. This in future may subject to devastating earthquakes. So it is necessary to analyze the structure. The present paper is made to study three type of irregularity wiz vertical, mass and plan irregularity as per clause 7.1 of IS 1893 (part1)2002 code. The paper discusses the analysis of RC (Reinforced Concrete) Buildings with vertical irregularity. The study as a whole makes an effort to evaluate the effect of vertical irregularity on RC buildings for which comparison of three parameters namely shear force, bending moment and deflection are taken into account.

Conducting experimental investigations of wind influence on high-rise constructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poddaeva, Olga I.; Fedosova, Anastasia N.; Churin, Pavel S.; Gribach, Julia S.

2018-03-01

The design of buildings with a height of more than 100 meters is accompanied by strict control in determining the external loads and the subsequent calculation of building structures, which is due to the uniqueness of these facilities. An important factor, the impact of which must be carefully studied at the stage of development of project documentation, is the wind. This work is devoted to the problem of studying the wind impact on buildings above 100 meters. In the article the technique of carrying out of experimental researches of wind influence on high-rise buildings and constructions, developed in the Educational-research-and-production laboratory on aerodynamic and aeroacoustic tests of building designs of NRU MGSU is presented. The publication contains a description of the main stages of the implementation of wind tunnel tests. The article presents the approbation of the methodology, based on the presented algorithm, on the example of a high-rise building under construction. This paper reflects the key requirements that are established at different stages of performing wind impact studies, as well as the results obtained, including the average values of the aerodynamic pressure coefficients, total forces and aerodynamic drag coefficients. Based on the results of the work, conclusions are presented.

The analysis of the hot water consumption and energy performance before and after renovation in multi-apartment buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumanova, K.; Borodinecs, A.; Geikins, A.

2017-10-01

The article presents the results of hot water supply system analysis. Taking into account that the current consumption of hot water differs from normative values, real measured data of hot water consumption in multi-apartment buildings from year 2013 until year 2015 have been analyzed. Also, the thermal energy consumption for hot water preparation has been analyzed. Based on aggregated data and taking into account the fact that renovated systems of hot water supply in existing multi-apartment buildings have same pipelines’ diameters, it was analyzed how these systems are economically and energy efficient. For the study, residential buildings in Riga, which have different architectural and engineering solutions for hot water supply systems, were selected. The study was based on thermal energy consumption measurements, which were taken at the individual heating system’s manifolds. This study was done in order to develop database on hot water consumption in civil buildings and define difference in key performance criteria in unclassified buildings. Obtained results allows to reach European Regional Development Fund project “NEARLY ZERO ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR UNCLASSIFIED BUILDINGS” Nr. 1.1.1.116A048 main targets.

How effective is group feedback in encouraging occupants of an office building to reduce energy consumption?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Ushik D.

Lighting contributes to a high percentage of the total energy use in office buildings. The lack of financial incentive often dissuades office workers from trying to save electricity at their work place. This thesis aims at reducing the total power consumed by an office building by using persuasive technologies on the occupants to promote environmentally conscious and energy saving behavior. A three week field study was conducted by providing occupants of an office building feedback about their energy consumption along with messages to encourage them to save energy. Feedback was provided via television screens and flyers placed strategically at the study location, the fourth floor of the Knoy Hall of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette campus. The results obtained from the analysis of data showed no change in energy consumption post intervention. Group feedback thus proved to be ineffective in encouraging occupants of this office building to reduce their energy consumption. This thesis presents the findings of the study and discusses recommendations and future scope for similar studies.

A Fresh Look at Weather Impact on Peak Electricity Demand and Energy Use of Buildings Using 30-Year Actual Weather Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Tianzhen; Chang, Wen-Kuei; Lin, Hung-Wen

Buildings consume more than one third of the world?s total primary energy. Weather plays a unique and significant role as it directly affects the thermal loads and thus energy performance of buildings. The traditional simulated energy performance using Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) weather data represents the building performance for a typical year, but not necessarily the average or typical long-term performance as buildings with different energy systems and designs respond differently to weather changes. Furthermore, the single-year TMY simulations do not provide a range of results that capture yearly variations due to changing weather, which is important for building energymore » management, and for performing risk assessments of energy efficiency investments. This paper employs large-scale building simulation (a total of 3162 runs) to study the weather impact on peak electricity demand and energy use with the 30-year (1980 to 2009) Actual Meteorological Year (AMY) weather data for three types of office buildings at two design efficiency levels, across all 17 ASHRAE climate zones. The simulated results using the AMY data are compared to those from the TMY3 data to determine and analyze the differences. Besides further demonstration, as done by other studies, that actual weather has a significant impact on both the peak electricity demand and energy use of buildings, the main findings from the current study include: 1) annual weather variation has a greater impact on the peak electricity demand than it does on energy use in buildings; 2) the simulated energy use using the TMY3 weather data is not necessarily representative of the average energy use over a long period, and the TMY3 results can be significantly higher or lower than those from the AMY data; 3) the weather impact is greater for buildings in colder climates than warmer climates; 4) the weather impact on the medium-sized office building was the greatest, followed by the large office and then the small office; and 5) simulated energy savings and peak demand reduction by energy conservation measures using the TMY3 weather data can be significantly underestimated or overestimated. It is crucial to run multi-decade simulations with AMY weather data to fully assess the impact of weather on the long-term performance of buildings, and to evaluate the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures for new and existing buildings from a life cycle perspective.« less

Constructive systems, load-bearing and enclosing structures of high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anatol'evna Korol', Elena; Olegovna Kustikova, Yuliya

2018-03-01

As the height of the building increases, loads on load-carrying structures increase dramatically, and as a result of the development of high-rise construction, several structural systems of such buildings have been developed: frame, frame-frame, cross-wall, barrel, box-type, box-to-wall ("pipe in pipe", "Trumpet in the farm"), etc. In turn, the barrel systems have their own versions: cantilever support of the ceilings on the trunk, suspension of the outer part of the overlap to the upper carrying console "hanging house" or its support by means of the walls on the lower bearing cantilever, intermediate position of the supporting cantilevers in height to the floor, from a part of floors. The object of the study are the structural solutions of high-rise buildings. The subject of the study is the layout of structural schemes of high-rise buildings, taking into account the main parameters - altitude (height), natural climatic conditions of construction, materials of structural elements and their physical and mechanical characteristics. The purpose of the study is to identify the features and systematization of structural systems of high-rise buildings and the corresponding structural elements. The results of the research make it possible, at the stage of making design decisions, to establish rational parameters for the correspondence between the structural systems of high-rise buildings and their individual elements.

Development of Residential Prototype Building Models and Analysis System for Large-Scale Energy Efficiency Studies Using EnergyPlus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mendon, Vrushali V.; Taylor, Zachary T.

ABSTRACT: Recent advances in residential building energy efficiency and codes have resulted in increased interest in detailed residential building energy models using the latest energy simulation software. One of the challenges of developing residential building models to characterize new residential building stock is to allow for flexibility to address variability in house features like geometry, configuration, HVAC systems etc. Researchers solved this problem in a novel way by creating a simulation structure capable of creating fully-functional EnergyPlus batch runs using a completely scalable residential EnergyPlus template system. This system was used to create a set of thirty-two residential prototype buildingmore » models covering single- and multifamily buildings, four common foundation types and four common heating system types found in the United States (US). A weighting scheme with detailed state-wise and national weighting factors was designed to supplement the residential prototype models. The complete set is designed to represent a majority of new residential construction stock. The entire structure consists of a system of utility programs developed around the core EnergyPlus simulation engine to automate the creation and management of large-scale simulation studies with minimal human effort. The simulation structure and the residential prototype building models have been used for numerous large-scale studies, one of which is briefly discussed in this paper.« less

Maintenance and Safety Practices of Escalator in Commercial Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afida Isnaini Janipha, Nurul; Nur Aina Syed Alwee, Sharifah; Ariff, Raihan Mohd; Ismail, Faridah

2018-02-01

The escalator is very crucial to transport a person from one place to another. Nevertheless, there are many cases recorded the accidents in relation to escalator. These may occur due to lack of maintenance which leads to systems breakdown, poor safety practices, wear and tear, users’ negligence and others. Thus, proper maintenance systems need to be improvised to prevent and reduce escalator accident in future. This research was aimed to determine the escalator maintenance activities and safety practices in a commercial building. Three case studies were selected within Selangor area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for collecting data from these three case studies. To achieve the aim of this research, the study was carried out on the maintenance activities, safety practices and cost related to escalator maintenance. As one of the important means of access in building, it is very crucial to increase effectiveness of escalator particularly in commercial building. It is expected that readers will get clear information on the maintenance activities and safety practices of escalator in commercial building.

The effect of building facade reflectivity on urban dwellers in tropics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak, N. M.; Hien, W. N.; Jenatabadi, H. S.; Ignatius, M.; Yaman, R.

2018-02-01

With the rapid growth and use of modern architecture practices for high-rise buildings, highly reflective materials have been adopted extensively for aesthetical reasons. However, outdoor glare from highly reflective facades might cause thermal and visual problems towards the occupants of neighbouring buildings and outdoor dwellers, particularly pedestrians. In tropical countries, this negative impact can be greater due to the higher solar radiation received throughout the year. At the present, there are few building guidelines limiting outdoor glare, or daylight reflectance from a building facade. This study aims to introduce a framework for outdoor glare studies that focus on perceived glare from highly reflective facades by pedestrians in Singapore. The introduced framework includes age, glare time, glare duration, avoidance and sensitiveness. For this study, the survey is carried out with the application of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This paper is helpful for planners, designers, and engineers to estimate the sensitivity of pedestrians’ discomfort glare and towards the creation of sustainable architecture in Singapore.

Unofficial Road Building in the Amazon: Socioeconomic and Biophysical Explanations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perz, Stephen G.; Caldas, Marcellus M.; Arima, Eugenio; Walker, Robert J.

2007-01-01

Roads have manifold social and environmental impacts, including regional development, social conflicts and habitat fragmentation. 'Road ecology' has emerged as an approach to evaluate the various ecological and hydrological impacts of roads. This article aims to complement road ecology by examining the socio-spatial processes of road building itself. Focusing on the Brazilian Amazon, a heavily-studied context due to forest fragmentation by roads, the authors consider non-state social actors who build 'unofficial roads' for the purpose of gaining access to natural resources to support livelihoods and community development. They examine four case studies of roads with distinct histories in order to explain the socio-spatial processes behind road building in terms of profit maximization, land tenure claims, co-operative and conflictive political ecologies, and constraints as well as opportunities afforded by the biophysical environment. The study cases illustrate the need for a multi-pronged theoretical approach to understanding road building, and call for more attention to the role of non-state actors in unofficial road construction.

Influence of ventilation and filtration on indoor particle concentrations in urban office buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quang, Tran Ngoc; He, Congrong; Morawska, Lidia; Knibbs, Luke D.

2013-11-01

This study aimed to quantify the efficiency of deep bag and electrostatic filters, and assess the influence of ventilation systems using these filters on indoor fine (<2.5 μm) and ultrafine particle concentrations in commercial office buildings. Measurements and modelling were conducted for different indoor and outdoor particle source scenarios at three office buildings in Brisbane, Australia. Overall, the in-situ efficiency, measured for particles in size ranges 6-3000 nm, of the deep bag filters ranged from 26.3 to 46.9% for the three buildings, while the in-situ efficiency of the electrostatic filter in one building was 60.2%. The highest PN and PM2.5 concentrations in one of the office buildings (up to 131% and 31% higher than the other two buildings, respectively) were due to the proximity of the building's HVAC air intakes to a nearby bus-only roadway, as well as its higher outdoor ventilation rate. The lowest PN and PM2.5 concentrations (up to 57% and 24% lower than the other two buildings, respectively) were measured in a building that utilised both outdoor and mixing air filters in its HVAC system. Indoor PN concentrations were strongly influenced by outdoor levels and were significantly higher during rush-hours (up to 41%) and nucleation events (up to 57%), compared to working-hours, for all three buildings. This is the first time that the influence of new particle formation on indoor particle concentrations has been identified and quantified. A dynamic model for indoor PN concentration, which performed adequately in this study also revealed that using mixing/outdoor air filters can significantly reduce indoor particle concentration in buildings where indoor air was strongly influenced by outdoor particle levels. This work provides a scientific basis for the selection and location of appropriate filters and outdoor air intakes, during the design of new, or upgrade of existing, building HVAC systems. The results also serve to provide a better understanding of indoor particle dynamics and behaviours under different ventilation and particle source scenarios, and highlight effective methods to reduce exposure to particles in commercial office buildings.

Review of Methods for Buildings Energy Performance Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krstić, Hrvoje; Teni, Mihaela

2017-10-01

Research presented in this paper gives a brief review of methods used for buildings energy performance modelling. This paper gives also a comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of available methods as well as the input parameters used for modelling buildings energy performance. European Directive EPBD obliges the implementation of energy certification procedure which gives an insight on buildings energy performance via exiting energy certificate databases. Some of the methods for buildings energy performance modelling mentioned in this paper are developed by employing data sets of buildings which have already undergone an energy certification procedure. Such database is used in this paper where the majority of buildings in the database have already gone under some form of partial retrofitting - replacement of windows or installation of thermal insulation but still have poor energy performance. The case study presented in this paper utilizes energy certificates database obtained from residential units in Croatia (over 400 buildings) in order to determine the dependence between buildings energy performance and variables from database by using statistical dependencies tests. Building energy performance in database is presented with building energy efficiency rate (from A+ to G) which is based on specific annual energy needs for heating for referential climatic data [kWh/(m2a)]. Independent variables in database are surfaces and volume of the conditioned part of the building, building shape factor, energy used for heating, CO2 emission, building age and year of reconstruction. Research results presented in this paper give an insight in possibilities of methods used for buildings energy performance modelling. Further on it gives an analysis of dependencies between buildings energy performance as a dependent variable and independent variables from the database. Presented results could be used for development of new building energy performance predictive model.

Online Professional and Academic Learning Communities: Faculty Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazer, Hilda R.; Breslin, Mary; Wanstreet, Constance E.

2013-01-01

This study examines faculty perceptions of creating learning communities at a virtual university. Through online focus groups with 18 participants, 3 themes emerged: institutional-level community building as creating a learning culture; instructor-level community building as creating respectful interaction; and learner-level community building as…

GROWTH RESPONSE OF STACHYBOTRYS CHARTARUM TO MOISTURE VARIATION ON COMMON BUILDING MATERIALS

EPA Science Inventory

The mold Stachybotrys chartarum has been found to be associated with idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants and has been studied for toxin production and its occurrence in water damaged buildings. Growth of S. chartarum on building materials such as drywall has been frequentl...

Building Budgets and Trust through Superintendent Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, James J.; Wang, Chuang; Murray, Louise M.

2009-01-01

In this study, we surveyed school district superintendents in a southeastern state about their budget-building strategies. The majority of responding superintendents had worked with their most senior principals and business managers for less than three years. Patterns of variance along the openness of budget-building processes, information…

From a philanthropic idea to building of civic hospital in Split in light of new archival evidence.

PubMed

Brisky, Livia; Fatović-Ferencić, Stella

2006-02-01

We investigated the circumstances of building of the Civic Hospital in Split in the light of new archival evidence. The study necessitated a thorough review of the older historiography and previously unpublished archival sources kept in the State Archives in Venice and Zadar. The findings showed that construction of the hospital building finished in 1797, ie, five years later than officially cited. The topographical plan and the original project of the Split Civic Hospital were found, as well as the name of the project's author and the building supervisor. The data on the earliest efforts of Ergovac brothers to acquire land and building permission were corrected. The study revealed a recognizable pattern in the attitude of the authorities toward the establishment of a hospital at the end of 18th century.

Racking tests of non-structural building partitions (The behavior of architectural (nonstructural) building components during earthquakes)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rihal, S. S.

1980-12-01

The effects of inter-story displacement (drift) during simllated earthquake conditions are reported. The correlation between inter-story relative displacement and building partition behavior, the threshold levels of partition damage, and the fundamental characteristics of non-structural building partitions (stiffness, energy absorption capacity, and strength) under horizontal racking actions were investigated. Parameters in this study consist of geometry of partition configuration and placement of gypsum wallboard panels.

Indicators of sustainable capacity building for health research: analysis of four African case studies.

PubMed

Bates, Imelda; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Squire, S Bertel; Ansong, Daniel; Nhlema-Simwaka, Bertha; Baba, Amuda; Theobald, Sally

2011-03-28

Despite substantial investment in health capacity building in developing countries, evaluations of capacity building effectiveness are scarce. By analysing projects in Africa that had successfully built sustainable capacity, we aimed to identify evidence that could indicate that capacity building was likely to be sustainable. Four projects were selected as case studies using pre-determined criteria, including the achievement of sustainable capacity. By mapping the capacity building activities in each case study onto a framework previously used for evaluating health research capacity in Ghana, we were able to identify activities that were common to all projects. We used these activities to derive indicators which could be used in other projects to monitor progress towards building sustainable research capacity. Indicators of sustainable capacity building increased in complexity as projects matured and included- early engagement of stakeholders; explicit plans for scale up; strategies for influencing policies; quality assessments (awareness and experiential stages)- improved resources; institutionalisation of activities; innovation (expansion stage)- funding for core activities secured; management and decision-making led by southern partners (consolidation stage).Projects became sustainable after a median of 66 months. The main challenges to achieving sustainability were high turnover of staff and stakeholders, and difficulties in embedding new activities into existing systems, securing funding and influencing policy development. Our indicators of sustainable capacity building need to be tested prospectively in a variety of projects to assess their usefulness. For each project the evidence required to show that indicators have been achieved should evolve with the project and they should be determined prospectively in collaboration with stakeholders.

Asthma, allergy and eczema among adults in multifamily houses in Stockholm (3-HE study)--associations with building characteristics, home environment and energy use for heating.

PubMed

Norbäck, Dan; Lampa, Erik; Engvall, Karin

2014-01-01

Risk factors for asthma, allergy and eczema were studied in a stratified random sample of adults in Stockholm. In 2005, 472 multifamily buildings (10,506 dwellings) were invited (one subject/dwelling) and 7,554 participated (73%). Associations were analyzed by multiple logistic regression, adjusting for gender, age, smoking, country of birth, income and years in the dwelling. In total, 11% had doctor's diagnosed asthma, 22% doctor's diagnosed allergy, 23% pollen allergy and 23% eczema. Doctor's diagnosed asthma was more common in dwellings with humid air (OR = 1.74) and mould odour (OR = 1.79). Doctor's diagnosed allergy was more common in buildings with supply exhaust air ventilation as compared to exhaust air only (OR = 1.45) and was associated with redecoration (OR = 1.48) and mould odour (OR = 2.35). Pollen allergy was less common in buildings using more energy for heating (OR = 0.75) and was associated with humid air (OR = 1.76) and mould odour (OR = 2.36). Eczema was more common in larger buildings (OR 1.07) and less common in buildings using more energy for heating (OR = 0.85) and was associated with water damage (OR = 1.47), humid air (OR = 1.73) and mould odour (OR = 2.01). Doctor's diagnosed allergy was less common in buildings with management accessibility both in the neighbourhood and in larger administrative divisions, as compared to management in the neighbourhood only (OR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.29-0.82). Pollen allergy was less common if the building maintenance was outsourced (OR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.51-0.88). Eczema was more common when management accessibility was only at the division level (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.06-2.11). In conclusions, asthma, allergy or eczema were more common in buildings using less energy for heating, in larger buildings and in dwellings with redecorations, mould odour, dampness and humid air. There is a need to reduce indoor chemical emissions and to control dampness. Energy saving may have consequences for allergy and eczema. More epidemiological studies are needed on building management organization.

Urban area thermal monitoring: Liepaja case study using satellite and aerial thermal data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulbe, Linda; Caune, Vairis; Korats, Gundars

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to explore large (60 m/pixel) and small scale (individual building level) temperature distribution patterns from thermal remote sensing data and to conclude what kind of information could be extracted from thermal remote sensing on regular basis. Landsat program provides frequent large scale thermal images useful for analysis of city temperature patterns. During the study correlation between temperature patterns and vegetation content based on NDVI and building coverage based on OpenStreetMap data was studied. Landsat based temperature patterns were independent from the season, negatively correlated with vegetation content and positively correlated with building coverage. Small scale analysis included spatial and raster descriptor analysis for polygons corresponding to roofs of individual buildings for evaluating insulation of roofs. Remote sensing and spatial descriptors are poorly related to heat consumption data, however, thermal aerial data median and entropy can help to identify poorly insulated roofs. Automated quantitative roof analysis has high potential for acquiring city wide information about roof insulation, but quality is limited by reference data quality and information on building types, and roof materials would be crucial for further studies.

Acoustical case studies of three green buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siebein, Gary; Lilkendey, Robert; Skorski, Stephen

2005-04-01

Case studies of 3 green buildings with LEED certifications that required extensive acoustical retrofit work to become satisfactory work environments for their intended user groups will be used to define areas where green building design concepts and acoustical design concepts require reconciliation. Case study 1 is an office and conference center for a city environmental education agency. Large open spaces intended to collect daylight through clerestory windows provided large, reverberant volumes with few acoustic finishes that rendered them unsuitable as open office space and a conference room/auditorium. Case Study 2 describes one of the first gold LEED buildings in the southeast whose primary design concepts were so narrowly focused on thermal and lighting issues that they often worked directly against basic acoustical requirements resulting in sound levels of NC 50-55 in classrooms and faculty offices, crosstalk between classrooms and poor room acoustics. Case study 3 is an environmental education and conference center with open public areas, very high ceilings, and all reflective surfaces made from wood and other environmentally friendly materials that result in excessive loudness when the building is used by the numbers of people which it was intended to serve.

Abiotic Determinants of the Historical Buildings Biodeterioration in the Former Auschwitz II – Birkenau Concentration and Extermination Camp

PubMed Central

Piotrowska, Małgorzata; Otlewska, Anna; Rajkowska, Katarzyna; Koziróg, Anna; Hachułka, Mariusz; Nowicka-Krawczyk, Paulina; Wolski, Grzegorz J.; Gutarowska, Beata; Kunicka-Styczyńska, Alina; Żydzik-Białek, Agnieszka

2014-01-01

The paper presents the results of a study conducted at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim on the occurrence of biodeterioration. Visual assessment of the buildings revealed signs of deterioration of the buildings in the form of dampness, bulging and crumbling plaster, and wood fiber splitting. The external surfaces, and especially the concrete strips and ground immediately adjoining the buildings, were colonized by bryophytes, lichens, and algae. These organisms developed most intensively close to the ground on the northern sides of the buildings. Inside the buildings, molds and bacteria were not found to develop actively, while algae and wood-decaying fungi occurred locally. The factors conducive to biological corrosion in the studied buildings were excessive dampness of structural partitions close to the ground and a relative air humidity of above 70%, which was connected to ineffective moisture insulation. The influence of temperature was smaller, as it mostly affected the quantitative composition of the microorganisms and the qualitative composition of the algae. Also the impact of light was not very strong, but it was conducive to algae growth. PMID:25279789

A systematic indoor air quality audit approach for public buildings.

PubMed

Asadi, Ehsan; da Silva, Manuel C Gameiro; Costa, J J

2013-01-01

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings provides a comfortable and healthy environment for the occupants to work, learn, study, etc. Therefore, it is important to ascertain the IAQ status in the buildings. This study is aimed to establish and demonstrate the comprehensive IAQ audit approach for public buildings, based on Portugal national laws. Four public buildings in Portugal are used to demonstrate the IAQ audit application. The systematic approach involves the measurement of physical parameters (temperature, relative humidity, and concentration of the suspended particulate matter), monitoring of the concentrations of selected chemical indicators [carbon dioxide (CO(2)), carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ozone, and total volatile organic compounds], and the measurements of biological indicators (bacteria and fungi). In addition, air exchange rates are measured by the concentration decay method using metabolic CO(2) as the tracer gas. The comprehensive audits indicated some situations of common IAQ problems in buildings, namely: (1) insufficient ventilation rate, (2) too high particle concentration; and (3) poor filtration effectiveness and hygienic conditions in most of the air handling units. Accordingly, a set of recommendations for the improvement of IAQ conditions were advised to the building owner/managers.

Summary of Building Protection Factor Studies for External Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dillon, Michael B.; Kane, Jave; Nasstrom, John

Radiation dose assessments are used to help inform decisions to minimize health risks in the event of an atmospheric release of radioactivity including, for example, from a Radiological Dispersal Device, an Improvised Nuclear Device detonation, or a Nuclear Power Plant accident. During these incidents, radiation dose assessments for both indoor and outdoor populations are needed to make informed decisions. These dose assessments inform emergency plans and decisions including, for example, identifying areas in which people should be sheltered and determining when controlled population evacuations should be made. US dose assessment methodologies allow consideration of the protection, and therefore dose reduction,more » that buildings provide their occupants. However, these methodologies require an understanding of the protection provided by various building types that is currently lacking. To help address this need, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was tasked with (a) identifying prior building protection studies, (b) extracting results relevant to US building construction, and (c) summarizing building protection by building type. This report focuses primarily on the protection against radiation from outdoor fallout particles (external gamma radiation).« less

Limited energy study, Buildings 750 and 798, Fort Richardson, Alaska. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-02-01

The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) for two motor pool facilities, Buildings 750 and 798, to determine their energy savings potential, economic feasibility, and to document results for possible future funding. Buildings 750 and 798 are heated by steam supplied from a central plant. The central plant uses natural gas as a primary fuel source to produce steam for both heating and electrical energy generation. Since power is produced on the base there is not a demand charge for electrical energy. Two ECOs examined the use of natural gas in conjunction withmore » steam as a method of heating the buildings. Annual baseline energy consumption and cost data for each building is presented. The heating system in Building 750 was found to be severely under capacity. This is the result of the disabling of the under-floor heating system and the roof top MAUs. Building 798 also has had the under-floor heating system disabled. However, baseline simulations show that the remaining system is capable of maintaining thermostat setpoints during all but the coldest days of a typical year.« less

CAPACITY BUILDING PROCESS IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR A THAI COMMUNITY.

PubMed

Chaithui, Suthat; Sithisarankul, Pornchai; Hengpraprom, Sarunya

2017-03-01

This research aimed at exploring the development of the capacitybuilding process in environmental and health impact assessment, including the consideration of subsequent, capacity-building achievements. Data were gathered through questionnaires, participatory observations, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and capacity building checklist forms. These data were analyzed using content analysis, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. Our study used the components of the final draft for capacity-building processes consisting of ten steps that were formulated by synthesis from each respective process. Additionally, the evaluation of capacity building levels was performed using 10-item evaluation criteria for nine communities. The results indicated that the communities performed well under these criteria. Finally, exploration of the factors influencing capacity building in environmental and health impact assessment indicated that the learning of community members by knowledge exchange via activities and study visits were the most influential factors of the capacity building processes in environmental and health impact assessment. The final revised version of capacitybuilding process in environmental and health impact assessment could serve as a basis for the consideration of interventions in similar areas, so that they increased capacity in environmental and health impact assessments.

A case study on the structural assessment of fire damaged building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osman, M. H.; Sarbini, N. N.; Ibrahim, I. S.; Ma, C. K.; Ismail, M.; Mohd, M. F.

2017-11-01

This paper presents a case study on the structural assessment of building damaged by fire and discussed on the site investigations and test results prior to determine the existing condition of the building. The building was on fire for about one hour before it was extinguished. In order to ascertain the integrity of the building, a visual inspection was conducted for all elements (truss, beam, column and wall), followed by non-destructive, load and material tests. The load test was conducted to determine the ability of truss to resist service load, while the material test to determine the residual strength of the material. At the end of the investigation, a structural analysis was carried out to determine the new factor of safety by considering the residual strength. The highlighted was on the truss element due to steel behaviour that is hardly been predicted. Meanwhile, reinforced concrete elements (beam, column and wall) were found externally affected and caused its strength to be considered as sufficient for further used of building. The new factor of safety is equal to 2, considered as the minimum calculated value for the truss member. Therefore, this fire damaged building was found safe and can be used for further application.

Comparative Study on the Cost of Building Public House Construction Using Red Brick and Interlock Brick Building Material in the City of Banda Aceh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malahayati, Nurul; Hayati, Yulia; Nursaniah, Cut; Firsa, T.; Fachrurrazi; Munandar, Aris

2018-05-01

Red brick and interlocking brick are the building materials that are often used for wall installation work on houses construction. In the development of building materials technology and cost savings, interlocking brick can be alternative to replace red bricks. In Aceh Province, the use of interlocking bricks is less popular compared to other big cities in Indonesia. Interlocking brick is made from a mixture of clay, concrete sand and compacted cement and one of the environmentally friendly materials because it does not burn the process like red brick material. It is named interlocking brick because the installation method is locked together and it serves as a structural and partition wall of residential buildings. The aims of this study are to compare the cost of building a house in Banda Aceh City using red brick and interlock brick building materials. The data were obtained from interviews and questionnaires distributed to respondents who had built houses in Banda Aceh City. The results concluded that the house construction cost using interlock brick offer lower construction cost at comparable quality rather than using red brick.

A Fast Evaluation Method for Energy Building Consumption Based on the Design of Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belahya, Hocine; Boubekri, Abdelghani; Kriker, Abdelouahed

2017-08-01

Building sector is one of the effective consumer energy by 42% in Algeria. The need for energy has continued to grow, in inordinate way, due to lack of legislation on energy performance in this large consumer sector. Another reason is the simultaneous change of users’ requirements to maintain their comfort, especially summer in dry lands and parts of southern Algeria, where the town of Ouargla presents a typical example which leads to a large amount of electricity consumption through the use of air conditioning. In order to achieve a high performance envelope of the building, an optimization of major parameters building envelope is required, using design of experiments (DOE), can determine the most effective parameters and eliminate the less importance. The study building is often complex and time consuming due to the large number of parameters to consider. This study focuses on reducing the computing time and determines the major parameters of building energy consumption, such as area of building, factor shape, orientation, ration walls to windows …etc to make some proposal models in order to minimize the seasonal energy consumption due to air conditioning needs.

The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers.

PubMed

Tian, Mi; Deng, Zhu; Meng, Zhaokun; Li, Rui; Zhang, Zhiyi; Qi, Wenhui; Wang, Rui; Yin, Tingting; Ji, Menghui

2018-01-01

Children's block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children's block building performance. Chinese preschoolers ( N = 180) participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children's block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation.

Model calibration of a variable refrigerant flow system with a dedicated outdoor air system: A case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Dongsu; Cox, Sam J.; Cho, Heejin

With increased use of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems in the U.S. building sector, interests in capability and rationality of various building energy modeling tools to simulate VRF systems are rising. This paper presents the detailed procedures for model calibration of a VRF system with a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) by comparing to detailed measured data from an occupancy emulated small office building. The building energy model is first developed based on as-built drawings, and building and system characteristics available. The whole building energy modeling tool used for the study is U.S. DOE’s EnergyPlus version 8.1. The initial modelmore » is, then, calibrated with the hourly measured data from the target building and VRF-DOAS system. In a detailed calibration procedures of the VRF-DOAS, the original EnergyPlus source code is modified to enable the modeling of the specific VRF-DOAS installed in the building. After a proper calibration during cooling and heating seasons, the VRF-DOAS model can reasonably predict the performance of the actual VRF-DOAS system based on the criteria from ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014. The calibration results show that hourly CV-RMSE and NMBE would be 15.7% and 3.8%, respectively, which is deemed to be calibrated. As a result, the whole-building energy usage after calibration of the VRF-DOAS model is 1.9% (78.8 kWh) lower than that of the measurements during comparison period.« less

Thermal dynamic simulation of wall for building energy efficiency under varied climate environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuejin; Zhang, Yujin; Hong, Jing

2017-08-01

Aiming at different kind of walls in five cities of different zoning for thermal design, using thermal instantaneous response factors method, the author develops software to calculation air conditioning cooling load temperature, thermal response factors, and periodic response factors. On the basis of the data, the author gives the net work analysis about the influence of dynamic thermal of wall on air-conditioning load and thermal environment in building of different zoning for thermal design regional, and put forward the strategy how to design thermal insulation and heat preservation wall base on dynamic thermal characteristic of wall under different zoning for thermal design regional. And then provide the theory basis and the technical references for the further study on the heat preservation with the insulation are in the service of energy saving wall design. All-year thermal dynamic load simulating and energy consumption analysis for new energy-saving building is very important in building environment. This software will provide the referable scientific foundation for all-year new thermal dynamic load simulation, energy consumption analysis, building environment systems control, carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy -saving walls building. Based on which, we will not only expediently design system of building energy, but also analyze building energy consumption and carry through scientific energy management. The study will provide the referable scientific foundation for carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy saving walls building.

Effects of acute alcohol withdrawal on nest building in mice selectively bred for alcohol withdrawal severity

PubMed Central

Greenberg, Gian D.; Phillips, Tamara J.; Crabbe, John C.

2017-01-01

Nest building has been used to assess thermoregulatory behavior and positive motivational states in mice. There are known genetic influences on ethanol withdrawal severity as well as individual/thermoregulatory nest building. Withdrawal Seizure-Prone (WSP-1, WSP-2) and Withdrawal Seizure-Resistant (WSR-1, WSR-2) mice were selectively bred for high vs low handling-induced convulsion (HIC) severity, respectively, during withdrawal from chronic ethanol vapor inhalation. They also differ in HIC severity during withdrawal from an acute, 4 g/kg ethanol injection. In our initial study, withdrawal from an acute dose of ethanol dose-dependently impaired nest building over the initial 24 h of withdrawal in genetically segregating Withdrawal Seizure Control (WSC) mice. In two further studies, acute ethanol withdrawal suppressed nest building for up to two days in WSP-1 females. Deficits in nest building from ethanol were limited to the initial 10 h of withdrawal in WSR-1 females and to the initial 24 h of withdrawal in WSP-1 and WSR-1 males. Effects of ethanol on nest building for up to two days were found in WSP-2 and WSR-2 mice of both sexes. Nest building deficits in female mice from the first replicate could not be explained by a general decrease in locomotor behavior. These results suggest that nest building is a novel behavioral phenotype for indexing the severity of acute ethanol withdrawal, and that genes contributing to this trait differ from those affecting acute withdrawal HIC severity. PMID:27503811

A modeling investigation of the impact of street and building configurations on personal air pollutant exposure in isolated deep urban canyons.

PubMed

Ng, Wai-Yin; Chau, Chi-Kwan

2014-01-15

This study evaluated the effectiveness of different configurations for two building design elements, namely building permeability and setback, proposed for mitigating air pollutant exposure problems in isolated deep canyons by using an indirect exposure approach. The indirect approach predicted the exposures of three different population subgroups (i.e. pedestrians, shop vendors and residents) by multiplying the pollutant concentrations with the duration of exposure within a specific micro-environment. In this study, the pollutant concentrations for different configurations were predicted using a computational fluid dynamics model. The model was constructed based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the standard k-ε turbulence model. Fifty-one canyon configurations with aspect ratios of 2, 4, 6 and different building permeability values (ratio of building spacing to the building façade length) or different types of building setback (recess of a high building from the road) were examined. The findings indicated that personal exposures of shop vendors were extremely high if they were present inside a canyon without any setback or separation between buildings and when the prevailing wind was perpendicular to the canyon axis. Building separation and building setbacks were effective in reducing personal air exposures in canyons with perpendicular wind, although their effectiveness varied with different configurations. Increasing the permeability value from 0 to 10% significantly lowered the personal exposures on the different population subgroups. Likewise, the personal exposures could also be reduced by the introduction of building setbacks despite their effects being strongly influenced by the aspect ratio of a canyon. Equivalent findings were observed if the reduction in the total development floor area (the total floor area permitted to be developed within a particular site area) was also considered. These findings were employed to formulate a hierarchy decision making model to guide the planning of deep canyons in high density urban cities. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Associations of indoor carbon dioxide concentrations, VOCS, environmental susceptibilities with mucous membrane and lower respiratory sick building syndrome symptoms in the BASE study: Analyses of the 100 building dataset

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Apte, M.G.; Erdmann, C.A.

Using the 100 office-building Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study dataset, we performed multivariate logistic regression analyses to quantify the associations between indoor minus outdoor CO{sub 2} (dCO{sub 2}) concentrations and mucous membrane (MM) and lower respiratory system (Lresp) Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms, adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, presence of carpet in workspace, thermal exposure, relative humidity, and a marker for entrained automobile exhaust. Using principal components analysis we identified a number of possible sources of 73 measured volatile organic compounds in the office buildings, and assessed the impact of these VOCs on the probability of presentingmore » the SBS symptoms. Additionally we included analysis adjusting for the risks for predisposition of having SBS symptoms associated with the allergic, asthmatic, and environmentally sensitive subpopulations within the office buildings. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for statistically significant, dose-dependant associations (p<0.05) for dry eyes, sore throat, nose/sinus congestion, and wheeze symptoms with 100-ppm increases in dCO{sub 2} ranged from 1.1 to 1.2. These results suggest that increases in the ventilation rates per person among typical office buildings will, on average significantly reduce the prevalence of several SBS symptoms, up to 80%, even when these buildings meet the existing ASHRAE ventilation standards for office buildings. VOC sources were observed to play an role in direct association with mucous membrane and lower respiratory irritation, and possibly to be indirectly involved in indoor chemical reactions with ozone that produce irritating compounds associated with SBS symptoms. O-xylene, possibly emitted from furniture coatings was associated with shortness of breath (OR at the maximum concentration = 8, p < 0.05). The environmental sensitivities of a large subset of the office building population add to the overall risk of SBS symptoms (ORs ranging from 2 to above 11) within the buildings.« less

41 CFR 101-5.104-4 - Scheduling feasibility studies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... studies. 101-5.104-4 Section 101-5.104-4 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property... FEDERAL BUILDINGS AND COMPLEXES 5.1-General § 101-5.104-4 Scheduling feasibility studies. The schedule of feasibility studies will be coordinated by GSA with its construction, space management, and buildings...

41 CFR 101-5.104-4 - Scheduling feasibility studies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... studies. 101-5.104-4 Section 101-5.104-4 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property... FEDERAL BUILDINGS AND COMPLEXES 5.1-General § 101-5.104-4 Scheduling feasibility studies. The schedule of feasibility studies will be coordinated by GSA with its construction, space management, and buildings...

ASSESSMENT OF VENTILATION SYSTEMS AS RELATED TO THE BASE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air studied 100 public and private office buildings across the U.S. from 1994 1998. The purpose of the study, entitled the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study, was to: (a) provide a distribution of indoor air quali...

The Development of Spatial Skills through Interventions Involving Block Building Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Beth M.; Andrews, Nicole; Schindler, Holly; Kersh, Joanne E.; Samper, Alexandra; Copley, Juanita

2008-01-01

This study investigated the use of block-building interventions to develop spatial-reasoning skills in kindergartners. Two intervention conditions and a control condition were included to determine, first, whether the block building activities themselves benefited children's spatial skills, and secondly, whether a story context further improved…

Student Views of Instructor-Student Rapport in the College Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Nathan G.; Barrett, Laura Obrycki

2014-01-01

Building upon past research on the positive learning outcomes associated with rapport building in the classroom, this study examines the specific behaviors instructors utilize in college classrooms to build rapport with undergraduate students. Participants (N = 230) answered open-ended survey questions about their instructors' rapport-building…

Using Wikis for Learning and Knowledge Building: Results of an Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmerle, Joachim; Moskaliuk, Johannes; Cress, Ulrike

2011-01-01

Computer-supported learning and knowledge building play an increasing role in online collaboration. This paper outlines some theories concerning the interplay between individual processes of learning and collaborative processes of knowledge building. In particular, it describes the co-evolution model that attempts to examine processes of learning…

The Professional Identity of Three Innovative Teachers Engaging in Sustained Knowledge Building Using Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vokatis, Barbara; Zhang, Jianwei

2016-01-01

Diffusing inquiry-based pedagogy in schools for deep and lasting change requires teacher transformation and capacity building. This study characterizes the professional identity of three elementary school teachers who have productively engaged in inquiry-based classroom practice using knowledge building pedagogy and Knowledge Forum, a…

Building Maintenance Syllabus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Joseph; Messier, Joseph

Building maintenance is a basic two-year trade education course requiring 2 1/2 hours of study on each of 160 teaching days per year. Student abilities should range from those capable of the simplest custodial work to those who may eventually be superintendents of building complexes. The syllabus is organized in sections by traditional skills…

Building of Requirement: Liberating Academic Interior Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLane, Yelena; Dawkins, Jim

2014-01-01

The authors focus on the strategies employed in the recent renovation of the William Johnston Building at Florida State University, in which the historical exterior was preserved, while the interiors were adapted to new functions as classrooms, study centers, and common spaces with intentionally undefined purposes. The building's various use…

Esprit de Place: Maintaining and Designing Library Buildings To Provide Transcendent Spaces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demas, Sam; Scherer, Jeffrey A.

2002-01-01

Discusses library buildings and their role in building community. Reviews current design trends, including reading and study spaces; collaborative workspaces; technology-free zones; archives and special collections; cultural events spaces; age-specific spaces; shared spaces; natural light and landscapes; and interior design trends. (LRW)

Quantification of mold contamination in multi-level buildings using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this study was to evaluate the possible use of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) to quantify mold contamination in multi-level, office buildings. Settled-dust samples were collected in multi-level, office buildings and the ERMI value for each sample de...

Progress on Evaluating School Buildings in Scotland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Keith

2006-01-01

In June 2004, the Scottish Executive published guidance on evaluating completed school building projects, "Building Our Future: Scotland's School Estate," as part of the School Estate Strategy; the guidance included a case study evaluation at an Edinburgh primary school. The Executive is continuing to support evaluation work on the school estate…

The Impact of School Buildings on Learning. Information Capsule. Volume 1204

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blazer, Christie

2012-01-01

This Information Capsule examines the impact of deteriorating school buildings on students and teachers. Research indicates that students attending schools that are in poor physical condition score lower on achievement tests than students in newer, functional buildings. Studies suggest that several specific factors contribute to lower levels of…

Buildings for Education, Vol. 2, No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asian Regional Inst. for School Building Research, Colombo (Sri Lanka).

The activities of the Asian Regional Institute for School Building Research are described (studies conducted, contracts, development group work). Technical notes are presented concerning high-rise school buildings in Asian urban areas and related cost implications; the following factors are considered--(1) demand for space in urban areas, (2)…

The Relationship between Building Teacher Leadership Capacity and Campus Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Dawn R.; Kemp-Graham, Kriss Y.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods research study was to explore the relationship between building teacher leadership capacity and campus culture in a suburban East Texas school district. Developing teacher leaders by building leadership capacity depends on administrators' abilities to develop leaders from within the existing…

Building damage assessment from PolSAR data using texture parameters of statistical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Linlin; Liu, Xiuguo; Chen, Qihao; Yang, Shuai

2018-04-01

Accurate building damage assessment is essential in providing decision support for disaster relief and reconstruction. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) has become one of the most effective means of building damage assessment, due to its all-day/all-weather ability and richer backscatter information of targets. However, intact buildings that are not parallel to the SAR flight pass (termed oriented buildings) and collapsed buildings share similar scattering mechanisms, both of which are dominated by volume scattering. This characteristic always leads to misjudgments between assessments of collapsed buildings and oriented buildings from PolSAR data. Because the collapsed buildings and the intact buildings (whether oriented or parallel buildings) have different textures, a novel building damage assessment method is proposed in this study to address this problem by introducing texture parameters of statistical models. First, the logarithms of the estimated texture parameters of different statistical models are taken as a new texture feature to describe the collapse of the buildings. Second, the collapsed buildings and intact buildings are distinguished using an appropriate threshold. Then, the building blocks are classified into three levels based on the building block collapse rate. Moreover, this paper also discusses the capability for performing damage assessment using texture parameters from different statistical models or using different estimators. The RADARSAT-2 and ALOS-1 PolSAR images are used to present and analyze the performance of the proposed method. The results show that using the texture parameters avoids the problem of confusing collapsed and oriented buildings and improves the assessment accuracy. The results assessed by using the K/G0 distribution texture parameters estimated based on the second moment obtain the highest extraction accuracies. For the RADARSAT-2 and ALOS-1 data, the overall accuracy (OA) for these three types of buildings is 73.39% and 68.45%, respectively.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aden, Nathaniel; Qin, Yining; Fridley, David

Buildings are at the locus of three trends driving China's increased energy use and emissions: urbanization, growing personal consumption, and surging heavy industrial production. Migration to cities and urban growth create demand for new building construction. Higher levels of per-capita income and consumption drive building operational energy use with demand for higher intensity lighting, thermal comfort, and plug-load power. Demand for new buildings, infrastructure, and electricity requires heavy industrial production. In order to quantify the implications of China's ongoing urbanization, rising personal consumption, and booming heavy industrial sector, this study presents a lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the energy use andmore » carbon emissions related to residential and commercial buildings. The purpose of the LCA model is to quantify the impact of a given building and identify policy linkages to mitigate energy demand and emissions growth related to China's new building construction. As efficiency has become a higher priority with growing energy demand, policy and academic attention to buildings has focused primarily on operational energy use. Existing studies estimate that building operational energy consumption accounts for approximately 25% of total primary energy use in China. However, buildings also require energy for mining, extracting, processing, manufacturing, and transporting materials, as well as energy for construction, maintenance, and decommissioning. Building and supporting infrastructure construction is a major driver of industry consumption--in 2008 industry accounted for 72% of total Chinese energy use. The magnitude of new building construction is large in China--in 2007, for example, total built floor area reached 58 billion square meters. During the construction boom in 2007 and 2008, more than two billion m{sup 2} of building space were added annually; China's recent construction is estimated to account for half of global construction. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) developed an integrated LCA model to capture the energy and emissions implications of all aspects of new buildings from material mining through construction, operations, and decommissioning. Over the following four sections, this report describes related existing research, the LBNL building LCA model structure and results, policy linkages of this lifecycle assessment, and conclusions and recommendations for follow-on work. The LBNL model is a first-order approach to gathering local data and applying lifecycle assessment to buildings in the Beijing area--it represents one effort among a range of established, predominantly American and European, LCA models. This report identifies the benefits, limitations, and policy applications of lifecycle assessment modeling for quantifying the energy and emissions impacts of specific residential and commercial buildings.« less

Collecting memories of the city through the conservation of heritage building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurliani Lukito, Yulia; Nurul Rizky, Amalia

2018-03-01

Heritage building has a role for the city and the society that is associated with emotional, cultural, and use values. Those values are parts of collective memory and create the identity of the city. Some heritage buildings are vulnerable to modernization and even when the government conserves those buildings, some important values of the buildings are lost. This paper discusses a colonial building in Jakarta that has been converted into different functions. As a case study is Cut Meutia Mosque in Menteng, designed by a Dutch architect PAJ Moojen during the Dutch late colonial era. The building was initiated in 1922 as N.V. Bouwploeg, an architectural firm that developed the nearby residential area of New Gondangdia. This area was developed according to modern Garden City principles and the Bouwploeg was known as the gate to Menteng area and the architecture of the building was considered very modern and unique at that time – illustrating the importance of the building for the city. After Indonesia’s independence, the government converted the building into different functions such as an office and a mosque. Although the function of the building has changed, the building is still related to triggering a collective memory of the new area that should not be ignored in the effort of conserving the building. Through historical and field research, the paper aims to discuss some changes and lost values of the building as the result of conserving the colonial heritage, especially about collective memory. Hopefully, learning from the conservation of building heritage and city collective memory may support the idea of livable memory of heritage building and even a

Building vulnerability and human loss assessment in different earthquake intensity and time: a case study of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) Campus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusydy, I.; Faustino-Eslava, D. V.; Muksin, U.; Gallardo-Zafra, R.; Aguirre, J. J. C.; Bantayan, N. C.; Alam, L.; Dakey, S.

2017-02-01

Study on seismic hazard, building vulnerability and human loss assessment become substantial for building education institutions since the building are used by a lot of students, lecturers, researchers, and guests. The University of the Philippines, Los Banos (UPLB) located in an earthquake prone area. The earthquake could cause structural damage and injury of the UPLB community. We have conducted earthquake assessment in different magnitude and time to predict the posibility of ground shaking, building vulnerability and estimated the number of casualty of the UPLB community. The data preparation in this study includes the earthquake scenario modeling using Intensity Prediction Equations (IPEs) for shallow crustal shaking attenuation to produce intensity map of bedrock and surface. Earthquake model was generated from the segment IV and the segment X of the Valley Fault System (VFS). Building vulnerability of different type of building was calculated using fragility curve of the Philippines building. The population data for each building in various occupancy time, damage ratio, and injury ratio data were used to compute the number of casualties. The result reveals that earthquake model from the segment IV and the segment X of the VFS could generate earthquake intensity between 7.6 - 8.1 MMI in the UPLB campus. The 7.7 Mw earthquake (scenario I) from the segment IV could cause 32% - 51% damage of building and 6.5 Mw earthquake (scenario II) occurring in the segment X could cause 18% - 39% structural damage of UPLB buildings. If the earthquake occurs at 2 PM (day-time), it could injure 10.2% - 18.8% for the scenario I and could injure 7.2% - 15.6% of UPLB population in scenario II. The 5 Pm event, predicted will injure 5.1%-9.4% in the scenario I, and 3.6%-7.8% in scenario II. A nighttime event (2 Am) cause injury to students and guests who stay in dormitories. The earthquake is predicted to injure 13 - 66 students and guests in the scenario I and 9 - 47 people in the scenario II. To reduce the number of injuries, the authority of UPLB have to carry out the buildings restoration, set up earthquake early warning system in all dormitories, and evacuation sign board.

The Woodlands Metro Center energy study. Case studies of project planning and design for energy conservation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1980-03-01

Appendix II of The Woodlands Metro Center Energy Study near Houston consists of the following: Metro Center Program, Conventional Plan Building Prototypes and Detail Parcel Analysis, Energy Plan Building Prototypes, and Energy Plan Detail Parcel Analysis.

On-site fuel cell field test support program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staniunas, J. W.; Merten, G. P.

1982-01-01

In order to assess the impact of grid connection on the potential market for fuel cell service, applications studies were conducted to identify the fuel cell operating modes and corresponding fuel cell sizing criteria which offer the most potential for initial commercial service. The market for grid-connected fuel cell service was quantified using United's market analysis program and computerized building data base. Electric and gas consumption data for 268 buildings was added to our surveyed building data file, bringing the total to 407 buildings. These buildings were analyzed for grid-isolated and grid-connected fuel cell service. The results of the analyses indicated that the nursing home, restaurant and health club building sectors offer significant potential for fuel cell service.

Andean Mountain Building: An Integrated Topographic, GPS, Seismological and Numerical Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Mian; Stein, Seth

2003-01-01

The main objective of this project was to better understand the geodynamics controlling the mountain building and topographic evolution in the central Andes using an integrated approach that combines GPS, seismological, and numerical studies.

Estimating the Additional Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Korea: Focused on Demolition of Asbestos Containing Materials in Building

PubMed Central

Kim, Young-Chan; Hong, Won-Hwa; Zhang, Yuan-Long; Son, Byeung-Hun; Seo, Youn-Kyu; Choi, Jun-Ho

2016-01-01

When asbestos containing materials (ACM) must be removed from the building before demolition, additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are generated. However, precedent studies have not considered the removal of ACM from the building. The present study aimed to develop a model for estimating GHG emissions created by the ACM removal processes, specifically the removal of asbestos cement slates (ACS). The second objective was to use the new model to predict the total GHG emission produced by ACM removal in the entire country of Korea. First, an input-equipment inventory was established for each step of the ACS removal process. Second, an energy consumption database for each equipment type was established. Third, the total GHG emission contributed by each step of the process was calculated. The GHG emissions generated from the 1,142,688 ACS-containing buildings in Korea was estimated to total 23,778 tonCO2eq to 132,141 tonCO2eq. This study was meaningful in that the emissions generated by ACS removal have not been studied before. Furthermore, the study deals with additional problems that can be triggered by the presence of asbestos in building materials. The method provided in this study is expected to contribute greatly to the calculation of GHG emissions caused by ACM worldwide. PMID:27626433

Buildings Lean Maintenance Implementation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abreu, Antonio; Calado, João; Requeijo, José

2016-11-01

Nowadays, companies in global markets have to achieve high levels of performance and competitiveness to stay "alive".Within this assumption, the building maintenance cannot be done in a casual and improvised way due to the costs related. Starting with some discussion about lean management and building maintenance, this paper introduces a model to support the Lean Building Maintenance (LBM) approach. Finally based on a real case study from a Portuguese company, the benefits, challenges and difficulties are presented and discussed.

Indoor-Outdoor Air Leakage of Apartments and Commercial Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Price, P.N.; Shehabi, A.; Chan, R.W.

We compiled and analyzed available data concerning indoor-outdoor air leakage rates and building leakiness parameters for commercial buildings and apartments. We analyzed the data, and reviewed the related literature, to determine the current state of knowledge of the statistical distribution of air exchange rates and related parameters for California buildings, and to identify significant gaps in the current knowledge and data. Very few data were found from California buildings, so we compiled data from other states and some other countries. Even when data from other developed countries were included, data were sparse and few conclusive statements were possible. Little systematicmore » variation in building leakage with construction type, building activity type, height, size, or location within the u.s. was observed. Commercial buildings and apartments seem to be about twice as leaky as single-family houses, per unit of building envelope area. Although further work collecting and analyzing leakage data might be useful, we suggest that a more important issue may be the transport of pollutants between units in apartments and mixed-use buildings, an under-studied phenomenon that may expose occupants to high levels of pollutants such as tobacco smoke or dry cleaning fumes.« less

Health effects from indoor air pollution: case studies.

PubMed

White, L E; Clarkson, J R; Chang, S N

1987-01-01

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the health effects associated with the presence of contaminants in indoor air. Numerous agents can accumulate in public buildings, homes and automobiles as a result of ongoing activities that normally occur in these closed spaces. Ventilation is a major factor in the control of indoor air pollutants since proper movement of air can prevent or minimize the build up of compounds in buildings. The recent emphasis on energy conservation has lead to measures which economize on energy for heating and air conditioning, but which also trap pollutants within a building. Three cases of indoor air pollution were investigated. A typical investigation of indoor air pollutant problems includes the following: interviews with building occupants; history of the building with regard to maintenance, pesticide treatment, etc.; a survey of the building and ventilation; and when warranted, sampling and analysis of air. Each case presented is unique in that atypical situations caused agents to accumulate in a building or section of a building. The indoor air problems in these cases were solved by identifying and removing the source of the offending agent and/or improving the ventilation in the building.

Technical Feasibility Study for Zero Energy K-12 Schools

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bonnema, Eric; Goldwasser, David; Torcellini, Paul

This technical feasibility study provides documentation and research results supporting a possible set of strategies to achieve source zero energy K-12 school buildings as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) zero energy building (ZEB) definition (DOE 2015a). Under this definition, a ZEB is an energy-efficient building in which, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy.

Structural and compositional features of high-rise buildings: experimental design in Yekaterinburg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yankovskaya, Yulia; Lobanov, Yuriy; Temnov, Vladimir

2018-03-01

The study looks at the specifics of high-rise development in Yekaterinburg. High-rise buildings are considered in the context of their historical development, structural features, compositional and imaginative design techniques. Experience of Yekaterinburg architects in experimental design is considered and analyzed. Main issues and prospects of high-rise development within the Yekaterinburg structure are studied. The most interesting and significant conceptual approaches to the structural and compositional arrangement of high-rise buildings are discussed.

Involvement of Individuals in the Development of Technical Solutions and Rules of Management for Building Renovation Projects: A Case Study of Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pukite, I.; Grekis, A.; Geipele, I.; Zeltins, N.

2017-08-01

In March 2016, the Latvian government approved a new support program for increasing energy efficiency in residential apartment buildings. For the support of renovation of apartment buildings in the period from 2016 to 2023, 166 470 588 EUR will be available. Different persons, such as energy auditors, designers, architects, project managers and builders, will be involved in the process of planning, development and implementation of building renovation. At the development stage of the building renovation project, special attention should be devoted to the first stage - energy audit and technical project development. The problem arises due to the fact that each of these individuals, during the development of technical building documentation, does not work as a completely unified system. The implementation of construction project planning and organisational management system is one of the most important factors to guarantee that the quality of building renovation project is ensured in accordance with the laws and regulatory standards. The paper studies mutual cooperation, professionalism and the role of information feedback of personnel involved in the planning stage of building renovation, which is an essential prerequisite for the renovation process in order to achieve high quality of work and reduce the energy performance indicator. The present research includes the analysis of different technical solutions and their impact on energy efficiency. Mutual harmonisation of technical specifications is also investigated.

Balancing Hydronic Systems in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruch, R.; Ludwig, P.; Maurer, T.

2014-07-01

In multifamily hydronic systems, temperature imbalance may be caused by undersized piping, improperly adjusted balancing valves, inefficient water temperature and flow levels, and owner/occupant interaction with the boilers, distribution and controls. The effects of imbalance include tenant discomfort, higher energy use intensity and inefficient building operation. This paper explores cost-effective distribution upgrades and balancing measures in multifamily hydronic systems, providing a resource to contractors, auditors, and building owners on best practices to improve tenant comfort and lower operating costs. The research was conducted by The Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) in conjunction with Elevate Energy. The team surveyed existingmore » knowledge on cost-effective retrofits for optimizing distribution in typical multifamily hydronic systems, with the aim of identifying common situations and solutions, and then conducted case studies on two Chicago area buildings with known balancing issues in order to quantify the extent of temperature imbalance. At one of these buildings a booster pump was installed on a loop to an underheated wing of the building. This study found that unit temperature in a multifamily hydronic building can vary as much as 61 degrees F, particularly if windows are opened or tenants use intermittent supplemental heating sources like oven ranges. Average temperature spread at the building as a result of this retrofit decreased from 22.1 degrees F to 15.5 degrees F.« less

Aftershock collapse vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete frame structures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raghunandan, Meera; Liel, Abbie B.; Luco, Nicolas

2015-01-01

In a seismically active region, structures may be subjected to multiple earthquakes, due to mainshock–aftershock phenomena or other sequences, leaving no time for repair or retrofit between the events. This study quantifies the aftershock vulnerability of four modern ductile reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings in California by conducting incremental dynamic analysis of nonlinear MDOF analytical models. Based on the nonlinear dynamic analysis results, collapse and damage fragility curves are generated for intact and damaged buildings. If the building is not severely damaged in the mainshock, its collapse capacity is unaffected in the aftershock. However, if the building is extensively damaged in the mainshock, there is a significant reduction in its collapse capacity in the aftershock. For example, if an RC frame experiences 4% or more interstory drift in the mainshock, the median capacity to resist aftershock shaking is reduced by about 40%. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of different measures of physical damage observed in the mainshock-damaged buildings for predicting the reduction in collapse capacity of the damaged building in subsequent aftershocks. These physical damage indicators for the building are chosen such that they quantify the qualitative red tagging (unsafe for occupation) criteria employed in post-earthquake evaluation of RC frames. The results indicated that damage indicators related to the drift experienced by the damaged building best predicted the reduced aftershock collapse capacities for these ductile structures.

Comparison of main-shock and aftershock fragility curves developed for New Zealand and US buildings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uma, S.R.; Ryu, H.; Luco, N.; Liel, A.B.; Raghunandan, M.

2011-01-01

Seismic risk assessment involves the development of fragility functions to express the relationship between ground motion intensity and damage potential. In evaluating the risk associated with the building inventory in a region, it is essential to capture 'actual' characteristics of the buildings and group them so that 'generic building types' can be generated for further analysis of their damage potential. Variations in building characteristics across regions/countries largely influence the resulting fragility functions, such that building models are unsuitable to be adopted for risk assessment in any other region where a different set of building is present. In this paper, for a given building type (represented in terms of height and structural system), typical New Zealand and US building models are considered to illustrate the differences in structural model parameters and their effects on resulting fragility functions for a set of main-shocks and aftershocks. From this study, the general conclusion is that the methodology and assumptions used to derive basic capacity curve parameters have a considerable influence on fragility curves.

Analysis of Architectural Building Design Influences on Fire Spread in Densely Urban Settlement using Cellular Automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tambunan, L.; Salamah, H.; Asriana, N.

2017-03-01

This study aims to determine the influence of architectural design on the risk of fire spread in densely urban settlement area. Cellular Automata (CA) is used to analyse the fire spread pattern, speed, and the extent of damage. Four cells represent buildings, streets, and fields characteristic in the simulated area, as well as their flammability level and fire spread capabilities. Two fire scenarios are used to model the spread of fire: (1) fire origin in a building with concrete and wood material majority, and (2) fire origin in building with wood material majority. Building shape, building distance, road width, and total area of wall openings are considered constant, while wind is ignored. The result shows that fire spread faster in the building area with wood majority than with concrete majority. Significant amount of combustible building material, absence of distance between buildings, narrow streets and limited fields are factors which influence fire spread speed and pattern as well as extent of damage when fire occurs in the densely urban settlement area.

Hybrid LCA model for assessing the embodied environmental impacts of buildings in South Korea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jang, Minho, E-mail: minmin40@hanmail.net; Hong, Taehoon, E-mail: hong7@yonsei.ac.kr; Ji, Changyoon, E-mail: chnagyoon@yonsei.ac.kr

2015-01-15

The assessment of the embodied environmental impacts of buildings can help decision-makers plan environment-friendly buildings and reduce environmental impacts. For a more comprehensive assessment of the embodied environmental impacts of buildings, a hybrid life cycle assessment model was developed in this study. The developed model can assess the embodied environmental impacts (global warming, ozone layer depletion, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical ozone creation, abiotic depletion, and human toxicity) generated directly and indirectly in the material manufacturing, transportation, and construction phases. To demonstrate the application and validity of the developed model, the environmental impacts of an elementary school building were assessed using themore » developed model and compared with the results of a previous model used in a case study. The embodied environmental impacts from the previous model were lower than those from the developed model by 4.6–25.2%. Particularly, human toxicity potential (13 kg C{sub 6}H{sub 6} eq.) calculated by the previous model was much lower (1965 kg C{sub 6}H{sub 6} eq.) than what was calculated by the developed model. The results indicated that the developed model can quantify the embodied environmental impacts of buildings more comprehensively, and can be used by decision-makers as a tool for selecting environment-friendly buildings. - Highlights: • The model was developed to assess the embodied environmental impacts of buildings. • The model evaluates GWP, ODP, AP, EP, POCP, ADP, and HTP as environmental impacts. • The model presents more comprehensive results than the previous model by 4.6–100%. • The model can present the HTP of buildings, which the previous models cannot do. • Decision-makers can use the model for selecting environment-friendly buildings.« less

Radon in indoor concentrations and indoor concentrations of metal dust particles in museums and other public buildings.

PubMed

Carneiro, G L; Braz, D; de Jesus, E F; Santos, S M; Cardoso, K; Hecht, A A; Dias da Cunha, Moore K

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the public and occupational exposure to radon and metal-bearing particles in museums and public buildings located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For this study, four buildings were selected: two historic buildings, which currently house an art gallery and an art museum; and two modern buildings, a chapel and a club. Integrated radon concentration measurements were performed using passive radon detectors with solid state nuclear track detector-type Lexan used as nuclear track detector. Air samplers with a cyclone were used to collect the airborne particle samples that were analyzed by the particle-induced X-ray emission technique. The average unattached-radon concentrations in indoor air in the buildings were above 40 Bq/m(3), with the exception of Building D as measured in 2009. The average radon concentrations in indoor air in the four buildings in 2009 were below the recommended reference level by World Health Organization (100 Bq/m(3)); however, in 2011, the average concentrations of radon in Buildings A and C were above this level, though lower than 300 Bq/m(3). The average concentrations of unattached radon were lower than 148 Bq/m(3) (4pCi/L), the USEPA level recommended to take action to reduce the concentrations of radon in indoor air. The unattached-radon average concentrations were also lower than the value recommended by the European Union for new houses. As the unattached-radon concentrations were below the international level recommended to take action to reduce the radon concentration in air, it was concluded that during the period of sampling, there was low risk to human health due to the inhalation of unattached radon in these four buildings.

Building Coverage Ratio at the Eastern Corridor of Jalan Ir. H. Djuanda Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Megayanti, T.; Widaningsih, L.; Minggra, R.; Dewi, N. I. K.

2018-01-01

Historically in the Colonial period, the Corridor of Jalan Ir. H. Juanda or better known as Jalan Dago was designed as a residential area. As the high development of commercial activity along of Bandung City, almost all of buildings in this area are turned its’ function to supported commercial activity. The change is shown in many aspects from the shape of the building and even occur in changing the old building into a new one due to a high intensity of this commercial activity. This paper investigates the use of Building Coverage Ratio regulation related to functional change in the Corridor of Jalan Ir. H. Juanda Bandung. The aim is to what extent the regulations related to Building Coverage area are implemented. This study used a descriptive qualitative method by conducting observation to identify buildings on the Corridor by dividing it into three segments. The results show quantitatively there is a lot of irrelevancies to Building Coverage Ratio regulation which is shown in the second and third segment. Most of the building in the first segment has in compliance with the regulation. However, to build a harmony in characters of City corridor is not only created by Building Coverage Ratio but also others parameters such as the land use, the shape of buildings, façade, and design concept. Thus, it is highly recommended to create a detail regulation regarding those parameters.

Seasonal frost effects on the dynamic behavior of a twenty-story office building

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yang, Z.; Dutta, U.; Xiong, F.; Biswas, N.; Benz, H.

2008-01-01

Studies have shown that seasonal frost can significantly affect the seismic behavior of a bridge foundation system in cold regions. However, little information could be found regarding seasonal frost effects on the dynamic behavior of buildings. Based on the analysis of building vibration data recorded by a permanent strong-motion instrumentation system, the objective of this paper is to show that seasonal frost can impact the building dynamic behavior and the magnitude of impact may be different for different structures. Ambient noise and seismic data recorded on a twenty-story steel-frame building have been analyzed to examine the building dynamic characteristics in relationship to the seasonal frost and other variables including ground shaking intensity. Subsequently, Finite Element modeling of the foundation-soil system and the building superstructure was conducted to verify the seasonal frost effects. The Finite Element modeling was later extended to a reinforced-concrete (RC) type building assumed to exist at a similar site as the steel-frame building. Results show that the seasonal frost has great impact on the foundation stiffness in the horizontal direction and a clear influence on the building dynamic behavior. If other conditions remain the same, the effects of seasonal frost on structural dynamic behavior may be much more prominent for RC-type buildings than for steel-frame buildings. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biomimicry as an approach for sustainable architecture case of arid regions with hot and dry climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouabdallah, Nabila; M'sellem, Houda; Alkama, Djamel

2016-07-01

This paper aims to study the problem of thermal comfort inside buildings located in hot and arid climates. The principal idea behind this research is using concepts based on the potential of nature as an instrument that helps creating appropriate facades with the environment "building skin". The biomimetic architecture imitates nature through the study of form, function, behaviour and ecosystems of biological organisms. This research aims to clarify the possibilities that can be offered by biomimicry architecture to develop architectural bio-inspired building's design that can help to enhance indoor thermal ambiance in buildings located in hot and dry climate which helps to achieve thermal comfort for users.

Commercial and Multifamily Building Tenant Energy Usage Aggregation and Privacy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Livingston, Olga V.; Pulsipher, Trenton C.; Wang, Na

2014-11-17

In a number of cities and states, building owners are required to disclose and/or benchmark their building energy use. This requires the building owner to possess monthly whole-building energy usage information, which can be challenging for buildings in which individual tenants have their own utility meters and accounts with the utility. Some utilities and utility regulators have turned to aggregation of customer data as a way to give building owners the whole-building energy usage data while protecting customer privacy. However, no utilities or regulators appear to have conducted a concerted statistical, cybersecurity, and privacy analysis to justify the level ofmore » aggregation selected. Therefore, the Tennant Data Aggregation Task was established to help utilities address these issues and provide recommendations as well as a theoretical justification of the aggregation threshold. This study is focused on the use case of submitting data for ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM), but it also looks at other potential use cases for monthly energy consumption data.« less

Response of a 14-story Anchorage, Alaska, building in 2002 to two close earthquakes and two distant Denali fault earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Celebi, M.

2004-01-01

The recorded responses of an Anchorage, Alaska, building during four significant earthquakes that occurred in 2002 are studied. Two earthquakes, including the 3 November 2002 M7.9 Denali fault earthquake, with epicenters approximately 275 km from the building, generated long trains of long-period (>1 s) surface waves. The other two smaller earthquakes occurred at subcrustal depths practically beneath Anchorage and produced higher frequency motions. These two pairs of earthquakes have different impacts on the response of the building. Higher modes are more pronounced in the building response during the smaller nearby events. The building responses indicate that the close-coupling of translational and torsional modes causes a significant beating effect. It is also possible that there is some resonance occurring due to the site frequency being close to the structural frequency. Identification of dynamic characteristics and behavior of buildings can provide important lessons for future earthquake-resistant designs and retrofit of existing buildings. ?? 2004, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

The prefabricated building risk decision research of DM technology on the basis of Rough Set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Z. L.; Zhang, W. B.; Ma, L. H.

2017-08-01

With the resources crises and more serious pollution, the green building has been strongly advocated by most countries and become a new building style in the construction field. Compared with traditional building, the prefabricated building has its own irreplaceable advantages but is influenced by many uncertainties. So far, a majority of scholars have been studying based on qualitative researches from all of the word. This paper profoundly expounds its significance about the prefabricated building. On the premise of the existing research methods, combined with rough set theory, this paper redefines the factors which affect the prefabricated building risk. Moreover, it quantifies risk factors and establish an expert knowledge base through assessing. And then reduced risk factors about the redundant attributes and attribute values, finally form the simplest decision rule. This simplest decision rule, which is based on the DM technology of rough set theory, provides prefabricated building with a controllable new decision-making method.

Effects of internal gain assumptions in building energy calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, C.; Perkins, R.

1981-01-01

The utilization of direct solar gains in buildings can be affected by operating profiles, such as schedules for internal gains, thermostat controls, and ventilation rates. Building energy analysis methods use various assumptions about these profiles. The effects of typical internal gain assumptions in energy calculations are described. Heating and cooling loads from simulations using the DOE 2.1 computer code are compared for various internal gain inputs: typical hourly profiles, constant average profiles, and zero gain profiles. Prototype single-family-detached and multifamily-attached residential units are studied with various levels of insulation and infiltration. Small detached commercial buildings and attached zones in large commercial buildings are studied with various levels of internal gains. The results indicate that calculations of annual heating and cooling loads are sensitive to internal gains, but in most cases are relatively insensitive to hourly variations in internal gains.

Scalable methodology for large scale building energy improvement: Relevance of calibration in model-based retrofit analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heo, Yeonsook; Augenbroe, Godfried; Graziano, Diane

2015-05-01

The increasing interest in retrofitting of existing buildings is motivated by the need to make a major contribution to enhancing building energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption and CO2 emission by the built environment. This paper examines the relevance of calibration in model-based analysis to support decision-making for energy and carbon efficiency retrofits of individual buildings and portfolios of buildings. The authors formulate a set of real retrofit decision-making situations and evaluate the role of calibration by using a case study that compares predictions and decisions from an uncalibrated model with those of a calibrated model. The case study illustratesmore » both the mechanics and outcomes of a practical alternative to the expert- and time-intense application of dynamic energy simulation models for large-scale retrofit decision-making under uncertainty.« less

Retrofit photovoltaic systems for intermediate sized applications - A design and market study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noel, G. T.; Hagely, J. R.

An assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting a significant portion of the existing intermediate sector building/application inventory with photovoltaic systems is presented. The assessment includes the development of detailed engineering and architectural designs as well as cost estimates for 12 representative installations. Promising applications include retail stores, warehouses, office buildings, religious buildings, shopping centers, education buildings, hospitals, and industrial sites. A market study indicates that there is a national invetory of 1.5 to 2.0 million feasible intermediate sector applications, with the majority being in the 20 to 400 kW size range. The present cost of the major systems components and the cost of necessary building modifications are the primary current barriers to the realization of a large retrofit photovoltaic system market. The development of standardized modular system designs and installation techniques are feasible ways to minimize costs.

The analysis of thermal comfort requirements through the simulation of an occupied building.

PubMed

Thellier, F; Cordier, A; Monchoux, F

1994-05-01

Building simulation usually focuses on the study of physical indoor parameters, but we must not forget the main aim of a house: to provide comfort to the occupants. This study was undertaken in order to build a complete tool to model thermal behaviour that will enable the prediction of thermal sensations of humans in a real environment. A human thermoregulation model was added to TRNSYS, a building simulation program. For our purposes, improvements had to be made to the original physiological model, by refining the calculation of all heat exchanges with the environment and adding a representation of clothes. This paper briefly describes the program, its modifications, and compares its results with experimental ones. An example of potential use is given, which points out the usefulness of such models in seeking the best solutions to reach optimal environmental conditions for global, and specially local comfort, of building occupants.

Open building and flexibility in healthcare: strategies for shaping spaces for social aspects.

PubMed

Capolongo, Stefano; Buffoli, Maddalena; Nachiero, Dario; Tognolo, Chiara; Zanchi, Eleonora; Gola, Marco

2016-01-01

The fast development of technology and medicine influences the functioning of healthcare facilities as health promoter for the society, making the flexibility a fundamental requirement. Among the many ways to ensure adaptability, one that allows change without increasing the building's overall size is the Open Building approach. Starting from the analysis of the State-of-the-Art and many case-studies, eight parameters of evaluation were defined, appraising their relative importance through a weighting system defined with several experts. The resulting evaluation tool establishes in what measure healthcare facilities follow the Open Building principles. The tool is tested to ten case-studies, chosen for their flexible features, in order to determine his effectiveness and to identify projects' weaknesses and strengths. The results suggest that many Open Building's principles are already in use but, only through a good design thinking, it will be possible to guarantee architectures for health adaptable for future social challenges.

Visual documentation process of historic building refurbishment "Improving energy efficiency by insulating wall cavity"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennadji, A.

2013-07-01

The North East of Scotland's construction method is similar to most popular building typologies in the UK. This typology can vary in term of external material (Granite, brick or stone) but with a secondary, usually timber sub frame with a lining on its interior. Insulation was seldom a consideration when such buildings were completed. Statistics shows that 80% of existing buildings in the UK will need to be upgraded. The lack of knowledge in dealing with old building fabric's manipulation has a negative impact on buildings' integrity. The documentation of such process seems to be an important step that buildings' actors should undertake to communicate a practical knowledge that is still at incubation stage. We wanted for this documentation to be visual, as descriptions might mislead none specialised and specialised in the field due to the innovative approach our method was conducted with. For the Scottish context this research/experiment will concentrate on existing granite wall buildings with plastered lath internal wall. It is unfortunate to see the commonly beautiful interiors of Scottish buildings disappearing, when the internal linings are removed. Skips are filled with old Plaster and Lath and new linings have to be supplied and fitted. Excessive waste is created in this change. This paper is based on a historic building energy improvement case study financed by the European commission and the Scottish Government. The pilot study consists of insulating an 18th century house using an innovative product and method. The project was a response to a call by the CIC start (Construction Innovation Club), aiming to establish a link between SMEs and the Universities. The project saw the day in collaboration with Icynene Canada, KDL Kishorn (see full list in the acknowledgment). This paper describes the process through which the team went through to improve the building envelope without damaging the buildings original features (Loveday et all). The energy efficiency improvement consists on improving the walls U-val by introducing an insulation material Icynene (Sadineni, France & Boehm 2011) into the cavity wall. The U-val was improved by 50% and no redecoration was needed after the operation and no disturbance to the building's occupants.

Leveraging organizational dynamics in buildings to change behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewitt, Elizabeth L.

Buildings may be stationary, but they are not static; they are dynamic and active collectives of agents and actors, and play an important cultural and social role in shaping norms and influencing outcomes in the built environment. This research develops and applies a unique framework that conceptualizes the urban multifamily residential building as an organization, and seeks to use this lens to better understand the role of organizational characteristics in influencing energy efficiency in buildings. This work finds that an organizational analogy is a fruitful approach for understanding buildings, and that buildings in many ways can and do function successfully as organizations. In particular, eight organizational characteristics are explored here that extend well to buildings. These eight organizational characteristics are also explored more deeply to support an argument that some buildings have an organizational advantage that well positions them to undertake energy efficiency initiatives. One organizational characteristic -- the ownership type of the building -- is determined to be particularly important in driving energy outcomes in multifamily buildings in New York City. In particular, it was found that cooperative buildings in the New York City housing market consume less energy citywide than other types of multifamily properties, holding all else equal. Conversely, it was also found that rental buildings tend to consume more energy citywide. Subsequent qualitative case study work in a small Brooklyn cooperative building offers a deeper understanding of organizational decentralization and its role in driving decision-making and outcomes in the building. Additional comparative work in two rental properties -- one high-income and one low-income -- adds additional context and understanding to economic considerations such as the influence of income in overriding centralized efforts to operate the building efficiently. Ultimately, this research develops an analogy of buildings-as-organizations -- a conceptual framework -- to better understand tangible built space. It posits that all buildings can function as organizations, and extends this framework to the urban multifamily building to advance knowledge of energy efficiency.

Probabilistic seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of stone masonry structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abo El Ezz, Ahmad

Earthquakes represent major natural hazards that regularly impact the built environment in seismic prone areas worldwide and cause considerable social and economic losses. The high losses incurred following the past destructive earthquakes promoted the need for assessment of the seismic vulnerability and risk of the existing buildings. Many historic buildings in the old urban centers in Eastern Canada such as Old Quebec City are built of stone masonry and represent un-measurable architectural and cultural heritage. These buildings were built to resist gravity loads only and generally offer poor resistance to lateral seismic loads. Seismic vulnerability assessment of stone masonry buildings is therefore the first necessary step in developing seismic retrofitting and pre-disaster mitigation plans. The objective of this study is to develop a set of probability-based analytical tools for efficient seismic vulnerability and uncertainty analysis of stone masonry buildings. A simplified probabilistic analytical methodology for vulnerability modelling of stone masonry building with systematic treatment of uncertainties throughout the modelling process is developed in the first part of this study. Building capacity curves are developed using a simplified mechanical model. A displacement based procedure is used to develop damage state fragility functions in terms of spectral displacement response based on drift thresholds of stone masonry walls. A simplified probabilistic seismic demand analysis is proposed to capture the combined uncertainty in capacity and demand on fragility functions. In the second part, a robust analytical procedure for the development of seismic hazard compatible fragility and vulnerability functions is proposed. The results are given by sets of seismic hazard compatible vulnerability functions in terms of structure-independent intensity measure (e.g. spectral acceleration) that can be used for seismic risk analysis. The procedure is very efficient for conducting rapid vulnerability assessment of stone masonry buildings. With modification of input structural parameters, it can be adapted and applied to any other building class. A sensitivity analysis of the seismic vulnerability modelling is conducted to quantify the uncertainties associated with each of the input parameters. The proposed methodology was validated for a scenario-based seismic risk assessment of existing buildings in Old Quebec City. The procedure for hazard compatible vulnerability modelling was used to develop seismic fragility functions in terms of spectral acceleration representative of the inventoried buildings. A total of 1220 buildings were considered. The assessment was performed for a scenario event of magnitude 6.2 at distance 15km with a probability of exceedance of 2% in 50 years. The study showed that most of the expected damage is concentrated in the old brick and stone masonry buildings.

Evaluating the Life Cycle Environmental Benefits and Trade-Offs of Water Reuse Systems for Net-Zero Buildings.

PubMed

Hasik, Vaclav; Anderson, Naomi E; Collinge, William O; Thiel, Cassandra L; Khanna, Vikas; Wirick, Jason; Piacentini, Richard; Landis, Amy E; Bilec, Melissa M

2017-02-07

Aging water infrastructure and increased water scarcity have resulted in higher interest in water reuse and decentralization. Rating systems for high-performance buildings implicitly promote the use of building-scale, decentralized water supply and treatment technologies. It is important to recognize the potential benefits and trade-offs of decentralized and centralized water systems in the context of high-performance buildings. For this reason and to fill a gap in the current literature, we completed a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the decentralized water system of a high-performance, net-zero energy, net-zero water building (NZB) that received multiple green building certifications and compared the results with two modeled buildings (conventional and water efficient) using centralized water systems. We investigated the NZB's impacts over varying lifetimes, conducted a break-even analysis, and included Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. The results show that, although the NZB performs better in most categories than the conventional building, the water efficient building generally outperforms the NZB. The lifetime of the NZB, septic tank aeration, and use of solar energy have been found to be important factors in the NZB's impacts. While these findings are specific to the case study building, location, and treatment technologies, the framework for comparison of water and wastewater impacts of various buildings can be applied during building design to aid decision making. As we design and operate high-performance buildings, the potential trade-offs of advanced decentralized water treatment systems should be considered.

The potential of net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) concept at design stage for healthcare buildings towards sustainable development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazli Abdellah, Roy; Asrul Nasid Masrom, Md; Chen, Goh Kai; Mohamed, Sulzakimin; Omar, Roshartini

2017-11-01

The focus on net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) has been widely analysed and discussed particularly when European Union Parliament are progressively moving towards regulation that promotes the improvement of energy efficiency (EE). Additionally, it also to reduce energy consumption through the recast of the EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) in which all new buildings to be “nearly Zero-Energy” Buildings by 2020. Broadly, there is a growing trend to explore the feasibility of net zero energy in healthcare sector as the level energy consumption for healthcare sector is found significantly high. Besides that, healthcare buildings energy consumption also exceeds of many other nondomestic building types, and this shortcoming is still undetermined yet especially for developing countries. This paper aims to review the potential of NZEBs in healthcare buildings by considering its concept in design features. Data are gathered through a comprehensive energy management literature review from previous studies. The review is vital to encourage construction players to increase their awareness, practices, and implementation of NZEBs in healthcare buildings. It suggests that NZEBs concept has a potential to be adapted in healthcare buildings through emphasizing of passive approach as well as the utilization of energy efficiency systems and renewable energy systems in buildings. This paper will provide a basis knowledge for construction key players mainly architects to promote NZEBs concept at design stage for healthcare buildings development.

IEA EBC Annex 66: Definition and simulation of occupant behavior in buildings

DOE PAGES

Yan, Da; Hong, Tianzhen; Dong, Bing; ...

2017-09-28

Here, more than 30% of the total primary energy in the world is consumed in buildings. It is crucial to reduce building energy consumption in order to preserve energy resources and mitigate global climate change. Building performance simulations have been widely used for the estimation and optimization of building performance, providing reference values for the assessment of building energy consumption and the effects of energy-saving technologies. Among the various factors influencing building energy consumption, occupant behavior has drawn increasing attention. Occupant behavior includes occupant presence, movement, and interaction with building energy devices and systems. However, there are gaps in occupantmore » behavior modeling as different energy modelers have employed varied data and tools to simulate occupant behavior, therefore producing different and incomparable results. Aiming to address these gaps, the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Community (EBC) Programme Annex 66 has established a scientific methodological framework for occupant behavior research, including data collection, behavior model representation, modeling and evaluation approaches, and the integration of behavior modeling tools with building performance simulation programs. Annex 66 also includes case studies and application guidelines to assist in building design, operation, and policymaking, using interdisciplinary approaches to reduce energy use in buildings and improve occupant comfort and productivity. This paper highlights the key research issues, methods, and outcomes pertaining to Annex 66, and offers perspectives on future research needs to integrate occupant behavior with the building life cycle.« less

IEA EBC Annex 66: Definition and simulation of occupant behavior in buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Da; Hong, Tianzhen; Dong, Bing

Here, more than 30% of the total primary energy in the world is consumed in buildings. It is crucial to reduce building energy consumption in order to preserve energy resources and mitigate global climate change. Building performance simulations have been widely used for the estimation and optimization of building performance, providing reference values for the assessment of building energy consumption and the effects of energy-saving technologies. Among the various factors influencing building energy consumption, occupant behavior has drawn increasing attention. Occupant behavior includes occupant presence, movement, and interaction with building energy devices and systems. However, there are gaps in occupantmore » behavior modeling as different energy modelers have employed varied data and tools to simulate occupant behavior, therefore producing different and incomparable results. Aiming to address these gaps, the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Community (EBC) Programme Annex 66 has established a scientific methodological framework for occupant behavior research, including data collection, behavior model representation, modeling and evaluation approaches, and the integration of behavior modeling tools with building performance simulation programs. Annex 66 also includes case studies and application guidelines to assist in building design, operation, and policymaking, using interdisciplinary approaches to reduce energy use in buildings and improve occupant comfort and productivity. This paper highlights the key research issues, methods, and outcomes pertaining to Annex 66, and offers perspectives on future research needs to integrate occupant behavior with the building life cycle.« less

Assessment of capacity-building activities for forest measurement, reporting, and verification, 2011–15

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peneva-Reed, Elitsa I.; Romijn, J. Erika

2018-05-31

This report was written as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, SilvaCarbon, and Wageningen University with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the European Space Agency, respectively, to address a pressing need for enhanced result-based monitoring and evaluation of delivered capacity-building activities. For this report, the capacity-building activities delivered by capacity-building providers (referred to as “providers” hereafter) during 2011–15 (the study period) to support countries in building measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) were assessed and evaluated.Summarizing capacity-building activities and outcomes across multiple providers was challenging. Many of the providers did not have information readily available, which precluded them from participating in this study despite the usefulness of their information. This issue led to a key proposed future action: Capacity-building providers could establish a central repository within the Global Forestry Observation Initiative (GFOI; http://www.gfoi.org/) where data from past, current, and future activities of all capacity-building providers could be stored. The repository could be maintained in a manner to continually learn from previous lessons.Although various providers monitored and evaluated the success of their capacity-building activities, such evaluations only assessed the success of immediate outcomes and not the overarching outcomes and impacts of activities implemented by multiple providers. Good monitoring and evaluation should continuously monitor and periodically evaluate all factors affecting the outcomes of a provided capacity-building activity.The absence of a methodology to produce quantitative evidence of a causal link between multiple capacity-building activities delivered and successful outcomes left only a plausible association. A previous publication argued that plausible association, although not a precise measurement of cause and effect, was a realistic tool. Our review of the available literature on this subject did not find another similar assessment to assess capacity-building activities for supporting the countries in building MRV system for REDD+.Four countries from the main forested regions of Africa, the Americas, and Asia were chosen as subjects for this report based on the length of time SilvaCarbon and other providers have provided capacity-building activities toward MRV system for REDD+: Colombia (the Americas), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; Africa), Peru (the Americas), and the Republic of the Philippines (referred to as “the Philippines” hereafter; Asia).Several providers were contacted for information to include in this report, but, because of various constraints, only SilvaCarbon, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) participated in this study. These three providers supported various targeted capacity-building activities through-out Africa, the Americas, and Asia, including the following: technical workshops at national and regional levels (referred to as “workshops” hereafter), hands on training, study tours, technical details by experts, technical consultation between providers and recipients, sponsorship for travel, organizing network meetings, developing sampling protocols, assessing deforestation and degradation drivers, estimating carbon stock and flow, designing monitoring systems for multiple uses, promoting public-private partnerships to scale up investments on MRV system for REDD+, and assisting with the design of national forest monitoring systems.Their activities were planned in coordination with key partners in each country and region and with the support and assistance of other providers. Note that several other organizations and institutions assisted the providers to deliver capacity-building activities, including Boston University, Conservation International, Stanford University, University of Maryland, and Wageningen University & Research.

Center for the Built Environment: Research on Building Envelope Systems

Science.gov Websites

Studies Facade and Perimeter Zone Field Study Facades and Thermal Comfort Facade Symposium Mixed-Mode Research Adaptive Comfort Model Mixed-Mode Case Studies Operable Windows and Thermal Comfort Occupant thermal preferences in naturally ventilated as sealed buildings? Case Study Research of Mixed-Mode Office

Utilization of structural steel in buildings.

PubMed

Moynihan, Muiris C; Allwood, Julian M

2014-08-08

Over one-quarter of steel produced annually is used in the construction of buildings. Making this steel causes carbon dioxide emissions, which climate change experts recommend be reduced by half in the next 37 years. One option to achieve this is to design and build more efficiently, still delivering the same service from buildings but using less steel to do so. To estimate how much steel could be saved from this option, 23 steel-framed building designs are studied, sourced from leading UK engineering firms. The utilization of each beam is found and buildings are analysed to find patterns. The results for over 10 000 beams show that average utilization is below 50% of their capacity. The primary reason for this low value is 'rationalization'-providing extra material to reduce labour costs. By designing for minimum material rather than minimum cost, steel use in buildings could be drastically reduced, leading to an equivalent reduction in 'embodied' carbon emissions.

Causes and Solutions for High Energy Consumption in Traditional Buildings Located in Hot Climate Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barayan, Olfat Mohammad

A considerable amount of money for high-energy consumption is spent in traditional buildings located in hot climate regions. High-energy consumption is significantly influenced by several causes, including building materials, orientation, mass, and openings' sizes. This paper aims to identify these causes and find practical solutions to reduce the annual cost of bills. For the purpose of this study, simulation research method has been followed. A comparison between two Revit models has also been created to point out the major cause of high-energy consumption. By analysing different orientations, wall insulation, and window glazing and applying some other high performance building techniques, a conclusion was found to confirm that appropriate building materials play a vital role in affecting energy cost. Therefore, the ability to reduce the energy cost by more than 50% in traditional buildings depends on a careful balance of building materials, mass, orientation, and type of window glazing.

Assessment of Seismic Damage on The Exist Buildings Using Fuzzy Logic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pınar, USTA; Nihat, MOROVA; EVCİ, Ahmet; ERGÜN, Serap

2018-01-01

Earthquake as a natural disaster could damage the lives of many people and buildings all over the world. These is micvulnerability of the buildings needs to be evaluated. Accurate evaluation of damage sustained by buildings during natural disaster events is critical to determine the buildings safety and their suitability for future occupancy. The earthquake is one of the disasters that structures face the most. There fore, there is a need to evaluate seismic damage and vulnerability of the buildings to protect them. These days fuzzy systems have been widely used in different fields of science because of its simpli city and efficiency. Fuzzy logic provides a suitable framework for reasoning, deduction, and decision making in fuzzy conditions. In this paper, studies on earthquake hazard evaluation of buildings by fuzzy logic modeling concepts in the literature have been investigated and evaluated, as a whole.

Christian Education and Nation Building: A Focus on Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajani, Ezekiel

2013-01-01

This article discusses the relevance of Christian education to nation building with a focus on Nigeria. Books, journal articles, and personal observations combined to serve as the resources for the study. The major questions addressed relate to the importance of Christian education to building the Nigerian nation in order to promote infrastructure…

Environmental impact of producing hardwood lumber using life-cycle inventory

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman; S.A. Bowe

2007-01-01

Using sustainable building materials is gaining a significant presence in the United States therefore proving sustainability claims are becoming increasingly more important. Showing wood products as green building materials is vital for the long-term productivity of the wood building industry. This study examined hardwood lumber manufacturing using Life-Cycle Inventory...

Two Tales of Time: Uncovering the Significance of Sequential Patterns among Contribution Types in Knowledge-Building Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Bodong; Resendes, Monica; Chai, Ching Sing; Hong, Huang-Yao

2017-01-01

As collaborative learning is actualized through evolving dialogues, temporality inevitably matters for the analysis of collaborative learning. This study attempts to uncover sequential patterns that distinguish "productive" threads of knowledge-building discourse. A database of Grade 1-6 knowledge-building discourse was first coded for…

Sustaining Knowledge Building as a Principle-Based Innovation at an Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jianwei; Hong, Huang-Yao; Scardamalia, Marlene; Teo, Chew Lee; Morley, Elizabeth A.

2011-01-01

This study explores Knowledge Building as a principle-based innovation at an elementary school and makes a case for a principle- versus procedure-based approach to educational innovation, supported by new knowledge media. Thirty-nine Knowledge Building initiatives, each focused on a curriculum theme and facilitated by nine teachers over eight…

Building Blocks: Enmeshing Technology and Creativity with Artistic Pedagogical Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janzen, Katherine J.; Perry, Beth; Edwards, Margaret

2017-01-01

Using the analogy of children's building blocks, the reader is guided through the results of a research study that explored the use of three Artistic Pedagogical Technologies (APTs). "Building blocks" was the major theme that emerged from the data. Sub-themes included developing community, enhancing creativity, and risk taking. The…

Green Student Centers' Influence on the Campus Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrell, Krista L.

2012-01-01

Green building and design is an emerging trend in institutions of higher education. It is important to consider the practices and expectations of the users of green buildings. The attitudes of faculty, staff, and students play a key role in the overall successful performance of green buildings. This study offers direction for the intentional…

Storytelling Dramas as a Community Building Activity in an Early Childhood Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Cheryl; Diener, Marissa L.; Kemp, Jacqueline Lindsay

2013-01-01

Healthy social-emotional development is promoted by building a safe, secure and respectful environment in an early childhood setting with positive and consistent relationships among adults, children, and their peers. This study explored storytelling dramas as an opportunity to build community within the context of one early childhood classroom.…

Building Our Children's Future: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Grades K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumma, Tracy; Gant, Shaun; Stone, Laura Armstrong; Harnish, Chris; Fowle, Abigail

This interdisciplinary curriculum provides students with the opportunity to learn about the connection between natural resources and buildings while practicing skills in language arts, math, science, social studies, and visual arts. The learning activities are divided by topic into 15 Building Blocks (units). These units cover such topics as…

Life-cycle inventory of manufacturing hardwood lumber in Southeastern US

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman; Scott A. Bowe

2012-01-01

Environmental impacts associated with the building industry have become of increasing importance. Materials and energy consumed during manufacture of building materials such as lumber affect a building’s environmental performance. This study determined environmental impacts of manufacturing hardwood lumber in the southeastern US using the life-cycle inventory method....

Relationship Building One Step at a Time: Case Studies of Successful Faculty-Librarian Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Díaz, José O.; Mandernach, Meris A.

2017-01-01

Building strong relationships between academic librarians and teaching faculty is paramount for promoting services and resources. While librarians face challenges ranging from new technologies to heightened expectations and fiscal difficulties, the key work remains in solid relationship building. Drawing on the experience of a group of subject…

Development of Program to Enhance Team Building Leadership Skills of Primary School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sairam, Boonchauy; Sirisuthi, Chaiyuth; Wisetrinthong, Kanjana

2017-01-01

Team building leadership skills are important to understandings of how the primary school administrators might work towards creating more effective teamwork in the school. This research aimed 1) to study the components of team building leadership skills needed for primary school administrators, 2) to examine the current states and desirable…

A Psychoeducational Group Model to Build Academic Competence in New Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brannigan, Michael

2007-01-01

Students entering middle school are faced with many challenges and opportunities. School counselors can optimally assist them in their journey through academic development by providing skill building experiences. With study skills and the ability to self-advocate, students can build a solid foundation upon which confidence and academic performance…

An Attempt to Design a Naturally Ventilated Tower in Subtropical Climate of the Developing Country; Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohail, Maha

2017-12-01

A large proportion of the world's population resides in developing countries where there is a lack of rigorous studies in designing energy efficient buildings. This study is a step in designing a naturally ventilated high rise residential building in a tropical climatic context of the developing country, Pakistan. Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, lies in the subtropical hot desert region with constant high temperature of average 32 °C throughout the summer and no particular winter season. The Design Builder software package is used to design a 25 storey high rise residential building relying primarily on natural ventilation. A final conceptual design is proposed after optimization of massing, geometry, orientation, and improved building envelope design including extensive shading devices in the form of trees. It has been observed that a reduction of 8 °C in indoor ambient temperature is possible to achieve with passive measures and use of night time ventilation. A fully naturally ventilated building can reduce the energy consumption for cooling and heating by 96 % compared to a building using air conditioning systems.

Dynamic modeling and experiments on the coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dong-Ho; Kim, Ki-Young; Kwak, Moon K.; Lee, Seungjun

2017-03-01

This study is concerned with the theoretical modelling and experimental verification of the coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes. The elevator ropes consist of a main rope which supports the cage and the compensation rope which is connected to the compensation sheave. The elevator rope is a flexible wire with a low damping, so it is prone to vibrations. In the case of a high-rise building, the rope length also increases significantly, so that the fundamental frequency of the elevator rope approaches the fundamental frequency of the building thus increasing the possibility of resonance. In this study, the dynamic model for the analysis of coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes was derived by using Hamilton's principle, where the cage motion was also considered. An experimental testbed was built to validate the proposed dynamic model. It was found that the experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions thus validating the proposed dynamic model. The proposed model was then used to predict the vibrations of real building and elevator ropes.

Regional Design Approach in Designing Climatic Responsive Administrative Building in the 21st Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haja Bava Mohidin, Hazrina Binti; Ismail, Alice Sabrina

2015-01-01

The objective of this paper is to explicate on the study of modern administrative building in Malaysia which portrays regional design approach that conforms to the local context and climate by reviewing two case studies; Perdana Putra (1999) and former Prime Minister's Office (1967). This paper is significant because the country's stature and political statement was symbolized by administrative building as a national icon. In other words, it is also viewed as a cultural object that is closely tied to a particular social context and nation historical moment. Administrative building, therefore, may exhibit various meanings. This paper uses structuralism paradigm and semiotic principles as a methodological approach. This paper is of importance for practicing architects and society in the future as it offers new knowledge and understanding in identifying the suitable climatic consideration that may reflect regionalist design approach in modern administrative building. These elements then may be adopted in designing public buildings in the future with regional values that are important for expressing national culture to symbolize the identity of place and society as well as responsive to climate change.

Evaluation of fungal growth on cellulose-containing and inorganic ceiling tile.

PubMed

Karunasena, E; Markham, N; Brasel, T; Cooley, J D; Straus, D C

2001-01-01

Buildings with poor indoor air quality (IAQ) frequently have many areas with surface fungal contamination. Studies have demonstrated that certain fungal genera (e.g., Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys) are able to grow on building materials such as wallpaper, drywall, and ceiling tiles, particularly after water damage has occurred. Due to the increasing awareness of sick building syndrome (SBS), it has become essential to identify building materials that prevent the interior growth of fungi. The objective of this study was to identify building materials that would not support the growth of certain fungal genera, regardless of whether an external food source was made available. The growth of three fungal genera (Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys) was evaluated on cellulose-containing ceiling tile (CCT) and inorganic ceiling tile (ICT). Both types of ceiling tile were exposed to environmental conditions which can occur inside a building. Our results show that ICT did not support the growth of these three fungal genera while CCT did. Our data demonstrate that ICT could serve as an ideal replacement for CCT.

[Analysis of accidents at work in building yards: correlation between risk and law defaults in yards of Palermo].

PubMed

Arcadipane, C; Verso, M G; Schillaci, S; Picciotto, D

2007-01-01

In the last years the building firm underwent real boom for investments and workers but not for safety measures. In the building sector there is a great accidents risks for falls from the top. The aim of present study is to analyze trend of accidents at work in building yards according to INAIL DATA and we will identify causes and risks then we will correlate these risks with frequent law defaults that we noticed in the province of Palermo. At the end we will value possible preventive measures to avoid this phenomenon. DATA INAIL of period 2001-2005 about building sector show us a reduction of denounced accidents at work but this phenomenon is changeable. Palermo is the first sicilian province for accidents at work although the number of denounced accidents (from 2001 to 2005) is decreasing while this number in Catania is increasing, CPT of Palermo gave us data (from 2004 to 2006) about inspections in building yards. Our study interests 609 yards and 1827 work stages. We noticed the most number of rests in civil yards.

Predicting the seismic performance of typical R/C healthcare facilities: emphasis on hospitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilgin, Huseyin; Frangu, Idlir

2017-09-01

Reinforced concrete (RC) type of buildings constitutes an important part of the current building stock in earthquake prone countries such as Albania. Seismic response of structures during a severe earthquake plays a vital role in the extent of structural damage and resulting injuries and losses. In this context, this study evaluates the expected performance of a five-story RC healthcare facility, representative of common practice in Albania, designed according to older codes. The design was based on the code requirements used in this region during the mid-1980s. Non-linear static and dynamic time history analyses were conducted on the structural model using the Zeus NL computer program. The dynamic time history analysis was conducted with a set of ground motions from real earthquakes. The building responses were estimated in global levels. FEMA 356 criteria were used to predict the seismic performance of the building. The structural response measures such as capacity curve and inter-story drift under the set of ground motions and pushover analyses results were compared and detailed seismic performance assessment was done. The main aim of this study is considering the application and methodology for the earthquake performance assessment of existing buildings. The seismic performance of the structural model varied significantly under different ground motions. Results indicate that case study building exhibit inadequate seismic performance under different seismic excitations. In addition, reasons for the poor performance of the building is discussed.

Building Design Guidelines for Solar Energy Technologies

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Givoni, B.

1989-01-01

There are two main objectives to this publication. The first is to find out the communalities in the experience gained in previous studies and in actual applications of solar technologies in buildings, residential as well as nonresidential. The second objective is to review innovative concepts and products which may have an impact on future developments and applications of solar technologies in buildings. The available information and common lessons were collated and presented in a form which, hopefully, is useful for architects and solar engineers, as well as for teachers of "solar architecture" and students in Architectural Schools. The publication is based mainly on the collection and analysis of relevant information. The information included previous studies in which the performance of solar buildings was evaluated, as well as the personal experience of the Author and the research consultants. The state of the art, as indicated by these studies and personal experience, was summarized and has served as basis for the development of the Design Guidelines. In addition to the summary of the state of the art, as was already applied in solar buildings, an account was given of innovative concepts and products. Such innovations have occurred in the areas of thermal storage by Phase Change Materials (PCM) and in glazing with specialized or changeable properties. Interesting concepts were also developed for light transfer, which may enable to transfer sunlight to the core areas of large multi story nonresidential buildings. These innovations may have a significant impact on future developments of solar technologies and their applications in buildings.

Analysis of a school building damaged by the 2015 Ranau earthquake Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Shugo; Saito, Taiki

2017-10-01

On June 5th, 2015 a severe earthquake with a moment Magnitude of 6.0 occurred in Ranau, Malaysia. Depth of the epicenter is 10 km. Due to the earthquake, many facilities were damaged and 18 people were killed due to rockfalls [1]. Because the British Standard (BS) is adopted as a regulation for built buildings in Malaysia, the seismic force is not considered in the structural design. Therefore, the seismic resistance of Malaysian buildings is unclear. To secure the human life and building safety, it is important to grasp seismic resistance of the building. The objective of this study is to evaluate the seismic resistance of the existing buildings in Malaysia built by the British Standard. A school building that was damaged at the Ranau earthquake is selected as the target building. The building is a four story building and the ground floor is designed to be a parking space for the staff. The structural types are infill masonries where main frame is configured by reinforced concrete columns and beams and brick is installed inside the frame as walls. Analysis is performed using the STERA_3D software that is the software to analyze the seismic performance of buildings developed by one of the authors. Firstly, the natural period of the building is calculated and compared with the result of micro-tremor measurement. Secondly, the nonlinear push-over analysis was conducted to evaluate the horizontal load bearing capacity of the building. Thirdly, the earthquake response analysis was conducted using the time history acceleration data measured at the Ranau earthquake by the seismograph installed at Kota Kinabalu. By comparing the results of earthquake response analysis and the actual damage of the building, the reason that caused damage to the building is clarified.

Ventilation/odor study, field study. Final report, Volume I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duffee, R.A.; Jann, P.

1981-04-01

The results are presented of field investigations in schools, hospitals, and an office building on the relation between ventilation rate and odor within the buildings. The primary objective of the study was to determine: the reduction in ventilation rates that could be achieved in public buildings without causing adverse effects on odor; the sources of odor in public buildings; and the identity of the odorants. The variables of particular interest include: type of odor, occupant density, odorant identity and concentration, differences in impressions between occupants adapted to prevailing conditions and visitors, and the influence of temperature and humidity on bothmore » the generation and perception of common contaminants. Sensory odor measurements, chemical measurements, fresh air ventilation measurements, and acceptability evaluations via questionnaires were made. Sensory odor levels were found to be quite low in most buildings tested. A three-to-five-fold reduction in the fresh air ventilation in schools, hospitals, and office buildings can be achieved without significantly affecting perceived odor intensities or detectability. Tobacco smoking was found to be the most significant, pervasive contributor to interior odor level. Total hydrocarbon content of indoor air varies directly with ventilation rates; odor, however, does not. The complete set of reduced data are contained in Volume II. (LEW)« less

The Building Blocks of Life Move from Ground to Tree to Animal and Back to Ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, E. A.

2015-12-01

I generally use combinations of big words to describe my science, such as biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology, nutrient cycling, stoichiometry, tropical deforestation, land-use change, agricultural intensification, eutrophication, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainable development. I didn't expect to use any of these words, but I was surprised that I couldn't use some others that seem simple enough to me, such as farm, plant, soil, and forest. I landed on "building blocks" as my metaphor for the forms of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements that I study as they cycle through and among ecosystems. I study what makes trees and other kinds of life grow. We all know that they need the sun and that they take up water from the ground, but what else do trees need from the ground? What do animals that eat leaves and wood get from the trees? Just as we need building blocks to grow our bodies, trees and animals also need building blocks for growing their bodies. Trees get part of their building blocks from the ground and animals get theirs from what they eat. When animals poop and when leaves fall, some of their building blocks return to the ground. When they die, their building blocks also go back to the ground. I also study what happens to the ground, the water, and the air when we cut down trees, kill or shoo away the animals, and make fields to grow our food. Can we grow enough food and still keep the ground, water, and air clean? I think the answer is yes, but it will take better understanding of how all of those building blocks fit together and move around, from ground to tree to animal and back to ground.

Mixed strategies for energy conservation and alternative energy utilization (solar) in buildings. Final report. Volume II. Detailed results. [New York, Atlanta, Omaha, and Albuquerque

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1977-06-01

The mixed-strategy analysis was a tradeoff analysis between energy-conservation methods and an alternative energy source (solar) considering technical and economic benefits. The objective of the analysis was to develop guidelines for: reducing energy requirements; reducing conventional fuel use; and identifying economic alternatives for building owners. The analysis was done with a solar system in place. This makes the study unique in that it is determining the interaction of energy conservation with a solar system. The study, therefore, established guidelines as to how to minimize capital investment while reducing the conventional fuel consumption through either a larger solar system or anmore » energy-conserving technique. To focus the scope of energy-conservation techniques and alternative energy sources considered, five building types (house, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, schools, and office buildings) were selected. Finally, the lists of energy-conservation techniques and alternative energy sources were reduced to lists of manageable size by using technical attributes to select the best candidates for further study. The resultant energy-conservation techniques were described in detail and installed costs determined. The alternative energy source reduced to solar. Building construction characteristics were defined for each building for each of four geographic regions of the country. A mixed strategy consisting of an energy-conservation technique and solar heating/hot water/cooling system was analyzed, using computer simulation to determine the interaction between energy conservation and the solar system. Finally, using FEA fuel-price scenarios and installed costs for the solar system and energy conservation techniques, an economic analysis was performed to determine the cost effectiveness of the combination. (MCW)« less

Contaminants in Buildings and Occupied Spaces as Risk Factors forOccupant Symptoms in U.S. Office Buildings: Findings from the U.S. EPABASE Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mendell, M.J.; Mirer, A.; Lei-Gomez, Q.

2007-08-01

Nonspecific building-related symptoms among occupants of modern office buildings worldwide are common and may be associated with important reductions in work performance, but their etiology remains uncertain. Most reported research into environmental risk factors for these symptoms has focused on ventilation system-related factors, dampness, and particle removal through filtration and cleaning, with relatively few studies of other potential sources of indoor contaminants. We analyzed data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from a representative sample of 100 large U.S. office buildings--the Building Assessment and Survey Evaluation (BASE) study--using multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations. We estimatedmore » odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between seven building-related symptom outcomes and a diverse set of potential indoor and outdoor sources for indoor pollutants. Although most of the investigated risk factors showed no apparent association with building-related symptoms, some interesting associations resulted. Increased prevalence of symptoms was associated with carpets older than one year (lower respiratory symptoms), non-carpeted floors (upper and lower respiratory symptoms), older furniture (eye and skin symptoms), infrequent vacuuming (upper respiratory, eye, and skin symptoms and headache), and masonry exterior walls (cough, eye symptoms, and fatigue/concentration difficulty). For the many potential risk factors assessed, almost none had been investigated previously, and many associations found here may have been by chance. Additional confirmatory research focused on risk factors initially identified here is needed, using more objective measures of health outcomes and risk factors or exposures.« less

Effects of acute alcohol withdrawal on nest building in mice selectively bred for alcohol withdrawal severity.

PubMed

Greenberg, Gian D; Phillips, Tamara J; Crabbe, John C

2016-10-15

Nest building has been used to assess thermoregulatory behavior and positive motivational states in mice. There are known genetic influences on ethanol withdrawal severity as well as individual/thermoregulatory nest building. Withdrawal Seizure-Prone (WSP-1, WSP-2) and Withdrawal Seizure-Resistant (WSR-1, WSR-2) mice were selectively bred for high vs low handling-induced convulsion (HIC) severity, respectively, during withdrawal from chronic ethanol vapor inhalation. They also differ in HIC severity during withdrawal from an acute, 4g/kg ethanol injection. In our initial study, withdrawal from an acute dose of ethanol dose-dependently impaired nest building over the initial 24h of withdrawal in genetically segregating Withdrawal Seizure Control (WSC) mice. In two further studies, acute ethanol withdrawal suppressed nest building for up to two days in WSP-1 females. Deficits in nest building from ethanol were limited to the initial 10h of withdrawal in WSR-1 females and to the initial 24h of withdrawal in WSP-1 and WSR-1 males. Effects of ethanol on nest building for up to two days were found in WSP-2 and WSR-2 mice of both sexes. Nest building deficits in female mice from the first replicate could not be explained by a general decrease in locomotor behavior. These results suggest that nest building is a novel behavioral phenotype for indexing the severity of acute ethanol withdrawal, and that genes contributing to this trait differ from those affecting acute withdrawal HIC severity. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers

PubMed Central

Tian, Mi; Deng, Zhu; Meng, Zhaokun; Li, Rui; Zhang, Zhiyi; Qi, Wenhui; Wang, Rui; Yin, Tingting; Ji, Menghui

2018-01-01

Children’s block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children’s block building performance. Chinese preschoolers (N = 180) participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children’s block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation. PMID:29441031

Chilled water study EEAP program for Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Book 2. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-02-01

The Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP) Study for Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) was to provide a thorough examination of the central chilled water plants on site. WRAMC is comprised of seventy-one (71) buildings located on a 113-acre site in Washington, D.C. There are two (2) central chilled water plants (Buildings 48 and 49) each with a primary chilled water distribution system. In addition to the two (2) central plants, three (3) buildings utilize their own independent chillers. Two (2) of the independent chillers (Buildings 7 and T-2), one of which is inoperative (T-2), are smaller air-cooled units, whilemore » the third (Building 54) has a 1,900-ton chilled water plant comprised of three (3) centrifugal chillers. Of the two (2) central chilled water plants, Building 48 houses six (6) chillers totalling 7,080 tons of cooling and Building 49 houses one (1) chiller with 660 tons of cooling. The total chiller cooling capacity available on site is 9,840 tons. The chilled water systems were reviewed for alternative ways of conserving energy on site and reducing the peak-cooling load. Distribution systems were reviewed to determine which buildings were served by each of the chilled water plants and to determine chilled water usage on site. Evaluations were made of building exterior and interior composition in order to estimate cooling loads. Interviews with site personnel helped Entech better understand the chilled water plants, the distribution systems, and how each system was utilized.« less

Study of potential nonconformities of a new recreation center building's envelope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanescu, M.; Kajl, S.; Lamarche, L.

2016-09-01

This article presents a building envelope's analysis in order to verify the compliance with mandatory provisions of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings in Canada (MNECB 1997). Because some of the requirements are «not met», investigations were carried out to provide justifications in order to prove that the building can be considered as an exception to the mandatory provisions of MNECB. Therefore, we evaluate the impact of three (3) potential nonconformities of the building's walls on the building energy performance. In regards to article 3.1.1.1.4 of MNECB, there is an exception if it can be proved that permanent process (like heat recovery of refrigeration compressors) can produce at all times enough heat that no other heating source is required. First of all, by using simulation, we were able to indicate that almost all building's heating will be provided by energy recovery from ice rinks refrigeration systems (99.2%). Secondly, by using an energy analysis carried out with HEAT2 software, we can show that the increase of heating energy demand caused by the 3 studied walls is very low. This represents an increase of the heating energy demand of only 0.2%, and this, regardless of the heat recovery process. Because the nonconforming wall sections are small (0.97% of the envelope area), this mainly explains the minor impact in terms of building performance. In conclusion, according to the results obtained, we were able to recommend the building for consideration as an exception to the mandatory provisions of MNECB.

Impact of atmospheric particulate matter pollutants to IAQ of airport terminal buildings: A first field study at Tianjin Airport, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Jianlin; Cao, Xiaodong; Liu, Junjie

2018-04-01

Passengers usually spend hours in the airport terminal buildings waiting for their departure. During the long waiting period, ambient fine particles (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles (UFP) generated by airliners may penetrate into terminal buildings through open doors and the HVAC system. However, limited data are available on passenger exposure to particulate pollutants in terminal buildings. We conducted on-site measurements on PM2.5 and UFP concentration and the particle size distribution in the terminal building of Tianjin Airport, China during three different seasons. The results showed that the PM2.5 concentrations in the terminal building were considerably larger than the values guided by Chinese standard and WHO on all of the tested seasons, and the conditions were significantly affected by the outdoor air (Spearman test, p < 0.01). The indoor/outdoor PM2.5 ratios (I/O) ranged from 0.67 to 0.84 in the arrival hall and 0.79 to 0.96 in the departure hall. The particle number concentration in the terminal building presented a bi-modal size distribution, with one mode being at 30 nm and another mode at 100 nm. These results were totally different from the size distribution measured in a normal urban environment. The total UFP exposure during the whole waiting period (including in the terminal building and airliner cabin) of a passenger is approximately equivalent to 11 h of exposure to normal urban environments. This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of indoor air quality and health of passengers in airport terminal buildings.

Fault-tolerant computer study. [logic designs for building block circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rennels, D. A.; Avizienis, A. A.; Ercegovac, M. D.

1981-01-01

A set of building block circuits is described which can be used with commercially available microprocessors and memories to implement fault tolerant distributed computer systems. Each building block circuit is intended for VLSI implementation as a single chip. Several building blocks and associated processor and memory chips form a self checking computer module with self contained input output and interfaces to redundant communications buses. Fault tolerance is achieved by connecting self checking computer modules into a redundant network in which backup buses and computer modules are provided to circumvent failures. The requirements and design methodology which led to the definition of the building block circuits are discussed.

Ancient mortars from Cape Verde: mineralogical and physical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha, Fernando; Costa, Cristiana; Velosa, Ana; Quintela, Ana; Terroso, Denise; Marques, Vera

2014-05-01

Times and locations of different building constructions means different knowledge, habits, different construction methods and materials. The study and safeguarding of the architectural heritage takes nowadays a progressive importance as a vehicle for transmission of cultures and history of nations. The coatings are of great importance in the durability of a building due to the protective role of the masonry. The compatibility between the materials with which they are executed (masonry, mortar and grout settlement) promotes the proper functioning of the wall and a consequent increase in durability. Therefore, it becomes important to study and characterize the mortar coating of buildings to know its characteristics and to use compatible materials in the rehabilitation and maintenance of buildings. This study aims to characterize the chemical, physical, mechanical and mineralogical mortar samples collected in buildings in three islands of Cape Verde, for the conservation, rehabilitation and preservation of them. The collected samples belong to buildings constructed in the end of XIX century and in the beginning of XX century. In order to characterize the mortar samples some tests was made, such as X-Ray Diffraction, X- Ray Fluorescence, acid attack and mechanical strength. The samples were divided into three groups depending on origin; so we have a first group collected on the island of Santiago, the second on the island of Saint Vincent and the third on the island of Santo Antao. The samples are all carbonated, but Santiago samples have a lower carbonates content. In terms of insoluble residue (from the acid attack) it was concluded that the samples have similar value ranging from 9 to 26%. The compressive strength of the mortars have a range between 1.36 and 4.55 MPa, which is related to the presence of more binder in samples with higher resistance. The chemical and mineralogical analyzes showed that these consist of lime mortars (binder), natural pozzolan and basaltic sands, which would be expected because these buildings are in a volcanic complex. The addition of pozzolans mortars confers resistance. It will be important in the conservation and maintenance of these buildings to use mortars with the same constituents of those proposed on this study, for greater durability of the coating of these buildings. These basic properties provide a basis for the development of adequate interventions, preserving the characteristics of the buildings.

Some engineering properties of heavy concrete added silica fume

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akkaş, Ayşe; Başyiğit, Celalettin; Esen, Serap

Many different types of building materials have been used in building construction for years. Heavy concretes can be used as a building material for critical building as it can contain a mixture of many heavy elements. The barite itself for radiation shielding can be used and also in concrete to produce the workable concrete with a maximum density and adequate structural strength. In this study, some engineering properties like compressive strength, elasticity modules and flexure strength of heavy concretes’ added Silica fume have been investigated.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Design Guidance for Passive Vents in New Construction, Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

In an effort to improve indoor air quality in high-performance, new construction, multifamily buildings, dedicated sources of outdoor air are being implemented. Passive vents are being selected by some design teams over other strategies because of their lower first costs and operating costs. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America research team Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings constructed eight steps, which outline the design and commissioning required for these passive vents to perform as intended.

[STRATEGY OF USE AND MAINTENANCE OF CLINICAL HOSPITAL CENTER RIJEKA IN ACCORDANCE WITH KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR STRATEGIC HEALTHCARE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE].

PubMed

Sjekavica, Mariela; Haller, Herman; Cerić, Anita

2015-01-01

Building usage is the phase in the building life cycle that is most time-consuming, most functional, most significant due to building purpose and often systematically ignored. Maintenance is the set of activities that ensure the planned duration of facility exploitation phase in accordance with the requirements for quality maintenance of a large number of important building features as well as other elements immanent to the nature of facilities' life. The aim of the study is to show the analysis of the current state of organized, planned and comprehensive managerial approach in hospital utilization and maintenance in the Republic of Croatia, given on the case study of Clinical hospital center in Rijeka. The methodology used consists of relevant literature section of theory of facility utilization, maintenance and management in general, hospital buildings especially, display of practice on case study, and comparison of key performance indicators values obtained through interview with those that author Igal M. Shohet defined in his study by field surveys and statistical analyses. Despite many positive indicators of Clinical hospital center Rijeka maintenance, an additional research is needed in order to define a more complete national hospital maintenance strategy.

Design and operational energy studies in a new high-rise office building. Volume 5. DOE-2: comparison with measured data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1984-03-01

The purpose of the DOE-2 comparison study is to compare the energy consumption for the Park Plaza building predicted by the DOE-2.1 simulation with actual energy consumption measured by the data collection system at the building. The extensive and detailed output of the data collection system provides a basis for verifying the accuracy of DOE-2.1 at a component level over short intervals of time in each of the four seasons.

Course of Study Project. Final Report. Vocational-Technical Education Departmental Report, Vol. 17, No. 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park. Div. of Occupational and Vocational Studies.

Designed for use by area vocational-technical schools and other vocational programs, this project developed courses of study in eight occupational areas: commercial art, appliance repair, automotive mechanics, graphic arts, building trades maintenance, building construction trades, diesel mechanics, and welding. Course-of-study development…

Mercury vapor in residential building common areas in communities where mercury is used for cultural purposes versus a reference community

PubMed Central

Garetano, Gary; Stern, Alan H.; Robson, Mark; Gochfeld, Michael

2015-01-01

Background Exposure to elemental mercury (Hg0) in residential buildings can occur from accidental spills, broken objects (thermometers, fluorescent fixtures, thermostats), and deliberate introduction, one mode of which involves cultural practices by individuals who believe dispersal of mercury in a residence will bring luck, enhance health or ward off harm. Objectives To determine whether mercury vapor levels in common areas of residential buildings is higher in a community where cultural uses are likely (study areas S1, S2) than in a reference community (C1) where cultural use is unlikely, and whether levels can serve as a signal of significant cultural mercury use. Methods We monitored Hg0 vapor with a portable spectrophotometer in the three communities. We randomly selected sites in S1 and C1 community, and also include sites in S2 specified by local health officials who suspected cultural mercury use. We evaluated 122 multifamily buildings and 116 outdoor locations. Findings We found >25 ng/m3 Hg0 in 14% of buildings in study areas compared to only one reference building. In the latter we identified an accidental mercury spill from a bottle that had been brought into the building. Both the mean and maximum indoor mercury vapor levels were greater in the study communities than in the reference community. In all communities, we observed mean indoor Hg0 vapor concentration greater than outdoors, although in two-thirds of buildings, indoor levels did not exceed the area-specific outdoor upper-limit concentration. Conclusion After controlling for factors that might influence Hg0 vapor levels, the most plausible explanation for greater Hg0 levels in the study area is a relationship to cultural use of mercury. None of the measured levels exceeded the ATSDR minimum risk level for residences of 200 ng/m3 Hg0 although levels in living quarters might be greater than those in the common areas. PMID:18406445

Evaluating investment in quality improvement capacity building: a systematic review.

PubMed

Mery, Gustavo; Dobrow, Mark J; Baker, G Ross; Im, Jennifer; Brown, Adalsteinn

2017-02-20

Leading health systems have invested in substantial quality improvement (QI) capacity building, but little is known about the aggregate effect of these investments at the health system level. We conducted a systematic review to identify key steps and elements that should be considered for system-level evaluations of investment in QI capacity building. We searched for evaluations of QI capacity building and evaluations of QI training programmes. We included the most relevant indexed databases in the field and a strategic search of the grey literature. The latter included direct electronic scanning of 85 relevant government and institutional websites internationally. Data were extracted regarding evaluation design and common assessment themes and components. 48 articles met the inclusion criteria. 46 articles described initiative-level non-economic evaluations of QI capacity building/training, while 2 studies included economic evaluations of QI capacity building/training, also at the initiative level. No system-level QI capacity building/training evaluations were found. We identified 17 evaluation components that fit within 5 overarching dimensions (characteristics of QI training; characteristics of QI activity; individual capacity; organisational capacity and impact) that should be considered in evaluations of QI capacity building. 8 key steps in return-on-investment (ROI) assessments in QI capacity building were identified: (1) planning-stakeholder perspective; (2) planning-temporal perspective; (3) identifying costs; (4) identifying benefits; (5) identifying intangible benefits that will not be included in the ROI estimation; (6) discerning attribution; (7) ROI calculations; (8) sensitivity analysis. The literature on QI capacity building evaluation is limited in the number and scope of studies. Our findings, summarised in a Framework to Guide Evaluations of QI Capacity Building , can be used to start closing this knowledge gap. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

A Study on the Prediction of Damage Extent at the Time of Perforating Operation on Reinforced Concrete Structure through Horizontal Excavation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ju-hyoung; Kim, Hakman; Cho, Jin Woo

2017-04-01

When a building collapses in downtown due to a sudden external factor such as earthquake, gas explosion or terror, the rescue of a survivor in the buried area should be prioritized. When a collapse accident occurs in downtown, there is a difficulty of access to the surrounding area of the collapsed building site due to building debris and a risk of the second collapse, and it takes a lot of time to rescue any survivor in the top excavation method to rescue while removing building debris. Therefore, there is a method to rescue any survivor safely by installing the second lifeline after securing the first lifeline within 72 hours using inclined excavation near the site of collapsed building or horizontal excavation at the underground parking lot of an adjacent building and prolonging the life of any survivor. When a building collapses in downtown, the perforating operation is carried out at the existing structure in the process of establishing the first lifeline to the position of a survivor through the parking lot of an adjacent building or the external wall of the building, and the damage extent in case of carrying out such operation was confirmed in this study. In order to determine the stability of the damaged existing structure and the range of repair, the reinforced concrete wall was produced and the damage extent of the reinforced concrete for each perforating position was measured by installing a measuring instrument at a position separated by 150%˜200% from the perforating position. As a result, it was shown that the average damage area for each perforating position was influenced within approximately a 254% radius. Keywords: horizontal excavation, damage, reinforced roncrete, building collapses Acknowledgement This research was supported by a Grant from a Strategic Research Project (Horizontal Drilling and Stabilization Technologies for Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Operation) funded by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

Seismic vulnerability assessment to earthquake at urban scale: A case of Mostaganem city in Algeria

PubMed Central

Benanane, Abdelkader; Boutaraa, Zohra

2018-01-01

The focus of this study was the seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings constituting Mostaganem city in Algeria. Situated 320 km to the west of Algiers, Mostaganem city encompasses a valuable cultural and architectural built heritage. The city has suffered several moderate earthquakes in recent years; this has led to extensive structural damage to old structures, especially unreinforced historical buildings. This study was divided into two essential steps, the first step being to establish fragility curves based on a non-linear static pushover analysis for each typology and height of buildings. Twenty-seven pushover analyses were performed by means of SAP2000 software (three analyses for each type of building). The second step was to adopt the US HAZUS software and to modify it to suit the typical setting and parameters of the city of Mostaganem. A seismic vulnerability analysis of Mostaganem city was conducted using HAZUS software after inputting the new parameters of the fragility curves established within the first step. The results indicated that the number of poor-quality buildings expected to be totally destroyed under a 5.5 Mw earthquake scenario could reach more than 28 buildings. Three percent of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings were completely damaged and 10% were extensively damaged. Of the concrete frame buildings, 6% were extensively damaged and 19% were moderately damaged. According to the built year, 6% of both concrete frame and URM buildings built before 1980 are estimated to be collapsing. Buildings constructed between 1980 and 1999 are more resistant; 8% of those structures were extensively damaged and 18% were moderately damaged. Only 10% of buildings constructed after 1999 were moderately damaged. The results also show that the main hospital of the city, built before 1960, will be extensively damaged during an earthquake of 5.5 Mw. The number of human casualties could reach several hundreds – 10.5% of residents of URM buildings are injured or dead. Compared with the URM buildings, concrete frame buildings have lower casualty rates of 1.5% and 0.5% for those built before and after 1980, respectively. It was concluded that Mostaganem city belongs to seismic vulnerable zones in Algeria; in this regard, an action plan is needed for the rehabilitation of old constructions. In addition, the effectiveness of establishing and introducing new and appropriate fragility curves was demonstrated.

Indoor Air Quality Assessment of the San Francisco Federal Building

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Apte, Michael; Bennett, Deborah H.; Faulkner, David

2008-07-01

An assessment of the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the San Francisco Federal Building (SFFB) was conducted on May 12 and 14, 2009 at the request of the General Services Administration (GSA). The purpose of the assessment was for a general screening of IAQ parameters typically indicative of well functioning building systems. One naturally ventilated space and one mechanically ventilated space were studied. In both zones, the levels of indoor air contaminants, including CO2, CO, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and aldehydes, were low, relative to reference exposure levels and air quality standards for comparable office buildings. We found slightlymore » elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including two compounds often found in"green" cleaning products. In addition, we found two industrial solvents at levels higher than typically seen in office buildings, but the levels were not sufficient to be of a health concern. The ventilation rates in the two study spaces were high by any standard. Ventilation rates in the building should be further investigated and adjusted to be in line with the building design. Based on our measurements, we conclude that the IAQ is satisfactory in the zone we tested, but IAQ may need to be re-checked after the ventilation rates have been lowered.« less

Integrated, flexible, and rapid geophysical surveying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, S. F.; McGinnis, L. D.; Thompson, M. D.; Tome, C.

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is currently managing a comprehensive Installation Restoration Program involving more than 360 solid-waste managing units contained within 13 study areas. The Edgewood area and two landfills in the Aberdeen area appear on the National Priority List under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Therefore, APG has entered into an interagency agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency to address the listed areas. The West Branch of the Canal Creek area, located within the Edgewood area, is one of the areas that requires a Source Definition Study because there is an ongoing release of volatile organic compounds into the creek. A report prepared in 1989 included a list of 29 potentially contaminated buildings in the Edgewood area. Sixteen of the buildings contain known contaminants, nine buildings contain unknown contaminants, and four of the buildings are potentially clean. The EAI report recommended that a sampling and monitoring program be established to verify contamination levels in and around each building. Thirteen of the potentially contaminated buildings are in the West Branch of the Canal Creek area and are potential sources of volatile organic compounds. Operations have ceased, and the buildings have been abandoned, but processing equipment, sumps, drains, ventilation systems, and underground storage tanks remain. These appurtenances may contain liquid, solid, or vapor contaminants of unknown nature.

Life Cycle Energy Assessment of a Multi-storey Residential Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, Sourabh; Chandur, Arjun; Palaniappan, Sivakumar

2017-06-01

This study presents the findings of life cycle energy assessment of two multi-storey residential buildings. These buildings consist of a total of 60 homes. The usable floor area is 43.14 m2 (463.36 ft2) per home. A detailed estimation of embodied energy is carried out by considering the use of materials during building construction. Major contributors of embodied energy are found to be steel, cement and aluminum. Monthly building operation energy was assessed using a total of 2520 data samples corresponding to 3 years of building operation. Analysis of a base case scenario, with 50 years of service life and average monthly operation energy, indicates that the embodied energy and the operation energy account for 16 and 84% of the life cycle energy respectively. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to study the influence of service life and operation energy on the relative contribution of embodied energy and operation energy. It is found that the embodied energy represents as high as 31% of the life cycle energy depending upon the variation in the operation energy and the service life. Hence, strategies towards sustainable building construction should also focus on reducing the embodied energy in the design and construction phases in addition to operation energy.

Building Change Detection from Harvey using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, A.; Yeom, J.; Jung, J.; Choi, I.

2017-12-01

Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is getting to be the most important technique in recent days since the fine spatial and high temporal resolution data previously unobtainable from traditional remote sensing platforms. Advanced UAS data can provide a great opportunity for disaster monitoring. Especially, building change detection is the one of the most important topics for damage assessment and recovery from disasters. This study is proposing a method to monitor building change with UAS data for Holiday Beach in Texas, where was directly hit by Harvey on 25 August 2017. This study adopted 3D change detection to monitor building damage and recovery levels with building height as well as natural color information. We used a rotorcraft UAS to collect RGB data twice on 9 September and 18 October 2017 after the hurricane. The UAS data was processed using Agisoft Photoscan Pro Software to generate super high resolution dataset including orthomosaic, DSM (Digital Surface Model), and 3D point cloud. We compared the processed dataset with an airborne image considerable as before-hurricane data, which was acquired on January 2016. Building damage and recovery levels were determined by height and color change. The result will show that UAS data is useful to assess building damage and recovery for affected area by the natural disaster such as Harvey.

Relationship-Building Skills of Child-Rearing Mothers in Japanese Communities

PubMed Central

Matsuda, Nobuko; Hirano, Michiyo; Saeki, Kazuko

2016-01-01

This study elucidated the skills of mothers who used to build positive interpersonal relationships with people they met through child-rearing. The research method was qualitative descriptive study. The participants were 24 mothers who had children between ages of one and four years. These participants were recruited at child-rearing salons and childcare centers located in various municipalities in Japan. The survey period was from September 2013 to July 2014. The mothers' interpersonal relationship-building skills were described by six categories: “ability to strive for new encounters,” “ability to try to interact socially with others,” “ability to choose compatible people,” “ability to continuously maintain good relationships,” “ability to take action suitable to a situation,” and “ability to build positive relationships with parents-in-law.” Cognitive aspects of assessing and understanding the interactions that occur during exchanges and behavioral aspects guided by these cognitions were identified within these skills. This study contributed to providing a framework to understand mothers' interpersonal relationship-building skills for public health nurses involved in child-rearing support. PMID:27429804

[Schools, office buildings, leisure settings: diversity of indoor air quality issues. Global review on indoor air quality in these settings].

PubMed

Mandin, C; Derbez, M; Kirchner, S

2012-07-01

This review provides a global overview of indoor air quality issues in schools, office buildings and recreational settings. It presents the most recent scientific publications and the on-going work conducted in France in the frame of the indoor air quality Observatory. Monitoring campaigns on indoor air quality in schools have been carried out in the recent years in Europe. However, few studies have specifically addressed the role of exposure in these buildings on children's health. Indoor air quality in office buildings has been little studied so far. However, some specificities, such as emissions from electronic devices, frequent cleaning, impossibility to open windows in high-rise buildings, for example, should be examined and their role on the health and comfort studied. Finally, even if the time spent in recreational settings is short, the quality of indoor air should also be considered because of specific pollution. This is the case of indoor swimming pools (exposure to chlorination byproducts) and ice-rinks (exposure to exhaust from machines used to smooth the ice). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Environmental management and monitoring for education building development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masri, R. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of research were (1) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for environmental management and monitoring for education building development, (2) standard operational procedure made for management and monitoring for education building development, (3) assessed physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components so that fulfilling sustainable development, (4) environmental management and monitoring program made for decreasing negative and increasing positive impact in education building development activities. Descriptive method is used for the research. Cibiru UPI Campus, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. The research was conducted on July 2016 to January 2017. Spatial and activities analysis were used to assess physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components. Environmental management and monitoring for education building development could be decreasing water, air, soil pollution and environmental degradation in education building development activities.

Being in a "Green" Building Elicits "Greener" Recycling, but Not Necessarily "Better" Recycling.

PubMed

Wu, David W-L; DiGiacomo, Alessandra; Lenkic, Peter J; Wong, Vanessa K; Kingstone, Alan

2016-01-01

Previous observational work revealed that transient populations in a sustainable building disposed of waste more accurately when compared to patrons in a non-sustainable building. The current study uses an experimental design to replicate this observed effect and to investigate whether or not the built environment influences motivational factors to impact behavior. We find support that a building designed and built to communicate an atmosphere of sustainability can influence waste disposal behavior. Participants in the sustainable building used the garbage receptacle significantly less and compensated by tending to select the containers and organics receptacle more, which actually resulted in more errors overall. Our findings suggest that building atmospherics can motivate people to recycle more. However, atmospherics alone do not appear to be sufficient to elicit the desired performance outcome.

SIMULATION-BASED WEATHER NORMALIZATION APPROACH TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF WEATHER ON ENERGY USE OF BUILDINGS IN THE U.S.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Makhmalbaf, Atefe; Srivastava, Viraj; Wang, Na

Weather normalization is a crucial task in several applications related to building energy conservation such as retrofit measurements and energy rating. This paper documents preliminary results found from an effort to determine a set of weather adjustment coefficients that can be used to smooth out impacts of weather on energy use of buildings in 1020 weather location sites available in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commercial reference building models are adopted as hypothetical models with standard operations to deliver consistency in modeling. The correlation between building envelop design, HVAC system design and properties for different building typesmore » and the change in heating and cooling energy consumption caused by variations in weather is examined.« less

Evaluating hospital design from an operations management perspective.

PubMed

Vos, Leti; Groothuis, Siebren; van Merode, Godefridus G

2007-12-01

This paper describes an evaluation method for the assessment of hospital building design from the viewpoint of operations management to assure that the building design supports the efficient and effective operating of care processes now and in the future. The different steps of the method are illustrated by a case study. In the case study an experimental design is applied to assess the effect of used logistical concepts, patient mix and technologies. The study shows that the evaluation method provides a valuable tool for the assessment of both functionality and the ability to meet future developments in operational control of a building design.

Energy savings potential from improved building controls for the US commercial building sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernandez, Nick; Katipamula, Srinivas; Wang, Weimin

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office (BTO) sponsored a study to determine the potential national savings achievable in the commercial building sector through widespread deployment of best practice controls, elimination of system and component faults, and use of better sensing. Detailed characterization of potential savings was one source of input to set research, development, and deployment (RD&D) goals in the field of building sensors and controls. DOE’s building energy simulation software, EnergyPlus, was employed to estimate the potential savings from 34 measures in 9 building types and across 16 climates representing almost 57% of commercial building sectormore » energy consumption. In addition to estimating savings from individual measures, three packages of measures were created to estimate savings from the packages. These packages represented an 1) efficient building, 2) typical building, and 3) inefficient building. To scale the results from individual measures or a package to the national scale, building weights by building type and climate locations from the Energy Information Administration’s 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) were used. The results showed significant potential for energy savings across all building types and climates. The total site potential savings from individual measures by building type and climate location ranged between 0% and 25%. The total site potential savings by building type aggregated across all climates (using the CBECS building weights) for each measure varied between 0% and 16%. The total site potential savings aggregated across all building types and climates for each measure varied between 0% and 11%. Some individual measures had negative savings because correcting underlying operational problems (e.g., inadequate ventilation) resulted in increased energy consumption. When combined into packages, the overall national savings potential is estimated to be 29%; seven of the nine building types were in the range of 23 to 29% and two exceeded 40%. The total potential national site savings in for each building type ranged between 95x106 GJ (0.09 Quadrillion British thermal units [Quads]; Large Hotels) to 222x106 GJ (0.21 Quads; Large Office, Hospital Administrative areas, and College/University), resulting in total site savings of 1,393x106 GJ (1.32 Quads) when the three packages are applied to the U.S. commercial buildings stock. Using the source (or primary) energy conversion factors of 1.05 for natural gas and 3.14 for electricity resulted in an approximate potential primary energy savings of 2,912x106 GJ (2.76 Quads), which would be 15% of the sector’s 2015 use of approximately 18,991x106 GJ (18 Quads). Extrapolating the results for other building types not analyzed as part of this study, the primary energy savings could be in the range of 4,220x106 GJ to 5,275x106 GJ (4 to 5 Quads). If this savings potential is realized, it would be equivalent to not combusting 180 to 230 million tons of coal or reducing the energy impacts, at today’s energy intensities, of the per capita consumption of 12 to 15 million people in the U.S. To realize most of this potential savings, many gaps can be addressed through RD&D, as recommended in this paper.« less

Semantic classification of urban buildings combining VHR image and GIS data: An improved random forest approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Shihong; Zhang, Fangli; Zhang, Xiuyuan

2015-07-01

While most existing studies have focused on extracting geometric information on buildings, only a few have concentrated on semantic information. The lack of semantic information cannot satisfy many demands on resolving environmental and social issues. This study presents an approach to semantically classify buildings into much finer categories than those of existing studies by learning random forest (RF) classifier from a large number of imbalanced samples with high-dimensional features. First, a two-level segmentation mechanism combining GIS and VHR image produces single image objects at a large scale and intra-object components at a small scale. Second, a semi-supervised method chooses a large number of unbiased samples by considering the spatial proximity and intra-cluster similarity of buildings. Third, two important improvements in RF classifier are made: a voting-distribution ranked rule for reducing the influences of imbalanced samples on classification accuracy and a feature importance measurement for evaluating each feature's contribution to the recognition of each category. Fourth, the semantic classification of urban buildings is practically conducted in Beijing city, and the results demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective and accurate. The seven categories used in the study are finer than those in existing work and more helpful to studying many environmental and social problems.

'Dampness' at home and its association with airway, nose, and skin symptoms among 10,851 preschool children in Sweden: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Bornehag, C G; Sundell, J; Hagerhed-Engman, L; Sigsggard, T; Janson, S; Aberg, N

2005-01-01

There is convincing epidemiological evidence that 'dampness' in buildings is associated with respiratory effects. In order to identify health-relevant exposures in buildings with 'dampness', the study 'Dampness in Buildings and Health' (DBH) was initiated. In the first step of the study, cross-sectional data on home characteristics including 'dampness' problems, and symptoms in airway, nose, and skin among 10,851 children (1-6 years), were collected by means of a questionnaire to the parents. The prevalence of wheezing during the last 12 months was 18.9% and doctor-diagnosed asthma 5.4%. Rhinitis during the last 12 months was reported for 11.1% of the children and eczema during the last 12 months 18.7%. Gender, allergic symptoms among parents, and age of the child were associated with symptoms. Water leakage was reported in 17.8% of the buildings, condensation on windows in 14.3%, and detached flooring materials in 8.3%. Visible mould or damp spots were reported in only 1.5% of the buildings. The four 'dampness' indices were associated to higher prevalence of symptoms in both crude and adjusted analysis. Furthermore, it was found that the combination of water leakage in the home and PVC as flooring material in the child's or parent's bedroom was associated to higher prevalence of symptoms among children. However, the interpretation of this finding is unclear. The combination of water leakage and PVC may be a proxy, for example, reconstruction because of water damages. The study have showed that moisture-related problems in buildings are a risk factor for asthma and allergic symptoms among preschool children. The recommendation to the general public is to remediate damp buildings.

Quantitative risk assessment of landslides triggered by earthquakes and rainfall based on direct costs of urban buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vega, Johnny Alexander; Hidalgo, Cesar Augusto

2016-11-01

This paper outlines a framework for risk assessment of landslides triggered by earthquakes and rainfall in urban buildings in the city of Medellín - Colombia, applying a model that uses a geographic information system (GIS). We applied a computer model that includes topographic, geological, geotechnical and hydrological features of the study area to assess landslide hazards using the Newmark's pseudo-static method, together with a probabilistic approach based on the first order and second moment method (FOSM). The physical vulnerability assessment of buildings was conducted using structural fragility indexes, as well as the definition of damage level of buildings via decision trees and using Medellin's cadastral inventory data. The probability of occurrence of a landslide was calculated assuming that an earthquake produces horizontal ground acceleration (Ah) and considering the uncertainty of the geotechnical parameters and the soil saturation conditions of the ground. The probability of occurrence was multiplied by the structural fragility index values and by the replacement value of structures. The model implemented aims to quantify the risk caused by this kind of disaster in an area of the city of Medellín based on different values of Ah and an analysis of the damage costs of this disaster to buildings under different scenarios and structural conditions. Currently, 62% of ;Valle de Aburra; where the study area is located is under very low condition of landslide hazard and 38% is under low condition. If all buildings in the study area fulfilled the requirements of the Colombian building code, the costs of a landslide would be reduced 63% compared with the current condition. An earthquake with a return period of 475 years was used in this analysis according to the seismic microzonation study in 2002.

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE PAGES

Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen

2017-04-27

To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energy performance of buildings. Thismore » paper presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). Finally, the study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

Damage assessment of mission essential buildings based on simulation studies of low yield explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Thomas G. L.

2006-04-01

There has been a lack of investigations related to low yield explosives instigated by terrorist on small but high occupancy buildings. Also, mitigating the threat of terrorist attacks against high occupancy buildings with network equipment essential to the mission of an organization is a challenging task. At the same time, it is difficult to predict how, why, and when terrorists may attack theses assets. Many factors must be considered in creating a safe building environment. Although it is possible that the dominant threat mode may change in the future, bombings have historically been a favorite tactic of terrorists. Ingredients for homemade bombs are easily obtained on the open market, as are the techniques for making bombs. Bombings are easy and quick to execute. This paper discusses the problems with and provides insights of experience gained in analyzing small scale explosions on older military base buildings. In this study, we examine the placement of various bombs on buildings using the shock wave simulation code CTH and examine the damage effects on the interior of the building, particularly the damage that is incurred on a computer center. These simulation experiments provide data on the effectiveness of a building's security and an understanding of the phenomenology of shocks as they propagate through rooms and corridors. It's purpose is to motivate researchers to take the seriousness of small yield explosives on moderately sized buildings. Visualizations from this analysis are used to understand the complex flow of the air blasts around corridors and hallways. Finally, we make suggestions for improving the mitigation of such terrorist attacks. The intent of this study is not to provide breakthrough technology, but to provide a tool and a means for analyzing the material hardness of a building and to eventually provide the incentive for more security. The information mentioned in this paper is public domain information and easily available via the internet as well as in any public library or bookstore. Therefore, the information discussed in this paper is unclassified and in no way reveals any new methodology or new technology.

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen

To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energy performance of buildings. Thismore » paper presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). Finally, the study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

Establishing a Commercial Buildings Energy Data Framework for India: A Comprehensive Look at Data Collection Approaches, Use Cases and Institutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iyer, Maithili; Kumar, Satish; Mathew, Sangeeta

Enhancing energy efficiency of the commercial building stock is an important aspect of any national energy policy. Understanding how buildings use energy is critical to formulating any new policy that may impact energy use, underscoring the importance of credible data. Data enables informed decision making and good quality data is essential for policy makers to prioritize energy saving strategies and track implementation. Given the uniqueness of the buildings sector and challenges to collecting relevant energy data, this study characterizes various elements involved in pertinent data collection and management, with the specific focus on well-defined data requirements, appropriate methodologies and processes,more » feasible data collection mechanisms, and approaches to institutionalizing the collection process. This report starts with a comprehensive review of available examples of energy data collection frameworks for buildings across different countries. The review covers the U.S. experience in the commercial buildings sector, the European experience in the buildings sector and other data collection initiatives in Singapore and China to capture the more systematic efforts in Asia in the commercial sector. To provide context, the review includes a summary and status of disparate efforts in India to collect and use commercial building energy data. Using this review as a key input, the study developed a data collection framework for India with specific consideration to relevant use cases. Continuing with the framework for data collection, this study outlines the key performance indicators applicable to the use cases and their collection feasibility, as well as immediate priorities of the participating stakeholders. It also discusses potential considerations for data collection and the possible approaches for survey design. With the specific purpose of laying out the possible ways to structure and organize data collection institutionally, the study collates existing mechanisms to analyze building energy performance in India and opportunities for standardizing data collection. This report describes the existing capacities and resources for establishing an institutional framework for data collection, the legislation and mandates that support such activity, and identifies roles and responsibilities of the relevant ministries and organizations. Finally, the study presents conclusions and identifies two major data collection strategies within the existing legal framework.« less

Optimization and Performance Study of Select Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technologies for Commercial Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamal, Rajeev

Buildings contribute a significant part to the electricity demand profile and peak demand for the electrical utilities. The addition of renewable energy generation adds additional variability and uncertainty to the power system. Demand side management in the buildings can help improve the demand profile for the utilities by shifting some of the demand from peak to off-peak times. Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning contribute around 45% to the overall demand of a building. This research studies two strategies for reducing the peak as well as shifting some demand from peak to off-peak periods in commercial buildings: 1. Use of gas heat pumps in place of electric heat pumps, and 2. Shifting demand for air conditioning from peak to off-peak by thermal energy storage in chilled water and ice. The first part of this study evaluates the field performance of gas engine-driven heat pumps (GEHP) tested in a commercial building in Florida. Four GEHP units of 8 Tons of Refrigeration (TR) capacity each providing air-conditioning to seven thermal zones in a commercial building, were instrumented for measuring their performance. The operation of these GEHPs was recorded for ten months, analyzed and compared with prior results reported in the literature. The instantaneous COPunit of these systems varied from 0.1 to 1.4 during typical summer week operation. The COP was low because the gas engines for the heat pumps were being used for loads that were much lower than design capacity which resulted in much lower efficiencies than expected. The performance of equivalent electric heat pump was simulated from a building energy model developed to mimic the measured building loads. An economic comparison of GEHPs and conventional electrical heat pumps was done based on the measured and simulated results. The average performance of the GEHP units was estimated to lie between those of EER-9.2 and EER-11.8 systems. The performance of GEHP systems suffers due to lower efficiency at part load operation. The study highlighted the need for optimum system sizing for GEHP/HVAC systems to meet the building load to obtain better performance in buildings. The second part of this study focusses on using chilled water or ice as thermal energy storage for shifting the air conditioning load from peak to off-peak in a commercial building. Thermal energy storage can play a very important role in providing demand-side management for diversifying the utility demand from buildings. Model of a large commercial office building is developed with thermal storage for cooling for peak power shifting. Three variations of the model were developed and analyzed for their performance with 1) ice storage, 2) chilled water storage with mixed storage tank and 3) chilled water storage with stratified tank, using EnergyPlus 8.5 software developed by the US Department of Energy. Operation strategy with tactical control to incorporate peak power schedule was developed using energy management system (EMS). The modeled HVAC system was optimized for minimum cost with the optimal storage capacity and chiller size using JEPlus. Based on the simulation, an optimal storage capacity of 40-45 GJ was estimated for the large office building model along with 40% smaller chiller capacity resulting in higher chiller part-load performance. Additionally, the auxiliary system like pump and condenser were also optimized to smaller capacities and thus resulting in less power demand during operation. The overall annual saving potential was found in the range of 7-10% for cooling electricity use resulting in 10-17% reduction in costs to the consumer. A possible annual peak shifting of 25-78% was found from the simulation results after comparing with the reference models. Adopting TES in commercial buildings and achieving 25% peak shifting could result in a reduction in peak summer demand of 1398 MW in Tampa.

The application, benefits and challenges of retrofitting the existing buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khairi, Muhammad; Jaapar, Aini; Yahya, Zaharah

2017-11-01

Sustainable development has been the main topic of debate for years in some countries such as United Kingdom, United State of America and Malaysia. Depletion of natural resources, global warming, economics uncertainty and health issues are some of the reasons behind sustainable development movements, it is not just a political debate in the parliament but more towards collective works among sectors in order to minimizing the negative impact of development to the environment and other living organism. Retrofit an existing building is one of the solutions to reduce the dependency on constructing new buildings. There are huge numbers of existing building stocks that suitable to be retrofitted such as historical buildings, offices, residential, warehouse, factories, vacant buildings and other historical buildings. Therefore, the aim of this research is to provide information on the application, benefits and challenges of retrofitting an existing building. Two buildings were chosen as case studies following by site visits and observation to the buildings. The data were then compared in a table form. Primary and secondary sources were also used for this research. The application of retrofit should be promoted across the construction and conservation industries since it has significant tangible and intangible benefits. It is one of the most environmentally friendly and efficient solutions to optimize the energy performance and could also helps to extend the life of the existing building or historical buildings while ensuring optimum thermal comfort for the occupants which leads to higher productivity.

Re-conceiving building design quality: A review of building users in their social context.

PubMed

Watson, Kelly J; Evans, James; Karvonen, Andrew; Whitley, Tim

2016-05-01

Considerable overlap exists between post-occupancy research evaluating building design quality and the concept of 'social value', popularised by its recent application to issues of the public realm. To outline this potential research agenda, the paper reviews design quality research on buildings in relation to users and their social context where the term 'social context' refers to building user group dynamics, a combination of organisational cultures, management strategies, and social norms and practices. The review is conducted across five key building types, namely housing, workplaces, healthcare, education, and the retail/service sector. Research commonalities and gaps are identified in order to build a more comprehensive picture of the design quality literature and its handling of users in their social context. The key findings concerning each building type are presented visually. It is concluded that the design quality field comprises a patchwork of relatively isolated studies of various building types, with significant potential for theoretical and empirical development through interdisciplinary collaboration. Users tend to be conceived as anonymous and autonomous individuals with little analysis of user identity or interaction. Further, the contextual impact of user group dynamics on the relationship between building design and building user is rarely addressed in the literature. Producing a more nuanced understanding of users in situ is proposed as an important area for future design quality research.

Re-conceiving building design quality: A review of building users in their social context

PubMed Central

Evans, James; Karvonen, Andrew; Whitley, Tim

2014-01-01

Considerable overlap exists between post-occupancy research evaluating building design quality and the concept of ‘social value’, popularised by its recent application to issues of the public realm. To outline this potential research agenda, the paper reviews design quality research on buildings in relation to users and their social context where the term ‘social context’ refers to building user group dynamics, a combination of organisational cultures, management strategies, and social norms and practices. The review is conducted across five key building types, namely housing, workplaces, healthcare, education, and the retail/service sector. Research commonalities and gaps are identified in order to build a more comprehensive picture of the design quality literature and its handling of users in their social context. The key findings concerning each building type are presented visually. It is concluded that the design quality field comprises a patchwork of relatively isolated studies of various building types, with significant potential for theoretical and empirical development through interdisciplinary collaboration. Users tend to be conceived as anonymous and autonomous individuals with little analysis of user identity or interaction. Further, the contextual impact of user group dynamics on the relationship between building design and building user is rarely addressed in the literature. Producing a more nuanced understanding of users in situ is proposed as an important area for future design quality research. PMID:27110217

Intermittent use of copper-silver ionization for Legionella control in water distribution systems: a potential option in buildings housing individuals at low risk of infection.

PubMed

Liu, Z; Stout, J E; Boldin, M; Rugh, J; Diven, W F; Yu, V L

1998-01-01

One copper-silver ionization system was sequentially installed onto the hot-water recirculation lines of two hospital buildings colonized with Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 1. A third building with the same water supply and also colonized with Legionella served as a control. Four weeks after activation of the system, distal site positivity for Legionella in the first test building dropped to zero. After operating for 16 weeks, the system was disconnected and installed onto the second test building. Twelve weeks of disinfection reduced the distal site positivity for Legionella in the second test building to zero. Legionella recolonization did not occur in the first test building for 6-12 weeks and in the second test building for 8-12 weeks after inactivation of the system. The control building remained Legionella-positive throughout the experimental period. A significantly higher copper concentration was found in the biofilm taken from a sampling device than in that from water. This is likely to be the reason that the copper-silver ionization system had the residual effect of preventing early recolonization. Our study raises the possibility that one copper-silver unit could be rotated among several buildings to maintain a Legionella-free environment. Such an approach may be cost-effective for buildings housing individuals at low risk for contracting legionnaires' disease.

Cybersecurity and Optimization in Smart “Autonomous” Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mylrea, Michael E.; Gourisetti, Sri Nikhil Gup

Significant resources have been invested in making buildings “smart” by digitizing, networking and automating key systems and operations. Smart autonomous buildings create new energy efficiency, economic and environmental opportunities. But as buildings become increasingly networked to the Internet, they can also become more vulnerable to various cyber threats. Automated and Internet-connected buildings systems, equipment, controls, and sensors can significantly increase cyber and physical vulnerabilities that threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical systems in organizations. Securing smart autonomous buildings presents a national security and economic challenge to the nation. Ignoring this challenge threatens business continuity and the availability ofmore » critical infrastructures that are enabled by smart buildings. In this chapter, the authors address challenges and explore new opportunities in securing smart buildings that are enhanced by machine learning, cognitive sensing, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart-energy technologies. The chapter begins by identifying cyber-threats and challenges to smart autonomous buildings. Then it provides recommendations on how AI enabled solutions can help smart buildings and facilities better protect, detect and respond to cyber-physical threats and vulnerabilities. Next, the chapter will provide case studies that examine how combining AI with innovative smart-energy technologies can increase both cybersecurity and energy efficiency savings in buildings. The chapter will conclude by proposing recommendations for future cybersecurity and energy optimization research for examining AI enabled smart-energy technology.« less

Asthma, Allergy and Eczema among Adults in Multifamily Houses in Stockholm (3-HE Study) - Associations with Building Characteristics, Home Environment and Energy Use for Heating

PubMed Central

Norbäck, Dan; Lampa, Erik; Engvall, Karin

2014-01-01

Risk factors for asthma, allergy and eczema were studied in a stratified random sample of adults in Stockholm. In 2005, 472 multifamily buildings (10,506 dwellings) were invited (one subject/dwelling) and 7,554 participated (73%). Associations were analyzed by multiple logistic regression, adjusting for gender, age, smoking, country of birth, income and years in the dwelling. In total, 11% had doctor's diagnosed asthma, 22% doctor's diagnosed allergy, 23% pollen allergy and 23% eczema. Doctor's diagnosed asthma was more common in dwellings with humid air (OR = 1.74) and mould odour (OR = 1.79). Doctor's diagnosed allergy was more common in buildings with supply exhaust air ventilation as compared to exhaust air only (OR = 1.45) and was associated with redecoration (OR = 1.48) and mould odour (OR = 2.35). Pollen allergy was less common in buildings using more energy for heating (OR = 0.75) and was associated with humid air (OR = 1.76) and mould odour (OR = 2.36). Eczema was more common in larger buildings (OR 1.07) and less common in buildings using more energy for heating (OR = 0.85) and was associated with water damage (OR = 1.47), humid air (OR = 1.73) and mould odour (OR = 2.01). Doctor's diagnosed allergy was less common in buildings with management accessibility both in the neighbourhood and in larger administrative divisions, as compared to management in the neighbourhood only (OR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.29–0.82). Pollen allergy was less common if the building maintenance was outsourced (OR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.51–0.88). Eczema was more common when management accessibility was only at the division level (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.06–2.11). In conclusions, asthma, allergy or eczema were more common in buildings using less energy for heating, in larger buildings and in dwellings with redecorations, mould odour, dampness and humid air. There is a need to reduce indoor chemical emissions and to control dampness. Energy saving may have consequences for allergy and eczema. More epidemiological studies are needed on building management organization. PMID:25479551

Life cycle impacts of manufacturing redwood decking in Northern California

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman; Elaine Oneil; Ivan L. Eastin; Han-Sup Han

2014-01-01

Awareness of the environmental footprint of building construction and use has led to increasing interest in green building. Defining a green building is an evolving process with life cycle inventory and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) emerging as key tools in that evolution and definition process. This study used LCIA to determine the environmental footprint...

Collaborative Knowledge Building with Wikis: The Impact of Redundancy and Polarity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moskaliuk, Johannes; Kimmerle, Joachim; Cress, Ulrike

2012-01-01

Wikis as shared digital artifacts may enable users to participate in processes of knowledge building. To what extent and with which quality knowledge building can take place is assumed to depend on the interrelation between people's prior knowledge and the information available in a wiki. In two experimental studies we examined the impact on…

Investments in Building Citywide Out-of-School-Time Systems: A Six-City Study. Synopsis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Cheryl; Lind, Christianne; Grossman, Jean Baldwin; Stewart, Nichole; Deich, Sharon; Gersick, Andrew; McMaken, Jennifer; Campbell, Margo

2009-01-01

This synopsis highlights the main findings from "Investments in Building Citywide Out-of-School-Time Systems," which documents approaches six cities across the country have taken to build, finance and sustain effective citywide out-of-school-time (OST) systems. Developed by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) and The Finance Project, the…

Window Design Criteria to Avoid Overheating by Excessive Solar Heat Gains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loudon, A. G.

Building Research studies show that overheating because of excessive solar heat gains can be troublesome in buildings of lightweight construction with large areas of glazing. The work being done at the Building Research Station provides the data for calculation of peak temperatures resulting from solar heat gain. Attention is given to window size…

Gate-to-Gate Life-Cycle Inventory on Hardwood Sawmills in the Northeastern Region of the United States

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman

2007-01-01

Using sustainable building materials is gaining a significant presence in the United States therefore proving sustainability claims are becoming increasingly more important. Certifying wood products as green building materials is vital for the long-term productivity of the wood building industry and for forest management. This study examined hardwood lumber...

University Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design: How Postsecondary Institutions Use the LEEDRTM Green Building Rating System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chance, Shannon Massie

2010-01-01

This descriptive, exploratory study focused on how institutions of higher education have used the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED[R]) Green Building Rating system. It employed statistical methods to assess which types of universities have used LEED, what ratings they earned, and…

Studies in Intelligence

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

enterprise professionalism . The military experience in using the exist- ing service—and building joint— professionalism institu- tions is instructive. No... build a real NIU, take on professionalization activities of common concern (e.g., joint training), and estab- 31 Analysis 101 was a month-long...course for new analysts to establish professional net- works while building a common analytic framework. After receiving positive initial feedback

Solar Heating and Cooling of Buildings (Phase O). Volume 1: Executive Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

TRW Systems Group, Redondo Beach, CA.

The purpose of this study was to establish the technical and economic feasibility of using solar energy for the heating and cooling of buildings. Five selected building types in 14 selected cities were used to determine loads for space heating, space cooling and dehumidification, and domestic service hot water heating. Relying on existing and…

Building Early Learning Leaders: New Jersey's PreK-3rd Leadership Training. A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Cynthia; Costanza, Vincent

2011-01-01

New Jersey school administrators are finding themselves in need of the supports necessary to build on the state's existing model preschools toward a broader vision of early learning, including making strong connections to the early learning system. Clearly, changing the educational mindset and building the related capacity of front-line leaders is…

Environmental perceptions of residents of a multifunctional building

Treesearch

Michael L. Berger

1977-01-01

A multifunctional building in which residents could live, work, and entertain themselves without contact with the surrounding external urban environment is the subject of this study. To what extent do inhabitants of this structure perceive their thermal and acoustical environments within the building to be different from or similar to that outside? To what degree are...

Ventilation of Wide-Span Schools in the Hot, Humid Tropics. Educational Building Report 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chand, Ishwar

This report describes studies on natural air motion induced in wide-span educational buildings. It includes a discussion on the influence of air motion indoors on various factors such as the span of buildings, orientation in relation to outdoor wind, open spaces such as courtyards, plan form, semi-partitions, external projections, adjacent…