CIBSE Technical Symposium 2016 - 'Integration for whole life building performance'

Professional collaborative delivery of effective and efficient analysis, design, construction and operation of buildings.

The sixth annual Technical Symposium, taking place at Heriot Watt University Edinburgh from 14-15 April 2016, aims to encourage the participation of both young and experienced industry practitioners, universities, research organisations, industry, CIBSE groups/committees/societies and others to share experiences and develop networks. 

‘Integration for whole life building performance’ is inspired both by the discussions at the 2015 Symposium as well as the theme of CIBSE President Nick Mead who has called for the industry to pull together and “put its head above the parapet” by working collaboratively across the supply chain and considering the whole lifecycle of the building to deliver outstanding projects – avoiding short-term, siloed thinking.

Call for Abstracts

The 2016 call for abstracts is now closed.

The list below provides the general context of the submissions requested. Material was invited that was based on recent or current research and application as well as the actual or potential impact on the built environment.

Whole life costing and environmental assessment.

Integrating leading edge products and systems into building environmental engineering.

Professional collaboration - lessons for the future.

Interdisciplinary working - barriers and opportunities.

Fusing passive and active building systems.

Performance of integrated building solutions.

Benchmarks, Standards and Regulations for building performance.

Education and skills for collaborative design and operation.

BIM for integrated design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance.

Closing the design and operation loop.

Labelling and certification for procurement and operation.

Education, communication and skills for collaborative and integrated building design and operation

Collaborating with clients to properly deliver sustainable building operation

Creating, maintaining and assuring FM processes and procedures

Integrating monitoring and feedback into lifetime building operation

Case studies and measured performance of buildings and systems in use

All papers and posters will have been peer reviewed and, those successfully reviewed, will be published on the CIBSE website as a freely accessible 'open-access' resource for both CIBSE members and non-members. Selected papers may be chosen by the Symposium committee for development and publication in BSERT.

The Technical Symposium benefits from the keen support and learned input of both the volunteers on the organising committee and the scientific committee as well, of course, the presenters - without whom the Technical Symposium could not take place. CIBSE, the membership and wider society gain from the unseen collaborative effort of the many volunteers.

The cost of attendance is being maintained as low as possible (presenters circa £60) due to the valuable support from sponsors and volunteers. The (included) informal reception on the Thursday evening will be held in the magnificent Edinburgh Castle.

Key dates

October 2015 – Authors selected to proceed will be advised and specifically invited to prepare draft material suitable for oral or for poster delivery.

4 December 2015 – Selected authors submit draft manuscripts of full paper (between 3000 and 5000 words), or the draft poster, or case study keynotes for peer review

Early January 2016 – Authors receive reviewers’ comments and develop final submission following review, and subject to acceptance by the reviewers/technical committee.

5 February 2016 – Deadline for submission of the finally reviewed paper/poster, or case study keynotes

11 March 2016 - Deadline for submision of final Powerpoint slides (which will be pre-loaded at the venue)

The Symposium Technical Committee will allocate submissions to oral or poster sessions prior to requesting a paper/poster and at any stage reserves the right to reject any submission 

Guidance for commissioned authors

Download authors guide

Download formatting guide

Sponsorship and enquiries

For details of sponsorship opportunities for the 2016 Symposium, or any other queries, please email symposium@cibse.org

Source:

http://www.cibse.org/technical-symposium-2016/about-the-2016-symposium

Webinar - Oversized air-conditioning systems and overcooled buildings in hot and humid climates

January 13th 2016, MIDDAY GMT (8pm Singapore, 5.30pm India) 

Webinar - Oversized air-conditioning systems and overcooled buildings in hot and humid climates.

Professor Chandra Sekhar will explore why air-conditioned buildings in hot and humid climates are often so cold that one gets reminded to bring a jacket when going to the office.

He will consider the consequences of raising the set point temperatures as a means of improving the situation and expose some of the engineering challenges that necessitate a relook at the way air-conditioned buildings in such climates are designed.In doing so he will review some of the fundamental issues of cooling and dehumidification facing the HVAC designer and the inevitable and inherent design of an oversized system and its undesirable consequences in terms of an overcooled indoor environment at peak and part loads in hot and humid climates.

There will be discussion on solutions for creating a more thermally comfortable and healthy indoor environment that can also save energy. 

Book your webinar place for free at: 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1480876507030471938

Source: CIBSE - ASHRAE Group Newsletter 

http://www.cibseashrae.org/

The Importance of Thermal Bridging

    A typical dwelling built to 2006 standards loses more than 30% of its heat through junctions and around window openings by a process called ‘thermal bridging’.

   For the first time in 2013, UK Building Regulations began to measure heat loss through junctions, this is measured by Y-values (also known as ‘psi’ values). The Y-value in each SAP assessment has a big effect on build materials and cost. If you don’t understand Y-values in your build, you may be paying unnecessary costs.

Thermographic Image Showing Heat Losses Through The External Walls

It is important to familiarise ourselves with terms such as:

• The definition of a thermal bridge
• Types of thermal bridges (repeating, non-repeating and geometrical)
• Psi (ψ) values
• Methods of calculation (1-D, 2-D and 3-D)
• Sequencing of construction processes and examples of common occurrences of thermal bridging.

 

Thermographic Image Showing Heat Loss From Balconies

 

    Thermal bridging can have a significant impact on the thermal and energy performance of the building envelope. In the past, when dwellings were relatively poorly insulated, thermal bridging had little influence on the overall thermal performance of the building. However, as dwellings have become better insulated, the relative importance of thermal bridging has increased. In very well insulated dwellings, the proportional effect that thermal bridging can have on the thermal performance of a dwelling can be significant.

 

Thermal Bridging Calculations For a Steel Structure

 

 

   For example, in a notional semi-detached dwelling (89m² floor area) with a total fabric heat loss of just over 90W/K and a y value of 0.08 (roughly equivalent to a 2006 Part L1A compliant dwelling), then thermal bridging is likely to account for 16% of the dwellings total fabric conduction heat loss (see figure below). If no additional measures are taken to improve thermal bridging beyond this level (i.e. y value remains at 0.08) but the total fabric heat loss reduces by 25% by 2010 and 44% by 2013, then thermal bridging could account for almost 30% of the dwellings total fabric conduction heat loss by 2013.

 

 

   Even when measures are taken to reduce thermal bridging, in very well insulated dwellings, thermal bridging can still account for a significant proportion of the overall fabric conduction heat loss (see figure below).

 

     

 

I   n addition to an increase in fabric conduction heat loss, thermal bridging can also result in:
• An increase in solar heat gains during the summer
• Reduction in internal surface temperatures
• Cold spots occurring within the building
• An increased risk of both surface and interstitial condensation, which may result in mould growth and pattern staining
• Reduction in indoor air quality (due to condensation and mould growth)
• Damage to building components

A   lthough the aim, particularly in low and zero carbon dwellings, should be to try and design and construct dwellings that are thermal bridge free, it is important to realise that it is not generally possible to eliminate thermal bridging altogether. Instead, efforts should be made to minimise thermal bridging as much as is possible.

 

Sources:

http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/teaching/vsite/low_carbon_housing/thermal_bridging/introduction/index.htm

 

 http://www.schock-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/thermal-Performance-steel-structure.jpg

 

CPDs and Sustainable Retrofit

   Undergraduate studies and postgraduate studies are never enough if a professional wants to be up-to-date with the market they are involved into.

 

   For architects, engineers and builders, CPD seminars or a regular basis are a must, as they help us catch up with the latest news in the industry, master in innovation and understand how the things that we design work.

 

   As I am personally keen on green design and improving energy performance of buildings, I do frequently look up and read, read, read endlessly about new building solutions, materials, science innovations and so on.

 

   What is best about this is that I can share things I find interesting with you lot, hence the purpose of the Eco-Review BlogSpot (and its facebook page extension...)

 

   In the link at the end of this post, there is an online CPD video seminar to watch, which gives a good insight on Cellular Glass Insulation and how this is applied to all the main parts of a building.

 

   Insulation materials vary so much and it often becomes confusing as per what is suitable where and for what reason.

   For instance, not all insulation materials have a low carbon footprint - in fact usually these tend to provide a lower performance that the oil-based or the mineral ones, but whatever the case, we need to know that the materials we use will perform as we expect them to, as long as they are used where they are supposed to.

   We also need to look at their physical properties, such as their vapour permeability, their compressive strength, the way these are installed, their cost, ease of handling, health implications in the manufacturing process, during installation and post-installation. Physics may be overwhelming for some designers, but it is an essential part to look at, as materials' science is directly related to buildings and therefore, if something is out of our field of knowledge, we should always seek for advice from a specialist and bring them on board in the design process.

 

Source:

http://www.ribacpd.com/foamglas/05864/cellular-glass-insulating-the-whole-building/287539/movie

 

'Refurbished House' tests four-in-a-block retrofit

BRE Ravenscraig enables different refurbs to typical Scottish building type. 

A project is demonstrating retrofit solutions for some of the most energy inefficient homes across Scotland and the UK. The newly-built Refurbished House, which has been constructed at the BRE Innovation Park @Ravenscraig, in Scotland, is a recreation of a ‘four in a block’ building, with two apartments on the ground floor and two on the first.

Developed specifically for retrofit, the project has been delivered by BRE Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and Historic Scotland. It is designed by Kraft Architecture and Hannah Read Consulting Engineers and constructed by contractor Cruden. The house enables robust assessments to be made of cost effective upgrading solutions for walls, windows, roofs and services for this building type. There are estimated to be 265,000 of the ‘four in a block’ home types in Scotland but their build style is similar to cavity block walls found in 3m homes in England. 

The block of homes allows different technologies and approaches to be compared. The upper homes are being equipped with solar technology, while lower homes feature underfloor heating. One is being retrofitted with minimum disruption to mimic tenant occupation, while another is being retrofitted as an empty unit.

BRE is also developing a BRE RetrofitLab app to aid home retrofit, and help users to select retrofit materials and solutions.

Watch the video

Source: http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2444#.U8gPqvldWKJ 

Report from – Jo Smit 13/7/2014

Why is London ignoring its PV potential?

Green report calls on mayor Boris Johnson to improve capital’s solar uptake

High installation costs, landlord and tenant issues and the prevalence of apartment blocks are among the factors holding back uptake of solar photovoltaics (PV) on London’s buildings. The amount of generated solar electricity has doubled in the UK over the last year, but London has the lowest uptake of solar panels of any region on mainland Britain.

A new report by Green Party member of the London Assembly Jenny Jones considers solar potential in the capital, plus key barriers and possible solutions. It recommends the formation of a dedicated City Hall team to help businesses, tenants and communities install solar on the empty rooftops of London’s commercial and industrial businesses, supermarkets, flats, schools, transport and public buildings.

Findings in the report include:

Only one in 260 London households have installed solar panels. The South West of England has eight times the installation rate of London

London has the potential to supply a fifth of its electricity needs from solar PV

There are wide variations in take up rates between London boroughs. Waltham Forest has one solar PV installation for every 88 homes, while neighbouring Enfield has one per 362 homes.

Jones called on London mayor Boris Johnson to take action to improve PV uptake in the capital, for example by incorporating rooftop PV into such existing retrofit programmes as its RE:NEW and RE:FIT. Jones said: “Given that solar photovoltaics have the greatest potential of any renewable electricity generating technology, it is astonishing that the mayor is not promoting and helping London’s residents, businesses, schools and communities to harvest solar electricity from their underused and empty roof tops”

The report, London is ready for a brighter future – Solar generated electricity – Why are we missing out? can be downloaded here.

Source: http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2440#.U8gPrPldWKJ

Report from – Jo Smit 10/7/2014

High hopes for a sustainable future for Newcastle

New innovation hub boasts one of the UK’s tallest living walls

A 27m-high living wall offering wild strawberries, seagrass and sanctuary for small birds has been installed as part of the build programme for a new sustainable innovation hub in Newcastle. The vertical garden forms a key focal point at Science Central, a 24-acre development currently being constructed by Newcastle Science City, a partnership between Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University.

Designed and engineered by Faulkner Brown Architects in conjunction with Land Use Consultants, ANS Group Europe, Mott MacDonald and Sir Robert McAlpine, the wall measures around 366 sq m in area and contains more than 35,000 plants. The aim was to create an example of urban sustainability in order to encourage sustainable innovation and motivate other organisations to follow suit, as well as consider the possibility of relocating to the region.

The team constructed a series of rails on the side of the seven-storey Core building, the first to be completed on the science park, which will provide 2,750 sq m of flexible office space for technology and science-based businesses. Boxes of plants were slotted into the rails before being linked to an irrigation system. The planting took two weeks in total, from fitting the first rail to potting the final plant.

“We have received a really positive reaction to our living wall,” said Fiona Standfield, director of Newcastle Science City. “It is quite unique and is the first and largest of its kind known to have been installed this far north." It is hoped that the wall will attract a wide range of wildlife to the local area. "We’re also installing 'bee hotels’ on the building which will encourage even more flora and fauna,” explained Standfield.

The building will be surrounded by wildflower and grass meadows, connecting Newcastle’s West End directly to the city centre. Other sustainable features including a planted sedum roof, rainwater harvesting and low energy LED lighting contribute to its BREEAM Excellent rating that was awarded at the design stage.

The Core building is set to open for business in November 2014. For more, visitwww.newcastlesciencecentral.com

Source: http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2439#.U8gPsPldWKJ

Report from – Keri Jordan 10/7/2014

It's a mud mud mud mud world: Herzog & de Meuron design Europe's largest rammed earth building

Herzog & de Meuron have done a number of buildings for Ricola, the Swiss cough drop company with the really annoying commercial. Now they have completed the Kräuterzentrum, or herb processing center, where the drying, cutting, blending and storing of the locally grown ingredients takes place. The walls of the building are rammed earth, built by TreeHugger regular Martin Rauch of Lehm Ton Erde (Loam Clay Earth).

There are a lot of benefits to building with rammed earth. The thick walls have a lot of thermal mass, which stabilizes the temperature and humidity, significantly reducing the need for air conditioning. It is made from local dirt sourced less than 10 kilometers away, prefabricated in a temporary factory in a nearby town. “No elements are used other than natural and organic earth from Laufen. This is especially energy-efficient,” asserts [CEO] Felix Richterich.

The architects describe the process:

Clay, marl and material excavated on site are mixed and compacted in a formwork and then layered in blocks to build the walls. Thanks to the plasticity of the loam, the seams can be retouched giving the overall structure a homogeneous appearance. To arrest erosion caused by wind and rain, a trass mortar achieved mixing volcanic tuff (trass) with lime, is compacted every 8 layers of earth directly in the formwork.

Those white lines of mortar act as overhangs and stop the earth from washing away. In North America many rammed earth buildings have cement added to the mix of earth to preserve it, turning it almost into concrete; here, the walls are pure dirt inside and out. Martin Rauch notes that mud isn't just for huts anymore:

Many people think that nowadays loam is only used in developing countries to build the most basic huts. However, the Ricola Herb Center makes a strong statement about future perspectives and the positive qualities which loam construction can have in Europe as well.

Rammed earth is such a wonderful material, it doesn't get any more natural. Prefabricating it inside instead of hammering it into formwork on site probably has benefits in terms of consistency and less worry about rain getting on it prematurely. However those panels are going to be heavy.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/its-mud-mud-mud-mud-world-herzog-de-meuron-design-europes-largest-rammed-earth-building.html

Your chance to vote for the EcoHaus of the future

Choose your favourite waterside home designed to Passivhaus standards in the Sunday Times British Homes Awards

Architectural excellence, environmentally smart and offering a healthy environment for occupants – these were just some of the key criteria for submissions in this year’s Sunday Times British Homes Awards. The brief for the EcoHaus category was to design an aspirational waterside home to Passivhaus standards that will form a blueprint for the eco-house of the future.

As well as meeting Passivhaus principles, designs were required to demonstrate best practice in smart home technologies, incorporating intelligent infrastructure, energy-efficient products and docking ports for electric vehicles with capability for two-way interaction between vehicle batteries and home energy systems. All methods of construction were permitted with the prerequisite that designs should include the specification of products already certified to Passivhaus standard.

Eight designs have been shortlisted and construction professionals now have the opportunity to select their favourite visionary future home design from the following contenders:

The Boardwalk House by NPS Leeds

COR3 Living by Shelton Hawkins Architects

Naust[Haus] by Artform Architects

PassivPOD by Koru Architects and JMD

The Sun Drop by Fluid Design Group

The Tree House by Jon Broome Architects

Wasserhaus by BrightSpace Architects

Wrap-Around Haus by Stride Treglown Architects

The winning design will be built on one of Habitat First Group’s UK sites at Lower Mill Estate, Somerford Keynes or Silverlake in Dorset.

All submissions to the competition were required to include:

An assessment of the quality of health and wellbeing for people living in the house, embracing issues such as maximising daylight and integration of the natural environment

A consumption calculation based on the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) to illustrate how the house will use energy efficiently and comply with the Passivhaus standard

Details of the home's insulation and air tightness strategy, with consideration given to ease of construction and a ventilation strategy for summer and winter operation

Evidence that summer comfort requirements of the Passivhaus standard will be achieved, including details of a shading and night cooling strategy

A consumption calculation or diagram to illustrate how the house will efficiently use other resources such as water, food and waste

An indication of construction cost (with a projected build cost set between £200,000 and £350,000)

A demonstration of how the dwelling would work as a volume development of multiple units

A guide for occupants on how to operate the house

To find out more information on the shortlisted entries and to cast your vote, visit:www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/bha. Voting closes at midnight on 31 July 2014. Voters also have the chance to win a tailor-made sofa from Homebase worth £1,000.

The Sunday Times British Homes Awards 2014 is sponsored by Homebase in partnership with Kingspan Insulation, the Passivhaus Trust, Habitat First Group and the AJ.

Image: Naust[Haus] by Artform Architects, one of the contenders in the EcoHaus category for the Sunday Times British Homes Awards

Source:

http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2425#.U71EHvldWKI

BRE helps Latin America develop sustainable standards

Foreign Office-funded move will help nations tackle carbon reduction, resource and energy use, and climate adaption in construction

Report from – Jo Smit

In a series of projects with BRE, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Panama in Latin America are developing sustainable built environment standards based on UK building and community standards. The projects are supported by funding from the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office Prosperity Fund, which helps emerging economies to tackle climate change, strengthen energy security and promote an open global economy.The standards being developed will address a range of parameters, including energy efficiency and carbon reduction, climate adaption, water and resource use and biodiversity.

A sustainable masterplanning framework developed by BRE planning experts will help regenerate a 363ha site known as the Granadas Project, in the centre of Mexico City. Currently home to the Corona Beer factory and with the US Embassy due to relocate there, the framework will set a benchmark both for a number of developments planned for thesite and and for future schemes across the city. The project reflects a period of unprecedented growth in the Mexican built environment with issues like sustainability, energy efficiency and security high on the agenda for new buildings, homes, communities and infrastructure.

BRE is also developing a roadmap to sustainable housing for Panama and a sustainable dwellings standard for Peru. BRE project manager Chloe Murphy said: "Peru has some building regulations in place that guide developers; however, much of the housing is termed as informal. There is a push from the government to upgrade housing standards and construct more social housing across the country. The standard we create will help them to deliver better quality, more sustainable homes that work well for those living there and for local communities as a whole."

The Chilean government, which launched its first sustainability-focused national urban development policy at the beginning of this year, has already worked with BRE on developing the country's first sustainable construction code. A key part of the continuing work in the country is to develop standards that not only support the government's drive for sustainable development but also have the flexibility to adapt to the diverse climate, which includes seven major climatic zones.

Source:

http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2419#.U71EGvldWKI

Dijon centre wins highest-ever BREEAM International score

Toison d’Or shopping centre earns BREEAM In-Use Excellent and Outstanding awards for building asset and management

Report from – Jo Smit

Unibail-Rodamco’s Toison d’Or shopping centre in Dijon, France, has earned the highest ever score for building management under BREEAM In-Use International. It gained an Excellent rating for the building asset (part 1 of the scheme) and Outstanding for building management (part 2), where it gained the top score.The assessment followed a major project to refurbish and extend Toison d’Or to provide 72,000m² of shops, restaurants and services. The project incorporated green leases for tenants, strong co-operation with the city on travel plans, a tramway connection to the main entrance, optimised energy reduction, and maximisation of natural lighting.

Toison d’Or is one of several Unibail-Rodamco shopping centres being assessed under BREEAM In-Use International as part of the company’s sustainability policy. This targets BREEAM In-Use certification for at least 80% of the company’s managed retail portfolio by 2016, with a minimum Very Good rating for building management.

“BREEAM In-Use matches the group’s culture and management to improve the performance of our standing assets on a daily basis,” said Unibail-Rodamco group head of environmental sustainability Christophe Garot. “The BREEAM approach allows us to integrate and stimulate our tenants and maintenance suppliers to be sure that each technical device – for lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling etc – will be properly maintained and operated 365 days per year. Also, it helps us to demonstrate to investors that sustainability is embedded in the group’s processes and in all business units.”

The assessment at Toison d’Or was carried out by Bopro, a licensed assessor company based in Belgium. Bopro director Stefaan Martel said, “Unibail-Rodamco sets an inspiring example in the commercial real estate sector and has a positive impact, not only on the awareness of its clients and suppliers, but also on the millions of shoppers who visit the centres regularly.”

Energy-efficient buildings index enables Europe-wide comparisons

Integrated benchmarking system will help countries to reach Europe’s 20% energy efficiency target

Report from – Jo Smit

Property consultant Knight Frank and Climate-KIC, the European Union’s principal climate innovation vehicle, have joined forces to create a single online index to benchmark the energy efficiency of European building stock.

Currently EU member states operate separate building energy performance certificate (EPC) schemes, leading to a lack of comparability given the differences in how EPCs have been derived. An integrated index of EPCs across states should increase transparency and understanding of energy efficiency retrofits for commercial property.

Potential energy savings of 61% are estimated in residential buildings, and 38% in tertiary buildings such as offices, shops and hospitals. The new database, the Energy Efficiency Performance of Properties Analysis (EEPPA), will enable estates managers to target inefficient properties and benchmark the energy efficiency of buildings, enabling better investment decisions to be made and more cost-effective energy services to be provided by the commercial sector.

The integrated approach will help EU states to achieve Europe’s 20% energy efficiency target, which prioritises renovation of existing building stock as the single largest potential sector for energy savings.

The system will reveal the full market potential for green property-related technologies and business models, and inform government and commercial plans for sustainable communities and regions. Investors and owners will be able to map EPC trends across the EU, estimate potential energy efficiency gains from building management, and identify market opportunities to upgrade building components and management.

The proposed EEPPA model is also intended to support European governments by:

Creating a framework to monitor the overall and regional energy performance of European building stock

Giving governments access to innovative data analytics, and allowing them to benchmark energy performance of one country’s building stock against that in others

Identifying regional energy needs, resulting in better energy generation and delivery managed at European level.

EEPPA has been developed in consultation with more than a thousand organisations across Europe. The project was funded by Climate-KIC, which also manages an extensive network of stakeholders across the EU that can contribute to the project in the future. Corporate partners expressing support for the project include global investment, retirement, and insurance group AXA and environmental services firm Veolia.The Climate Group, the Institute for Sustainability, the University of Ferrara, the University of Wolverhampton, the Instituto Valenciano de la Edificacion, and the EU Commission Delegation for Energy (Energy Efficiency Unit) were also involved in developing the EEPPA proposal.

Images: Energy efficiency in buildings in cities as diverse as Venice (top) and Bruges could be compared using EEPPA.

Source:

http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?id=2427#.U71EFfldWKI

CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2015

ENTRIES OPEN

Entries are now open for the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2015. As a member of the Daylight Group, we would like to invite you to enter.

These annual awards acknowledge the people, products and projects that demonstrate engineering excellence in the built environment. There are 14 categories for entry including:

Lighting for Building Performance
New for 2015, this Award will recognise the importance of natural lightscapes within the built environment and their impact on energy consumption.

New Build Project
Recognising the new building that most effectively demonstrates the achievement of high levels of user satisfaction and comfort whilst delivering outstanding measured building performance, energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.

Refurbishment Project
Recognising the project that most effectively demonstrates outstanding design and refurbishment to achieve high levels of user satisfaction and outstanding measured building performance, energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.


WINNER CASE STUDY

The Hive, Worcester -Max Fordham
2013 New Build Project of the Year (value above £5m)


A passive design approach was undertaken, focusing on daylight and natural ventilation. Roof cones introduced daylight deep into the plan of the building and biomass heating and river cooling helped to exceed 50% reduction in carbon emissions.
Read more


HOW TO ENTER

Details of all award categories and how to enter can be found at

www.cibse.org/bpa. 

The deadline for entries is 5pm on Thursday 11 September 2014.

If you would like any further information or help with your submission then please contact Lois Hunt, lois.hunt@redactive.co.uk or 020 7880 7625.

Source:

http://cibsetemp.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=0663a4ddceacb40b095eda264a85f15c.3689

Going Vertical: The History of Green Walls

An idea almost as old as cities…

Green walls: Function or fad? As cities and buildings all around the world are being covered in green, we take a look at the phenomenon of green walls. The first example of green walls may be found in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, even if they may have been more roof gardens than green walls. Later, from Scandinavia to Japan, numerous civilizations used climbing plants to cover buildings, making what is now called ‘green façades’.

Photo credit: Patrick Blanc

Green façades were very important in the Art and Crafts and Modern style movements in Europe. For instance, in the beginning of the 20th century, the ‘Jugendstil’ movement used climbing plants (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) on the buildings to make a seamless changeover between the house and garden. In England, the Garden City movement showed great examples of green façades. William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll designed outdoor vegetated rock walls used for screening & boundaries in gardens. You can still see such examples in Griftpark (Ultrecht, Netherlands). The use of climbing plants declined in the 30′s, due to new building techniques and people’s concern about possible consequences on wall stability.

Patrick Blanc, a French botanist, is noted as the first to design the ‘modern’ pattern of green walls, with a full hydroponic system, an inert medium and numerous exotic species. His first green wall is at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Green walls in North America

Green façades have always been less common in North America. Nowadays, what we call ‘vertical gardens’ seems to have first been theorized in the U.S. in 1937 by Stanley Hart White which pre-dates Patrick Blanc’s work in France. His theories are now being used once again by students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What is a green wall?

Photo credit: Patrick Blanc

Let’s focus on living walls, also called ‘biowalls’, ‘vertical gardens’ or ‘Vertical Vegetated Complex Walls’ (VCW). The simplest way is to picture it as a cliff: the synthetic medium is the interface to which the cliff growing plant species can hang onto. The hydroponic system is often used to create a succession of dry periods and humid ones.

One of the more important moments in the design process of a green wall is the choosing of species: you must choose plants which will grow straight and will have beautiful lower foliage, as they will be seen from underneath. The first living walls used tropical plants but the choice is now much larger. As more recent green walls create beautiful patterns, it is becoming a new urban art.

Why green walls?

They have multiple impacts on cities and citizens; they protect buildings from the effects of natural elements; they are introducing more gardens in urban areas and they can even be used to grow vegetables!

Under sun exposure, a bare wall will contribute to heat conduction inside the building, making the internal building temperature rise, and contributing to the urban ‘heat island’ effect. But green walls, where the leaves of plants lose water through evapotranspiration, lower the surrounding air and building temperatures. Green walls also depress the cities temperature–they create a microclimate.

Photo credit: Patrick Blanc

The Tokyo Institute of Technology proved that green walls lower the energy loss of buildings. They also prevent the creation of urban dust (partly due to the effect of wind over buildings) and absorb heavy metal particulates from the atmosphere.

Photo credit: Patrick Blanc

However, the first consequence of living walls is the creation of new green space in cities, where available space is scarce. Green walls are still newcomers in landscape architecture, and innovation is fast. They are invading new places every day. On bridges and roads, they can cover ugly or decaying concrete structures, such as in Mexico City.

Every country invents new solutions to answer its own particular problems. In Canada, where winters are very long, green walls are placed inside buildings to help offset SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

We need gardens to be happier, even scientists have proven as much with the biophilia hypothesis. Let’s build some green walls to achieve this goal! One must not forget that as with every green space, green walls have advantages and drawbacks (such as using a non-biodegradable medium and often huge water needs) and must only be seen as part of the solution to make our concrete jungle cities greener.

If you want to know more on the subject of green walls check out the book review Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls by Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury

Article written by Marie-Laure Séguin

Source: 

http://landarchs.com/vertical/

MUD HOUSE DESIGN COMPETITION

Reinventing the African Mud Hut Together

Nka Foundation invites entries for Mud House Design 2014, an international architecture competition open to recent graduates and students of architecture, design and others from around the world who think earth architecture can be beautiful. Registration and submission of entries run from March 15, 2014 until August 31, 2014. Contact: info@nkafoundation.org / www.nkafoundation.org

The challenge is to design a single-family unit of about 30 x 40 feet on a plot of 60 x 60 feet to be built by maximum use of earth and local labor in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The client of your design is the middle-income family in any township of your choice in the Ashanti Region. Total costs of constructing the design entry must not exceed $6,000; land value is excluded from this price point. The entry should serve as an example to the local people that mud architecture can be beautiful and durable. 

What is the design problem? The cause is this: in Ghana, as in other countries in West Africa, stereotypes about buildings made of earth persist because of poor construction. Earth architecture is fast giving way to modern dwellings made of cement blocks and other modern materials that are not simply expensive but thermally and acoustically problematic. From the cities to the low-income villages, use of concrete - despite its dependence on imported resources - is considered indispensable for building. The rising cost of the modern building materials manufactured from imported resources makes it very difficult for low-income families to become homeowners. Yet an excellent, cheap and local alternative called laterite, red earth, is available everywhere in Ghana. 

For example, in the Abetenim area, 98% of the homes are made of earth, however local stereotypes about buildings made of earth persist because there are several examples of mud homes that have eroded over time due to poor construction and water damage. That is why there is local stigma associated with mud architecture. The local perception is that mud buildings are only for the very poor. We reason that a design intervention can help generate alternatives to resolve the problem. 

In light of the problem, we are running Mud House Design Competition to encourage designers, architects and builders to use their creativity to come up with innovative designs for modest, affordable homes that can be built locally. The design should aim at creating a single family and semi-urban house type that is a place to live, a place to rest, store modest belongings, and feel safe. The first place winning entry will be built on a site in the Ashanti Region. 

What is the preferred construction method for the winning entries? The method to be used to construct your design concept can be cob construction, rammed earth, mud brick, cast earth (poured earth) by formwork, or any other earth construction techniques that can be easily learned by local labor. Roofing design could be of vault, fired mud roof, or corrugated zinc sheets, which is the conventional roofing materials because zinc roofing stands the heavy rainfall better. Your design entry may therefore aim to accomplish a prototype, a durable mud house that promotes open source design for the continuity of building with earth under the feet for a more sustainable future. 

Undeniably, the competition promotes open source design, as a sustainable development model. By Open Source, we imply that the submitted designs will be available for all to appreciate, use, or improve them to generate a more practical and contemporary design solutions for the region. The long-term goal is to enable the Ghanaian population and lots of other places, to overcome the stigma that mud architecture is architecture for the very poor. 

Design Problem: A Typical Mud House at Abetenim

Design Problem: A Typical Mud House at Abetenim Village

IMPORTANT DATES

Registration opens! March 15, 2014

Submissions April 31-August 31, 2014

Registration Deadline August 15, 2014 

Selection of projects by the Jury: September 15 - September 30, 2014 

Press release on the winning projects, October 5, 2014

Design-build workshops to realize two of the winning designs, November 2014-July 2015

A traveling exhibition of all of the works received (schedule to be announced).

Source / More information:
http://www.nkafoundation.org/2014mudhousedesign.html

The Coming Age of a Smart Grid and Smart Buildings

CIBSE ASHRAE Group webinar presented by Dr Thomas Lawrence on Wednesday November 13th 2013

The smart grid is coming and in that future era buildings will be interacting even more with the electric utilities. The communication will be in both directions, with the utility working to balance the grid supply and demand through methods such as signaling requests for demand response measures, real-time price adjustments, etc.

This is a new and evolving field and, while there are some differences in the need for and how a smart grid might function in the various regions of the world, there are some common factors as well.

This webinar provides an overview of the smart particularly as it relates to buildings and their systems.

Dr. Lawrence is a Senior Public Service Associate with the University of Georgia, and has 30 years of professional experience. Before going back for his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, he spent approximately 20 of those years in industry and consulting. He is the past chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.8, "Building Environmental Impact and Sustainability", and is a member of the committee which wrote the ASHRAE standard on high-performance green buildings (Standard 189.1). He is an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer giving presentations and workshops on green building design at venues around the world. Dr. Lawrence is the coordinator for the mechanical engineering degree program at the University of Georgia.

Video available here:http://vimeo.com/79341824

Fireworks: Environmental Impact

'The use of fireworks ranges from smaller scale local events such as birthdays or weddings, up to nationwide celebrations, often commemorating specific historical events. In many areas throughout the world New Year is celebrated with widespread fireworks displays. One thing that all these fireworks have in common is that they emit trace gases into the atmosphere and generate dense clouds of smoke, which causes significant short-term air quality degradation with possible impact on human health.

Results of a study on chemical–physical properties of airborne particles (elements, ions, organic, and elemental carbon and particles size distributions) collected during a fireworks episode in Milan, Italy were reported by Vecchi et al. (2008). Elements typically emitted during pyrotechnic displays increased in 1 h as follows: Sr (120 times), Mg (22 times), Ba (12 times), K (11 times), and Cu (6 times). Sr was recognized as the best fireworks tracer because its concentration was very high during the event and lower than, or comparable with, minimum detection limits during other time intervals, suggesting that it was mainly due to pyrotechnic displays. PM10 mass attributed to fireworks was up to 33.6 mg m−3 or about 50% of the total PM10 mass. Major contributors were EC (2.8 mg m−3) and OC (8.1 mg m−3) as well as metals like Mg, K, Sr, Ba, and Cu at a range of 0.07–0.7 mg m−3. Moreno et al. (2007) reported the results of analysis of aerosol samples collected during Las Fallas in Valencia, a 6-day celebration famous for its fireworks displays, and added the comparative data on firework- and bonfire-contaminated atmospheric aerosol samples collected from elsewhere in Spain (Barcelona, L’Alcora, and Borriana) and during the Guy Fawkes celebrations in London. Notable increases in metal aerosol concentrations were observed after the Las Fallas fetivities such as: K (from 500 to 5900 ng m−3), Al (as Al2O3 from around 600 to 2200 ng m−3), Ti (from 200 to 700 ng m−3), Mg (from 100 to 500 ng m−3), Pb (from 17 to 379 ng m−3), Ba (from 39 to 322 ng m−3), Sr (from 3 to 112 ng m−3), Cu (from 12 to 71 ng m−3), and Sb (from 1 to 52 ng m−3). Firecrackers and sparkles were concluded as a significant source of metal pollution in air by Kulshrestha et al. (2004) in a study conducted during Diwali festival in India where metal concentrations in ambient air were observed to be very high as compared to background values on previous days. The order of concentration of metals on the day of festival was observed to be in the order: K > Al > Ba > Mg > Fe > Sr > Na > Ca > Cu > Mn > As > V > Ni > Bi. Specifically, the concentrations of following metals went up several times higher than the values from the previous day of festivities: Ba (1091 times), K (25 times), Al (18 times), and Sr (15 times). Drewnick et al. (2006) measured the chemical composition of fine aerosol particles during New Year’s 2005 fireworks in Mainz, Germany. The main non-refractory components of the firework aerosol were potassium, sulfate, total organics, and chloride. Increased trace gas mixing ratios of methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, and acetaldehyde were observed. Aerosol nitrate and ammonium concentrations were not significantly affected by the fireworks as well as the measured aromatic trace gases. The absolute and relative background concentrations in fireworks related aerosol are provided in Supplementary material (S11). The effects of the burning of fireworks on air quality in Beijing was assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and chemical components in the particles) during the lantern festival in 2006 by Wang et al. (2006). Eighteen ions, 20 elements, and black carbon were measured in PM2.5 and PM10, and the levels of organic carbon were estimated from the concentrations of dicarboxylic acids. Primary components of Ba, K, Sr, Cl−, Pb, Mg and secondary components of C5H6O42−, C3H2O42−, C2O42−, C4H4O42−, SO42−, and NO3− were over five times higher in the lantern days than in the normal days. It was found that over 90% of the total mineral aerosol and 98% of Pb, 43% of total carbon, 28% of Zn, 8% of NO3−, and 3% of SO42− in PM2.5 were from the emissions of fireworks on the lantern night.'

Source: 

Carl Renan Estrellan, Fukuya Iino, Toxic emissions from open burning, Chemosphere, Volume 80, Issue 3, June 2010, Pages 193-207, ISSN 0045-6535, 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.03.057. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653510003711)

Course: Straw Bale Building

Organisation:	Rippledown Environmental Education Centre
Location:	Ringwould, Nr. Deal, Kent
Course type:	Short Course
Date:	1st - 2nd November 2012
Cost:	£150
Hours:	Not Applicable
Website:	rippledown.com
Contact name:	Louise Coombes
Contact telephone:	01304 364854
Contact email:	louise@rippledown.com

This two day straw bale course will give you a thorough grounding in the history, viability and techniques of straw bale building. You will get hands on experience throughout the construction of a demonstration wall. Learn how this natural renewable material has a major role to play in the drive towards creating healthy, sustainable and energy efficient homes.


Cost: £150 including lunch and refreshments, hostel accommodation including breakfast available at £30 per night


9.00 arrival for 9.30am start until approx 4.00pm

"Solar Building Skins" Conference in Bressanone, Italy

05-06 November, 2013

Conference Center in Bressanone, Italy

Solar Building Skins

It is my pleasure to invite you to next year's ENERGY FORUM on Solar Building Skins to be held 05-06 November 2013, at the Conference Center in Bressanone, Italy.  The aim of the Conference is to contribute to a multidisciplinary, integrated planning approach among architects, engineers, scientists and manufacturers, to reduce energy consumption while improving the comfort and health of the building's occupants. The annual ENERGY FORUM attracts 400 participants from over fifty countries.

We invite researchers to organize a Session or a Workshop on a topic falling within the scope of the conference and to submit a proposal by 15 November, 2012. Following are the topics which will be covered by next year’s conference:

Multifunctional Building Skins
- Intelligent and Adaptive Building Skins
- Evolving Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Technologies and Projects
- Enhanced Daylighting and Shading

Holistic Concepts of Solar Buildings
- Building Concepts and Market Strategies for Plus Energy Houses
- Solar Retrofitting of the Building Stock
- Models, Tools and Simulations for Solar Buildings

Performance Criteria for Building Envelopes
- Performance Metrics
- Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Sessions are limited to a maximum of 5 speakers.  If there are sufficient papers, the session may become a workshop, or may be organized as sessions with 4 full presentations (20 min each) and several poster presentations (2 min each); see this year’s conference program at www.energy-forum.com where several Sessions are organized with 3-4 full presentations, followed by poster presentations of 2 minutes each.

How to apply:
Session Topic proposals may be broad in reach or sharply focused. Each proposal should clearly identify its subject and its particular approach to it: the premise, scope, and ambitions underlying the session should be clear to the reader. Please include the following information in your proposal:
- the title of the session;
- a 300 word description;
- the Chair’s name, job title and organization;
- phone number, email address and postal address;
- brief Curriculum Vitae on page two of your proposal;

Proposals should be sent in PDF format to proposals@energy-forum.com by 15 November, 2012. The Scientific Conference Committee will review your proposal. Submitters will be notified by 12 December regarding the status of their submission.

Registration Fee:
Chairpersons, speakers and poster presenters are required to register for the conference by 30 April and have to pay the reduced conference fee of 380 EUR. The registration fee includes the publication of full manuscripts, lunches and coffee breaks.

Important Dates:
The final decision on what topics will be selected will occur during the Conference Committee Meeting 06 December 2012.

Deadline for Session Topic proposals: 15 November 2012
Notification of Acceptance/Revisions of Session Topics: 12 December 2012
Registration deadline for speakers: 30 April 2013
Submission deadline for full manuscripts: 15 June 2013
First announcement of the conference program: 15 June 2013
Second announcement of the conference program: 20 September 2013
Deadline for PowerPoint presentations: 15 October 2013

Full papers that are received by 15 June will be translated in Italian and included in the conference documentation available in a printed version at the congress.

Scientific Conference Committee :
- Marilyne Andersen, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
- Konrad Bergmeister, Director, Institute of Structural Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Livio de Santoli, Faculty of Architecture, La Sapienza University, Rome
- Michael Garrison, School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin, USA
- Hans-Martin Henning, Head of Thermal Systems and Buildings, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Germany
- Andreas Karweger, General Manager, Economic Forum, Munich - Bolzano
- Dieter Moor, Executive Director, Ertex-Solar, Austria
- Wolfram Sparber, Director, Department of Renewable Energies, European Academy, Bolzano, Italy
- Mitsuhiro Udagawa, President, Japanese Solar Energy Society; Department of Architecture, Kogakuin University, Japan
- Bernhard Weller, Institute for Construction, TU Dresden, Germany
- Stephen Wittkopf, Technology & Architecture, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland
- Yigsaw Yohanis, School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster, United Kingdom
 

For more information on our Social program, hotel accommodation in Bressanone and how to get there, please visit our web site at www.energy-forum.com