INTRODUCTION With respect to thermal performance, windows are the weakest component of the building envelope, essentially because the U-value is usually higher than the opaque envelope. This would allow the highest he...INTRODUCTION With respect to thermal performance, windows are the weakest component of the building envelope, essentially because the U-value is usually higher than the opaque envelope. This would allow the highest heat conductance of the building envelope. However, it also helps buildings to gain useful solar heat during winter. Therefore, it has been generally accepted that passive buildings would have small windows towards the poles and large windows facing the equator (Persson, Roos, and Wall 2006). In spite of this guideline, large or fully glazed facades have been used in modern architecture. The intensive use of air conditioning is the result of overheating and high thermal loss problems, which otherwise would lead to thermal discomfort. This extensive use of large windows associated with high energy consumption has motivated researchers to study this building component. Window areas were investigated by Persson et al. (Persson, Roos, and Wall 2006) on 20 terraced houses with larger windows facing the equator and built in Gothenburg. The building envelope was well insulated and fitted with energy efficient windows. It was found that energy efficient windows do not have a major influ-ence on the heating demand in the winter, but it is relevant for the cooling need in summer. Therefore, reduced indoor illuminance due to small windows can be solved by enlarging them in order to obtain relevant daylighting conditions. When efficient windows are designed for a warm climate, as in Mexico, reducing heat flux and solar transmittance indoors was the best option for energy savings (Aguilar et al. 2017). However, reducing solar transmittance influences the indoor illuminance, which was not analyzed.展开更多
This study unfolds an innovative approach aiming to address the critical role of building design in global energy consumption, focusing on optimizing the Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), since buildings account for approxi...This study unfolds an innovative approach aiming to address the critical role of building design in global energy consumption, focusing on optimizing the Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), since buildings account for approximately 30% of total energy consumed worldwide. The greatest contributors to energy expenditure in buildings are internal artificial lighting and heating and cooling systems. The WWR, determined by the proportion of the building’s glazed area to its wall area, is a significant factor influencing energy efficiency and minimizing energy load. This study introduces the development of a semi-automated computer model designed to offer a real-time, interactive simulation environment, fostering improving communication and engagement between designers and owners. The said model serves to optimize both the WWR and building orientation to align with occupants’ needs and expectations, subsequently reducing annual energy consumption and enhancing the overall building energy performance. The integrated model incorporates Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and Energy Analysis tools deployed at the conceptual design stage, allowing for the amalgamation of owners’ inputs in the design process and facilitating the creation of more realistic and effective design strategies.展开更多
Daylighting studies in buildings are key parts of environmental analysis and can be easily conducted at the early stages of design as part of environmentally responsive building design as well as to inform the final a...Daylighting studies in buildings are key parts of environmental analysis and can be easily conducted at the early stages of design as part of environmentally responsive building design as well as to inform the final architectural layout and interior design. The main aim of this study is to demonstrate how such daylighting studies can be completed at the early stages of design and, at the same time, to show the impact of window design and positioning on building indoor environments. The paper is focused on a study of window influence on room daylighting in residential buildings and computer lighting simulations in software packages： Windows Daylighting System and Autodesk Ecotect Analysis, have been carried out for different style and positioning of windows using several case studies. The main findings clearly indicated that not only the window size and style matters, but also the positioning of windows considering external walls which would make a significant influence on room daylighting levels and, therefore, such daylight studies are very important for the early stage of environmental analysis during building design.展开更多
Several reinforcing schemes are illustrated that are based on the loading characteristics of typical country masonry school buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth. From the seismic damage obs...Several reinforcing schemes are illustrated that are based on the loading characteristics of typical country masonry school buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth. From the seismic damage observed following the Wenchuan Earthquake, the effects of reinforcing schemes, tie-columns and tie-beams on the seismic resistance of masonry buildings are analyzed. The concept of improving the ductility of these types of buildings is presented. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the design of masonry buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth.展开更多
The project investigated the potential of building geometry to minimize energy consumption in office buildings.Five distinct geometries were modeled as mid-size office occupancies in the context of Toronto,Ontario,and...The project investigated the potential of building geometry to minimize energy consumption in office buildings.Five distinct geometries were modeled as mid-size office occupancies in the context of Toronto,Ontario,and examined with varied design parameters:window to wall ratio(WWR)and external static shading devices.IES VE software was used to predict the annual energy consumption of the five archetypes for 40 permutations.The outcome of this research showed that the variation of the total energy use from one shape to another was relatively small.WWR appeared to have a stronger impact on the energy pattern of a building than its shape.Overall,the energy performance of the archetypes were observed to conform to their individual building aspect ratios.The findings are thus expected to provide useful guidelines for architects on utilizing building geometry as an energy saving measure in the design of office buildings.展开更多
In the analysis and research of few cases on the characteristics of vertical"burning"and spreading of fire in high-rise buildings in China and overseas,the mechanism of vertical spreading of fire along exter...In the analysis and research of few cases on the characteristics of vertical"burning"and spreading of fire in high-rise buildings in China and overseas,the mechanism of vertical spreading of fire along external wall is caused by hot pressing and wind pressure existing in high-rise buildings.The use of external wall combustible materials and near-window combustible items resulted in the formation of high temperature pyrotechnics and the burning of the external wall.Besides,due to the lack of fire-fighting measurements in high-rise building,it is recommended that the external wall of the high-rise building should be equipped with vertical fire-proof partitioning and non-combustible materials by setting up an automatic fire-fighting water curtain system along the vertical section of the external wall and above the indoor window.Therefore,the automatic sprinkler can be set up to prevent the fire from spreading vertically along the external wall of the building effectively.展开更多
Through the collection and systematic analysis of documents related to window views of hospitals,it is found that natural window views had a significant impact on patients’health benefits.The research focused on thre...Through the collection and systematic analysis of documents related to window views of hospitals,it is found that natural window views had a significant impact on patients’health benefits.The research focused on three aspects:“shortening length of stay”,“pain reduction”and“improvement of recovery rate”,mainly covering three types of patients:“heart patients”,“postoperative patients”and“patients of rehabilitation centers”.Based on the above analysis,summary and sorting,new directions and perspectives of hospital environment design and research under the concept of comprehensive health of people’s physiological,psychological and social adaptation will be obtained to provide references for the research and practice of health architecture,rehabilitation architecture,biophile design and other fields.展开更多
Fenestration systems are widely used across the world.There is expansive research on window configurations,frames,and glazing technology,but not enough research has been published on reducing window heat loss through ...Fenestration systems are widely used across the world.There is expansive research on window configurations,frames,and glazing technology,but not enough research has been published on reducing window heat loss through heat application to a pane.The presented study attempted to evaluate the performance of heated windows by developing an experimental setup to test a window at various temperatures by varying the power input to thewindow.Heated double pane window was installed in an insulated box.Atemperature gradient was developed across the window by cooling one side of the window using gel-based ice packs.The other face of the window was heated by enabling power at different wattages through the window.The temperature of the inside and outside panes,current and voltage input,and temperature of the room and box were recorded.The data was used to calculate the apparent effective resistance of the window when not being heated vs.when being heated.The study concluded that,when window temperature was maintained close to the room temperature,the heated double pane window is effective in reducing heat loss by as much as 50%as compared to a non-heated double pane window.When temperature of the window was much higher than the room temperature,the heat loss through the window increased beyond that of a non-heated window.The issues encountered during the current stages of experiments are noted,and recommendations are provided for future studies.展开更多
基金supported by Portuguese national funds,namely FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology within the UID/ECI/04082/2013 project.
文摘INTRODUCTION With respect to thermal performance, windows are the weakest component of the building envelope, essentially because the U-value is usually higher than the opaque envelope. This would allow the highest heat conductance of the building envelope. However, it also helps buildings to gain useful solar heat during winter. Therefore, it has been generally accepted that passive buildings would have small windows towards the poles and large windows facing the equator (Persson, Roos, and Wall 2006). In spite of this guideline, large or fully glazed facades have been used in modern architecture. The intensive use of air conditioning is the result of overheating and high thermal loss problems, which otherwise would lead to thermal discomfort. This extensive use of large windows associated with high energy consumption has motivated researchers to study this building component. Window areas were investigated by Persson et al. (Persson, Roos, and Wall 2006) on 20 terraced houses with larger windows facing the equator and built in Gothenburg. The building envelope was well insulated and fitted with energy efficient windows. It was found that energy efficient windows do not have a major influ-ence on the heating demand in the winter, but it is relevant for the cooling need in summer. Therefore, reduced indoor illuminance due to small windows can be solved by enlarging them in order to obtain relevant daylighting conditions. When efficient windows are designed for a warm climate, as in Mexico, reducing heat flux and solar transmittance indoors was the best option for energy savings (Aguilar et al. 2017). However, reducing solar transmittance influences the indoor illuminance, which was not analyzed.
文摘This study unfolds an innovative approach aiming to address the critical role of building design in global energy consumption, focusing on optimizing the Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), since buildings account for approximately 30% of total energy consumed worldwide. The greatest contributors to energy expenditure in buildings are internal artificial lighting and heating and cooling systems. The WWR, determined by the proportion of the building’s glazed area to its wall area, is a significant factor influencing energy efficiency and minimizing energy load. This study introduces the development of a semi-automated computer model designed to offer a real-time, interactive simulation environment, fostering improving communication and engagement between designers and owners. The said model serves to optimize both the WWR and building orientation to align with occupants’ needs and expectations, subsequently reducing annual energy consumption and enhancing the overall building energy performance. The integrated model incorporates Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and Energy Analysis tools deployed at the conceptual design stage, allowing for the amalgamation of owners’ inputs in the design process and facilitating the creation of more realistic and effective design strategies.
文摘Daylighting studies in buildings are key parts of environmental analysis and can be easily conducted at the early stages of design as part of environmentally responsive building design as well as to inform the final architectural layout and interior design. The main aim of this study is to demonstrate how such daylighting studies can be completed at the early stages of design and, at the same time, to show the impact of window design and positioning on building indoor environments. The paper is focused on a study of window influence on room daylighting in residential buildings and computer lighting simulations in software packages： Windows Daylighting System and Autodesk Ecotect Analysis, have been carried out for different style and positioning of windows using several case studies. The main findings clearly indicated that not only the window size and style matters, but also the positioning of windows considering external walls which would make a significant influence on room daylighting levels and, therefore, such daylight studies are very important for the early stage of environmental analysis during building design.
文摘Several reinforcing schemes are illustrated that are based on the loading characteristics of typical country masonry school buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth. From the seismic damage observed following the Wenchuan Earthquake, the effects of reinforcing schemes, tie-columns and tie-beams on the seismic resistance of masonry buildings are analyzed. The concept of improving the ductility of these types of buildings is presented. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the design of masonry buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth.
文摘The project investigated the potential of building geometry to minimize energy consumption in office buildings.Five distinct geometries were modeled as mid-size office occupancies in the context of Toronto,Ontario,and examined with varied design parameters:window to wall ratio(WWR)and external static shading devices.IES VE software was used to predict the annual energy consumption of the five archetypes for 40 permutations.The outcome of this research showed that the variation of the total energy use from one shape to another was relatively small.WWR appeared to have a stronger impact on the energy pattern of a building than its shape.Overall,the energy performance of the archetypes were observed to conform to their individual building aspect ratios.The findings are thus expected to provide useful guidelines for architects on utilizing building geometry as an energy saving measure in the design of office buildings.
文摘In the analysis and research of few cases on the characteristics of vertical"burning"and spreading of fire in high-rise buildings in China and overseas,the mechanism of vertical spreading of fire along external wall is caused by hot pressing and wind pressure existing in high-rise buildings.The use of external wall combustible materials and near-window combustible items resulted in the formation of high temperature pyrotechnics and the burning of the external wall.Besides,due to the lack of fire-fighting measurements in high-rise building,it is recommended that the external wall of the high-rise building should be equipped with vertical fire-proof partitioning and non-combustible materials by setting up an automatic fire-fighting water curtain system along the vertical section of the external wall and above the indoor window.Therefore,the automatic sprinkler can be set up to prevent the fire from spreading vertically along the external wall of the building effectively.
基金Sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52278045).
文摘Through the collection and systematic analysis of documents related to window views of hospitals,it is found that natural window views had a significant impact on patients’health benefits.The research focused on three aspects:“shortening length of stay”,“pain reduction”and“improvement of recovery rate”,mainly covering three types of patients:“heart patients”,“postoperative patients”and“patients of rehabilitation centers”.Based on the above analysis,summary and sorting,new directions and perspectives of hospital environment design and research under the concept of comprehensive health of people’s physiological,psychological and social adaptation will be obtained to provide references for the research and practice of health architecture,rehabilitation architecture,biophile design and other fields.
基金This research work was funded in part by the Industrial Assessment Center Project,supported by grants from the US Department of Energy and by the West Virginia Development Office.
文摘Fenestration systems are widely used across the world.There is expansive research on window configurations,frames,and glazing technology,but not enough research has been published on reducing window heat loss through heat application to a pane.The presented study attempted to evaluate the performance of heated windows by developing an experimental setup to test a window at various temperatures by varying the power input to thewindow.Heated double pane window was installed in an insulated box.Atemperature gradient was developed across the window by cooling one side of the window using gel-based ice packs.The other face of the window was heated by enabling power at different wattages through the window.The temperature of the inside and outside panes,current and voltage input,and temperature of the room and box were recorded.The data was used to calculate the apparent effective resistance of the window when not being heated vs.when being heated.The study concluded that,when window temperature was maintained close to the room temperature,the heated double pane window is effective in reducing heat loss by as much as 50%as compared to a non-heated double pane window.When temperature of the window was much higher than the room temperature,the heat loss through the window increased beyond that of a non-heated window.The issues encountered during the current stages of experiments are noted,and recommendations are provided for future studies.
