Low Carbon Housing Design: Selected Papers from 2013 PLEA Conference

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2014) | Viewed by 32528

Special Issue Editors

Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: bioclimatic architecture and low carbon building design; passive cooling and natural ventilation; building performance evaluation; urban/rural microclimate
Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: creative energy homes low; zero carbon housing project
Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building, Technical University of Munich, Munich 80333, Germany

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on Low Carbon Housing Design will include expanded papers selected from the International PLEA Conference which took place in Munich on 10–12 September 2013. The papers present the results of recent research in this field from Japan, UK, Brazil, and India, which address common issues including thermal comfort, air infiltration, ventilation, and benchmarking performance. Low carbon housing design is now on the policy agenda in many different countries, and the results of this research provides valuable insights into the major issues facing designers, contractors and policy makers.

Prof. Dr. Brian Ford
Prof. Dr. Mark Gillott
Prof. Dr. Werner Laing
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • thermal comfort
  • infiltration
  • ventilation
  • benchmarking
  • performance

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

2656 KiB  
Article
IDEAhaus: A Modular Approach to Climate Resilient UK Housing
by Greg Keeffe and Ian McHugh
Buildings 2014, 4(4), 661-682; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings4040661 - 29 Sep 2014
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 14318
Abstract
This paper describes the result of a project to develop climate adaptation design strategies funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board. The aim of the project was to look at the threats and opportunities presented by industrialized and house-building techniques in the light [...] Read more.
This paper describes the result of a project to develop climate adaptation design strategies funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board. The aim of the project was to look at the threats and opportunities presented by industrialized and house-building techniques in the light of predicted future increases in flooding and overheating due to anthropogenic climate change. The paper shows that the thermal performance of houses built to the current UK Building Regulations is not adequate to cope with changing weather patterns, and in light of this, develops a detailed design for a new house: one that is industrially produced and climatically resilient, but affordable. This detailed concept IDEAhaus of a modular house is not only flood-proof to a water depth of 750 mm, but also is designed to utilize passive cooling, which dramatically reduces the amount of overheating, both now and in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Carbon Housing Design: Selected Papers from 2013 PLEA Conference)
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2826 KiB  
Article
Scenario Testing of the Energy and Environmental Performance of “The Glasgow House”
by Tim Sharpe and Donald Shearer
Buildings 2014, 4(3), 580-604; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings4030580 - 22 Sep 2014
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4685
Abstract
This paper describes the results from a 12-month study of two prototype low energy dwellings built for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA). The houses are intended for mainstream and social tenure within Glasgow and contain a range of energy reducing features including one house [...] Read more.
This paper describes the results from a 12-month study of two prototype low energy dwellings built for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA). The houses are intended for mainstream and social tenure within Glasgow and contain a range of energy reducing features including one house with a thermally heavy clay block wall and one house using a conventional timber frame and both houses have sunspaces, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), solar thermal system and low energy lighting. The dwellings have been subject to an innovative monitoring strategy by MEARU, whereby test occupants (students recruited from the School of Architecture) have been asked to inhabit the buildings for six two-week periods using occupancy ‘scripts’ that determine their internal behaviour. The scenarios thus simulate varying patterns of occupancy in both houses simultaneously and the performance of the houses can then been compared. Indications are that although the clay block house had a poorer thermal performance, it did have other qualitative advantages, and consumption differences could be eliminated by exploiting the thermal mass. The performance of the active systems, including the MVHR system, was found to be problematic, and specific scenarios were undertaken to explore the implications of this. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Carbon Housing Design: Selected Papers from 2013 PLEA Conference)
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670 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Comfort Temperature and Occupant Behavior in Japanese Houses during the Hot and Humid Season
by Hom B. Rijal
Buildings 2014, 4(3), 437-452; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings4030437 - 26 Aug 2014
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 6574
Abstract
In order to clarify the comfort temperature and to investigate the behavioral adaptation in Japanese houses, we have conducted a thermal comfort survey and occupant behavior survey in 30 living rooms during the hot and humid season in the Kanto region of Japan. [...] Read more.
In order to clarify the comfort temperature and to investigate the behavioral adaptation in Japanese houses, we have conducted a thermal comfort survey and occupant behavior survey in 30 living rooms during the hot and humid season in the Kanto region of Japan. We collected 3991 votes from 52 subjects. The comfort temperature was predicted by Griffiths’ method. They are analyzed according to humidity levels and compared with the adaptive model. The logistic regression analysis was conducted in order to understand occupant behavior. The mean comfort temperature in naturally ventilated mode is 27.6 °C which is within the acceptable zone of the adaptive model. The comfort temperature is related with skin moisture sensation. The results showed that the residents adapt to the hot and humid environments by increasing the air movement using behavioral adaptation such as window opening and fan use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Carbon Housing Design: Selected Papers from 2013 PLEA Conference)
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818 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of the Brazilian Energy Labelling System and the Passivhaus Standard for Housing
by Renata C. S. Tubelo, Lucelia T. Rodrigues and Mark Gillott
Buildings 2014, 4(2), 207-221; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings4020207 - 23 May 2014
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6447
Abstract
The ever-increasing energy demand of the residential sector has required the adoption of tighter energy standards, aiming for high energy efficiency in dwellings. In Brazil, 24 million new residential buildings are planned to be delivered by 2022 through social housing programs, which could [...] Read more.
The ever-increasing energy demand of the residential sector has required the adoption of tighter energy standards, aiming for high energy efficiency in dwellings. In Brazil, 24 million new residential buildings are planned to be delivered by 2022 through social housing programs, which could greatly impact on the country’s energy consumption. In an attempt to minimize this impact, the Brazilian Labelling Scheme for Residential Buildings (RTQ-R label) was launched in 2010 as a voluntary standard for the evaluation of housing energy efficiency. The RTQ-R label focuses on building fabric and hot water systems performances, and generates a score based on the building’s energy efficiency levels. The Passivhaus standard, developed in Germany, is one of the most stringent standards and is also the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world with more than 30,000 buildings certified to date. It also focuses on building fabric but establishes a maximum energy consumption target. In this work, the authors developed a comparative review of the RTQ-R label and the Passivhaus standard as means to inform a broader debate about building codes in the context of the current calls by governments for increased energy efficiency. The findings highlighted the different nature of the standards’ requirements and targets adopted, and the benefits and constraints of both. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Carbon Housing Design: Selected Papers from 2013 PLEA Conference)
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