Kang, Goune; Kim, Taehoon; Kim, Yong-woo; Cho, Hunhee; Kang, Kyung-in. (2015). Statistical Analysis of Embodied Carbon Emission for Building Construction. Energy And Buildings, 105, 326 – 333.
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Abstract
Buildings are significant contributors to the greenhouse effect through emission of considerable carbon dioxide during their life cycle. Life cycle carbon resulting from buildings consists of two components: operational carbon (OC) and embodied carbon (EC). Recent studies have shown the growing significance of EC because much effort has already been invested into reducing OC. In this context, it is important to estimate and reduce EC. Because of the variability and uncertainty contained in a range of conditions, the EC of building needs to be calculated based on probabilistic analysis. This study identifies and analyzes the statistical characteristics of EC emitted from building construction materials. It was aimed at buildings constructed of reinforced concrete and nine representative construction materials. Descriptive statistics analysis, correlation analysis, and a goodness-of-fit test were performed to describe the statistical characteristics of EC. In addition, a case study was carried out to show the difference between the deterministic and probabilistic estimations. Presenting statistical information on EC data and the differences between the deterministic and probabilistic values, the result shows the necessity and reasonability of the probabilistic method for EC estimation. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords
Construction; Construction Materials; Greenhouse Gases; Probability Theory; Goodness-of-fit Tests; Quantitative Research; Building Materials; Correlation; Descriptive Statistics; Embodied Carbon; Goodness-of-fit; Buildings (structures); Reinforced Concrete; Statistical Analysis; Embodied Carbon Emission; Greenhouse Effect; Carbon Dioxide; Life Cycle Carbon; Operational Carbon; Oc; Probabilistic Analysis; Building Construction Materials; Statistics Analysis; Correlation Analysis; Probabilistic Estimations; Statistical Information; Ec Data; Probabilistic Method; Ec Estimation; Life-cycle; Energy Measurement; System Boundary
Bender, W.; Waytuck, D.; Wang, S.; Reed, D. A. (2018). In Situ Measurement of Wind Pressure Loadings on Pedestal Style Rooftop Photovoltaic Panels. Engineering Structures, 163, 281 – 293.
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Abstract
The installation of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) arrays is increasing throughout the US. Until recently, pedestal type PV framing systems for rooftops were basically designed using procedures from the ASCE7-10 Components and Cladding Standard for rooftop equipment. The 2011 Japanese Standard Load design guide on structures for photovoltaic arrays was useful in characterizing the pressure coefficients on rooftops, but the Standard employs different wind speed and importance factors, making its use in the US quite limited, Even the updated 2017 version is written for a different audience. Because rooftop pressure loadings are high due to flow separation, SEAOC and other organizations contracted boundary layer wind tunnel tests of panels attached to rooftops to ascertain if the ASCE7-10 equipment loadings were appropriate. The investigations resulted in new standards for pedestal-style arrays that appear in Chapter 29 of ASCE7-16. However, the new standards are limited to simple geometries and orientations, and the dynamics of the simply-supported thin PV plates do not appear to be considered. Questions regarding the ability of the boundary tunnels to simulate accurately the turbulence at the scale required for the attached panels have been raised. In response, very limited full-scale investigations in large-scale tunnels and in situ have been undertaken to calibrate the tunnel results. The results of this paper represent one of these calibration investigations. Specifically, in situ full-scale net wind pressure loadings on a rooftop PV array in a pedestal-style framing system located on the three story Hogue Technology Building of Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, Washington were measured. The CWU campus has a rural setting in a region with steady winds: Ellensburg is located in the Kittitas Breezeway portion of the Northwest wind power region. Indeed, the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Farm is located on the outskirts of town. The data described here were collected from April through August 2014. The measured net pressure coefficient time series were similar to those for rooftop pressure loadings for low-rise buildings described in the literature such as the Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory at Texas Tech University (Ham and Bienkiewicz, 1998 [1]; Levitan and Mehta, 1992 [2]). The analysis of the net pressure time series data included an examination of the minimum, maximum, mean, and RMS values. Preliminary results suggest that the range of the values is larger than assumed in the ASCE7 Standard, and that the magnitude of the loadings vary considerably spatially over the multiple panel array. The pressure loading measurements are ongoing.
Keywords
Building Integrated Photovoltaics; Buildings (structures); Calibration; Design Engineering; Pressure Measurement; Roofs; Solar Cell Arrays; Standards; Time Series; Turbulence; Wind Tunnels; Japanese Standard Load Design Guide; Wind Pressure Loading Measurements; Asce7-10 Components-cladding Standard; Tunnel Calibration; Texas Tech University; Kittitas Breezeway Portion; Wild Horse Wind And Solar Farm; Ellensburg; Central Washington University; Hogue Technology Building; Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Test; Flow Separation; Multiple Panel Array; Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory; Net Pressure Coefficient Time Series; Northwest Wind Power Region; Pedestal-style Framing System; Pv Plates; Rooftop Equipment; Pedestal Style Rooftop Photovoltaic Panels; Solar-arrays; Loads; Simulation; Wind Engineering; Photovoltaic Modules; Solar Energy; Full-scale Measurements; Wind Loadings; Photovoltaic Cells; Roofing; Wind Power; Structural Engineering; Boundary Layers; Cladding; Wind Tunnel Testing; Solar Cells; In Situ Measurement; Framing; Photovoltaics; Engineering Research; Wind Measurement; Pressure; Panels; Wind Pressure; Design Standards; Fluid Dynamics; Low Rise Buildings; Colleges & Universities; Wind Speed; United States--us
Parsaee, Mojtaba; Demers, Claude M. H.; Lalonde, Jean-francois; Potvin, Andre; Inanici, Mehlika; Hebert, Marc. (2020). Human-Centric Lighting Performance of Shading Panels in Architecture: A Benchmarking Study with Lab Scale Physical Models Under Real Skies. Solar Energy, 204, 354 – 368.
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Abstract
This study investigates shading panels' (SPs) impacts on daylighting features in a lab scale model in terms of parameters representing potential human eyes' biological responses identified as image forming (IF) and non-image forming (NIF). IF responses enable vision and NIF responses regulate internal body clocks known as circadian clocks. Human-centric lighting evaluates photopic units, representing IF responses, and melanopic units representing NIF responses, combined with correlated color temperature (CCT) of light for potential biological effects. SPs' impacts on such parameters of daylighting have not yet been studied. Previous research mostly studied panels' impacts on visual comfort and glare related to IF responses. This research explores the impact of SPs' color, reflectance, orientation, and openness on photopic and melanopic units and CCT of daylighting inside a 1:50 physical scale model of a space. Approximately 40 prototypes of SPs were evaluated. An experimental setup was designed under outdoor daylighting conditions to capture high dynamic range (HDR) images inside the model. HDR images were post processed to calculate and render the distribution of photopic and melanopic units, melanopic/photopic (M/P) ratios and CCTs in the captured viewpoint of the model. Results reveal the behavior of SPs' color, reflectance, orientation, and openness in modifying daylighting parameters related to biological responses. Bluish panels, in particular, increase daylighting melanopic units and CCTs whereas reddish panels increase photopic units and reduce CCTs. The research results were discussed to provide an outline for future developments of panels to adapt daylighting to occupants' IF and NIF responses.
Keywords
Models & Modelmaking; Shades & Shadows; Daylighting; Color Temperature; Benchmarking (management); Ecological Houses; Eye Tracking; Circadian Rhythms; Adaptive Design; Healthy Lighting; High Performance Façade; Photobiology; Responsive Building; Design; Sensitivity; Illuminance; Systems; Spaces; Impact; Glare; High Performance Facade; Reflectance; Scale Models; Biological Effects; Human Performance; Prototypes; Parameter Modification; Lighting; Shading; Eye (anatomy); Color; Parameter Identification; Light Effects; Panels; Mathematical Models; Images; Biological Clocks; Orientation
Recart, Carolina; Dossick, Carrie Sturts. (2022). Hygrothermal Behavior Of Post-retrofit Housing: A Review Of The Impacts Of The Energy Efficiency Upgrade Strategies. Energy & Buildings, 262.
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Abstract
Improving energy efficiency of existing buildings is currently among the most diverse and extensive mitigation opportunities to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions worldwide. However, the implementation of energy-saving measures has caused unintended impacts, often correlated with dampness and mold growth connected to poor hygrothermal behavior in residential buildings. The focus of this paper is research on the impacts of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) in regard to the hygrothermal behavior resulting from the interaction of building's envelope, indoor environment, and occupants. The results show that dampness and mold growth are by no means exclusive to neglected houses, since the occurrence of these pathologies actually depends upon a complex set of conditions, including indoor and outdoor conditions, occupancy, maintenance, ventilation, mechanical systems, and quality of the envelope. We found that building envelope post-retrofit may suffer from higher levels of moisture and dampness, higher condensations risks, and a faster structural degradation caused by higher humidity levels. We also found that measuring hygrothermal behavior may play a role in more accurately predicting both overall energy consumption and occupant comfort. While hygrothermal behavior may be problematic, we found evidence that retrofits may moderately improve thermal comfort. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Energy Consumption; Energy Consumption Of Buildings; Carbon Emissions; Geothermal Ecology; Housing; Thermal Comfort; Building Envelopes; Dampness And Mold; Energy Retrofits; Hygrothermal Behavior; Residential Buildings; Unintended Impacts; Indoor Air-quality; Low-income; Environmental-quality; Assistance-program; Building Envelope; Health; Ventilation; Weatherization; Performance; Mold Growths; Indoor Environments; Moisture Effects; Energy Efficiency; Residential Areas; Mechanical Systems; Moisture Content; Green Buildings; Energy Conservation; Carbon Dioxide; Mold; Emission Measurements; Emissions; Mitigation; Buildings; Occupancy; Retrofitting; Mechanical Properties
The EarthLab Innovations Grant Program was launched in 2019 to fund actionable environmental research. The 2022-23 EarthLab Innovation Grants program received 33 high-quality proposals for research at the intersection of climate change and social justice. One awarded project titled, “Centering Place and Community to Address Climate Change and Social Justice” was led by P.I. Daniel Abramson, Associate Professor of Urban Design & Planning and Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture & Landscape Architecture, and Community Lead, Jamie Judkins, of the Shoalwater…
ARPA-E announced $5 million in funding to two universities—the University of Washington and University of California, Davis—working to develop life cycle assessment tools and frameworks associated with transforming buildings into net carbon storage structures. The funding is part of the Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA) Exploratory Topic. Parametric Open Data for Life Cycle Assessment (POD | LCA) – $3,744,303 The University of Washington’s Carbon Leadership Forum will develop a rigorous and flexible parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)…
The University of Washington Population Health Initiative announced the award of 11 Tier 1 pilot grants to teams representing researchers from nine different UW schools and colleges as well as UW Tacoma and numerous community-based partners. The collective value of these 11 awards was nearly $480,000, which included approximately $270,000 in funding from the initiative plus additional school, college and departmental matching funds. Among the award recipients was a project titled “Amazonian Green Cities: A Gardens Program for Health Ecology and…
Research Interests: Urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate change, community engagement.
Research Interests: Urban Sustainability Indicators, Small Island Developing States, Climate Change, Natural Resource Management, Urban Design.
Julie Kriegh, researcher with the Carbon Leadership Forum and other CBE research centers, and owner of Kriegh Architecture Studios, collaborated with other CBE faculty and external partners to lead a UW CBE studio course in collaboration with Google that developed and delivered a design proposal for a sustainable data center. CBE collaborators included Hyun Woo “Chris” Lee, P.D. Koon Professorship in Construction Management; Jan Whittington, Associate Professor of the Department of Urban Design and Planning, and Director of the Urban…