- Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering,
The University of Melbourne, Vic 3010 Australia
- Professor of Energy Engineeringedit
Cities are experiencing rapid population growth and consequently extensive urbanization. Land-use/land-cover change is one of the important elements worldwide, which significantly affect the environment. This study aims to describe the... more
Cities are experiencing rapid population growth and consequently extensive urbanization. Land-use/land-cover change is one of the important elements worldwide, which significantly affect the environment. This study aims to describe the emergence of urban heat and cool islands as a result of changes in land-use/land-cover. Land surface temperature over a 32-year period in Isfahan city, Iran was retrieved. The results confirmed the effect of land-use/land-cover change on Landsat land surface temperature. The average land surface temperature changed from 37.5°C in 1985 to 42.7°C in 2017 during August. The highest land surface temperature in the study area for both years occurred on bare soils (40.66°C in 1985 and 45.88°C in 2017). The second highest Landsat land surface temperature was recorded in central parts of the city with dense built-up covers (36.93°C in 1985 vs 42.45°C in 2017). The central parts of the city were found to have a lower Landsat land surface temperature compared t...
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This paper assesses the effectiveness of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for the improvement of the thermal performance and the thermal comfort of a residential building in Melbourne. The incorporation of PCMs in buildings with their... more
This paper assesses the effectiveness of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for the improvement of the thermal performance and the thermal comfort of a residential building in Melbourne. The incorporation of PCMs in buildings with their significant heat storage capacity can delay the heat transfer and reduce the cooling and heating loads. Numerical simulation is a useful tool for comprehensive assessments and optimization of PCM applications in buildings. Thus an available TRNSYS component, PCM Wall: Type1270, was implemented with Type56 (Multi zone component). PCM Wall TRNSYS component has been validated with some experimental data published in the open literature. The validated model was then utilised to simulate the thermal performance of a residential building which has a PCM roof layer. The building is a typical single-storey, three bed room residential building in Melbourne. It was found that the PCM roof layer can reduce the cooling and heating loads whilst providing better thermal comfort for occupants with reduced indoor temperature fluctuations.
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ABSTRACT Quantifying the sustainability of urban transport is important as evidenced by a growing number of studies to measure sustainability in transportation. This paper reviewed major initiatives reported in the current literature,... more
ABSTRACT Quantifying the sustainability of urban transport is important as evidenced by a growing number of studies to measure sustainability in transportation. This paper reviewed major initiatives reported in the current literature, which dealt with the challenge of measuring transport sustainability using long lists of indicators. To overcome the issue of using too many indicators for evaluation, this paper develops a method for obtaining a composite transport sustainability index for Melbourne statistical local areas (SLAs). Nine sustainability indicators relevant to urban transport which deal with environmental, social and economic aspects were selected by assessing and reviewing past research and based on available data for Melbourne. The indicators were integrated to environmental, social, and economic sub-indices and then to a composite index, in a way that overcomes the limitations on normalisation, weighting and aggregation. Indices developed based on the applied method allow comparisons between different statistical local areas (SLAs) and could help organisations for better understanding of the measures and activities that influence the sustainability of urban transport, and for identifying appropriate responses for addressing them in Melbourne.
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... Currently, the national electrification ratio is 53% and 57% for the JavaMaduraBali region only. The electricity sector in Indonesia plays an important role in the overall development of the country. Total generation capacity has... more
... Currently, the national electrification ratio is 53% and 57% for the JavaMaduraBali region only. The electricity sector in Indonesia plays an important role in the overall development of the country. Total generation capacity has reached 21 GW. ...
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Green Building rating systems are the main vehicles for commercial application of ecologically sustainable design for buildings. Using less materials, modular design for deconstruction, long life structure, using recoverable materials are... more
Green Building rating systems are the main vehicles for commercial application of ecologically sustainable design for buildings. Using less materials, modular design for deconstruction, long life structure, using recoverable materials are emerging concepts to reduce environmental impacts and increase the resource and economic efficiency of buildings. It has been argued that because of recent emergence of these concepts, Green Building rating systems do not fairly recognise the environmental benefits gained. This paper quantifies the impacts of the building reuse concept on the environment and the Green Building rating system scores and compares this with the energy category. It was found that lifecycle embodied greenhouse gas emission of approximately 20 kg CO2-e/m2/annum could be saved, if 80% of the office building components (structure, façade, wall, floor and roof) were reused in Australia. A second finding was that the current BREEAM 2008 and LEED 2009 tools do not provide fair...
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ABSTRACT The ability to quantify the ground thermal properties of a site is important for the appropriate sizing of ground heat exchangers. This paper presents the results of in-situ measurements of the thermal properties of two 40 m deep... more
ABSTRACT The ability to quantify the ground thermal properties of a site is important for the appropriate sizing of ground heat exchangers. This paper presents the results of in-situ measurements of the thermal properties of two 40 m deep borehole thermal storage systems in Melbourne. The measurements from the tests were analysed using three methods: conventional slope determination, two variable parameter fitting technique and using Geothermal Properties Measurement (GPM) model. The values of effective thermal conductivities obtained from the three methods were applied in 12 TRNSYS simulations. The value from the GPM model was found to give relatively less error when the measured and simulated outlet temperatures were compared.
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Due to the increasing use and high greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels, countries around the world are seeking to use renewable energy sources. Globally, residential buildings are the single largest user of the primary energy with... more
Due to the increasing use and high greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels, countries around the world are seeking to use renewable energy sources. Globally, residential buildings are the single largest user of the primary energy with heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) being the largest contributors. Therefore, the use of renewable energy in buildings could significantly reduce greenhouse gases. Amongst the many renewable energy technologies available today, low temperature geothermal energy technology is gaining popularity for HVAC applications. One of the popular methods of using low temperature geothermal energy for heating and cooling of the buildings is in combination with a heat pump. Although the use of renewable energy technologies has grown significantly, the sources are often intermittent in nature, and therefore not available or insufficient when required. Ground-coupled solar heat pump with underground thermal energy storage (GCSHP-UTES) systems can enhanc...
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To use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental footprint of the care of patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU). Prospective, observational life cycle assessment examining the use of energy for heating,... more
To use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental footprint of the care of patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU). Prospective, observational life cycle assessment examining the use of energy for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; lighting; machines; and all consumables and waste associated with treating ten patients with septic shock in the ICU at BarnesJewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, United States (US-ICU) and ten patients at Footscray Hospital, Melbourne, Vic, Australia (Aus-ICU). Environmental footprint, particularly greenhouse gas emissions. Energy use per patient averaged 272 kWh/day for the US-ICU and 143 kWh/day for the Aus-ICU. The average daily amount of single-use materials per patient was 3.4 kg (range, 1.0-6.3 kg) for the US-ICU and 3.4 kg (range, 1.2-8.7 kg) for the Aus-ICU. The average daily particularly greenhouse gas emissions arising from treating patients in the US-ICU was 178 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO-e) emissions (ra...
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Dry ports have the potential to enhance the sustainability of transport systems, yet their introduction requires major changes to the current logistics chain. Further, emphasising sustainability goals and continued employee engagement can... more
Dry ports have the potential to enhance the sustainability of transport systems, yet their introduction requires major changes to the current logistics chain. Further, emphasising sustainability goals and continued employee engagement can be a challenge when developing or implementing organisational change management programs in dry ports. Key considerations include governmental requirements and compliance, investor expectations, as well as employee engagement; these factors may be conflicting. The top-down management approach supported by strong leadership, participative approaches and constant communication assists in achieving successful change management. Sound selection of key performance indicators (KPIs) provides a set of metrics to track and aid the change process. They serve as a unifying link between top managements’ sustainability goals and employees’ engagement. The initial findings of our research confirm that both port and terminal operators have a gap in their underst...
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This article reviewed the state-of-the-art applications of the Internet of things (IoT) technology applied in homes for making them smart, automated, and digitalized in many respects. The literature presented various applications,... more
This article reviewed the state-of-the-art applications of the Internet of things (IoT) technology applied in homes for making them smart, automated, and digitalized in many respects. The literature presented various applications, systems, or methods and reported the results of using IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and geographic information system (GIS) at homes. Because the technology has been advancing and users are experiencing IoT boom for smart built environment applications, especially smart homes and smart energy systems, it is necessary to identify the gaps, relation between current methods, and provide a coherent instruction of the whole process of designing smart homes. This article reviewed relevant papers within databases, such as Scopus, including journal papers published in between 2010 and 2019. These papers were then analyzed in terms of bibliography and content to identify more related systems, practices, and contributors. A designed systematic review method was...
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As a newly formed concept, “Biophilic design” is attracting a growing attention among both practitioners and academics. However, the link between biophilic design and vernacular architecture has yet to be thoroughly explored, especially... more
As a newly formed concept, “Biophilic design” is attracting a growing attention among both practitioners and academics. However, the link between biophilic design and vernacular architecture has yet to be thoroughly explored, especially in the context of China, which is the gap this article aims to fill. Investigating the vernacular architecture of the Naxi, this research found that biophilic design attributes and features existed in vernacular buildings and settlements. A matrix framework was developed to facilitate the in-depth investigation of the interrelated elements of the Naxi such as local climate, topography, culture, their belief system, conventions, arts and literature. Among other results, we found that the local culture was influenced by animism and distinct cosmic models. Also, the buildings were constructed using the traditional ways of material preparation and conventions of occupancy. This research serves as an important springboard to bridge between studies in biop...
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Direct-expansion solar assisted heat pumps (DX-SAHPs) have a great potential for various applications and are conductive to the environment by using low-temperature ambient energy and solar radiation. This review paper aims at presenting... more
Direct-expansion solar assisted heat pumps (DX-SAHPs) have a great potential for various applications and are conductive to the environment by using low-temperature ambient energy and solar radiation. This review paper aims at presenting the advancements and the current status of DX-SAHPs. A systematic literature review highlights and discusses various aspects of this technology, including system configurations, performance optimisation, simulation models, and various applications in practice. This review indicates that integrating solar collector-evaporators with some advanced technologies, such as photovoltaic, PCM thermal storage and heat pipe, makes DX-SAHPs perform better under different climates and applications. This study concludes that there are clear trends for promoting commercialisation prospects of the technology with introducing DX-SAHPs into various industries and exploring multi-functional applications of DX-SAHPs. To realise greater commercial success, some suggestions for further research are also made. This review work is expected to serve as a good guide for researchers working or interested in the DX-SAHP field.
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There is a need to apply lean approaches in construction projects. Both BIM and IoT are increasingly being used in the construction industry. However, using BIM in conjunction with IoT for sustainability purposes has not received enough... more
There is a need to apply lean approaches in construction projects. Both BIM and IoT are increasingly being used in the construction industry. However, using BIM in conjunction with IoT for sustainability purposes has not received enough attention in construction. In particular, the capability created from the combination of both technologies has not been exploited. There is a growing consensus that the future of construction operation tends to be smart and intelligent, which would be possible by a combination of both information systems and sensors. This investigation aims to find out the recent efforts of utilizing BIM for lean purposes in the last decade by critically reviewing the published literature and identifying dominant clusters of research topics. More specifically, the investigation is further developed by identifying the gaps in the literature to utilize IoT in conjunction with BIM in construction projects to facilitate applying lean techniques in a more efficient way in...
Although urban areas cover only 3% of the earth’s land surface, they are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from energy use. Cities are versatile, dynamic and complex. Therefore, implementations of low carbon... more
Although urban areas cover only 3% of the earth’s land surface, they are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from energy use. Cities are versatile, dynamic and complex. Therefore, implementations of low carbon initiatives at city scale are challenging and at times impractical. From the local administration perspective, the precinct scale represents a manageable operational scale for governance, urban planning and socio-technical innovations. There are various methods for quantification of GHGE at building, precinct, city and national scales, but few target the complexity and dynamics of the urban area, especially at the precinct scale. The aim of this paper is to identify a suitable quantification method for the precinct scale. The method should be able to determine the changes in GHGE due to implementations of low carbon policies and other strategies. This paper reviews the available methods for quantification of GHGE and highlights their challenges and limi...
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The World Green Building Council (WGBC) advocates improvements in employee health, wellbeing, and productivity in buildings as people are about 90% of an organisation’s expense and well exceed building costs and energy costs. It was... more
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) advocates improvements in employee health, wellbeing, and productivity in buildings as people are about 90% of an organisation’s expense and well exceed building costs and energy costs. It was reported that earlier research on workplace design primarily focused on physical arrangement of employees’ immediate work area, and ambient environmental qualities of the work area. Building organisation, exterior amenities, and site-planning have been given less attention. Therefore, we examine more closely the health relevance of both proximal and remote aspects of workplace design. Occupational stress is a complex phenomenon that is dynamic and evolving over time. This investigation reviews the existing fundamental conceptual models of occupational stress, workplace design, and connection to nature. It aims to develop an improved model relevant to work place design and occupational stress linked with connection to nature. The proposed improved model i...
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Working from home (WFH) has been imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The adoption of WFH impacts energy use in the residential, commercial, and transportation sectors. Consequently, this affects the greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) and... more
Working from home (WFH) has been imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The adoption of WFH impacts energy use in the residential, commercial, and transportation sectors. Consequently, this affects the greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) and the associated energy costs to workers and employers. This study estimates the effects of WFH on the GHGE and energy-related costs in the residential, commercial, and transportation sectors. A simple linear model was used to estimate the changes in the GHGEs and cost by a typical employee when WFH practice is adopted for 1.5 and 4 days per week. The adoption of WFH reduces the operational GHGE accounted for commercial buildings and transport. However, it increases the operational GHGE accounted for residential buildings, which is a maximum of about 6% and 12%, respectively, for WFH 1.5 and 4 days. The reduction of GHGE from transport is significantly higher than that of residential buildings. The GHGE reductions from the transport sector are about 30%...
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The COVID-19 pandemic forced the accessibility, social gathering, lifestyle, and working environment to be changed to reduce the infection. Coronavirus spreads between people in several different ways. Small liquid particles (aerosols,... more
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the accessibility, social gathering, lifestyle, and working environment to be changed to reduce the infection. Coronavirus spreads between people in several different ways. Small liquid particles (aerosols, respiratory droplets) from an infected person are transmitted through air and surfaces that are in contact with humans. Reducing transmission through modified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and building design are potential solutions. A comprehensive review of the engineering control preventive measures to mitigate COVID-19 spread, healthy building design, and material was carried out. The current state-of-the-art engineering control preventive measures presented include ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), bipolar ionization, vertical gardening, and indoor plants. They have potential to improve the indoor air quality. In addition, this article presents building design with materials (e.g., copper alloys, anti-microbia...
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Abstract The European Union’s (EU) building stock is characterised by low energy efficiency and slow growth rates. To achieve EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets, doubling building retrofit rates is one of the focuses of the... more
Abstract The European Union’s (EU) building stock is characterised by low energy efficiency and slow growth rates. To achieve EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets, doubling building retrofit rates is one of the focuses of the European Green Deal. In this article, a real-world retrofit study was conducted, testing the limits towards carbon neutrality. A multi-objective optimisation process was developed, aiming to minimise the operating GHG emissions and the life-cycle cost. The process was applied to a typical multi-residential building and was tested in the four Greek climate zones. It was found that the cost-optimal retrofit agrees with the observed market trends (envelope insulation, double-glazed windows, air-to-air heat pumps (HP) and solar thermal collectors), leading to more than 60% reduction in GHG emissions. A maximum of 87% to 96% reduction was achieved by applying thicker envelope insulation, low-carbon (biomass boiler) or high-efficiency (gas-condensing boiler, air-to-air or air-to-water HPs) heating and cooling systems, photovoltaic-thermal and facade-integrated photovoltaic systems. A net-zero GHG emission retrofit could not be achieved within the building premises, without considering the future decarbonisation of the electricity grid and the installation of efficient electricity-driven systems.
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The World Green Building Council (WGBC) advocates improvements in employee health, wellbeing, and productivity in buildings as people are about 90% of an organisation's expense and well exceed building costs and energy costs. It was... more
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) advocates improvements in employee health, wellbeing, and productivity in buildings as people are about 90% of an organisation's expense and well exceed building costs and energy costs. It was reported that earlier research on workplace design primarily focused on physical arrangement of employees' immediate work area, and ambient environmental qualities of the work area. Building organisation, exterior amenities, and site-planning have been given less attention. Therefore, we examine more closely the health relevance of both proximal and remote aspects of workplace design. Occupational stress is a complex phenomenon that is dynamic and evolving over time. This investigation reviews the existing fundamental conceptual models of occupational stress, workplace design, and connection to nature. It aims to develop an improved model relevant to work place design and occupational stress linked with connection to nature. The proposed improved model is presented with an appropriate causal loop diagram to assist in visualizing how different variables in a system are interrelated. The developed model highlights how connection to nature in workspaces can function as a work resource with a dual effect of improving physical wellbeing and psychological wellbeing.
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Theories of sustainability transitions aim to explain the processes, pathways and actors that are involved in transformations in technologies and practices. Whilst there is a growing body of research developing theoretical understandings,... more
Theories of sustainability transitions aim to explain the processes, pathways and actors that are involved in transformations in technologies and practices. Whilst there is a growing body of research developing theoretical understandings, there has been less documented on how theories are utilised and applied by practitioners themselves.
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Better energy efficiency in buildings can be achieved with active, passive and combined strategies. This chapter presents and discusses design strategies for passive and low energy buildings. Passive buildings fall under low energy... more
Better energy efficiency in buildings can be achieved with active, passive and combined strategies. This chapter presents and discusses design strategies for passive and low energy buildings. Passive buildings fall under low energy building where special design criteria is in place to reduce the operational energy consumption in a building. Passive and low energy technologies can provide satisfactory thermal comfort in non-airconditioned buildings. Passive buildings strategies include heat gain prevention, heat modulation and heat dissipation. Building envelope aspects such as walls, glazing, roof, insulation, thermal mass, and shading are discussed. Low energy cooling technologies: ground cooling and night ventilation are presented. Embodied energy aspect of these technologies is also briefly discussed. Proper architectural design of building envelope along with passive cooling strategies which are appropriate for the local climate conditions can significantly improve the energy efficiency and reduce the related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. CONTENTS 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Design Strategies and Performance Parameters of Passive and Low Energy Buildings 4.2.1 Walls 4.2.2 Glazing 4.2.3 Roof 4.2.4 Thermal Insulation, Thermal Mass and Phase Change Materials 4.2.5 Ground Cooling 4.2.6 Night Ventilation 4.3 Embodied Energy 4.4 Conclusions References
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In this chapter another means of retrofitting a roof is discussed. This is the ‘cool roof’ option. The chapter outlines a research methodology and approach adopted to evaluate the cool roof option in Australia over four fieldwork... more
In this chapter another means of retrofitting a roof is discussed. This is
the ‘cool roof’ option. The chapter outlines a research methodology and
approach adopted to evaluate the cool roof option in Australia over four
fieldwork experiments:
1. cool roof retrofit;
2. cool roof modelling for industrial, commercial and residential buildings;
3. preliminary look at green roof versus cool roof retrofit;
4. cool roof and photovoltaics.
The advantages and disadvantages of cool roof specifications are discussed, summarising when the cool roof is most effective at keeping heat out of buildings. The chapter concludes by setting out the circumstances whereby the cool roof option is favoured over a retrofit green roof alternative.
the ‘cool roof’ option. The chapter outlines a research methodology and
approach adopted to evaluate the cool roof option in Australia over four
fieldwork experiments:
1. cool roof retrofit;
2. cool roof modelling for industrial, commercial and residential buildings;
3. preliminary look at green roof versus cool roof retrofit;
4. cool roof and photovoltaics.
The advantages and disadvantages of cool roof specifications are discussed, summarising when the cool roof is most effective at keeping heat out of buildings. The chapter concludes by setting out the circumstances whereby the cool roof option is favoured over a retrofit green roof alternative.
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Although urban areas cover only 3% of the earth’s land surface, they are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from energy use. Cities are versatile, dynamic and complex. Therefore, implementations of low carbon... more
Although urban areas cover only 3% of the earth’s land surface, they are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from energy use. Cities are versatile, dynamic and complex. Therefore, implementations of low carbon initiatives at city scale are challenging and at times impractical. From the local administration perspective, the precinct scale represents a manageable operational scale for governance, urban planning and socio-technical innovations. There are various methods for quantification of GHGE at building, precinct, city and national scales, but few target the complexity and dynamics of the urban area, especially at the precinct scale. The aim of this paper is to identify a suitable quantification method for the precinct scale. The method should be able to determine the changes in GHGE due to implementations of low carbon policies and other strategies. This paper reviews the available methods for quantification of GHGE and highlights their challenges and limi...
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The aged population in Australia is expanding rapidly. To cater for the Australia’s ageing population, there is a significant increase in demand for aged care facilities over the coming decades. The indoor environmental quality (IEQ)... more
The aged population in Australia is expanding rapidly. To cater for the Australia’s ageing population, there is a significant increase in demand for aged care facilities over the coming decades. The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) affects users’ physical health and psychological wellbeing. However, systematic research on the relationship between users’ perceptions and IEQ of aged care facilities has yet to be developed. In this pilot study, a residential aged care facility in Melbourne was selected as a case study for investigating the differences between the measured IEQ data and the users’ perceived individual comfort. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the perceptions of users on IEQ. Environmental sensors which enable web-based data monitoring were deployed. The measured data were then analysed together with the questionnaire survey results for drawing a comparison with the users’ perceptions. It was found that the measurements by environmental sensors are realis...
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Prefabricated modular construction is one of building solutions that has positive effects on construction time and waste management. In general, thermal performance of the building envelope is an important parameter which dictates the... more
Prefabricated modular construction is one of building solutions that has positive effects on construction time and waste management. In general, thermal performance of the building envelope is an important parameter which dictates the operational energy consumption. There are some prefabricated modular buildings available in Australia. However, their thermal performance benchmarks have not been well documented in the literature. Innovative panel systems have been proposed to improve the cost competitiveness and to achieve better performance. It is essential to know the current performance so that newer panels can be proven to be better. This paper investigates the thermal performance of four prefabricated modular buildings currently available in the Australian market. The buildings were selected to represent single-family houses with different floor areas. A building energy performance simulation tool was used to predict the cooling and heating loads of each building. The findings b...
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... An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) is a rotary heat exchanger, which can recovercoolness or heat depending on the flow arrangements. It has a revolving cylinder filled with an air-permeable medium having a large interna] surface... more
... An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) is a rotary heat exchanger, which can recovercoolness or heat depending on the flow arrangements. It has a revolving cylinder filled with an air-permeable medium having a large interna] surface area. ...
For zero energy and efficient production of mass customised housing, good outcomes are possible only when it is supportedby a good education curriculum and infrastructure. This paper reports on the status of education for zero energy and... more
For zero energy and efficient production of mass customised housing, good outcomes are possible only when it is supportedby a good education curriculum and infrastructure. This paper reports on the status of education for zero energy and lean manufacturing and construction of houses in Australia by investigating offerings of Victorian schools, vocational training and highereducation sectors in these respects. The courses currently offered within Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) were assessed. It was found that there are still gaps in the education infrastructure that do not provide fully for opportunities to educate the workforce in these areas. Although the main knowledge areas of zero energy are sufficiently covered by courses involving sustainability, renewable energy, energy efficiency in buildings and infrastructure construction, the teaching of lean concepts are not widespread in all these education sectors in Australia.
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Nepal is a poor country and is ranked 138 out of 177 countries in terms of standard of living, with approximately 38% of the population earning less than US$1 per day. Of the 75 province in Nepal, Humla has been judged to be the second... more
Nepal is a poor country and is ranked 138 out of 177 countries in terms of standard of living, with approximately 38% of the population earning less than US$1 per day. Of the 75 province in Nepal, Humla has been judged to be the second poorest. Using a ranking of 1 (best) to 75 (worst), Humla was overall ranked 74th in terms of poverty, deprivation and women's empowerment (73rd), and 72nd in terms of socio-economic and infrastructure development. Humla is also a permanent food deficient area and to improve general food security, a small number of solar dryers have been introduced into the area to increase and improve crop preservation. This paper describes the evaluation of one of the solar dryers located at RIDS-Nepal's High Altitude Research Station (HARS) in Simikot, the main town of the Humla District. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the current design. The results of the evaluation indicate that in terms of drying efficiency the solar...
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Quantifying the sustainability of buildings is a complex and very challenging task. Three interdependent factors: society, economy and environment need to be considered. It requires a systematic assessment of all these three factors for... more
Quantifying the sustainability of buildings is a complex and very challenging task. Three interdependent factors: society, economy and environment need to be considered. It requires a systematic assessment of all these three factors for the entire life-cycle of the building. Full cost assessment (FCA) is an accounting method that monetises direct, indirect and external aspects. Since external aspects are considered, FCA provides a systematic approach to monetise the current and future impacts of decisions which may cause environmental and social impacts. The oil and gas industry was the first to apply the FCA approach in their decision-making processes. Recently, applications of FCA have been expanded to many areas such as energy supply, waste management, chemical process, transport system, and urban development. This paper aims to identify the benefits and limitations of FCA on the evaluation for the sustainability of buildings. The concept of FCA, the relevant methods available an...
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The energy required for space cooling could be reduced by using ground as a heat sink depending on the weather conditions and the ground characteristics. In this paper the theoretical performance of a closed loop ground coupled cooling... more
The energy required for space cooling could be reduced by using ground as a heat sink depending on the weather conditions and the ground characteristics. In this paper the theoretical performance of a closed loop ground coupled cooling system for a commercial building in Hanoi has been investigated as an alternative to the conventional air-to-air cooling system. A theoretical computational model for the prediction of the cooling system performance has been developed. It was found that the ground-coupled cooling system performs better (approximately 30 % energy saving) than a conventional air-to-air cooling system.
Research Interests: Simulation and Heat pump
The aim of this paper is to review the current literature on maintenance of building structural systems. It emphasises the importance of maintenance as an item for consideration from the beginning of the conceptual design stage. Building... more
The aim of this paper is to review the current literature on maintenance of building structural systems. It emphasises the importance of maintenance as an item for consideration from the beginning of the conceptual design stage. Building sustainability concept is generally understood to have better energy efficiency focus and maintenance of structural components ensures they serve their designed service life and beyond. The conventional design approach considers structural maintenance during the “product use” phase. This paper argues that if the accessibility of the building and maintenance (inspection, repair and retrofitting) are considered from the early conceptual design stage, it would save resources and maintenance cost. Case studies of buildings subject to earthquake loading and corrosion and their maintenance are presented.
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Prefabricated houses have been at the forefront for the delivery of buildings with less onsite construction time and safer for the workers. Significant savings in terms of cost and reducing waste are some of the primary direct benefits.... more
Prefabricated houses have been at the forefront for the delivery of buildings with less onsite construction time and safer for the workers. Significant savings in terms of cost and reducing waste are some of the primary direct benefits. In addition, other direct positive impacts such as higher quality can be easily achieved due to improvements in terms of processes offsite. However, indirect benefits of prefabricated houses are not still well defined and quantified. The consideration of wider economic benefits (WEBs) would provide the opportunity to quantify the value which is useful for decision-making. Urban renewal and growth, commercial activity influx, and employment opportunities are the examples of WEBs due to the prefabricated houses industry. WEB concept has been applied in the area such as transport and infrastructure during the decision-making. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that this concept has been applied in the prefabrication industry. This paper identifies and c...
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Worldwide, the building sector is accountable for one-third of final energy consumption. This is expected to increase in the future. It is due to the continuing growth in demand for new buildings and the poor energy efficiency of the... more
Worldwide, the building sector is accountable for one-third of final energy consumption. This is expected to increase in the future. It is due to the continuing growth in demand for new buildings and the poor energy efficiency of the existing building stock. In developed countries, the ratio of new to old buildings is around 1% per year. According to the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast (Directive 2010/31/EU), optimal solutions towards low and near-Zero Energy Building (near ZEB) retrofit is of critical importance in order to achieve European Union (EU) climate and energy objectives. This has led to a large number of projects on deep building retrofit during the last 20 years. Each project has specific objective functions, depending on the adopted stakeholder’s perspective and the selected retrofit strategies are dictated by the objective functions set. This study investigates stakeholders (legislators, investors, owners and users), objectives and optimal re...
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Vapour compression heat pumps can upgrade ambient heat sources to match the desired heating load temperature. They can offer considerable increase in operational energy efficiency compared to current water heating systems. Solar heat... more
Vapour compression heat pumps can upgrade ambient heat sources to match the desired heating load temperature. They can offer considerable increase in operational energy efficiency compared to current water heating systems. Solar heat pumps collect energy not only from solar radiation but also from the ambient air. They can operate even at night or in totally overcast conditions. Since the evaporator/collector operates at temperatures lower than ambient air temperature it does not need glazing or a selective coating to prevent losses. Currently, however, they are not used much at all in domestic or commercial water heating systems.
In this paper comparison is made of a conventional solar hot water system, a conventional air source heat pump hot water system and a solar heat pump water heating system based on various capital city locations in Australia. A summary is given of specific electricity consumption, initial and operating costs, and greenhouse gas generation of the three systems dealt with in this paper. The ultimate choice of unit for a particular location will depend heavily on the solar radiation, climate and the
local price paid for electricity to drive or boost the unit chosen.
In this paper comparison is made of a conventional solar hot water system, a conventional air source heat pump hot water system and a solar heat pump water heating system based on various capital city locations in Australia. A summary is given of specific electricity consumption, initial and operating costs, and greenhouse gas generation of the three systems dealt with in this paper. The ultimate choice of unit for a particular location will depend heavily on the solar radiation, climate and the
local price paid for electricity to drive or boost the unit chosen.
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Shallow geothermal energy systems use the upper few metres of the ground below the surface to provide space heating and cooling efficiently. Well-designed systems render year-round coefficient of performance (COP) of about four or more.... more
Shallow geothermal energy systems use the upper few metres of the ground below the surface to provide space heating and cooling efficiently. Well-designed systems render year-round coefficient of performance (COP) of about four or more. In closed-loop geothermal systems, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes are embedded in trenches, boreholes or into geostructures (e.g. piles) to form ground heat exchangers (GHEs), whose function is to access this sustainable geothermal energy. A large proportion of electricity worldwide is generated from fossil fuels. Substituting commonly used electric heating and cooling systems with shallow geothermal ones could significantly decrease peak energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions given their high COPs and high primary energy ratios. This chapter summarises the fundamental principles of the technology, the various factors that affect the thermal performance of different types of GHEs and their impacts on the capital and operating costs of geothermal systems. In addition, this chapter provides an overview of what the future might hold in terms of using geostructures with a dual purpose, as load-bearing-buried structures and as GHEs. Consideration is given to common design methods and an example is presented using a simplified design method. The chapter highlights the importance of directing additional efforts in research and development of the performance of ground loop systems.
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Abstract Due to the upsurge in climate change and global warming as a consequence of population increase and economic growth, the energy demand for indoor air conditioning and comfort provision has rapidly grown over the past decade. This... more
Abstract Due to the upsurge in climate change and global warming as a consequence of population increase and economic growth, the energy demand for indoor air conditioning and comfort provision has rapidly grown over the past decade. This emphasises the need for a fast transition to energy-efficient air-conditioning alternatives in buildings. The radiant chilled ceilings (RCCs) embedded with phase change materials (PCMs), owing to the prudent use of energy, large capacity of thermal energy storage, the ability of peak load shifting, and the establishment of thermal comfort, have been introduced as a more sustainable cooling technology. This review aims to identify the state of PCM embedded radiant chilled ceiling (PCM-RCC) for space cooling based on the available literature. To this aim, the operating characteristics and various types of RCCs are critically reviewed. PCM fundamentals and their suitability for building applications are described. This article then focuses on PCM-RCC potentials regarding energy savings, peak load shifting, and thermal comfort. It also discusses various PCM-RCC simulation models. The effects of critical design and operating variables on the system performance are explained as well. It was found that PCM-RCC can be more energy-efficient than that of the conventional all-air system. The main reason is its capability of providing thermal comfort through direct radiant cooling, which covers cooling loads during daytime and subsequently rejects heat during nighttime. However, the system design and operating variables should be carefully selected, since the energy performance is highly affected by the thermal storage capacity and PCM charging/discharging process.
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Buildings are responsible for over a third of energy consumption worldwide, particularly for the increasing demand of air-conditioners in response to the more extreme heat around the globe. It is imperative to move towards more... more
Buildings are responsible for over a third of energy consumption worldwide, particularly for the increasing demand of air-conditioners in response to the more extreme heat around the globe. It is imperative to move towards more energy-efficient space cooling alternatives. The integration of phase change material (PCM) with a radiant chilled ceiling (RCC) is a promising technology due to its benefits regarding energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. This article presents a field study conducted on a newly-developed PCM embedded radiant chilled ceiling (PCM-RCC) installed in a stand-alone cabin located in Melbourne. The study evaluates the thermal and energy performance of the system through investigation of the transient thermal behaviour of PCM panels in charging-discharging cycles, the indoor comfort conditions, and the electricity peak demand. It was observed that the proposed PCM-RCC can provide satisfactory comfort conditions and contribute to load shifting if a refined operating strategy is applied. The efficiency of PCM recharge overnight depends on several factors that need to be carefully considered in design. The challenges related to the implementation of optimal operating dynamic schedules in response to the thermal behaviour of PCM-RCC, and accurate weather forecasting should be addressed to realise the full potential of this technology
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The monitoring of air quality compliance requires the use of Federal Reference Methods (FRM)/Federal Equivalent Methods (FEM); nevertheless, the validity and reliability of low-cost sensors deserve attention due to their affordability and... more
The monitoring of air quality compliance requires the use of Federal Reference Methods (FRM)/Federal Equivalent Methods (FEM); nevertheless, the validity and reliability of low-cost sensors deserve attention due to their affordability and accessibility. This review examines the methodologies of previous studies to characterise the performance of low-cost air quality sensors and to identify the influential factors in sensor evaluation experiments. The data on four statistical measures (Correlation of Determination, r2; Root Mean Square Error, RMSE; Mean Normalised Bias, MNB; and Coefficient of Variation, CV) and details about five methodological factors in experimental design (environmental setting, reference instrument, regression model, pollutant attribute, and sensor original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specification) were extracted from a total of 112 primary articles for a detailed analysis. The results of the analysis suggested that low-cost air quality sensors exhibited improved r2 and RMSE in the experiments with stable environmental settings, in the comparison against non-designated reference instruments, or in the analysis where advanced regression models were used to adjust the sensor readings. However, the pollutant attribute and sensor OEM specification had inconclusive effects on r2 and RMSE due to contradictory results and lack of sufficient data. MNB and CV, two measures that US EPA recommends to determine the suitable application tier of air quality sensors, varied significantly among published experiments due to the discrepancy in experimental design. The outcomes of this work could provide direction to researchers regarding sensor evaluation experiments and guide practitioners to effectively select and deploy low-cost sensors for air quality monitoring.
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ABSTRACT Prefabrication is one strategy considered to provide improved environmental performance for building construction. However, there is an absence of detailed scientific research or case studies dealing with the potential... more
ABSTRACT Prefabrication is one strategy considered to provide improved environmental performance for building construction. However, there is an absence of detailed scientific research or case studies dealing with the potential environmental benefits of prefabrication, particularly the embodied energy savings resulting from waste reduction and the improved efficiency of material usage. This paper aims to quantify the embodied energy of modular prefabricated steel and timber multi-residential buildings in order to determine whether this form of construction provides improved environmental performance over conventional concrete construction methods. Furthermore this paper assesses the potential benefits of reusability of materials, reducing the space required for landfill and need for additional resource requirements.An eight-storey, 3943 m2 multi-residential building was investigated. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in a significant increase (∼50%) in embodied energy compared to the concrete building. It was shown that there was significant potential for the reuse of materials in the prefabricated steel building, representing up to an 81% saving in embodied energy and 51% materials saving by mass. This form of construction has the potential to contribute significantly towards improved environmental sustainability in the construction industry.
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Following the recognition of the zero energy building concept, the zero energy mass customised houses have received more attention recently. This paper investigates the application of solar energy to achieve net zero on-site energy for... more
Following the recognition of the zero energy building concept, the zero energy mass customised houses have received more attention recently. This paper investigates the application of solar energy to achieve net zero on-site energy for space heating in a cold climate. As a case study, a cluster of 30 typical houses in Harbin, China was considered. Harbin is known for its coldest weather and longest winter among major Chinese cities. This study used TRNbuild software to model the house and consequently TRNSYS to determine the total heating load of the cluster of houses. The study focused on fulfilling the heating demand by using a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system. The total electricity consumed by the GSHP is covered by a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) array. The required area of PV array to meet 100% of the annual electricity consumed by the GSHP was calculated. The results show the peak GSHP electric load required for the cluster of houses to be 99 kWhe with the total PV array area of 1961 m2. The levelised cost of electricity (LCoE) generated by the PV array was found to be US$ 0.067 (RMB 0.44) per kWhe for 30-year project life. The cost of heat distribution network, the annualised life cycle cost (ALCC), and the unit heating cost (UHC) were also estimated for the system investigated.
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Prefabrication of houses is a growing industry in Australia. Although prefabrication does not negatively affect the building quality, the potential to provide acceptable indoor environment quality with high energy efficiency is still a... more
Prefabrication of houses is a growing industry in Australia. Although prefabrication does not negatively affect the building quality, the potential to provide acceptable indoor environment quality with high energy efficiency is still a topic of argument. Effective passive design strategies are necessary to achieve low-energy buildings with satisfactory indoor environment quality. The building envelope parameters such as materials, openings and shadings highly affect the heat transfer, air exchange and light transmission between outside and indoor environment. Shading, one of the passive envelope design strategies, can reduce cooling energy while improving the indoor thermal comfort. However, the effects on daylighting and thermal performance depend on the climate conditions, and the size, location and orientation of the shading device. The performance benchmarks of prefabricated houses have not been well documented in the literature. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of shading design options on thermal and daylighting performance of a typical modular house in Melbourne. EnergyPlus and Radiant simulation engines have been employed in this study. By quantifying the performance, the appropriate shading design for the typical modular house in Melbourne could be identified.
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This paper explores the potential for a mass customised building volume applying lean based moving assembly line method. Past experience would suggest that the moving assembly line stems from a mass production, that reduces customisation... more
This paper explores the potential for a mass customised building volume applying lean based moving assembly line method. Past experience would suggest that the moving assembly line stems from a mass production, that reduces customisation through standardisation of processes. However, when combined with a seamless method of design to documentation up front, it is proposed that the moving assembly line could allow for mass customisation. In addition, lean practices suggest that refinements of processes are intrinsically linked to a repetitious assembly process used in producing a homogenous object. We seek to break these moulds and examine the potential for a lean moving assembly line to allow mass customisation and what is required to do so. Moving assembly line offsite building manufacture factories in Australia, Sweden and Japan were visited and observed. A comparative exercise of when, what happens where was undertaken to identify the approaches. It was found that the moving assembly line allows cost and time savings in off-site manufacture of multi storey buildings, and could enable for a mass customised outcome. Lean is the facilitator, or enabler of this process working efficiently
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Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has a great potential to enable zero energy homes. To enable more surface areas without losing the other functionality work-on PV modules have been considered. These modules can be installed on platform... more
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has a great potential to enable zero energy homes. To enable more surface areas without losing the other functionality work-on PV modules have been considered. These modules can be installed on platform walk ways and flat roof tops. To protect PV cells of a module, glass panels have been used for the transparent covering. Majorities of previous studies were mostly about investigating the amount of dust-deposition and transmittance ability of various coated and uncoated glazing panels. The load carrying capacity under work-on conditions has not been substantially investigated. This paper presents an experimental investigation of load carrying capacity of PV modules covered by annealed and toughened glazing panels sizes of 270 mm × 270 mm × 5 mm and 450 mm × 450 mm × 6 mm respectively. A 10 mm thick stainless steel plate was kept underneath the glazing panels to incorporate the effects of the substrate. The glazing specimens were loaded by means of the spherical indenter up to the point of failure. The breaking load was then recorded. A similar experimental procedure was conducted without the substrate material for obtaining the minimum strength capacity. Results show that the load carrying capacities of both types of glazing panels are almost doubled when the substrate material is included in the design. This study serves to verify the importance of selecting suitable types of substrate and superstrate materials in PV modules for maximising its resistance from damage that can be caused by impact by the human body, fallen objects and hail.
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The ever-increasing attention towards implementation of environmentally sustainable building design approaches necessitates the prediction of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) during design stage. Building performance simulation tools... more
The ever-increasing attention towards implementation of environmentally sustainable building design approaches necessitates the prediction of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) during design stage. Building performance simulation tools are able to predict key performance indices of buildings including IEQ. Among different aspects of IEQ, thermal comfort has been reported as one of the important aspects for occupants. It is necessary to understand the effects of design parameters on the performance of building in order to provide acceptable thermal comfort levels. However, due to the possibility of various design strategies, the selection of the most appropriate combination is a challenging task. Thus, the determination of effective parameters is of great importance in order to streamline the design process. The design parameters related to building envelope are among the most important items that have major influence on building thermal performance. Although prefabrication offers several benefits in terms of saving on-site time, saving money and better waste management, it affects envelope thermal performance due to introduction of lightweight components. While there is a body of research reporting the effects of passive strategies on building thermal performance, the influence of lightweight prefabricated envelope components is not well-documented in the current literature. This paper aims to perform a sensitivity analysis (SA) to identify the relative importance of major building envelope design parameters affecting thermal comfort of a prefabricated house in Melbourne, Australia. The envelope parameters investigated are: infiltration rate, solar heat gain coefficients and sizes of windows, and thermal resistance of insulation for exterior walls, floor and roof. The ranges of these parameters are based on the building components particularly used by prefabrication building industry in Australia. A typical three-bedroom prefabricated house in Melbourne was considered and the results of the SA are presented.
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Industrialization and development have increased the stresses imposed on the natural environment. Two main issues addressed within this work as part of an integrated solution are management of waste tyres and improved storm water... more
Industrialization and development have increased the stresses imposed on the natural environment. Two main issues addressed within this work as part of an integrated solution are management of waste tyres and improved storm water management. Findings depict that approximately 5% of end-of-life tyre (EoLT’s) in Australia are recycled or re-used and the rest are subject to unsustainable disposal [1]. Tyre rubber being non bio-degradable results in fire hazards emitting toxic gases and providing breeding habitats to disease carrying pests [2]. With population in Australia predicted to rise by 60% by 2050 [3], the need for impervious areas is imminent. This will result in increased burden on existing over-capacitated storm water management systems. Incorporating to address these issues the utilisation of EoLT in permeable pavements for lightly trafficked areas was explored. Building on previously conducted laboratory tests, three chosen blends of permeable pavement were installed and tested at a bike park in Melbourne. The blends tested namely Merlin Advanced Infrastructure Systems Engineering (MAISE) 1, 2, and 3 comprise of 30%, 40%, and 50% tyre derived aggregates (TDA) by volume. Conventional crushed rock and a polyurethane based binder were combined with respective TDA volumes. A local permeable paving product comprising crushed rock and urethane binder was used as ‘control blend’ for comparison. This paper presents the results of the field tests. Field tests include: surface deflection, hydraulic conductivity, surface profiling and skid resistance testing over a five month period. The findings are: (i) with increasing content of EoLT aggregates, flexibility of the pavement is increased minimising crack propagation and permitting for tree root growth and sub-grade movements. (ii) Infiltration rates of the MAISE blends are well in excess to that of conventional porous asphalt (however lower than control attributed to larger binder content). (iii) Skid resistance values of all blends including control exceed the requirement for Class P5 defined in AS 4586-2013 displaying a surface with enhanced safety.
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Solar radiation reaching the Earth surface is the most abundant renewable energy. Solar energy can be harnessed in two types of technologies: Solar Photovoltaics (PV) and Solar Thermal. This chapter deals with the applications of solar... more
Solar radiation reaching the Earth surface is the most abundant renewable energy. Solar energy can be harnessed in two types of technologies: Solar Photovoltaics (PV) and Solar Thermal. This chapter deals with the applications of solar thermal technologies in the built environment. The applications presented are electricity generation, hot water production, product drying, cooking, clean water production, space heating, space cooling and refrigeration. Fundamental principles and recent developments and trends of these applications are presented and discussed.
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Use of Permeable Paving Systems (PPS) in road transport networks has been gaining more attention due to benefits such as minimising surface run-off, decreasing the risk of flash flooding and reducing pollutants deposited in waterways.... more
Use of Permeable Paving Systems (PPS) in road transport networks has been gaining more attention due to benefits such as minimising surface run-off, decreasing the risk of flash flooding and reducing pollutants deposited in waterways. Simultaneously the increasing stockpiles of waste tyre and its non-biodegradable nature leading to negative environmental impacts and associated hazards have posed increased attention to seek innovative sustainable solutions for reducing tyre stockpiles. Crumb rubber has enhanced properties that allow it to be a suitable substitution for rock aggregate in PPS. By using mixtures of tyre and rock aggregates and engineered level of binders the flexibility of PPS can be optimized based on the application to accommodate differential settlements thus reducing degradation and cracking commonly observed in conventional permeable pavement systems. This can ultimately lead to an increase in serviceability and minimising costly maintenance works and more importantly expand the range of applications permeable pavements can be used in. This study reports on the mechanical behaviour of a range of semi-rigid PPS products incorporating tyre crumbs for surface paving with high drainage capability for mitigation of storm-water run-off. The transient stiffness-deformation behaviour of a range of permeable pavement systems with varying tyre crumb content and binder type under variable loadings was investigated. In the first step, different mixing ratios of crushed rocks (rigid aggregate) and tyre crumbs (soft aggregate) were tested in the laboratory to find the optimum mixtures fit for different applications. Constraint modulus and shear wave velocity tests were carried out to establish the mixtures which their performance changes from rigid-type to soft-type with varying pressure level. Results of this step provide an insight into the formation of force chains in the mixtures ultimately providing the most formidable mix ratio resulting in transitional soft to rigid behaviour. In the next step different binder types (polyurethane based) and percentages were added to selected blends to investigate the performance of polymer bonded tyre-rock aggregates under static and dynamic loads. Test results suggest that the quality of binder only shows its impact for tyre contents higher than 30%. In blends with higher tyre contents the force chains mostly pass through tyre aggregates and hence the deformation of tyre aggregates puts more strain on binder film causing the lower grade binders to fail. Same low grade binders show satisfactory results when tested with mixtures up to 30% tyre content. Preliminary test results suggest that the optimum mixture of tyre and rock aggregate with the right binder type and ratio can produce a permeable pavement system suitable for car parks and other lightly trafficked areas including pedestrian footpaths.
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The data included in the dataset are related to prefabricated building components and their specifications. The specification provided are component type, material, thickness, density, thermal conductivity, specific heat, sound reduction... more
The data included in the dataset are related to prefabricated building components and their specifications. The specification provided are component type, material, thickness, density, thermal conductivity, specific heat, sound reduction index, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) emissions and costs in various locations of Australia. The components that are included in this dataset are wall cladding, wall core, interior wall lining, insulation, roof cladding, floor covers and glazing. The authors attempted to cover most of the available component types and their available thicknesses. However, the authors acknowledge that due customisability of these products, other variations of the materials and their dimensions may have not been mentioned in the dataset. For some materials the specifications related to certain properties could net be accessed. Therefore, this dataset is designed to be open for updates and further development in the future. The dataset has been used in sets of...
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This book focuses on recent trends in the areas of green and renewable energy, especially as applied to the carbon footprint of energy production, transmission, and use. Discussing the latest developments and advances in the materials and... more
This book focuses on recent trends in the areas of green and renewable energy, especially as applied to the carbon footprint of energy production, transmission, and use. Discussing the latest developments and advances in the materials and processes involved in energy generation, transmission, distribution and storage, with a particular focus on the management and policies related to these systems, it is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in these areas.