Guidelines to integrate life cycle assessment in building design

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-11-17) Joshi, Surabhi

As the architecture and construction industry places an increased emphasis on sustainability, building researchers are seeking more comprehensive methods to evaluate and reduce a building's environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as one of the most capable tools to aid in this assessment. Presently there are no guiding principles for the use of LCA in the building industry. This thesis aims to provide guidelines to help architects utilize LCA methodology as part of the design process. This study reviews a number of previously-completed whole-building LCA case-studies to understand different LCA scenarios of use in the building industry. In addition, a set of North American and international LCA tools were evaluated for their utility in different scenarios. The state of research was assessed to find answers to some critical issues concerning LCA. Based on these analyses, a number of scenarios of use of LCA were identified and a set of guidelines was proposed to conduct LCA for buildings. It was concluded that the present use of LCA is limited due to limited tool capabilities, deficient databases and lack of a building-specific methodology. The study recognizes these limitations and recommends specific research opportunities for future researchers. However, it is concluded that approximate LCA results obtained from the tools available today can be useful in informing design-decisions, keeping in mind the lack of precision in the results.
Risk-conscious design of off-grid solar energy houses

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-11-16) Hu, Huafen

Zero energy houses and (near) zero energy buildings are among the most ambitious targets of society moving towards an energy efficient built environment. The "zero" energy consumption is most often judged on a yearly basis and should thus be interpreted as yearly net zero energy. The fully self sustainable, i.e. off-grid, home poses a major challenge due to the dynamic nature of building load profiles, ambient weather condition and occupant needs. In current practice, the off-grid status is accomplishable only by relying on backup generators or utilizing a large energy storage system. The research develops a risk based holistic system design method to guarantee a match between onsite sustainable energy generation and energy demand of systems and occupants. Energy self-sufficiency is the essential constraint that drives the design process. It starts with information collection of occupants' need in terms of life style, risk perception, and budget planning. These inputs are stated as probabilistic risk constraints that are applied during design evolution. Risk expressions are developed based on the relationships between power unavailability criteria and "damages" as perceived by occupants. A power reliability assessment algorithm is developed to aggregate the system underperformance causes and estimate all possible power availability outcomes of an off-grid house design. Based on these foundations, the design problem of an off-grid house is formulated as a stochastic programming problem with probabilistic constraints. The results show that inherent risks in weather patterns dominate the risk level of off-grid houses if current power unavailability criteria are used. It is concluded that a realistic and economic design of an off-grid house can only be achieved after an appropriate design weather file is developed for risk conscious design methods. The second stage of the research deals with the potential risk mitigation when an intelligent energy management system is installed. A stochastic model based predictive controller is implemented to manage energy allocation to sub individual functions in the off-grid house during operation. The controller determines in real time the priority of energy consuming activities and functions. The re-evaluation of the risk indices show that the proposed controller helps occupants to reduce damages related to power unavailability, and increase thermal comfort performance of the house. The research provides a risk oriented view on the energy self-sufficiency of off-grid solar houses. Uncertainty analysis is used to verify the match between onsite sustainable energy supply and demand under dynamic ambient conditions in a manner that reveals the risks induced by the fact that new technologies may not perform as well as expected. Furthermore, taking occupants' needs based on their risk perception as constraints in design evolution provides better guarantees for right sized system design.
Optimal Investment Strategy for Energy Performance Improvements in Existing Buildings

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-11-15) Ramkrishnan, Karthik

Current global efforts for energy conservation and optimization are focused on improvements in energy supply and production systems, and on encouraging the adoption of energy-efficient devices and equipment. However, systematic assessments of economic and technical implications when adopting energy-efficient alternative systems in buildings have not yet been explored thoroughly. The uncertainty about the consequences of investing in alternative energy-efficient systems has led to a prolonged utilization of obsolete building systems (underperforming HVAC systems, inefficient lighting systems, badly maintained and equipment, and so forth). This has led to overall poor energy efficiency, creating considerable burden on the building operation budget. This research discusses the procedure for formulating an investment strategy to improve existing building energy performance. The approach is suitable for large building portfolios where a plethora of potential refurbishment interventions can be considered. This makes our approach especially suited for use on university campuses and most of this report will focus on that particular application utilization protocols especially for use on campuses. This investment model only looks at the energy related savings versus investments; it is well understood that the ultimate selection of the optimal set of improvement options of a portfolio will be determined by additional considerations, such as overall value, occupant satisfaction, productivity improvements, aesthetics, etc. Nevertheless, many campus managers are confronted with the question how much energy they can save with a given investment amount. This is exactly what our approach helps to answer. The investment optimization strategy is implemented in software "InvEnergy," which systematically calculates the costs and benefits of all possible building-technology pairings, taking uncertainties in the saving/investment calculations and estimates into account. This tool empowers decision makers in facility management to make complex investment decisions during continuous building commissioning.
Real-Time Adaptive Systems for Building Envelopes

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-11-15) Deo, Vishwadeep

The thesis attempts to investigate the issues pertaining to design, fabrication and application of real-time adaptive systems for building envelopes, and to answer questions raised by the idea of motion in architecture. The thesis uses the Solar Decathlon Competition as a platform to base all the research and consequently to verify their applications. Photo-voltaic (PV) panels and shading devices are two different components of Georgia Institute of Technology s the Solar Decathlon House, located above the roof, that are based on the concept of Homeostasis or self-regulated optimization. For the PV panels, the objective is to optimize energy production, by controlling their movement to track the changing position of Sun, whereas, the objective for the shading devices is to reduce heating or cooling loads by controlling the position of shading devices, thus controlling direct and diffused heat gains through the roof. To achieve this adaptive feature, it required three layers of operations. First was the design of the mechanics of movement, which tried to achieve the required motion for the PV panels and shading devices by using minimum components and parameters. Second was the design of the individual parts that are consistent with the overall concept of the House. And finally, the third layer is the design of controls that automates the motion of the PV panels and Shading Devices, using a set of sensors that actuate the attached motors. As a final product, there is an attempt to integrate the precision and material efficiency of digital fabrication with the self-regulated optimization of the roof components.
Virtual World: Observe, Interact & Simulate

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-07-10) Phor, Pallavi

This thesis researches the potential for using Virtual Worlds as an advanced environment for interaction and simulation besides observation. Tables, matrices and scenarios have been developed to illustrate upfront, the route that can be taken to develop an advanced virtual environment. The paper attempts to build a dialogue for designers, to gauge the requirements of a client and thereby propose a schedule of deliverable, time and cost, in a pre-project phase.
A Project Planning Guide for Healthcare Facility Owners

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-04-09) Walrath, Bryan James

According to a recent study, about 30 percent of U.S. real estate projects are canceled midstream, while more than half run up to 190 percent over budget and 220 percent over the initial time estimate. The reasons for this are manifold but poor decisions during the initiation and early planning of the project can be pointed to as main causes. Most poor decisions stem from lack of information, bad judgment, and lack of communication and transparency between what the client expects and what the project team can deliver. Proper project planning procedures and methods will lead to proper contingency planning, management of partner relationships and contracts, management of dynamic change and associated risks that can, and most probably will, occur in the course of the project. The role of the owner cannot be overstated in all of these targets. Historically, the owners of healthcare facilities have a once in a lifetime involvement in the planning, design and construction (or major renovation) of their facility. The interaction with planners, public bodies, architects, engineers, and other entities is a daunting prospect for which an owner will seek help from specialized firms that represent the owner. This guide may serve as a healthcare project planning guide for owners, and in particular CEOs, to navigate the process. It will prepare the owner to recognize the major tasks and decision steps throughout project planning, while keeping the focus on the desired outcome. Any owner should recognize that the slogan: if you dont know what you want, you will not get what you need is as true today as it ever was. This guide will include research, best practices from industry experts, and a case study on the New Orleans public healthcare planning process post-Hurricane Katrina.
The use of formal methods for decision making in the planning phase of healthcare facilities

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007-04-09) Lima, Clarissa Sucupira Andrade

The Pre-Project Phase of building construction manages the communication between client organization, user groups and designers. Disconnects and miscommunication in this phase may result in a product that does not fulfill the expectations of the parties involved. It is expected that the adoption of more formal methods can streamline the communication and improve its precision. Based on a literature review, a triage of methods is introduced: (a) a method for initial criteria management, supported by the EcoProP software (developed by VTT in Finland); (b) a method to rationalize and manage criteria in relation to the design organizational instruments, supported by the QFD ProP software (developed by VTT in Finland); (c) a method that supports multi criteria decision making, supported by a range of commercially available software tools. In order to assess the effectiveness of these tools they have been applied in the specific case of Pre-Project Phase of a healthcare facility. A Case Study on a concrete discrete decision problem is dealt with. It concerns the choice between a central medication room and patient room dispenser closets (also known as Nurservers). The Nurservers Case Study is used to evaluate the applicability of the proposed criteria gathering, ranking and decision methods in the Pre-Project Phases daily practices. The claim that these rational methods increase efficiency, precision and satisfaction of the parties involved in this phase is investigated. The thesis evaluates how the introduction of rational methods benefits the communication between stakeholders.
Is Building Construction Approaching the Threshold of Becoming Unsustainable: A Systems Theoretic Exploration towards a Post-Forrester Model for Taming Unsustainable Exponentialoids

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006-11-15) Fernandez-Solis, Jose Luciano

The construction industry is a major emissions contributor and a main resource consumer. Because of this, the industry is formulating short and long-term 'sustainability targets'. The trend points towards an unsustainable future, within the next 75 years, due to actual and projected increases in resource consumption and emissions generation in response to global population growth, and improving living standards, affluence. There are no reliable studies that predict whether the required reductions in ecological impacts can actually be realized, and if so, on what time scale. In fact, currently no available system representations of the industry can serve as the basis for studying long-term sustainability through the twenty-first Century. Hard dynamic systems, based on reductionism, are no longer adequate representations to study the dynamics of complex systems. A worldview that includes complexity requires foremost a philosophical induction (a theory) of the nature of all the forces that move the industry and a mechanism for understanding how complex forces aggregate and affect growth. The dissertation examines the current understanding of the Theories of Complexity in general, and in building construction, as preparation for a deeper understanding on how sustainability and its opposite, exponential growth (or "exponentialoid") relate. Guaranteeing sustainability transcends the current arsenal of counter measures such as LEED, high-performance measures, waste containment, conservation, lessening demand, renewable resourcing, greening of the industry, creation of high-performance buildings, penalizing the polluter, carbon trading, and others… Sustainability is re-framed as the (artificial) force that tames an unsustainable exponentialoid. Sustainable forces are represented by elements of influence acting like vectorials that appear to have identifiable origin, direction and magnitude. A hypothetical example of how the heuristic/theory works is presented, pending future studies (needed to supply the necessary data required for a working model). This is pre-paradigmatic work, using both a novel worldview and method of analysis that points to increasingly detailed research work to be performed in the future.
Process-mediated Planning of AEC Projects through Structured Dialogues

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005-11-18) Verheij, Johan Michiel

Project planning in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry at present relies heavily on individual skills, experience and improvisation. In an attempt to increase predictability and efficiency, and to improve knowledge retention across projects, this thesis proposes a more systematic approach to project planning. It does so by introducing the notion of a meta-process model that embodies and cultivates the logic and intelligence of incremental and collaborative planning activities in a given domain. Planning tasks are encoded and enforced as a set of structured dialogues between project partners. To make this possible, a taxonomy extension to current workflow modeling technology is introduced. The concept of the chosen approach can thus be classified as process mediation through structured dialogues. It is applied to the particular example case of Design-Build project delivery for which a detailed workflow model was created. This model serves as a partial instantiation of the larger Project Management Body Of Knowledge, an abstract framework put forward by the US Project Management Institute. A prototype system architecture is devised as an extension to an existing collaborative virtual environment developed in the European e-HUBs research project. This experimental Web-based platform supports the enactment of workflows that are expressed in the standardized syntax of the neutral process definition language XPDL. The functional richness of the structured dialogue extensions is demonstrated through a dialogue management prototype developed as a separate MS Access database application.
A method to predict reverberation time in concert hall preliminary design stage

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005-10-04) Zhang, Yan

A historical review is performed to study the impact of acoustical knowledge on concert hall developments. It shows that although acoustics developed from myth to real science, there is still a gap between its fast growing knowledge and relatively slow applications to improve designs. Architectural acoustics research and education shall help populating the tacit knowledge and experience of acousticians to reduce the gap between design and knowledge. The established paradigm in this field is to identify the performance goals of concert halls, recognize the available design information in different stages, and establish models to link them together. Placed in this general picture, this thesis focuses on providing design support for preliminary stage. It develops a model to link accessible design features with the most important acoustics performance index, reverberation time. A literature review on exiting reverberation time prediction methods shows that they are based on either too demanding or over-simplified for this stage. This study intends to develop a model that makes maximum use of available information and improves prediction accuracy in comparison with existing simplified methods. Through literature survey and data analysis, three factors (geometrical shape, non-uniform material distribution and scattering effect) are recognized as significant for reverberation time prediction. This thesis developed a simplified model taking these factors into consideration and calibrated this model with empirical data through Bayesian statistical method.