CIVL3811: Building Design Process Quiz

Introduction to Building Technology

• Course code: CIVL3811
• Course title: Engineering Design and Construction
• Offered by: School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney

Design Process

• Part of the building procurement process
• Design professionals translate owner's needs into documents for contractors
• Involves various stages like inception, scoping, appraising, surveying, initial concept, scheme design to planning and specialized inputs
• Professionals consult various stakeholders, plan, and review design
• Important to consider optimal routes, access points, street continuity and enclosure, and sun's path's influence on design
• Design involves different elements like site context, noise, impact, urban drainage, privacy, and views

Influences on the design process

• Codes and standards
• Costs
• Passive and active approaches
• Energy efficiency
• Passive house performance
• Green building design strategies
• Carbon-neutral design
• Design strategies for sustainability
• Regenerative design strategies

A philosophy of design

• Let nature do the work
• Consider nature as model and a context
• Aggregate rather than isolate
• Match technology to the need
• Seek common solutions to disparate problems
• Shape the form to guide the flow
• Shape the form to manifest the process
• Provide multiple pathways
• Manage storage

Design Intent

• Statement outlining the expected outcome of the design process
• Example intents include outstanding occupant comfort, consideration of current information technology, green building principles, carbon neutrality, and flexibility.

Conflicting Design Criteria

• Trade-off between different objectives in the design process

Active and Passive Systems

• Passive System: Uses no purchased energy (e.g., electricity, natural gas, fuel oil)
  • Example: daylighting system, where system components have multiple roles (e.g., concrete floor as structure, walking surface, and solar collector).
  • Typically tightly integrated with overall building design and often designed by architects.
• Active System: Primarily uses purchased (non-renewable) energy
  • Example: electric lighting, gas furnace.
  • Often non-architectural and loosely integrated into building design.

Hybrid System

• Combines active and passive approaches, primarily leaning toward passive
• Example: ceiling fans (active) added to a natural ventilation (passive) cooling system to enhance performance and reduce energy consumption.

Net-Zero-Energy Building

• Produces enough energy from renewables (solar or wind) to match consumption from non-renewable resources.
• Core components include maximizing energy efficiency, prioritizing on-site renewables, utilizing off-site renewables, and measuring/managing net-zero operations.
• Additional components include electrification readiness, optimizing building-grid integration and minimizing on-site fossil fuel consumption.

Regenerative and Restorative Buildings

• Produce more energy than consumed and share excess; create opportunities for urban agriculture; recharge groundwater systems or create ecosystems for local species.

Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)

• Systematic and rigorous evaluation of buildings after construction and occupancy
• Collects feedback from users and operators to improve performance.

Design for Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort

• Focus on energy efficiency and thermal comfort in design
• Charts and diagrams illustrate the factors of thermal comfort like sunlight, temperature, humidity, airflow, and radiant heat.

Energy Efficiency

• Efficiency is the ratio of system output to input.
• Higher output for a given input indicates higher efficiency.
• Sustainability involves meeting current needs without hindering future generations.
• A sustainable project avoids negative environmental impacts.
• Green projects aren't necessarily sustainable.
• HERS (Home Energy Rating System) is a scoring system developed by RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) to express a home's energy efficiency. HERS sets a baseline performance (100) and exemplary (0) performance.

HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Index

• Scoring system developed by RESNET
• Used to express a home's energy efficiency
• Baseline performance is 100; exemplary is 0

Green Star Rating

• Sustainability rating system for Australian buildings
• Launched in 2003 by the Green Building Council of Australia
• Tyree building at UNSW has a 6-Star Green Star Design rating.

ABS Building – The University of Sydney

• The building is located on the UNSW campus.

BASIX

• NSW Government building sustainability index.
  • Calculates thermal loads based on occupant behaviour for openings (windows, doors, and shading).
  • Analyses data to ensure compliance with water and energy targets.
  • Assesses anticipated water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Three BASIX online assessment tools for new dwellings (single and multi-family), and alterations/additions.

Environmental Footprint

• Plots resource demands of an area as a footprint on the planet.
• Commonly measured as the land and sea area needed to provide resources for a population and assimilate waste (in global hectares).

Thermal Comfort

• ASHRAE condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with thermal environment.

Controlling Factors for Thermal Comfort

• Air temperature
• Humidity
• Mean Radiant temperature
• Air speed
• Metabolic rate
• Clothing level

Radiation-Thermal Comfort

• Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) is the surface temperature of a uniform enclosure where an occupant exchanges the same amount of radiant heat as actual space.
• MRT is affected by factors like surrounding walls, ceiling, floor, and windows.
• MRT is measured using a globe thermometer and can fluctuate depending on ambient air temperature, heat flow, and solar radiation.

Air Speed-Thermal Comfort

• Wind speeds below 0.1 m/s can cause stuffiness.
• Wind speeds up to 1.0m/s are comfortable indoors.
• Higher speeds lead to discomfort.

ASHRAE Standard

• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard defines comfort level.
• uses thermal sensation scale.
• Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) represents the average thermal sensation response.

Comfort Zone

• Range of dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air speed, clothing insulation, and activity considered comfortable.
• These conditions can be represented on a psychometric chart.

Indoor Air Quality

• 90% of our lives are spent indoors.
• Indoor air can be 2 – 5x more polluted than outdoor air.
• Common indoor air pollutants include airborne particles, formaldehyde, household odors and gases, ozone, and carbon dioxide.

Wall Opening

• Example of a design issue involving knocking down walls between rooms.
  • Client needs to knock down walls for a new opening/hallway

Where to start in a wall opening Project

• Critical considerations for wall openings include load-bearing status, wall/framing materials, and loads running through the wall (electrical, plumbing, etc.). Assessment of approvals, appropriate fire ratings, and any impact on neighbors/property is needed.

Structural Design

• Drawings demonstrating orange denoted plates for structural support
• The project involves various structures (B1, B2).

Removing Load Off Walls

• Temporary supports (props) are critical for structural integrity during demolition or modifications of interior structures.

Needling

• Temporary supports to sustain the structural stability of parts being worked on.

Photos During Construction

• Illustrations of how part of the construction is progressing to demonstrate different structural elements.

Test your knowledge on the design process in building technology with this quiz from the CIVL3811 course. Explore important aspects such as stakeholder consultation, design elements, and influences like codes, costs, and sustainability strategies. Ideal for students in civil engineering looking to enhance their understanding of engineering design principles.