The interrelationships between school design and children learning are well established. Less evident is the relationship between sustainable school design and the level of environmental behaviour of the children in attendance. Newly erected primary schools in Australia have been broadly graded as either sustainable or conventional. This paper evaluates the impact of both sustainable and conventional school design on children’s environmental behaviour, and examines the correlation between school design and children’s environmental behaviour.
624 children, aged 10-12 years old, completed a survey. This sample, from seven selected primary schools in Victoria (Australia), includes four conventional schools and three sustainable ones. The survey was developed according to GEB (General Ecological Behavior) scale and a few more school specific variables.
The outcome of the survey was analyzed using an independent sample t-test and two-way between groups ANOVA in order to assess environmental behavior differences of children in both sustainable and conventional schools taking into account factors that either explicitly and/or implicitly impact on their behavior such as sustainable school design, teachers’ environmental behavior and parents’ environmental behavior.
The results show statistically significant differences in environmental behavior of children in sustainable schools and those in conventional schools. Comparing the means of children’s environmental behavior indicates that children in sustainable schools posses higher levels of pro-environmental behavior than children in conventional schools.
The paper highlights the strong relationships between school design and children’s environmental behavior, and expands recognition of the role of environmentally sensitive school design not only to improve learning environments but more specifically to engage children ecologically with their immediate built environment.
The Catalyst Role of School Architecture in Enhancing Children’s Environmental Behavior
Design, Development and Construction of an Outdoor Testing Facility for STPV Modules
Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the most promising technologies enabling buildings to generate on-site part of their electricity needs while performing architectural functionalities. A clear example of BIPV products consists of semi-transparent photovoltaic modules (STPV), designed to replace the conventional glazing solutions in building façades. Accordingly, the active building envelope is required to perform multiple requirements such as provide solar shading to avoid overheating, supply solar gains and thermal insulation to reduce heat loads and improve daylight utilization. To date, various studies into STPV systems have focused on their energy performance based on existing simulation programs, or on the modelling, normally validated by limited experimental data, of the STPV modules thermal behaviour. Taking into account that very limited experimental research has been conducted on the energy performance of STPV elements and that the characterization in real operation conditions is necessary to promote an energetically efficient integration of this technology in the building envelope, an outdoor testing facility has been designed, developed and built at the Solar Energy Institute of the Technical University of Madrid. In this work, the methodology used in the definition of the testing facility, its capability and limitations are presented and discussed.
Ideahaus: A Comfortable Home for the UK’S Future Climate
This paper describes the result of a project to develop climate adaptation design strategies funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board. The aim of the project was to look at the threats and opportunities presented by industrialised and lightweight housebuilding techniques in the light of predicted increases in flooding and overheating. This case study presents detailed concept designs for a future systemised housing product which can be Industrialised, Delightful, Efficient and Adaptable; an IDEAhaus.
How Do Occupants Perceive the Building Performance of Award-Winning Schools in the UK
School design can contribute to reducing carbon emissions and raising environmental awareness among the next generation. A good school environment can have positive effects on occupant behaviour, mood and working productivity, etc. This paper selected three RIBA award-winning schools as research examples in order to investigate how the occupants perceive the actual building performance of their school, and its impact on their use of the building. Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) based on occupant surveys and interview was linked to internal environmental performance and energy use. Generally, the feedback was satisfactory. However, some aspects of the buildings’ environmental performance, such as air quality, lighting environment and thermal comfort, were considered unsatisfactory by school staff at certain times. This study indicated that there are gaps between design intent and actual building performance, and also highlighted the importance of the relationship between school design and school users. Design suggestions to achieve a better school environment are identified in the conclusion.
Exploring the first European residential project receiving the ‘outstanding’ BREEAM certificate
The importance of demonstration projects in the process towards more sustainable building is endorsed. It is noticed that performances on sustainability of these projects are rarely proven by leading and widely used multi criteria assessment and rating tools. This research focuses on a project for sustainable grouped housing intended to act as a demonstration project and awarded with the BREEAM ‘outstanding’ certificate.
The main objective of this paper is to explore and position this assessed and rated project between renowned European demonstration and best practice projects. First, implemented design measures are unveiled which led to the ‘outstanding’ pre-design certificate. Second, detected design measures are compared with prevailing sustainability measures in a ‘real-life’ cross case confrontation. Third, a SWOT analysis is made concerning innovative, deviant or exceptional measures within the context of Flanders/Europe.
It is concluded that, pending the completion of the construction phase, the assessed and rated project cannot be designated as ‘demonstration or best practice project’. Intended and/or actual measures are insufficient regarding the full scope of sustainability.
From zero-energy building to zero-energy neighbourhood: urban form and mobility matter
“Zero-Energy” Building (ZEB) is arousing more and more interest internationally, both in policies aiming at a more sustainable built environment (such as the European Directive PEB that will require, for example, all new buildings to be “nearly Zero-Energy” Buildings (nZEB) by 2020) and in the scientific literature. Although Zero-Energy can be considered at different scales, this approach only adopts the perspective of the individual building and neglects phenomena linked to larger scales. Therefore, this paper aims at investigating the “Zero-Energy Neighbourhood” concept. It proposes a calculation method that takes into account three main topics: the energy consumption of buildings, the impact of the location on the energy consumption for daily mobility and the use of renewable energies. An application of this calculation method to two representative case studies (one urban neighbourhood and one suburban neighbourhood) is proposed. Main parameters that act upon the energy balance are highlighted and combined to propose concrete results to improve our built environment and move towards more sustainability. Hourly and monthly balances, the potential of “energy
mutualisation” and smart grids are keys challenges that are of crucial importance in the scope of a Zero-Energy objective at the neighbourhood scale.
Totora: A sustainable Insulation Material for the Andean Parts of Peru
In the Andean areas of Peru (above 12,000 feet 3,657 meters) altitude) rural communities are characterized by extreme poverty, precarious roads, and dwellings without heating systems nor the most common types of conventional construction materials that might provide thermal protection. In 2002, the weather in the Andes changed, generating temperatures as low as -16 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 degrees Celsius), creating major heating deficits in the majority of the adobe houses. “Totora” (Schoenoplectus Tatora), an aquatic plant that grows in Lake Titicaca at 12,500 ft (3,810 meters) above sea level, available in most rural areas in Puno, is sold as an inexpensive mattress. Samples of woven mats of Totora were exported from Peru and tested in a laboratory at the University of Minnesota following the ASTM Standard C1155 to find its R-value. The results indicate that the Totora ‘mattress’ has an R-value that is approximately eight times higher than adobe of the same thickness. Additionally, the findings show that Totora can be used as a sustainable insulation on walls, windows and doors by applying it as an external layer to new or existing houses. This solution could improve the interior comfort of the houses and the quality of life in the rural Andean communities of Peru.
Reanalysing the ASHRAE RP-884 Database to Determine Thermal Comfort Criteria for Naturally Ventilated Buildings in Hot-Humid Climate
The main goal of this study is to determine a suitable set of thermal comfort criteria for naturally ventilated buildings in hot-humid climate by reanalysing the ASHRAE RP-884 database. The results reveal that the regression coefficient in the adaptive algorithm for naturally ventilated buildings in hot-humid climate is 0.52, which is steeper than ASHRAE Standard 55 and EN15251, even after considering the effects of indoor air speed. While higher air speed is effective to elevate indoor comfort temperature in hot-humid climate, the relationship between increased indoor air speed and increasing indoor operative temperature is also different from the above existing standards. In contrast, allowance for increased air speed may not be applicable to hot-dry climate. The daily mean outdoor air temperature may give more varied indoor operative temperatures that reflect the day’s conditions more closely compared to the monthly mean, running mean and prevailing mean outdoor air temperatures which tend to group together as a result of averaging. An Adaptive Comfort Standard for Hot-Humid Climate is proposed for application to naturally ventilated buildings in all tropical climates and hot-humid summer season of temperate climate based on these findings
Building Management for a Good Indoor Climate and Low Energy Use: How much coordination is needed between facility manager and technical manager?
In the Netherlands and most European countries it is usually not the Facility Manager who is in charge of the indoor climate and energy use of a building. This task is usually delegated to a technical service manager or sup-plier. This may seem logical because they both have their own specialism but in this case, the specialism’s are so far apart that the common interest of adding value through an optimal indoor climate, a low energy use and low exploitation costs is insufficiently served. This add-ed value can be measured in customer satisfaction, in terms of indoor climate and comfort, low absenteeism, higher production rates, low maintenance on HVAC systems and low energy consumption. Unfortunately, this added value is often not created and facility manag-er and technical manager do not work together, resulting in a poor indoor climate and high energy bills.
This paper presents the results of a qualitative research on the control of offices and educational buildings by the facility manager and technical manager, usually an installer. Daily practice is analyzed for a number of cases and complaints mismatches, actual indoor air quality, energy use and interventions are identified and analyzed. Best and worst practices are explained. The analysis also provides an integral model that covers the housings life cycle of the organization; design, imple-mentation, monitoring and adjustment of room usage and indoor climate. Finally recommendations are made for designers, builders and managers of HVAC systems and building management systems with attention for the necessary communication between technical and less technical administrators, such as facility managers.
Analysis of Seasonal Differences in Microclimate Formed in a Local Small City of Paddy Field Areas – A new approach using airborne remote sensing and CFD simulation
This paper examines the relationship between the seasonal land cover change and microclimate formed in a local small city of paddy field areas in Japan using airborne remote sensing data and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation. The land cover maps for three seasons, the 3D urban district model and the 3D surface temperature images are made using the airborne MSS (Multi-Spectral Scanner) data obtained in each season and GIS data in Tonami city, Toyama prefecture. These data are applied to the boundary conditions for the CFD simulation, and microclimate, including air current and air temperature distribution, are simulated for three seasons taking into account the seasonal land cover change. The simulation results are compared with the field measurement results for the microclimates in the site. These results quantitatively indicate that the control of microclimate by the paddy fields changes seasonally as its land cover changes through the year. In the summertime, the cooling effect of the paddy fields and the cool air current from the area contribute to the decrease in air temperature in the urbanized area.